Chapter 521 You Have to Pay Me Back

Chapter 521: You Owe Me That Money Back

Jiang Hao was released.

He’d been through hell in there, and came out much thinner than when he went in.

The flour mill took him back—after all, he was cleared of the false charges.

But Jiang Hao felt like everyone gave him weird looks, and every day at the factory felt like an eternity. He kept pestering Wang Meili to let him quit, refusing to go back.

Wang Meili cared more about him than the damn job, so she dragged him home.

Word of Jiang Hao’s release got back to Wei Nan fast.

His face darkened, and in a rage, he stormed off to confront Jiang Yu.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t interfere in Jiang Hao’s affairs? So much for Department Head Jiang’s principles. He’s your own brother—how could you just stand by?”

Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow. “Deputy Section Chief Wei, maybe you should find out why Jiang Hao was released before making a fool of yourself.”

Wei Nan frowned. Wait, it wasn’t her?

He snorted. “Better not be your doing.”

Not caring it was work hours, he hurried off to find Zhong Yue.

“What the hell did you even do? How did Jiang Hao get out?”

Zhong Yue’s expression was colder than his, eyes filled with mockery.

“You’re not screwing with me, are you? No cash, no service.”

Xiong Shuihua had secretly told him their little scam blew up—the Xiong family found out, and her setup of Jiang Hao couldn’t stay hidden.

If Wei Nan had paid him, he might’ve put in more effort to smooth things over with Xiong Shuihua.

But he’d checked the drop spot several times and saw nothing. He figured Wei Nan stiffed him.

Pissed and feeling played, Zhong Yue decided to say “screw it” and bail.

From Wei Nan’s perspective, though, Zhong Yue had taken the money without delivering.

His face twisted in fury as he yanked Zhong Yue by the shirtfront.

“The hell you mean? I gave you that cash! Now you’re ghosting with my money? Zhong Yue, you think I’m some idiot you can mess with?”

Zhong Yue’s face changed slightly. “When exactly did you leave the money?”

Wei Nan sneered. “Keep pretending! Go on!”

Zhong Yue snapped, indignant. “I swear I never saw a penny! I checked every damn day—nothing was there!”

Wei Nan kicked at him, eyes blazing.

“Say that shit again, asshole! I dropped a grand there myself—how the hell is it gone?”

Zhong Yue dodged the kick, quickly piecing it together. He laughed bitterly.

“Oh, I get it now. You’re trying to play me! You never gave a dime—you just wanted to pin everything on me first! Wei Nan, you listen—this isn’t over. If I sink, I’m dragging you down with me!”

Zhong Yue sneered—it was the first time someone had scammed him like this.

Wei Nan wasn’t about to let him leave.

"You can't go! You didn’t deliver—give me back my money!"

Zhong Yue threw a punch at his face and roared, "Say ‘money’ again, and I’ll kill you!"

Wei Nan refused to back down, and the two came to blows.

One claimed he’d given the money; the other swore he hadn’t taken it. Their flimsy partnership shattered completely.

Wei Nan, sporting fresh bruises, went to Wei Xiuru and spilled the story dejectedly.

Wei Xiuru paled in shock. "All of it's gone?"

"Sis, I’ll make him pay!" Wei Nan ground his teeth.

He had suffered such a huge loss at Zhong Yue’s hands—he wasn’t about to swallow this!

Wei Xiuru calmed him with a pat on the shoulder. "Don’t rush this. If he really took your money, his gambling debts would’ve been cleared. I’ll have someone check."

If Zhong Yue had swindled Wei Nan’s money, he wouldn’t have skipped settling his debts.

Wei Xiuru sent someone to investigate and found that Zhong Yue had debt collectors breathing down his neck, nearly beaten to death.

If he had taken Wei Nan’s money, he shouldn’t have been in this desperate state.

"Your money was probably taken by someone else."

The thought of all that cash exchanged for gold bars made Wei Xiuru sick to her stomach.

Her resources were nearly depleted and couldn’t take another hit.

She snapped, "How could you be so careless? You didn’t even notice the money was stolen!"

Wei Nan ground his teeth in anger. That hiding spot was so secret—how could he have known someone would find it?

"Sis, what’s our move?"

Wei Xiuru’s face darkened. "We can’t touch Jiang Yu or He Tingyue directly. They’re protected by Zheng Yuchuan, who answers to Director Qian. I’ve been thinking—we need to take down Director Qian first and install Jiao Zongyao in his place. Only then can we eliminate our obstacles."

They had to cut off the head—make Director Qian step down.

Wei Nan narrowed his eyes, seeing the logic.

"So what do we do now?"

Wei Xiuru said, "Zhong Yue still serves a purpose. We need to appease him first."

Before Director Qian arrived at the Textile Industry Revolutionary Committee, Zhong Yue already held his position.

Even when the previous director fell, Zhong Yue remained untouched—proof of his political survival skills.

Using Zhong Yue to land the killing strike against Director Qian would be perfect.

Wei Nan saw the difficulty and frowned.

"Director Qian is straight as an arrow—suspiciously so. Finding dirt on him won’t be easy."

Wei Xiuru obviously knew this already. "So we’ll have to think this through."

The next day, Jiang Yu walked into the factory and burst out laughing at the sight of Wei Nan’s face—bruised like a painter’s palette.

"Deputy Section Chief Wei, did someone hit you?"

"Not your concern."

Jiang Yu leaned in slightly, eyes full of mischief.

"Whoever did this missed a spot—your face isn’t evenly bruised."

Wei Nan shot her a murderous look. "Cut it out!"

"You’ve been even crankier since your last hospital visit," Jiang Yu tsked.

Cai Xiaole absentmindedly chimed in, "Isn’t it true that eunuchs back in the day had terrible tempers?"

The second those words slipped out, the office went dead silent.

Cai Xiaole finally realized what she’d said. Her smile looked more like a grimace as she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Deputy Section Chief Wei, I didn’t mean you’re a eunuch! I was just... wondering."

Wei Nan’s jaw tightened as he fixed Cai Xiaole with a sharp glare.

His white-knuckled fists said it all—he was seething.

"Tch."

Wu Jinshun forced himself to explain, "Deputy Section Chief Wei, Xiaole’s always been one to speak her mind. Please don’t take it to heart."

Wei Nan was on the verge of blowing up when there was a knock at the door.

Jiang Yu glanced toward it. "Come in."

The door opened, and everyone froze—Qian Wei walked in.

After not seeing her for a while, she looked like a ghost of herself—bags under her eyes, face gaunt.

"Section Chief Jiang, reporting for duty in the PR department."

Jiang Yu: "?"

"Director Zheng mentioned a new transfer today—you?"

Qian Wei hadn’t been seen around the factory in ages, and everyone assumed she wouldn’t be coming back.

Now, seeing her, their shock was plain on their faces.

Qian Wei turned to Wei Nan, her face blank.

"Yes. I put in for a transfer to the PR department, and the factory approved it. I’m here today to report."

For some reason, Wei Nan’s skin crawled under her hollow stare.

He’d assumed things with Qian Wei were done for good.

Yet here she was, back like a bad penny. What now?

Why did she apply to work in the publicity department?

Jiang Yu enjoyed watching the drama unfold, especially savoring Wei Nan’s panicked expression.

So he could feel fear too.

“You can sit next to Xiaole for now. If you have any questions, ask Brother Wu. If he can’t solve them, go consult Deputy Section Chief Wei.”

Cai Xiaole snapped back to attention, gathered her belongings from the empty seat beside her, and then wiped the desk and chair with a cloth.

“Qian Wei, we’re colleagues again. Sit here.”

Qian Wei met her gaze and saw her genuine warmth, her eyes growing hot.

Before coming, she had prepared herself for mocking and rejection.

Wu Jinshun smiled. “Sit down. Let me first explain how our office works.”

Qian Wei responded with a quiet “Mm” and sat down, continuing to watch Wei Nan closely.

This seat happened to be diagonally across from Wei Nan, giving her a clear view of him.

Wei Nan squirmed uncomfortably, feeling like time had never dragged on so much.

As soon as the clock struck the hour, he dashed out like his life depended on it.

Qian Wei immediately stood up to follow.

Cai Xiaole grabbed her arm. “You’re not still stuck on him, are you? What’s so great about him? He’s just a player who doesn’t deserve you. Can’t you aim a little higher?”

Qian Wei’s lips trembled. “Cai Xiaole, I talked a lot of trash about you in front of your boyfriend before. Butt out of my life.”

Cai Xiaole: “….”

Qian Wei shook off her hand and walked out.

Why had she returned to Factory No. 2? Not for Wei Nan, but to save herself.

From the day she discovered Wei Nan’s betrayal, she had been consumed by gloom.

She couldn’t sleep night after night, refused to go out, and her hair fell out in clumps.

Qian Wei had never been through such hell.

Watching her parents become more worn down alongside her, she finally realized she couldn’t go on like this.

It takes the one who caused the pain to heal it. Wei Nan was the source of her suffering—she had to heal herself.