Chapter 55: Open and Covert Struggles

Qu Hongqi hurriedly had someone drive the van to take Zhang Xingfei to the hospital, then, face dark, led his men and escorted Zhou Andong back to the Security Office.

“Keep a close watch on him. I’m going to see the factory director.”

At that moment, Jian Qiu pushed open the door to Gu Bing’s office: “Zhou Andong is in trouble.”

Gu Bing froze—he had arrived early today and didn’t know what had happened at the gate: “What happened?”

Jian Qiu briefly explained: “I suspect those hooligans weren’t sent by the dismissed guard to retaliate against Zhou Andong.”

Gu Bing frowned; Jian Qiu crossed her arms and paced back and forth in the office, her high heels clicking sharply against the cement floor.

“It’s very likely Gao Qingkui arranged this—using this as an excuse to fire Zhou Andong, cut off your arm, then regroup and challenge you for control.”

Gu Bing’s expression changed; he realized the gravity of the situation. Though he was the Party Secretary and had reclaimed some authority, he’d only managed to suppress Gao Qingkui and Zhang Deyou by leveraging the entire factory’s workforce.

But without harming the workers’ interests, he couldn’t leverage that power—if those two old men wanted to fire Zhou Andong, they’d just call a meeting of all cadres and vote by majority rule. He’d lose for sure.

Jian Qiu continued: “It’s not just Zhou Andong getting fired that worries me—I’m afraid they’ll hand him over to the police. Even a few months in detention, where you can’t even see him, and everything you’ve built will revert to square one.”

Gu Bing snapped: “Do you really think I’m that useless?”

Jian Qiu sneered: “I’m not trying to discourage you, but without Zhou Andong beside you, you won’t last two months—you’ll be crushed back to nothing by those two foxes. All your achievements will be erased from your record.”

Gu Bing was resentful but couldn’t ignore reality: “If they hand him to the police, I’ll call Uncle Feng right away—get him out first.”

Jian Qiu looked at him in surprise: “Aren’t you afraid Uncle Feng will scold you?”

Gu Bing spoke with solemn resolve: “Let him scold me. I can’t let that bastard rot in jail for a year or two. Besides, it’s not his fault—we’re in the right.”

Jian Qiu nodded in satisfaction: “Then let’s wait. The meeting notice should come soon.”

In Gao Qingkui’s office, Zhang Deyou was also present—his arm in a cast, his swollen face somewhat reduced, yet his expression darkened as he listened to Qu Hongqi’s account. His heart clenched with pain—this was his son, the only heir of the Zhang family, nearly beaten to death by Zhou Andong. The hatred burned inside him—he wanted to kill Zhou Andong himself.

Gao Qingkui’s face showed no emotion: “Though he didn’t get the lesson he deserved, the outcome is still favorable. Go notify all deputy section heads and above to gather in the main conference room.”

“Tap-tap-tap!”

The door to Gu Bing’s office was knocked on.

“Come in!” Jian Qiu said. “Let’s go.”

Within ten minutes, all deputy section heads and above from the factory had arrived in the main conference room. Gu Bing sat at the head, glanced down, and felt a pang of despair—except for Jian Qiu, Qian Zhen, and Yan Guohai, who had just sided with him, nearly thirty people in the room would likely oppose him.

Soon, Gao Qingkui and Zhang Deyou, arm still in cast, arrived. It was their habit—if it were Gu Bing, they’d never wait—they’d start the meeting immediately.

Gao Qingkui sat beside Gu Bing, picked up his enamel mug, slurped loudly, then slowly set it down: “Everyone’s heard about what happened at the brewery gate, right?”

“I’ve heard, and I saw it myself,” said Liu Zhiguang, his face flushed with excitement. “Zhou Andong gathered a mob and fought at the brewery gate, disrupting social harmony and stability, and bringing grave negative influence to our factory. Such a rotten apple must be expelled immediately to ensure our workers a clean, safe environment for living and production.”

Zhang Deyou smiled approvingly: “Comrade Zhiguang’s words are deeply thought-provoking. A rotten apple must be utterly removed—leave no room for it to survive.”

Qu Hongqi snorted, glancing at Jian Qiu: “Zhou Andong didn’t just gather a mob—he assaulted someone without cause, causing serious injury. The offense is extremely grave. Merely firing him would be grossly unfair to the victim. After dismissal, we must notify the police station—he must face legal punishment.”

Gao Qingkui remained calm and detached: “Since we’ve convened this meeting, everyone should voice their opinion. Don’t stay silent.”

“I support firing Zhou Andong!”

“I support firing Zhou Andong!”

“I have no objection!”

“...”

Hearing the chorus of support for firing Zhou Andong, Liu Zhiguang was the most thrilled. For the past two days, he hadn’t eaten or slept well—Jiangzhou Yugong had exploded in popularity, unstoppable. The thought of his own humiliating crawl from Workshop Two to the gate made him shudder.

He truly regretted it—not regretting the bet with Zhou Andong, but regretting announcing it too early. Had he kept quiet, he could’ve denied it without anyone knowing. Now, whether he honored the bet or not, it was unbearable. Honor it, and he’d become the entire factory’s laughingstock. Refuse it, and his personal credibility and authority would suffer a major blow.

And then there was jealousy—why should Zhou Andong, messing around randomly, make the liquor so popular and sell it so expensively? He was furious. He wanted to crush him. So when he heard the meeting’s purpose, he nearly had a stroke from excitement and was the first to attack Zhou Andong.

“Sigh,” Gao Qingkui sighed, feigning sorrow: “Zhou Andong is a college graduate, talented—but so young and impulsive. I always thought his temperament would lead to trouble, so I never promoted him, hoping to let him cool off for a few years. But in the end, trouble came anyway. What a pity. Such a pity.”

Zhang Deyou said: “There’s no help for it. Even princes are subject to the law. No matter how talented or capable he is, if he broke the law, he must face punishment. Actually, this might not be all bad for him. Today’s incident is serious, but still salvageable. If he makes a bigger mistake later, it’ll be over for good.”

“Indeed!” Gao Qingkui turned to Gu Bing. “Secretary, what’s your opinion?”

“None,” Gu Bing replied calmly. Since nothing could be undone, why waste words and invite ridicule?

Gao Qingkui had hoped to see Gu Bing struggle, then collapse in despair—but he was disappointed. Gu Bing gave him no opening.

“Very well. I now declare: Zhou Andong is dismissed and to be handed over to judicial authorities.”

“Bang!” The conference room door suddenly burst open—a guard rushed in, panting: “Deputy Director Zuo is visiting our factory—his car has entered the compound!”