Chapter 1714
No big deal?
People have been beaten up!
If this isn"t a big deal, what is?
Deputy Chief Chang"s words left everyone in the company speechless.
Many people were also furious, especially General Manager Wu, who had been helped to a chair. His teeth were badly knocked out, and his mouth was seriously injured, making his speech slurred and leaking air, but his displeasure was still evident. "Deputy Chief Chang, what do you mean this is no big deal? He came here and a.s.saulted people and smashed things up. This is malicious injury, a criminal case. Settling it privately? Absolutely not!"
Several police officers glanced at him disapprovingly.
Deputy Chief Chang said, "This young man did hit someone, but it was for a reason. Ultimately, your company"s audition process had issues."
General Manager Wu shouted, "We had no issues!"
"No issues?" Deputy Chief Chang was getting irritated. "Then what about the situation reported by this woman surnamed Yu? Why did you ask her to try a kissing scene out of nowhere?"
General Manager Wu snapped, "I didn"t! This is slander! It damages my reputation! Deputy Chief Chang, you"ll listen to their one-sided story?" He had dealt with Deputy Chief Chang before and even had meals together, so he expected the officer to side with him. Besides, his company hadn"t initiated the violence. But the police"s att.i.tude and suggestion to settle privately infuriated him. Dropping the respectful "Chief," he began calling him "Deputy Chief," clearly showing his anger.
Standing nearby, Dong Xuebing chuckled, "Oh, our testimonies are one-sided, but everything you say is the truth and evidence?"
General Manager Wu retorted, "Was I talking to you? Why are you interrupting!"
With the police present and his boss here, General Manager Wu"s confidence surged again, making him arrogant.
Dong Xuebing found this amusing. "Alright, it seems you haven"t learned your lesson and have no intention of repenting, huh?" He figured he hadn"t hit him hard enough.
General Manager Wu shouted, "I"m stating it clearly: There is no way to settle this privately. There"s nothing to settle privately. Handle it as it should be handled, and this kid"s slander against me—once the police are done with you, you"ll be facing court. I"m not bluffing!"
Dong Xuebing laughed, "Oh, I"m really scared. You might scare me to death."
General Manager Wu wanted to say more, but his broken nose made his words painfully sweat-inducing, so he stopped talking and glared coldly at the officers.
Deputy Chief Chang turned to Mr. Zhou, "Mr. Zhou, what do you think?"
"I also disagree with settling this privately. It"s impossible," Mr. Zhou echoed General Manager Wu"s stance. He was also siding with his staff and couldn"t back down now. Besides, he resented Dong Xuebing for causing a scene in his company. Settling privately by paying some money? No way! If word got out, his company would be a laughing stock in the industry, tarnis.h.i.+ng his reputation.
"Arrest him!"
"What are we waiting for?"
Other company employees also clamored for action.
Deputy Chief Chang was annoyed, not only with General Manager Wu but also with Mr. Zhou. d.a.m.n it, I suggested you settle this yourselves for your good, and you don"t even appreciate it? What the h.e.l.l? Shouting at me, acting all high and mighty? You’re like dogs biting Lu Dongbin, not recognizing a good person’s heart! But Deputy Chief Chang didn’t want things to escalate, so he suppressed his anger and called Mr. Zhou aside, speaking with his last bit of patience, “Mr. Zhou, I’m doing this for your benefit. This matter isn’t too big or too small; it’s about how you handle it. If you settle privately, both sides can reach a consensus, and it’ll be over without further impact. But if this blows up, your company"s reputation won’t be good. We’ve known each other for years; everyone knows your company’s issues. There’s no need to beat around the bush. That woman has already filed a report, claiming you attempted to molest her and intended to harm her. There’s hallway surveillance footage of everything. Many things can’t withstand scrutiny, you understand?”
Mr. Zhou frowned, “My people have been beaten up like this, and you think I can just swallow this? What would my employees think of me if I did?”
Deputy Chief Chang responded seriously, “Listen to me, let it go.”
Mr. Zhou shook his head firmly, “Impossible. There’s no way. It’s not that I don’t respect you, Deputy Chief Chang, but it just can’t be done today!”
Deputy Chief Chang’s expression changed. d.a.m.n it, these guys don’t appreciate the help. Now he understood why the young man, Dong Xuebing, had been so ruthless and angry. This company’s people, from leaders to employees, seemed to have an inherent sense of superiority. Everyone knew the shady dealings in the entertainment industry; it didn’t take a genius to figure out that General Manager Wu had likely had bad intentions towards that woman, sparking the incident. Regardless of the final impact, the cause was clear. But instead of admitting their fault, they clung to the lack of evidence, shouting as if they were completely justified as if bullying the woman was their right. This att.i.tude infuriated Deputy Chief Chang, especially since they ignored his suggestions.
Do they think I’m trying to hurt them?
Do they know who they’re dealing with?
d.a.m.n it, if that’s the case, I won’t give a d.a.m.n!
Deputy Chief Chang was p.i.s.sed, coldly looking at Mr. Zhou and the other company executives, “I’ve said my piece. Since you won’t listen to mediation, don’t come to me if anything happens in the future. I’m telling you this upfront.” He then switched to an official tone, instructing the officers, “Investigate Yu Meixia’s report. Xiao Liu, check the surveillance footage. Xiao Chen, inspect the office where it happened and question the witnesses.”
A senior company executive protested angrily, “Why are you investigating us now? What for?”
Mr. Zhou was also infuriated by the police’s att.i.tude, “You’re not detaining the suspect, and instead you’re investigating us?”
Deputy Chief Chang snapped back, “Why should we only investigate your report of a.s.sault and slander? If they report you for attempted molestation, we can’t investigate? We don’t need your guidance on how to conduct an investigation! Do you think the police station belongs to you? Huh?” Deputy Chief Chang wouldn’t have reacted this way if they had spoken nicely. After all, they had known each other for a while. But respect goes both ways. Since they weren’t respecting him, why should he give them any? Who the h.e.l.l do they think they are?
Mr. Zhou narrowed his eyes, "Alright then, investigate away! Go ahead!" He turned to the other employees gathered around, "Police investigation. Everyone cooperates. Tell them everything you know. Don"t hide anything from the police. Anyone who dares to hide information from the police, don"t blame me for not being polite!" His words were righteous, but his tone showed an unmistakable hint of threat that even the simplest person could detect.
In the blink of an eye, even if eyewitnesses were present, they dared not speak up.
Mr. Zhou smiled, "Officers, please proceed. I"ll have my people cooperate fully with you."
This smile made Deputy Chief Chang and several police officers extremely uncomfortable. They knew Mr. Zhou, the company"s CEO, had a broad network and friends in high places. He could influence people at the top, which was why he had risen from nothing to his current position despite numerous civil disputes in the past. He had his ways, and that att.i.tude had likely been forged over the years. Now, he didn"t even respect their local police station.
Several officers approached Deputy Chief Chang hesitantly.
"Chief Chang, about this..."
"Should we...?"
There was a hint of hesitation in their voices. They figured they might not find anything significant in the investigation. After all, the company"s employees wouldn"t likely testify against their interests. As for the surveillance footage, there was a good chance it wouldn"t capture anything useful, and it might have been deleted already. Pursuing this could be a waste of time, and unnecessarily antagonizing someone with such extensive connections as Mr. Zhou wasn"t worth it.
But Deputy Chief Chang didn"t hesitate, "Investigate."
The officers exchanged glances and then proceeded with their respective tasks.
As they went about their work, they began to understand the tone of this investigation was leaning towards mediation and settling the matter privately. They didn"t fully grasp why this decision was made, but Deputy Chief Chang had instructed it, and they followed orders without question. Given Deputy Chief Chang"s demeanor, the officers sensed there might be aspects of the situation they weren"t aware of. It seemed unusual, prompting them to comply silently, as they had done for years.
Tension mounted.
Moments ago, Dong Xuebing had faced off with Mr. Zhou, General Manager Wu, and the entire company.
But in the blink of an eye, the situation had s.h.i.+fted to Dong Xuebing and the police officers confronting the company.
Seeing this, Dong Xuebing knew Deputy Chief Chang had likely received some a.s.surances and was here to a.s.sist him. He nodded inwardly. As for the att.i.tudes of Mr. Zhou, General Manager Wu, and the company"s employees, Dong Xuebing found them disgusting. Yes, disgusting. Normally, when people do something wrong, they feel guilt or shame— it"s human nature. However, Mr. Zhou, General Manager Wu, and many of the company"s employees didn"t exhibit that. Their self-righteous demeanor told Dong Xuebing they were accustomed to such behavior and didn"t think they had done anything wrong.
Attempted molestation?
Trying to have someone arrested?
They didn"t see anything inappropriate about their actions!
The fire that had just subsided in Dong Xuebing now surged up again!