Chapter 4
Song Mu himself has done this kind of thing.
At the time, he wanted to stay away from the young female security director, but he couldn't tell her directly. Between changing jobs and transferring positions, Song Mu actually tried the latter, but failed.
"Does your company arrange regular physical examinations for employees?" Yu Lei continued to ask, looking down at the police call record made by Zhao Guoliang, which stated that Liu Dong's family mentioned that he was under great mental stress and suffered from severe insomnia.
"Once a year." Song Mu answered quickly.
“What are the inspection items?”
Song Mu paused and looked at the captain in confusion, not understanding how this question was related to the current situation.
"Different positions, ranks, ages, and genders will have different examination items. If the deceased was of the same age and position, in addition to the routine examination items, there will be four additional items, including hearing and tumors, and possibly..."
"Psychological state assessment." Tang Ruxin interrupted Song Mu and secretly poked him in the back to stop him from looking back.
She acted just in time, and Song Mu had already started twisting his neck when he heard these words.
What he meant wasn't the mental status assessment, but the gastroscopy. Why did she bring this up specifically? A mental status assessment is a routine checkup, required of all employees, regardless of position or age. After all, this is a high-risk industry, the kind where insurance is hard to come by. A mental health issue in any position could have serious consequences.
Yu Lei raised his head, a look of surprise in his eyes again, and he looked carefully at the young security director in front of him.
She wasn't petite, nor did she have flowing hair, but her features were exquisite, her eyebrows and eyes particularly striking, compelling a second glance. However, her face was tired, with a faint hint of blue under her eyes, and her lips bare, giving her a lack of energy. Her nails were neatly manicured; she wore no rings or polish. There were a few light coffee stains on the front of her shirt, and the hem of her open gray tweed coat was wrinkled from prolonged sitting. She wore flat leather casual shoes, their uppers clean, save for a hint of dust and mud mixed with snow and water on the sides.
She wasn't dressed for a meeting, so she likely took a long bus or plane and was in a hurry. She didn't even have a chance to change clothes before arriving at the company, even though the ride was bumpy while she was drinking coffee. She was likely out of town at the time of the incident and likely didn't know much about the case.
In just a short while, with just a few words, she found the most favorable investigation direction for Donghe Refining from his questions, and the timing of her guidance was just right. If her identity and position were not obvious, he might not have noticed the abnormality.
Yu Lei closed Zhao Guoliang's notebook, looked at Tang Ruxin for a moment, and suddenly laughed.
"You're quite clever."
Tang Ruxin remained calm, but her heart sank. This man was too sensitive. Her naive and innocent persona didn't work on him.
She had brought up the psychological evaluation to guide their investigation toward the possibility of mental health issues. Physical examinations were conducted annually, and the onset of mental abnormalities might not necessarily coincide with the time of the physical examination. Confirming this required extensive interviews, and results would take three or four days to come. She couldn't yet provide convincing evidence pointing directly to homicide, so she needed time. At the very least, she needed to understand the police's suspicions of homicide so she could leverage their power.
Unbeknownst to Tang Ruxin, she had actually hit the jackpot. According to Zhao Guoliang's records, Liu Dong had indeed behaved somewhat abnormally on the night he reported the crime, and his family had also stated at the time that he had been under considerable mental stress.
"That's great. It's easy to talk to smart people. But... be careful not to be too clever." Yu Lei took out his phone from his pocket, checked the time, unlocked it, and handed it to her. "Leave me your contact information. I'll contact you later if I need anything."
Tang Ruxin obediently entered her phone number into her phone, dialed it, and immediately hung up. She watched the three policemen drive away, the precarious smile on her lips immediately disappearing, thinking even a second more would be a waste.
"What does he mean?" Song Mu didn't understand.
"Warning me." Tang Ruxin sighed silently. Those few words had been like a battle. The outcome was unpredictable. After all, the battle wasn't over yet. The criminal police captain was probably in a hurry.
"He found out?" Song Mu was so shocked that he almost dropped his phone.
"High probability. But it doesn't matter, I didn't lie." Tang Ruxin turned around, tied her long hair into a ball and dropped it on the back of her head, then stepped on the messy snow and walked towards the No. 1 Central Control Room.
There was another battlefield waiting for her over there.
Song Mu followed Tang Ruxin into the conference room on the second floor of Central Control Room No. 1.
After opening the door, he didn't see the tumultuous scene he'd imagined, with the Emergency Management Bureau leader slamming the table and cursing. Instead, the conference room was silent, and every Donghe Refining employee's face was filled with exhaustion and dejection.
The two people from the Emergency Department looked calm. When they saw him and Tang Ruxin come in, they put down their cups of tea to warm their hands. Song Mu took two steps forward and pulled out a chair for Tang Ruxin to sit on.
"Director Sun, Engineer Ding, long time no see." Tang Ruxin ignored Song Mu and walked up to the two people from the Emergency Bureau and greeted them politely.
Ding Xinqiao stood up and looked puzzled as he shook hands with Tang Ruxin.
"I've taken your emergency response training course." Tang Ruxin explained with a smile.
Ding Xinqiao said "Oh" and suddenly realized, "Boss Tang has a good memory."
Sun Chengze tilted his head, frowned, and looked at Tang Ruxin. After a moment, he sneered rudely.
"I'm wondering why Donghe Refining and Chemical has been having so many accidents in recent years. A major one every year, a minor one every six months. And you've got such a young safety director, and a woman at that. What's your company thinking? What do you think of your responsibility for production safety?!"
Director Sun slammed the conference table hard, and at the same time, it seemed as if the mute button in the conference room was also hit. Everyone's breathing slowed down for a few seconds.
Ding Xinqiao frowned imperceptibly, his gaze immediately shifting to Tang Ruxin. Not only him, but more than a dozen pairs of eyes in the conference room were now looking at her.
Song Mu felt his heartbeat quicken, and his palms became sticky and began to sweat.
This statement went far beyond the realm of disrespect and was little different from a personal attack. When attacked from a superior, explanations and rebuttals would only infuriate the other party. However, in front of a subordinate, one cannot be servile and act like a yes-man, otherwise one's prestige will be destroyed.
In addition to Donghe Refining's management, the people present also included those responsible for the equipment involved in the accident. Over a dozen of them had varying expressions. Some were disdainful, some were watching with interest, and some were gloating. But no one spoke up to help her out.
Of course, given Tang Ruxin's rank, there was only one person present who was qualified to speak—that was General Manager Yu Zhe.
General Manager Yu had always been unimpressed with Tang Ruxin. He simply didn't believe a woman could shoulder such a heavy security responsibility. If the board hadn't unanimously supported Tang Ruxin, he wouldn't have approved her appointment.
Yu Zhe didn't stand up and applaud Sun Chengze, which was already the proper thing for a colleague. How could he possibly speak up to help her out? Embarrassing the company's security director in front of so many people was ultimately a blow to Donghe Lianhua. But if it was Tang Ruxin, then let him be.
Song Mu was sweating with anxiety, but he really had no right to speak in this situation. Tang Ruxin could handle the open and covert attacks, but direct insults, at least in the more than a year that Song Mu had been with her, had never happened. If he didn't handle it well, he would never be able to hold his head up high in the company again.
At this moment, time is like the surface of frozen water, the undercurrent is slow and silent.
"Safety responsibility is as heavy as Mount Tai." Tang Ruxin broke the silence in the room. Her voice was soft and slow, neither hurried nor slow, with a rhythm that could cool people down.
"How could I, alone, carry the weight of Mount Tai? I believe none of the men present here could guarantee that they could single-handedly shoulder the safety responsibility for these dozens of production facilities. The fact that Donghe Refining and Chemical has consistently ranked among the top three taxpayers in our city is the result of everyone's joint efforts. Director Sun, you too, have made an indelible contribution. Without your and the Emergency Management Bureau's management and education over the years, without your continued support, Donghe Refining and Chemical would not be where it is today."
After these words were spoken, the faces of those who were waiting to see the show fell.
Yu Zhe looked at Tang Ruxin grimly, having to admit that the explanation was well-written and irrefutable. He couldn't have handled it any better. Not only did he reduce the pressure on his own safety, but he also dragged the entire management team into the blame. While he was giving Sun Chengze a compliment, he was also indirectly reminding him of Donghe Refining's position in the city's finances.
This woman is very good at talking!
Sun Chengze was speechless after hearing her official statement. He opened his mouth but couldn't find anything wrong with it. In the end, he could only snort loudly through his nose to show his continued dissatisfaction.
"Stop spouting these polite words..." Sun Chengze's aura dropped considerably. He'd actually forgotten the annual tax revenue Donghe Refining paid. Local finances weren't something he'd focus on, and he was only in the top three, not number one. So what was he bragging about?
At the Emergency Management Bureau, companies not directly under the central government or state-owned enterprises generally received little respect from Sun Chengze. Every routine inspection and supervision was handled impartially, without any leeway. Any incidents were the subject of rigorous investigation and thorough investigation.
Accustomed to being praised, Sun Chengze rarely uses the word "polite" in private enterprises.
Tang Ruxin didn't expect that Director Sun was a paper tiger, but just mentioning local taxation was enough to put down his arrogance, and he hadn't even used his trump card yet.
That’s right, usually the louder the bark, the less likely it is to bite.
Yu Lei's half-smiling face suddenly popped up in Tang Ruxin's mind. In comparison, that one was probably the one that would bite.
"Of course, this is not Director Tang's responsibility alone. Everyone here is the head of the on-site management department, and each has a safety responsibility to bear." General Manager Yu finally spoke, looking at Tang Ruxin with disdain.
"No matter what, the incident has already occurred, and someone must be held accountable. Director Tang is still young and lacks work experience. Furthermore, women tend to be less able to handle pressure, so it's inevitable that she might have made some inconsiderate decisions in such an important position. Director Sun is absolutely right. We must learn from this and improve the skills of our employees while also strengthening the quality of our senior leadership."
Sun Chengze hadn't said that, but he felt comfortable with Yu Zhe's compliment. Yu Zhe's words were essentially the same, though clearly more sophisticated and subtle. Feeling supported, Sun Chengze immediately raised his head and stared directly at Tang Ruxin, his face filled with defiance.
Tang Ruxin's expression remained unchanged, her smile still gentle and light, but she looked at Yu Zhe with undisguised contempt. She knew that Yu Zhe would not let her off easily. He had done many things behind her back, but this was the first time he had elbowed her in front of her.
So her contemptuous eyes also contained a hint of admiration, finally she stopped playing dirty tricks. If she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to pull her off the horse, it would depend on whether she agreed.
"Manager Yu is right. As the person in charge of the company's production safety, I do have a responsibility." Tang Ruxin sat on the chair Song Mu pulled out, adjusted her sitting posture and leaned back, then said, "If it is indeed a safety accident."
When these words were spoken, everyone in the conference room was stunned.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
