Chapter Thirty

The key point lies with that Deputy Factory Director Yang.

But looking at the entire Dongfang Daily Chemical Factory, the only person with more power than Deputy Director Yang was Ji Wanmei's father, Ji Xingguo.

So, ultimately, it all comes down to Ji Xingguo, the factory director's attitude.

It seems that Ji Wanmei was right; he needs to go see Factory Director Ji in person.

The staff canteen has a very spacious hall that can accommodate thousands of people at the same time, and it is noisy with people coming and going.

In the corner, four people were sitting at a long table, led by Lei Tingjun, with one of them eating a lunchbox on a metal plate.

The food cooked in the cafeteria is usually not very oily and the taste is just average, but the portions are generous.

For people like Lei Tingjun, the food allowance from the factory wasn't enough. They usually had to pay for two meat and vegetable dishes themselves and then put them on the table for everyone to eat together.

If you buy it today, I'll buy it tomorrow. We brothers don't divide these things among ourselves; whoever has it pays more.

While eating, Lei Tingjun listened to the information gathered from Zhou Peng and Sun Xiaojun.

He already knew that Deputy Director Zuo and Deputy Factory Director Yang were very close, and that Zuo Quangui was also an old friend of Yang Zhiping. They all belonged to the factory's children's faction, so naturally they would team up to target them, a group of factory layabouts without any connections.

Zhou Peng said worriedly, "Boss, what should we do? Deputy Director Zuo has found such a powerful backer. If they really want to make a big deal out of this, we're going to suffer."

Sun Xiaojun was starting to regret it. He shouldn't have thrown such a heavy punch, and even if he had, he shouldn't have hit such an obvious spot.

It hit that grandson's nose, causing him to bleed profusely. Even if it wasn't a big problem, he would make a huge fuss about it.

If I had known, I should have punched him in the lower back or abdomen, in a spot that would hurt him but leave him unable to scream.

In this respect, he should learn from their leader, Lei.

When Boss Lei beats someone up, he never leaves any marks or evidence. But when the person gets home and takes off their clothes, the injuries are all in places that can't be seen, like under the ribs, buttocks, and back.

Sun Xiaojun felt a pang of regret and asked Lei Tingjun with a worried expression, "Boss, what should we do now?"

Lei Tingjun hesitated for a while before picking up the plate, shoveling all the food into his mouth, and saying, "You guys go back to your workstations later and do your jobs properly. Behave yourselves these next few days. Sun Xiaojun, take the things you bought yesterday and come with me to the factory manager's office."

Sun Xiaojun was startled: "No, boss, why would we go to the factory director for no reason? This matter might get out of hand. If we go to the factory director ourselves, wouldn't that be the same as admitting guilt?"

Lei Tingjun said seriously, "That's right. If you want to keep your job, you have to take the initiative to admit your guilt now. Do you think that Director Ji is unaware of what's going on? He's known for a long time. We need to act quickly. Before Deputy Director Zuo begs Deputy Director Yang to speak on his behalf, we need to make our stance clear to Director Ji first."

Old Xiao chimed in, "I also think Brother Lei makes a good point."

“I’ve been reading some newspapers recently and saw the latest policies, which keep emphasizing a crackdown. If Deputy Director Zuo labels us as social unsettling elements, then the nature of the situation will change.”

"Brother Lei said that if we take the initiative to go to Director Ji, admit our mistakes, and write a letter of self-criticism, we will proactively turn this matter into a personal dispute, which will make it much easier to resolve later."

That made it clear to everyone.

Sun Xiaojun immediately nodded: "Okay, boss, we'll follow your orders."

I bought those two sets of good cigarettes and alcohol yesterday, but I didn't give them away. They're still in my dorm room.

As soon as they came out of the canteen, Lei Tingjun asked Sun Xiaojun to bring it over and take it to the factory director's office.

Although Sun Xiaojun never questioned his boss's decisions, he wasn't very bright. He could come up with some crooked ideas, but he couldn't immediately guess his boss's intentions like Lao Xiao could. He could only watch from the sidelines.

He couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he racked his brains, so he might as well just ask, "Boss, are we going to give these things to Director Ji? Will he accept them?"

“Director Ji is an upright and honest man, how could he possibly accept these things?” Lei Tingjun said.

"These items are a way for us to express our apologies. We'll send them over and politely ask Director Ji to pass them on to Deputy Director Zuo."

After hearing this, Sun Xiaojun's eyes darted around before he realized what was going on. He quickly gave a thumbs up: "Boss, you're brilliant! That's a brilliant move! It's like cutting off the enemy's supply lines!"

Lei Tingjun kicked him in the butt: "Don't cause me any more trouble in the future! Learn from Zhou Peng, think about your own capabilities before you act. I can't protect you all all the time!"

The world is vast, and it's not just Dongfangchang.

He was well-connected at the Oriental Factory, but outside of the Oriental Factory, there were so many powerful and influential figures.

People like Sun Xiaojun, who have never left Pingquan County in their entire lives, thought that with Lei Tingjun's backing, they could do whatever they wanted. Little did they know that they were just tiny ants who couldn't cause much trouble.

It would be an easy task for others to crush him.

But Lei Tingjun didn't want to tell Sun Xiaojun these things, because given his mindset, Sun Xiaojun wouldn't understand anyway.

Therefore, Lei Tingjun can only fulfill the responsibility of being a 'boss' and do his best to manage the brothers who follow him.

As the two of them arrived at the factory director's office, they encountered another person who had come at the same time—Yang Changhua, the deputy factory director.

When Yang Changhua saw Lei Tingjun and Sun Xiaojun approaching, carrying things in their hands, the shrewd Deputy Factory Director Yang immediately understood what was going on.

It's obvious at a glance that they've come to plead with Director Ji.

But it was too late.

Yang Changhua has already accepted bribes from Deputy Director Zuo.

He smiled silently, unconcerned, and walked past the two men with his head held high, stopping them in his tracks: "Director Ji is busy these days, go ahead and don't bother him."

Lei Tingjun said, "We also came to see Director Ji about something."

Yang Changhua scoffed, displeased: "Can't you see I have important business to discuss with Director Ji right now? Is your business more important than ours? If you delay important matters for the factory, can you two take responsibility?"

Lei Tingjun remained composed and assertive, showing no sign of yielding: "If Deputy Factory Director Yang has something urgent, he can go in first, and we'll wait outside. We won't go anywhere."

"You!" Yang Changhua hadn't expected that Lei Tingjun would be such a tough nut to crack.

The noise outside the office door caught the attention of the people inside. A moment later, the door opened from the inside, and Ji Xingguo looked at the people outside with a stern gaze, which immediately silenced them.

"What's all this noise about? Come in and talk!"