“If you really want to try it, should I go get it next time?”
Zhou Yinghuai rolled up the thin layer and, with a long stretch of his arm, tossed it into the trash can behind Cheng Fangqiu’s head. He pressed his naked body against hers, closing the distance between them in an instant. His firm chest muscles almost brushed past the tip of her nose.
Cheng Fangqiu’s breathing grew uncontrollably rapid, and she dryly defended herself, “Actually, I don’t really want to that much.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, a soft chuckle sounded in her ear, as if mocking her for saying one thing while meaning another. Cheng Fangqiu’s face instantly turned bright red. Before she could regain her composure, his next move completely overwhelmed her ability to think.
“Qiuqiu, you do it.”
Their positions shifted. Her trembling hands pressed against his abs to steady herself, while her bottom awkwardly struggled to find a comfortable spot.
Seeing her flustered, he kindly reached out to help adjust her position. The suddenness of his action caught Cheng Fangqiu off guard, and her delicate brows furrowed tightly. Her breath seemed to grow several times hotter.
His warm fingertips wandered across her legs and waist, his usually cool face now tinged with a faint, alluring blush. Seeing her sitting there in a daze, he couldn’t help but plead in a low voice, “Wife.”
That simple, magnetic word was filled with longing, slowly coaxing her into bold, unrestrained movements.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, wrapping around their closely pressed bodies, composing a melody of ambiguous and enchanting notes.
After what felt like an eternity, Cheng Fangqiu was exhausted, her back aching as she lay on top of him, too tired to move. Her mind seemed still lost in the waves of what had just happened, and she couldn’t recall the question she had originally wanted to ask him. It wasn’t until he brought it up that she remembered.
“Hu Pingsheng has been arrested.”
“Huh?”
Cheng Fangqiu’s dazed eyes momentarily cleared as she slightly lifted her head to look at Zhou Yinghuai. “How did you manage that?”
Hu Pingsheng was, after all, a senior technician at the factory. How could he just be arrested like that?
—
Three hours earlier, in the technical department.
“Still no news?” Hu Pingsheng was restless, holding a pen and repeatedly tapping it on the table until the tip bent. He suddenly stopped, then hurled it away in frustration.
Ma Jinghui, startled by the pen whizzing past him, shuddered and secretly rolled his eyes. He couldn’t understand why Hu Pingsheng, who had already gained the upper hand over Technician Zhou, was still so fixated on his whereabouts.
What’s wrong with him?
But while he thought this, he couldn’t say it out loud. Ma Jinghui cleared his throat and replied respectfully, “There’s really no news.”
Truth be told, he was also puzzled. Normally, after a leave of absence, one was supposed to return to work on time. But it was already the second day, and Zhou Yinghuai still hadn’t shown up for work. In fact, he hadn’t been seen for quite some time.
Where had he gone? Such a big person couldn’t just vanish into thin air, could he?
The key was that even though he hadn’t come to work, no one in the department seemed to be looking for him. It was as if, apart from Hu Pingsheng, no one cared or paid any attention.
“What about Zhao Zhigao? Any movement from him?”
“None.”
“What about Zhou Yinghuai’s wife?”
“Nothing there either.”
“Get out.”
“Sure thing.”
Ma Jinghui turned around briskly and walked away, but as soon as he stepped out the door, he quickly ran back in. He looked as if he had seen a ghost, stammering for a long time without being able to explain anything. Hu Pingsheng, who was already irritated, saw this and, with a fierce expression, casually grabbed a document from the table and threw it at him, shouting, “Are you out of your damn mind?”
The document spun in mid-air and nearly hit someone who had just entered the room.
The atmosphere in the room instantly froze. Recognizing the newcomer, Hu Pingsheng shot up from his chair in disbelief and exclaimed, “Director Shen?”
Shen Wanquan glanced indifferently at the document at his feet and spoke coldly, “Technician Hu, is this how the factory’s documents and materials are being treated?”
His tone was low, carrying an ambiguous implication.
Hu Pingsheng’s breath hitched, and he quickly walked around the desk, hurried over to Shen Wanquan’s side, bent down to pick up the document, and forced a dry laugh. “Of course, we can’t treat them like this. It’s all my fault. I just lost my temper and…”
His words trailed off as he noticed the person following behind Director Shen. His pupils dilated, and he muttered, “Zhou Yinghuai?”
Hu Pingsheng had never seen Zhou Yinghuai in such a disheveled state. In his memory, Zhou had always been well-dressed and full of positive energy. But now, Zhou looked haggard and exhausted, his eyes bloodshot, his work clothes wrinkled, and stained with machine oil in several places.
“Technician Zhou, where have you been? I haven’t seen you at work for two days. I thought something had happened to you and was getting worried.”
Hu Pingsheng forced a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s good that you’re fine. But next time, if you’re busy with something, it’s best to let us know in advance. Otherwise, people might think you’re skipping work.”
Hearing this, Zhou Yinghuai lazily lifted his eyelids, a faint, mocking smile curling at the corners of his lips. He said lightly, “Who said I wasn’t working?”
Their gazes collided in mid-air, neither willing to back down, locked in a silent standoff.
“We all come to work on time every day, but we haven’t seen you. Isn’t that right, Technician Ma?” Hu Pingsheng seized this rare opportunity to undermine Zhou Yinghuai in front of the leadership and calmly turned to another witness present.
Ma Jinghui, who had been trying to keep a low profile, felt his vision darken and nearly fainted when Hu Pingsheng dragged him into the conversation. He had tried so hard to stay unnoticed, yet he still couldn’t escape!
He wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard, but with the string of leaders following Director Shen, he couldn’t remain silent. He had no choice but to tell the truth.
“Y-yes, we haven’t seen him.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Hu Pingsheng keenly noticed a subtle change in Director Shen’s expression. The smile on his lips widened. Zhou Yinghuai, this was your own doing. You can’t blame anyone else. It’s just bad timing that Director Shen and the others showed up now.
Zhou Yinghuai had always been meticulous and strictly professional at work, hadn’t he? Now, by skipping work, he was making a mockery of his own previously rigorous demeanor.
This was perfect. His image in the eyes of the leadership was surely plummeting.
But before Hu Pingsheng could further exploit the situation, Director Shen cut in with a calm yet chilling tone, “Technician Zhou has been working by my side these past few days. It’s normal that you haven’t seen him.”
Hu Pingsheng stiffened. He forced another smile and said dryly, “Oh, I see.”
So Zhou Yinghuai hadn’t been around because he was assisting Director Shen? But what could he possibly be helping Director Shen with?
Shen Wanquan glanced disapprovingly at Hu Pingsheng, who seemed lost in thought, and decided not to waste any more time. He got straight to the point, “There’s a matter that requires a meeting to address. Let’s go.”
Hearing this, Hu Pingsheng snapped back to attention, followed by a wave of surprise.
What matter required Director Shen to personally come to the technical department for a meeting? He stared blankly as the group, having arrived in full force, now marched toward the conference room nearby. A sense of dread began to creep into his heart.
Could it be that the truth had been exposed? But if that were the case, Zhou Yinghuai and Director Shen wouldn’t be acting like this. If it were him, he would have already lunged forward to start a fight.
Yet Zhou Yinghuai remained expressionless, his icy demeanor unchanged, showing no particular emotion toward him.
No, he couldn’t scare himself like this. Rather than believing that, he preferred to think that Director Shen and the others were here to award him.
Moreover, even if this meeting was initiated by Zhou Yinghuai to report him and bring Director Shen here to confront him, he had countermeasures prepared.
Thinking this, Hu Pingsheng felt slightly reassured and followed the group as they moved forward.
This conference room was usually used by the technical department for impromptu meetings. It wasn’t large, and there were only a few chairs. With so many leaders present this time, most people had to stand.
Hu Pingsheng knew his status wasn’t high enough among them, so he initially planned to stand with the others. But then he caught sight of Zhou Yinghuai sitting next to Director Shen. His pupils dilated, and he clenched his back teeth.
They held the same position, so why was Zhou Yinghuai sitting while he had to stand?
Hu Pingsheng couldn’t help but glance at the others, but they all seemed unfazed, as if this were perfectly normal.
Were these people blind?
Hu Pingsheng wanted to sit too, but there were no extra chairs in the conference room for him. He had no choice but to remain standing.
Finally, Supervisor Lei arrived late, closing the door behind him. He offered an awkward smile and explained, “I was handling something in the workshop. Sorry for being late.”
That’s what he said, but inwardly, he was puzzled. What was going on? Why had they suddenly been called for an impromptu meeting?
And…
Lei Jiang’s gaze swept across the room, and he realized that nearly all the factory’s leadership was present. His heart sank. He instinctively glanced at Hu Pingsheng, but the other man clearly had no idea either. Lei Jiang quickly composed himself and stood quietly to the side.
Shen Wanquan sat upright in the main seat and began speaking slowly, “Since everyone is here, I’ll keep this brief.”
At these words, the already quiet conference room became utterly silent.
“A few days ago, Technician Hu Pingsheng from the technical department submitted a research report to Supervisor Lei. I believe everyone is aware of this matter.”
Everyone’s gaze followed Shen Wanquan’s words and landed on Hu Pingsheng. This matter was practically common knowledge in the factory, so everyone nodded in unison.
A few who were unaware couldn’t help but show a hint of envy in their eyes. With this research report to his name, Hu Pingsheng’s future prospects were undoubtedly bright. It seemed Director Shen was here today specifically to award Hu Pingsheng.
Hu Pingsheng himself thought the same. The anxiety he had felt over the past few days vanished in an instant. He unconsciously straightened his back, his eyes shining with fervent anticipation as he stared at Director Shen, eager to hear how he would be rewarded.
But the next second, he involuntarily took a step back.
Because Shen Wanquan accused him of stealing credit for someone else’s research, calling him a disgrace to the entire factory!
“T-this is a misunderstanding! Did Zhou Yinghuai say something false in front of you? This research was the result of my hard work alone! It has nothing to do with anyone else!” Hu Pingsheng, recovering from the shock, immediately rushed to Director Shen to defend himself.