"Help! Fire! The finance office is on fire!"
Almost the instant the flames ignited, someone burst through a door in the corridor. Miyano stood outside the forcefully broken-open door, issuing orders to the stevedores who rushed in behind him:
"Go down and arrest them! I'll put out the fire!"
Putting out a fire by oneself? That's absurd, isn't it?
But a strange thing happened. Under this absurd order, several dockworkers were confused for a moment, and then, without hesitation, they went downstairs to arrest people while banging gongs and drums.
As the gong sounded, Zheng Hongkuan dared not linger and quickly fled along the pre-planned route. He did not believe that the fire could be easily extinguished with the aid of alcohol.
He then walked with great peace of mind, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and his steps were several times lighter than when he came.
Unbeknownst to Zheng Hongkuan, who had disappeared around the corner, the flames in the second-floor finance office went out even faster than when they were burning the moment he turned back.
Miyano withdrew his hand, and through the broken window, watched the retreating figure running away at high speed downstairs, his eyes flashing with unfathomable depths.
After chasing for a long time without success, Guan Yan returned home and her first concern was the losses suffered by the finance department.
Knowing Zheng Hongkuan's potential plan, Guan Yan had already arranged for someone to move the important documents from the finance office to a safe place while he was away from the factory.
Furthermore, Miyano's timely firefighting efforts meant that Zheng Hongkuan's supposedly meticulous plan resulted in him losing a thousand men on his own while injuring eight on the enemy.
Looking at the broken window frame and the messy, scorched marks on the ground, Guan Yan's face showed a hint of disappointment.
"I couldn't find a job before I joined the textile factory five years ago. It was Director Zheng who didn't mind and gave me a chance."
Guan Yan didn't know who she was talking to, but she said, "When I first discovered the problem with the factory's accounts, I thought about covering it up for him. Who can guarantee that they won't encounter a few emergencies in life?"
Listening to Guan Yan's rambling, Gong Ye remained noncommittal. "The world changes, so what about people's hearts?"
"That's about it! After tomorrow, that guy surnamed Zheng won't have another chance to harm the textile factory. You guys pack up, I'm leaving now!"
Guan Yan stood there silently for a long time, then directed people to clean up before returning to her office and sitting there until dawn.
...
The next morning, Zheng Hongkuan came to work with a mix of trepidation and unease, deliberately arriving a little later than usual.
He had expected to hear gossip and heated discussions about the textile factory fire and the extent of the damage, and he had even thought of someone to take the blame: Ruan Xianxian, who burned newspapers in her office yesterday.
As a result, when everyone came out of the bike shed, they didn't hear a single rumor or gossip.
He frowned and reluctantly stopped in front of the old man who guarded the bicycle shed: "Brother! Anything new happening at the factory these past few days?"
The old man put his hand to his ear: "What did you say, 'old'?"
Zheng Hongkuan: "Brother!"
Old man: "Where should I put it?"
Zheng Hongkuan: ...
The old man watched Zheng Hongkuan's furious departure, let out a soft snort, and muttered to himself.
"People from the provincial department have come down. Alas! It's such a waste of Old Wang's painstaking cultivation back then."
Walking up the stairs he had been using for decades, Zheng Hongkuan felt uneasy. The unusually quiet atmosphere made him feel that something big was about to happen.
Sure enough, when he found his office door open and three people sitting inside, Zheng Hongkuan's unease reached its peak.
He gave a forced smile: "Who are you?"
The leader pushed up his glasses: "Hello! Provincial Department, Director Zheng, right? We received a report and suspect you of abusing your power for personal gain, embezzling and accepting bribes."
Until the truth comes out, your position will be filled by the relevant deputy factory director. Please cooperate with the investigation as needed, and stay home unless absolutely necessary.
Zheng Hongkuan, who was surprised when this group of people came to his door the next day, was so angry that he laughed when he saw Guan Yan standing upright in front of his desk:
"You've been eyeing my position for a long time, haven't you? You're willing to resort to false accusations and reports to achieve your goal. I really misjudged you back then."
No! He couldn't show any understanding of the truth; he could only show anger and frustration at being coveted by his subordinates for the factory manager's position.
After cursing, he snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Guan Yan stepped forward: "Sir, why didn't you take him into custody immediately, and instead let him leave?"
Guan Yan truly didn't understand this.
The leader pushed up his glasses, his smile carrying a hint of slyness: "Investigations and arrests also require evidence. Deputy Factory Director, I'll need your cooperation these next few days."
He was already cursing under his breath, but who knew that instead of biting someone, Miyano, that mad dog, was playing some kind of trick?!
...
As Zheng Hongkuan left the office, he felt a mixture of jealousy and fear. People often feel the urge to urinate when they are nervous, and he was no exception.
After quickly going into the restroom, relieving himself of this "important matter," and lighting a cigarette, a strange, off-key voice suddenly came from behind the simple wooden partition:
"Is Director Zheng next door?"
"Who's there?" Before he came in to use the toilet, he hadn't heard anyone in the restroom. And because the partition blocked his view, he didn't know who was next to him, which made him very nervous.
If he had known there were Japanese soldiers in the toilet, he wouldn't have come!
Yes, from the way the other person spoke, his tongue sounded as if it had been branded with a hot iron. Having lived through those turbulent years, he immediately recognized that the person next to him was a Japanese soldier.
While cursing the bad luck in my heart, I also cursed the people in the propaganda department. Why did they have to learn from the foreigners and install partitions in the toilet? It's too small, are they afraid of being seen?
Sure enough, the next moment, the person next to him introduced himself, "It's me! Shotaro Kano, one of the foreign guests. I apologize for disturbing you, but this is the only way I can meet with Director Zheng."
I heard you're in trouble? I think I can help you. Would you mind listening to what I can do for you?
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