Chapter 32: Know Your Place
Li Tang sat calmly in his chair, unmoved. Facing the storm of rage erupting behind him, he didn't even look back. He simply said in a cool tone, "Why? Do you want me to spell it out in front of all our colleagues what you did—or didn't do?"
"He's a pig! In Jiujiang Province, he—" He Runqi exploded, leaping up, finger pointed at Hu Yangyu, ready to unleash a string of accusations.
But Li Tang grabbed his arm, stopping him. "No need to waste your breath. Those who know, know."
He Runqi had a full speech ready to go but swallowed it down, gritting his teeth and muttering, "You should be grateful you even got seventy yuan!"
Hu Yangyu wasn't having any of it. He turned his anger on Li Tang, spitting venomously: "You're just abusing your power! You're selfish and corrupt! You don't deserve to be team leader! You pocketed my field allowance! You and your classmate—ganging up to steal my money!"
It was like watching two dogs fight over a bone—pointless and messy.
Li Tang had no interest in arguing with someone like Hu. Reasoning with people like that never went anywhere.
Having failed to make an impact with his shouting, Hu was even more frustrated. Backed into a corner, he finally snapped.
"You two disgusting snakes! I'm going straight to Director Liu to report this. You'll regret it!" he shouted.
And he stormed out of the large office and into Director Liu Kaisheng's office.
More than thirty people in the Resource Evaluation Department had just witnessed the entire drama. They'd gone from being envious of Group Six for getting such high field allowances to watching the group erupt in open conflict over "unequal distribution."
It was the best live show in months.
"Director Liu!" Hu burst into the office, already half-crying. "I want to file a complaint! There's a team leader openly embezzling from staff right under your nose. I have witnesses!"
Liu Kaisheng immediately tensed. "What's going on?"
"Li Tang ordered He Runqi to steal my field allowance!"
"How much did he take?"
"I don't know the exact number, but in our four-person team, we were all out in the field for the same sixteen days. Li Tang got 880 yuan. His classmate, He Runqi, got 560. Wei Shixing got 420. And I—got seventy! Not even close to the others!"
Hu recounted the numbers with dramatic flair, each word full of accusation. "He's clearly embezzling funds, and playing favorites! We all went on the same trip, and he and his classmate pocketed more than double! Me and Wei—because we're not in their inner circle—got screwed!"
Earlier, when He Runqi had brought two different forms to sign, Liu had already noticed the discrepancies. At the time, he didn't quite understand, but now it all made sense.
If this spiraled out of control, it would be a major scandal—potentially damaging company morale and trust in management.
He couldn't afford to take it lightly. "Come with me," he told Hu.
They went straight to Qin Jianshe's office, and Hu repeated his accusation word for word.
Qin listened quietly, sipping tea, completely unfazed. He didn't even offer Hu a seat, letting him stand there awkwardly.
After a long silence—long enough to make Hu's knees start shaking—Qin finally spoke in a low voice. "I already know about this. Yes, Li Tang allocated different allowances to each team member. When he brought the form to me, I saw the discrepancies. And I approved them."
Liu Kaisheng was taken aback. "Director Qin, Li Tang may be technically talented, but this is a serious matter! If we allow this kind of behavior, it could tear the department apart!"
Qin snorted, then fixed his sharp gaze on Hu. "Why did Li Tang do that? Don't you already know?"
"I…" Hu faltered, suddenly panicked.
"You were out in the field for sixteen days. Take away the days spent in town, and you had maybe ten days in the actual mine. Tell me—what did you do during that time?"
"…"
"Li Tang and He Runqi were out there every day, under the scorching sun, climbing through rocks and rubble, sweating like crazy. You? You were lying in the hotel all day, reading your damn wuxia novels!"
Qin didn't mince words as he tore through Hu's facade. "At first, I didn't want to believe it. I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. But to be sure, I called the mine myself. They told me straight out—they only ever saw Li Tang and He Runqi working."
"I… I went to the mine too…" Hu mumbled, red-faced with shame, desperately trying to salvage some dignity.
"Yes. You went once. You had lunch there. That's it. The mine staff remember very clearly who worked and who didn't."
Hu's face turned pale. His eyes welled up with tears.
In that moment, he was terrified he was about to be fired.
Losing this "iron rice bowl" job and returning home in disgrace—how could he face his parents? His neighbors?
Qin sighed. "You've been with Wukuang for six years. Straight out of university, you were placed in the Mining and Metallurgy Company. You've done tough fieldwork before. You used to be hardworking, resilient. What happened to you? How did you become this lazy, scheming slacker?"
"I know I messed up, Director Qin…" Hu lowered his head deeply.
"Go back and reflect. Write me a formal self-criticism."
Qin waved him off. The meeting was over.
Only then did Liu Kaisheng understand what had really happened with the four-person team.
If Qin hadn't explained it personally, he'd still be in the dark.
"I'll reflect as well, Director Qin," Liu said seriously.
Qin nodded. "Forget the rest of the company—for this department, the time has come to make a change. The world is moving forward, and we need to keep up. We can't keep following outdated systems."
…
Back in the office, Hu Yangyu slumped in his chair by the window, eyes dull, utterly defeated.
He looked nothing like the furious man who had shouted moments ago.
Everyone had been waiting for a big scene—expecting Li Tang to get dragged out and scolded.
But it hadn't happened.
Instead, the story fizzled out.
So what happened behind those closed doors?
Curious coworkers wandered over to Group Six's corner, feigning casual interest. "Hey, Hu Yangyu, don't back down now! What happened? Did the leadership take Li Tang's side?"
Hu just stared out the window, his face blank and pale.
Seeing his state, everyone lost interest and drifted away.
"So much for that. Didn't even fight back."
"Looks to me like Li Tang's got some serious backing."
"This is infuriating. He openly embezzled allowances, and the higher-ups don't care? What happened to fairness?"
"Just don't let it happen to me."
"If he ever tries that with me, I'll bash his skull in."
Imagination took over, and wild rumors flew.
In the blink of an eye, Li Tang was painted as a tyrant, an untouchable villain—a boss-level enemy no one could defeat.
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