Courtyard House: Jia Zhangshi! How dare you hit my sister?

Li Youcai frowned, put down his teacup, and was about to ask his secretary a question when the office door was suddenly pushed open with a "bang"!

Duan Peng walked in first, his military uniform crisp and his face stern.

Behind him were fully armed soldiers, and behind them were Qin Huai'an, Zhang Jianguo, and seven or eight excited female workers.

The office was instantly packed to the brim.

Li Youcai was startled and jumped up from his chair. When he saw Duan Peng's shoulder insignia and the soldiers, his heart skipped a beat and an ominous premonition surged into his mind.

But having spent many years in officialdom, he quickly regained his composure, forcing a smile onto his face, though the smile appeared somewhat stiff.

"Fellow comrades... what's going on here? Who is this leader?"

"Duan Peng, Minister of the Armed Forces Department of Dongcheng District," Duan Peng introduced himself, his voice devoid of any warmth.

Minister of Armed Forces!

Li Youcai's heart sank again, and his smile became even more forced.

"So it's Minister Duan! My apologies for not recognizing you! I was unaware of your presence, Minister Duan. What brings you here?"

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Qin Huai'an and the female workers behind Duan Peng, and he began to feel uneasy.

"Instructions?" Duan Peng sneered, stepped forward, and stared intently at Li Youcai.

"Li Youcai, I'm asking you, do you even know the truth about what happened in Workshop One this morning?"

Li Youcai swallowed hard and forced himself to say:

"Minister Duan, I have investigated this matter thoroughly."

"It was Qin Huai'an, the newly arrived security officer, who was violent and beat Wang Defa, the workshop director, without cause, causing him serious injury."

"The nature of this is extremely serious. We have already reported it to the police and are preparing to request the factory's Party Committee to expel him from the factory."

"As for his sister, Qin Huairu, she also bears undeniable responsibility..."

"Bullshit!"

Duan Peng flew into a rage, and his roar was like a thunderclap, making Li Youcai's ears ring and startling everyone else in the office.

"Li Youcai! Even now, you still dare to distort the truth and spout nonsense?!"

Duan Peng pointed to the female workers behind him:

"Look at them! They're all workers in Workshop One!"

"Listen to me clearly now about what they saw with their own eyes, what they experienced firsthand!"

Liu Caifeng was the first to stand up, her eyes red-rimmed, but her voice clear:

"Director Li, this morning, Comrade Qin Huairu was lured into Wang Defa's office, the door was locked, and he attempted to rape her!"

"Many of us heard the struggling sounds inside! Later, Officer Qin kicked the door down and rescued his sister!"

"Wang Defa is a beast! He bullied me before!"

"Yes! Wang Defa frequently groped female workers!"

"We saw it all today!"

"Director Li, you arrived without even asking questions, and you even threatened us not to tell the truth!"

The female workers, one after another, exposed Li Youcai's ugly face that morning and his years of cover-up.

Li Youcai's face turned from red to white, then from white to green, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He never expected that these usually timid female workers would dare to stand up and testify against him!

Even more unexpectedly, the Minister of Armed Forces personally intervened, and clearly had solid evidence!

"You...you're all lying! You've all conspired to frame me!"

Li Youcai was still making a last-ditch effort, but his voice was already weak:

"Minister Duan, you can't just listen to their side of the story! I'm the deputy director of the factory office, and I've made contributions to the factory! This is retaliation!"

"Retaliation?" Duan Peng laughed angrily.

"Li Youcai, look at the men I brought! They are soldiers from the Armed Forces Department! Would we frame a mere deputy director of the factory office for no reason?!"

He slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump around.

"Let me tell you, today we not only interviewed all the eyewitness workers in Workshop One, but we also obtained conclusive evidence that Wang Defa has repeatedly harassed, molested, and even attempted to rape female workers over the years!"

"This includes irrefutable evidence that you abused your power to protect him and threatened the victim!"

"You still dare to argue? Do you really think you can do whatever you want in this tiny corner of the textile factory?!"

Li Youcai was completely overwhelmed by Duan Peng's imposing manner. His legs went weak, and he slumped into a chair, his lips trembling. He could no longer utter any strong words of rebuttal, only able to repeat himself weakly:

"I...I need to report to the factory's Party Committee...I need to report to Secretary Yang...You...you can't do this..."

"Report? Fine!" Duan Peng said coldly.

"You can call right now and summon your factory's Party Secretary, Factory Director, and all the leaders!"

"I, Duan Peng, will be waiting right here!"

"I'd like to see which leader would dare to protect you, a scoundrel who condones his relatives' crimes and oppresses the workers, in the face of overwhelming evidence!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps sounded outside the office.

Several key leaders of the textile factory, including Secretary Yang and Director Zhou, rushed over upon hearing the news—how could they not know about such a commotion?

When the factory leaders saw the fully armed soldiers in the office, the stern-faced Duan Peng, the slumped Li Youcai in his chair, and a group of emotionally charged female workers, they all knew that something serious had happened.

"Minister Duan, hello, hello. I am Yang Weiguo, the Party Secretary of the factory, and this is Zhou Weimin, the factory director..."

Secretary Yang quickly stepped forward, his attitude respectful. The Minister of the Armed Forces Department personally coming to their door, accompanied by soldiers, meant this was definitely a major incident they couldn't cover up.

Duan Peng shook hands with them briefly, without exchanging pleasantries, and went straight to the point:

"Secretary Yang, Director Zhou, you've come at the perfect time."

"I'm here today to inform you of a serious violation of discipline and law that occurred in your factory, and to request the factory's Party Committee to cooperate with us in severely punishing those responsible!"

He concisely and clearly explained Wang Defa's crimes over the years, especially his attempt to rape Qin Huairu today; Li Youcai's egregious acts of protecting his relatives, distorting the truth, and threatening workers; and the evidence gathered by the Armed Forces Department in its preliminary investigation.

Finally, Duan Peng stated firmly:

"Wang Defa's actions constitute suspected attempted rape, and he is a repeat offender who has repeatedly harassed and molested female workers!"

"Li Youcai's actions are a typical example of abuse of power, shielding of criminals, and oppression of the masses!"

"The nature of this act is extremely egregious, and its impact is extremely negative!"

"This must be dealt with strictly and severely in accordance with the law and regulations! We must make an example of such cases!"

Secretary Yang and Factory Director Zhou turned pale and broke out in a sweat.

Although they had heard about Li Youcai's arrogance and Wang Defa's reputation, they did not expect the matter to be so serious, let alone that it would alarm the Minister of Armed Forces to personally lead troops to investigate!

"Minister Duan, we...we will definitely handle this seriously! We will show absolutely no leniency!"

Secretary Yang wiped his sweat and quickly expressed his opinion:

"We will immediately establish an investigation team to thoroughly investigate all issues involving Wang Defa and Li Youcai! Those cases that should be handed over to the judicial authorities will be transferred without delay!"

"Those who deserve expulsion from the Party and the factory will be dealt with without hesitation!"

Factory Director Zhou quickly added, "Our factory will definitely provide proper support and compensation to the female workers who were wronged. Those who deserve compensation will be compensated, and those who need a job adjustment will be reassigned. We will never let good people suffer injustice!"

"We must also commend Comrade Qin Huai'an for his courageous act!"

Li Youcai listened to the factory leaders' words, his face turned ashen, and he slumped completely in his chair, as if his spine had been removed.

He knew he was finished, completely finished.

Not only will they lose their jobs, but they will also likely face severe legal punishment.

Duan Peng looked at Li Youcai's pathetic state, snorted coldly, and said to Secretary Yang and Factory Director Zhou:

"The specific investigation and handling is an internal matter for your factory, but our armed forces department will continue to pay attention to it."

"Also, is Wang De currently in the hospital?"

"Yes, he was sent to the factory hospital. He was seriously injured..." Director Zhou replied quickly.

"Have someone keep a close watch on him!" Duan Peng ordered. "Once his condition stabilizes, immediately hand him over to the public security authorities! Attempted rape, coupled with years of indecent assault—what kind of crime is this?"

"This is a new society; we must not be lenient with these thugs and bullies!"

"Those who deserve to be executed should be executed!"

Secretary Yang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Minister Duan, rest assured, we will definitely cooperate with the public security organs and punish them severely!"