Chapter 105 The Truth Revealed
"Fortunately, not many comrades entered the first laboratory today, so we should be able to get results soon. It's good that you discovered it in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable. These people can't win in a fair fight, so they like to play dirty tricks," Team Leader Zhuang said with certainty.
Lin Yuanshu looked at Team Leader Zhuang with trust and said softly, "I believe Team Leader Zhuang would not do anything to protect bad people. I'll leave this matter to you. If I'm more careful, perhaps the experimental data won't be tampered with."
Team Leader Zhuang comforted him with a righteous expression: "This matter is not your fault. If someone wants to do something bad, you can't prevent it. You can't possibly stay up 24 hours a day and just stare at the experimental data."
The two talked as they returned to the first laboratory.
The research team members were also talking quietly at this time.
“I think Comrade Feng Aiguo’s behavior is a bit abnormal. He kept stopping Comrade Lin Yuanshu from reporting it.”
"Isn't Comrade Feng Aiguo always like this? He likes to contradict Comrade Lin Yuanshu. You're overthinking it. If this kind of thing were to be discovered, at best he would be reported by the institute, and at worst he would be expelled from the institute. How could Comrade Feng Aiguo possibly do such a thing?"
"That's hard to say. After all, Comrade Feng Aiguo dislikes Comrade Lin Yuanshu so much that on the very first day Comrade Lin Yuanshu joined our group, he teamed up with us to give Comrade Lin Yuanshu a hard time."
Hearing the conversation, Feng Aiguo's friend frowned and walked over to Feng Aiguo, who was sitting in the corner. He said softly, "Is that you?"
Feng Aiguo paused for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Feng Aiguo's friend confidently said, "Don't take any chances. It's not too late to confess now."
Feng Aiguo was about to reply when he noticed Hong Shuang'er looking at him with a meaningful gaze. He took a deep breath and said with a smile, "You're overthinking it. Although I dislike Comrade Lin Yuanshu, I wouldn't do something like this."
Not long after, Lin Yuanshu and Team Leader Zhuang returned to the First Laboratory, and everyone immediately gathered around them.
Lin Yuanshu looked at Feng Aiguo and said with a smile, "If any of you have done something to tamper with the data, step forward now, and things won't get out of hand. If none of you have done anything like that, Team Leader Zhuang will go to the security department and investigate this matter together with them."
Feng Aiguo stared intently into Lin Yuanshu's eyes with a serious expression. He felt that Lin Yuanshu was bluffing him, and he was quite certain that no one had noticed his actions at the time.
An intern shouted, "Comrade Lin Yuanshu, we are not afraid of being investigated. The innocent will clear themselves. We haven't done anything like this. So what if it gets blown up?"
Intern Li agreed, "Yes, the most urgent task is to catch this bad guy. With the security department involved, the investigation will definitely be faster."
Team Leader Zhuang nodded in satisfaction at everyone's actions. "Alright, then you can continue the experiment with Comrade Lin Yuanshu. I will seriously investigate and deal with the matter of tampering with the experimental data, and I will not tolerate it."
Feng Aiguo was once again distracted while conducting experiments. His friend, who had been watching him closely, noticed his unusual behavior and quietly distanced himself from him. This matter was so serious; he couldn't let it implicate him. He was such a good person!
Hong Shuang'er and the others thought that Team Leader Zhuang would be investigating this matter for several days, but unexpectedly, before leaving get off work, Team Leader Zhuang called Lin Yuanshu and Feng Aiguo into his office.
The office at this time not only housed Team Leader Zhuang, but also the head of the security department, as well as witnesses involved in the matter.
Hong Shuang'er whispered to the others, "You can know a person's face but not their heart. I never expected that this spy was Comrade Feng Aiguo."
Being called in at this time, she couldn't think of any other reason besides being a bad element, since Feng Aiguo hadn't joined Lin Yuanshu's group plan.
Intern Li said with a look of disdain, "Feng Aiguo has never been a good person. He can't stand seeing others do well. It's not surprising that he would do something like this. I remember a year ago, there was a female colleague who was more capable than Feng Aiguo at work. As a result, she was reported for having an affair and was fired from the research institute. I suspect that it was Feng Aiguo who reported her."
Hong Shuang'er said with a shocked expression, "You knew about this, why didn't you say so sooner? You could have cleared that woman's name."
She had only recently joined Zhuang's research group, so she was unaware of the matter and did not know the woman. She never expected Feng Aiguo to be so despicable and shameless. It was disgusting that she had previously followed Feng Aiguo's orders.
Intern Li gave a helpless look. "What's the use of me saying something without evidence? I might even get counter-accused by Feng Aiguo for slandering his innocence."
Hong Shuang'er looked thoughtfully at the office door, hoping that Feng Aiguo would get what he deserved this time. She hated it when people used such despicable means to deal with female comrades.
Lin Yuanshu and Feng Aiguo entered Team Leader Zhuang's office. Feng Aiguo pretended to know nothing and asked, "Team Leader Zhuang, is there something you need us for?"
Team Leader Zhuang said with a serious expression, "I think you should know what's going on."
Feng Aiguo swallowed hard, feeling uneasy. He pretended to be clueless and said, "I don't know."
The head of the security department said, "Comrade, don't play dumb with us. You were the only one who went near Comrade Lin Yuanshu's workstation today. If you didn't tamper with the data, who else could have? Just tell us straight, who ordered you to do this? If you confess now, you'll suffer less. Don't force us to take you to the police station."
The witness standing nearby said confidently, "It's nothing. I saw you go to Comrade Lin Yuanshu's workstation twice with my own eyes."
Feng Aiguo took a deep breath and questioned, "Did you see the paper with the experimental data in my hand?"
The witness paused for a moment, then said truthfully, "Because we were a bit far away, and your body was blocking the view, I didn't see what you were holding."
Feng Aiguo calmly said, "So you didn't see me tampering with the data yourself, and you're just talking nonsense here. I admit that I went to Comrade Lin Yuanshu's workstation, but I was just passing by. I originally wanted to eavesdrop on the conversation between Team Leader Zhuang and Lin Yuanshu in the office, but after thinking about it, I felt that this behavior was wrong, so I returned to my workstation. Perhaps that's why this female comrade misunderstood."
The witness was immediately rendered speechless, unsure how to refute the statement!
Team Leader Zhuang and the head of the security department both changed their expressions. They didn't expect Feng Aiguo to be so good at sophistry. Even at a time like this, he could still think of words that would benefit himself. He was really stubborn as a mule.
Lin Yuanshu smiled slightly and said in a serious tone, "Stop making excuses. Do you think we only have this one witness? Team Leader Zhuang is giving you face, so he wants you to confess yourself, which is why he didn't invite the other witness in. If you continue to deny it, I can invite that witness in and confront you on the spot. If you keep making trouble and it goes all the way to the police station, the consequences will be more than you can handle."
The head of the security department deliberately feigned impatience and said in a slightly threatening tone, "What's the point of talking so much nonsense to him? Just report it to the police. Anyway, we have the evidence. Let him go to the station and reflect on his actions. He'll naturally spill the truth then."
Upon hearing that the police were to be called, Feng Aiguo panicked. He didn't want to be criticized and sent to the cowshed, so he quickly stopped them, saying, "I only did this because I was jealous of Comrade Lin Yuanshu. I just wanted to teach her a small lesson. I didn't expect this matter to escalate so much. I'm not a spy, and I don't have anyone backing me."
Team Leader Zhuang looked at Feng Aiguo, sighed, and said with exasperation, "You have really let me down. I trusted you so much and thought you wouldn't do such a thing, but you have slapped me in the face. How could you be so foolish? If you had to compare your work ability with Comrade Lin Yuanshu, you could have compared yourself to her in other ways! For example, you are taller than her."
Feng Aiguo's lips pressed into a straight line, and he said in a daze, "This is not my fault. My plan has been successfully completed, but you have been slow to report it. Isn't it just because you are waiting for Lin Yuanshu's plan to come out? You are deliberately using my plan's results as a stepping stone for Lin Yuanshu to move up. I have my own intentions too. I also feel pain! I just struck first."
Upon hearing this, Team Leader Zhuang felt a mix of emotions. She asked, puzzled, "Why would you think that? Even if it's favoritism, it's favoritism towards you. You've been by my side for two years, and I've seen all your efforts. The reason I didn't report your proposal is because your results are indeed inferior to Comrade Lin Yuanshu's. Reporting it to the leaders wouldn't have helped; it would only have made us a laughingstock. It's better to put it aside for now and let you join Comrade Lin Yuanshu's group. That way, even if your results aren't reported, you'll still get a share of the credit."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanshu raised an eyebrow. She had already seen through Team Leader Zhuang's plan. The reason she didn't strongly object was that since Feng Aiguo had done such a thing, the members of their team might not be able to join in.
Secondly, because this era does not advocate "individualism" but values "collectivism" more, she also wants to show her "collectivist" side.
Having the ability to do the job is not enough; you also need to be "famous".
Unfortunately, Feng Aiguo did not appreciate Team Leader Zhuang's good intentions. He loudly denied it, saying, "It's all talk. If you were really fair and just, you wouldn't have let Lin Yuanshu join the research group you were in charge of, nor would you have made me and Lin Yuanshu each responsible for a project. The fact that I did this is all your fault, all because of your unfairness."
Lin Yuanshu couldn't stand it anymore and didn't want to argue with Feng Aiguo any longer. After all, it was long past the end of the workday, and he might as well go home and rest instead of wasting time chatting with Feng Aiguo!
"What nonsense are you spouting! Do you think you're innocent by blaming everyone else? Your actions have nothing to do with anyone else. You're just a jealous and resentful person who blames everyone else. You did something wrong, and that's all there is to it. There are no excuses or reasons!" Lin Yuanshu's tone was gentle, but his words were sharp as needles, piercing Feng Aiguo.
After hearing Lin Yuanshu's words, Team Leader Zhuang no longer softened his stance and said to the head of the security department, "Take him away! While you're at it, ask him if he has any accomplices. You can only believe half of what he says."
"Okay." The head of the security department grabbed Feng Aiguo's wrist and left the office.
Lin Yuanshu wasn't worried that Feng Aiguo, whose hands weren't tied, could escape the clutches of the head of the security department. After all, the head of the security department in this era wasn't an ordinary security guard; he had a gun.
Before leaving the office, the witness glanced at Lin Yuanshu.
Lin Yuanshu smiled slightly at her.
Everything is understood without words.
She did not bribe the witness. After Feng Aiguo completed the group's plan, she asked the witness to keep an eye on Feng Aiguo. She just did not expect it to be such a coincidence.
After everyone who was supposed to leave had left, only Lin Yuanshu and Team Leader Zhuang remained in the office.
Team Leader Zhuang glanced at Lin Yuanshu and said apologetically, "Sigh! It's my fault for not supervising them properly, which led to the falsification of experimental data. I was too one-sided in my judgment of people. Their age is about the same as my children's age. I always treated them like children and indulged them, relaxing my requirements without realizing that this was precisely why I limited the improvement of their work ability. In future work, I must correct this and be stricter."
Lin Yuanshu's expression was quite subtle. He was worried about Hong Shuang'er and the others' future work. Feng Aiguo had really caused a lot of trouble. However, on the other hand, for those ambitious comrades, this should be considered a good thing!
"This is no one else's fault but Comrade Feng Aiguo's own choice. In the end, even if others were jealous, they didn't do anything like tampering with the data, did they?" Lin Yuanshu comforted him softly.
If Feng Aiguo's personality weren't so extreme, she wouldn't have thought of entrapment. Rather than watching a bomb circling around her, she'd rather detonate it beforehand.
Lin Yuanshu chatted with Team Leader Zhuang about the experimental plan for a while before leaving Team Leader Zhuang's office.
She returned to her workstation, and Hong Shuang'er immediately came over, saying with a serious expression, "I just learned from intern Li that Comrade Feng Aiguo previously reported a female comrade for having illicit relationships. I think there must be some misunderstanding here, so we can investigate it while we're at it."
Lin Yuanshu pondered for a moment and replied, "You can report the whole story to the head of the security department and ask him to conduct an investigation."
Hong Shuang'er hesitated and said, "I don't know the head of the security department. Would the head of the security department listen to my orders? What if he thinks I'm making things up?"
Lin Yuanshu argued confidently, "No, the head of the security department will only complain that Feng Aiguo's crimes are not enough, not that he should add another one. After all, the more crimes Feng Aiguo has, the more it will demonstrate the head of the security department's ability."
Upon hearing this, Hong Shuang'er's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "You're right, I'll go find the head of the security department right now."
After Hong Shuang'er left the lab, Lin Yuanshu was also tidying up his workstation, preparing to leave work.
With so many things happening today, the project team members probably aren't in the mood to focus on the experiment. It would be better to let everyone go home as usual.
Although everyone was happy to be able to leave work, intern Li still braced himself and asked, "Is Comrade Feng Aiguo the one who tampered with the experimental data? Why would he do such a thing?"
Lin Yuanshu looked righteous and awe-inspiring. "I don't quite understand why he would do something so harmful to others and himself. I just hope that this kind of thing will not happen a second time. I accept a fair and square challenge. It's better not to use such despicable methods."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Seeing that no one had any questions, Lin Yuanshu picked up his bag and left the laboratory.
One of the interns said earnestly, "Comrade Lin Yuanshu has such a good temper. Even though Comrade Feng Aiguo tampered with her experimental data, she still didn't say a bad word about him. Back then, Comrade Feng Aiguo teamed up with us to isolate Comrade Lin Yuanshu. Compared to Comrade Lin Yuanshu, we are really not good enough."
Intern Li nodded in agreement, saying, "A person like Comrade Lin Yuanshu is a good leader. She has strong work ability, can lead us in experiments, and has good character. We don't have to worry about being betrayed by her."
The intern who had spoken earlier made up his mind and said, "Tomorrow I must apologize to Comrade Lin Yuanshu for isolating her. We shouldn't have just listened to a few words from Comrade Feng Aiguo and thought that Comrade Lin Yuanshu was bad, and then isolated her."
This statement was met with approval from most people, and they were all prepared to apologize to Lin Yuanshu the next day.
Meanwhile, at the Zhou family home, Zhou Dafu saw Sister-in-law Xue cooking alone in the corridor, sweating profusely. He asked in confusion, "Where's your mother?"
Without looking up, Sister-in-law Xue replied, "Mom is going to take my younger sister to my second brother's house. She should be in the living room packing dried vegetables right now. They're going to take some dried vegetables with them."
Chow Tai Fook couldn't help but say, "Isn't this just ridiculous!"
He walked into the living room with a stern face and saw that Zhou Ma had already put the dried vegetables into the vegetable basket.
As soon as Zhou Ma saw Zhou Dafu, she said excitedly, "You're back just in time! We can go ride the bicycle now."
Zhou Dafu resolutely refused, saying, "I will not give you the bicycle key. What are you doing going to Xiao Er's wife's house now? She is busy doing experiments right now. You will only cause trouble and will not be of any help."
Zhou Ma said indignantly, "I haven't seen my second daughter-in-law for so long, so naturally I want to go and see her to see if she's living a good life. That's why I forgot about her mother-in-law."
Zhou Dafu said in a serious tone, "I forbid you from bothering Xiao Er's wife before her project is completed. It's fine if you can't help, but you can't hold her back."
He had heard from the head of the maintenance department that Lin Yuanshu's current research project was quite important. If Lin Yuanshu could really improve the acetaminophen production process, Hongguang Pharmaceutical Factory would also like to strive to become a pilot unit for this technology.
Zhou Ma was stunned for a moment, then shouted loudly, "No mother-in-law in the world is more aggrieved than me. It's one thing that I can't offend my daughter-in-law, but now I can't even see her. In the future, will I have to write an application before I can see my daughter-in-law?"
When Zhou Xiangling saw that Zhou Dafu's expression was not right and he looked like he was about to lose his temper, she was afraid that the two would quarrel. She quickly tugged at her mother's sleeve and whispered to comfort her, "Mom, you should listen to Dad for now! Once your second sister-in-law's project is completed, I will have her come to see you as soon as possible. It will be much more prestigious for her to come to see you than for you to go to see her."
After thinking about it, Zhou's mother agreed with Zhou Xiangling, saying, "Since you've said so, I won't go see Xiao Er's wife for now. Don't forget about this later."
Zhou Xiangling nodded repeatedly and admitted, "I definitely won't forget."
Zhou Dafu looked at Zhou Xiangling, his expression no longer so serious. He revealed a satisfied smile and sighed, "It seems that you have indeed grown a lot over the years, and you are not entirely useless."
Zhou Xiangling forced a bitter smile. If Brother Cao hadn't left her, she could say whatever she wanted without having to think so much.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuanshu returned home, where Zhou Xiangyang was making kelp and pork rib stew.
Lin Yuanshu couldn't help but exclaim, "It smells so good!"
Zhou Xiangyang said with a smile, "A leader invited me to dinner and asked me to help cook. Afterwards, he gave me some leftover ingredients, including matsutake mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and so on. I thought I could take them home and make soup. Since you like pork ribs, I made kelp stewed pork ribs."
Lin Yuanshu said excitedly, "Just smelling this makes me imagine how delicious it is. Is there anything I can help you with?"
It's such a blessing to be able to smell the aroma of food as soon as I get home.
Zhou Xiangyang thought for a moment, then said with a smile, "Then go peel some garlic! I'll make a chili sauce later, you can dip it in it or eat it on its own."
"Okay." Lin Yuanshu replied with a smile, speaking easily and naturally.
Zhou Xiangyang also glanced back and saw Lin Yuanshu sitting in the living room, peeling garlic intently. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
These were days he never dared to dream of before. There was no roaring from his mother, no cold and disdainful looks from his older brother and father, and no open or subtle belittling from his sister-in-law. No one disliked him, no one treated him like a freak, and they all got along with him naturally and harmoniously.
After dinner, Lin Yuanshu couldn't help but rub his stomach and exclaimed, "Your cooking is so delicious! I feel like I've gained weight. After I finish washing the dishes, we can go for a walk to digest our food."
Zhou Xiangyang looked at Lin Yuanshu carefully and denied it, saying, "You're not fat at all."
Lin Yuanshu stood up, clearing away the dishes as he said with a smile, "Your perspective is too biased. Your words are inaccurate; my intuition is the only one that matters."
Zhou Xiangyang: "..."
The two went for a walk, and on their way home, Lin Yuanshu couldn't resist buying some pastries. Luckily, there were no food stalls in this era, otherwise she would definitely have had a big meal.
Because Hong Shuang'er reported the woman's situation to the head of the security department, the head of the security department has been investigating the matter, which has prevented Feng Aiguo's data tampering from being reported for the time being. They plan to punish Feng Aiguo for multiple offenses after the matter is clarified.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com