Chapter 21 : Punishment

Zhao Qing, before working as a female laborer in the second factory, was also from the countryside and was quite strong.

In the blink of an eye, she broke free from Jiang Yu’s grasp, only to be caught by Xie Fei fei.

Xie Fei fei finally understood her intentions and was extremely angry, she had never encountered such a person!

Earlier, when she saw Zhao Qing with Sun Zailiang, she hadn’t thought to blame Zhao Qing!

Both of them were clearly innocent, it was all Sun Zailiang’s fault. Why was Zhao Qing coming to make trouble for her?

“I have no grudges with you, yet you suddenly come out to tarnish my reputation. As soon as I expose you, you want to run? There’s no such good fortune in this world! If you run today, how will the supply and marketing cooperative view me?”

There were quite a few spectators, and seeing Zhao Qing crying, they instinctively leaned toward her.

Even the way they looked at Xie Fei fei began to change.

But as soon as the confrontation was mentioned, Zhao Qing turned and ran, clearly feeling guilty.

In contrast, Xie Fei fei stood firm and righteous, completely unafraid to seek out the leaders, making Zhao Qing look even more guilty.

In broad daylight, to slander another female comrade’s reputation like this, was there any difference from using a knife to kill someone?

Could this be tolerated? Absolutely not!

Now, no matter how much Zhao Qing cried, no one paid her any attention.

Xie Fei fei and Jiang Yu forcibly dragged Zhao Qing to the second factory.

He Feiyan hurriedly followed, saying, “I’ll help you!”

Xie Fei fei had exchanged nods with her before, but they weren’t familiar.

Due to the incident today, she felt a bit grateful to He Feiyan and smiled at her.

When they reached the entrance of the second factory, the guard wouldn’t let them in.

He Feiyan stepped up, saying, “My brother is He Tingyue, the head of your security department. This Zhao Qing comrade has committed an offense, and it’s your factory’s responsibility to handle it!”

As soon as those words were spoken, even Jiang Yu looked at her twice.

So she was He Tingyue’s sister, upon closer inspection, she did bear some resemblance.

The guard immediately opened the door upon hearing she was He Tingyue’s sister.

He turned to Zhao Qing, scrutinizing her for a moment before realizing she was one of their female workers.

“What exactly did she do wrong?”

The four female comrades stood there, unsure of the gravity of the situation.

“Get your factory leaders out here. This matter isn’t over!” Xie Fei fei shouted.

The guard quickly went to call for someone.

He first notified the security department, then went to inform Zhao Qing’s workshop team leader, who reported to the workshop director.

Someone, realizing Zhao Qing and Sun Zailiang had an unusual relationship, sneakily went to inform him.

Meanwhile, Xie Fei fei and her group were taken to the security office.

He Tingyue’s gaze swept over them, causing He Feiyan to shrink back.

Jiang Yu felt he looked even more imposing than usual, exuding a particularly oppressive aura.

Soon the workshop director arrived, looking rather displeased.

It was already early August, and evaluations for the new month were coming up.

With Zhao Qing causing trouble right at the start, their workshop would definitely be criticized during the month-end evaluations.

Once everyone was present, Xie Fei fei wasted no time and quickly clarified the situation in just a few sentences.

Jiang Yu suggested, “This Zhao Qing comrade claims she is in a relationship with your factory’s Sun Zailiang. This matter involves him, and I think we should call him over to clarify things to prevent further misunderstandings.”

He Tingyue glanced back at the others and said, “Tong Fang, go call for Sun Zailiang.”

Tong Fang, caught off guard by being named, hesitated a bit.

He was from the same courtyard as Sun Zailiang, so naturally, he felt some bias.

If he called Sun Zailiang over, it would impact him to some extent.

Seeing him hesitate, Jiang Yu asked, “Why is it that a female comrade can face people, but a male comrade is so shy about it?”

Only then did Tong Fang run out to find him.

By chance, he caught Sun Zailiang trying to sneak away.

“Brother Fang, pretend you didn’t see me, okay? I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”

Sun Zailiang was truly panicked after all, Xie Fei fei was the daughter of the deputy factory head!

Tong Fang felt troubled, “You think I don’t want to help you? It’s Brother Yue who called for me. You definitely can’t avoid this today, so it’s better to face it and clarify things.”

Sun Zailiang regretted his earlier choices, he shouldn’t have gotten involved with Zhao Qing!

He thought it was just a casual fling, but now he was stuck!

As soon as he appeared, Zhao Qing lifted her tear-streaked face and called out, “Liangzi.”

Sun Zailiang ignored her, he was furious with Zhao Qing.

Xie Fei fei sneered, “Sun Zailiang, your girlfriend comes to my supply and marketing cooperative making a scene, claiming I stole her boyfriend. Not only does this affect my work, but she also wants to ruin my reputation! You need to tell everyone clearly whether I ever dated you or not!”

Sun Zailiang closed his eyes in despair.

Now not only had he failed to win her over, but he had also thoroughly offended the Xie family.

He gritted his teeth, “No, I’ve only exchanged a few words with Comrade Xie Fei fei. We’ve never had any further contact!”

Zhao Qing’s face turned pale, her grip on her clothes nearly tearing them.

Inside, she felt colder than Sun Zailiang.

Had she known it would turn out like this, she would never have caused a scene at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Xie Fei fei smirked, at least he had some sense.

She turned to glare at Zhao Qing, “Did you hear that?”

Zhao Qing bit her lip and cried, looking as if she had suffered great injustice.

Xie Fei fei rolled her eyes, “Why are you crying? You slandered me in front of so many people, ruining my reputation. I’m a girl who hasn’t even been in a relationship, yet I’ve become known as someone who steals boyfriends and behaves improperly. I haven’t cried yet! Let me tell you, don’t think you can escape responsibility just by crying!”

The workshop director quickly spoke up, “That’s not the case! Zhao Qing comrade is indeed in the wrong here, you should quickly apologize to Comrade Xie Fei fei!”

Zhao Qing sobbed, “I’m sorry, Comrade Xie Fei fei. I misunderstood.”

Seeing her like this only frustrated Xie Fei fei more, as if any further requests from her would seem unreasonable.

She was just about to say that this matter could end here to show her generosity when she heard Jiang Yu speak up.

“Without rules, there’s no order. Although I’m not a worker from the second factory, I know every factory has its own reward and punishment system. Good deeds earn praise, mistakes lead to punishment, right?”

The workshop director looked at Jiang Yu seriously, feeling annoyed.

Just when it seemed Xie Fei fei was about to relent, they thought this could be resolved.

“If just a simple ‘sorry’ can solve everything, then can everyone follow her example? After all, if caught, all I need to do is say I’m sorry?”

The workshop director’s face turned dark, “Then what kind of punishment does Comrade Xie Fei fei think is necessary?”

Xie Fei fei looked at Jiang Yu, unsure what to decide.

Jiang Yu replied, “How the factory punishes is the factory’s business, you can’t interfere. However, the second factory must take a stance to warn the workers below that Zhao Qing is a bad example, and no one should follow her.”

She was completely immune to Zhao Qing’s tears, showing no signs of sympathy.

If she wanted to cry, she could cry even more beautifully than Zhao Qing.

“The incident involving Zhao Qing this time has a terrible impact. Just a private apology isn’t enough. She must write a letter of reflection, explaining her mistakes, clarifying for Xie Fei fei, and apologizing to her. Then, this letter must be posted at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative so that everyone knows her words today were purely slanderous.”