“Report us to the police?”
Shen Zhiwei laughed instead. “Team Leader Li, our house is right here. Go ahead and take whatever you want according to your documents. But I also want to ask the police a few questions.”
“Without official papers, barging into the home of a cadre’s family, smashing things, threatening them, damaging property isn’t that endangering our safety?”
“By the way, didn’t the provincial inspection team just arrive? They specifically investigate grassroots violations. Maybe I should report this to them too?”
Li Jianye was completely enraged. Looking at this reckless woman before him, hatred boiled straight to his head.
“You little brat! Don’t take advantage of my kindness! You refuse a toast and drink the penalty drink instead. Come with me! Let me show you how I deal with you!”
He reached out to grab Shen Zhiwei’s arm.
“Trying to lay hands on me, and you want to take me away?”
Gu Yanzhou appeared beside Shen Zhiwei without anyone noticing. His fingers, iron-strong, clamped down on Li Jianye’s hand.
Li Jianye gritted his teeth in pain. “Let go! Let go!”
Gu Yanzhou released him, eyes sharp and icy. “Shen Gong’s research materials have already been handed over to the military. Your factory has no right to interfere. As for this house…” He glanced around the empty room. “Take it if you want.”
Li Jianye massaged his wrist, shocked and terrified. “Y… you guys!”
Facing Gu Yanzhou’s piercing gaze, he dared not say much, shaking the red slip in his hand. “Let go! We’re from the Revolutionary Committee!”
“Being from the Revolutionary Committee gives you the right to arbitrarily seize people?”
“Defaming, intimidating, intending to harm civilians Li Jianye, I think you’ve had enough!”
The guards he brought immediately stepped forward, forming a protective circle around Shen Zhiwei.
Wang Qiang and the other red armbands were pale with fear, not daring to act rashly.
Though the house was technically under their control, the core materials and the family’s safety had been secured.
Shen Zhiwei’s gaze was icy. This was only the beginning; now it was time to go after the real masterminds.
“Have some water.” She sat on the edge of the bed, pouring a bit of spring water from the spirit spring into it.
“Mom, how are you feeling?”
Yulan’s formerly pale face gradually regained some color. “My head doesn’t hurt as much.”
Shen Zhiwei felt a lump in her throat.
“Zhiwei, this water is so sweet.”
“I added a bit of sugar, just to trick you into drinking some water.”
She didn’t say more, turning toward the desk where her father, Shen Guodong, was bent over organizing papers.
“Dad, I’ve sorted all of these.” She handed him a kraft paper bag containing her father’s most important manuscripts.
Shen Guodong took it, a faint look of relief appearing on his tired face. “Zhiwei, thanks to you this time.”
Shen Zhiwei’s nose tingled.
In her previous life, her mind had been full of Chen Weidong, never caring about her parents, not even knowing how important her father’s research really was.
“Dad… I want a divorce from Chen Weidong.” She said suddenly.
Shen Guodong was momentarily stunned. “I was foolish before, thinking children’s matters were none of my business. I advised you, but you didn’t listen. Now I understand.”
“Chen Weidong has ill intentions. I’m glad you can take the step to divorce him.”
She looked at her father’s aged but understanding face, and hot tears silently streamed down her cheeks.
“Dad, I’ll handle the compensation talks and the factory’s demotion issues.”
“Those old schemers aren’t easy to deal with.”
Shen Zhiwei smiled slightly, her eyes resolute. “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
At the city machinery factory meeting room, smoke curled in the air.
Shen Zhiwei pushed the door open. The room was full of men factory leaders, key technicians, and Revolutionary Committee representatives all eyes turned sharply toward her, filled with undisguised scorn and evaluation.
“Where’s Engineer Shen?” Wang Qiang sneered from the head of the table. “Sending a little girl? Are you giving up, or do you just look down on us?”
“My father has fully entrusted me to handle this,” Shen Zhiwei said calmly, taking out the letter of authorization and sitting down on her own, her presence radiating confidence.
“Nonsense!”
Wang, the director of the technical department, scowled at her. “This is about national matters, not child’s play! Little Shen, take my advice sign this document. The factory will generously give you a few dozen yuan as compensation, and this matter will be settled!” He pushed forward a so-called “handling opinion.”
Others quickly chimed in, their words dripping with condescension and coercion.
Shen Zhiwei looked at the document that sought to nail her father to the pillar of shame. Memories of her father dying unjustly in her previous life stabbed at her nerves.
Anger flared in her chest, but her face remained impassive.
These parasites drank her father’s lifeblood and now wanted to shatter his bones!
She slowly lifted her head, scanning the room. “I understand your point. All the responsibility lies with my father, and the factory magnanimously shows mercy, which we should be grateful for. Is that right?”
“That’s right! Know your place!” Wang Qiang thought she had submitted.
But Shen Zhiwei suddenly stood and walked to the worn blackboard, picking up a piece of chalk.
“Since the leaders doubt my technical knowledge,” her voice cut through the chatter like ice, “let me ask this: Vice Director Wang, in the bearing project you oversee, the scrap rate remains high, slowing down the entire factory’s production. Who is responsible for this loss?”
Wang Qiang’s face paled. “Who told you that nonsense?!”
“Let’s speak with data.” Shen Zhiwei’s wrist moved, and a few lines of formulas and simple diagrams appeared clearly on the board.
“With this improved process, costs drop by 30%, lifespan doubles, and scrap rate can be controlled under 2%. My father proposed this in last year’s report, but you dismissed it as unrealistic.”
The meeting room fell completely silent.
Several veteran technicians leaned toward the blackboard, eyes wide, breathing rapid.
“Wow! This approach is brilliant!”
“If this is true, it’s a major technical breakthrough!” The bespectacled senior technician’s hands shook with excitement.
Li Jianye couldn’t understand it, but instinctively felt something was wrong. He slammed the table. “Nonsense! What does a woman know about technology!”
Shen Zhiwei turned, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Of course Team Leader Li doesn’t understand. You can’t even recite basic formulas. You only secured your position through bribery and snitching. Are you satisfied pocketing kickbacks from the sale of the factory’s scrap metal?”
Before he could respond, her attention shifted to Wang Qiang.
“And you, Vice Director Wang! You’ve been reselling the factory’s steel allocation slips. I brought all the records!”
“You are nothing but a swarm of parasites hollowing out this factory, yet you try to smear my father!”
Smash!
She slammed the chalk on the podium, snapping it in half.
Step by step, she approached a pale and trembling Wang Qiang. “Now.”
“Do you still want my father to sign this confession? Or shall I directly invite the provincial inspection team to see just how many demons and devils are hiding in this machinery factory?”
Wang Qiang shook all over, cold sweat streaming down, unable to utter a word.
The factory party secretary trembled to his feet, utterly panicked. “Comrade Shen! It’s a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding! We’ll immediately rework the compensation plan! We’ll make sure Engineer Shen and you are satisfied!”
Shen Zhiwei stood firm, coldly surveying the leaders who had crumbled in an instant.
“Then, very well. Let’s talk properly.”