The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 596 Promise (Part 10)

Normally, Qin Huai should wait until the meal is finished, then go home, lie on the sofa, prepare fruit, drinks, and cheese sticks for himself, and while eating, review the memories about Wang Gensheng that he had seen earlier in his mind, organize his thoughts, and then click on "A Memory of Wang Gensheng" to start watching.

This process may seem cumbersome, but it is actually very necessary because Qin Huai rarely reads through Zhao Cheng'an's memories in a short period of time, as he does so with such short intervals as if he were rushing to finish a project.

Qin Huai's memory wasn't that good. If he didn't review the events, he would easily forget what he had written earlier, just like many novelists who, after writing millions of words, would forget what foreshadowing they had planted at the beginning.

But this time Qin Huai didn't want to wait.

He wasn't in a hurry when he was doing Wang Gensheng's task, but after gaining the memories, he didn't want to wait a moment longer.

He just wanted to see it now, immediately, right away, regardless of whether he had forgotten the previous memories. He just wanted to see it.

Once inside Wang Gensheng's memory, there's plenty of time to review what happened before. Wang Gensheng's memories during his work hours are almost entirely devoid of anything interesting; ironically, the vast majority of his memories consist of the monotonous routine of his job.

Qin Huai stood up: "I'm going to the restroom, you guys eat."

Then Qin Huai disappeared like the wind, vanishing into the crowd queuing outside.

Qin Luo was eating a beef pie when she glanced at the barely touched chicken noodle soup in front of Qin Huai and said, "Why is my brother going to the bathroom at this time? The chicken noodle soup won't taste good if it gets cold."

"Brother, can I eat your noodles for you?" Qin Luo shouted at the top of his lungs.

"You can only eat half a bowl at most," Qin Huai's voice drifted in from outside.

Qin Luo happily placed Qin Huai's bowl of noodles in front of her and began to slurp and devour the noodles.

It took Qin Huai a full 10 minutes to squeeze into the staff restroom. The staff restroom was empty. Qin Huai skillfully entered the stall, locked it, and opened the game system.

Find "[A Memory of Wang Gensheng]" and click "Yes".

[Loading memories—]
As Qin Huai had expected, the first place he entered was a familiar one—his office.

The office remained the same, with a few desks piled high with clutter and documents. Wang Gensheng's desk was particularly overwhelmed by files and reports; the calculator, which used to be on top, was now covered with scattered scraps of paper.

Qin Huai glanced at the manuscript paper and found it densely covered with numbers and calculations that were difficult to understand, layer upon layer. It was clear that the person using the manuscript paper was very frugal, as the writing was done in pencil.

There were only two people in the office: Wang Gensheng and his section chief.

Qin Huai glanced at the sky outside the window and noticed it was getting dark. He then looked at Wang Gensheng's clothes; he was dressed very thinly, wearing a thin shirt, and wondered if the sweat stains left on the collar had been washed away and caused discoloration.

It's definitely summer now, so it shouldn't be getting dark early. The fact that there are only two people in the office further indicates that it's well past the normal time to leave work.

Qin Huai turned his gaze to the section chief.

When it was time to leave work, everyone else in the office had left. It was normal for Wang Gensheng to stay and work overtime as usual. However, it was quite unusual for the section chief not to leave or do any work. He was just sitting at his relatively clean and tidy workstation, drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

It's quiet in the office.

Wang Gensheng was engrossed in calculating data, his calculator keys flying across the page. Of course, he didn't always use the calculator; occasionally, he would jot down a few numbers on his draft paper, which is probably why his draft paper was so messy.

Qin Huai thought that even if a corporate spy broke in and stole Wang Gensheng's manuscript, they probably wouldn't be able to understand it. Besides Wang Gensheng, probably no one else could decipher what was written on it.

Wang Gensheng continued working diligently until nightfall.

The section chief finished his tea and his newspaper was worn out; he was getting restless.

"Cough cough." The section chief coughed heavily twice, trying to get Wang Gensheng's attention, but Wang Gensheng didn't move an inch and didn't even raise his head.

Seeing this, the section chief stood up, walked to Wang Gensheng, and knocked heavily on the table next to him, which finally attracted Wang Gensheng's attention. Wang Gensheng stopped what he was doing and looked up.

"Section Chief, you haven't gone back yet?" Wang Gensheng asked, somewhat surprised.

He didn't even notice that there were other people in the office.

Section Chief: ...

The section chief looked at Wang Gensheng speechlessly, his face clearly saying, "Why have I been waiting for you at my workstation for so long?" He cleared his throat, composed himself, and said in a rather serious tone, "Xiao Wang, about what you told me last time..."

Hearing what the section chief said, Wang Gensheng's expression also became serious: "Section chief, I absolutely did not make a mistake in my calculations. There was a problem with the supplies in the logistics department for the first half of the year. Someone must be secretly reselling supplies from within the factory. Although the accounts were done very cleverly, the details don't add up."

"It's not that serious. Before you came, none of the finance staff in our factory were this meticulous in their bookkeeping. It's probably just a small problem that occurred when other accountants were doing their books. You shouldn't report this kind of thing. If the factory manager finds out, the mistake will result in a deduction of bonuses and offend people," the section chief said.

Wang Gensheng was very insistent, his eyes were firm, even stubborn: "Section Chief, this is definitely not a small problem!"

“I’ve done the calculations many times. This week I got other accounts, and I found problems with almost all of them! It’s not just the soap, matches, lard, and coal coupons that were distributed as welfare, but also the cotton cloth and defective products produced in the factory. The defect rate is too high, it’s simply impossible. Even the payment for raw materials is problematic.”

"And the cafeteria, I discovered the cafeteria..."

The section chief was shocked that Wang Gensheng had secretly checked so many accounts behind his back. He immediately scolded him sternly, telling him to stop talking: "Enough!"

Wang Gensheng was taken aback.

The section chief softened his expression slightly: "Xiao Wang, do you know what you're saying?"

"In all these years in the factory, with so many accountants, no one has found any problems, but you have. Can you guarantee that? Do you dare to make a guarantee? Do you dare to take these accounts to the factory manager right now and say that all the accounts you found are problematic, that you are not wrong, and that all the other accountants are wrong? Do you dare?" The section chief's voice gradually rose, like a huge boulder pressing down on Wang Gensheng.

“I dare.” Wang Gensheng said without any hesitation. “Section Chief, I’ve done the calculations many times, and there’s absolutely no problem with them.”

"There must be someone in the factory lining their own pockets, and more than one!"

The section chief was so angry with Wang Gen that he couldn't speak. He wished he could take an axe and split his head open to see what was inside, why he couldn't understand human language, hints, or even threats.

Wang Gensheng thought the section chief still didn't believe him, so he continued, "Section Chief, it's okay if you don't believe me. I can go to the factory manager tomorrow and talk to him. I'm making a formal complaint, and I'll take responsibility for any problems that arise!"

The section chief took a deep breath, and his previously manageable expression became uncontrollable, involuntarily revealing a ferocious look.

"Xiao Wang, have you gone stupid from reading too much?"

Wang Gensheng was stunned again.

"I thought I had made myself clear."

"All the accountants in the factory couldn't find any problems, but you did. So where is the problem?"

Wang Gensheng was taken aback.

"It's good that young people have passion, and I admire you for that. You're down-to-earth, hardworking, and capable, but you only have one problem: you don't know how to be flexible." "A month ago, you reported to me that there were problems with the accounts for the first half of the year. I didn't react at all for the past month, and I assumed you understood."

"And then you reported it to me again yesterday."

"I stayed behind today specifically to wait for you to get off work so we could talk alone. I thought you would understand."

"But you insist that I put it so clearly."

"As you said, the accounting is very clever, and perhaps most people really can't see the problem. But do you think you're the only smart person in the entire factory's finance department? Are you the only one who can see the problem with the accounts? Why are you the only one who pointed it out?"

"Because you're stupid, you're clueless, you can't see the situation clearly, you can't understand the unspoken meaning behind other people's words, you can't even read my expression right now."

"Xiao Wang, I personally have high hopes for you. You are a young man with a bright future. But in the workplace, if you want to move up, you not only need to be capable, but also need to be flexible, know how to get along with people, and be able to see the situation clearly."

Wang Gensheng looked at the section chief with an incredulous expression.

"I know you might not understand if I put it mildly, so I'll tell you the clearest way now."

"Whether there are problems with the accounts or not is none of your business. Your job is to finish the tasks assigned to you and settle the accounts that need to be settled. That's enough."

"It's no use reporting to me, and it's no use reporting to higher-ups. No matter how you report, there will definitely be no problem with the accounts. I haven't dealt with this matter for the past month not because I'm trying to harm you, but because I'm trying to help you."

"Not everyone is the Monkey King, capable of tearing a hole in the sky. Even the Monkey King, after causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace, had to be imprisoned under the Five Fingers Mountain for 500 years."

Wang Gensheng stood there, stunned, speechless for a long time.

The section chief felt he had said enough, at least enough for the most confused young man in the department to understand. He turned to leave when he heard Wang Gensheng say in an unusually firm tone:

"It's no use reporting to you, and it's no use reporting to higher-ups, so I'll go directly to the factory director."

“I don’t believe the factory director was the kind of person who embezzled public funds. He was able to donate 12 gold bars to the cotton mill out of his own pocket back then, so he must not be a bad person.”

"Section Chief, I understand what you're saying. I'll finish writing the complaint tonight and submit it to the factory director's office tomorrow to file a formal complaint."

The section chief was so angry at Wang Gensheng's words that he almost fainted. He pointed at Wang Gensheng, wanting to curse him out, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

"You...you can't understand human speech, can you?"

"Am I teaching you how to file a formal complaint? I'm telling you to shut up!"

Wang Gensheng looked at the section chief with a blank expression and eyes, much like the bewildered protagonist in a crime drama who had investigated a murder case and finally discovered that the mastermind behind it all was actually his own mentor.

"How clearly do you want me to explain myself?"

"Section Chief, you..."

"Xiao Wang, let me put it this way: even if you report it to the factory manager, he can't investigate even if he knows about this situation. Even if he has the ability, he doesn't have the guts to do it unless he's willing to go all in and risk everything."

"And you don't even deserve to be imprisoned under the Five Finger Mountain for 500 years. You will become the perfect scapegoat, expelled and sent back to your place of origin."

“I remember your family wasn’t well-off. Your eldest brother and sister-in-law were both temporary workers, and you had two older brothers and sisters in the Northwest. Your father broke his leg last month and needed surgery, but we didn’t have the money for treatment. He fell at home while repairing the roof, so it wasn’t considered a work injury.”

“Your father is still being kept alive at the factory hospital there with traditional Chinese medicine that is covered by insurance. He can’t have surgery. If this continues, his legs will be ruined.”

"If I remember correctly, your father was a blacksmith. How can he be a blacksmith with a crippled leg?"

“You’ve been saving every penny to pay for your dad’s medical bills, and you even borrowed money from people in the department. I also lent you 5 yuan. I’ve always been pretty good to you.”

"Xiao Wang, I really admire you. I didn't want to be so blunt. You can't get involved in this, so you'd better pretend you don't know. I'll put in a good word for you with others. You're capable, so work with us. With you, the accounts will look even better."

“As long as you behave well, your dad’s medical expenses of a few hundred yuan will be nothing. I was originally thinking that if you are sensible today, I would put in a good word for you in a few days and let you work with us on the accounts. That way, your dad’s medical expenses would be covered and everyone would be happy.”

"Now it's me threatening you."

"Xiao Wang, I really think highly of you. I've been taking good care of you ever since you came to our department."

"That's all I have to say. You can report it to the factory manager directly, but... I can only say that the security situation is not good right now. It's not like our factory hasn't had accidents involving its employees before."

"The compensation for this kind of accident won't be much, definitely not enough to cover your dad's surgery."

"I know your personality; you probably won't figure it out right away. But I believe you're a smart person, and you'll definitely understand. Here's what I'll do: I'll give you five days. You can give me an answer anytime during those five days."

“I know you and Xu Nuo are close, but don’t even think about using Xu Nuo to submit a complaint to the factory director. Xu Nuo is a spendthrift; he can’t handle these things. If something like this happens, he’ll run away faster than anyone else. He’s much smarter than you in this regard.”

"It's getting late, let's go home."

After saying that, the section chief didn't say anything more, turned around and left, not forgetting to turn off the light when he reached the door.

Wang Gensheng was left standing alone in the dark office, lost in thought for a long time, motionless.

Qin Huai watched from the side, but in the darkness he could barely make out Wang Gensheng's face.

Wang Gensheng stood in the office for what seemed like an hour or two, until he heard other people's voices outside.

A very familiar voice.

"Wang Gensheng, Lao Wang, are you in the office? The door is open and the lights are off. Lao Wang, are you in there? I went to your dormitory to look for you, but you weren't there. I went to the cafeteria, but it was closed."

Are you there? If you are, say something.

"You didn't die from overwork because you've been working overtime every day and not eating, did you?"

The voice of the promise came from afar, growing more urgent, and then, with a click of a switch being turned on, the office was lit again.

Wang Gensheng seems to still be alive, but he's mentally impaired. He's standing blankly by the desk, and Xu Nuo is about to take a picture of him.

"What's wrong with you? Working overtime late at night without the lights on, trying to save the factory electricity like this, how can you even see clearly? And you're still standing here, doing mental arithmetic?"

Wang Gensheng instinctively dodged.

Promise: ?
"what happened to you?"

"No...nothing."

(End of this chapter)