The strange, indescribable smell from the coolant tank, like a chilling snake, made Liu Li's heart tighten. She stood beside the lathe, the machine humming, but it sounded like a harbinger of impending disaster—if she continued using it, and something went wrong, not only would the job be ruined, but she would also be held fully responsible; if she stopped, the task was urgent, and the rumors outside were rampant, and if she stopped, she might be accused of being "guilty" and "incompetent."
Cold sweat trickled down her spine. Liu Li forced herself to calm down, her mind racing. She couldn't make a sound; she had to verify it first.
She secretly took a clean enamel bowl, pretending to check the coolant concentration, and scooped out half a bowl. She moistened her fingertips with water and held it under her nose to smell it carefully—yes, besides the smell of water mixed with engine oil, there was also a pungent smell, not the kind of smell that coolant should have.
My heart sank to the bottom; I was almost certain that the water had been tampered with.
Just as she was panicking, the workshop clerk ran over and called to her: "Liu Li, the director wants you to go to his office, hurry up!"
Liu Li's palms instantly became sweaty, and her heart clenched tightly—what was bound to happen, couldn't be avoided.
The atmosphere in the office was extremely tense. Director Zhao sat behind his desk, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito; Sister Li from the trade union sat beside him, her face taut; even Fu Jingchen was there, standing by the window, his expression extremely unpleasant.
"Comrade Liu Li," Director Zhao cleared his throat, trying to keep his tone calm, but he couldn't hide his embarrassment, "I called you here to ask about the overtime work last night."
Liu Li took a deep breath and recounted in detail how she had figured out the parameters last night, how Fu Jingchen had modified the process for her, and how the work had improved after the modifications. She also handed over her notebook filled with data: "Look, these are the parameters and results I recorded. Every step is recorded."
“Of course we believe you two are doing this for work,” Sister Li said, her eyes scrutinizing her. “But you two need to be mindful of the impact! It’s the middle of the night, a man and a woman alone in the workshop. It’s not good if word gets out. People in the factory are gossiping about you. It’s not good for you, and it’s not good for the atmosphere in the workshop.”
Fu Jingchen turned around abruptly, his glasses almost reflecting light, his voice trembling slightly: "Sister Li! Director Zhao! That's incredibly irresponsible! Liu Li and I were solving a technical problem to meet a deadline! If we're afraid of rumors and don't even dare to have a proper technical exchange, that would be irresponsible! I swear on my Party spirit, there's absolutely nothing else between us!"
He was so anxious that his face turned red, displaying the stubbornness typical of intellectuals.
Director Zhao rubbed his temples, his head throbbing: "Jingchen, don't get agitated. The organization trusts you. But the mission is urgent; we can't afford any mistakes. We need to stay calm..."
"Knock knock knock," the door was suddenly knocked three times. Wang Jianguo pushed the door open and came in, carrying something in his hand—Liu Li's bucket of coolant, and a few rough machined parts that she had finished machining.
"Director, Sister Li," Master Wang's voice was still the same as always, flat, but with a commanding force, "Let's put aside the rumors for now and talk about the work."
He put the coolant tank on the table and picked up two workpieces: "These two, one was machined by Liu Li last night before adjusting the parameters, look at this surface, it's very rough; the other is after adjusting the parameters, it's much smoother. What does this mean? It means that they were doing something important last night, solving problems, not just messing around."
After saying that, he pointed to the bucket of coolant, his gaze sweeping over Director Zhao and Sister Li, his expression icy: "I just got this bucket of water from Liu Li's machine tool. It smelled off, so I had Old Qian from the quality control department take a look. He knows a bit about chemistry, and he said it's most likely adulterated—we'll have to test it to find out exactly what, but it's definitely not something that should have been added. If we keep using this water, the cutting tools will break down quickly, the work will be ruined, and it might even corrode the machine tool guideways!"
The office fell silent; you could hear a pin drop. Director Zhao jumped to his feet and slammed his hand on the table: "Who did this?!"
“We can find out who did it.” Master Wang wasn’t in a hurry, but his tone was like a hammer slamming into the ground. “But I have to say something fair: someone doesn’t want this task to succeed, and doesn’t want the hardworking and capable people to stand out. Liu Li noticed something was wrong but didn’t say anything because she was afraid of delaying the task and alerting the culprit. That’s a hundred times better than those who only gossip behind people’s backs and resort to underhanded tactics!”
He turned to Liu Li, his eyes deep and serious: "You're right, this bucket of water is unusable. I've already sent someone to get a new one. I'll personally inspect the parts of the water cart you used before to see if there are any hidden damages."
Looking at Master Wang's back, which seemed as reliable as a mountain, Liu Li felt a lump in her throat. The grievances she had been holding back for so long almost broke down, and she could only nod vigorously, unable to say a word.
Master Wang looked at Director Zhao and Sister Li one last time, and said clearly, "I, Wang Jianguo, have been a worker for forty years, and I guarantee with my old face that Liu Li is a good prospect, with solid skills and a good heart. Anyone who tries to smear her is going against me and against the workshop's tasks! This matter must be investigated thoroughly! As for the tasks, I'll keep an eye on them, and there won't be any delays!"
Master Wang's words were like a stabilizing force, instantly easing the tense atmosphere in the office. Director Zhao's expression softened, and Sister Li lowered her head to ponder.
Fu Jingchen looked at Liu Li, his eyes filled with both worry and admiration.
But Liu Li felt even colder inside—Sun Peng's methods were so underhanded; he was lucky his master saw through him this time, but what about next time? Rumors don't just disappear; the person hiding behind them certainly wouldn't let it go.
The trust crisis may seem to have passed, but the real trouble may have just begun.
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