My Terrible Life in Those Years

By Saturday, I had a general idea of ​​the stable cooperative relationship between Baldy and Wu Bo.

But I still didn't expect that he would actually go and ask my superior for such a small amount of money and such a trivial matter.

To file a complaint?

I underestimated the close relationship between them, it seems.

Seeing his slightly smug, chubby face, I could almost tell that Wu Bo might have said something to him.

"Hello Manager Wu, this is Jiang Ning."

"What are you doing, Jiang Ning? Why are you bringing up lost wages out of the blue? Have you lost your mind? Do you even know how long Mr. Qian and our company have been working together? How can you side with that migrant worker who's trying to extort money? Whose company are you, anyway?"

I could tell from the phone call that this guy was quite furious!

So, is this direct questioning tone a follow-up to the beating?

I was somewhat surprised by his attitude.

It was an accident, but I'm not someone who's unprepared for an explanation!

Besides, Wu Bo, which company do you work for? It's like you're in cahoots with that bald contractor!

The bald man watched me being humiliated on the phone with a cold laugh.

As he spoke, I was thinking.

How should I respond?

I looked at the bald man quite seriously, and then waited for Wu Bo to finish his spiel like firecrackers.

I spoke into the phone in a voice thirty decibels louder than usual:

"Manager Wu, you've completely wronged me! I was only thinking of Mr. Qian's best interests at heart!"

The bald guy, who already had a pair of bull-like eyes, was waiting to see me make a fool of myself and get humiliated. Little did he expect that I would actually say those words. His eyes widened even more, almost like copper bells!

No exaggeration!

Are all intellectuals these days so shameless? Are they just blatantly lying?

They're obviously trying to make me spend money, and they still say it's for my own good?

Isn't it said that knowledgeable people are definitely not scoundrels?

Wu Bo was slightly taken aback when he heard what I said.

This statement was completely unexpected.

"What did you say? You're thinking of President Qian's best interests??" After a pause of more than ten seconds, he repeated my words.

"Tell him to spend more money, tell him to think about him?" He said everything that Qian Daguangtou was thinking.

I clapped my hands: "That's right, Manager Wu! This time, I really am 100% acting in his best interest!"

Seeing how certain I was and how assertive I was, Wu Bo's confidence was immediately dampened by my tone.

He barely suppressed his anger: "Then tell me, how did you manage to think of him?"

If I can't come up with a suitable, profound explanation, I reckon I'll have to keep hitting them with the stick.

There's definitely no going back to Sales Department 1!

"When that injured worker was brought in a couple of days ago, didn't I mention that someone was filming him and the incident?"

Wu Bo's tone remained cold: "What does this have to do with Mr. Qian's lost wages?"

I chuckled, thinking that Manager Wu had lost his ability to think clearly because he was so angry.

But that's good too; when you lose the ability to think, it's easier to handle things.

"When I brought him to the hospital on Saturday, I noticed someone was following us with a camera and filming." I started from the beginning. To find a reason that could convince him, there had to be a beginning and an end to make him believe it, right?

"What?" He only just came to his senses.

"Yeah, didn't I arrange for Mr. Qian to come over today to check on that worker and sort out the payment details between our two companies? Guess what I saw at the hospital?"

I set up a question for him; he was in a bad mood, and I needed to guide his thinking.

Sure enough, his tone was still unpleasant, but it wasn't as gloomy as before.

"What did you see? Is someone there with a camera again?"

I slapped my thigh: "That's right, Manager Wu, you are indeed experienced and quick-witted. You came up with this problem right away."

There was a moment of silence on the phone.

Do you know who the other person is?

I pretended to think for a moment, then said, "I can't quite tell. But I saw a car from the Huacheng Daily parked at the hospital. Could it be them?"

"Did you see clearly?" Wu Bo was clearly surprised.

"It's very clear! On the front of the vehicle, it says something like 'Huacheng Daily Access Permit'! Big, bright red characters, very eye-catching!" I said confidently.

"So, did someone go into the ward to find out what happened from that worker, or were they doing an interview?"

His thinking has finally returned to normal and he's starting to make sense again.

While talking to him, I quickly went through the logical chain in my mind.

On Saturday, a stadium incident involving a worker falling and getting injured, migrant workers, vanity projects, and vulnerable groups—any one of these factors could easily become a hot topic in current affairs and news.

Especially in such developed areas, in addition to their fast building speed, they are also quite efficient at catching news and trending topics.

Furthermore, I didn't bring this up abruptly. Instead, I spoke from their perspective as news-seekers: their visit to the hospital to check on the subsequent developments was exactly what those journalists with a keen sense of news would do!

"No one has come to interview that worker yet!"

The bald guy doesn't have that sensitivity, but I believe Wu Bo does have that professional intuition.

His temper had subsided by this point.

But I could still hear the displeasure in his heart and the significant drop in his opinion of me.

"Why are you so nervous if you couldn't get an interview? You're so concerned for the worker, speaking up for him and advocating for him. What's your relationship with him?"

I chuckled. Goodness, this guy, once he relaxed, started splashing dirty water again.

"Right now, we haven't been able to get an interview, perhaps because we haven't found the worker's ward number. But, Manager Wu, it's always better to be safe than sorry."

I paused, then continued in a rather low voice, "What if, by any chance, they come looking for us, and the workers are honest and won't lie, and they tell us everything? What then?"

"If one contractor doesn't do the work, they can just find another. But what about us? We're a firmly established, soon-to-be-listed company. If a news story like this comes out..."

I didn't say anything more after that, but I believe he understood what I wanted to say.

To put it bluntly, we cannot release news like this at this time.

Therefore, it would be entirely beneficial for us if the bald guy contributed a little money.

He remained silent for another ten seconds. He was about to get angry and tell me to get out of Sales Department 1, but my words suddenly threw him off balance.

Just as I was about to end the call, there suddenly seemed to be some commotion on the other end. Someone was shouting, "Manager Wu, Manager Wu, General Manager Liu wants everyone back for a meeting!"

Not only was I surprised, but Wu Bo on the phone was also surprised. How long had it been since President Liu had returned to the company? Why was he suddenly calling a big meeting as soon as he came back? What happened?

Just as he was wondering how to end that frustrating call, he received this message and immediately said on the phone, "Get the paperwork done and get back to the company for a big meeting!"

I easily put the phone away and handed it back to the bald man.

"Mr. Qian, Manager Wu said, 'You've gone to so much trouble! Thank you later!'"

Qian Daguangtou opened his mouth but couldn't speak. Damn, how come this result is so different from what I imagined!

At this moment, nurse Ma Li ran out again. Her nurse uniform was a bit tight, and as she ran, the outline of the nameplate could be clearly seen swaying.

After she ran over, she added insult to injury: "Oh, there's one more thing I forgot to mention, don't forget to pay for the nutritional supplements!"

Sweat beaded on the top of the bald man's head again.

The nurse and I exchanged a glance, and a unspoken understanding flowed between our eyes!