Chapter 40

The next day, Liu Handong still went to work on time, arriving at Qing Shi High-Tech at six o'clock. He washed the car and cleaned the interior with Su Qiang, then set out at seven to pick up people in the city. This time, Liu Handong was driving, and Su Qiang sat beside him giving directions.

"Your driving skills are pretty good, no wonder you were a driver in the military," Su Qiang said sincerely as he watched Liu Handong skillfully navigate through the traffic.

Liu Handong replied, "This Bilian is really a nice car. When will our country produce such good cars?"

Su Qiang smirked, "Eight hundred thousand for one car, how could it be bad? It's not that our country doesn't want to produce them, it's that no one buys them."

They chatted along the way, picking up over a dozen employees. Around 8:45, the Bilian arrived at Qing Shi High-Tech. The employees went to work, and the drivers went to the rest room. Liu Handong asked, "I've worked a full day. If I quit now, will I get paid?"

Su Qiang laughed, "Don't be silly, you just started working one day and want to quit? Can you bear it?"

Seeing that Liu Handong didn't seem to be joking, Su Qiang said, "Xiao Liu, you're not serious, are you? How can you quit such a good job?"

Liu Handong said, "Last night, Sun Zhonghai asked me to take the fall for Xia Dong's son. I refused and even dragged Xia Dong out of the car, beat him up, and handed him over to the police. Do you think I can still work here?"

Su Qiang drew a sharp breath, "Bro, you're tough!"

Liu Handong asked, "Does Xia Dong have a sister named Xiaofan?"

Su Qiang replied, "You know this too? Not bad. But Xia Dong and the young lady are cousins, not siblings. Xia Dong is Xia Baishi's son, and the young lady, following her mother's surname, is called Shu Fan, the daughter of President Xia Qingshi. She went to America last month because of an incident. President Xia has liver cancer and is undergoing surgery in America. Now, it's Big Brother Xia Baishi who's in charge at home."

Liu Handong nodded, "I see."

The internal phone rang, and Su Qiang answered it, saying a few words before hanging up. "Xiao Liu, the administration department wants you to go up."

Liu Handong went out and took the elevator to the 17th floor, where an administrative clerk apologetically told him that he had not passed the probation period. He was given one day's pay, and he was asked to return his access card and work uniform. He could go home.

The finance department gave him 200 yuan in salary. Liu Handong stuffed the two bills into his pocket, threw the access card on the table, and was about to leave when the clerk gave him a thumbs up and whispered, "Good job."

It seemed everyone already knew what had happened. Liu Handong felt a bit proud. He went to the changing room, changed into his own clothes, and came to say goodbye to Su Qiang.

"Take care," Su Qiang patted his arm.

Liu Handong walked away with long strides, his lonely figure walking on the empty road in the park. At the 18th floor, in the president's office, An Xin was wearing a Bluetooth earphone and talking to Xia Qingshi in America. Xia Qingshi asked about Liu Handong, and An Xin laughed, "What can you see in just one day? You're the president, not the head of the administration department. Why are you so detailed?"

Xia Qingshi's laughter came through the earphone, "The savior of Xiaofan, of course, needs to be taken care of. Otherwise, my daughter will be upset."

An Xin looked out the window, suddenly seeing a man in a T-shirt walking and waving his shirt, with very exaggerated body language. There was a monocular telescope in the office, which was actually a decoration, but it worked as a regular telescope. An Xin squinted and looked through the telescope, wanting to see which employee this arrogant guy was.

Liu Handong was not happy about being fired after just one day of work. He suddenly turned around and gave the office building the middle finger.

An Xin happened to be looking through the telescope at that moment. In the lens, she saw Liu Handong's defiant face and the middle finger. She was so shocked that she took a step back. She had seen his file; this was Liu Handong. What was he doing, walking out in casual clothes during work hours?

"Qingshi, I'll hang up, I have something to do," An Xin hurriedly hung up the phone and picked up the internal phone, dialing a few numbers. "Administration department, this is An Xin. I saw the new driver, Liu Handong, leaving in casual clothes. Did he take leave?"

"President An, Liu Handong has been fired," the response was weak.

"What? Who fired him? Why wasn't the president's office informed?" An Xin was furious.

"Minister Sun approved it. According to regulations, the departure of administrative staff does not need to be reported to the president's office..." the other party replied weakly.

"Get Sun Zhonghai up here!" An Xin slammed down the phone, thought for a moment, and then picked it up again, dialing the security department's number. "Tell the gate not to let Liu Handong leave. Bring him to the president's office."

In the administration department, the clerk notified Deputy Minister Sun Zhonghai that President An wanted to see him. It was probably about firing Liu Handong. Sun Zhonghai thought for a moment, took a copy of the company's human resources regulations, and went upstairs. As soon as he entered the president's office, he was scolded by An Xin:

"Who told you to fire Liu Handong? I need a reasonable explanation!"

Sun Zhonghai calmly presented the regulations and smiled, "I fired him according to the human resources regulations. His work was very unsatisfactory, and he was not competent as a driver."

An Xin was furious, "How did you determine that he was not competent as a driver?"

Sun Zhonghai said, "Disobeying management is enough."

An Xin was very angry. The people below her were used to paying lip service and opposing her everywhere. They were just relying on Xia Baishi's support. Firing Liu Handong was probably Xia Baishi's instruction, deliberately opposing her to undermine her authority.

Sun Zhonghai was indeed fearless. The administration department was under Xia Baishi's jurisdiction, and An Xin was just the president's assistant. If they really had a showdown, she couldn't win against Xia Baishi.

"Please explain specifically how Liu Handong disobeyed management," An Xin said coldly.

Suddenly, the door to the president's office opened, and Xia Baishi led a group of middle-level managers in suits and ties. He said arrogantly, "Assistant An, when did the administration department come under your jurisdiction? Is a mere driver worth such a fuss? Are you too idle and looking for trouble?"

Sun Zhonghai maliciously smiled and stood behind Xia Baishi.

Facing a dozen people, An Xin, a lone woman, instinctively crossed her arms, a defensive gesture. She emphasized, "President Xia authorized me to manage all company affairs during his treatment. I need to manage the administration department, and I need to manage Liu Handong's case because he saved Shu Fan and is the Xia family's benefactor. President Xia specifically asked to take care of him. He only worked one day and was fired by Deputy Minister Sun. I need a reasonable explanation. Is that too much to ask?"

Xia Baishi walked over and sat in An Xin's chair, putting his legs up on the table. "Assistant An, I fired him. He's not the Xia family's benefactor; he's our enemy!"

An Xin was stunned, subconsciously thinking of the kidnapping incident. Could Liu Handong be part of the conspiracy? But she quickly dismissed this as unlikely.

Xia Baishi continued, "Last night, this Liu Handong beat up my son and sent him to detention. He also smashed my 1.5 million CNY Cayenne. Why shouldn't I fire him? Firing him is the least I could do. I want to find someone to beat him up!"

The door opened again, and Liu Handong stood at the entrance, a security guard standing beside him, looking nervous. The atmosphere in the president's office was tense, with so many managers present.

"Who wants to beat me up?" Liu Handong asked. He had already been fired, so he didn't care about anything. He took out a pack of Hongmei cigarettes, flicked one out, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a disposable lighter. He took a puff and walked in, looking directly at Xia Baishi behind the desk.

"Are you Xia Dong's father?"

Xia Baishi was furious, "Who let you in? Security!"

The security guard instinctively moved to come in but was stopped by An Xin's gaze.

"Your son was driving drunk, with an alcohol level three times the legal limit for drunk driving. He hit and killed an innocent pedestrian, a little girl who was only three years old! You just want to find someone to take the fall and get your son out to continue harming others? Yes, I beat him up, and I'm going to beat you up too!" Liu Handong raised his fist.

"Stop!" An Xin shouted, though she disliked Xia Baishi, fighting in the president's office was not appropriate.

Liu Handong reluctantly lowered his fist. Though he was impulsive and liked to fight, he knew when to be appropriate.

"You people, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have money. Remember this: heaven does not hide evil!" Liu Handong's words were forceful, and he felt quite good about himself. He checked the time on his Coolpad phone and pointed at Xia Baishi. "I'm in a hurry. I'm going to the police station to testify and make sure your son stays in jail. I'm leaving."

He turned and left, leaving the room in shock.

Today's events were completely out of control. An Xin hadn't expected Liu Handong to be so fierce. She had planned to transfer him to the president's office as her driver if Xia Baishi insisted, but now that seemed impossible. Not only had he offended Xia Baishi deeply, but his character was also hard to manage.

...

Liu Handong was unemployed again. He walked on the road in the northern suburbs. Just a moment ago, he had felt a sense of righteous indignation, but now his mood was low. The Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and he should go home to see his mother. He didn't even have money to buy a good box of mooncakes. Last time, he lied to his mother, saying he was driving at a traffic vocational college, but now he couldn't even drive a motorcycle. He felt ashamed to face anyone.

If it weren't for his bad temper, he wouldn't have dropped out of a good university to join the military. If it weren't for his bad temper, he wouldn't have been a sergeant after eight years of service and been discharged early. If it weren't for his bad temper, he wouldn't be unemployed and penniless.

"Liu Handong, do you regret it?" a voice in his heart asked.

"I don't regret it!" Liu Handong silently answered. Without his clear-cut, righteous character, would he still be Liu Handong?

The road ahead was straight and smooth, making him feel an urge to run. He started running, faster and faster, and let out a long cry, drawing the attention of people in passing cars.

---

Liu Handong was unemployed again. He walked on the road in the northern suburbs. Just a moment ago, he had felt a sense of righteous indignation, but now his mood was low. The Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and he should go home to see his mother. He didn't even have money to buy a good box of mooncakes. Last time, he lied to his mother, saying he was driving at a traffic vocational college, but now he couldn't even drive a motorcycle. He felt ashamed to face anyone.

If it weren't for his bad temper, he wouldn't have dropped out of a good university to join the military. If it weren't for his bad temper, he wouldn't have been a sergeant after eight years of service and been discharged early. If it weren't for his bad temper, he wouldn't be unemployed and penniless.

"Liu Handong, do you regret it?" a voice in his heart asked.

"I don't regret it!" Liu Handong silently answered. Without his clear-cut, righteous character, would he still be Liu Handong?

The road ahead was straight and smooth, making him feel an urge to run. He started running, faster and faster, and let out a long cry, drawing the attention of people in passing cars.