"Five hundred thousand?" The director was startled. His annual salary as director here was less than five hundred thousand! He grabbed Old Liu, "Who bribed you?"
Even if he were an idiot, he knew that five hundred thousand wouldn't be for the good of the factory. If someone genuinely had such intentions, they would have given the money directly to them.
Old Liu mumbled, refusing to speak.
The director, losing patience, pushed him, "Speak the truth quickly!"
Old Liu trembled uncontrollably. The other party had even found out how much money he had received, indicating immense capability. He dared not lie anymore, "I, I don't know who that person is. I just took the money and did the job. I really don't know anything..."
Hearing this, the director was furious and threw a punch at him. Old Liu involuntarily swayed and fell to the ground.
"You were lying just now! You really dared to do this! Old Liu, you've disappointed me so much. You're usually so honest, I thought you wouldn't do such a thing, but you!"
He trembled with anger and couldn't help but punch him again. A trickle of blood flowed from Old Liu's mouth.
Seeing the director's overwhelming rage as he beat Old Liu mercilessly, Shen Qingqing glanced at Fu Jingshu, who immediately stepped forward to stop the director.
The director's body trembled, "It's infuriating! How could he do such a thing!"
If something truly went wrong, their factory would not only go bankrupt but also lose the compensation the government had planned to disburse.
The thought of so many workers losing their compensation and their final wages because of him made him want to beat him to death!
This person, inherently honest and always appearing as an invisible man, who would have thought such a person would commit such a daring act!
Fu Jingshu gave a gentle push, and the director involuntarily sat on the sofa. "What is it? I'm not even allowed to discipline an employee now?"
"You can," Shen Qingqing said, "but no corporal punishment."
"If you say no, then no!" The director had no choice. He couldn't forcefully beat someone. He huffed and turned to sit down.
Shen Qingqing looked at Old Liu, who was in a rather pathetic state.
He had several bruises on his face, blood at the corner of his mouth, and swollen eyes. He sat on the ground, not daring to get up, shrinking back, unable to raise his head.
"Are you going to talk or not?" she asked.
Old Liu hesitated for a moment, and the director was about to jump up again. He flinched and said, "I'll tell the truth. Don't hit me anymore, I'll tell you everything!"
The director snorted and sat down on the sofa.
Old Liu was silent for a while, then finally couldn't help but cry, "I really don't know what the other party wanted. He said he would give me money, and also promised to guarantee my living expenses every month, so I could live without worry and never have to work so hard..."
He had been tempted.
"At that time, he told me that what he gave me was good, and it would make the fabric dye look even better. I really believed him. I never expected he was lying to me..."
He truly hadn't expected that what the other party gave him was problematic.
Shen Qingqing didn't believe him at all. "I'll ask you one more time, who exactly is the other party."
"I really don't know."
"It seems I'll have to send you to the police station." Shen Qingqing picked up her phone, dialed a number, and said leisurely, staring at the screen. "Once you're at the police station, someone will naturally uncover the secrets you're hiding."
Old Liu became scared. "I really don't know. I'm not lying to you. The other party only told me that the substance could make the dye better, and then transferred five hundred thousand to me. They didn't even ask for my account number, and the substance was mailed to me."
But he hadn't given an address or account number, and the other party knew everything. This feeling of having everything controlled by someone else was truly terrifying.
But the power of money was too great.
He couldn't resist.
Moreover, after the other party gave him the substance, they never mentioned it again, not even a phone call, as if the matter was already over.
Amidst his joy and happiness, he accidentally sprained his ankle. He could have just stayed home to recover, but thinking of the five hundred thousand in his account and the factory's impending closure, he simply decided not to go in.
The director coldly snorted, "If you don't want to come anymore, don't come. Just don't regret it."
He believed that under Shen Qingqing's leadership, the factory would surely get better and better.
Shen Qingqing narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're still lying."
The director was stunned and instinctively looked at Old Liu, "Did you tell the truth or not?"
Old Liu quickly said, "I told you. I told you everything. I didn't lie, and I don't dare to lie anymore. Please believe me!"
"You've concealed some things."
This was all thanks to King, who had once taught Shen Qingqing how to read microexpressions.
Everyone she had known before was adept at hiding their emotions, showing only what they wanted to be seen. But Old Liu was an ordinary person.
His microexpression management was far from adequate.
If she guessed correctly, he had told the truth for the most part, but it was laced with some falsehoods, and these concealed details were the important information.
Old Liu's eyes flickered, and his face involuntarily showed fear. "How did you know?"
Shen Qingqing countered, "You speak first. I'll give you one last chance. If you tell the truth, I'll really send you to the police station."
Old Liu finally realized that this person was a shrewd schemer and he couldn't hide anything from her. He slumped onto the sofa, utterly dejected.
Old Liu gritted his teeth. "I have a condition."
"Tell me."
"You must let me go," Old Liu said urgently. "And you can't touch the money in my account. I'm quitting the factory, and I need some money to live on."
Shen Qingqing raised an eyebrow slightly. "You speak first, and I'll consider it."
The director quickly said, "What's there to consider? He did something wrong, so we can't condone it. We must send him to the police station to face legal judgment!"
"It's best to be lenient where possible."
Shen Qingqing's words convinced both the director and Old Liu.
Old Liu was especially grateful to her. Initially, he harbored resentment towards Shen Qingqing, but unexpectedly, she turned out to be a good person.
He took out his phone and found a phone number. "This is the number he used to contact me, but he always called me. I never called this number after that. I don't know if he's still using it, but you can try..."
Shen Qingqing saved the number on her phone.
"Can I go now?" Old Liu was overjoyed, feeling he had shed a heavy burden and could even keep a large sum of money. He even bowed. "Thank you. Thank you. I promise you I will never do such a thing again. No matter how much money anyone offers me, I won't be tempted. I know I was wrong, and I will reform!"
Hearing this, the director's feelings were complex. He had initially felt this person deserved punishment, but looking at his face, etched with the passage of time, he felt a pang of pity and did not veto Shen Qingqing's proposal.
"Who said you can leave?"
Shen Qingqing suddenly spoke.