Although Director Zhang had dealt with the Yanchi Brigade's matter, he had no say in the matter of Cao Yang and the spies who were brought out during the subsequent investigation.
Even if this matter is handled properly, they will likely still face disciplinary action.
It's no longer up to the commune to get involved with Cao Yang and his group.
The county public security bureau and the county revolutionary committee have already sent people to take over Cao Yang and his group.
As soon as the people left, the commune launched a vigorous campaign of criticism and self-criticism. Not to mention people, even dogs had to tuck their tails between their legs.
Aside from those who absolutely need to run errands, there are hardly any people on the streets.
The black market, having gotten wind of the situation, had already shut down.
In a short period of time, everyone's living standards plummeted in the commune.
Everyone was so angry that they cursed each other at home every day, but that's another story.
Upon receiving the news, the county public security bureau and the county revolutionary committee hurriedly dispatched personnel and vehicles to escort the group back to the county seat.
Xu Ningyan was perfectly healthy to begin with. She was well-fed and cared for in the hospital, and within two or three days she gained a pound or two. Her complexion also improved significantly, with both rosy and fair skin.
Therefore, the group followed the county public security bureau and the county revolutionary committee back to the county town.
Xu Ningyan is the person involved, so she should definitely be questioned according to procedure.
The county public security bureau and the county revolutionary committee argued for a long time over this, and in the end, the county revolutionary committee reluctantly handed the person over to the public security bureau only after a phone call from above.
When Gu Zhiyuan was being questioned at the police station, he naturally accompanied him out of concern.
Fortunately, the police knew she was a victim who had been kidnapped to the mountains overnight. They saw that she was only sixteen or seventeen years old and looked very frail, so their attitude became much kinder.
They only asked her once, and after Xu Ningyan gave a general account of what happened, they let her go home.
Li Jianguo has also brought the department store leaders' arrangements, allowing Xu Ningyan to rest at home for half a month before returning to work. After all, she almost lost her life on a business trip to the countryside, so she should at least make up for it, right?
Not only that, but they also gave Xu Ningyan some nutritional supplements along with her salary this month.
Apart from Li Jianguo, who knew a little about the inside story of Xu Ningyan's kidnapping, no one else knew anything.
All they knew was that Xu Ningyan had been frightened in the countryside and was recuperating at home for a few days. Sister Yang and Lin Hong, who were on good terms with her, both came to visit her. They were initially very worried, but after seeing Xu Ningyan in person, they felt that their worries had been in vain.
After a few jokes, both Sister Yang and Lin Hong were sensible people and didn't ask any further questions.
However, Sister Yang couldn't help but remind Xu Ningyan a couple of things: "It's good that you're resting at home. I don't know where this rumor came from, but it says that you were dragged into the deep mountains by several men during your trip to the countryside. Although you were rescued, your reputation is ruined—"
Lin Hong had overheard a couple of things and couldn't help but say, "These people always have nothing better to do than gossip. If I find out who spread it, I'll slap them across the face a few times!"
Sister Yang's expression became somewhat subtle.
"Xiao Xu, did you and your husband offend the leaders of the machinery factory? I heard about it; it was actually passed on by Deputy Factory Director Lu's daughter-in-law herself—"
Xu Ningyan immediately understood—it was Xu Zhenzhu!
She was so angry she almost laughed. She hadn't gone to cause trouble for Xu Zhenzhu, yet Xu Zhenzhu had taken the initiative to provoke her?
At this moment, in the design department of the machinery factory.
As soon as Gu Zhiyuan returned, everyone swarmed around him, asking with concern, "Boss Gu, is your girlfriend alright?"
"Boss Gu, if there's anything we can help you with, just let us know."
"Xiao Gu, if you can't leave home, I can give you two days off. Take care of your family first."
...
Gu Zhiyuan left in such a hurry back then, and Lu Kai was the one who answered the phone. When others asked, Lu Kai told them the answer.
In less than a day, everyone in the factory knew that Gu Zhiyuan's girlfriend had gotten into trouble and her fate was unknown.
Who wouldn't sigh in their heart? So young, what a pity if something were to happen to him.
Of course, some people were happy. Gu Zhiyuan was now the most sought-after guy in the factory, and he and Lu Kai were known as the factory's most handsome men.
It's a pity that they both have partners now, which is quite regrettable.
Now that people have heard that Gu Zhiyuan's girlfriend is in trouble, many are secretly hoping that Xu Ningyan will die out there so that the position can be filled.
Therefore, when they saw Gu Zhiyuan return, they all gathered around and asked him questions.
Gu Zhiyuan remained calm and answered everyone's questions one by one: "My girlfriend is safe and sound. Thank you all for your concern. She is doing well! I had taken several days off due to personal matters, but now that she is alright, I naturally have to come to work."
Someone in the crowd asked, "Xiao Gu, what happened to your girlfriend? We heard she was kidnapped and taken to some remote mountain village? Was she kidnapped by human traffickers? Is she really alright? We heard she was rescued, but it's been a whole night already—"
The malice in those words was obvious.
Everyone fell silent.
Different kinds of gazes were cast at Gu Zhiyuan: some sighed, some were anxious, some were sympathetic, some were gloating, and many more were indifferent but wanted to hear some juicy gossip to satisfy their own voyeuristic desires.
Gu Zhiyuan's eyes turned slightly cold as he scanned the entire room. Many people looked away uncomfortably under his gaze.
Some people excitedly pressed on, "Little Gu, why aren't you saying anything? Has something really happened—?"
Everyone in the circle perked up their ears to listen.
Gu Zhiyuan sneered: "I don't know where you got such absurd information! All I know is that the people from the county public security bureau told me that this incident involves enemy agents and needs to be kept strictly confidential! My partner and I are the parties involved, and we must abide by the confidentiality regulations and not disclose any information! So where did you get this information from? The county public security bureau? Or enemy agents who have infiltrated our ranks?"
The way the label was applied left everyone present speechless.
Even more shockingly, two empty circles instantly appeared around the two people who were speaking, as everyone avoided them, afraid of getting involved with them.
The two men's expressions changed as well. At this moment, being associated with enemy agents was a more serious matter than having a bad family background.
He immediately retorted, "You, you're talking nonsense! We, we just heard it from others! We're really not enemy agents! Our ancestors were poor peasants for three generations, and we were both politically reliable and professionally competent! Really!"
Gu Zhiyuan tapped his fingers on the table and said slowly, "Who told you that? If you can't identify it, I'll have to call the police. They happen to be short of leads there—"
He was about to make a phone call.
The two men couldn't hold back any longer and pointed at Lu Kai, who was standing to the side: "We heard it from Lu Kai's lover!"
The crowd erupted in uproar.
Lu Kai was dumbfounded!
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