Chen Lishu watched him lunge forward and quickly called out to stop him, "Lin Qi, he's one of us!"
Gu Xingdong had already pulled Chen Lishu to the side. Lin Qi stumbled forward, barely stopping himself. Hearing Chen Lishu say he was one of them, he turned around curiously.
Chen Lishu had already gone to the wall and turned on the light. The sudden bright light made everyone in the room instinctively squint.
"Third Brother!" Ding Chen had met Gu Xingdong once before, and seeing him standing in the middle of the room in his military uniform, he immediately called out happily.
Gu Xingdong frowned subconsciously at the sound of "Third Brother," but he didn't dampen the child's enthusiasm.
Chen Lishu saw the confused look on Lin Qi's face and smiled as she introduced him, "This is my husband, Gu Xingdong. You can call him brother-in-law."
Then she said to Gu Xingdong, "This is Lin Qi, who I mentioned to you before."
"So you're brother-in-law. I'm truly sorry," Lin Qi said with a smile, realizing the situation.
Gu Xingdong smiled at him, "It's fine. You did a good job."
Gu Xingdong's impression of Lin Qi was good, just based on how Lin Qi had been willing to risk his life to protect Chen Lishu moments ago.
Chen Lishu looked at Gu Xingdong and couldn't help but ask curiously, "By the way, why are you back at this time?"
"I specifically applied for half a month's leave from my superiors." I've been busy all along and haven't taken a long leave in years. This time, my application was approved very promptly.
Chen Lishu was overjoyed to hear about the half-month holiday. She pulled him along, wanting to ask more questions. Ding Chen glanced at Zhou Dacheng, who was lying on the ground like a dead pig, and asked, "Sister Chen, what should we do with this person?"
Chen Lishu then remembered Zhou Dacheng's existence. She walked over to him and saw the overturned kerosene can at his feet, her eyes darkening.
She hadn't expected Liu Xiaoting to be so vicious. If she hadn't discovered their intentions in advance, this can of kerosene would have not only destroyed the fabric but also made it difficult for her to escape.
"Do you know this person?" Gu Xingdong came over and asked when he saw her looking unhappy.
"I don't know him, but I know why he's here." Chen Lishu then briefly explained the situation.
Gu Xingdong kicked the man twice. Finding no signs of him waking up, he asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"How about we send him to the police station?" Ding Chen suggested.
Chen Lishu shook her head, "Sending him to the police station would be too lenient. He'd only be considered for attempted crime and might be detained for a few days at most. If his family pulls some strings, he might even be released that same day."
Chen Lishu didn't want to let him off so easily, but she hadn't figured out how to deal with him yet.
Gu Xingdong suddenly turned his head and said gently, "It's getting late. Leave this person to me, and you go to bed."
"Yes, Sister Chen, why don't you go rest first? We have me, brother-in-law, and Ding Chen here. We guarantee this guy won't have an easy time," Lin Qi chimed in.
"Alright then, but don't stay up too late." Chen Lishu yawned, cast one last glance at Zhou Dacheng on the ground, and turned back to the east room.
She hadn't slept well for the past two nights because of Zhou Dacheng's matter. Now that Gu Xingdong was back, she felt incredibly secure. She fell asleep shortly after lying down, not even knowing when Gu Xingdong lay down beside her.
The next day, Chen Lishu woke up in Gu Xingdong's arms.
Usually, Gu Xingdong would be up for morning drills, and Chen Lishu would open her eyes to find him gone. It was a rare opportunity, so Chen Lishu couldn't help but turn her head to examine him properly.
The morning sun shone through the window onto his chiseled profile. His thick, dense eyelashes cast faint shadows on his lower eyelids. Chen Lishu reached out to touch his eyelashes and couldn't help but exclaim softly, "So long."
Gu Xingdong opened his eyes and looked at her, smiling as he asked, "Are they pretty?"
"Beautiful," Chen Lishu said, truly admiring his handsome face, carved as if with a chisel, with brows reaching his temples. "My man is the most handsome."
Gu Xingdong smiled, pecked her on the cheek, and then got up. "You lie here a bit longer. I'll go make breakfast, and we'll head back to the village after eating."
Chen Lishu had already had enough sleep. She got dressed and got up with him. Then, she asked, "How did you deal with Zhou Dacheng later?"
Gu Xingdong's hands paused as he fastened his buttons. Then, he said nonchalantly, "We didn't do much. We just did a good deed and sent him back to the factory."
Chen Lishu was a bit indignant to hear that he had so kindly sent the man back to the factory. "You guys are too soft-hearted. For a scoundrel like him, you should have at least beaten him up before sending him back."
Gu Xingdong smiled and said nothing, then finished dressing and turned to go to the kitchen to make breakfast.
...
"Oh my heavens, who is this? Everyone, come quickly and take a look! In broad daylight, this is practically indecent exposure!"
Early in the morning, a large crowd had gathered outside the Qingshan Garment Factory, pointing and gossiping at the naked body of the man tied to a tree.
"Doesn't this person look familiar? It seems to be Director Zhou's nephew, Zhou Dacheng! Why is he stripped naked and tied to a tree? Tsk tsk, look at all those bruises on him. He must have offended someone. When bad people meet their match, they get their comeuppance. Spit!"
"Hey? What's that?" Someone with sharp eyes noticed a piece of paper pressed down by a brick at Zhou Dacheng's feet. They went to pick it up and read it. It was a confession written in his own hand, with his name and thumbprint at the bottom.
"I, Zhou Dacheng, because of my uncle Zhou Guangjiang, have acted recklessly in the factory. I have sexually harassed..."
The person who picked up the confession immediately read aloud, "Liu Xiaoting and I had an improper relationship. We had relations multiple times in the office, warehouse, and workshop. She also used her position to resell..."
Liu Xiaoting went to work as usual. As soon as she entered the factory, she saw everyone pointing at her, and the usual greetings of 'Officer Liu' were gone.
"Hey, Liu Xiaoting, the factory director wants to see you in his office."
A female worker who normally wouldn't dare to even fart in her presence now directly called her name, her tone filled with contempt. Liu Xiaoting was annoyed and thought she would deal with her after visiting the director.
She went to the director's office. As soon as she pushed the door open, she saw the director and the party secretary sitting in the main seats with grim expressions. Director Zhou and another leader were beside them, and Zhou Dacheng stood on the other side, his face bruised and his head hanging low.
"Take a look at this. What is this?" The director threw the paper in his hand over. Liu Xiaoting picked it up in confusion. As she read the contents, her vision went black, and she almost fainted.
...
"I wonder how Zhou Dacheng's matter was resolved," Sun Min whispered to her husband.
Both of them had seen what happened at the factory entrance during work. They were surprised by how ruthless and efficient Chen Lishu's methods were, and they were filled with admiration.
"If they didn't have his confession, this matter wouldn't have ended so easily. Just wait and see."
As they were talking, a voice suddenly came over the loudspeaker: "Attention all employees: Due to the heinous nature of the actions by Zhou Dacheng and Liu Xiaoting, the factory leadership has decided to dismiss both of them..."