Chapter 12: Deputy Director Qin’s Threat

After tidying up, Su Yue glanced at her watch—it was already 1:40 p.m. She locked the dormitory door and strolled leisurely toward the archives room.

When she reached the third floor, she saw the archives room door was open. Upon entering, she saw Li Shufang carrying a thermos, apparently heading out to fetch hot water.

Su Yue smiled and said, “Sister Li, from now on, let me handle fetching the water.” As she spoke, she locked her shoulder bag inside the office cabinet.

Li Shufang didn’t argue. She simply set the thermos on the ground. “Then I’ll trouble you, Xiao Su.”

“Don’t mention it, Sister Li,” Su Yue replied, picking up the thermos and leaving the archives room.

Just as she reached the stairwell, she bumped into Qin Mingyue.

“Troublemaker,” Qin Mingyue muttered under her breath as she brushed past Su Yue.

Su Yue pretended not to hear her. After fetching hot water and returning to the archives room, she found that Director Wang and Qin Mingyue were both inside.

Director Wang looked at Su Yue, his expression somewhat serious. “Comrade Xiao Su, Deputy Director Qin wants to see you in his office.”

Su Yue raised the corners of her lips slightly and responded with calm confidence, “Understood, Director Wang.”

After setting the thermos back in place, she followed Director Wang and Qin Mingyue to Deputy Director Qin’s office.

Deputy Director Qin was around forty, overweight, and exuded an intimidating presence.

Upon seeing Su Yue, he cleared his throat. “Comrade Xiao Su, it’s only your first day on the job, and you’re already having conflicts with coworkers. That’s not good. Our steel factory values unity above all. You mustn’t disrupt the atmosphere of camaraderie here.”

His words were loaded—if the accusation stuck, even dismissal would be considered lenient.

Standing nearby, Qin Mingyue snorted smugly, her face full of schadenfreude.

Unfazed, Su Yue met Deputy Director Qin’s gaze head-on. “So, at our steel factory, your words are law? Like imperial edicts in the old days, used to arbitrarily assign guilt?”

Before he could rebut, she continued, “There’s a saying in the Quotations: ‘No investigation, no right to speak.’ What happened this morning was clearly witnessed by our office colleagues. Even the Chairman encourages people to speak the truth and respects the will of the masses. Are you trying to use your position to silence others and prevent the truth from coming out?”

She paused and emphasized, “I seriously question Deputy Director Qin’s ideological awareness. Perhaps it’s time to report this to the factory’s union.”

Deputy Director Qin narrowed his eyes and glared coldly, but Su Yue didn’t flinch and met his gaze with composure.

After a moment, a forced smile appeared on his face. “Comrade Xiao Su, you have strong ideological awareness. A very good comrade indeed!”

His secretary immediately chimed in with applause, “Comrade Xiao Su, our deputy director was simply testing you. Congratulations, you’ve passed his assessment.”

Suppressing her disgust, Su Yue gave a faint, ambiguous smile. “A test? What an honor—I’m overwhelmed.”

Her sarcasm was unmistakable.

Director Wang glanced between Deputy Director Qin, Su Yue, and Qin Mingyue. “Since we’re all here, let’s address the issue from this morning. Qin Mingyue took Comrade Xiao Su’s office supplies. We can’t let a new colleague be treated unfairly.”

A flash of panic crossed Qin Mingyue’s face. “I didn’t steal anything—I was trying to save resources for the factory!”

Su Yue retorted calmly, “If you really cared about saving resources, you could start with your own. The supplies were issued to me per factory regulations. If you disagreed, you should’ve taken it up with the leadership.”

Then, turning to Deputy Director Qin, she said, “Would you say Comrade Qin’s behavior resembles those landlords from the old days—exploiting the workers and looting their belongings? Even landlords gave their workers tools. Qin Mingyue simply snatched mine outright.”

Deputy Director Qin’s face turned red, then pale. He picked up his teacup and took a sip before forcing a smile. “Comrade Xiao Su, let’s not be too harsh. Comrade Qin’s intentions were good—her method was just a bit flawed.”

Qin Mingyue quickly nodded. “Yes, yes, I just wanted to contribute. I didn’t think it through.”

Su Yue countered sharply, “So a good intention justifies taking someone else’s property? If everyone acted on ‘good intentions’ like that, who would protect the rights of our workers? Good thing you didn’t assign her to the finance department. Otherwise, I suspect everyone’s wages would end up in her pocket.”

The office grew tense.

Director Wang stepped forward, his expression solemn. “Deputy Director Qin, Comrade Su is right. We have clear regulations here. If everyone acted like Qin Mingyue, there’d be chaos.”

Deputy Director Qin put down his cup and, after a moment’s pause, said, “Very well. We’ll follow protocol. Comrade Qin will receive a formal warning and must submit a written self-criticism.”

Qin Mingyue looked stunned and muttered, “But… Uncle…”

“Enough,” Deputy Director Qin interrupted, eyes flashing with annoyance. “If you make a mistake, you face the consequences. And remember—even if you’re my niece, at the factory, you call me Deputy Director.”

Then, with a thinly veiled threat, he turned to Su Yue. “Youth is great. But young people should act with caution—don’t stir up trouble for yourself or your family.”

Su Yue smiled back at him. “Thank you for the advice, Deputy Director Qin. But I should get back—after all, I’m here to work, not to pass your tests.”

As they exited the office, Director Wang walked alongside her. “Comrade Xiao Su, you handled that well today. The factory needs principled young people like you—firm but respectful.”

“Thank you, Director Wang.”

Back in the archives room, only one clerk came by in the afternoon to request a file. The rest of the time, the three women chatted casually. Su Yue learned that Wu Yuxia already had four children. Her husband had worked in the factory’s security department and died two years ago protecting factory property. In return, the factory provided compensation and gave her a job.

It suddenly made sense to Su Yue why, despite being the supervisor, Li Shufang still took on everything herself.

Wu Yuxia glanced at Su Yue and grumbled, “Don’t pity me. I’m doing just fine—better than you, probably.”

Su Yue shook her head and explained, “I wasn’t pitying you. I just didn’t expect you to have four kids already.”

Wu Yuxia rolled her eyes. “What can I say? My womb is just that efficient—two pregnancies in three years, and both times were twins.”