69novels Chapter 1094 Asking for help
Chapter 1094 Asking for help
In truth, the security personnel had long harbored resentment towards Li Jianjun. When he was deputy factory director, he formed cliques, placing his brother-in-law and distant nephews in the security department. These men drew salaries without doing any work, loitering around the factory all day, and even bullying ordinary workers, making the security department a chaotic mess. Now that Li Jianjun had run into trouble, all his cronies who followed him were arrested, and the remaining men had been hoping for his complete downfall so they could have some peace and quiet. Now that Gu Nan had spoken, they were naturally happy to work hard and enforce this "ban" to the end.
Seeing this scene, Li Jianjun knew perfectly well that he had no place left in the steel rolling mill; even the security guards at the gate looked at him like trash. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to maintain the last shred of his pitiful dignity, and said harshly to Gu Nan, "Fine, Deputy Director Gu, you wait and see! We'll see!"
Gu Nan didn't even lift his eyelids, merely nodding indifferently before turning and walking into the factory. His gleaming leather shoes clicked steadily on the cement floor, his back as upright as the old but still sturdy machine tool in the workshop, exuding an undeniable determination.
Li Jianjun watched his retreating figure disappear through the factory gate, then glanced down at the dusty notice on the ground. A chill ran from his feet to his head, freezing him solid. He knew he was truly finished this time, utterly and irrevocably defeated, with no chance of recovery. The wind blew in from the factory gate, making his thin shirt cling to his body as if wrapped in ice.
When Li Jianjun was "invited" out of the steel rolling mill by the security personnel, his face flushed red like a hot iron. His anger surged to the top of his head, burning his internal organs. He never expected that Gu Nan would be so disrespectful, daring to kick him out without a word of explanation. What frustrated him even more was that the security personnel, who usually bowed and scraped before him, addressing him as "Deputy Factory Director Li," dared to treat him coldly today, shoving and pushing him. One short, fat man even deliberately bumped him with his shoulder, muttering, "Make way, make way."
"Just you wait!" He stood outside the factory gate, staring at the cold, heavy iron gate, cursing viciously in his heart, "When I get back, the first thing I'll do is deal with you bunch of bullies who rely on their master's power! You'll all be making things difficult for me!"
But saying anything now was useless; the harsh words could only swirl in his mind. He stood dejectedly by the roadside, watching the iron gate slowly close, completely severing him from his former status as "deputy factory director." He felt as if a wad of soaked cotton had been stuffed into his chest, suffocating and heavy. He had originally thought this would at most result in writing a self-criticism and being demoted, but he hadn't expected the factory's punishment to be so severe—he wasn't even allowed to enter the factory grounds—he still had a newly bought imported wool coat in his office that he hadn't taken! After much thought, the only person who could help him at this point was probably his father-in-law's influence. Otherwise, not only would he be unable to swallow this insult, but without a job, his family's future would be uncertain.
He walked home, holding his breath, kicking pebbles far from his feet. As soon as he pushed open his gate, a rich aroma of meat wafted on the breeze, making his stomach rumble—he hadn't eaten anything properly since being taken away yesterday. Zhang Xue, wearing a blue apron, came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly cooked braised pork, glistening with oil and sprinkled with bright green scallions. Seeing him return, her face immediately lit up with a smile, and she hurried to greet him, almost dropping the plate: "Jianjun, you're finally back! Did you suffer in there? I heard from Dad you were out, so I quickly killed an old hen and made you some braised pork. It'll help you recover."
Li Jianjun was seething with anger, like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment, but seeing Zhang Xue's concerned expression, he couldn't vent his rage. He knew that he was only able to get out of there because Zhang Xue had cried and begged her father; otherwise, he would still be squatting in that cold interrogation room. He loosened his clenched fists, his knuckles white from the force, and said in a muffled voice, "It's okay, I'm fine, I didn't suffer much."
Zhang Xue pulled him to sit down at the eight-immortal table in the main room, filled his bowl with white rice, and smiled as she placed a piece of braised pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat into it: "I went to my dad. As soon as he heard you were in trouble, he called the factory right away and said he'd take care of it and make sure it was all taken care of. Look, it's only been a short time, and he's already gotten you out of there. My dad is reliable; with him around, the sky won't fall."
Li Jianjun shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, chewing on the braised pork, but couldn't taste any flavor. His brows furrowed into a deep frown, and he poked at the food in his bowl with his chopsticks. He looked up at Zhang Xue, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger: "But why didn't Dad say that I'm no longer a worker at the steel mill? I tried to go in to pack my things just now, but the security guards stopped me at the door and said I was fired! They wouldn't even let me into the office! What's going on? If I can't go back to the factory, how am I supposed to get revenge on Gu Nan? That kid ruined me so badly, I can't swallow this!"
He grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, slamming his chopsticks down on the table with a loud "crack," causing the braised pork in the bowl to shake violently and splattering a few drops of oil onto the tablecloth. "I can't swallow this! What is that brat Gu Nan? Back in the workshop, didn't he have to be subservient to me? Now he dares to act like a bully, making me suffer like this! If I don't teach him a lesson, let him know what I'm capable of, how will he ever be able to stand in this place again?" He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, his eyes blazing with resentment.
Zhang Xue looked at Li Jianjun and said, "Li Jianjun, what you said is indeed true. Our dad will definitely help us. You should eat something first, and then we'll go find my dad. We'll have a good talk with him then, and I believe he will definitely find a chance for you to go back."
Li Jianjun actually disliked Zhang Xue a bit, but he was still somewhat afraid because of Zhang Xue's father's abilities. You see, Zhang Xue's father was very capable. If it weren't for Zhang Xue's father's abilities, Li Jianjun wouldn't have been able to become the deputy factory director, since Li Jianjun's abilities weren't that strong.
Li Jianjun looked at Zhang Xue and forced a smile: "Zhang Xue, what you said is indeed true. I'll go buy some nice things later. After all, we really owe a lot to Dad for today's matter. If it weren't for Dad, this matter wouldn't have been resolved so easily."
Zhang Xue knew what Li Jianjun was thinking, but she didn't say anything: "Okay, we've prepared the things. After we finish eating, we'll go find my dad and have a good talk with him then."