"President Su, you witnessed it all, didn't you? This Gao Fei not only refuses to admit his mistake, but he even threatened the security staff under him. He's truly despicable," Minister Liu said, adding fuel to the fire.
"President Su, you have to stand up for me," Niu Gang put on a pitiful face: "I have no idea what's going on, why Minister Gao would bear such resentment towards me, even saying he would deal with me... I... I'm really scared..."
"Bastard!" Gao Fei rushed over and grabbed Niu Gang by the throat, roaring: "Speak, why did you frame me? Speak!!!" At that moment, Gao Fei truly wanted to strangle Niu Gang to death, but the last bit of rationality told him he absolutely could not do that, otherwise his life would be over.
"President Su, save me!" Niu Gang began to scream in terror.
"Gao Fei! Let go of him!" Su Xiaorou said sternly: "If I, as the president, still hold any weight in your eyes, you will release him!"
Under Su Xiaorou's command, Gao Fei reluctantly let go of Niu Gang, his eyes bloodshot, a strong killing intent emanating from him. Niu Gang was an ingrate; Gao Fei had been so good to him usually and even if he did not think about repaying the kindness, to actually repay kindness with malice was inexcusable. What a complete bastard!
"Minister Liu, Niu Gang, the two of you go back first," Su Xiaorou said indifferently.
"President Su, you…" Just as Minister Liu began to speak, he was interrupted by Su Xiaorou.
"All right, go back to work. I'll handle this matter," Su Xiaorou said with an unquestionable wave of her hand: "Listen, before this matter is clarified, do not spread it around, so as not to affect the company's reputation."
"I hope President Su can give me an explanation soon." After saying this, Minister Liu turned and left, giving Gao Fei a vicious stare before he departed.
"I... I'll go too..." Niu Gang followed quickly behind Minister Liu and left the office at a brisk pace.
In the blink of an eye, only Gao Fei and Su Xiaorou were left in the office.
The atmosphere was a bit oppressive.
"President Su, I have been wronged," Gao Fei said through clenched teeth, word by word: "It was Minister Liu and Niu Gang who conspired to frame me!"
"I believe you are innocent," Su Xiaorou said smilingly as she nodded her head.
"Huh?" Gao Fei was completely stunned: "President Su, you... you trust me that much?" Su Xiaorou's attitude was incredibly heartwarming to Gao Fei.
"Sit down and talk," Su Xiaorou pointed to the sofa opposite her: "Have some tea first, calm your qi!" Su Xiaorou poured a cup of hot tea for Gao Fei: "You could refuse a 10 million check, so how could you possibly stoop to stealing money?" Then, adding, "Although I haven't known you for very long, I have come to understand you a bit; you're a person of principle, and you're not someone who would steal money from the finance department."
"President Su, I'm really happy you think that way," Gao Fei let out a soft sigh.
"Just me believing in you is useless," Su Xiaorou shook her head: "Now all the evidence is against you, and if you can't prove your innocence... then the blame will be pinned on you, and you won't be able to shake it off."
"You can call the police! Let the police collect fingerprints to see if my fingerprints are on the drawer," Gao Fei suggested.
"What if Minister Liu says you wiped off your fingerprints beforehand, how would you answer that?" Su Xiaorou asked, leaving Gao Fei at a loss for words.
"... Then... then check the surveillance footage, right! How could I have forgotten that, there are cameras in Minister Liu's office!" Gao Fei slapped his forehead hard: "I really am stupid!"
"I'm afraid I have to disappoint you again," Su Xiaorou said softly: "The entire tenth floor's surveillance system has malfunctioned, including the cameras in Minister Liu's office."
"A malfunction?" Gao Fei frowned: "How could that be such a coincidence? Not before nor after, but just when I went to the tenth floor, there's a malfunction... It's clearly premeditated! Someone must have tampered with the surveillance; if we investigate carefully, we should be able to find clues!"
"I've already had people looking into it, and the result is... the machines are old and some components have failed, not due to human interference," Su Xiaorou stated.
"How can that be..." Gao Fei was suddenly out of options; the trap the other party had laid out was too meticulous, and they had thought of all the steps in advance. Now for Gao Fei to break the situation, it was a bit difficult: "I'm puzzled, I've never offended Minister Liu and Niu Gang, why would they want to frame me?"
"I don't know about that," Su Xiaorou shook her head: "Gao Fei, from now on, we'll divide our efforts. I'll investigate this case openly, and you'll look into it from the shadows, and try to find evidence as soon as possible."
"Why not just report it to the police?" Gao Fei asked: "Let them investigate."
Su Xiaorou shook her head: "Once we involve the police, it will affect the company's reputation, and as a suspect, you'll also be detained, which is not the outcome I want to see." Su Xiaorou's considerations were comprehensive; this was an internal scandal that was best not made public, otherwise it would affect the company's reputation.
Gao Fei frowned deeply: "But... just the two of us... finding evidence is going to be tough."
"No matter how difficult, we have to find it," Su Xiaorou said with a serious expression: "Gao Fei, I can give you at most three days. If, in three days, you still can't find evidence to prove your innocence, then I have no choice but to follow the company's rules and regulations."
Her tone softened a little: "Although I am the president, I cannot simply cover for you, after all, embezzlement from the finance department is not a trivial matter. If I don't respond, the other employees won't accept it."
Gao Fei nodded, "I understand, I will definitely find the evidence! I must!"
...
After leaving the President's office, Gao Fei began to ponder how to search for evidence. After much thought, he still couldn't come up with a foolproof method.
"Damn it! If it really comes down to it, I'll just have to get rough!" Gao Fei said fiercely.
Maybe feeling uneasy, Niu Gang asked for sick leave before the end of the workday, which was approved by Deputy Minister Miao Kui. Because of this, Gao Fei had a few words of argument with Miao Kui, accusing him of not being justified in approving Niu Gang's sick leave.
"What? Do I, as a Deputy Minister, not have the authority to approve sick leave?" Miao Kui said coldly.
"You have the authority, but this guy Niu Gang is clearly faking illness..."
"Minister Gao! How can you be so certain that Niu Gang is faking illness? I saw his face was pale, and he was unsteady on his feet; he really was sick."
"You..."
"If there's nothing else, I'm going on patrol." Miao Kui left with these words, swaggeringly walking away.
Gao Fei's face turned ashen with anger, "So you're not taking me seriously, huh? Fine! Just you wait! Sooner or later, I'll make you realize what I'm capable of!" First framed by Niu Gang and Chairman Liu, and now contradicted by Miao Kui, even the good-tempered Gao Fei was burning with rage at this moment.
...
Each blossom of the myriad that flowered had its own tale to tell.
Let's now talk about what was happening with Niu Gang. After leaving the company, he didn't go to the hospital or home but straight to a bath center. After luxuriating in a hot bath, he leisurely strolled into a restaurant, ordered a lavish spread of food and drink, and began to eat and drink heartily by himself.
After eating his fill, Niu Gang took a taxi home.
About ten minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of a decrepit neighborhood that was constructed in the 1990s and had been around for more than twenty years, making it a relatively old housing complex. This was where Niu Gang lived.
After paying the fare, Niu Gang staggered into the neighborhood, humming a tune as he went, "Us common folks oh are so happy today, so happy..." He wound his way half around the complex and eventually entered Building No. 7. He then climbed the stairs to the fifth floor, pulled out his keys, and opened the door. At that moment, a figure suddenly sprang out from behind him. Before Niu Gang could react, he took a blow to the back of his head, and with his eyelids flipping, he passed out on the spot.
Time passed, and slowly Niu Gang regained consciousness. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself lying on the cold floor with someone sitting on the sofa next to him—a person he least wished to encounter—Gao Fei.
"You... how are you here..." Niu Gang struggled up from the floor, then stared at Gao Fei, his face full of wariness, "Was it you who attacked me? You realize this is a crime? I could sue you!" His wife was on a night shift, his son was away at boarding school, and he was alone in the house.
"Hmph!" Gao Fei snorted, "Planning to sue me? You probably won't get the chance."
"You..." Fear flickered in Niu Gang's eyes, "What are you going to do..." As he spoke, Niu Gang slowly backed towards the door, seemingly aiming to flee.
Gao Fei stood up, strode forward quickly, grabbed Niu Gang's shoulder with a swift move and flipped him onto the ground, then he pressed his foot against Niu Gang's chest, "Speak! Why did you frame me?"
"You... if you've got the guts, kill me. There's no way you're getting anything out of me!" Niu Gang said fiercely.
"Oh? Quite tough, aren't you?" Gao Fei sneered, "I hope you can keep it up!" With that, Gao Fei bent down and poked Niu Gang's chest a few times. Then, he watched Niu Gang begin to tremble, his breathing became rapid, and his face flushed red.
"What... what did you do to me..." Niu Gang asked intermittently, feeling as if there were ten thousand ants gnawing everywhere inside him—an indescribable agony.
"How's the feeling?" Gao Fei mocked, "This is just the beginning. Later, it'll be much worse." The method of torture he was using was documented in the Demon God Heritage, something Gao Fei had only recently learned. This was the first time he used it, and it seemed effective. By sealing a few acupressure points on Niu Gang's chest, the blood would slowly stagnate, and the pain would become increasingly severe. Even the strongest-willed person would eventually break.
"It hurts... it hurts so much..."
"Please... let me go... I beg you..."
"I'm dying... the pain is killing me... ahh..."
On the floor, Niu Gang writhed back and forth, letting out pitiful screams.