Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

Among the workers watching the commotion, some were particularly sensitive about family background, and after hearing Liu Fang's words, they all joined in the discussion.

Some people felt that hiring someone from a capitalist family was indeed inappropriate, while others whispered that Jiang Xinyue's written and interview scores were outstanding and that she shouldn't be completely dismissed based solely on her background.

Zhao Lei, who was upstairs, heard the entire conversation downstairs. His cigarette burned down to his fingertips; he flicked away the ash, his brow furrowed deeply.

Zhao Lei understood that Liu Fang and her group were using the issue of their family background to cause trouble.

Unwilling to accept defeat in the interview, he seized upon Jiang Xinyue's family background to try and snatch the spot back.

Just as the situation was getting increasingly out of control, footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

Deputy Factory Director Li rushed back and saw a large group of people gathered downstairs making a fuss. His face immediately darkened.

"What's all the noise downstairs! Are you all crowding here during working hours? Don't you get anything done?"

Deputy Factory Director Li's loud voice instantly quieted the noisy crowd downstairs.

Standing by the window, Zhao Lei turned to look at Deputy Factory Director Li.

"Brother Li, you're finally back. There's been quite a commotion down there, all about Jiang Xinyue's recruitment."

Deputy Factory Director Li quickly walked to the window and looked down. When he saw that the troublemakers were Liu Fang and her group, he immediately sighed.

"I knew trouble would arise. Section Chief Zheng already had concerns about Jiang Xinyue's family background, and now with Liu Fang and the others causing this, things are even more difficult. Come on, let's go downstairs."

The two walked down the stairs, and just as they reached the entrance of the finance department, Liu Fang spotted Deputy Factory Director Li and immediately turned her attention to him.

"Deputy Factory Director Li, you've come at the right time! We have a problem to report! Section Chief Zheng is showing favoritism by trying to hire Jiang Xinyue, who comes from a capitalist family, into the factory. We absolutely refuse to allow it!"

Seeing that more and more workers were gathering around, Liu Fang became even more confident and put on a fierce and unreasonable act.

Liu Fang put her hands on her hips, leaned forward, and shouted at the top of her lungs, deliberately stirring up trouble among the workers watching from all around.

"Fellow workers, please be the judge! Our state-owned factory values ​​a clean and honest background when hiring workers!"

We, a group of people from generations of working-class and peasant families, honestly participated in the interviews, only to be rejected without warning!

Liu Fang pointed directly at the entrance of the finance department, her tone sharp and sarcastic.

"And what was the result? They hired someone from a capitalist family! What kind of trend is this? This is a corrupt practice!"

Section Chief Zheng is blatantly abusing his power for personal gain, using the factory's rules to curry favor!

If we don't get to the bottom of this today, this unhealthy trend will only get worse tomorrow, and we ordinary workers will never have a chance to get ahead!

Sun Xiaolian, who was standing nearby, quickly chimed in, adding fuel to the fire.

"That's right! Why should people from shady backgrounds get into the factory? We kids from respectable families are the ones who get pushed out! It's completely unfair!"

The two worked in unison, their rhetoric highly persuasive.

Workers in this era were extremely sensitive to their social class, and with Liu Fang and Sun Xiaolian leading the way, the onlookers were instantly swayed.

Those who were originally neutral observers began to nod and agree, and a barrage of accusations immediately rained down on Section Chief Zheng.

"That's right, people from capitalist backgrounds really shouldn't be hired!"

"No wonder those of us who work hard weren't chosen; it was all pre-arranged!"

"Section Chief Zheng is using his official position to curry favor; everyone deserves an explanation!"

The crowd was in an uproar, with accusations rising and falling, and the scene was completely out of control.

The commotion in the factory area was so loud that the security personnel quickly arrived at the scene. Three or four security guards rushed to the scene to try to disperse the crowd and maintain order.

However, Liu Fang was accompanied by five or six interviewees who had failed the interview, plus a large number of workers who had been incited to watch.

The crowd was agitated and refused to listen to advice or disperse.

The security department dared not take forceful action and could only remain in a stalemate, resulting in chaos at the scene.

Just as tensions were rising, Deputy Factory Director Li led Zhao Lei and quickly squeezed into the crowd.

Deputy Factory Director Li's face was ashen, and his aura was extremely imposing. He immediately shouted angrily, "You're all gathering here, making noise and disrupting the factory's order! Who gave you the audacity! Quiet down!"

The noisy crowd fell silent instantly, and everyone instinctively shut up and made way.

Deputy Factory Director Li glanced around and immediately fixed his gaze on Liu Fang, who was leading the disturbance, his brows furrowing deeply.

"Liu Fang! As a staff member in the factory's personnel department, you should be upholding factory rules and calming the workers' emotions. Instead, you're leading a disturbance and inciting conflict among the workers! Does Liu Fang even know what she's doing?"

Liu Fang, who had been arrogant and domineering just moments before, instantly changed her attitude upon seeing the factory leaders arrive.

Her fiery temper vanished instantly, and she immediately slumped her shoulders, adopting a wronged and innocent look, her eyes slightly reddening, her tone soft and helpless.

"Deputy Factory Director Li, you've misunderstood me. How could I dare to lead a disturbance! It's just that these comrades who didn't get the job are dissatisfied and have been coming to me repeatedly to complain."

They say the recruitment process was unfair and the background checks weren't strict enough. I was pressured by everyone and had no choice but to ask for justice on their behalf; I absolutely didn't mean to cause trouble.

Section Chief Zheng, standing to the side, looked aggrieved and complained repeatedly: "Director Li, you must investigate! I followed the recruitment process exactly, scoring and registering employees."

Jiang Xinyue achieved top scores in the written test, practical skills test, and interview, fully meeting the recruitment standards.

It was Comrade Liu Fang who instigated this, escalating a minor issue into a major smear campaign against the recruitment process!

Deputy Factory Director Li's face darkened considerably. He immediately said, "Stop arguing at the door. Liu Fang, Sun Xiaolian, and Section Chief Zheng, the three of you come into my office and explain the whole story!"

The others dared not disobey and obediently followed towards the office building. Zhao Lei followed behind without saying a word, quietly watching the whole thing unfold.

Zhao Lei was secretly puzzled. He couldn't understand why Liu Fang, a senior staff member in the factory, was so fixated on Jiang Xinyue, deliberately targeting and making things difficult for her every time.

The group entered the office and closed the door.

As soon as she sat down, Liu Fang immediately started playing the victim and feigning grievance, speaking in a weak tone and trying to absolve herself of any responsibility.

"Director Li, I really have no choice in this situation. I work in the personnel department, and my coworkers come to me with their grievances and questions."

If I ignored it, people would just say I was inactive and putting on airs. I was pushed to step forward by everyone; I had no selfish motives and never intended to cause trouble.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Xiaolian immediately took over the conversation and began to launch into a frantic accusation, exaggerating and embellishing the story to the extreme.

In order to completely ruin Jiang Xinyue's reputation and squeeze out Jiang Xinyue's job, Sun Xiaolian said everything she could to smear her, regardless of whether it was true or false.

"Deputy Factory Director Li, even if Sister Liu didn't do it on purpose, Jiang Xinyue absolutely cannot be hired!"