r18novel Chapter 1203 One by one, they were dealt with.
Chapter 1203 One by one, they were dealt with.
Next, Gu Nan took out a stack of evidence he had prepared beforehand and named people one by one. Who had falsely reported their business trip accommodation expenses, overstating it by five yuan and eighty cents; who had secretly kept the canteen's food coupons, taking two jin home every month; who had embezzled during the night shift, stealing and selling copper parts from the factory to buy alcohol... Every single case was documented, with signed receipts, testimonies from those involved, and even warehouse entry and exit records. The security personnel were extremely busy, taking people out of the office one after another. In no time, the room, which had been crowded, was mostly empty, leaving only the tables and chairs standing forlornly in their places.
Zhu Tao sat in his chair, his enamel teacup nearly crushed in his hand, his knuckles turning white. He never expected Gu Nan to be so well-prepared, the chain of evidence so complete that he had no way to refute it, not even a single flaw. Before his own people could even make a move, they were all wiped out, without any chance to struggle, like a flock of lambs to the slaughter.
Finally, only Yi Zhonghai remained in the room. He huddled in the corner, his head bowed low, wishing he could hide himself away. Gu Nan looked at him, her tone so calm it was impossible to discern his emotion: "Master Yi, is there anything you wish to say?"
Zhu Tao also looked at Yi Zhonghai with longing eyes, secretly praying in his heart—this was his last hope. Yi Zhonghai was senior in the factory and had many friends. If even he was found to have problems, he would really be all alone and would have no place to stand in the factory.
Little did anyone know that Yi Zhonghai was already terrified. He looked at Zhu Tao, then at Gu Nan, and like a frightened rabbit, he hurriedly waved his hands and backed away, his voice trembling: "Deputy Factory Director Gu, please don't wrong me! I didn't do anything wrong. I just happened to be passing by and heard the commotion inside, so I came in to see what was going on. I have nothing to do with them! Really, I was just a bystander!"
Zhu Tao was so shocked by his words that he almost jumped off his chair, his eyes wide like saucers—he never expected that at this critical juncture, Yi Zhonghai would betray him so directly, severing all ties and showing no mercy whatsoever!
Gu Nan just smiled faintly, a hint of mockery in his smile, and turned to look at Zhu Tao: "Director Zhu, you see, I told you these people couldn't be trusted. Now they've all been arrested, and they only have themselves to blame. I really don't know how you got led astray by them, almost breaking the factory's rules and affecting production."
Zhu Tao's face flushed red and then turned pale, as if he had been dyed. The anger in his heart surged to the top of his head, burning his internal organs, but he could not let it out. He could only nod with a stiff upper lip and force out a smile that was more like crying: "It's...it's my fault for misjudging people and being blind. I'm sorry that I made a fool of myself in front of Deputy Factory Director Gu."
Gu Nan looked at Yi Zhonghai and waved his hand: "You can go out first. I still have things to talk to Director Zhu about."
Yi Zhonghai felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and dared not stay any longer. He mumbled "Okay, okay, you're busy, you're busy," and turned to leave, walking as fast as if he were being chased by a dog, almost bumping into the door frame.
Watching his hasty retreating figure, Zhu Tao gritted his teeth in anger, squeezing out a sentence through clenched teeth: "A bunch of useless trash! Not a single one of them is of any use when it matters!"
As soon as Yi Zhonghai disappeared through the door, Zhu Tao immediately put on a fawning smile, cupped his hands in a gesture of humility towards Gu Nan, and said in an extremely obsequious manner, "Deputy Factory Director Gu, this is truly a huge misunderstanding! If I had known earlier that they had been doing these shady things behind the scenes, I would have been the first to stand up and deal with them without hesitation! Rest assured, I will definitely rectify the factory's atmosphere from the root and ensure that such corrupt practices never happen again!"
Looking at Zhu Tao's furrowed brows and self-pity, Gu Nan knew perfectly well what was going on—this old fox was clearly putting on an act, trying to absolve himself of all responsibility, as if he too had been kept in the dark. But he didn't expose him. Instead, he curled the corners of his lips into a smile, his tone casual, as if chatting about everyday matters: "Director Zhu, I really don't understand. I've always treated you well, haven't I? Last time your brother-in-law wanted to get into the purchasing department, I went through pressure to get it done; I also pulled some strings to get your child into school. I've never offended you, so how come there are so many 'misunderstandings'?"
Zhu Tao's smile instantly became even more ingratiating. He waved his hands so vigorously that he almost knocked over the enamel cup on the table: "Deputy Factory Director Gu, what are you saying! I just said, this is all a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!" He took half a step forward, lowered his voice, and adopted a "we're on the same side" attitude. "Who would have thought that these people would be so audacious as to try to frame you without any evidence? If I had known they couldn't produce any real evidence, I definitely wouldn't have cooperated with them in this charade, causing you to suffer injustice and breaking my brother's heart!"
Gu Nan looked at Zhu Tao's earnest and earnest face, and sneered inwardly. If he hadn't had people watching Zhu Tao before he left, and uncovered his collusion with Li Jianjun from the supply department to secretly resell the factory's steel, he might have been fooled by his feigned sincerity. He knew that now was not the best time to deal with Zhu Tao. These accusations of "withholding benefits" and "embezzling materials" would at most result in a minor charge of "negligence" against Zhu Tao, a small fine, but it wouldn't shake his position as factory director—this was not the outcome Gu Nan wanted.
He has always been clear about his gratitude and resentment. If someone is kind to him, he will remember it and repay them tenfold in the future; but if anyone dares to scheme against him or harm him behind his back, he will definitely repay them a hundredfold. He will not only make the other party lose their job, but also skin them alive, so that everyone can see what the price is for scheming against him, Gu Nan.
Gu Nan collected his thoughts, his smile still on his face, but his words carried a subtle sharpness, like a knife hidden beneath its sheath: "Director Zhu is right. You can't see into someone's heart. From now on, we really need to keep our eyes wide open and see the people around us clearly. After all, there are a lot of petty people these days. If we cause any 'misunderstandings' because of these people, damaging the harmony in our factory and affecting production, that would be terrible."
Zhu Tao was seething with anger. While Gu Nan was speaking, he had secretly given a wink to Section Chief Wang of the security department, hoping they would "invite" Gu Nan to the duty room for questioning first. Even if they couldn't detain him, they could at least deflate his arrogance. Who knew that Section Chief Wang would pretend not to understand, just pacing around the door with an enamel mug, completely ignoring Zhu Tao's orders—it was obvious that Gu Nan had already bribed him beforehand.
He suppressed his anger, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, and looked at Gu Nan: "Vice Factory Director Gu is right, you've thought things through very well. By the way," he changed the subject, his tone becoming "earnest," "those workers... you know, they're still long-time employees of the factory, with elderly parents and young children to support. They made a mistake in a moment of confusion, shouldn't they be given a chance to reform? After all, they all earn their living with their skills, it's not easy for them."