Chapter 1366: Zhang Lijuan (Six)

Zhang Lijuan (Six)

After some time passed, Fang Zhuren called me to his office again. This time, his expression was completely different from before, and I could tell he was exhausted too.

The rumors hadn't killed me, just an ordinary employee, but they were nearly destroying him, the workshop leader.

As before, he pulled out an envelope from his drawer.

"Tiantian..." Fang Zhuren forced a smile as he spoke to me. "I won't say any more unnecessary words. You know how big this matter has blown up. It's not good for either of us if you stay here. This envelope has your one month's salary. Go ahead and pack up, then head home and take a break."

"A break...?" I was stunned. "What... I haven't done anything wrong... Why should I go home and rest...?"

"Well..." Fang Zhuren saw that I wasn't reaching for it, so he gently placed the envelope on the table. He picked up his teacup, blew on the floating tea leaves, and then said, "Sometimes it doesn't matter whether you did it or not... What matters is how much 'impact' this has caused. You get it, right?"

Do I get it? Why should I have to get it?

"How long do I have to stay away?" I asked again.

"Hmm..." He pursed his lips and sipped the hot tea with a loud slurp, then replied with his mouth pursed, "The factory needs to look at the work arrangements for the next quarter... Anyway, don't worry, go home and clear your mind."

He's lying... There's no way he'll let me come back.

That's the same line they've used for all the guys and girls who got fired from the factory before.

"Fang Zhuren, you know I didn't do anything wrong..." I lowered my head and said softly, "This is about your leadership style. No matter what, you shouldn't punish me..."

"Tiantian, I just said it doesn't matter whether you did it or not." Fang Zhuren said, "Now, everyone thinks you did, so it's as if you did. What's the point of you trying to prove your innocence?"

That's why I always say Fang Zhuren is really cut out to be a leader.

The last time I was in his office, he said the complete opposite.

He had righteously told me, "A clear conscience fears no shadow," but now he's asking, "What's the use of proving your innocence?"

He says both the right and wrong things so easily, as if I'm always his opponent, and he's patiently trying to persuade me to turn over a new leaf.

But what did I even do?

"I'm not leaving." I said, "I didn't do anything wrong. If I leave now... it's like admitting I did it."

I looked up at Fang Zhuren. Though his face seemed expressionless, I could clearly see his eye twitch.

He adjusted his glasses, then placed his teacup firmly on the table and looked at me: "A young girl of sixteen or seventeen, are you really ready to let people gossip about you for the rest of your life?"

"There's nothing I can do." I replied, "I need the money. What they say about me doesn't affect me at all. I just need to get my paycheck every month... I can ignore everything else."

As soon as he heard the word "money," I noticed Fang Zhuren's expression change. He quickly smiled, slowly sat back in his chair, and said softly: "I see... You're quite straightforward, little girl."

He took a deep breath, as if the matter was already settled, and then laughed: "As long as you have demands, it's easy to handle. I'm not an unreasonable person. How much money do you think it would take for you to go home satisfied?"

I stepped forward and said: "I need ten thousand."

The words "ten thousand" seemed like the most absurd thing Fang Zhuren had heard in years. His expression shifted from relaxed to serious, and soon to fierce.

"Tiantian, you're really pushing it." Fang Zhuren said, "Your monthly salary is only four hundred yuan, and you're asking for ten thousand? Do you think you're worth that much?"

"No, it's not about asking you for it." I shook my head, "I just have to find a way to get ten thousand. I don't have any special skills to rely on, so I have to work hard to stay here."

"You..." Fang Zhuren's face looked like he'd been blackmailed, but he knew I hadn't, so he changed his tone and asked, "So you're dead set on not leaving...?"

"Not leaving. You let me stay here, you do your job as the big leader, and I put up with the teasing and sarcasm." I said, "I won't be any trouble for you, right?"

"What a way to say 'no trouble.'" Fang Zhuren sneered, "This matter has only reached me so far... If it goes higher up, things could get messy. I might have to use some methods to make you leave. Is that okay with you?"

I knew a middle-aged leader like him could easily deal with a teenage girl like me—he had plenty of cunning and tactics. But did I have a choice?

Besides, whether this spreads further doesn't depend on me at all.

There really is a girl in the workshop who's involved with Fang Zhuren in a way that's not right, but it's not me!

As long as that girl is still around, Fang Zhuren has made a mistake, and this has nothing to do with whether I get fired or not.

That day, I walked out of Fang Zhuren's workshop in a daze, feeling like I'd just fought a battle. I was utterly worn out.

I didn't know what to do next, so I just kept assembling copper bells on the assembly line, day after day.

But my mind was too distracted, and soon I installed the clapper of a copper bell upside down. To avoid affecting the pass rate, I had to quickly disassemble it and reassemble it properly.

As I removed that small clapper, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

There's a saying: The one who ties the bell must untie it.

Whoever put the clapper in wrong has to fix it.

This issue wasn't caused by me, so I can't solve it.

The problem lies with that plump woman—Fang Zhuren's wife.

She's the source of all this and the one who destroyed my life.

So much time has passed; she must know I'm innocent. If I can find her and do everything possible to get her to come to the workshop and explain a few words... that would be more effective than me saying a thousand words myself.

I'm not sure if she'll agree to this request... Convincing someone so fierce won't be easy for me.

But I don't have any better options. My explanations haven't made much difference anyway.

I need to convince his wife before Fang Zhuren takes action to get rid of me.

After work, I left the workshop early, wrapped my chin with a scarf, and flagged down a tricycle. For fifty fen, I had the driver follow Fang Zhuren's car all the way to his neighborhood, which is just outside the county town.

Fang Zhuren lives in a neighborhood on the edge of the county town. Luckily, he's on the first floor, so I easily got his address.

The next day at work, during the lunch break, I went back to his home with a nervous heart and knocked on the door.