Phi-Fic Chapter 339 It's just a compromise, not an admission of loss.
Chapter 339 It's just a compromise, not an admission of loss.
The snow was still falling. The car was parked on the side of the road, the engine was still running, the heater was blowing, and a layer of fog covered the glass. Zhao Hu took a rag and wiped it, looking out the window at the building where Wu Yong lived.
Ling Yun sat in the back seat with his eyes closed.
Zhao Hu glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "President Ling," he said softly, "I don't quite understand."
Ling Yun opened his eyes. "What?"
"Just let them go like that?" Zhao Hu said. "Yang Peng, Wu Yong, and that Chen Jian, they almost got Wei Guo locked up."
Ling Yun didn't speak.
Zhao Hu waited a few seconds, then spoke again, "We have evidence. Chen Jian's recording, Yang Peng's confession, and Wu Yong's confession. If we hand them over to the police, they'll all be in jail."
Ling Yun looked at him. "And then?"
Zhao Hu was taken aback. "What, then?"
"Where is Zhao Weiguo?"
Zhao Hu opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Ling Yun leaned back in his seat. "It's a fact that Wei Guo assaulted someone. He suffered broken ribs and a head injury, a minor injury, level two. Regardless of who Chen Jian is, or whether he deliberately staged the accident, Wei Guo did it, so he has to take responsibility."
Zhao Hu remained silent.
"I'll send Yang Peng and Wu Yong in," Ling Yun continued. "Then Chen Jian's letter of understanding will be gone. Chen Jian hates them for betraying him, and he hates Wei Guo even more for hitting him. He'll tear Wei Guo apart in court. It's a minor injury, level two, less than three years. Wei Guo will have to go to jail."
Zhao Hu clenched his fists. "Then...then we just accept it like this?"
Ling Yun shook his head. "It's not admitting it, it's compromising."
"compromise?"
"Chen Jian's letter of understanding will secure Yang Peng and Wu Yong's safety," Ling Yun said. "I'm here today to tell them that I have leverage over them. If they stay put and don't cause trouble, this matter will be over. Chen Jian has signed the letter of understanding, Wei Guo is out, and they can continue being their salespeople. Nobody should cause any trouble."
Zhao Hu remained silent for a few seconds.
"What if they don't behave?"
Ling Yun looked at him.
"Then they have to go in," he said. "Chen Jian has to go in, Yang Peng has to go in, Wu Yong has to go in. Wei Guo has to go in too. Nobody can escape."
Zhao Hu frowned.
"Then...did Wei Guo suffer for nothing?"
Ling Yun shook his head. "It wasn't for nothing. Once Wei Guo gets out, there are plenty of ways to deal with it."
Zhao Hu looked at him. "What method?"
"Yang Peng and Wu Yong are employees of Yixiang," Ling Yun said. "It's hard to say whether their actions were personal or authorized by the company. But they represent Yixiang, and Yixiang has always been a competitor of us in the Shandong market."
Zhao Hu's eyes lit up. "You mean...?"
"In the business world," Ling Yun said, "we'll use commercial means. Once Wei Guo is out, we can do whatever we want. We'll squeeze Yixiang out of Shandong and make it impossible for them to stay there. Yang Peng and Wu Yong will lose their jobs once their performance is gone. In a company like Yixiang, once employees are no longer valuable, they'll be fired faster than anyone else."
Zhao Hu thought for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."
"Let's go. We'll go to the police station first thing tomorrow morning."
January 27, 1998, 9:00 AM.
Nanjing, Xuanwu District Public Security Bureau.
Chen Jian stood in the corridor, his face ashen, his hands bandaged and his head wrapped in bandages. Two men in plainclothes stood beside him, arranged by Wang Degui. They had talked with Chen Jian for a while last night, clarifying everything that needed to be said.
Ling Yun walked over, and Chen Jian saw him and his eyes darted away.
Ling Yun ignored him and went straight into the duty room.
The middle-aged policeman was still there. When he saw Ling Yun come in, he looked up.
"here we go again?"
Ling Yun sat down opposite him. "Chen Jian's letter of understanding will be signed today."
The middle-aged policeman paused for a moment, "He's come to his senses?"
"I've figured it out."
The middle-aged policeman looked at him with a complicated expression. "What did you do?"
Ling Yun shook his head. "He figured it out himself."
The middle-aged policeman didn't ask any more questions. He stood up and went into the office inside. After a while, he came out with a few sheets of paper.
"Let Chen Jian sign."
Ling Yun took the paper and walked out.
Chen Jian's hand trembled slightly when he saw the papers.
"Sign the document," the person next to him said.
Chen Jian took the pen, signed his name on the paper, and pressed his fingerprint on it.
Ling Yun put away the letter of understanding and turned to walk into the duty room.
The middle-aged policeman took it, looked at it, and nodded.
"Alright," he said. "Zhao Weiguo can be released on bail. Once the formalities are completed, he can be out this afternoon."
Ling Yun nodded.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Zhao Weiguo came out.
He had lost weight and had bruises on his face, but he seemed to be in good spirits. He paused for a moment when he saw Ling Yun standing at the door.
"Brother Yun..." Zhao Weiguo walked over and stood in front of him.
Ling Yun looked at him and said, "We'll talk about it when we get back."
Zhao Weiguo nodded.
Zhao Hu drove the car over. The two got in.
The car started and drove away from the police station.
After driving for more than ten minutes, Zhao Weiguo spoke up, "Ling Yun, I'm sorry."
Ling Yun didn't turn around. "Between us, there's no need for apologies."
"I'm sorry to have troubled you," Zhao Weiguo said. "You came all this way, and I'm sorry to have troubled you..."
"Alright, get some rest, and think about how to deal with them. We can't let this go unpunished." Ling Yun interrupted him.
Zhao Weiguo didn't say anything more.
January 1999, Jinan.
After returning, Zhao Weiguo rested for only three days before going back to work at the company.
First, I went to Jinan and adjusted the franchise policy for Xinghuo Internet Cafe. Then I went to Qingdao, Yantai, and Weifang, visiting more than a dozen cities in a month.
Wherever he went, he would visit local computer malls and electronics markets to learn about the sales of his imaginary computers.
In March, he returned to Jinan.
"We've got a pretty good grasp of the situation," he said to Lingyun.
In April, Xinghuo Technology launched the "Education System Special Procurement Plan," offering complete computer equipment upgrade solutions for primary and secondary schools and vocational schools in Shandong Province. The price is 20% lower than Yixiang's, and includes three years of free maintenance.
The Shandong Provincial Department of Education announced the "List of Pilot Schools for Information Technology Construction in Primary and Secondary Schools in the Province", which includes 120 schools. Xinghuo Technology won the bid for 98 of them.
In June, the sales director of Yixiang's Shandong branch was called to a meeting by headquarters. Upon his return, the entire Shandong team was laid off by 30%, including Yang Peng and Wu Yong.
On the day Yang Peng was laid off, he sat in the office all afternoon. No one spoke to him, and no one saw him off. He packed his things and walked out by himself.
Wu Yong fared slightly worse. He worked at Yixiang for eight years, and when he was laid off, he received half of his severance pay. HR claimed he had engaged in irregular practices, and the evidence was conclusive.
He was dissatisfied and went to see his supervisor. His supervisor refused to see him, so he went to headquarters to see the sales director. The director said that the investigation had been completed, and the company hadn't sued him, just laid him off; he should be grateful.
In the end, he left dejectedly. After working like a slave for so many years, he was always talking about his merits and hardships, but capitalists only cared about whether you had any value.
I heard that he later went to work for a small company as a salesperson, but his performance was poor, and he was fired after three months.
Yang Peng fared a little better. He used his compensation to open a small shop selling computer parts. Business was so-so, just enough to make ends meet.
On one occasion, he ran into Zhao Weiguo at the computer mall.
Zhao Weiguo was with several customers, looking at the goods. Yang Peng was standing at the entrance of his shop when he saw him and paused for a moment.
Zhao Weiguo also saw him, and the two stared at each other for a second.
Zhao Weiguo didn't say anything and continued walking forward.
Yang Peng stood there, watching his back until he disappeared from sight.