Chapter 458 Let You Down

Chapter 458: Letting You Down

Factory Director Zheng remained silent, sighing to himself.

Deputy Section Chief Jiang felt uneasy but refused to back down, confronting Old Lady Ma.

"Your class status is tainted—isn’t that a crime? Your family’s wealth came from exploiting the workers and peasants—isn’t that a crime?"

Old Lady Ma let out a bitter laugh, her eyes shimmered with tears.

She looked up at the sky. Qin Kangyi, look! This is the nation you wanted to protect until your dying breath!

"You say our wealth came from exploitation. Tell me, Deputy Section Chief Jiang, did we exploit you? We returned to China during the nation’s darkest hour, pouring most of our family’s wealth into saving the country. During the war, how much money and food did our Qin family donate? Was that a crime? In the early days of the nation’s founding, how many planes did we donate? How much did we contribute to scientific research? Was that a crime?"

Old Lady Ma’s words were forceful, every word laced with pain.

"If this is a crime, then Ma Fuhua and Qin Kangyi deserve to die a thousand deaths! I once thought my greatest mistake was returning to China. If we hadn’t come back, abandoning the nation in its darkest hour, today’s Ma Fuhua wouldn’t be standing here. But now I understand—the one at fault isn’t me, it’s you!"

It’s those who, for their own selfish gains, heaped false accusations on them.

It’s those who ignored the hardships of the nation and its people, blindly pushing their own twisted ideals.

"I’m not wrong! You are!"

Jiang Chenghuai’s throat felt as if a giant hand were choking him, his chest tight with suffocating pressure.

Was he wrong?

He was only enforcing the rules—how could he be wrong?

Factory Director Zheng closed his eyes, concealing his sorrow.

Jiang Chenghuai wouldn’t yield until forced to.

Gritting his teeth, he said, "This changes nothing. The Qin family’s class status wasn’t decided by me. As long as it remains unchanged, you can’t clear your name!"

Factory Director Zheng snapped, "Deputy Section Chief Jiang, you’re too far gone!"

"The one too far gone isn’t me—it’s you, Factory Director Zheng! I know you want to protect Jiang Yu, but you can’t ignore the facts!"

Old Lady Ma gave a frosty smile. She never bothered trying to wake those who pretended to sleep.

Did those who once sought to brand the Qin family as traitors truly not know the Qin family was innocent?

"Letting you down, Deputy Section Chief Jiang! Recently, our Qin family has been cleared of all charges. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you the documents later—you can memorize every word if you like!"

Jiang Chenghuai’s face turned ashen. "Impossible!"

Factory Director Zheng said icily, "Is it disbelief, or unwillingness to believe?"

Jiang Chenghuai’s face paled. Of course, he didn’t want to believe it.

He refused to admit defeat, yet reality had left him utterly defeated.

"Take a leave of absence. Go."

Xu Lihua protested, "And that’s all?"

Jiang Yu tugged at her sleeve, silencing her with a glance.

This is far from over—the main event is just starting.

"It was all a misunderstanding. Deputy Section Chief Jiang had the factory’s best interests at heart. Mercy where mercy’s due, and I think Factory Director Zheng handled this fairly," Jiang Yu said hoarsely.

Jiang Chenghuai swore under his breath. He wasn’t buying for a second that Jiang Yu would speak up for him out of kindness!

Yao Hongming nodded. "Then it’s settled. I hope Deputy Section Chief Jiang learns from this punishment and doesn’t let the factory workers down."

Jiang Chenghuai, fuming, snorted and stormed off.

Jiang Yu, pale, managed a tight smile.

"Thank you all for speaking up for me. I’ll never forget your kindness today."

The others brushed off her thanks modestly.

"Don’t mention it."

Xu Lihua helped Jiang Yu up, concerned. "Maybe we should get you to a hospital? They’re not here?"

"They are, but I told them not to come out unless I gave the word. With He Tingyue away, if I couldn’t even protect my sister-in-law, I’d be good for nothing."

If He Feiyan didn’t open the door, Jiang Chenghuai and his men would have a hard time forcing their way in.

Even if they had come out, they might not have been much help.

Jiang Yu knocked lightly. "Fei Yan, open up."

He Feiyan was already at the door and didn’t hesitate to unlock it immediately.

The siblings’ eyes were all puffy from crying. If not for Jiang Yu’s earlier instructions, they would’ve rushed out long ago.

He Feiyan’s tears welled up again at the sight of the wound on Jiang Yu’s head.

"Sister-in-law!"

She clutched Jiang Yu’s hand, drawing a sharp gasp.

"It’s fine. Let’s talk inside."

Xu Lihua urged, "Quit dawdling—inside, now."

He Feiyan sniffled, steadying Jiang Yu as they went in.

Jiang Yu murmured, so only she could hear, "I didn’t hit my head. It was a razor cut."

Jiang Chenghuai hadn’t been mistaken—he barely shoved her. She’d gone limp under his push, nowhere near enough to crack her skull.

But she’d decided to turn up the heat, cold-bloodedly slicing her temple with a razor blade.

Yao Hongming and Lin Chenghui showing up was a lucky break—Jiang Yu hadn’t anticipated it.

He Feiyan pouted. It was still an injury.

She’d seen how much she bled.

If He Tingyue had been here, he’d never have allowed Jiang Yu to go this far.

"Sis, promise you won’t do this again."

Jiang Yu gave a bitter smile. "This time, we won't give Jiang Chenghuai any chance to turn things around."

Let him enjoy his little victory for a few more days.

Jiang Yu entered the room, looking at the blood on her hands with icy indifference in her eyes.

This blood wasn’t just from the wound on her forehead—her palms were scraped too.

It hurt, but she thought it was worth it.

Factory Director Zheng and Vice Director Yao entered one after another.

"Jiang Yu, you’ve suffered this time. The factory will make things right," Factory Director Zheng said.

Jiang Yu replied calmly, "I don’t expect the factory to favor me. I just hope you won’t shield Jiang Chenghuai when the time comes."

She made it clear she was against Jiang Chenghuai.

If possible, Factory Director Zheng naturally wished for peace in the factory.

But was that realistic? Clearly not!

"Do as you see fit, but don’t let things escalate too much. It would look bad," Factory Director Zheng said wearily before turning to leave.

Vice Director Yao had been trying to present these banners all morning and still hadn’t managed to do so.

Now that things had quieted down, he finally had the chance.

"Jiang Yu, these banners—"

Jiang Yu smiled. "Thank you, Vice Director Yao, but in Sun Biao’s case, I really didn’t contribute much."

Vice Director Yao laughed heartily. "If not for your eagle eyes, who knows how long it would’ve taken to apprehend Sun Biao?"

Lin Chenghui said bluntly, "Sister-in-law, you deserve this. Besides the banners, there’s also a bonus. You might not know, but most of Sun Biao’s crew were fugitives."

This wasn’t just solving one case—it was taking down a whole gang.

Vice Director Yao shook his head at Lin Chenghui’s blatant bias, both amused and exasperated.

"Kid, way to show off!"

Lin Chenghui retorted without hesitation, "I’m not wrong! This is what my sister-in-law deserves!"

"Fine, fine! I’ll put in for double the bonus!" Vice Director Yao conceded.

Seeing Jiang Yu’s exhaustion, Vice Director Yao didn’t stay long. After a few more words, he took his leave.

With Brother Yue away, Lin Chenghui didn’t think he should stay and stood up as well.

"Sister-in-law, if anything else happens, just have someone come get me."

Jiang Yu nodded. "I will, don’t worry. He Tingyue will be back tomorrow—they wouldn’t dare mess with me. Yun Shan’s baby is due any day now. Spend more time with her."

"It’s already been delayed a few days. The doctor said if she doesn’t go into labor soon, they’ll have to do a cesarean. Yun Shan refuses, and I don’t want it either—cutting her open sounds awful."

"Keep me posted when there’s news."

"Will do."