Chapter 13 Fang Zheng: "I don't understand what you're doing..."

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but I think you should at least be honest with Xiao Li. You know how much he likes Jiang Huaichuan.” Shen Ci’s brows furrowed, his usually calm and gentle eyes filled with disapproval.

Shen Wenyuan scratched his head: "I know, that's why we can't let him see it. The public outcry that suddenly erupts will be unpredictable in its attacks on the Jiang family and Jiang Huaichuan. We need to let everyone vent, so we can't delete comments. We'll wait until everyone has vented enough before we do public relations to delete some of the more extreme comments, like those funeral photos. Do you believe that Xiao Li would faint on the spot if she saw Jiang Huaichuan's funeral photo?"

Shen Ci: ...I cannot refute this...

The direct flight to country S landed at the local airport 12 hours later. Due to the time difference, it was 10 a.m. in country S at that moment.

After exiting the airport, the driver picked up the four people.

A few years ago, Shen's father bought a manor in a small town in S country. It was not a large estate, but a wooden villa built along the river. The riverbank was lined with lush trees and had a large lawn big enough to host a bonfire party. On one side of the lawn was a pavilion with the same style as the one in their home in A city. Next to the pavilion was a large wooden table, and behind it was a vegetable and fruit garden enclosed by wooden stakes and vines.

When Mr. and Mrs. Shen come to visit, they also stay here for a while. With the help of someone to take care of things, the entire manor exudes a soft glow in the afternoon sun.

We had contacted the housekeeper in advance, and the meal was already prepared when the four of us arrived.

After lunch, Mr. and Mrs. Shen went to a flower farm a few kilometers away. There were many rare and precious flowers there. Mrs. Shen loved flowers and would always go back to buy some to put in her arrangement whenever she came.

While using the restroom, Shen Ci checked his phone and, as expected, the network at the manor wasn't very good.

[Shen Ci: 6]

[Shen Wenyuan: Your praise is too kind (clasped hands)]

Shen Wenyuan looked out the window. The night sky was like a black curtain covering City A, dark and without a single star, making people feel depressed and gloomy.

The computer screen on the desk was flashing rapidly.

The internet is in an uproar.

The fermentation process was faster than they had anticipated.

The incident began yesterday morning when someone posted a video accusing the senior management of Yuanman Construction of disregarding human life, premeditated murder, threatening the deceased's relatives, and even attempting to use a "car accident" to kill the deceased's parents, wife, and children.

The deceased, Zhang Yong, was a construction worker at Yuanman Construction. In May, he fell from the 23rd floor and died instantly when his safety belt broke during high-altitude work.

After the incident, Yuanman Construction suppressed the matter. Zhang Yong's wife, Fang Zheng, went to the company to demand an explanation, but was dismissed by the project manager at the time, who said that the company was still conducting an internal investigation.

Fang Zheng went there several more times, but was stopped outside the company each time. The last time, the company symbolically compensated her with 300,000 yuan.

Fang Zheng couldn't swallow her anger, but she knew she couldn't fight city hall. Looking at her elderly in-laws and her daughter who was still drinking formula, she could only helplessly compromise.

They initially thought it was just an accidental death caused by inadequate safety measures. However, a few months later, when Fang Zheng's family was sorting through her husband's belongings after moving away from City A back to their hometown, they found a notebook containing many photos.

Fang Zheng felt increasingly cold as she looked at the scene, and finally collapsed to the ground.

After calming down, Fang Zheng was filled with anger. Under the astonished gazes of the two elderly people in the Zhang family, she stormed out of the door. Overwhelmed by anger, she made a decision that she still regrets to this day.

Fang Zheng took her notebook and photos to the construction site to demand an explanation.

This is tantamount to a rabbit entering a wolf's den, courting its own death.

As usual, the security guard at the entrance of Yuanman Construction tried to shoo Fang Zheng away, but Fang Zheng shook off his hand, took the notebook out of her bag, and held it up and shook it.

Fang Zheng: "This is murder! I have evidence!"

The security guard's expression changed. After looking around, his voice became even more vicious. The slanted scar on his left forehead twisted into a hideous grimace. He grabbed Fang Zheng's arm and pulled her outside: "Go! Who told you to cause trouble! Get out of here!"

Fang Zheng shouted, "You used substandard building materials! You're breaking the law! You've killed my husband to silence him!"

The security guard hardened his heart and raised his hand to cover Fang Zheng's mouth.

"Get out of here!" the security guard whispered in Fang Zheng's ear, "Shout again and you'll be killed!"

Helpless, Fang Zheng, who was in a fit of emotion, wouldn't listen to the security guard's hints and was determined to rush into the company to demand an explanation.

"what happens?"

Suddenly, a middle-aged male voice came from the side. The security guard froze and could only press Fang Zheng's two hands behind her back.

Upon seeing his face clearly, the middle-aged man spat out speechlessly, "Why are you here again? The money has already been paid, and this has been going on for months. Why are you here again?"

"How dare you say that?! You're trying to silence me! I have evidence!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jiang, the middle-aged man, narrowed his beady eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them. His gaze fell on the notebook on the ground, and Liu Jiang stepped forward to pick it up.

I flipped through a few pages.

Liu Jiang glanced at Fang Zheng with suspicion. In a few breaths, a murderous intent rose in his heart, and a plan gradually emerged in his mind.

My plan was almost ruined, but I never expected...

The fish that escaped the net even came to us on their own.

With this thought in mind, Liu Jiang smiled and snapped at the security guard, "Let go of them now! Is this how the company trained you to treat customers? Report to HR, finish today's work, and then resign! Ms. Fang, let's discuss this in the office, please."

Sitting in Liu Jiang's office, Fang Zheng's anger subsided. She began to nervously look around. When she saw Liu Jiang come in with a glass of water, she stood up abruptly and hugged her notebook to her chest.

"I...I think I'll pass, I'll go now."

"Hey." Liu Jiang closed the door, and the sound of the lock making Fang Zheng jump. She looked at Liu Jiang in alarm.

Liu Jiang: "Don't be nervous. The company is deeply sorry for your husband's situation. This tragedy occurred because of the company's negligence in safety construction. On behalf of the company, I will negotiate compensation with you."

"No, no need." Fang Zheng shook her head and turned to leave.

“Ms. Fang, you’re being too polite. We’ve met so many times, so I’ll be frank with you.” Liu Jiang leaned back in his chair, lit a cigarette, and looked disdainful and arrogant. He pointed at the things in Fang Zheng’s arms. “I’ll give you another two million. You give me what you’re holding, and this matter will be over. How about it? Two million three hundred thousand in total. That’s more than enough to buy your husband’s life.”

"Besides... I remember your child is only two years old, right? This money is enough for her to grow up. You should think about it."

Fang Zheng instantly raised her face, her expression conflicted and panicked, her mouth trembling and her throat making a hissing sound.

"...Are you threatening me...?"

"How could that be? Let's be frank. You know what the consequences of what you have are. Judging from your expression, you came here headlong into this mess. I don't think you've considered making a backup. So whether you accept it or not, you're absolutely not allowed to take that notebook out today." Liu Jiang chuckled, his eyes turning cold. "Think about it."

When Fang Zheng walked out of the company, her back was already soaked with cold sweat. Her hands and feet were cold and weak, and everything in front of her was dark. She walked on the road like a corpse, a walking dead.

"Damn it, watch your step! Are you looking for trouble?! Can't you see the light is red?!" The driver yelled angrily as he rolled down his window.

Back home, she avoided the concerned looks of the two elderly people and went straight to her half-packed suitcase to continue unpacking.

"Dad, Mom, I changed my train ticket. I'm going to arrive tomorrow."

After returning to her hometown, Fang Zheng felt that bad luck was coming one after another, perhaps because she had lost her conscience.

First, when I took my child out to sunbathe, he was almost killed by an air conditioner that fell from the roof. Then, there was the unexpected electrical leakage of the hallway light control button and the sudden fire at a small restaurant.

Just a few days ago, Fang Zheng was carrying her daughter and taking her elderly parents out to buy autumn clothes when an out-of-control car drove straight towards their home.

Fortunately, Fang Zheng didn't have the habit of looking down at her phone. In a panic, she quickly pushed the elderly couple away, grabbed her daughter, and hid behind a big tree.

A tremendous crash echoed through the town streets. Fang Zheng, holding her daughter, cried her heart out. She sat there, stunned, a chill running through her.

Recalling the series of bad luck that had recently happened, coupled with the driver's actions of avoiding pedestrians and staring at her like a predator, Fang Zheng realized what had happened.

Those people wanted to silence her. Her survival was a huge threat to those utterly depraved people, a threat to their otherwise carefree lives.

In a flash, Fang Zheng remembered something else, and she quickly took out her phone to search for keywords.

A news item popped up.

At 00:46 on the 25th, an incident occurred in our city's jurisdiction.

This is a death case. Upon receiving the report, our bureau immediately dispatched officers to the scene to conduct an investigation and provide medical assistance. The investigation revealed that Xu Mousheng (male, 47 years old) died from alcohol poisoning due to excessive drinking caused by unemployment. This was an accidental death, and homicide has been ruled out.

The deceased's facial features were blurred, but Fang Zheng immediately noticed the scar about 5 centimeters long on his forehead.

Back home, Fang Zheng put her daughter on the bed, opened the wardrobe, took out a tin box from the corner, entered the password to open it, and found a bank card on top, with four photos underneath.

When the security guard at the door saw her come out, he opened the door and slipped something into her pocket, avoiding the security cameras.

It turns out that the scarred security guard had a premonition of something bad and took the opportunity to take a few photos. These were the last pieces of evidence left behind by Zhang Yong after his struggle against the world.

Recalling what was shown on TV a few days ago, that Jiang's Group and Yuanman Construction had reached an agreement on the Harbor New Bay project, and that Yuanman Construction was now at its peak, Fang Zheng's eyes showed resentment.

There was a sudden knock on the door, and Fang Zheng was on edge. She went behind the door and looked out through the peephole.

"who?"

"Meter reader," the man outside replied, pulling out his work ID.

After reading the meter, the staff left a business card and tapped the phone number on it: "Contact me anytime if you need anything."

[Li Biying, Legal Department, Jiang Group]

Fang Zheng was surprised and suspicious.

The staff member walked out of the room and glanced at the electrical box outside again: "Don't worry, we'll repair any problems. We're a legitimate company."

That night, Fang Zheng didn't sleep a wink. The next day, she called the number on the business card. She figured that waiting to die would only lead to her demise, so she might as well take a gamble.

Following Li Biying's instructions, Fang Zheng found her ID card, her husband's death certificate, and the photos, and posted a video on the morning of the 29th.

Although it was quickly removed from the platform, some netizens still managed to find it, planting a seed of doubt in everyone's minds.

On the morning of the 29th, the cyber police reported the information, and on the afternoon of the 29th, the investigation team secretly arrived at the construction site of Haigang New Bay.

The test report came out on the morning of the 30th, showing that more than half of the materials at the Haigang Xinwan construction site did indeed have quality problems.

On the afternoon of the 30th, Jiang Huaichuan and the rich second-generation heir from Yuanman Construction were summoned to the police station for questioning and to give statements.

Now, at 10 p.m. on the 1st, more than a day has passed since Jiang Huaichuan was taken in for investigation, and he cannot see anyone except his lawyer.

Fang Zheng's accusation video was pushed to the homepage, and online public opinion has exploded. As a maritime transportation hub connecting City A with other coastal cities, the New Harbor Bay will play a vital role in the coming decades. However, this project, intended to benefit the people, has now been blatantly using substandard materials, which has completely aroused public outrage.

Everything is proceeding according to plan.