Chapter 118: Liu Xingyu Leaves the Factory

"Oh, I am truly sorry. I completely forgot about you, my beautiful lady. I called you several times yesterday; why didn't you remind me?"

Seeing Jiang Fan apologize profusely, A-Ping waved her hand generously. "When you called, I hadn't finished my shift yet. How was I to know you would stand me up? And you don't need to waste your energy looking for Gou Biao. He called the boss yesterday evening to say he had family matters to attend to and had already asked for leave."

With Gou Biao taking leave and Liu Xingyu abruptly quitting without notice, Jiang Fan began to wonder if they had left together. He trusted his intuition and felt that Liu Xingyu would not willingly go with Gou Biao. If they had indeed left together, it was likely that Liu Xingyu was being coerced by him, which meant her situation might be dire. Thinking that all of this was a result of his own confrontation, and that he might have implicated Liu Xingyu, Jiang Fan felt uneasy and decided he needed to find someone to ask about Liu Xingyu's other friends.

He rushed out of the office in such a hurry that he collided head-on with Chen Anlong, who was just pushing the door open.

Chen Anlong, a short and stout man whose health had been eroded by wine and women, was sent stumbling back several steps by the impact. Had Jiang Fan not been quick enough to grab him, he would have surely landed flat on his back.

Once Chen Anlong regained his balance and saw it was Jiang Fan, he swallowed the curse words that had been on the tip of his tongue and asked with feigned magnanimity, "Is there something you need?"

"Are you aware that Liu Xingyu quit without notice?"

Chen Anlong was puzzled as to why Jiang Fan was so concerned about Gou Biao's lover, but he didn't ask directly. Instead, he nodded. "She came to see me yesterday afternoon, but I didn't agree to it. She called again in the evening, insisting she had a family emergency and had to leave. Since you can't force a twisted melon to ripen, I agreed to let her resign."

In this factory, if you resign properly, the company eventually pays out the withheld wages, but quitting without notice means forfeiting every cent. Jiang Fan desperately wanted to retort, "That saves you another chunk of someone else's hard-earned money," but he restrained his anger, knowing he still needed to stay here for the time being. He replied, "On what grounds did Gou Biao act first and report later? Taking leave without authorization like that!"

Chen Anlong feigned indifference. "The factory is about to close for the holidays anyway, and since he had an urgent family matter, I approved it."

Security work was vital to the factory's safety. For a head of security to take leave, he was supposed to provide half a month's notice, arrange for a replacement, and report everything to the factory management to ensure smooth operations. Many factories even required the head of security to remain on-site during long breaks like the Lunar New Year to protect assets.

Chen Anlong didn't tell Jiang Fan that the real reason Gou Biao asked for leave was because Jiang Fan was giving him a hard time. Chen Anlong wanted to keep the peace and avoid clashing with Jiang Fan, so he had suggested Gou Biao lay low for a while. Chen Anlong hadn't asked Gou Biao why Jiang Fan was making things difficult for him; he simply felt uncomfortable that a man he relied on heavily was being suppressed by Jiang Fan, who was not on good terms with him. Not only did he grant the leave, but he also sent someone to give Gou Biao a thousand yuan to show he still valued him, telling him to endure it for now to avoid offending Jiang Fan.

Seeing that Chen Anlong didn't care about Gou Biao leaving the factory, and that Liu Xingyu had requested to leave on her own, Jiang Fan prepared to depart.

Suddenly, Huang Xiaodong, who had been in the inner office, heard Chen Anlong’s voice and hurried to open the door. He greeted him enthusiastically, "Brother-in-law! Why are you only just returning? I went to your dormitory yesterday but didn't see you. I haven't even had breakfast yet; I've been waiting for you here."

Seeing the spy his wife had planted by his side, Chen Anlong felt a headache coming on. Huang Xiaodong not only failed to tell his sister about Chen Anlong’s extramarital affairs on the mainland but even helped cover for him. Because of this dynamic, Chen Anlong dared not reprimand him, even though Huang Xiaodong was always idling about.

Nothing good ever came of Huang Xiaodong looking for him. Chen Anlong tried his best to suppress his annoyance and asked, "What is it?"

Huang Xiaodong, aware that his brother-in-law was unhappy with him, cut to the chase without wasting words. "Since Liu Xingyu is gone, my suggestion is to promote Li Zhilan to be the manager."

Hearing this brother-in-law, who did nothing but spend his money, begin to meddle in factory management, Chen Anlong could no longer contain himself. He barked, "Promoting a cashier to manager? Do you really treat this factory as your own backyard, using high positions and generous salaries to keep a mistress for yourself?"

Seeing that Chen Anlong had shown him no respect in front of Jiang Fan and had even directly mentioned his mistress, Huang Xiaodong didn't hold back either. "My father invested money in this factory too. You're cheating on my sister with a mistress on the mainland, and I've been covering for you—what right do you have to interfere in my private affairs?"

Huang Xiaodong pulled the same old trick, using his sister as leverage. Chen Anlong, fearing exactly that, lowered his voice and explained helplessly, "The position in the personnel department is very important. You can give Li Zhilan more money so she stops obsessing over this. If that doesn't work, there are plenty of other pretty women in the factory; just pick someone else."

Huang Xiaodong persisted, "You know I only have three daughters. Zhilan promised that if I could make her manager, she would help me have a son. You can't let my line die out, can you?"

Hearing Chen Anlong treat the girls in the factory as his private property and Huang Xiaodong treat mainland women as reproductive tools, Jiang Fan was consumed by fury, yet he felt powerless to do anything.

Noticing the look in Jiang Fan's eyes, Chen Anlong turned to Huang Xiaodong and said, "Let's discuss these personal matters tonight. I have work to attend to now."

Seeing Chen Anlong’s dismissive attitude, Huang Xiaodong stopped pestering him. He put on a smile, buttered Chen Anlong up with a few compliments, and left.

Jiang Fan didn't want to linger either and prepared to leave. Chen Anlong called out to him, "The New Year is almost here. I already arranged for A-Ping to host a banquet for key personnel like you to celebrate early. I'm not sure if she told you."

Filled with anger, Jiang Fan refused, "I'm just an idler. I don't qualify as 'key personnel,' so I’m not worthy of your banquet."

Seeing Jiang Fan reject his attempts at closeness time and again, the resentment Chen Anlong had been bottling up bubbled over. He said bluntly, "Fan, can't you show me, as the boss, a little bit of face?"

Seeing Chen Anlong's tone turn cold, Jiang Fan realized that if he left Dafeng now, it would be impossible to track down Gou Biao. He took the opportunity to back down, hedging, "The New Year is still a few days away, right? Let's talk about it then."

"Fine. I'll have A-Ping contact you when the time comes."

Noticing Jiang Fan's lukewarm attitude, Chen Anlong lost his enthusiasm for playing nice and, after a perfunctory remark, retreated into his inner office.

As Chen Anlong slammed the office door shut, Jiang Fan shot a glare at the door. A-Ping, who had witnessed the entire exchange, waved at him and whispered, "This isn't the place to vent your anger. You should go first; I'll contact you later."

Jiang Fan walked downstairs with a dark expression, intending to head to the lawn where he usually spent his time to get some air and think about his next move.

As he reached the second floor, Shen Tingting, who had been watching the doorway, hurried to stop him. "Manager Liu left a letter for you before she left. I hadn't finished what I was saying earlier when you rushed off, and I didn't dare go up to the high-level office area on the third floor."