Chapter 189 - I’ll Give You Twelve Hours
Translator: Lav
Editor: Seliniaki Ilikia
The factory owner’s surname was Qin. Full name, Qin Huaiyuan. Shi Lei’s house was in the living area of the factory, which five minutes away from the factory itself.
When he arrived at the entrance, he was stopped by the security guards outside. Qin Huaiyuan probably thought that Shi Lei would return to Run Zhou, since he was the only son in the family and it was impossible for him not to know what happened, so he increased the number of guards there for the sake of stopping him.
Faced with three to four buff men, Shi Lei wasn’t stupid. If he forced his way in, he would only be thrown out like his father. Instead, he told them about the miserable condition his family was in. These people were also workers of the factory and their hearts weren’t made of stone. Shi Lei’s story made them feel sorrowful.
His strategy worked. The guards also thought that what happened was too much, including what Qin Huaiyuan decided to do. They told Shi Lei that the people who went to his house were “suspended,” and even the guards’ department head was temporarily “suspended.” And Qin Huaiyuan indeed wasn’t in the factory. After it happened, he went to the district bureau to talk about this. He just ordered more people to prevent Shi Lei from going into the factory and never came back himself.
Shi Lei thanked them and looked over to Qin Huaiyuan’s mansion in the living area.
This factory used to be a large-scaled, state-owned business and had ownership of all productions. When Shi Lei’s family got their house more than ten years ago, it was still a collectively owned business. But they changed their system and in doing so, accepted private capital, eventually becoming privatized.
After the system was changed, Qin Huaiyuan came as the factory owner and manager. This man had some ideas on how the factory should be run. In a span of less than two years, the factory had reversed its financial situation and was in the black again. He also used public funds to build a mansion for himself.
At that time, it was a big news, but since the factory was privately owned, no one could really control what the owner wanted to do. After all, he did save the factory. Although the workers were unhappy, they only discussed it privately amongst themselves.
More than ten years passed and no one mentioned the mansion anymore. It became a little more mysterious. The area around it also became a forbidden area for the workers and their families.
Shi Lei walked quickly toward the mansion. He just reached the front yard when the door opened. A group of fierce young men walked out. They had obviously been hired to protect Qin Huaiyuan, who was probably scared of the Shi family seeking trouble.
“Brat, if you don’t want to be like your father, you’d better not take a single step forward!” The person at the front pointed at Shi Lei and said.
Shi Lei looked at these people and noticed that one of them was his elementary school classmate. He came to the factory after graduating middle school and was now Qin Huaiyuan’s dog.
Shi Lei stopped calmly and said, “Zhao Wei, do you still recognize me? We drank together over the summer holiday. Please tell your colleagues that I’m not here to cause trouble. I just want to ask factory owner Qin about how he plans to deal with what happened to my family.”
Zhao Wei seemed reluctant. He looked at his colleagues and hesitated, but eventually said, “Bros, Shitou was my classmate. He’s by himself too. Can you give me some time to talk to him?”
The people with him looked to the sky. They only had to make sure that Shi Lei didn’t cause any trouble or take one step into the front yard of the mansion. They didn’t really care about the rest.
Zhao Wei walked down the steps to stand in front of Shi Lei. He patted his pockets awkwardly, then pulled out a box of cigarettes and passed one over.
Shi Lei glanced at it. “Yo, you’re even smoking Zhong Hua. Looks like factory owner Qin was really willing to pay. You know I don’t smoke…”
Zhao Wei seemed more awkward. He lit the cigarette and sighed. “Shitou, I know what happened to your family. How’s Uncle Shi now? Ah…this incident…no one really wanted it to turn out like this. The people went overboard, but it was really a surprise for this dispute to escalate…”
Shi Lei patted Zhao Wei’s shoulder. “You don’t need to explain. I’m not blaming you for anything, since you are doing this for your job. But the people who came this morning, even if they did everything for the sake of their jobs, my dad also worked here. Even if they weren’t in the same department, they were still colleagues. How could they do something like that? My dad’s head was smashed and he’s still unconscious. Even if that was an accident, my dad’s leg is broken. It’s not a matter of being heavy-handed anymore. They were basically beating my dad to death. I asked many people, but none of them wanted to tell me the names of those who came this morning, only saying that they were suspended. But Zhao Wei, you know what this suspension actually means. After this incident is over, I’m afraid that not only will they not be fired, they will even be promoted and get a raise for protecting Qin Huaiyuan. I know you definitely won’t let me in, nor will Qin Huaiyuan come out and see me. But please ask him how he plans to deal with this incident involving my family for me. Also, for the sake of us being classmates before, can you tell me the names of the people who came to my house this morning? My mother doesn’t work in the factory, so she wouldn’t know their names.”
Zhao Wei took a deep draft from his cigarette. “Shitou, don’t act reckless,” he said in alarm. “Those people shouldn’t be meddled with. Although they’re my colleagues, I still have to bow when I see them.”
Shi Lei stared at him without looking away. Zhao Wei finished one cigarette and lit another. “Shitou, it’s not that I don’t want help you, but I’m just a guard at the front door. Unless the factory owner leaves the house, I can’t see him either. But I’ll try. If he shows up, I’ll try to ask. As for the rest…”
“I want those people’s names. Don’t worry, I won’t take revenge privately. You know that I’m by myself, so there’s no way for me to do that. I’ve already went through the legal procedures and contacted a prominent lawyer in the province. She accepted the case. But I need to at least know the names of those people, right?”
Zhao Wei’s eyes flashed for some time, but he still didn’t tell Shi Lei anything. He sighed and patted the other’s shoulder again. “Tell Qin Huaiyuan that I’ll give him twelve hours,” Shi Lei said. “It’s 4 PM. if he doesn’t give me a clear answer on how he plans to deal with this incident before 4 AM tomorrow, then don’t blame me for doing something he can’t stand.”
It was very clear that Qin Huaiyuan was going to protect those people. The police station’s attitude also made it clear, and even with Zhang Meimei’s intervention, the outcome didn’t look very optimistic.
After getting the Black Card, Shi Lei had been threatened by death many times. He thought about it clearly. If he didn’t receive an appropriate solution and if those people, including Qin Huaiyuan, weren’t punished justly, then he would resort to extraordinary measures. If worst came to the worst, he would just have to burn both jade and common stone together, since he didn’t know when he would die by the Black Card either way.
With that said, Shi Lei turned around and left. Zhao Wei looked at Shi Lei’s back, finished smoking, ground the cigarette butt under his heel, and eventually cursed. “F*ck you! Why the hell are you threatening me!? It wasn’t me who smashed your dad’s head! Shitou, I’m only warning you for the sake of us being classmates before. If you are unable to tell good from bad, then don’t say I know you if we meet again!”
To Zhao Wei’s surprise, Shi Lei turned around and smiled faintly. “Remember, twelve hours.”