Courtyard House: In times of famine, my hamster became a spirit.

In the interrogation room.

Sha Zhu was leaning back in his chair, looking completely nonchalant. There was no fear of being caught red-handed on his face; instead, there was even a hint of disdainful mockery.

"Section Chief Wang, aren't you tired?"

Sha Zhu tilted his head, spat, and said, "I've said it eight hundred times, those are the kitchen rules! Cooks don't steal, and they don't accept grains. The factory manager hasn't said anything, so why are you arguing with me? What, do you think you know more about managing a factory than the factory manager?"

Wang Zhenggang sat opposite him, his hand gripping the pen so tightly it nearly snapped in two. Having served in the military for many years before transferring to the security department, he couldn't stand these shameless individuals who considered exploiting others a badge of honor.

"He Yuzhu! Watch your attitude!" Wang Zheng slammed his hand on the table. "This is an interrogation! Caught red-handed, that's called stealing public property! A pound of pork belly is enough to get you a few years in jail!"

"Who are you trying to scare?" Sha Zhu rolled his eyes, looking completely unfazed. "Don't try to intimidate me with legal articles. Let me tell you, Deputy Factory Director Li loves my special meals. Without me, who will serve him his hospitality? If you dare to mess with me, can you handle the consequences if Director Li blames you?"

Outside the interrogation room, Zhou Jianguo stood quietly in the shadows of the corridor, arms crossed.

His eyes peered through the half-open door, watching the farce unfold inside.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

Yi Zhonghai was covered in sweat, and his face, which usually wore a stern mask, was now full of ingratiation and anxiety.

He bent slightly, leading the way, muttering repeatedly, "Director Li, please slow down. This is really a misunderstanding. Zhu Zi is just a kind-hearted kid, afraid of things going to waste..."

Following behind him was a middle-aged man wearing a sharp Zhongshan suit and with his hair slicked back.

The man had a slightly protruding belly, and his face bore the air of composure and arrogance cultivated from his long-term high position.

It was Li, the deputy director of the steel rolling mill in charge of logistics.

When Deputy Factory Director Li walked to the door of the interrogation room, he did not go in immediately, but first glanced around with his peripheral vision.

When he saw Zhou Jianguo in the corner, his gaze lingered for only half a second.

In his eyes, these low-level workers were simply beneath his notice.

"Cough cough."

Deputy Factory Director Li cleared his throat and pushed open the door to enter.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Wang Zhenggang had no choice but to stand up and salute: "Director Li."

"Zhenggang, why did you make such a commotion?" Deputy Factory Director Li waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities, and then his gaze fell on Shazhu.

As soon as Sha Zhu saw his savior arrive, he immediately started yelling at the top of his lungs, "Director Li! You've finally come! Please be the judge! I just wanted to take some leftovers home, but they insist it's theft! I can't live like this anymore!"

Deputy Factory Director Li frowned, turned to look at Wang Zhenggang, and said with a hint of reproach in his tone, "Comrade Zhenggang, you have to be careful how you treat your own brothers. Comrade He Yuzhu is a key technical member of our factory, and his Tan family cuisine is famous. Sometimes, there are indeed some unwritten rules in the kitchen, and you can't generalize."

Wang Zhenggang took a deep breath and pointed to the pot of braised pork on the table, an irrefutable piece of evidence: "Director Li, this isn't leftovers. This is over a pound of good meat! If this is considered a habit, then can all the thousands of workers in the factory take steel home as a habit?"

Deputy Factory Director Li's expression darkened slightly.

Wang Zhenggang is still immature, arguing with his superiors to their faces.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai quickly interjected, "Section Chief Wang, you can't say that. Zhu Zi's ideological awareness hasn't caught up yet; he's thinking of helping his family who are in trouble. But if he goes to jail, who will handle the hospitality assignment from the Ministry of Metallurgy for our factory next week? That's related to the factory's quota for next year!"

This sentence hits the nail on the head perfectly.

Deputy Factory Director Li nodded and immediately set the tone: "Alright. Although this matter is not good, it hasn't escalated to a conflict between the enemy and ourselves. Here's what we'll do: Comrade He Yuzhu has a low level of ideological awareness and likes to take advantage of others. Let him write a profound self-criticism, deduct half a month's salary, and issue a factory-wide notice of criticism. As for him... let him go for now and let him atone for his crimes through meritorious service."

"Director Li!" Wang Zhenggang exclaimed anxiously, "This is against the rules!"

"Rules are rules, but people are flexible! Is the overall production and construction of the factory more important, or is grabbing a few leftovers more important?" Deputy Factory Director Li's voice suddenly rose, revealing his official authority. "That's settled! Release them!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu's big face grinned into a wide grin, and he winked at Wang Zhenggang triumphantly, as if to say: See? What can you do to me?

Wang Zhenggang trembled with rage, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, but in the end, he could only let them fall limply. In this era, rank mattered immensely; he had no choice but to do it, whether he wanted to or not.

Zhou Jianguo stood outside the door, taking in the entire scene.

He didn't rush in to shout about the injustice, nor did he confront Deputy Factory Director Li.

He knew very well that in this game of power, anger was the cheapest emotion.

If you want to win, you have to change your approach.

Seeing Deputy Factory Director Li turn around and leave with an impatient look on his face, seemingly heading to the restroom, Zhou Jianguo narrowed his eyes.

In his mind, the system's storage compartment lit up slightly.

A small white pillbox, already prepared, is quietly awaiting its mission.

Zhou Jianguo straightened his collar, then followed quietly with light steps.

The corner of the corridor was dimly lit.

Having just finished relieving himself, Deputy Factory Director Li hummed a tune as he walked back, fastening his belt.

Suddenly, a figure blocked his way, startling him.

"Who is it? Can't you see?" Deputy Factory Director Li stared intently and recognized the worker who had been standing at the door. His anger flared instantly. "Which workshop are you from? Don't you know the rules? A good dog doesn't block the way, get out of the way!"

He was already annoyed because he had been forced to clean up Sha Zhu's mess earlier, so he vented his anger on the clueless worker in front of him.

"Director Li, you're really angry."

Zhou Jianguo stood in the shadows, his voice completely calm.

Faced with Deputy Factory Director Li's reprimand, he neither bowed nor trembled.

This unusual calmness startled Deputy Factory Director Li, who then grew even more enraged: "What do you want? Trying to file a complaint? Let me tell you, this matter is already settled. If you dare to cause trouble, I'll deal with you too!"

As he spoke, he reached out to push Zhou Jianguo.

"I heard that your brother-in-law has put a bounty of five large yellow croakers on the black market for a box of life-saving medicine?"

Zhou Jianguo didn't move, but simply uttered a sentence.

Deputy Factory Director Li's hand, which had been pushing the person, froze in mid-air.

This matter was kept extremely secret; only a few people in his family knew about it.

How did this kid know?

Zhou Jianguo didn't give him time to think. He casually swiped his right hand across the edge of his pocket and flipped his palm over.

In the dim light, a small, exquisite white medicine box with an all-English label flashed across his palm.

With just one glance, Deputy Factory Director Li's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints.

That is……