Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 1206: Deciding to Give Yi Zhonghai Another Chance

Upon hearing it was him, Zhu Tao's anger flared up again. This Yi Zhonghai had disappeared a few days ago when things weren't looking good, claiming his elderly mother was sick and he needed to take care of her—a complete traitor and opportunist! But then he thought about it again. His men were either arrested or too scared to show their faces, leaving him with very few reliable people. Yi Zhonghai still held some prestige among the older workers, and for the time being, he had to rely on him to keep the morale of the workshop in check. He could only endure it for now.

"Come in." Zhu Tao suppressed his anger, sat down in a chair, deliberately kept a straight face, and looked cold and devoid of warmth.

Yi Zhonghai pushed open the door and walked quickly to the desk, head down, completely unaware of the fleeting disgust in Zhu Tao's eyes. His mind was filled with thoughts of being fired, and his voice trembled like an autumn leaf: "Director Zhu, have you heard? The factory just posted a notice that Liu Li and the others… have all been fired!"

He rubbed his oil-stained hands, his face filled with anxiety, the veins on his forehead bulging: "It hasn't been that long, and we've already lost so many people. Now the people in the workshop are looking at me strangely, pointing and whispering. I have a feeling that Gu Nan is going to deal with me next. Director Zhu, what should we do? We... we almost have no one left on our side."

Hearing this, Zhu Tao could no longer contain his anger. He slammed his hand on the table, making the ink bottle on it bounce. "Yi Zhonghai! What does this have to do with you?" He stood up abruptly, pointing at Yi Zhonghai's nose, his tone full of undisguised sarcasm. "Back then, when I asked you to testify, you made excuses about family matters. Now you come to me complaining? In my eyes, you're a traitor who deserted his post! Where were you before?"

Yi Zhonghai trembled at the scolding and quickly waved his hands, his voice trembling with tears: "Director Zhu, you've misunderstood me! You've really misunderstood!" He took half a step forward, lowered his voice, and almost pressed it against the table, "I was just afraid of alerting the enemy, so I thought I'd keep Gu Nan calm first and secretly collect evidence for you. Look, I even have his records of disposing of scrapped machines from a few years ago..." As he spoke, he hurriedly reached into his pocket, trying to take out the few notes he had secretly copied.

Zhu Tao sneered inwardly at his eagerness to prove his loyalty—only now thinking of providing evidence? Where were they before? If they had dared to stand up back then, they wouldn't be in this predicament. But now was a time when he needed manpower, so he couldn't be too harsh. He could only snort and sit back down in his chair: "Enough nonsense! Tell me, what can you do now? Stop just talking."

The air in the office seemed to solidify; even the sunlight streaming through the windows felt heavy. Yi Zhonghai's back began to sweat again, soaking the fabric of his work clothes. He knew that whether he could keep his job, whether he could continue working at the steel mill, depended entirely on Zhu Tao's words. He opened his mouth, his throat tightened, and for a moment, he couldn't utter a word.

Zhu Tao sat in his chair, his fingers tapping heavily on the table, making a dull "thump-thump" sound. His eyes were fixed on Yi Zhonghai as if they had been tempered with ice, and his tone was filled with suppressed anger: "Alright, stop standing here like a wooden stake. I'll give you a chance to tell me why you switched sides at the last minute and completely absolved me of any responsibility."

Yi Zhonghai shrank back, a fawning smile plastered on his face, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling into a deep knot. His voice, however, carried a hint of helplessness and a touch of tears: "Director Zhu, please calm down. I had no choice in some things. You saw it yourself; Gu Nan had evidence against everyone, and he fired them without hesitation, showing no mercy whatsoever, like harvesting leeks. If I had stubbornly stood up for you back then, wouldn't I have been pushing myself into a fire pit? I would have definitely been kicked out too. My old bones can't take this kind of torment."

Zhu Tao waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away a fly: "Alright, stop nagging, I know. You can go now, you don't need to get involved in the rest, go do what you need to do." He was annoyed by Yi Zhonghai's obsequious and opportunistic manner, and if he weren't still somewhat useful, he would have liked to kick him out as well.

Yi Zhonghai felt like he'd been granted a pardon and hurriedly nodded and bowed, replying, "Okay, I'll leave now, I won't bother you any longer." But in his heart, he knew perfectly well—this situation was clearly a battle of titans, and he, a powerless old worker, dared not get involved. Back when he was an eighth-grade fitter, he held some weight in the factory and could say a few words about workshop matters; but now, demoted to fourth grade, powerless and insignificant, just an ordinary worker doing odd jobs, what right did he have to take sides? If he were to step forward now, not only would Gu Nan be targeting him, but even the aftershocks of the fight could crush his old bones. He practically ran out of the office, his steps as light as if he were on fire, afraid that staying even a second longer would get him caught up in this mess.

As soon as Yi Zhonghai left, Zhu Tao could no longer hold back. With a loud crash, he swept the enamel mug off the table and onto the floor. The mug rolled twice on the cement floor, spilling tea everywhere. He had planned everything perfectly, thinking he could use Liu Li and his gang to bring down Gu Nan in one fell swoop, but he never expected this outcome—his people were all wiped out, cleared out like wheat being harvested, while Gu Nan remained unscathed, even using the incident to establish his authority in the factory and give him a warning. How could he swallow this insult?

He walked to the window, staring intently at Gu Nan's office downstairs. His eyes were chillingly sinister, like poisoned knives. He muttered curses under his breath: "Gu Nan, don't be too happy! You really think that's all you've got? You're underestimating me! You forced me into this. I originally wanted to simply deal with you and make you submit, but now it seems that only by making you disappear completely can I feel at ease! Otherwise, I won't be able to hold onto power in this steel mill!"

Zhu Tao made up his mind to find some "outsiders" for help—if the people in the factory couldn't be relied on, then he'd find someone from the underworld; surely there were people who could handle Gu Nan. He refused to believe that Gu Nan could withstand so many open and covert attacks. However, Gu Nan was currently in the factory, with many informants. If he went to Zhong Yi to gather information, he would inevitably be discovered—after all, Zhong Yi was Gu Nan's apprentice; who knew if the two were secretly colluding and putting on an act for him?

Just as Zhu Tao was pondering how to contact the people outside, the office door creaked open, and He Yuzhu came running in with a fawning smile on his face. Zhu Tao suppressed his anger and tried to keep his tone calm: "Zhuzi, what's up?"