Chapter 158: A Fatal Strike from the Start

Realizing that Chen Huajiang was behind the recent developments, Liu Jun asked Liang Long to arrange a meeting. There were things he needed to say face-to-face; the actions taken against him had left him seething with rage.

Although he had instructed Liang Long to tell Chen to come see him, Chen had countered by changing the location to the barbecue shop at the factory gates—a shop Liu had originally rented to him. When Liu received the news, he immediately understood Chen’s implication. Due to the factory’s poor performance and various restrictions imposed by the Wu family, Liu had reclaimed the shop and sublet it to Feng Weizhi.

Clearly, this had left Chen Huajiang deeply dissatisfied. With Feng Weizhi and Gou Weidong already behind bars, perhaps the Wu family—Wu De and Wu Min—would be next? At that moment, Liu Jun viewed Chen with utter contempt: he was a venomous snake, a petty villain, a cold-blooded wolf who cared nothing for past favors.

When Liu arrived at the gates, Chen was already there, chatting with a group of workers.

"Brother Chen, here to check on the shop? Need a hand?"
"Brother Chen, when are you coming over to our place? My wife has asked me several times to invite you for a meal."
"Boss Chen, have a smoke. It’s nothing fancy, hope you don't mind."

These were workers from the factory, both young and old, greeting Chen with smiles and shared cigarettes. Watching this, Liu Jun gritted his teeth in fury. In his eyes, Chen was inciting chaos within the Red Flag Factory and buying off the hearts of his people. He was equally incensed at the workers for being so familiar with a man who had been fired; it was shameless.

"Ahem!"

Liu Jun strode over, his face dark, and coughed loudly.

"Director Liu!"
"Director Liu, heading out on business?"

Seeing him, the group offered polite smiles and quickly dispersed. After all, the expression on Liu’s face was practically shouting his rage.

"Chen Huajiang, you’ve really done it now!"

"You weren't satisfied with taking down the Gou family; now you have to go after the Wu family, myself, and the Red Flag Factory as well."

"How did I fail to see that you were such a malicious, scheming villain?" Liu Jun stared at Chen, his eyes burning with hatred.

Chen Huajiang’s smile faded as he walked to the shop door and unlocked it. A cloud of dust billowed out; as a high-traffic area near the main gate, the shop was always prone to dust, and having sat abandoned for so long, the grime had settled thick. Since Feng Weizhi’s men had trashed the place, it had remained closed and in disarray.

"The place was smashed up. I can’t even find a four-legged stool. There’s only one with three legs left. I hope you don't mind, Director Liu?" Chen looked around, grabbed a broken bench from the floor, and set it beside a dining table.

"Don't bother," Liu snapped, slamming his hand on the table and glaring at Chen. "I'm telling you, you’ve played your games with the Red Flag Factory, and I won't let you get away with it. If you can't give me a reasonable justification today, I’ll call the police and have you taken away. Market manipulation and speculation—that'll be enough to keep you busy for a long time."

"Director Liu, you’re joking, aren't you? Was there any falsehood in my whistleblowing report? The Red Flag Factory doesn't belong to you, the Wu family, or the Gou family; it belongs to all the workers."

"Do you think the workers were being polite to me earlier because they like me? It’s because I’ve helped them find work lately—fixing coal heaters, tearing down walls, refurbishing old stoves. They haven't been paid in two or three months."

"Tsk, tsk. You aren't short on money, and neither are the Wu or Gou families. But they are. That’s why they’re polite to me. I don't feel I owe anyone anything. Did I force the Gou and Wu families to be corrupt? Did I cause the deficit in the Red Flag Factory? I don't think so." Chen looked at Liu Jun, his expression dismissive. From the moment the shop had been sublet to Feng Weizhi, their relationship had hit rock bottom.

"As for market manipulation, I'm not stupid. The Price Bureau has specific regulations covering everything from agriculture and metallurgy to textiles. I’ve checked—there are no market price controls for coal heaters. Don't try to scare me, Liu Jun. If we were talking about grain, meat, or restricted raw materials, I wouldn't dare touch them, even with ten extra heads. But a coal heater? Who are you to decide the market price?"

"I still have the phone number of Chen Maoran from the investigation team. If you think you can cover the sky with one hand, let’s see if you have the capability." Chen pointed a finger into the air, looking at him with defiance.

Liu Jun’s expression shifted rapidly. He hadn't expected Chen to be so well-prepared. He was deeply wary of Chen Maoran; after all, the initial contract to Chen had been witnessed by him, and subletting the shop to Feng Weizhi was a direct slap in the face to both Maoran and the investigation team. Whatever excuses he had were useless; they only exposed his incompetence and duplicity.

"I’ve shown you some respect, and I’ve shown the Red Flag Factory some respect. Otherwise, that report wouldn't have ended up in your hands—it would have gone elsewhere."

"By the way, remember to close the door when you leave. According to the 'Broken Windows Theory,' if small signs of disorder are left unchecked, it encourages people to follow suit or escalate the behavior. I don't want my little shop to be cleaned out by thieves, would I, Director Liu?" Chen looked at him thoughtfully, smiled, and walked away.

As he left, more workers from the residential compound passed by, greeting him warmly. Liu Jun stood at the doorway, his face grim, watching until Chen’s figure disappeared on his bicycle. He took a deep breath and looked toward the factory complex. The sunset cast a glow over the horizon; the tall chimneys, usually belching thick smoke, were now emitting only thin wisps that vanished in the wind.

"Sigh, the Broken Windows Theory... it really does need to be addressed."

Liu sighed, his expression hardening. He didn't bother closing the shop door himself; he ordered a security guard to do it, then marched back to his office and dialed the police.

That evening, as the workers were leaving, Wu Min, Wu De, and Wu Lei were taken away by the police, leaving the factory staff in stunned silence. By nightfall, the news had spread throughout the residential compound. A vice-director being arrested was big news anywhere. Even inside his own home, the sounds of discussion from outside were clear to Chen Huajiang, to say nothing of the loud voice of his wife, Lin Jiayin.

"Huajiang, did you hear? Wu Min, Wu De, and Wu Lei were arrested! It happened right at the end of the shift, in front of everyone!" she said, her voice filled with excitement.