Chapter 3088: He must be made to feel the pain!

At this point, what Zhang Ermao feared wasn't being exposed, but rather being swept out the door by Ye Chen and Hong Wu.

When he heard Ye Chen tell him to expose himself and then go to Zhou Liangyun's shop to apologize in person, he felt as if he had been granted a reprieve.

With a voice choked with tears, he expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Master Ye, for showing mercy. From now on, I, Zhang Ermao, will definitely live an honest life and will never play such petty tricks again. If there is a next time, I... I will surely atone for my sins with my life!"

Ye Chen asked him: "I told you to go and offer a humble apology, but did I say I was showing you mercy?"

Zhang Ermao said subconsciously: "Master Ye... you... didn't your words just now mean you were letting me off the hook this time..."

Ye Chen sighed: "Zhang Ermao, you are indeed clever, but I will say it again: in the future, use your cleverness on the right path. Do you understand?"

Zhang Ermao replied hurriedly: "Understood, understood! Ermao understands!"

"Good." Ye Chen said indifferently: "Back when you were still hanging around the antique street, doing things like this didn't count for much; after all, that circle of yours is full of deceit, and manufacturing or selling fakes is your survival rule. But you are no longer in that circle now, so naturally, you cannot do such things anymore. To do so is to not follow the rules."

"Zhou Liangyun did indeed act impolitely toward my father-in-law back then, but my father-in-law was at fault first. You helping my father-in-law take revenge on him is what we call failing to distinguish right from wrong."

Having said this, Ye Chen added: "In the future, you are absolutely forbidden from taking any retaliatory action against Zhou Liangyun. If word gets out, people might mistakenly think that I, Ye Chen, cannot distinguish right from wrong and instructed you to help my father-in-law vent his anger. Do you understand?"

Zhang Ermao said quickly: "Master Ye, please rest assured. I will go find Zhou Liangyun in a moment to kneel and apologize. I will absolutely never cause him any trouble again. Even if Chairman Xiao comes looking for me, I will not answer to him!"

As he spoke, Zhang Ermao asked cautiously: "Master Ye, you told me to explain the situation exactly as it happened, so how should I address the matter regarding your father-in-law..."

Ye Chen retorted: "What does 'exactly as it happened' mean? If there is concealment, can it still be called 'exactly as it happened'?"

Zhang Ermao was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected Ye Chen to have no intention of helping Xiao Changkun cover things up. It was at this moment that he truly understood just how grave his mistake had been this time.

Ye Chen was simply not the type of person who couldn't distinguish right from wrong. Since his father-in-law, Xiao Changkun, was at fault first, how could he shield him? Shielding him was impossible, let alone sticking up for him.

And he himself had rushed to stick up for Xiao Changkun, hoping to use this to curry favor with him—wasn't this just kissing up to the wrong person?

Thinking of this, he hurriedly said obsequiously: "Understood, Master Ye! I will go to the antique street right now to apologize to Zhou Liangyun, and then I will handwrite a letter of apology, write down the whole sequence of events exactly as it happened, and post it on my Moments. I still have many old acquaintances from the antique industry on my Moments; by then, the entire Jin Ling antique circle will know."

As he spoke, he reminded him tactfully: "By the way, Master Ye, Chairman Xiao said earlier that he might be promoted to full Chairman soon. If this matter blows up, although it won't bring the police, it will still have a huge impact on Chairman Xiao's reputation. I estimate that his plan to become Chairman will be a bit difficult..."

"It doesn't matter." Ye Chen said firmly: "I know what kind of person my father-in-law is better than you do. If he were really allowed to be Chairman, he would only be holding a post without doing any work, unworthy of the position. If he doesn't get the position, that would actually be better."

Zhang Ermao said respectfully: "Understood, Master Ye!"

Ye Chen said with satisfaction: "Good, then I will wait to see your performance."

Thinking of Xiao Changkun, Zhang Ermao said somewhat awkwardly: "Master Ye, Chairman Xiao is currently on a plane to Dubai. He gave me a deadline, telling me to give him a clear reply after he gets off the plane and get that Northern Song bronze Buddha back. If I can't get the item for him, I'm afraid he will come to you for help..."

"It doesn't matter." Ye Chen said: "I will make him retreat in the face of difficulties when the time comes. Furthermore, when he comes to trouble you, be firm in your attitude. You don't need to be servile to him for my sake. Over time, that will only make him lose himself even more and go further astray."

Having said this, Ye Chen paused slightly and continued: "I'm telling you, Zhang Ermao, it is fortunate this time that no loss was caused to anyone else. Otherwise, if you two had really sold a fake for hundreds of thousands, and the other party pursued it, you might both have ended up inside!"

Zhang Ermao felt a lingering fear in his heart and hurriedly stated his position: "Master Ye, please rest assured! In the future, if Chairman Xiao comes looking for me, I will ignore him entirely! I will absolutely never help him do anything again!"

Ye Chen gave a hum and said: "Zhang Ermao, I have another task for you. Let's see if you can make up for your past mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ermao became excited and blurted out: "Master Ye, just tell me! No matter how difficult, I will do my best to complete it!"

Ye Chen said: "I don't care what method you use, you must make my father-in-law spit out the money willingly. Not a single cent can be kept."

Zhang Ermao asked subconsciously: "Master Ye, do you want Chairman Xiao to spit out the profit, or the profit plus the principal?"

Ye Chen said: "Spitting it all out is naturally best."

Zhang Ermao immediately agreed: "Please rest assured, Master Ye. I, Zhang Ermao, will definitely make Chairman Xiao return all three hundred thousand without missing a cent!"

Ye Chen added: "You are not allowed to help him demand the money he used to buy the item. This time, he must be made to feel the pain. Do you understand?"

"Please rest assured, I understand!"

"Alright, go do what you need to do."

Zhang Ermao felt as if he had been granted a reprieve and said repeatedly: "Alright, Master Ye! Alright, Master Ye! I'm going now!"

After hanging up the phone, Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh.

His father-in-law had indeed gone a bit too far this time. Ever since he became the Vice Chairman of the Calligraphy and Painting Association and had the opportunity to become the Chairman, he had become increasingly arrogant and increasingly self-satisfied.

If he wasn't taught a lesson this time, he would become bolder and bolder, just like Ma Lan had been.

Back then, Ma Lan had dared to transfer all twenty billion in cash. If she hadn't been taught a profound lesson that time, who knows how insufferable she would be today.

Just as Zhang Ermao was rushing toward the antique street, Chen Yufei, who had run to the restroom several times due to nervousness, was sitting anxiously in front of the group's Human Resources Manager.

The HR Manager took out a document, handed it to him, and went straight to the point: "Chen Yufei, this is the notice of termination of your employment contract with the group. Because you personally caused significant losses to the group's reputation and profits, the group has decided, based on the clause regarding major work negligence in the labor contract, to unconditionally terminate all employment relations with you!"

As he spoke, the manager added: "You can hand over your work today and pack up your personal belongings before leaving. Your salary for this month will be calculated up to today, and it will be deposited into your salary card on time when the group issues salaries on the 10th of next month."

Chen Yufei felt as if he had been struck by lightning and blurted out: "Manager, firing me like this is not in compliance with labor law! I didn't cause any losses to the group; I just misjudged someone else's collection. You can't fire me just because my professional ability isn't high enough and I failed to earn more money for the group, can you? There are many good items in the entire antique industry that are bought at low prices every year. Is it my fault just because I didn't buy those items for Jiqing Hall?"

The HR Manager said indifferently: "How many good items others buy at low prices has nothing to do with Jiqing Hall, but good items that were brought to our door and were rejected by you—that is your problem. We have all seen the video, and even Chairman Song has seen it. Does this not count as causing significant losses to the group?"

As he spoke, the HR Manager's tone became sharp, and he said coldly: "Furthermore, don't forget that you are the General Manager of Jiqing Hall. You represent the reputation, signboard, and professional standards of Jiqing Hall. Yet, you were so blind that you couldn't even recognize a priceless treasure. Do you know how much of an impact this has on the reputation of Jiqing Hall? Before I came today, I specifically consulted several friends who are knowledgeable about antiques. Without exception, they all knew about your matter, and without exception, they all believed that your ignorance and incompetence brought significant negative impact to Jiqing Hall! Doesn't this count as major negligence?"

Chen Yufei argued: "Everyone makes mistakes. Jiqing Hall handles so many items every year; it's normal for us to misjudge one or two occasionally. Even a robot can't ensure its work is 100% error-free. Are you going to fire me just because I misjudged this one item?"

The HR Manager said coldly: "You still don't know where you went wrong, do you? Let me tell you the truth: the group has no profit requirements for you at Jiqing Hall. It's no problem if you don't earn money for the group, but you cannot smear the group's name!"

"Yesterday, missing out on a Northern Song bronze Buddha worth twenty million wasn't a big problem. As long as you didn't say anything, the group wouldn't even know you brushed past such a good item. But your mistake was publishing the video yourself!"

"It was this video of yours that smeared the group and the Jiqing Hall signboard. Today, the group firing you using this video as evidence is completely legally sound. If you are dissatisfied, you can go to the labor department when you leave, or find a lawyer to sue for arbitration. But this video you published yourself will definitely teach you how to behave."

Chen Yufei fell into despair.

He knew in his heart that according to the content of the video, he had definitely committed major negligence, and the group firing him based on this video was completely flawless.

At this moment, he regretted it so much that his intestines were turning green. He cried out in his heart: "Damn it, if I had known it would end up like this, I would rather have taken a beating than conspire with Zhang Ermao to do such a thing! In the end, Zhou Liangyun wasn't pushed out, and he even earned twenty million because of this, and his reputation skyrocketed. I didn't get any benefits, and I'm about to lose my job. Isn't this a huge loss?!"

Thinking of this, he felt even more hatred toward Zhang Ermao.

So, he gritted his teeth and said to the HR Manager: "Let me tell you the truth. Yesterday's matter wasn't me being blind at all; it was a setup by Zhang Ermao, Master Hong Wu's advisor, against Zhou Liangyun. He bought that bronze Buddha, and he also found someone to come to our Jiqing Hall to put on a show, making me reject the item according to the script he gave me."

"Then he had someone sell this item to Zhou Liangyun. Originally, he wanted to trap Zhou Liangyun, but he didn't expect to give him such a big gift..."

"I thought Master Wu and Chairman Song had a good relationship and were friends, so I thought I would help if I could. Since it was just acting, I didn't look at the item closely. Who could have thought that Zhang Ermao would mess up and trap me instead... Please report this to Chairman Song. I really didn't intend to reject that bronze Buddha..."

As he spoke, he took out his phone and found his chat history with Zhang Ermao, which contained all the scripts Zhang Ermao had given him, which were almost identical to what he had said in the video.

He handed the phone to the HR Manager and said with a wronged face: "Words are not proof. I have the chat history with Zhang Ermao here. See for yourself!"

Chen Yufei could only try his luck now. After all, Hong Wu did have a certain friendship with Song Wanting, and these chat records could prove that he hadn't really misjudged the item, but had acted entirely according to what Zhang Ermao said.

In this way, to some extent, it could be considered dragging both Zhang Ermao and Master Hong Wu into the water.

At this point, Chen Yufei had no other choice but to make a desperate gamble.

The HR Manager looked at the chat history on his phone and couldn't help but frown.

He hadn't expected there to be such hidden details.

Moreover, this also involved people from Master Hong Wu's side.

He looked at Chen Yufei and said: "Wait a moment, I'll make a call."

Seeing that he took it seriously, Chen Yufei felt hope reignite in his heart.

The HR Manager walked outside the door of Jiqing Hall, took out his phone, and called Song Wanting.

On the phone, he reported the situation to Song Wanting and then asked: "Chairman, how do you think I should handle this matter?"

Song Wanting had called Ye Chen this morning to tentatively ask about his attitude toward Zhou Liangyun, and she had almost judged a gentleman with a petty mind. So, when she heard that Zhang Ermao had conspired with Chen Yufei to set up Zhou Liangyun, she knew it must have nothing to do with Ye Chen.

Besides that, Song Wanting also keenly sensed something wrong. In her estimation, if Zhang Ermao wanted to use a fake item to set up Zhou Liangyun, it must have been for Ye Chen's father-in-law, Xiao Changkun. If that were the case, why would he have someone run to Jiqing Hall to act out a scene with Chen Yufei, and even post it on the internet?

To put it bluntly, wasn't it just Chen Yufei wanting to use this matter to step on Zhou Liangyun's head and gild his own face?

Therefore, she said without hesitation: "Jiqing Hall is currently a mess; it's really becoming more and more outrageous. How about this: you fire Chen Yufei as normal, and also dismiss all other employees of Jiqing Hall on the spot, with N+1 compensation."

The HR Manager said hurriedly: "Chairman, if we do that, Jiqing Hall will likely have to close down."

Song Wanting gave a hum and said decisively: "Jiqing Hall does indeed need to close for rectification. After firing Chen Yufei and dismissing the other employees, post a notice at the door of Jiqing Hall saying that due to poor management by the group, serious problems have occurred within Jiqing Hall. Starting today, it will be closed for rectification, and the reopening time will be notified separately!"