Chapter 759 Liu Haizhong's Struggle 13
In the huge factory, Liu Haizhong was like an ostrich immersed in his own little world. At first, he didn't notice the rumor storm that was quietly surging and about to set off a storm. The factory area was a bustling place full of the roar of machines and the busy figures of workers, and he walked around every day like a proud general, with his head held high.
As a team leader, although the power he had was just a drop in the ocean in the huge factory system, Liu Haizhong was very satisfied with it. He enjoyed the slightly awed looks from the workers when he gave orders in the team; he enjoyed the feeling of being in control of the overall situation when assigning tasks. His steps were always so brisk, and he often had a self-satisfied look on his face. He was completely unaware of the looks from people around him, as if those looks only showed respect and obedience to him.
Days passed like this, and Liu Haizhong was still immersed in his seemingly beautiful "world of power", not realizing that a crisis was quietly approaching. Until one day, the sun shone through the tall windows of the workshop, dappled on the machines, and the workshop was filled with a smell of oil and sweat. Liu Haizhong, as usual, strode through the workshop to inspect the work.
As he walked, he suddenly felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere around him. In the past, when the workers saw him coming, they would be a little reserved, but their eyes were mostly normal communication. But today, he clearly felt that the workers looked at him evasively, like mice seeing a cat, and they didn't dare to look him in the eye. Moreover, the frequency of the workers whispering to each other was much higher than before. The whispers were like a group of mosquitoes buzzing in his ears, making him feel irritated.
His heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition quickly surged into his mind like a dark cloud. His brows knitted tightly together, like two small hills squeezed together. He strode to a few workers who were whispering, and the sound of his footsteps was particularly loud in the quiet workshop. He put his hands on his waist, leaned forward slightly, raised his voice, and asked with an unquestionable majesty: "What are you whispering about? If you have anything to say, just say it to my face, don't do anything behind my back! I have always been upright and honest, and I will not tolerate you talking behind my back!"
The workers were frightened by his sudden questioning, and froze in place instantly, as if they were under a spell. Their eyes were filled with fear and panic, and they looked at each other, no one dared to speak first. After a long while, one of the braver workers stammered, "Liu... Team Leader Liu, we didn't say anything, but there were some rumors about you in the factory recently... We just listened to them casually and didn't take them seriously."
When Liu Haizhong heard the worker mention the word "rumor", his face, which was already tense due to nervousness, turned pale as paper in an instant, without a trace of blood, like a piece of white paper that had been drained of life. His eyes were as big as copper bells, and his eyeballs almost bulged out of his eye sockets, full of astonishment and disbelief. Then, he roared, and the sound rang out in the workshop like thunder, and the buzzing sound of the surrounding machines seemed to be a little quieter: "Rumor? What rumors? Tell me clearly! Don't miss a word!" The voice was mixed with anger, panic and eagerness, as if he wanted to vent all the anxiety and fear in his heart.
The worker was frightened by Liu Haizhong's sudden roar and trembled all over. His feet involuntarily took a small step back, and his face showed an extremely panicked expression. He hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering under Liu Haizhong's angry face and the nervous gaze of the workers around him, struggling in his heart whether to tell those rumors. But in the end, he still gritted his teeth, lowered his head, and told everything he heard about Liu Haizhong's lazy sleeping and embezzlement of public materials in a trembling voice. Every word was like a sharp dagger, piercing Liu Haizhong's heart.
Liu Haizhong only felt a loud buzzing in his head, as if he was hit hard by a heavy hammer. His eyes went dark and he almost lost his balance. His body shook uncontrollably for a few times. He clenched his fists tightly, and his knuckles turned white due to excessive force, as if he was crushing the air in his hands. His teeth were clattering, and the muscles on his face were twisted and deformed due to anger. The veins on his forehead bulged like a winding earthworm.
"This is sheer nonsense! Who is behind this rumor? If I find out, I will never let him off! I want him to know that I, Liu Haizhong, am not someone you can easily mess with!"
Liu Haizhong spoke through gritted teeth, every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, his eyes revealed anger and ferocity, like an enraged beast, ready to pounce on the rumormonger at any time.
He immediately turned around and hurriedly walked towards the factory leader's office. His steps were so fast and urgent that he seemed to crush the dust on the ground with every step. He had only one thought in his mind: to clarify everything to the leader, find out the person who was behind the bad deeds, and make him pay for his evil deeds.
In another corner of the factory, Xu Damao and Yan Bugui panicked when they learned that Liu Haizhong had gone to see the leader.
Xu Damao was sitting cross-legged, drinking tea leisurely. When he heard the news, he almost lost his grip on the cup and the tea splashed all over him. His eyes widened instantly, a look of horror appeared on his face, and he muttered to himself, "Oh no, oh no, Liu Haizhong won't really tell the boss about this, will he? If he finds out, we'll be in trouble."
Yan Bugui was also restless. He paced back and forth in the small office, rubbing his hands constantly, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he kept muttering: "What should I do, what should I do..."
In the slightly dim corner of the factory filled with the smell of engine oil and rust, Xu Damao and Yan Bugui huddled together like two overly frightened rabbits. Their faces were as pale as dead leaves covered by frost and snow in winter, without a trace of blood, and their lips trembled slightly, like withered flowers shivering in the cold wind. Their eyes were full of fear, and that fear was like a surging tide, drowning their rationality bit by bit. Their eyes revealed endless panic and helplessness, as if they would be swallowed by darkness in the next second.
Xu Damao kept rubbing his hands together. His hands were like two restless little mice, moving quickly in front of his chest, as if he could rub away the fear in his heart. His brows were tightly knitted together, forming a deep "川" character. His forehead was also covered with fine beads of sweat, which slowly slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the greasy work clothes. He kept mumbling in a low and urgent voice, as if he was talking to himself, or as if he was confiding in Yan Bugui: "What should we do? If the leaders find out that we did it, we will be finished. If the leaders get angry, it will not be a joke. They may expel us from the factory. Then we will be homeless and even lose our jobs." His eyes were full of despair, as if he had seen the tragic scene of himself being driven out of the factory and wandering on the streets.
Yan Bugui was pacing around anxiously, his steps were chaotic and hurried, as if he was driven by an invisible hand. His body was slightly leaning forward, his hands waving wildly in the air, as if he was looking for a life-saving straw. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, one after another, rolling down his cheeks and soaking his collar. He kept muttering: "I told you that this matter is risky. I didn't agree to do this at the beginning, but you didn't listen. What should we do now? What should we do? If the leaders know about this, all our efforts over the years will be in vain, and it may even implicate our families." His voice was tearful, full of regret and self-blame, as if he had fallen into an abyss from which there was no return.
Just when they were panicking, as if they were on a lonely boat in a storm, in danger of being swallowed up at any time, He Yuzhu suddenly appeared from nowhere like a gust of wind. He folded his hands in front of his chest, his body swaying slightly, with a half-smile on the corner of his mouth, which was a bit sarcastic and gloating. He squinted his eyes and looked up and down at Xu Damao and Yan Bugui, as if he was looking at two jumping clowns. He cleared his throat and said in a long voice: "Hey, look at the two of you, jumping up and down like ants on a hot pot. I knew you two must have done something bad, and now you are in trouble. You usually like to do some small tricks, and now you are afraid?" His eyes revealed a kind of disdain and contempt, as if he was laughing at their stupidity and cowardice.
Xu Damao was already upset, and when he heard what He Yuzhu said, he was immediately furious. He glared at He Yuzhu unhappily, his eyes full of anger and resentment, as if he wanted to eat He Yuzhu alive. He shouted, "Silly Zhu, stop making sarcastic remarks here. Now that things have come to this, you should help us think of a solution. Don't you usually have a lot of tricks? Don't hide them now." His voice trembled with excitement, and his hands clenched into fists unconsciously, as if he might rush up to argue with He Yuzhu at any time.
He Yuzhu still held his hands in front of his chest, lowered his head slightly, and stretched out one hand to touch his chin, the sparse stubble on his chin rustling as he stroked it. His eyes slightly raised, looking at the ceiling, as if he was quickly searching for a response in his mind, his brows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed, as if he was having a fierce battle with the complicated thoughts in his mind. After pondering for a moment, he slowly raised his head and looked at the frightened faces of Xu Damao and Yan Bugui. He cleared his throat and said slowly, "It's not that there is no way. But you have to listen to me and not make any mistakes. First of all, you have to quickly go and explain clearly to those people whose rumors you spread, one by one, with a sincere attitude, and explain the whole story in detail, so that they don't spread it anymore. If they don't listen, you have to persuade them until they agree. Think about it, this rumor is like a wildfire. If it is not put out in time, it will spread quickly, and then it will be impossible to stop it even if you want to."
As he spoke, he stretched out his fingers and gestured in the air a few times, then continued, "Then, find a suitable opportunity to apologize to Liu Haizhong in front of everyone. When apologizing, your attitude must be sincere, and you must show your deep regret. Just say that you believed in the rumors spread by others and followed them in a moment of confusion, without knowing the truth of the matter at all. You must emphasize that you are also a victim and were misled by others. This may win everyone's sympathy and reduce your guilt."
After hearing what He Yuzhu said, Xu Damao and Yan Bugui looked at each other, their eyes full of hesitation and entanglement. Xu Damao frowned, his eyebrows were like two closely connected hills, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly because of nervousness.
He rubbed the corners of his clothes unconsciously with his hands, and said in a low voice with a hint of worry: "Will this work? What if Liu Haizhong doesn't forgive us? He has a very stubborn temper. If he determines that we deliberately spread rumors, he might get angry on the spot and scold us. Not only will we not be able to save face, but we may also make things worse." His eyes were full of fear and anxiety, as if he had already seen Liu Haizhong's angry face and severe accusations.
Yan Bugui also nodded repeatedly and agreed, "Yes, yes, the risk is too great. What if Liu Haizhong doesn't accept our apology and instead reports the matter to the leader? Then we really won't have a chance to turn things around. How about we think of other ways?" His voice trembled a little, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead again. He kept wiping his forehead with both hands, as if he wanted to wipe away the endless worry.
After hearing what they said, He Yuzhu rolled his eyes at him, his eyes full of disdain and impatience.
He put his hands on his hips, leaned forward slightly, and raised his voice and said, "Do you have any better ideas? Now we can only try our best. Think about it, what else can you think of besides this method? If you don't do this, you will really be in trouble when the leaders find out. If the leaders investigate, not only will you lose your job, but it may also be recorded in your file, making it difficult for you to find a job in the future. By then, you will really become rats crossing the street, and everyone will shout and beat you."
His tone was stern and urgent, as if he was urging them to make a decision.
In desperation, Xu Damao and Yan Bugui had to do what He Yuzhu said. They first ran around the factory, explaining to those who had spread the rumors, asking them to stop spreading them. Some of those people understood, while others looked at them with disdain. Then, they asked about Liu Haizhong's whereabouts after he came out of the leader's office, and learned that he was in the workshop and lost his temper, so they walked towards the workshop.