Chapter 760 Liu Haizhong's Struggle 14
In the noisy workshop filled with the smell of engine oil and the sound of metal colliding, the roar of the machines seemed to become the background sound of the tense atmosphere at the moment. Liu Haizhong was like a completely enraged bull, completely losing his usual calm appearance. He put his hands on his hips, his body trembling with anger, and stomped his feet heavily on the ground, as if to make a hole in the solid ground with every stomp.
He was furious at several innocent workers, as if these workers had committed an unforgivable crime.
His face was as red as a ripe tomato, turning purple, and the veins on his neck were bulging like twisted earthworms, as if they were about to break through the restraints of the skin in the next second. He opened his mouth wide, and spit flew out like beads that had broken off the string, splashing wantonly on the workers around him.
The workers were scolded so much that they dared not raise their heads. They lowered their heads, held the corners of their clothes tightly with their hands, and trembled slightly, as if they were under great pressure. The surrounding workers saw this and avoided him as if they were avoiding a terrible plague, fearing that they would be affected by his anger. They walked around him carefully, their eyes full of fear and anxiety.
At this moment, Xu Damao and Yan Bugui, like two frightened deer, walked cautiously towards Liu Haizhong. Their steps were slow and heavy, and every step seemed to use up all their strength.
The calves of both men were shaking constantly, as if they would collapse to the ground at any moment. Xu Damao forced out a smile that was uglier than crying. The smile was twisted and stiff, as if it was glued on with glue. His voice was trembling violently, like a candle swaying in the wind, which could go out at any time: "Liu... Team Leader Liu, we... we are here to apologize to you." The voice was so weak that it was almost drowned out by the noise of the workshop.
Liu Haizhong turned his head suddenly, his movements were as swift as a cheetah pouncing on its prey. His eyes were as big as copper bells, as if they were about to spit out fire, and his eyes were full of anger and hatred, as if he wanted to eat Xu Damao and Yan Bugui alive.
He pointed at Xu Damao's nose with a trembling finger and cursed: "You two bastards, how dare you come to see me? You spread rumors about me behind my back, and they were so convincing that I can't hold my head up in the factory and you became a laughing stock after dinner. I must teach you a lesson today and let you know the consequences of offending me!" As he said that, he waved his arms like a mad beast, and was about to rush forward to attack.
Yan Bugui's face, which was already pale with fear, was now even more bloodless. Beads of sweat as big as beans kept rolling down his forehead, sliding down his cheeks to his chin, and dripping onto the ground, splashing tiny dust.
He was so scared that he trembled all over, his legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees, but his instinct for survival made him rush forward and hold Liu Haizhong's arm tightly with both hands like a pair of pliers. The muscles on the arm were so tight as a fully drawn bowstring that Yan Bugui felt that he could not hold on to it, but he did not dare to relax at all, for fear that if he let go, Liu Haizhong would rush up and beat Xu Damao and himself half to death.
He cried, his voice was obviously trembling and pleading, and the sound seemed to be squeezed out from his throat: "Hazhong, please calm down, please calm down. We were really confused for a moment, and we don't know how we got bewitched and believed the rumors. Those rumors were like wings, buzzing in our ears, and we didn't carefully distinguish the truth from the false, and just spread them. We don't know what the truth of the matter is at all. We are also victims, and we don't even know we are being used as a gun. Please be magnanimous and don't bother with us." As he spoke, his tears welled up in his eyes and almost burst out.
Xu Damao also nodded his head quickly, almost breaking his neck. His face was full of flattering and fawning smiles, which were uglier than crying, as if they were forced on his face. He agreed, "Yes, yes, Team Leader Liu, you are a magnanimous person, so please forgive us this time. We will keep our eyes open in the future and never believe others easily. We promise that we will avoid you when we see you in the future and never make you angry again. Please be kind and give us a chance to reform."
His voice was filled with obvious crying and his legs were shaking constantly, as if he would collapse to the ground at any moment.
Liu Haizhong, however, was like a completely enraged lion, not listening to them at all. He shook Yan Bugui's hand away with such force that Yan Bugui almost staggered.
Yan Bugui lost his balance and staggered back a few steps, almost falling to the ground.
Liu Haizhong's eyes were wide open, glaring, and his eyes seemed to spit fire and burn Xu Damao and Yan Bugui to ashes. He looked at Xu Damao and roared: "Do you think I will forgive you if you say a few nice words? You are maliciously slandering me, which is a crime! Your behavior has seriously damaged my reputation, making me unable to hold my head up in the factory and becoming a joke in everyone's eyes. I will ask the leaders to expel you from the factory and make you pay a heavy price for your behavior! I want you to know that spreading rumors will cost you money, and it can't be solved by a few apologies!" His voice echoed in the workshop, shaking the surrounding machines as if they were trembling slightly.
Just when the two sides were deadlocked and the atmosphere was tense like a powder keg about to explode, the factory leader suddenly appeared at the door of the workshop. He was wearing a neat work suit, his brows were tightly knitted into a "川" shape, and his eyes revealed dissatisfaction and majesty.
He looked at the chaotic scene in front of him, and saw that Liu Haizhong's face was red and his hair was standing on end with anger. Xu Damao and Yan Bugui were terrified and trembling. The workers around them gathered around, whispering and talking. He shouted, "Stop it! This is a workshop, a place for production, not a vegetable market. What are you doing? What a mess! Have you forgotten the rules and regulations of the workshop? Come here and explain the matter clearly!" His voice was loud and powerful, like a thunder, exploding in the workshop, shocking everyone.
Liu Hai, who was originally furious and flushed, inadvertently caught a glimpse of the familiar figure of the factory leader appearing at the door of the workshop, and the whole person was instantly as if under a spell.
He was stunned for a moment at first, then seemed to suddenly realize something. He quickly put away his ferocious and terrifying expression, and quickly adjusted the muscles on his face, trying to force out an expression of aggrieved and angry.
He took a step forward in a hurry, almost stumbling, and waved his hands in the air, as if to release all the anger in his heart through this action, and then said angrily: "Leader, you came at the right time! You must make the decision for me! You don't know that Xu Damao and Yan Bugui have been making up rumors about me behind my back. They told people everywhere that I was lazy and slept during working hours, and that I had committed the bad behavior of embezzling public materials. Think about it, I, Liu Haizhong, have been working diligently in the factory for so many years, and when have I ever done such a wicked thing! They spread rumors like this, and I can't even raise my head in the factory. My colleagues' eyes have changed when they look at me, as if I really am the kind of person they say. Leader, you must investigate it thoroughly and clear my name!"
On the other side, Xu Damao and Yan Bugui were struck by a thunderbolt the moment they saw their leader appear. Their faces turned pale instantly, without a trace of blood, like a blank sheet of paper. Their legs seemed to have been boned, limp, and they almost fell to their knees with a plop. They looked at each other in horror, their eyes full of despair and fear.
Then, as if they had grabbed the last straw, they hurriedly staggered forward, bowing to the leader repeatedly, with their heads almost lowered to the ground. Xu Damao's voice was trembling violently, and he said with obvious crying: "Leader, we were really confused for a moment! I don't know why we were bewitched at the time and believed in other people's rumors. Those rumors were like wings, buzzing in our ears, and we didn't carefully distinguish the truth from the false, and just spread them. We really know we are wrong, we are willing to accept any punishment, just ask you not to fire us! Our family depends on this job to support the family, if we lose this job, what will we do!"
Yan Bugui also kept nodding his head, agreeing with Xu Damao's words, with tears welling up in his eyes and threatening to fall at any time.
The factory leader stood there, with an upright posture and a serious expression. He first looked at Liu Haizhong, who looked aggrieved and angry, and then looked at Xu Damao and Yan Bugui, who were trembling with fear and begging for mercy. His eyes revealed a calmness and wisdom, as if he could see through all the truth. He frowned slightly and pondered for a moment, which seemed to last an extremely long time, making everyone present so nervous that they dared not breathe.
Then, he slowly said, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If it is really Xu Damao and Yan Bugui who spread rumors, I will definitely deal with it seriously. According to the factory rules and regulations, those who should be punished will be punished, and those who should be punished will be punished. I will never tolerate it. However, before the matter is investigated clearly, you should not make trouble here. This is a workshop, a place where everyone works, not a place for you to quarrel and make trouble. Go back to work and don't affect the production progress. If I see you quarreling here again, don't blame me for being rude."
Although Liu Haizhong was full of dissatisfaction and the anger was still burning in his chest, he also knew that the authority of the leader could not be challenged. He did not dare to disobey the leader's order, so he had to glare at Xu Damao and Yan Bugui fiercely, his eyes full of resentment and warning, as if saying: "Just wait, this matter is not over!" Then, he turned around angrily, returned to his post with heavy steps, sat down on the chair, and kept mumbling something. Xu Damao and Yan Bugui were like two dogs who had lost their homes, lowering their heads and leaving the workshop in disgrace. Their backs looked so lonely and desolate, as if they had lost all hope.
In the following days, the factory was like a precision-operated investigation machine, quickly and methodically conducting a comprehensive investigation into the rumor spread about Liu Haizhong. The members of the investigation team all had serious expressions, and their eyes revealed a determination to not give up until the goal was achieved. They were divided into many groups, like an invisible net, spreading out in every corner of the factory.
Some investigators shuttled between workshops, their steps hurried, their eyes focused on observing the reactions of the workers around them. They walked to the busy workers, stopped, and asked about the rumors in a soft voice with a kind smile on their faces. Some workers were a little hesitant at first, their eyes dodged, and they didn't dare to speak easily. The investigators patiently enlightened them, telling them that this was to restore the truth of the matter and clear the innocent. Under the sincere persuasion of the investigators, the workers gradually opened up and told everything they knew.
Some investigators went deep into the workers' rest area, where workers chatted after meals and rumors were easily spread. They sat among the workers and chatted with them like friends, from daily work to the recent rumors circulating in the factory. The workers talked one after another, and the investigators carefully recorded every detail, not missing any clues.
There were also investigators who went to check all the records and materials in the factory, trying to find any clues related to the rumors. They carefully searched through the piles of documents, staring at every page, not missing any words that might hide the truth.
After a painstaking and meticulous investigation, the investigators collected a large amount of evidence. These pieces of evidence were like puzzle pieces, gradually piecing together the full picture of the matter. Finally, the truth came to light. It turned out that all this was done by a jealous worker in the factory.
This worker saw Liu Haizhong's excellent work performance and was often praised by his superiors and recognized by his colleagues, so he felt a strong sense of jealousy in his heart. He was like a mouse hiding in the dark. In order to suppress Liu Haizhong, he racked his brains to make up these rumors about Liu Haizhong being lazy and embezzling public materials. Then, he took advantage of Xu Damao and Yan Bugui's habit of gossiping, deliberately exaggerated these rumors in front of them, and pretended to be mysterious to lure them to spread them. Xu Damao and Yan Bugui didn't think much about it, and became the spreaders of rumors without knowing it.
When the factory leader learned the truth, he was so angry that his face turned blue, veins popped out on his forehead, and his hands were clenched into fists, as if he wanted to crush the rumor-mongering worker. He immediately decided to call a factory-wide meeting to punish the rumor-mongering worker and to serve as a warning to all factory employees.
On the day of the meeting, the factory square was full of people, everyone was whispering and talking, not knowing what was going to be announced at the meeting. The factory leader walked up to the podium with heavy steps, his eyes scanning everyone in the audience, that look seemed to penetrate people's hearts. He cleared his throat and said in a loud and serious voice: "Today's meeting is to report a serious matter. After our investigation, those rumors about Comrade Liu Haizhong were deliberately fabricated and spread by someone. The person who spread the rumors is [worker's name] in our factory!" As he said that, he pointed to the pale, trembling worker in the audience.
The workers in the audience were in an uproar, and everyone turned their eyes to the worker, their eyes full of surprise and contempt. The factory leader continued, "He fabricated these rumors because he was jealous of Comrade Liu Haizhong, which seriously damaged Comrade Liu Haizhong's reputation and destroyed the harmonious atmosphere in our factory. This behavior is extremely bad and absolutely intolerable! After research and decision by the factory leadership team, [Worker's name] will be given a serious disciplinary punishment, his bonus for three months will be deducted, and he will be transferred from his original job to the most difficult job in the factory to reflect on his mistakes!"
After announcing the punishment for the workers who spread rumors, the factory leaders turned their attention to Xu Damao and Yan Bugui. Their tone softened a little, but still with a hint of severity, they said, "Xu Damao, Yan Bugui, although you did not actively fabricate rumors, you easily believed and spread rumors without verification, which is also wrong. You must learn a lesson from this and keep your eyes open in the future. Don't easily believe and spread unfounded words. If you make similar mistakes again, you will definitely be dealt with seriously!" Xu Damao and Yan Bugui lowered their heads, their faces flushed, and nodded continuously, indicating that they had realized their mistakes.
After Liu Haizhong learned the truth, the anger in his heart finally subsided a little. His originally tense face gradually relaxed, and a hint of relief was revealed in his eyes. He looked at Xu Damao and Yan Bugui. Although he was still a little dissatisfied in his heart, after all, they also participated in spreading rumors and caused him to suffer a lot of grievances, but he also knew that they were also being used. He took a deep breath, walked forward, and patted their shoulders gently. The action was full of tolerance and understanding. He said: "This matter is over. We are still colleagues in the future. We must help each other and stop doing these little tricks. The most important thing is that we do our job well together." Xu Damao and Yan Bugui raised their heads, their eyes full of gratitude and guilt. They nodded vigorously and said: "Team Leader Liu, we understand, and we will never make such mistakes again in the future."
Xu Damao and Yan Bugui looked at Liu Haizhong gratefully, nodded repeatedly, and said, "Team Leader Liu, you are very generous. We will behave ourselves in the future and will not make such mistakes again."