Chapter 483: Unexpected Yet Expected – Daily Gossip in the Courtyard of the Sickly Young Lady

Chapter 483 Unexpected Yet Not Unexpected—The Sickly Young Aunt's Daily Gossip in the Compound

Having finished her tasks, Lin Qing turned her attention to the account books that interested her.

Director Li walked in and lightly tapped her desk. Lin Qing looked up, "Director!"

Director Li pointed toward the door, signaling her to step outside. Lin Qing followed.

Liu Guiyun, sitting nearby, glanced up at their departing figures.

"Director, is there something you need?"

"Someone wants to ask you a few things."

"Huh? What?" Lin Qing didn’t understand.

Seeing her confused expression, Director Li got straight to the point. "Deputy Factory Manager Zhang wants to speak with you."

Deputy Factory Manager Zhang?

Deputy Factory Manager Zhang!

It clicked for Lin Qing—Deputy Factory Manager Zhang and Zhang Mengyun. Was he here to ask about Zhang Mengyun?

Facing the obvious question written on Lin Qing’s face, Director Li nodded.

She wasn’t entirely surprised, yet it still caught her off guard.

Just as she was wondering whether to go upstairs to find the deputy factory manager or what to do, Director Li pointed toward her own office.

Lin Qing looked over and saw Deputy Factory Manager Zhang already waiting inside through the half-open door. His expression was unreadable, betraying no urgency.

Lin Qing understood—she had no choice but to comply. Not like she had anything to hide.

She nodded, and Director Li pushed the door open. "Go on in!"

Director Li didn’t follow her in but waited outside. Of course, this was also because the office windows were see-through, allowing a clear view inside. Otherwise, Director Li wouldn’t have risked leaving her star employee alone with a man.

"Comrade Lin Qing, thank you for coming. Sorry to trouble you!" Deputy Factory Manager Zhang began with an apology as soon as she entered.

Lin Qing smiled. "No problem."

"Please, Comrade Lin Qing, take a seat. Today, I just wanted to ask you a few things privately."

Lin Qing nodded. She got it.

Although Deputy Factory Manager Zhang had previously said he was done with Zhang Mengyun, she was still his daughter. He couldn’t just cut ties.

Lin Qing didn’t beat around the bush. "Deputy Factory Manager Zhang, you’re here to ask about Comrade Zhang Mengyun, aren’t you?"

Zhang let out a dry chuckle. "You’ve got me figured out. Yes, I wanted to ask about that troublesome daughter of mine."

Lin Qing thought Zhang could have used his own connections to inquire about Zhang Mengyun. Why come to her specifically?

Her mind worked quickly—it must be because of Cen Xi.

The factory managers knew a thing or two about Cen Xi’s background, and Zhang likely assumed that if anything happened, Cen Xi would be the first to hear.

Confronting Cen Xi directly might be dicey, but asking Lin Qing, Cen Xi’s partner, was much easier.

Lin Qing’s mind raced in that instant, but her face gave nothing away. "Actually, yesterday, the cops weren’t planning to haul Zhang Mengyun in at first."

Deputy Factory Manager Zhang’s breath caught, his mind instantly conjuring images of Zhang Mengyun pitching a fit and causing a scene. "So…"

Lin Qing suddenly felt a pang of pity for Deputy Factory Manager Zhang, her eyes unintentionally filling with sympathy. "She kept blocking the officers from making the arrest, so…" The rest went without saying.

Deputy Factory Manager Zhang’s straight posture slumped instantly, a wry smile tugging at his mouth. Yes, that was exactly the kind of thing his daughter would do.

Lin Qing stood silently to the side. She wasn’t lying—though she hadn’t witnessed the scene firsthand yesterday, she’d put two and two together from the chatter through the door and the officers’ purpose for being there.

After all, if she hadn’t brought it on herself, Zhang Mengyun, as a victim, would never have ended up in such a situation.

As for how things had come to this, well, she’d dug her own grave.

Deputy Manager Zhang had half a mind to ask Lin Qing if she knew why Jin Jianhua had been arrested.

But then he thought about how Zhang Mengyun had only been detained thanks to her own stupidity, and in the end, he decided not to ask.

"Thanks for your help today, Lin!" Deputy Factory Manager Zhang thanked her and walked her out.

He followed her out, and Director Li glanced at them. "Finished?"

Lin Qing nodded.

Deputy Factory Manager Zhang also nodded. "My apologies for the bother."

"No big deal, really."

After watching Deputy Factory Manager Zhang leave, Director Li couldn’t help but ask, "Was he asking why Zhang Mengyun got arrested?" She had already heard the news earlier that morning.

Lin Qing’s eyes widened slightly as she nodded. Pretty obvious, really.

Otherwise, why else would Deputy Manager Zhang seek her out?

Once Director Li got her confirmation, she let out a heavy sigh. "Ah… what a disaster of a daughter."

Lin Qing silently agreed.

Now that something had happened, he had to worry about what she might have done and figure out how to bail her out.

Poor guy!

"So, do you know why?"

Lin Qing paused briefly. "...She asked for it."

"Huh???"

Director Li’s eyes gleamed.

"She blocked the officers from making the arrest, so they dragged her in too."

Director Li nodded. "So, the police only meant to arrest her man, but she interfered and got taken in as well?"

Lin Qing nodded. Exactly.

Director Li swallowed. Yeah, no kidding—Zhang Mengyun had really done this to herself.

Still, Lin Qing wondered if she’d be locked up for long.

This really wasn't her business anyway. Jin Jianhua and Wang Qiaomei probably wouldn't be held for long, so she figured Zhang Mengyun might make it back today.

But she kept these thoughts to herself—at most, she just thought them.

"Alright, you can head back now!" After getting the information he needed, Director Li dismissed her with a wave.

Lin Qing nodded. "Okay!" She turned and returned to the office.

Sister Liu—Liu Guiyun—stopped her work the moment she saw Lin Qing return. "What was that about? What did the director want with you just now?"

"Just asked me about something."

"Really? Nothing else?"

Lin Qing detected something odd in Liu Guiyun’s tone, which made her slightly uncomfortable.

She frowned slightly, and Liu Guiyun seemed to notice, backpedaling quickly. "No, I just wanted to ask if the director mentioned anything else to you."

"Why would the director have anything else to tell me?" Lin Qing countered.

"Fine, keep it to yourself then!" Liu Guiyun suddenly grew angry and didn’t press further.

Lin Qing’s frown deepened. "..." How ridiculous.

After a moment, she relaxed her expression. Whatever—she shouldn't let other people get to her.