"And then?"
Lin Wufeng could not help pressing him.
"The man kept the signed receipt he'd picked up. More than a year later, my friend's father had distinguished himself at work, and his superiors were preparing to promote him. That was when the man submitted an anonymous letter reporting him, with the receipt enclosed."
As Zhou Cheng spoke, he looked at Lin Wufeng.
Under his gaze, Lin Wufeng's heart tightened, and his expression instantly changed.
Without waiting for him to ask, Zhou Cheng continued, "The receipt had my friend's father's signature on it. The evidence was conclusive, and an investigation was opened against him. His promotion fell through, and he was almost handed over to Public Security. Fortunately, he was well liked, and the officials concerned wanted to turn a major incident into a minor one. In the end, he was only fined and demoted, and it didn't affect my friend's chances of getting into university."
By this point, a sheen of cold sweat had broken out on Lin Wufeng's forehead.
Zhou Cheng was clearly talking about "a friend's father," yet for a moment, he kept feeling as though the story was about him.
He did not think for a second that Zhou Cheng was making up a story or being alarmist.
To date, the state had yet to establish any clear policy or legal ruling on whether technicians like him could take part-time work at private enterprises.
Some things weighed less than four taels until they went on the scales. Once weighed, even a thousand catties might not cover them.
A receipt like that, even if someone reported it under ordinary circumstances, would probably prompt his superiors to turn a blind eye. But if it was reported during a promotion review, it would be laid out in the open