Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Again, it's for my own good.
"Don't laugh at me, but I even went to school to learn how to use a white cane. But every time I go out, I still need someone to follow me. The only use of this cane in my hand is probably to tell me that there is a wall in front of me when I am about to bump into it."
Qin Qiao glanced sideways; Chen Jiashu was waving his white cane very gently from side to side. She hadn't intended to speak, but it seemed impolite. After a moment's thought, she said:
There's a saying, "They won't turn back until they hit a brick wall," but Shuang Ge used to say that you can always think one step ahead of them and remind them not to hit a brick wall.
There was an overturned electric scooter on the road. Qin Qiao grabbed his sleeve, led him around it, and then let go. Chen Jiashu's lips curled up slightly: "Isn't this your chance to watch me crash into a wall?"
"We haven't bumped into anything yet, have we?" Qin Qiao glanced at him, just in time to meet his downcast gaze.
It separates immediately upon contact.
"Besides, if you bump into something, you can just get up, right?"
Chen Jiashu agreed with her, nodded slightly, his eyes crinkling with a bright smile.
Qin Qiao regretted talking too much. She took a bite of her steamed bun, saw there was another one in the bag, swallowed the bun in her mouth, and asked, "Have you had breakfast?"
"I've already eaten. What did you eat?" Chen Jiashu glanced at her, smelled the vegetables, and guessed, "Vegetable buns?"
"Hmm..." She twisted the rope in her palm, deciding not to eat the remaining bun.
He said bluntly, "Then give it to me."
Qin Qiao: "???"
The west gate of the Dongting factory area was right in front of her. Chen Jiashu had told her that this place would avoid reporters, family members, and onlookers, and indeed the journey was very quiet.
"Qiao Qiao"
Chen Jiashu spoke, as if he were simply calling her name, but also as if he had something to say, and Qin Qiao slowed down.
"Did you bring the two children back to China as well?"
Qin Qiao suddenly stopped, and Chen Jiashu paused as well. Then he turned around and said, "I knew about it four years ago."
*
"My aunt told me this when I came to Jiang City four years ago."
Chen Jiashu asked calmly and answered calmly, clearly unaware that Zhaoye and Xixi were his children.
Qin Qiao brought this question home. After dinner, she invited her mother to her room, and the two sat on the sofa in the small living room and talked about the past.
It turns out that four years ago, Chen Jiashu came to Jiang City to try to remarry her, but he met Yang Shuhua first. Two years after their divorce, Chen Jiashu suddenly visited, which Yang Shuhua found both laughable and hateful. She used to call him Jiashu this and Jiashu that, and now she hated him just as much as she had liked him back then.
Yang Shuhua told Chen Jiashu that she had already married in England, and to make sure he didn't believe her, she even showed him their marriage certificate. She was furious at the time, so she fabricated a lie that she and her current husband had a son and a daughter, just to keep him from interfering in their lives.
That's why Qin Qiao bumped into Chen Jiashu, who was looking distraught, when she returned home that day.
Enraged by his attitude of coming without saying a word, Qin Qiao argued with him downstairs. It was less of an argument and more of an accusation on her part. As he apologized repeatedly, all of Qin Qiao's resentment and anger seemed to be thrown into a pile of soft cotton. She felt extremely frustrated and powerless. Therefore, she said something even more resolute: she asked him never to appear in front of her again.
His gaze was unfocused, and he still looked like he had lost his mind. He staggered away from her house.
Qin Qiao wasn't unaware of Chen Jiashu's strangeness, but anger overwhelmed her reason at the time, and she didn't even think about why Chen Jiashu was acting this way.
To be honest, she still finds it absurd. How could someone as smart as Chen Jiashu completely believe Yang Shuhua's claim that she had a son and a daughter abroad after hearing just a few words from her?
Or perhaps, in his mind, she was the woman Yang Shuhua had described. In two years, they got married and had a child... He hadn't even confirmed it with her to this day.
That's the conclusion we've reached.
After Yang Shuhua left the room, Qin Qiao picked up her phone and called Chu Yutong. After listening to her twenty-minute story, Chu Yutong remained silent with her for a long time on the other end of the phone.
"So you've been separated for so long all because of Aunt Yang?" Chu Yutong had an indescribable feeling: "Honestly, has Old Chen lost his mind? He believed Aunt Yang when she said you remarried, and he believed her when she said you had two children with your current husband. He didn't even ask you a single question before making that assumption! Isn't it the most basic thing to investigate, interview, and finally draw a conclusion? He didn't do a single thing..."
Chu Yutong had countless questions. Qin Qiao leaned back slightly against the bed and sighed deeply: "...He has never fully trusted me."
"The most outrageous thing about this whole thing isn't that Aunt Yang lied to him, but that Chen Jiashu actually believed it? He didn't even bother to ask you in person? You two were husband and wife, after all. Even if he trusted Aunt Yang, shouldn't he have heard you say 'I don't love you anymore' before he gave up? He gave up so easily?"
"And... since he believed it in the first place, why is he coming back to you now? It's really hard to reconcile the logic. Is it regret? Or... revenge?" Even Chu Yutong, a science student who excels at analysis, was completely baffled. "Why don't we go ask him what he really wants?"
Chu Yutong bombarded him with questions, each one logical and well-reasoned.
But the more Qin Qiao listened, the more grating it became, and it felt as if a huge rock was pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
"Stop talking!" she interrupted. "My mother lied to him about the truth, but what am I to him? What do years of affection mean to him..."
The window wasn't closed tightly, and the gauze curtains were blown up by the wind. Qin Qiao rubbed the dampness from the corners of her eyes, her eyes crinkling as she looked up, her vision blurred with light and shadow: "...He always thinks of others, how great he is, just like when we divorced, he did it for my own good, and later he believed what my mother said."
"Qiao'er..."
“I can already imagine what he’s thinking. Qiaoqiao got married…that’s great…she has a child, I should bless her and stay far away from her…” She imitated Chen Jiashu’s tone and even laughed at herself, but her chest filled with cold air, and she immediately stopped laughing. She suddenly raised her voice: “Him! He never asks me what I think, or whether I’m willing. His starting point is always that he’s doing what’s best for me, making decisions for me. The scariest thing is that I completely understand what he’s thinking, and I can’t even find a reason to hate him.”
Chen Jiashu is a bastard!
Chu Yutong listened silently for a long time before tentatively asking, "How about... we have an open and honest talk?"
Qin Qiao shook her head and chuckled softly, tears welling up in her eyes and streaming down her cheeks, soaking her clothes one after another.
Because she had cursed him countless times in her heart over the years, Qin Qiao's emotions quickly subsided, her expression turned indifferent, and her tone remained equally detached: "As for why you came to find me again... it's nothing more than that you've discovered some reason that's 'for my own good'."
Qin Qiao took a deep breath: "Let's pretend this never happened, Tongtong. Let's not mention it again, okay?"
The door was opened gently, and Chen Yixing peeked out. Chu Yutong continued to stare at her fingers, muttering to herself, "Something's not right."
Although she didn't have much contact with Chen Jiashu, how could someone who had overcome numerous setbacks and reached his current heights through sheer willpower be weak and easily resigned to fate...? Was Aunt Yang hiding some important information? Perhaps there are other stories behind this...?
Forget it, Old Chen brought this on himself, so he deserves to be all alone.
Chu Yutong: "I understand."
*
After two days of in-depth reporting on the Qiaoshu Group, Qin Qiao received a last-minute notice from her superiors that a sudden earthquake in western China required her to return and coordinate efforts.
The follow-up report was handed over to reporter Qian, who was sent by the station.
It was a week later when I returned to Lanchuan City.
During this week, a major personnel upheaval occurred at the Qiaoshu Group.
According to announcements released on the group's official website and Weibo account, the management of the Dongting plant has undergone a complete reshuffle, with the entire leadership team being replaced.
It turns out that the suicide of the father and son was not simply a wage dispute.
The investigation revealed that they had been subjected to systematic bullying in the factory for a long time, with wages being withheld and they being isolated for various reasons. The bully was led by Supervisor Qiu of the workshop.
It's baffling how a mere manager could wield such immense power.
As the investigation deepened, the truth was revealed layer by layer, like peeling an onion. From the workshop to the management, from the factory director to the finance department, a series of people were implicated. The wage arrears were not unfounded, but rather another form of coercion to take sides. The small factory area had become a "mini-court" of power struggles.
As the sun sets, its afterglow shines through the glass window, casting a pale orange glow on Chen Jiashu's white shirt.
With 36 floors, it offers a panoramic view of almost half the city.
"I think you've been in a high position for too long and have forgotten the suffering of ordinary people."
Qin Qiao put down her bowl of porridge, took out two tissues, and placed them in his palm: "I suggest you take a look at the comments. Less than three hours after my report aired, there are nearly three thousand comments on Weibo. Many netizens have given you suggestions, telling you to check your employees' attendance records and the interpersonal relationships around you. Don't just listen to one side of the story."
Chen Jiashu wiped his mouth, crumpled the tissue into a ball, placed it on the bedside table, leaned back, and was eager to hear the details.
Qin Qiao pulled her chair closer and said to him, "Your employees would rather speak out through the media than give feedback internally. What does that tell you?" After a pause, she continued, "It's because they don't believe their complaints will be handled fairly."
"Did you know that the reason those two employees dared to stand up was because they had just resigned the day before?"
Chen Jiashu patiently waited for her to finish speaking: "You still believe your report is objective and fair..." He paused for a moment, then asked, "Then let me ask you, how can you be sure they weren't bribed by the opposing side to confuse the public?"
"We have our own methods,"
Qin Qiao picked up the wad of tissues on the table and threw it into the trash can, meeting his deep gaze: "If Chairman Chen believes me, then follow this lead to investigate. In fact, the workers don't ask for much: fair wages, to be treated kindly, and to receive their due human rights."
Chen Jiashu carefully considered her words before nodding: "I haven't had time to read the comments online yet, Qiaoqiao, thank you."
If Qin Qiao hadn't reminded him of this incident, he would still have believed the false data that those people had painstakingly provided, which even fooled the audit team.
Before being discharged from the hospital that day, Chen Jiashu did two things: First, he moved the eight computer mainframes from the two finance offices without notifying anyone; second, he had General Manager Gao, who accompanied him, invite the factory director, deputy general manager, and general manager's finance officer to a high-end hotel in the city and treat them to a day and a night of good food and drink.
Allowing netizens to supervise and participate in the process, and handling the matter with complete transparency, has indeed won public approval. However, the continuous decline in stock price has drawn widespread complaints from the board members.
The phone lying on the coffee table, silent for a moment, provided a brief respite.
The man's thin lips curved into a smile, a faint warmth emanating from the glow.
He owes Qin Qiao a favor.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Qiaoqiao only has Jiashu in her heart and has never liked anyone else, but she will not forgive Jiashu so easily.
The marriage is real, but there's a reason for it.
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