For a moment, the expressions on the three men’s faces were quite colorful.
It reminded Pei Ran of an overturned palette, and he couldn’t help but feel a little amused.
Jiang Han glanced at Pei Ran once more, this time with an even more scrutinizing look.
He had already noticed that Pei Ran seemed different today—not just in his attire, but also in his gaze and the way he carried himself.
“Alright… then why don’t you three explain what’s going on? What’s the matter, gathering here first thing in the morning? Don’t you have work to do?”
Jiang Han pointed directly at Zhou Guoren.
While the others remained unfazed, a faint, amused smile appeared at the corner of Pei Ran’s lips.
No matter who it was, people always tended to speak in their own favor.
Jiang Han’s approach was rather interesting—on the surface, he appeared impartial.
But in reality, by singling out Zhou Guoren to explain the situation—
With Zhou Guoren’s way of speaking, would he admit to sexually harassing female employees? If he were to speak, he would undoubtedly try to gloss over the truth.
And if his excuses didn’t hold up, well, he couldn’t blame anyone else.
In such a public setting, Jiang Han couldn’t possibly disregard right and wrong and side against all the employees just to protect Zhou Guoren. After all, Zhou Guoren wasn’t the only employee in the company.
By then, even if Zhou Guoren and the others were dissatisfied, they couldn’t hold it against Jiang Han.
Ultimately, the blame would fall on Zhou Guoren and his companions.
Even rabbits don’t eat the grass near their burrows, yet these men spent their days harassing the female employees under their supervision.
They never bothered to consider whether the women were willing, forcing themselves upon them instead.
Walk the night path too often, and you’re bound to meet a ghost.
This time, they finally stirred up real trouble—and they deserved it.
See, it was that simple.
If Pei Ran weren’t the real “Pei Ran,” he might have been fooled by Jiang Han’s act.
From an outsider’s perspective, Pei Ran could clearly see that Jiang Han and Zhou Guoren were quite close—he was far from being the “righteous” party.
Whether it was due to accepting bribes or simply sharing similar unsavory traits.
However, in the original plot of the novel, the company’s downfall had little to do with Jiang Han.
He simply remained with the company after it was acquired, eventually rising to the position of “General Manager Jiang.”
Later, he offered considerable “help” to the original owner—though it was purely verbal encouragement.
First, he refused to let him back into the company, claiming that since he wasn’t the one in charge, he couldn’t make that decision.
Second, he refused to lend him money, arguing that he had never taken a single cent from the original owner after his lottery win. He believed in helping in emergencies but not in poverty, as too much kindness could breed resentment.
Even between brothers, accounts should be settled clearly—that was the only way to maintain a lasting relationship.
How righteous and well-reasoned.
Even if his actions were explained to others, no one would say Jiang Han had wronged Pei Ran.
In the end, when Pei Ran fell into poverty and wandered the streets, he couldn’t blame Jiang Han for it.
Half the reason the original Pei Ran chose to disappear was likely because of Jiang Han, this so-called brother.
The person he had truly regarded as a brother, when the time came, no matter how eloquently he spoke, couldn’t hide his indifference.
That hurt more than losing the company.
But for the current Pei Ran, he naturally couldn’t care less about Jiang Han.
He felt no brotherly affection for him whatsoever.
In his view, whatever feelings Jiang Han might have had for the original owner, by the end, there was certainly no trace of genuine friendship left.
Who would refuse to give even a penny for a meal when a good friend is in trouble, claiming it's because they're afraid money would affect their relationship?
No matter how much Pei Ran thought, it was only a moment's consideration.
As soon as Jiang Han named him, Zhou Guoren immediately brightened up, understanding the implication.
As long as he was given a chance to speak, there was an opportunity.
"Manager Jiang, here's what happened. Shen Mianmian from the project department might have a grudge against me. I don't know when I offended her, but she falsely accused me of workplace harassment in front of President Pei. I'm truly wronged—I never did anything. Everyone knows I'm married, and my son is already in elementary school…"
"Mianmian, I really like you. It's not easy for a girl like you to work outside… Be good, and I'll always have your back in the company. You're so fair and delicate—how do you take care of yourself? Your skin is snow-white. Is the rest of your body just as fair? Hehehe, when will you let me take a look…"
Zhou Guoren's tearful lament almost convinced even himself, only to be immediately contradicted by his own drunken voice.
His face flushed bright red, and along with the others watching the spectacle, he turned toward the source of the voice.
Pei Ran and Shen Mianmian stood together, both examining the phone in his hand.
"Is this the file?"
"Seems like it… Hey, how do you turn this off?"
"Hey, why won't it stop?"
Pei Ran's words sounded flustered, but his fingers moved steadily, opening and playing another recording.
Who could say he did it on purpose? He already said he wasn't very good at operating this thing.
As everyone looked at them, he even gestured for them to ignore him and continue.
Continue, my foot!
Jiang Han's expression froze for a moment before turning stern.
"Director Zhou, do you have anything else to say? This is the workplace, and she is your colleague. Strictly speaking, your drunken ramblings could be considered sexual harassment. Alright, don't come to work today. Go home and reflect on your actions. We'll notify you when you can return."
The same treatment was given to Pi Qiu.
It was clear this was meant to be a heavy-handed but ultimately lenient approach—a lot of noise but little action, ending with nothing resolved.
After handling this, Jiang Han turned to Pei Ran with a smile.
"It's about time. How about lunch together? There's a new Japanese restaurant nearby—the food is pretty good."
"Sure."
Pei Ran's expression didn't change at all. He even glanced at his watch and said, "There's still some time, no rush. The police should be here soon. Let's wait until everything is settled before we go."
"…Police?"
Jiang Han had a sinking feeling—was there something else he didn't know about?
But it seemed everyone had reached some unspoken understanding in that moment, and no one stepped forward to explain.
His gaze swept around. Not just Shen Mianmian, but even the female staff nearby were looking at him differently.
That uneasy feeling grew stronger.
Jiang Han had always maintained an excellent image in the company. If not the most popular "company heartthrob," he was at least a well-liked leader.
Far more popular than Pei Ran, the big boss.
Jiang Han didn't know what had happened, but soon enough, the police arrived and cleared up his confusion.
Because of the sexual harassment of female employees by Zhou Guoren and Pi Qiu, Pei Ran had actually called the police.
This clearly wasn't about sweeping the matter under the rug.
Jiang Han immediately thought of his own actions earlier. While some people hadn't reacted yet, he knew they would definitely be furious afterward.
They would lump him together with Zhou Guoren and the others.
Pei Ran was stepping on him to play the good guy.
But did Pei Ran have such cunning?
Various thoughts swirled in Jiang Han's mind, and in the end, he felt it was probably just a coincidence.
Pei Ran wasn't that kind of person.
He was just unlucky, not having grasped the full picture of the situation in time, so he accidentally stepped on a landmine.
Watching Shen Mianmian hand over all the evidence to the police, it was clear Zhou Guoren and Pi Qiu were basically finished.
Jiang Han wanted to say something to salvage his image in the eyes of the employees.
But Pei Ran had already spoken ahead of him: "This company was built from the ground up by me, and I hope it can continue to thrive for a long time. I wasn't aware of the misconduct of some people in the company before, but now that I know, I won't stand by and do nothing. Anyone confirmed to have sexually harassed other employees will be dismissed immediately. That's how it will be handled today, and that's how it will be handled in the future. All employees, including male employees, if you have been harassed and have evidence, you can report it to the police right now. If you don't have evidence yet, you can still tell me about your experience, and I will investigate. Of course, if you encounter such situations in the future, record them immediately or keep message records, and you can either report it to the police or bring it to me."
He was determined to clean up the company's culture.
As ordinary employees, they couldn't help but applaud at this moment.
No matter how many disgusting people there were in the company before, at least their boss was good.
From today onward, they no longer had to worry about being harassed.
As for some others, their expressions were more than just ugly.
Looking at Shen Mianmian, who seemed as soft as a little lamb, if she could produce so much evidence, what about other women? Were they really indifferent to verbal harassment?
That was almost impossible.
Those who engaged in harassing others knew very well how much they were despised.
Sure enough, before long, someone stood up and went over to the police with their phone.
Then, more and more people stood up.
Jiang Han stood beside Pei Ran, looking utterly bewildered.
Meanwhile, Pei Ran was wondering whether, after today, their company would be left with less than half its staff.
They wouldn't even need the male lead to intervene; the company might just go bankrupt on its own.
"Secretary Jin, notify everyone in the company. Let's get this matter settled today."
Thoughts aside, the work still had to be done.
Pei Ran saw the original owner's secretary had arrived and immediately assigned him the task.
Secretary Jin was a man in his thirties, wearing glasses, tall and thin, with a refined demeanor.
Upon hearing Pei Ran's words, his expression remained unchanged, but his gaze lingered on Pei Ran for an extra two seconds.
Then he took out his phone and began working.
The company group chat exploded once again.
[I hereby declare, the boss isn't crazy—he's genuinely been body-snatched.]
[The boss is absolutely amazing, quietly pulling off a major move. From today onward, I declare myself a fan of the boss.]
[What are we waiting for? I declare those scumbags are finished. Send the list to the boss!]
[I second the motion!]
[I second the motion!]
…
About five minutes later, Pei Ran received an electronic document from Secretary Jin.
It listed a total of 18 individuals involved in sexual harassment, including Zhou Guoren and Pi Qiu.
A classic case of a rotten bunch spoiling the barrel.
Fortunately, the number was much smaller than Pei Ran had anticipated.
Most people in the company were still normal, and things hadn't deteriorated to the point of being irredeemable.
Of course, he also understood that among those not on the list, there were some who had joined in the commotion or thought nothing of it.
Although such behavior was also disgusting, they hadn't actually crossed the line into sexual harassment. For now, he could only set these people aside.
The matter was handled swiftly. The police would impose penalties based on the severity of the harassment.
As for Pei Ran, armed with the list and evidence, he immediately instructed Secretary Jin to arrange for the dismissal of all those involved.
Severance pay? Not a single cent.
Moreover, these personnel changes were publicly announced on the company's external platforms.
Finding another job in this industry wouldn't be so easy for these individuals.
The dismissed employees were utterly devastated, and some tried to defend themselves.
"It was really just a joke! I meant no harm. The company can't just fire me like this!"
Pei Ran paid them no mind.
Not everything can be brushed off as a joke or a lack of malicious intent.
The other party involved certainly didn't find it funny.
Once again, the company's security guards proved their worth.
After everything was settled, Pei Ran felt as if the air in the entire company had grown fresher.
"Didn't we say we were going for Japanese food? Let's go."
Pei Ran reached out to Jiang Han, mimicking his earlier gesture by wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
Jiang Han, however, shuddered violently, as if struck by some profound shock.
His gaze toward Pei Ran flickered with an indescribable mix of suspicion and disbelief.
[Author's Note]
Pei Ran (setting up a stall): Hiring employees—no resume needed, just raise your hand~