That first night, Dong Bin was still lost in a drunken stupor. He didn't get home and go to bed until two in the morning. So, while he was sound asleep, someone pounded frantically on his door, waking him up. Dong Bin, annoyed, opened the door, ready to lash out, but the other person delivered devastating news: "There's been a fatality at the construction site!"
Dong Bin's head was still buzzing. Frowning, he squinted and asked again, "What happened?"
"A section of the building collapsed. a worker fell from above and died instantly." The person was Xiao Zheng, a new foreman at the site.
"Then... what about my Uncle Wang?" Dong Bin was a bit panicked to hear about a death.
"Manager Wang hasn't been seen since the incident, so I had to come find you!" Xiao Zheng was also flustered; he had only recently become a foreman.
"Why are you looking for me? If there's an accident, call a doctor, call 120! It's no use looking for me!" Dong Bin hastily tried to brush it off.
"120 has already been here, but the person is gone. And Manager Dong, the worker's family has called the police, and they want to question the person in charge." Xiao Zheng was speaking when the police arrived and took Dong Bin to the police station.
It was at the police station that Dong Bin learned that a fatal accident had occurred at the site, and after checking the registration, the person in charge had been changed from Wang Sanyao to himself. kuAiδugg
Dong Bin suddenly remembered that Wang Sanyao had indeed mentioned transferring the project to his name, and that Wang Sanyao would help him with it. Once the project was completed, Dong Bin was supposed to take the credit from his father, Dong Zhenhua. Because he was so eager to achieve success without any effort, Dong Bin had given his ID card to Wang Sanyao to handle the paperwork.
Only then did Dong Bin realize he had been used as a pawn. He frantically called Dong Zhenhua, "Dad, please come quickly, I've been arrested!"
Xiao Wenqiang had only enjoyed a couple of months of peace before Dong Bin's incident. There was no choice but to handle the situation since she had accepted the task. She immediately bought a ticket to Yangliu County.
After completing the procedures and getting Dong Bin out of the police station, Xiao Wenqiang nodded in agreement to the investigating officer. "This kid isn't trying to run away; he genuinely didn't know what was going on. Please rest assured, Officer, we will handle this matter properly. We will definitely provide a satisfactory explanation to the victim's family and the Yangliu County government."
"We understand this wasn't something you intended, but since Dong Bin is the legal representative, we had to bring him in," the officer replied with understanding. "The victim's family is also going through a difficult time. If possible, please compensate them generously."
"Yes, yes, Officer, don't worry," Xiao Wenqiang said, and then she took Dong Bin back to the construction site, going directly to the scene of the accident.
The area had already been cordoned off with police tape, and the construction project was ordered to halt temporarily.
Foreman Xiao Zheng led them through, pointing to a large, brownish-red bloodstain on the ground. "Manager Dong, look, Zhang Guicai died right here."
Xiao Wenqiang saw the residual marks on the ground and felt a pang of sadness, remembering that someone had died here not long ago. She looked up. "Did he fall from the thirteenth floor?"
"Yes, from the newly poured balcony on the thirteenth floor," Xiao Zheng said, pointing upwards.
"Let's go up and take a look." Xiao Wenqiang, along with Dong Bin, followed Xiao Zheng into the construction elevator and ascended to the thirteenth floor.
They clearly saw a large gap in the balcony railing at the site of the incident on the thirteenth floor, with scattered concrete debris around.
"Manager Dong, look, this section of the railing collapsed. Zhang Guicai was leaning here, smoking and resting, when he unexpectedly fell," Xiao Zheng said, pointing to the spot but not daring to approach.
"What's going on with this concrete wall? How long has it been built?" Xiao Wenqiang asked.
"According to the timeline, it should be fine. It's been about a month or so. We're currently working on the interior of the building," Xiao Zheng replied after some thought.
"A month should mean it's completely stable. How could something like this happen?" Xiao Wenqiang frowned.
"This... this might not be too stable..." Xiao Zheng hesitated.
"Tell me honestly, what exactly happened?" Xiao Wenqiang could tell something was wrong from his expression.
"Oh, Manager Dong, please follow me!" Xiao Zheng finally gritted his teeth and led them to the site office.
Xiao Zheng produced some documents for them. "Manager Dong, I only became a foreman a couple of days ago. I didn't handle the previous stages of the project. It was only yesterday, when the incident occurred, that I felt something was amiss and I started looking through the materials."
It turned out that Wang Sanyao had been primarily responsible for this project, and his contact person was another foreman named Wang Qiang.
Wang Qiang was a relative from Wang Sanyao's hometown; both were from the Wang family. They collaborated on the project, cutting corners and seeking personal profit.
Initially, their actions were minor, and they didn't dare to overstep. Later, as Wang Sanyao's real estate business with Dong Zhenhua grew, so did his greed. He was no longer satisfied with just the fixed salary Dong Zhenhua paid him.
In previous projects, Dong Zhenhua himself had overseen everything, leaving Wang Sanyao with little room to interfere. This project in Yangliu County was an excellent opportunity. Because it was a long distance away, and Dong Zhenhua had some family matters to attend to, he could not personally supervise and entrusted the role of overseer to his long-time partner, Wang Sanyao.
Upon arriving in Yangliu County, Wang Sanyao began to embezzle funds from the very beginning of the construction. From the selection of the construction team to the procurement of sand and bricks, Wang Sanyao mediated and profited handsomely.
However, he hadn't expected Dong Zhenhua to send his own son, Dong Bin, to supervise the project later.
Wang Sanyao was initially a bit panicked. Later, he realized that Dong Bin was as uneducated and easily fooled as ever, and he finally relaxed.
Perhaps knowing that his shoddy construction would eventually lead to an accident, Wang Sanyao also persuaded Dong Bin to become the project manager. He then arranged for his relative, Wang Qiang, to withdraw from the project a few days earlier, handing over the construction to the newly appointed foreman, Xiao Zheng.
The worker's fall was also due to the poor quality of the cement used. After pouring, it was not very stable. Coupled with the continuous rain in the previous period, the interior had not completely dried. This is why, after more than a month, an adult leaning against it would cause it to crack and fall.
However, after the fatal incident yesterday, Wang Sanyao and Wang Qiang, being very well-informed, had already fled. They left this mess for Dong Bin and Dong Zhenhua to clean up.
"Dad, what should we do now?" Dong Bin was distraught after hearing Xiao Zheng's explanation.
"Don't worry, there are always traces left behind. I don't believe Wang Sanyao can get away with it so easily," Xiao Wenqiang said to Dong Bin and Xiao Zheng. "Since we can't resume work for a few days, you should gather all the documents and materials. Set aside any problematic ones, and I will report this situation to the police first."
Xiao Wenqiang immediately reported to the police and then called several financial and engineering professionals from the Yuncheng headquarters to come and assist Dong Bin and the others in their search. Meanwhile, she prepared to visit the victim's family to assess the situation.