“It was Comrade Zhou who did it, I heard.”
“Wasn’t it Zhang’s second son, Zhang Qingkai, who did it? I even saw the old lady from the Ma family pestering him for medical expenses, demanding 500 yuan in compensation.”
“That was all a misunderstanding. The old man from the Ma family woke up and said it was Comrade Zhou who did it.”
Two middle-aged men and women on the outskirts stood on their tiptoes, trying to peek inside while discussing.
“Really? Comrade Zhou doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”
“You don’t know this, do you? Comrade Zhou’s newly married wife cheated on him, even bringing the man into their home. The old man from the Ma family happened to see it and told Comrade Zhou about it. In a fit of rage, Comrade Zhou hit someone.”
“If Comrade Zhou wanted to hit someone, he should have hit that adulterous couple! What’s the point of hitting someone else? I always thought that woman looked like a temptress, and coming from the countryside, she clearly wasn’t from a decent family. It’s no surprise she could do something like this.”
“Exactly! What a disgrace to our machinery factory! Comrade Zhou is really unlucky, having his reputation ruined by that little slut. Who knows how the assault case will be judged? He might even get fired.”
People were quick to believe rumors, especially salacious ones about affairs, which always grabbed attention. They didn’t care about the truth, chattering away with their own versions of the story.
In fact, their attention shifted to Cheng Fangqiu’s affair, and few were even concerned about the assault anymore.
The group that had just arrived outside the ward naturally overheard this. Ma Changjun’s face flashed with a hint of satisfaction.
“You reap what you sow,” he thought. He had to seize this opportunity to bring Zhou Yinghuai down. Once the technical department was left with only Hu Pingsheng in charge, he, as the great contributor, would surely get his share of the benefits.
Cheng Fangqiu and Zhou Yinghuai’s expressions were grim. After all, no one would feel good being slandered.
Secretary Qian and Mediator Zhang were furious that people were spreading nonsense before the investigation results were even out. This was just adding to the chaos!
“Break it up, everyone, stop gathering here.”
“What time is it? This is a hospital, not a place for spectating.”
At these words, the crowd quieted down a bit and even made way for them. But no one left. Instead, other patients and their families, who hadn’t been interested before, now gathered as the situation escalated, and the crowd grew larger.
Before Secretary Qian and Mediator Zhang could say more, they were interrupted by Zhang Guixiang, who suddenly rushed forward.
“Zhou Yinghuai, you black-hearted devil! My husband was kind enough to tell you the truth, and you beat him up like this!”
Zhang Guixiang charged straight at Zhou Yinghuai, but as she got closer, she hesitated. Zhou Yinghuai was tall, with icy, menacing eyes, and his imposing presence was terrifying. She knew she was no match for him.
But she couldn’t swallow her anger, so she quickly swung at the seemingly delicate Cheng Fangqiu beside him.
However, before her slap could land, it was caught by a large hand. The grip was so strong she felt her bones might shatter, and her wrinkled face twisted in pain.
Zhang Guixiang screamed in agony, her shrill cries echoing through the ward, making everyone cover their ears and step back.
“Zhou Yinghuai, you hit my dad, and now you’re hitting my mom?” Ma Changjun trembled with anger, but despite his words, he didn’t dare step forward to stop it.
Cheng Fangqiu laughed in exasperation. “You’re really good at twisting the truth. Your mom was the one who tried to hit someone, wasn’t she?”
As the two were about to argue, Secretary Qian wiped the sweat from his forehead and glared at Ma Changjun. “Do you think I’m blind?”
Then, turning to Zhou Yinghuai, he said softly, “Comrade Zhou, let go first.”
They were here to solve the problem, not create new conflicts.
If Zhou Yinghuai really wanted to hit someone, given his physique, Zhang Guixiang wouldn’t just be screaming—she’d already be bruised black and blue.
“Dirty hands,” Cheng Fangqiu also stepped forward and tugged at Zhou Yinghuai’s sleeve. Only then did he let go of Zhang Guixiang.
Zhang Guixiang stumbled and nearly fell. If it weren’t for Ma Changjun rushing over to support her, she would have definitely face-planted on the ground.
“You’re all bullying us! If you don’t give us justice, I… I won’t live anymore!” Zhang Guixiang slapped her thighs, crying with snot and tears streaming down her face, as if the whole world owed her something.
“My old man can’t even move now, and it’s all because of Zhou Yinghuai! Scum like him will only ruin the atmosphere in the factory. Leaders, you must fire him!”
Secretary Qian and Mediator Zhang had dark lines on their faces. How could they have the authority to fire a senior technician like Zhou Yinghuai? Even if they did, it wasn’t that simple.
Who was Zhou Yinghuai? A college talent dispatched from the Beijing Machinery Factory. If they wanted to deal with him, they would have to write a report and submit it to Beijing for approval before they could make a decision.
Besides, the truth of the matter hadn’t even been investigated yet. How could they blindly take sides? In their opinion, the situation was far more complicated, and it was better to observe a bit longer.
Both of them remained silent, and the scene fell quiet. Zhang Guixiang’s wailing paused, and she instinctively looked at Ma Changjun.
Ma Changjun was startled. Why was his mother so foolish? How could she look at him at a time like this? Wasn’t it obvious that she was telling everyone that these words were taught to her by him?
Ma Changjun desperately signaled Zhang Guixiang with his eyes, and only then did she belatedly continue crying, “Fire him! Pay compensation! Apologize!”
Cheng Fangqiu took in their little act with a roll of her eyes, choosing to ignore it. She then shifted her gaze to Ma Shugen lying on the hospital bed. He looked weak, with injuries on his forehead and the corner of his mouth, bruises turning purple, and even dried bloodstains on his clothes. It seemed like he was seriously injured.
But the location of the injuries didn’t quite match what Zhou Yinghuai had described.
This was getting interesting.
“Beaten so badly? Swollen like a pig’s head,” Cheng Fangqiu covered her mouth and exclaimed exaggeratedly, raising her voice so everyone could hear.
Someone couldn’t help but snicker, though they quickly stifled it. However, Ma Shugen, who was closest, heard it. His vision darkened, and he nearly fainted from anger.
He wasn’t good-looking to begin with, and now with the injuries, he looked even worse. But to call him a pig’s head? That was a bit much.
Seeing that this tactic worked, Cheng Fangqiu pressed on, “Quick, close the curtains. Don’t scare the children, or they’ll have nightmares tonight.”
Many of the onlookers were holding children. Hearing this, they immediately covered their kids’ eyes and urged Yang Liqun, who was standing by Ma Shugen’s bed, “Your eldest and second daughters are here too. Close the curtains quickly. What if they get scared?”
Yang Liqun instinctively reached for the blue curtains to separate Ma Shugen from the crowd, but halfway through, Ma Shugen interrupted her, “What are you closing? You think I’m scary too, you stupid woman?”
Seeing Yang Liqun still dumbly trying to close the curtains, Ma Shugen turned red with anger. He actually propped himself up, hovering in mid-air, and then reached out to slap Yang Liqun’s hand with a loud “smack.”
The sharp, loud sound made it clear that it must have hurt terribly.
“Oh my, aren’t you quite spry? You look more lively than I do. Doesn’t seem like you can’t move at all, right, Auntie Zhang?”
Cheng Fangqiu glanced sarcastically at Zhang Guixiang, who was also shocked by Ma Shugen suddenly sitting up to hit Yang Liqun. She stood there stammering, unable to come up with a retort.
Ma Changjun, however, was quick-witted. He hurried over and pressed Ma Shugen back onto the hospital bed, covering him tightly with the blanket. He whispered with a mix of frustration and warning, “Dad!”
Ma Shugen also belatedly realized that he had fallen for Cheng Fangqiu’s provocation. His expression instantly turned ugly, and with the injuries on his face, he looked like a demon.
Ma Changjun accidentally glanced at Ma Shugen and was so frightened that he didn’t dare look again. He muttered to himself, “Did I hit him that hard earlier?”
Yes, he was the one who had caused the injuries.
When he had received the news, he had rushed to the hospital immediately. Upon hearing that Zhou Yinghuai was the one who had hit someone, he had hatched a plan to blow the matter out of proportion. On one hand, he could extort money from Zhou Yinghuai to cover the expenses he had incurred to get into the technical department. On the other hand, it was a great opportunity to pledge his loyalty to Hu Pingsheng.
As long as he got rid of Zhou Yinghuai, Hu Pingsheng would surely think highly of him. In the future, with Hu Pingsheng as the head of the technical department, wouldn’t he be the second-in-command?
However, the areas where Zhou Yinghuai had struck were all hidden spots. Without removing clothes, no one could see the injuries. Moreover, no one knew what method he had used, but the beaten areas were excruciatingly painful, yet no marks were left behind. Even the hospital’s injury report showed nothing.
The doctor even said that his father had fainted due to extreme fright.
To put it bluntly, he had been scared into unconsciousness.
Ma Changjun felt both furious and humiliated. But how could he give up such a golden opportunity that had fallen into his lap? Besides, since the two families were destined to be on bad terms, he might as well tear off all pretenses and use this to his advantage.
So, after learning that no one had witnessed Zhou Yinghuai hitting his father, Ma Changjun took matters into his own hands and beat his father severely. To gain sympathy and trust, he deliberately targeted visible areas.
At the same time, he instructed his family to stick to the same story and insist that it was Zhou Yinghuai who had done it.
Ma Changjun was confident that, without evidence, Zhou Yinghuai would have no choice but to swallow this bitter pill!
But he never expected his family members, who had agreed to the plan so readily, to completely fall apart at the critical moment. It was utterly embarrassing!
Ma Changjun took a deep breath, then turned to Cheng Fangqiu with a look of grief and resentment. “My father is already in this state, and you’re still saying these things to provoke him? Do you have no conscience?”
After saying this, he deliberately paused, then pretended to have a sudden realization as he pointed at Cheng Fangqiu.
“Are you trying to anger my father to death, so there’s no witness left? Do you think you can erase the scandal of your affair and Zhou Yinghuai’s assault? Without an eyewitness, you can twist the story however you want!”
“We’re all from the same factory. How can you be so heartless, you vicious woman? Zhou Yinghuai must be blind to still treat you like a treasure, even with this green hat on his head.”
At this point, Ma Changjun sneered and didn’t forget to play the victim in front of the others. “My wife and I have worked diligently in the factory for so many years. Even if we haven’t achieved much, we’ve put in our share of hard work. Now, we’re being bullied like this, and there’s no justice!”
Even though the family’s flaws had been exposed earlier, some fence-sitters still sided with Ma Changjun and began condemning Cheng Fangqiu and Zhou Yinghuai.
“If you hit someone, you should apologize and pay compensation. How can you still act so righteous and provoke the patient? Can’t you see how weak he is?”
“He’s old enough to be your father. How could you hit him so hard? I used to think Comrade Zhou was a good person, but now…”
“In my opinion, it’s all because of his new wife. If she hadn’t shamelessly cheated on Comrade Zhou, none of this would have happened. In the past, she would have been dragged out and drowned in a pig cage along with her lover!”
At times like these, there are always clowns who pretend to be deaf and blind, jumping out to champion “justice.”
Cheng Fangqiu sneered. When the farce had reached its peak and the timing felt right, she finally spoke up calmly, “Are you done? Then it’s my turn.”
Her calm and confident demeanor inexplicably made Ma Changjun feel a twinge of panic and unease. But then he thought, since she had no evidence, how much trouble could she really cause? So he stayed silent and didn’t speak.
“Secretary Qian, Mediator Zhang, you’ve all heard it. Ma Changjun’s family, and these people,” she pointed at Ma Changjun and his family, then at the few who had spoken earlier, “they keep talking about affairs and green hats, accusing me of cheating and frolicking with another man in broad daylight, right?”
Her words were frank and straightforward, surprising everyone. If this had happened to another woman, she would have been too ashamed to speak, wishing she could disappear or even die to prove her innocence.
But Cheng Fangqiu wasn’t afraid or ashamed. In fact, she even had a smile on her face.
“How can you still smile?” Yang Liqun curled her lip and shot Cheng Fangqiu a disdainful look. “You’re such a disgrace to women.”
“None of your business,” Cheng Fangqiu shot back with a cold glare. Yang Liqun instinctively shrank back. How could she forget Cheng Fangqiu’s combativeness? She wasn’t someone to be trifled with!
“Secretary Qian, Mediator Zhang?” Cheng Fangqiu urged again.
The two men nodded. “That’s indeed what happened.”