MM Racing Chapter 1076 Gu Nan didn't take it to heart.
Chapter 1076 Gu Nan didn't take it to heart.
The group huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, but Yi Zhonghai was nowhere to be seen. He had already slunk away when the assessment results came out—he lost his title as an eighth-grade fitter and was instead found to have cheated on his practical skills, demoting him to fourth grade. He had lost all face; how could he possibly show his face among others? He wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground, hurrying home, even avoiding the smiling greetings of passing colleagues.
Just as things were getting chaotic, a technician wearing glasses suddenly cleared his throat, pushed up his glasses that had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and slowly said, "In my opinion, there might still be room for maneuver in this matter."
Everyone turned to look at him, their eyes filled with urgency: "What do you mean? Tell me quickly!"
“Think about it,” the technician looked around and lowered his voice, “weren’t all those rumors, whether openly or secretly, started by Yi Zhonghai? He was always wandering around the factory, complaining to everyone he met about Deputy Director Gu, saying he was ‘impulsive’ and ‘disrespectful to the veteran workers.’ We were just swayed by him and echoed him a few times; we didn’t do anything really bad.”
He paused, tapping his fingers on the temple of his glasses: "If we really want to investigate, we'll put all the blame on him—we'll say it was all Yi Zhonghai's instigation, that we believed whatever he said, and that we made a mistake in a moment of confusion. Yi Zhonghai and Deputy Factory Director Gu have always been at odds, so if we say this, Deputy Factory Director Gu might not disbelieve us."
After a few seconds of silence, someone slapped their thigh and exclaimed, "That's right! How come I didn't think of that! This was started by Yi Zhonghai, what does it have to do with us?"
“That’s right,” another person quickly chimed in. “Yi Zhonghai also said that he would join forces with Deputy Director Li to oust Deputy Director Gu! We heard all of that. If we learn from Deputy Director Gu, we can definitely clear ourselves of any wrongdoing!”
“I think it’s a good idea,” a female worker chimed in. “Let’s find an opportunity to apologize to Deputy Director Gu and make things clear. Let’s say we were misled by Yi Zhonghai. As a leader, he can’t possibly hold a grudge against us subordinates for a few idle words, can he? Besides, he’ll still need us to do his work in the future!”
As everyone chatted amongst themselves, the panic from before gradually subsided with this "escape plan," and a glimmer of hope rekindled in their eyes. Some were already considering what excuse to use to see Gu Nan—whether to deliver a production report or report on machine maintenance. How could they speak in a way that was both sincere and subtle, mentioning Yi Zhonghai's instigation without appearing too cunning?
The old worker in the corner also stood up, patted the dust off his pants, and said, "Okay, let's do it this way! I'll go to the office building later, pretend to report on my work, and sound out Deputy Factory Director Gu's opinion."
The machines in the workshop were still humming, but these men's minds were far from their work. Each of them was calculating their own interests, hoping to clear themselves of any wrongdoing and secure a stable job at the factory, earning a decent wage. As for Yi Zhonghai, who had been pushed out as a scapegoat, no one cared anymore—in the face of self-preservation, past "friendships" had become insignificant dust.
As Gu Nan left, he heard Yi Zhonghai, Deputy Factory Director Li, and others whispering in the corridor, their words laced with sarcastic calculations. He didn't stop, dismissing it as mere noise from the wind blowing through the windowpanes—the tricks of a bunch of clowns. What difference would it make even if he dealt with them? The most important thing right now was the production at the steel mill. Whether the blast furnace temperature was stable at 1300 degrees Celsius, whether the newly replaced bearings could be fitted with a 0.01-millimeter tolerance, whether the conveyor belt speed on the production line matched the rhythm—all of these were far more important than these petty squabbles. He walked straight to the workshop, the hem of his white coat swaying gently with each steady step, like an icebreaker cutting through the water, leaving the idle gossip behind him like bubbles left in the dust.
Deputy Factory Director Li was eventually dragged away by the men brought by the higher-ups. The handcuffs on his wrists gleamed blindingly in the midday sun. His shady dealings—falsely reporting three months' worth of special steel material costs, smuggling twenty boxes of work boots to the black market to buy alcohol, and secretly colluding with southern suppliers, taking a 30% kickback on every batch of parts—were all recorded in the ledgers submitted by Gu Nan. They were enough to keep the disciplinary committee investigating for at least six months; he probably wouldn't be getting out of jail anytime soon.
Qin Huairu paced between the steel rolling mill's workshops and office buildings at least five times, wearing down a small piece of the heel of her embroidered shoes, but she couldn't find Yi Zhonghai anywhere. Her heart was pounding like a rabbit's. She wasn't really worried about Yi Zhonghai, but rather about Deputy Factory Director Li—his family's secret backer. They were counting on him to put in a good word for their son's rural resettlement program at the labor bureau. Now that he'd been taken away, the program was likely ruined, and her son would really have to go to the countryside to eat cornbread.
Actually, there was someone even more anxious than her: He Yuzhu from the canteen. He'd been peering out the canteen's back window since seven in the morning, his neck stretched out like a big white goose, his breath creating circles of dust on the windowsill. You see, last night, Deputy Factory Director Li, along with a few cronies, was drinking at a small tavern near the factory gate, his face flushed and neck bulging as he patted his chest, declaring that he would definitely find something to use against Gu Nan and bring him down. He even patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder and promised, "Zhuzi, once Gu Nan falls, the canteen director position is yours! You'll have complete control over the kitchen's purchasing and recruitment!" He Yuzhu was ecstatic at the time, downing three cups of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), feeling that the hard times were finally over, and even laughed out loud in his sleep that night.
But who could have imagined the plot would take such a swift turn? Gu Nan, who was supposed to be dealt with, entered the workshop unscathed, while Deputy Factory Director Li was being escorted out by two uniformed men. He Yuzhu saw Yi Zhonghai emerge from the office building looking utterly dejected, his back slightly hunched, and quickly dropped the spatula in his hand to chase after him. His apron was still covered in dough, and he asked anxiously, "Uncle Yi, what happened? Deputy Factory Director Li... why was he being dragged away?"
Yi Zhonghai was seething with anger—he had hoped to be promoted during the assessment, but instead, he had fallen from a level 5 fitter back to level 4, losing face in front of his young apprentice. His plans to bribe Qin Huairu had also fallen through. He had no time to care about him. He simply kept walking forward, his leather shoes grinding over the pebbles on the ground, without even lifting his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard a thing, as if He Yuzhu were talking to thin air.
He Yuzhu was left speechless and stood there in a daze, his mind a jumbled mess—what had happened? Didn't Deputy Factory Director Li say everything was foolproof? He was unwilling to give up, so he stood under the old locust tree at the factory gate, hoping to see Deputy Factory Director Li being brought back, or at least ask him a question from afar.