Chapter 73: The Peony Gate is Now Open for You

  At around two or three in the morning, Xiao Chen from the Security Department of the Agricultural Machinery Factory walked into the gatehouse and said to Da Mao, who was sleeping on the table: "Da Mao, I watched a movie tonight and got so fired up that I couldn't sleep. You go back to the dormitory, I'll keep watch for the night."

  The big fur was so sleepy that he couldn't, his drowsy eyes opened and said: "Thanks buddy, I'm going back to sleep." Walking to the door, he turned his head and asked: "What kind of movie are you watching, it's so intense?"

  "It seems to be played by Ye Qiaoyin, called Wo Ben Jiaru, looks very energetic, that figure, that tongue, tsk tsk, in Qingzhou dialect, 'zhì jiù' means refreshing."

  Xiao Chen's nostalgic expression on his face hurt Da Mao a lot, and he muttered: "Next time you go, remember to call me." After finishing speaking, he yawned and walked away with a swing.

  Tonight, there is no moonlight. If you don't bring a flashlight when going out, you can't even find the toilet. The whole tractor factory is quiet and still. Occasionally, the night wind blows through the treetops, making a rustling sound. Big Mao walked for over ten minutes, and Little Chen guessed that he was already asleep in his dormitory. Looking around and seeing no movement, he opened the small iron gate on the side of the guard room. Holding up his flashlight, he shone it into the distance. Four or five people emerged from the shadows, nodded at Little Chen, and silently entered the tractor factory.

  Wei Wang's confidant, Xia Fugui, walked quietly among the four of them, his head hung low. He followed silently. As they turned towards the office building, Xiao Chen spat heavily on Xia Fugui's back and cursed in a low voice: "You son of a bitch, you used to be so arrogant, now you're still just a son of a bitch!"

  The next morning, Wei had just entered the factory when the workshop director rushed over to intercept him, looking flustered and saying: "Director Wei, something's gone wrong, the workers have risen up."

  "What's the panic about? What can't be solved with a fuss?" Wei Cai, still maintaining his dignity in front of his subordinates, walked calmly and steadily into the room, asking calmly: "What's going on? Tell me slowly. The sky won't fall."

  "Your office was broken into last night and a list was posted, reportedly it's"

  Wei Gang Meng suddenly stopped, his mind buzzing with a loud noise, and his body almost lost its balance. He trembled and asked: "What?"

  The farm machinery factory has not yet reached the point of being on its last legs. However, Feng's intention is already very clear: restructuring and layoffs have become a foregone conclusion. Zhang Changqing has been a factory director for his entire life. He does not want to be cursed by workers until he dies, so at the beginning of this year, he claimed illness and hid in a sanatorium.

  Wei Gang also took this opportunity to rise to a higher position, taking charge in times of crisis. He controlled the personnel, finance and administration of the agricultural machinery factory, relying on his strict administrative style, barely maintaining stability for that year, leaving a good impression on the city. Recently, I heard from Wei Chenfeng that as long as he can hold on to the last post, solve the layoff problem at the agricultural machinery factory, being appointed as deputy director of the Light Industry Bureau is almost certain, and deputy director is just a transitional role, after two years when the current director retires. He will be the designated number one person.

  As for who is going down and who isn't, it's not even a question. After all these years, he has a group of confidants, yes-men, and mistresses to take care of; plus those with piercing eyes and quick hands have come to pay their respects, and you can't just accept gifts without doing anything about it. And then there are those who have connections upstairs, and after being asked for help, they definitely can't be ignored. In a factory with so many people, only one-fifth of the positions are left, which means there aren't many quotas available.

  A few days ago, I roughly finalized the list, but some of them still need to be adjusted according to the situation. There are some people who are long-winded, difficult to talk to, and like to make trouble, so we need to work on them slowly. We will only announce the final list when we have a good grasp of the situation. But I don't know which bastard suddenly leaked everything out.

  Wei Gang's face turned pale, and he couldn't care about his leader's demeanor anymore. He pulled up his legs and ran towards the office building. The workshop director shook her head, muttering to herself, and quickly followed him. Under the office building, a large crowd of people had gathered, including men, women, old and young, with all sorts of voices swirling around in the open space, creating a cacophony that made one's heart anxious. When they saw Wei Gang, the crowd surged forward, instantly engulfing him.

  "Director Wei, is the list true?"

  "Wei Cai, you give me a clear explanation. What right do you have to lay me off?"

  "Listen, I'm warning you, if you dare let me leave, I'll go to the city and report you!"

  "Don't think we don't know about your little tricks! You've messed up the factory and still want to get promoted? No way!"

  "Exactly! Exactly."

  Wei Gang's face turned iron-blue, his well-pressed suit was also pushed and lost a button. In the end, it was under the protection of the security department that he squeezed out of the crowd. When they arrived at the office, Xiao Chen from the security department said: "After a preliminary investigation, it is believed that someone from the factory wanted to sneak in and steal some money and goods. A total of three offices were broken into. There was nothing of value, so in anger, they posted this list. Yesterday night, Da Mao violated the security regulations and privately let Ding Xiao in. That's how this happened. What can be said is that last night I was on duty, and there were no outsiders entering the factory. It should be someone from the factory, and others don't know the importance of this list."

  "Should we call the police?" asked the deputy director of security in a low voice. "Director Wei, what do you think? Without instructions, we don't dare to make any decisions on our own."

  Wei Gang shook his head, what needs to be done now is to comfort the emotions of the employees, and things that can exacerbate conflicts should not be done. He said: "Since nothing has been lost, let's just forget it. Immediately convene a meeting with the factory leaders at home, department heads, and shift team leaders."

  Just over the weekend, the rumor that the agricultural machinery factory was about to lay off employees became more and more intense. It was said that only one-tenth of the staff would be retained in the end, and the list had been finalized long ago. Those who were good friends with Director Wei and had given him gifts would all stay on. Especially, several female colleagues who were close to Wei Guang were also on the list of employees who would remain at the factory. Ding Mei's husband worked at the municipal party committee, so she often received calls from her female colleagues asking about the truth of the matter. After being warmed up and reminded by others, Ding naturally said that it was indeed true. Doesn't everyone know that I offended Director Wei earlier? Now even I have to prepare another way out for myself. As soon as they heard that even Ding Mei, whose husband was a deputy director at the municipal party committee, couldn't stay on because she had offended Wei Guang, public opinion surged and people's voices were in an uproar. With some people intentionally spreading rumors, all sorts of hearsay filled the air.

  Although I knew the factory would have this day, I didn't expect it to be so heart-wrenching when it came. Most people were like they had lost their loved ones. Among these people, some had spent their entire lives working in the agricultural machinery factory, some were born and raised here as children of factory workers, and some took over from their parents. The agricultural machinery factory was almost everything to them. Just like that, it was gone, and many people felt at a loss.

  The uneasy crowd finally burst. For two consecutive days, people gathered in groups at the director's office and dormitory to demand an explanation from Wei Wang. Wei Gang had been appeasing employees during the day, but at night he still had to appease his mistress. He originally intended to keep these women, but this way, to avoid suspicion, he would have to get rid of one or two.

  Who is going to decide who is right? All of this has made Wei Gang worried sick.

  On Sunday evening, Wei Wang received a call from Xia Fu Gui, asking him to go to the East River to relax. Wei Wang didn't want to go at first, but couldn't resist Xia's persistent persuasion. He was generally satisfied with this follower and had been feeling anxious lately, so he agreed to go out for some relaxation. After dinner and drinks, Xia said there was a new place that was fun, which was their usual after-dinner routine, and Wei didn't think much of it. He followed Xia into a bathhouse called "Xiushui Bay".

  These things were usually arranged by Xia Fugui, and nothing had ever gone wrong. After washing and massaging, Wei Wang carefreely took a girl to the private room to have fun. This place was indeed great, the girl looked good, her skills were top-notch, and before they even started, she had already teased him to the point of being impatient. In just a few moves, they had taken off their clothes, and Wei Wang was about to take action, when the girl blushed and pushed him away, saying: "I'm still a virgin, you... be gentle"

  This little trick on the romantic scene, how could Wei Gang put it in his heart? He smiled and said: "The flower path has never been swept for guests before, and the thatched door is now opened for you for the first time. The first time is always the best. As long as it's not the first time today. I'll give you a big red envelope."

  The phone fell. The door was slammed open, and several security guards rushed in like wolves, pinning Wei Gang to the bed without saying a word. There was also someone who looked like a reporter holding a camera, clicking away and taking over a dozen close-ups.

  Generally, this kind of setup with reporters is only seen in large-scale operations organized by the city. Wei Gang didn't think much of it and assumed it was just a coincidence that they ran into the city's anti-prostitution campaign. He took out some money to try to settle the matter privately. However, the reporter took a few more photos, which served as evidence of both prostitution and bribery. The girl, seeing things weren't going well, suddenly changed her story and accused Wei Gang of rape. Enraged, Wei Gang shouted that he wanted to call their leader. The lead security guard refused his request with a straight face, leaving Wei Gang stunned and realizing too late that he had kicked an iron plate tonight.

  When he was taken to the police station in charge of the "Xiushui Bay" area, the famous Municipal Bureau Deputy Director Liu happened to be on night shift and patrolling here. Wei Gang's face turned pale instantly, as they didn't have a good relationship with Liu Tianlai, and had heard that Liu Tianlai was not someone to be trifled with, being ruthless and merciless, and anyone who fell into his hands would be doomed.

  Wei Gang had originally made up his mind, at worst he would be fined and detained for a night, and then he could get away with it by making up a name. But now that he had run into Liu Tianlai, all his illusions were shattered.

  A row of people were squatting in the police station, all of whom were caught soliciting prostitutes tonight. Liu Tianlai walked up to Wei Gang and still managed to put on a shocked expression. He exclaimed: "Ah, isn't this Vice Director Wei of the Agricultural Machinery Factory?"

  Everyone's gaze suddenly turned to him, and Wei Gang felt a burning sensation on his face. He gritted his teeth and forced a smile, "What a coincidence, Director Liu." To know what happens next, please log in to Chapter 6...