The sound didn't come from Zhou Qiqi's small office, where Deputy Factory Director Zhang Guoqiang had been, but from the spacious and imposing office at the top of the stairs.
The office door was wide open, and a heavy solid wood desk was immediately visible, with a black "boss chair" placed behind it.
A middle-aged man with a large belly slumped in a chair, a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers, the ash dangling precariously, about to fall onto the wrinkled collar of his shirt.
Even through the swirling smoke, Zhou Qiqi could see the greasy sheen on his face.
Standing next to the man was Wu Shufen, who was wearing a red dress and was the factory director's secretary.
She walked to the sofa in her high heels, grabbed the cloth bag on the coffee table, turned it inside out, and pulled out a neatly stacked wad of banknotes, slapping it on the table.
"Deputy Factory Director Zhang, you're still being stubborn! I think you're in cahoots with outsiders to poach employees from the factory! If I hadn't called the factory director back in time, with prices ranging from eight hundred to two thousand, this factory would have changed hands several times over!"
She stood with her hands on her hips, her fingers, painted with red nail polish, almost poking Zhang Guoqiang's face.
Zhang Guoqiang reached out to pick up the photos scattered on the ground, but as soon as he propped himself up, his shoulder was firmly pressed down by the burly security guard next to him, and he fell back into the chair with a thud.
Seeing these three people bullying one person, Zhou Qiqi's anger flared up instantly. She kicked the door hard, and the door slammed against the wall with a loud bang.
"I didn't know that this state-owned garment factory had a surname. Is it surnamed Wu or Lü?"
She crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and looked at the people in the room with disdain in her eyes.
The sudden appearance of Zhou Qiqi startled Director Lü and Wu Shufen.
Before they could even catch their breath, Zhou Qiqi let out another cold laugh, a mocking smile curving her lips.
“Those who can read know that this is a state-owned factory; those who don’t might think that this place is not under the jurisdiction of the state, but belongs to some landlord or rich man.”
These words were serious. Director Lü broke out in a cold sweat and slammed his hand on the table.
"What nonsense are you talking about! This is the First Garment Factory. I am the factory director appointed by the state, and he is the deputy director. He is under my jurisdiction! You little brat, you don't know anything, so don't jump to conclusions!"
He said that, but then winked at the security guard, signaling him to let the person go.
This was in the 1980s. Although the era of heightened vigilance had passed, being accused of being a landlord or a wealthy landowner was still a very serious matter, and one would inevitably be taken away for investigation.
As soon as Zhang Guoqiang was released, he immediately squatted down and hurriedly gathered the photos and wallet fragments together. He looked up and nodded gratefully to Zhou Qiqi.
Wu Shufen pointed her finger straight at him and shouted in a shrill voice, "Factory Director! It's her! It's Zhou Qiqi!"
Factory Director Lü squinted and scanned Zhou Qiqi from head to toe as if inspecting merchandise, then said with a forced smile.
"So you're Zhou Qiqi. You've come at the right time. There's something I need to tell you. From now on, the contract you signed with Zhang Guoqiang is invalid."
His eyes darted around.
"If you want money, come work as a temporary worker in the factory. We'll give you twenty yuan a month. If you don't want to, don't even think about taking a single penny!"
As soon as he heard from Wu Shufen yesterday that the factory's inventory had indeed been sold, he hired a car and returned overnight.
He knew how much inventory the factory had; if it were all sold, he would have several thousand yuan to share with others!
The money in the factory is his money, and he won't allow it to end up in someone else's pocket!
Zhou Qiqi was so angry at these words that she burst out laughing. She pulled the contract out of her briefcase and slammed it heavily on the table.
"Director Lü, do you think I'm a three-year-old? Our country upholds the rule of law. The contract bears the factory's official seal, both parties have signed it, and it has been approved by the higher authorities. It can't be voided with just a word from you. What I'm entitled to is 16% of the profit, not some twenty or thirty yuan!"
Zhang Guoqiang quickly stood behind her, took out a crumpled piece of paper, and spoke with a firm tone despite his slightly trembling voice.
"Factory manager, you said back then that I would be in charge of all factory affairs, and there's a letter of authorization you signed. It can't be disregarded; you have to pay me whatever amount is due."
Factory Director Lü's face flushed red and then turned pale, and the fat on his face twitched uncontrollably.
He had heard from Wu Shufen that Zhou Qiqi was just a country girl who had never been to college, so he planned to scare her a bit and that would be the end of it.
But the person in front of me was not only well-prepared, but also talked about legal contracts all the time, so he didn't seem like someone who could be easily fooled.
And judging from her demeanor, it's impossible that she'd be willing to work as a temporary worker in the factory.
His eyelids twitched.
If force doesn't work, he'll resort to an even tougher approach.
“Zhang Guoqiang, I entrusted you with this task back then because I was unwell, it was a temporary measure. Now that I'm back, of course I'm in charge! I'm the one running the factory, not you, Zhang Guoqiang! And I'm not some outsider!”
He snatched the money from Wu Shufen's hand and slammed it onto the table with a crash.
"No one is getting this money today! The factory is already losing so much money, and you still want to give it to outsiders? Are you just going to waste the workers' hard-earned money like this? Even if I agree, the workers won't agree!"
As he spoke, he gave Wu Shufen a look.
A knowing look flashed across Wu Shufen's face. She quickly walked to the door and shouted at the swarming crowd downstairs.
"Fellow workers! Come quick! Deputy Factory Manager Zhang found an outsider and signed a shady contract to sell off our factory! We finally managed to sell off a batch of inventory, and we haven't even received our wages yet, and now we have to give someone else 800 yuan! That's 800 yuan! Just like that, it's gone for nothing! Our wages and our benefits have all been emptied out by them!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
