The conflict between Meng Zihan and Meng Xuejun ultimately turned into an extremely ugly affair.
To prevent Meng Xuejun from throwing a tantrum in the office and making things unmanageable, Meng Zihan gritted her teeth, took out the few dozen yuan she had left in her pocket, and handed it to Meng Xuejun.
"Take it."
As soon as he got the money, Meng Xuejun immediately shut up.
He counted the crumpled bills, pursed his lips, and looked disgusted.
"Only a few dozen yuan? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"
"That's all I have. This is my money for groceries this month, and I'm giving it all to you."
Meng Xuejun patted the stack of money in his hand: "The food is so bad, and you only get a few dozen yuan a month? Your man is really incompetent!"
Meng Zihan ignored him and remained silent with her head down.
Meng Xuejun muttered again, "He's the factory director's son, so it only sounds good."
After he finished speaking, he stuffed the money into his bag and turned to leave.
As he was leaving, he seemed still angry, turned around, and spat on the ground.
"Hmph, why didn't you just be straightforward from the start? Why did you have to drag it out and tear off all pretenses before you felt satisfied? You have money but don't spend it on your own father; what a waste of your university education!"
After finishing his rant, he straightened his collar, swaggered away with his head held high.
Meng Zihan rushed forward and slammed the office door shut with a loud "bang".
The moment the door closed, the room fell silent.
But the chatter in the hallway outside the door penetrated the walls and reached Meng Zihan's ears.
Listening to the gossip and gloating laughter, she felt as if all her strength had been drained away.
She slumped into the chair, her cheeks burning hot.
Finally, she couldn't hold on any longer, so she collapsed onto her desk, buried her face in her arms, and burst into tears.
Her shoulders were heaving violently, and tears streamed down her face.
This time, the tears were from the bottom of my heart, from utter grief, without the slightest pretense.
After Meng Xuejun left, Meng Zihan thought that this humiliation would bring her a few days of peace.
Who knew that less than a week later, Meng Xuejun's ever-present face reappeared at the office door.
"Daughter, we don't have enough money. Give us some more."
He walked into the office and got straight to the point without saying a word.
That tone wasn't one of asking for money, but rather of collecting a debt.
When Meng Zihan saw him, she looked as if she had seen a ghost, and her face turned pale instantly.
She quickly declared, "Dad, I really have no money left. I gave you all my wages from last time."
"No money?"
Meng Xuejun's eyebrows immediately shot up, and his voice suddenly rose.
He took a step forward and slammed his dirty hand onto her desk with a loud "smack".
"You just don't want to give it to me! You unfilial daughter! If I hadn't gone through all that trouble to give birth to you, would you have become a director, or married a good man?"
"What, you think you've grown up and now you're turning your back on me? You're starting to look down on your old man, aren't you?"
"I'm telling you, don't even think about it!"
"You're my daughter for life, so you should support me! Otherwise, I'll sue you and put you in jail!"
His voice was as loud as thunder, and immediately several heads peeked in through the half-open office door, their faces filled with undisguised mockery and amusement.
Meng Zihan felt utterly ashamed.
The dignity and authority she had painstakingly maintained at the factory were shattered at this moment by her irresponsible father.
Her face flushed red with anxiety, tears welled in her eyes, and she pleaded in a low voice.
"Dad, please keep your voice down... This is the factory, this is our workplace, there are people outside..."
"Afraid of losing face?" Meng Xuejun seized on her weakness and became even more aggressive. "If you're afraid of losing face, then hurry up and hand over the money! If you don't give me the money today, I'm not leaving! I want the whole factory to see how your model worker starved her own father to death!"
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Section Chief Wang from the next department finally couldn't stand it anymore and rushed over to smooth things over.
He offered cigarettes and said nice things, and it took him a lot of effort to persuade Meng Xuejun to stop.
“Master Meng, calm down. What’s wrong with you? Let’s talk it out. There’s nothing that can’t be said between a father and daughter.”
Meng Xuejun waved his hand magnanimously at him: "Fine, I'll give you face as the leader. You better tell this unfilial daughter to be more obedient and not so inhumane."
Section Chief Wang sighed, then pulled Meng Zihan aside and whispered with a troubled expression, "Director Meng, we shouldn't air our dirty laundry in public. You have to find a way to resolve this so as not to affect the factory's image. If you're really short on cash, you can talk to the finance department and ask for an advance of two months' salary."
Meng Zihan's eyes were red, and she could only nod, unable to utter a single word.
After receiving her advance on her salary, she counted out two hundred yuan and, forcing a smile, handed it over: "Dad, please use this money first, I..."
"Two hundred?" Meng Xuejun's eyes widened, and he snatched the money, but he was not satisfied. "Didn't you get an advance of two months' salary? Give it all back!"
Meng Zihan was taken aback and shook her head repeatedly: "No! Dad, I also need to make a living. The child will be going to school soon, and we need money everywhere. I can't give you everything!"
"Bullshit!" Meng Xuejun ignored him and reached out to snatch the envelope from her hand.
Meng Zihan tried to protect him, but he grabbed her wrist forcefully and twisted it hard. Meng Zihan cried out in pain and let go, and he took all the remaining few hundred yuan from her.
He stuffed the money into his pocket and shouted righteously, "Isn't your husband the deputy factory director? Does he need your little bit of money? The money's just going to go to waste in your hands, so you might as well spend it!"
After saying that, he patted his bulging pockets and walked away without looking back.
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