Doug Feng narrowed his eyes at the cargo container behind their truck. He had a bad feeling crawling up his spine like a cold, angry caterpillar. With a firm tug, he yanked the latch open—and there it was. No shining steel beams. No heavy-duty construction materials. Just… rocks. Ugly, chunky, worthless rocks, piled high like some kind of geological prank.
Old Doug stared at the pile of rubble and went ghost-pale. "If this went out as steel delivery…" he muttered, voice shaking. "I'd have to pay for all of it."
"Which is why we're not letting that happen," Doug said, already climbing down from the truck. "Let's go make someone's morning miserable."
They marched toward Li Zuming's truck like a pair of avenging accountants. Li, who had been lounging in the cab with all the smugness of a man who thought he'd just pulled off the perfect crime, slid out with a fake smile.
"Eh? Victory parade already?" Zuming said, stretching like he'd just woken from a nap. "What brings you two gents over? Truck troubles?"
Doug cracked his knuckles, not bothering to hide the glare. "Cut the act, Zuming. I know exactly what you did."
"What I did?" Li Zuming blinked, all wide-eyed innocence. "Victory parade or witch hunt? I'm a little lost."
Doug stalked to the back of his own truck, flung open the doors again with a dramatic flourish. "Rocks. You swapped the cargo, trying to screw over my dad. You think I wouldn't notice?"
Zuming peered inside, scratched his head like he'd just discovered granite for the first time. "Huh. Now that's odd. I could've sworn this was supposed to be steel. But I'm just a humble driver. How could I know?"
"Don't play dumb, you oily worm. You knew. You pulled the swap while my dad was pulled aside for some fake paperwork."
Old Doug finally found his voice. "Zuming, why would you do this? I've never done anything to you."
Zuming threw his arms up in mock offense. "Me? Do something shady? Victory parade it is, then. You've mistaken me for a villain in a telenovela, Doug Jr."
"I've got eyes, you know," Doug said, jabbing a finger at him. "You switched the trucks when you thought no one was watching. Joke's on you—I was."
Zuming's smirk dropped a degree. "Got no proof."
"Oh yeah?" Doug marched over to Zuming's truck and threw open the back.
The unmistakable glint of raw steel stared back.
"Well, well," Doug said sweetly. "If my dad had the rocks, and you have the steel… unless the trucks magically developed consciousness and switched places overnight, I'd say that's a pretty solid case."
Before Zuming could stammer out another excuse, a shrill voice cut through the lot.
"What's all this nonsense now?"
The company's resident paperwork goblin, Liu Hanming, emerged from the office, waving his arms like he was trying to swat a swarm of bureaucratic bees. "Doug Sr., why the hell are you parked right at the gate? People need to move!"
Doug Sr. turned to explain, but Doug Jr. intercepted.
"No use, Dad. He's part of it too. Don't you remember? Who conveniently dragged you off to 'check the invoice' while Zuming did the swap?"
Liu Hanming blinked, then scowled. "Hey now. Careful what you accuse people of."
Doug crossed his arms. "Oh, I'm not accusing. I'm declaring."
Hanming puffed up like a pigeon in a headwind. "Don't get cheeky, kid. We've never had these kinds of problems before."
"Which means someone must be creating them now," Doug shot back. "And I'll bet good money it's someone wearing that cheap polyester tie."
Hanming's lips twitched. "Just move your damn truck, old Doug."
"We're not going anywhere," Doug said flatly. "Not until your boss and the police show up. Let's see how long your little cabal lasts under actual scrutiny."
As if on cue, a sleek black Buick rolled into view, clearly struggling to squeeze past the blocked gate. It gave up halfway and parked sideways like a crime scene.
"Speak of the devil," Doug muttered.
Out stepped Liu Shunfa, the infamous boss of Shunfa Logistics. A man so bald, he reflected sunlight like a divine warning. His enormous beer belly strained against a crumpled Armani suit, and his tiny sunglasses perched on his nose like a grumpy frog on a branch.
"What in the name of late capitalism is going on here?" he barked.
"Uncle Liu," Hanming immediately jumped into action, weaving a tapestry of lies. "It's nothing serious! Just a mix-up. Old Doug must've taken the wrong truck. He got confused, then accused Zuming of theft. Zuming noticed the weight felt wrong, called me right away. I told him to wait while I called you."
Doug could only marvel at how smoothly the lies poured out of Hanming's mouth. If only his report writing was that efficient.
Shunfa squinted at the two trucks. "So it was just a simple mistake?"
Doug stepped forward. "Simple mistake? Are you seriously buying this? My dad's been driving for twenty years. You think he can't tell his truck from someone else's?"
"Watch your tone, kid," Shunfa warned, adjusting his frog-glasses. "Is this your son, Doug?"
Old Doug winced. "Yes, boss."
"He just called me blind and deaf."
Doug raised a brow. "I only said you were acting like it."
Shunfa's face darkened like a storm cloud. "You think this is funny?"
"I think it's suspicious," Doug said. "Let me ask you something—if Zuming really noticed his truck was heavier than expected, why didn't he stop? Why did he try to drive off? If we weren't here to block the gate, he'd be halfway to dumping that steel by now."
The crowd fell silent. Even Hanming looked like he wanted to melt into a filing cabinet.
"I'm calling the police," Doug announced. "We'll let them sort it out."
He grabbed the phone from his dad and dialed. Zuming looked like he wanted to throw a punch, but Doug stared him down until he backed off.
"You've got no evidence," Zuming growled. "Just theories and big words."
Doug pointed at the two trucks. "The evidence is literally parked behind me, moron."
As Doug hung up with the police dispatcher, a weight lifted off his chest. He wasn't just defending his dad—he was rewriting history, one confrontation at a time.
"Hope you like stripes, Zuming," Doug said. "They'll match your attitude."
Shunfa's mouth twitched, but he said nothing. His frog-glasses slid down his nose.
Doug smirked. For the first time, the big boss didn't have a comeback.