“How can there be such a cancer like you in the family compound? If everyone learns from you to fake fainting, to blame injuries from who-knows-where on others, shouting for compensation, shouting for dismissals, will there ever be peace for anyone?”
Xu Qiqi was in full swing, every word hitting the mark, successfully stirring up the empathy of the crowd.
“Your whole family is rotten to the core, lying through your teeth! Who would dare to deal with you anymore?”
“Stay away from them, who knows if we’ll be the next ones to be extorted.”
The atmosphere in the ward tensed up to the extreme in an instant, everyone urging Secretary Qian and Mediator Zhang to come up with a solution, to severely punish the Ma family, to teach them a lesson.
But such an incident was a first in the family compound, and it involved a senior technician, not to mention the deputy factory director was also present, making the decision on how to handle the situation a difficult one.
“Maybe we should just report it to the police? Slander, extortion…” Cheng Fangqiu naturally saw their dilemma and casually dropped a bombshell suggestion, “This is no longer something the factory can resolve.”
And even if they didn’t report it now, they would have to later.
Of course, Cheng Fangqiu didn’t say that, otherwise how would they enjoy the show later?
“Cheng Fangqiu, shut your mouth!” Seeing Secretary Qian and Mediator Zhang visibly wavering, Ma Changjun was so frightened that he hurried forward to cover Cheng Fangqiu’s mouth, but before he could get close, he was stopped by Zhou Yinghuai.
“I told you to stay away from her.” Zhou Yinghuai pressed down on Ma Changjun’s shoulder, his deep eyes showing no fluctuation, yet making people feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
Ma Changjun felt as if his bones were about to dislocate, sweating profusely from the pain, his mouth opening involuntarily, but no words could come out.
At that moment, a casual laugh sounded at the door: “Yo, it’s really lively here.”
Everyone turned to look and saw Hu Pingsheng, dressed in work clothes and towering in stature, appearing at the ward door. He was like a plague god arriving, and those around him, fearing to get too close, unconsciously stepped aside.
Hu Pingsheng, as if he didn’t notice, swaggered in through the empty space, his gaze fixed on Zhou Yinghuai, smiling ambiguously: “Comrade Zhou, such a mighty presence, just finished beating the father, now beating the son?”
“Comrade Hu!” Ma Changjun’s eyes lit up as if he had seen a savior.
Hu Pingsheng glanced at Ma Changjun indifferently, showing no particular expression. Ma Changjun had indeed offered him a lot of money and tickets, but so what? He wasn’t here specifically for him today, but to see Zhou Yinghuai’s embarrassment.
Ever since Zhou Yinghuai came to Rongzhou Machinery Factory, he had always disliked him, but the man was meticulous in his work, leaving no room for fault to target him. Now that there was finally a chance to catch him slipping, he couldn’t miss it, so upon hearing the news that Zhou Yinghuai had beaten someone into the hospital, he rushed over immediately.
Zhou Yinghuai glanced at Hu Pingsheng lightly, his gaze as if looking at trash, almost making Hu Pingsheng jump in anger. He took a deep breath, just about to say something, when a soft female voice came from the side.
“Husband, I told you it’s dirty.”
As soon as the words fell, the usually stern man immediately let go obediently, looking very much like a child who had done something wrong.
Hu Pingsheng was dumbfounded, only then shifting his gaze to the woman standing not far from Zhou Yinghuai, and once he looked, he couldn’t look away.
She was wearing a red and white long dress, her figure tall and slender, her voluminous jet-black hair tied up at the back in a complex and exquisite hairstyle. She wore no makeup, yet her small face was stunningly beautiful, in the chaotic and noisy environment, she was like a bright red plum blossom, so beautiful that every move was full of charm.
Hu Pingsheng had long heard that Zhou Yinghuai had married a beautiful wife, but he always thought it was just flattery from those blind people outside to curry favor with Zhou Yinghuai, after all, a girl from the countryside, how beautiful could she be? Surely ugly and dark.
He didn’t expect those people to be right!
Thinking of this, Hu Pingsheng almost gritted his teeth in anger, why was Zhou Yinghuai so lucky? Just by going to the countryside for support once, he could marry such a top-tier wife!
“Comrade Hu, this matter has nothing to do with you.” Secretary Qian narrowed his eyes and reminded him in a deep voice, Hu Pingsheng’s timing was impeccable, just as the case was about to be closed, he came to interfere.
Hearing this, Hu Pingsheng then turned to look at Secretary Qian, thinking of the other’s status, he still greeted politely, but then sneered: “We’re all from the machinery factory, how is it none of my business?”
“Perhaps everyone is unaware that today is Comrade Ma’s first day joining the technical department. He’s a newcomer, so naturally, I should offer him some guidance. Given that I’ve had some past conflicts with Comrade Zhou, perhaps Comrade Zhou feared that my connections within the department might surpass his, and thus took this opportunity to beat up Comrade Ma’s father?”
“Since it’s said that we shouldn’t listen to just one side of the story, then I think the doctor’s words here shouldn’t be entirely trusted either. What normal person would beat themselves up to such a ghastly state? There’s more to this than meets the eye, Secretary Qian, you can’t just close the case like this, you need to investigate further.”
Hu Pingsheng was like a stick stirring up trouble, determined to muddy the waters.
The doctor was trembling with anger: “I don’t know either of these families, why would I lie?”
“Who knows, maybe you’ve received some benefits from someone,” Hu Pingsheng glanced at Zhou Yinghuai, then smiled meaningfully.
“The hospital has backup records, if you don’t believe me, you can check.”
“These things can all be easily forged, who can tell what’s true or false?”
Seeing the doctor so angry he was almost gasping for breath, Cheng Fangqiu quickly interjected: “Don’t waste words on him, didn’t you hear him admit himself that he has a special relationship with Ma Changjun? These two might have staged this whole act together, aiming to extort money and split the spoils.”
“I’m not in cahoots with Ma Changjun,” Hu Pingsheng didn’t expect Cheng Fangqiu to be so sharp-tongued, with one sentence she had dragged him into the water and tied him to Ma Changjun.
“Who knows?” Cheng Fangqiu smiled faintly, throwing Hu Pingsheng’s own words back at him.
Hu Pingsheng was choked, his expression immediately turning sour, but Ma Changjun seemed to have grasped a lifeline, leaning in towards Hu Pingsheng, “Comrade Hu, you must help me, I did all this for you.”
Hearing this, Hu Pingsheng’s pupils dilated, what nonsense was Ma Changjun spouting?
“Did everyone hear that? With so many people here, don’t think you can weasel out of this,” Cheng Fangqiu pointed at the two, then added, “I believe Secretary Qian and Mediator Zhang will handle this impartially, they won’t shield anyone, nor will they allow others to shield them.”
The last sentence was directed straight at Hu Pingsheng, making it clear who it was aimed at.
Hu Pingsheng quickly shook off Ma Changjun, clearly wanting to distance himself. Seeing that he hadn’t gotten the spectacle he wanted and almost got himself into trouble, he gritted his teeth, his eyes glued to Cheng Fangqiu’s face, thinking to himself: What a sharp tongue.
Secretary Qian and Mediator Zhang exchanged glances, huddling together to discuss their strategy.
The Ma family was now in a panic, especially Ma Changjun, who hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. Not only had he not gained any advantage, but now he was also facing punishment.
Although Zhou Yinghuai hadn’t struck hard, he had still hit someone! Why was he completely unscathed?
He couldn’t accept it! Just as he was about to say something more, he heard a commotion outside and instinctively looked towards the source, seeing a familiar face.
The head of the logistics department? What was he doing here at this hour?
Ma Changjun nervously held his breath, silently praying that the man was just here to watch the spectacle, but contrary to his hopes, the head of the logistics department brought several security personnel with him, and with their help, he quickly entered the ward.
Not only was Ma Changjun surprised, but everyone present was also somewhat incredulous. Today’s incident wasn’t particularly big or small, so why had it attracted so many important figures?
Except for Cheng Fangqiu and the others, almost everyone had similar thoughts.
“Director, what brings you here?”
As a long-time employee of the logistics department, Ma Changjun still took the initiative to greet him, but upon meeting the logistics director’s almost murderous gaze, the ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger. He involuntarily swallowed and stepped back until he was against the window before stopping.
Amidst everyone’s puzzled expressions, the logistics director slowly provided the answer, “After investigation and verification, Ma Changjun and several workers from our department have been colluding to take kickbacks, privately taking factory items to sell, bribing financial personnel to falsify accounts…”
“We have reported the case, the police are on their way, please cooperate with the investigation.”
These words were like a boulder thrown into already murky waters, stirring up waves, but with so many leaders present, no one dared to discuss it loudly, only holding it in.
The logistics department supervisor had brought up this matter in front of so many people precisely to set an example and deter others. Seeing the scene unfold, he nodded in satisfaction.
“Supervisor, I didn’t do this, it wasn’t me! Who wants to frame me? This is all slander!” Ma Changjun’s face instantly turned pale, his hands gripping the window frame, his knuckles twisting slightly from the force.
Ma Shugen and Zhang Guixiang, perhaps realizing the severity of the situation, also dropped their previous arrogance and began defending Ma Changjun.
“My son isn’t that kind of person! If he had done such a shameful thing, how could our lives be so miserable? Please, leaders, see the truth!”
“Wronged, we’ve been wronged! All the neighbors know our family is so poor we can barely make ends meet. Who with a black heart is framing our Changjun?”
In stark contrast to their frantic excuses was Yang Liqun, trembling by the hospital bed, saying nothing because she knew it was useless. The logistics supervisor had brought so many people here, so they must already have solid evidence.
From the moment she got involved in this matter, she had been living in fear, yet she also enjoyed the benefits it brought.
Their family was poor, but only on the surface. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to come up with so much money to transfer Ma Changjun to another department.
It’s over, everything’s over.
Meanwhile, Hu Pingsheng, standing nearby, knew best whether the logistics supervisor was telling the truth. He had always wondered where Ma Changjun got so much money—now he knew!
No, he had to go home immediately and dispose of the ill-gotten gains. If this was traced back to him, he’d be in deep trouble.
Thinking this, Hu Pingsheng took advantage of everyone’s focus on Ma Changjun to sneak away from the corner.
“The evidence is conclusive. There’s no slander here.” The logistics supervisor’s face was as dark as coal. He had worked at the factory for so many years, yet such a major issue had slipped under his radar. If it weren’t for that anonymous letter, he would still be in the dark.
Once this came to light, the factory would definitely hold him accountable!
He had originally thought to delay as long as possible, but then it occurred to him that whoever sent the anonymous letter could just as easily send it to other leaders. Rather than waiting for the scandal to break and then being held responsible, he might as well take this opportunity to think about how to make up for his mistakes.
Today, he had been at home pondering his next move when Zhao Zhigao from the technical department suddenly showed up, urging him to hurry to the hospital to apprehend the culprits. With so many people around, it was a chance to make a good impression, boost his standing among the factory workers and their families, and rid the factory of a bad apple. The higher-ups would surely go easier on him.
Zhao Zhigao also said that as long as he expelled the Ma family from the machinery factory, the person who wrote the anonymous letter wouldn’t compete with him for credit.
Such a good deal—of course, he had to do it! He quickly gathered the evidence, notified the security department, and rushed to the hospital.
Seeing the mix of anger and admiration in the eyes of those around him, the logistics supervisor’s anxious heart slowly settled. But just then, Ma Changjun, standing by the window, suddenly jumped out.
“Quick, catch him!”
If Ma Changjun escaped, this would become a huge mess!