Chapter 2413

"Oh my!" Gu Bing suddenly exclaimed: "It's already past eight, I'm going to be late for work, let's go eat quickly."

Gu Bing turned and left. Zhou Anqin and the other young girls didn't get to the bottom of it and followed behind Gu Bing toward the front. When they arrived at the dining room, they saw Zhou Andong sitting at the dining table, eating with great relish.

Gu Bing walked to the dining table, sat down with a thud, and said with great dissatisfaction: "Couldn't you have waited for me?"

Zhou Andong swallowed the food in his mouth unhurriedly, then turned his head slowly, looking at Gu Bing with a half-smile: "Wait for you for what? A duel?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Bing immediately jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, then changed seats to sit further away from Zhou Andong to feel safe, and then looked at Zhou Andong in shock.

"How old are you, still dueling? Isn't that childish?"

Zhou Andong raised his eyelids, scanned Gu Bing carelessly, shook his head helplessly, and stopped paying attention to him, instead turning his gaze to Zhou Anqin and the others: "The design of the mandarin-collar shirt should be completed today, right?"

Zhou Anqin and the others looked at each other and answered in unison: "No problem!"

Especially Mu Yun, whose voice was the loudest. She lowered her head and took a bite of the beef pie, her small crimson mouth glistening with oil: "Big Brother, don't worry, we guarantee to complete the task—this pie is really delicious!"

The girl muttered after saying this, then lowered her head and took another big bite, her eyes squinting; she looked very satisfied. If a grown man ate like this, he would definitely be disliked, but when a pretty young girl ate like this, it looked very cute.

Zhou Andong smiled slightly and said: "If it's delicious, eat more, don't be polite, just treat this as your own home."

Mu Yun heard this and nodded happily, still holding food in her mouth, responding vaguely: "I won't be polite."

After saying that, she continued to eat in big mouthfuls, her little head swaying gently with the chewing motion.

Zhou Andong finished the last mouthful of millet porridge and put down his chopsticks: "Sister Hong, did you watch the weather forecast this morning?"

"I did!" Sister Hong's voice came from the kitchen first, and then she came out: "It will be cloudy for the next few days, and there will be rain next Wednesday and Thursday."

Zhou Andong slowly took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, then took a deep breath, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and then got up and walked out of the dining room.

It had only been the time of a meal, and the rain outside had stopped, but the sky was still overcast, and the whole world was gray, making people feel a little depressed.

Gu Bing also came out, stood beside Zhou Andong, and looked up at the sky: "They still didn't come to bribe me yesterday."

"Then you should be prepared." Zhou Andong revealed a smile, flicked the ash, and walked forward: "They will definitely come to find you today."

Gu Bing curled his lips, his tone full of sarcasm: "You said the same thing yesterday, with that tone... tsk tsk tsk... but they didn't come. Truly, Zhou Andong, you have exhausted your schemes, and all your efforts have come to nothing."

Zhou Andong laughed: "I haven't made any moves for the past two days. I stay in the office as soon as I get to work, and even eat lunch in the office. I don't show my face all day; they will definitely feel uneasy."

Just as Zhou Andong and Gu Bing got into the car to go to the factory, Vice Factory Director Shao Yan came to the office early in the morning. He had just lit a cigarette when Vice Factory Director Dong Dashan knocked on the door and walked in.

"Old Shao!" As soon as Dong Dashan pushed the door open, he didn't even say hello, sat on the sofa with a thud, and said directly, "Zhou Andong has been too abnormal these past two days. He hasn't even left his office, and he eats lunch in the office. I think he must be harboring some malice."

Dong Dashan's face was very bad, and his spirit was very poor: "Last night I lay on the bed, tossing and turning, and didn't sleep well all night. My brain kept pondering what he wanted to do next."

Shao Yan heard Dong Dashan's words, his brows furrowed tightly, and his right index finger tapped lightly on the desk, making a "da da da" sound. After a long while, he said slowly.

"I also think Zhou Andong is up to no good, definitely doing something behind our backs, wanting to make a move against us. Since that's the case, we can't wait any longer, we must strike first."

Dong Dashan nodded, took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, threw one to Shao Yan, took one out of the cigarette case himself, put it in his mouth, and then lit it with a lighter.

"Regarding this matter, do you think we should discuss it with Director Shi and Factory Director Hu? After all, their status in the factory is higher than ours; perhaps they might have some good ideas."

Shao Yan sneered in his heart and cursed the two losers. They had been jumping around planning for so long, thinking they were foolproof, but in the end, they were crippled by Zhou Andong in a few moves.

He had already lost confidence in Shi Guoqiang and Hu Dajun. Discussing it with them was meaningless and wouldn't lead to any results. If he weren't so deeply involved and unable to pull himself out, he would have turned back too.

Shao Yan waved his hand: "No need. Now we have completely lost control of the Woolen Mill, and they can't exert any force outside either. Discussing it with them is useless and a waste of time."

Dong Dashan felt that what Shao Yan said made a lot of sense: "Then, shall we proceed according to the plan?"

"Yes!" Shao Yan said thoughtfully: "Zhou Andong is plotting against us, so we don't have much time left, we must act as soon as possible."

Dong Dashan was silent for a moment, but finally couldn't help asking: "Do you know when Elder Yin will come down?"

Shao Yan took a slow puff of his cigarette, the smoke swirling in front of him, blurring his face. After a while, he answered unhurriedly: "Elder Yin won't be coming down."

"What?" Dong Dashan shouted excitedly, as if he had been hit by a stick, and said anxiously: "Elder Yin isn't coming down? If our plan fails, won't we be forever suppressed by Zhou Andong and unable to lift our heads, or even..."

Dong Dashan's psychological quality was not as good as Shao Yan's. Ever since Zhou Andong took full control of the Woolen Mill, he hadn't slept well for a single night. He had nightmares for several days in a row. Last night, he was confused for a while, and he was sent to the execution ground to be shot, which scared him into a cold sweat. He woke up suddenly and couldn't sleep anymore.

Shao Yan raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling Dong Dashan to calm down. After Dong Dashan calmed down a little, he continued: "Although Elder Yin isn't coming down, Secretary Sun of the Discipline Inspection Commission will come down. And I think Secretary Sun coming down is more appropriate than Elder Yin coming down."

"Secretary Sun?"

Dong Dashan's eyes suddenly lit up. Sun Baocun was the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, which meant that no matter what happened, he could handle it on the spot. By comparison, although Elder Yin had greater deterrent power, no matter what happened, even if they caught Zhou Andong's handle, they would still have to notify the city first and then wait for the city's instructions and arrangements. This back-and-forth would cause a certain delay in time.

You know, Zhou Andong represented the reformists, and the power behind him was also quite terrifying. To deal with Zhou Andong, they had to cut the Gordian knot quickly and create a fait accompli. Because a delay of even a second could lead to unexpected changes, causing the whole situation to spiral out of control. Therefore, Sun Baocun coming down was indeed the most appropriate.

Thinking of this, a look of relief appeared on Dong Dashan's face, and his originally tense expression suddenly relaxed a lot: "Now I'm really looking forward to it, I hope Secretary Sun can come down as soon as possible."

Shao Yan smiled slightly: "Then notify Tan Sheng and let him make arrangements to invite our Gu Shuji to dinner tonight."

Dong Dashan said with some worry: "I'm worried that Gu Bing won't agree."

Shao Yan appeared very calm and said in a deep voice: "Man proposes, God disposes. We didn't have high expectations for bribing Gu Bing in the first place. He is not short of money, so he won't be easily moved by money. Therefore, we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate, hoping he is a greedy guy."

……………………

In the office of the General Office Director Tan Sheng, there was silence. However, unlike usual, Tan Sheng himself had lost his usual calmness and composure. His hair, which was usually neatly combed, now looked a bit messy, and his chin, which was always shaved clean, was now covered in stubble, revealing his inner anxiety and unease.

Tan Sheng stood quietly by the window, watching the employees coming in and out, and couldn't help but sigh long and hard. Ever since Liu Lijuan publicly stood with Zhou Andong, he had been living in fear every day, fearing that people from the Discipline Inspection Commission would suddenly appear in front of him. This fear followed him like a shadow, making him unable to work with peace of mind, and even sleeping had become a luxury.

Especially in the last two days, Zhou Andong had been hiding in his office, and even had his lunch delivered to the office. It went without saying that he must be pondering how to kill them; how could he not panic?

Tan Sheng stood stiffly by the window, as if time had stopped at this moment. His gaze looked blankly out the window, his thoughts drifting to who knows where. He didn't know how long it had been when the telephone on the desk suddenly rang, breaking the silence of the office.

"Ding ling..."

Tan Sheng's body trembled violently, pulled back to reality by the sudden ringing of the phone. But he didn't move, and the ringing continued stubbornly, sounding particularly harsh in the empty office.

When the phone stopped ringing for a few seconds and rang again, Tan Sheng slowly turned and walked to the desk, reaching out to pick up the phone.

"Hello, this is Tan Sheng!"

Shao Yan's voice came from the receiver: "Why did it take so long to answer the phone?"

Tan Sheng replied: "I just went to the bathroom."

Shao Yan didn't ask again, but said: "Invite Gu Shuji to dinner tonight."

"Good!" Tan Sheng agreed without hesitation: "If Gu Shuji accepts the invitation, will you and Factory Director Dong attend?"

Shao Yan thought for a moment on the other end of the phone and said: "Because we can't afford to wait, and we can't wait, we will also attend the program after dinner, otherwise we won't be at ease."

Tan Sheng's heart tightened; he naturally understood what Shao Yan meant. Time was tight, and they didn't have much time to waste.

"I'll arrange the restaurant, and as for the program after dinner, let Hong Tao (Director of the Party Committee Office) arrange it."

"No matter who arranges it, it must be arranged clearly, and there can't be a single mistake. Once a mistake is made, it will definitely be a total loss, and we will be on a dead end."

Speaking of this, Shao Yan's tone suddenly intensified: "We have nowhere to go now, and Zhou Andong won't give us a way out, so we can only fight for a way out ourselves, so that we can live."

"I understand!" Tan Sheng took a deep breath: "I'll notify Hong Tao right now and let him arrange it!"

"That's it then!" Shao Yan hung up the phone.

Tan Sheng didn't notify Hong Tao immediately, but sat quietly in his chair, silent. After a while, he silently picked up the cigarette at hand and lit it. Then he leaned against the back of the chair, looked up at the ceiling, his eyes unblinking.

He just sat there quietly, as if the whole world had nothing to do with him. The cigarette in his hand was burning, the smoke slowly rising, constantly changing shape in the air, and finally slowly drifting away and disappearing.

But he didn't take another puff of this cigarette, letting it burn out slowly in his hand. Finally, the cigarette burning to the end burned him, making him tremble, and then he threw the cigarette butt on the ground with a violent shake, and the only remaining spark was extinguished, as if some hope in his heart had also been extinguished.

Tan Sheng slowly stood up, then paced back and forth in the office, each step appearing a bit heavy. Finally, he stood by the window again, staring at the gray world outside.

The sky was still overcast, as if covered by a gray curtain, making people feel an indescribable depression. This oppressive atmosphere was exactly the same as Tan Sheng's mood at the moment, making his already restless heart even heavier.

Time passed minute by minute, while Tan Sheng's heart was experiencing a fierce struggle. At first, his face was filled with confusion, but as time passed, this confusion was gradually replaced by a sense of determination. Immediately after, his originally restless heart also slowly calmed down.

Finally, Tan Sheng no longer hesitated. He turned and walked out of his office, his steps firm and powerful. He walked along the corridor toward the stairs, then turned into another corridor, and finally stopped in front of Gu Bing's office door.

Standing in front of the door, Tan Sheng took a deep breath, as if giving himself the final courage. Then he raised his hand and knocked on the door lightly. Soon, Gu Bing's voice came from inside: "Come in!"

"The red sun rises in the east, its great path full of rosy light, how fortunate I am to be born in your embrace, inheriting a pulse of blood flowing, sharing difficulties and blessings, standing tall with a backbone, our country's ten thousand territories with benevolence and love, a faith that will not be extinguished for a thousand years..."

As soon as Tan Sheng pushed the door open, the familiar singing drifted into his ears. He walked in and only then saw a radio on the desk.

He was very familiar with this song, because for more than a month, the whole street had been playing this song, and he was also very willing to listen to it.

"Comrade Tan Sheng!"

Seeing that it was Tan Sheng, Gu Bing's eyes lit up immediately. He put his feet down, stood up hurriedly, and poured a cup of tea for Tan Sheng himself. He had been looking forward to Tan Sheng coming over all the time, and now he had finally arrived.

"If you have anything to say, sit down and talk."

Tan Sheng took the tea handed to him by Gu Bing and said somewhat at a loss: "Secretary, you..."

The Secretary pouring tea for him—to tell the truth, he couldn't even dream of such a scene.

Gu Bing smiled slightly and patted Tan Sheng on the shoulder: "Comrade Tan Sheng, is there something you want to tell me?"