Chapter 145: Specifically Targeted

It was then that Xiao Pingle finally noticed Xiao Weiguo's new bicycle. Staring in shock at the bicycle and then back at Xiao Weiguo, he asked, "Weiguo, whose bike is this?"

"I bought another one. You can just ride the old one from now on. Alright, let's hurry up, Dad. Just buy some breakfast on the way, we don't have time to eat at home."

Xiao Pingle's thoughts instantly shifted from the purchase of a new bicycle to the realization that he actually owned a bicycle now.

This pleasant surprise came completely out of nowhere, as he had originally expected to walk to work.

"Weiguo, you really need to spend more sparingly."

"Alright, Dad, I know. If you don't like it, you can let your bike rest today and jog to work instead."

"That won't do, I'm not that foolish."

The two of them walked out together, instantly becoming the most prominent household among the commuters in the courtyard compound. Which family owned two bicycles, plus two working-class slots? The Xiao family was definitely a rising star with immense potential.

Introducing a bride to Weiguo was an absolute must; it had to be done.

Arriving at the breakfast stall, Xiao Weiguo bought two portions, handed one to Xiao Pingle, and they parted ways to take different routes.

The repair plant was much closer than the textile mill, and Xiao Weiguo was at risk of being late, so he pedaled at high speed along the way.

To his surprise, he ended up being late after all.

By the time he arrived, the current head of Group Three, Shao Jiefang, was already rallying everyone for a meeting.

"I'm sorry, I was held up by something on the way and arrived a bit late."

Shao Jiefang immediately launched into a tirade against Xiao Weiguo: "There's only one day a week we require you to come to the company, yet you still dare to show up late. Do you take me, your group leader, as a joke? Xiao Weiguo, explain yourself."

"What on earth has Shao Jiefang taken? He's so hot-headed, he must have gotten chewed out by the section chief or the director," Xiao Weiguo thought to yourself.

At that moment, Sister Ling hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Old Shao, Weiguo is only a few minutes late. You started the meeting too early. Besides, Weiguo was the only one who completed his quota last week."

Xiao Weiguo truly hadn't expected that while everyone else had slacked off last week, he was the only one who finished the task.

It must have been those two pigs that contributed to his quota.

Given Shao Jiefang's attitude, there would be nothing left for him this week; he might as well wait to be reprimanded by the section chief.

"So what? Just because you completed the task doesn't mean you can treat your job like this! Since you're so good at finishing tasks, I've decided that your quota for this week will be doubled directly. The capable should do more work, right? That's it, meeting dismissed!" Shao Jiefang said angrily, venting to himself.

Xiao Weiguo was just about to snap back at him, but Shao Jiefang bolted away at lightning speed and vanished in the blink of an eye.

***

He was so frustrated his chest felt ready to explode.

At that moment, Liu Yicheng walked over, threw an arm around Xiao Weiguo's shoulders, and said, "Weiguo, you marched right into the line of fire."

"Mainly, it's our fault as your older brothers and sister. Just now, that old fogey interrogated us one by one about why we didn't meet our quotas last week, and why next week's quotas were being increased by another 20%. The three of us roasted him so hard steam was practically coming out of his ears. You have no idea how glorious his facial expression was at that moment."

"Right when he was completely unable to step down from the stage, you arrived."

"A disaster unprovoked, a total disaster."

"Yicheng, how did the three of you roast him? Why didn't any of you finish your quotas last week?" Xiao Weiguo asked curiously.

"It's not just that he didn't complete his quota; Liu Yicheng didn't procure a single catty of meat. Li Xuetie and Ge Xu managed normal procurements, but the assigned quotas were simply too high, so they failed to finish as well," Chang Ling chimed in.

"Hah, let him try saying that to me! He's just bullying Weiguo because he's new here. As for what he said about doubling the quota, don't pay him any mind—it's just impotent rage. Let him try firing me if he dares!"

"Right now, he's probably in the leadership's office frantically explaining why Group Three's quotas fell so short," Liu Yicheng said with gloating amusement.

Liu Yicheng continued, "By the way, do you know how Li Xuetie rebuked Shao Jiefang? Just thinking about it makes me laugh."

"Li Xuetie straight up told him to 'Get lost!'"

"He's truly bold. The crucial part is that Shao Jiefang didn't manage a single word in response. Who knows what kind of powerful background he has back home? Absolutely legendary."

Only then did Xiao Weiguo roughly grasp the situation from this morning.

It seemed he had been chosen as the sole soft persimmon to squeeze.

Although he knew how to handle such a situation—which was simply to ignore him and let him jump around like a clown—

Once Group Three's procurement volume continued to show problems, it would be the moment Shao Jiefang lost his position.

Still, there was a fire burning in his chest that he couldn't vent.

As a dignified transmigrator, was he supposed to sit here and swallow this humiliation?

Xiao Weiguo turned around, walked out the door, and headed straight for Shi Guanglin's office.

He was currently considered one of Brother Lin's people—a man belonging to the section chief.

He needed to talk to Brother Lin first to see what the situation was among the upper management, and whether taking corresponding actions against Shao Jiefang would have any major repercussions.

Arriving at the office, the door was open, but there was no one inside.

***

Xiao Weiguo walked in first, sat down, and brewed a cup of chrysanthemum tea for himself.

There were even wolfberries on the desk. Brother Lin was not yet thirty years old; why on earth did he need those?

After drinking three consecutive cups of chrysanthemum tea, his mood finally calmed down a little.

He had suffered such a massive grievance early in the morning; he had to vent his anger first.

After waiting for a while, Shi Guanglin returned.

He looked delighted upon seeing Xiao Weiguo.

To be honest, ever since becoming the deputy section chief, he felt life wasn't as fulfilling as it had been at the grassroots level. Every single day was filled with endless meetings, which was extremely dull.

"Weiguo, long time no see. You need to come and sit in my office more often from now on."

After exchanging pleasantries for a bit, seeing that the atmosphere was acceptable, Xiao Weiguo asked directly, "Brother Lin, today Shao Jiefang targeted me right during the regular meeting... What should I do?"

After listening to Xiao Weiguo's accusation, Shi Guanglin pondered for a moment and said, "Sigh, old Shao is just narrow-minded. Being a hands-off deputy group leader is already the limit of his capacity; he simply isn't cut out to be a leader."

"He really thought that cozying up to Deputy Director Zhou would secure smooth sailing, but look at him—he made a complete fool of himself in the very first week."

"During the leaders' meeting earlier, the section chief and the director pointed right at his nose and chewed him out for several minutes."

"If you ask me, just go about your normal work. Procure whatever you can, and pay him no mind. If he gives you trouble again, Weiguo, come find me, and I'll uphold justice for you."

"Deputy Director Zhou? You mean Zhou Yuan? I heard he's always been at loggerheads with our Section Chief Shi. If so, this Shao Jiefang is basically our enemy."

"Don't put it like that. We're all revolutionary comrades, just with some differences in opinion."

"Weiguo, you just focus on doing a good job. No one can target you, rest assured." Shi Guanglin gave Xiao Weiguo a reassuring promise.

Xiao Weiguo got what he wanted from Shi Guanglin. According to his understanding, it would be completely fine to take down Shao Jiefang; he wasn't on their side anyway.

To think he was actually one of Deputy Director Zhou's people. From the gossip he'd heard lately, within the logistics department, Deputy Director Zhou and Section Chief Shi were two distinct factions standing in fierce opposition, like sharp points meeting head-on.

Xiao Weiguo began to consider how to take action and deal Shao Jiefang a severe blow.