The Crazy Years
"You should come with me..." Gepu had already packed most of his things, only a few simple items. Other things, such as books and collectibles, which were not convenient to carry on the trip, had already been sent to another state by a Transportation Company.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Listoan Group will relocate from Sabine City before January 1st, at which time four to five thousand workers will lose their jobs.
However, that's not important. What's important is that Gepu once again proved his value to the Board of Directors. Under his management and operation, there were no problems with the books. It would be virtually impossible for the Investigation Team to find fatal flaws simply by looking at the company's books.
In order to resolve some potentially dangerous issues, the company's Discipline Department also filed a report with the local Federal Bureau of Investigation in Sabine City, alleging that some employees were suspected of abusing their authority to commit crimes. All the problems were someone else's fault; Listoan was as clean as a girl who had never been touched.
The Board of Directors greatly admired Gepu and promised to consider upgrading Gepu partner status after the relocation was completed, at which point his income would see a significant leap, and his social status would be elevated as a result.
The Upper Class, the world he had longed for for over a decade, had opened its doors wide to him. Sometimes, even in his half-awake state, he could hear a kind of sacred and peaceful song coming from inside one of those doors, like a child's voice.
That must be, and inevitably will be, a perfect world.
Looking at Vera now, making a final effort, he could see that Vera was still somewhat wavering.
He knows this woman well, but the intense work schedule lately has left him no time to take care of his family. He knows how to make this woman turn back into her.
His voice was very soft, like the feeling of the finest fabric against the skin, "You can punish me, but you should also consider our child."
This is a very simple yet effective persuasion tactic. For most married women who have children, the importance of their children is extraordinary. With very few exceptions, people, especially women in the family, are willing to make some compromises on the issue of children.
Vera was somewhat hesitant. Although she loathed Gepu's infidelity, she also found Gepu's point to be valid, as it had nothing to do with the child.
Children from single-parent families often encounter problems as they grow up, and Vera believes that if she and Gepu separate, Gepu might bring some women home, which would keep the child in a distorted family environment and would not be conducive to the child's growth.
Just as she was feeling somewhat lost and unsure how to solve the problem, the ringing of the telephone in the room suddenly broke the tranquility, even startling Vera.
"Think about it again, we still have time..." Gepu was not aggressive, nor did he show his toughness or male chauvinism. He became the man Vera remembered again.
He is gentle and refined, with elegant manners, and never speaks in a loud voice to make his words convincing.
After listening to the phone for less than half a minute, Gepu's expression changed drastically, becoming increasingly grim.
After hanging up the phone, he remained silent for a while, then quickly changed his clothes and headed to the company, so worried that he even forgot to say goodbye to Vera.
When he arrived at the company president's office, several members of the Board of Directors were already there, including his close associates and the Head of the Finance Department.
"Do you know this girl?" Neo asked coldly, placing a photograph on the table and pushing it towards him.
Gepu pushed up his glasses on his nose to hide his nervousness.
He walked up to Neo's desk, picked up the photograph, glanced at it, and his hand trembled slightly.
Seemingly through this subtle change, Neo knew the answer. He said wearily, "This girl has become an important witness for the Investigation Team, and she has provided some special evidence that we are not aware of. My connections cannot find out anything about her."
As he spoke, he looked up at Gepu and said, "You were her former direct supervisor, and you two reportedly had a good relationship. Can you tell me what problems and evidence she has in the company, and how we should deal with it?"
Gepu glanced at a Board of Directors member standing in the crowd and his superior, but both of them pretended not to know him, which made him realize the seriousness of the problem.
There are some things you can do, but you can't say.
The practice of taking advantage of female subordinates is a very common Unspoken Rules in the company and even in society as a whole. These pretty and alluring girls have neither the status of graduates from prestigious universities nor the superior work skills they possess, yet they earn several times the salary of others. This is definitely not because they are so important to the company or work so hard.
The greater the pressure, the higher the level of Middle Class in a large Group Company. What he knows is not an isolated case within the company; many departments have similar roles.
The only thing that makes one feel despair now is that the guy who's standing up is his former secretary.
It was because this Female Secretary left a lip print on Gepu's butt that Gepu believed she was starting to take risks and touch things "outside the game," and that their relationship was no longer simple, so he found an excuse to fire her.
Of course, as compensation for his hard work over the past few years, he gave the girl a sum of money.
He thought the matter was over, but he never expected to run into it again.
After thinking for a moment, he shook his head. "Mr. President, you know me. I never tell anyone about my work, including my wife and children, let alone my secretary. She's not high enough to know these things."
Gepu offered an explanation, at which point his superior stepped forward to speak on his behalf, saying, "Gepu is very rule-abiding in our department, and I believe he is not lying."
Neo nodded, his expression relaxing slightly. As long as this woman didn't possess crucial evidence, they were merely stalling for time.
But he couldn't help but think the worst, "Is it possible that she's been looking through the files on your desk behind your back, or that she might know what you've been doing all this time?"
Neo glanced at Gepu, then picked up the lighter on the table and fiddled with it for a moment. With a crisp, long metallic clang, he unlocked the Langsheng Lighter and lit it. "Whether you're responsible or not, the problem lies with your former secretary. You're responsible for getting to the bottom of this. I'm giving you three days at most, understand?"
Gepu nodded, his face also looking grim. Neo's expression, on the other hand, softened, and he even offered a few words of comfort.
"I know you, Gepu. Someone even told me before that they wanted to upgrade your partner level, which shows that you are valuable to the company."
"We are getting older, and eventually we will have to hand it over to you. I hope that one day I can see you young people who are so capable at such a young age on the Board of Directors. Only in this way can our cause continue to improve..."
As soon as he came out of the president's office, his superior followed. The two looked at each other, but did not speak there. Instead, they went to the department head's office, closed the door, and then began to talk about the matter.
"You didn't handle it well?" Gepu's boss couldn't help but complain. "I thought you handled it well!"
Gepu took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and was no longer as confident as he had been in the CEO's office. He didn't speak, his mind a complete blank.
His boss became even more anxious when he saw that he didn't speak. Compared to Gepu, his boss was actually more afraid of being implicated. He was a department head and a Senior Partner. He had become one of the lowest members of the Upper Class, but he was still a figure in Upper Class.
He didn't want to lose everything he had today because of a small thing, which made him extremely anxious.
He paced back and forth, muttering curses under his breath, some directed at Gepu, some at the girl, but in the end, it all became disheartening.
A few minutes later, he sat exhausted in the chair that held the power of life and death in the department, looking at Gepu with distress, "Is there any way to shut her up?"
Gepu shook his head, released his grip, and showed deep exhaustion and a hint of regret on his face. "If she could have kept quiet, she wouldn't have spoken out at this time. Her speaking out means that some things can no longer be hidden."
The two couldn't help but think of a "party" they had had one day. Under the influence of alcohol, they did some very foolish things. They pierced the girl's thigh with a pen and left their names and some insulting words on it.
In fact, at that time, in their eyes, this girl was no different from a dog, a cat, or a pet, or even less than a pet; she was just a toy for amusement.
Now, they're going to pay the price for all of this.
That afternoon, some police officers knocked on Vera's door, showed their badges, and demanded to search the house.
Vera dared not refuse, so she used Phone Booth on the sidewalk to call Gepu, but no one answered the phone in Gepu's office, which made her extremely panicked.
Subconsciously, she called Lin Qi and explained the situation. Soon, Lin Qi's car appeared outside the community.
Upon seeing Lin Qi's arrival, Vera immediately felt much better. Before this, her heart was racing and her breathing was rapid; she had never felt such fear, not even when giving birth.
"I don't know what happened, a group of police officers rushed into my house..." She rushed forward and grabbed Lin Qi's arm tightly, like a drowning person grabbing a straw.