Chapter 58

"Old Zhang! Is everything okay?" A middle-aged man's voice came from outside the gate of Dongfang Hardware.

The security guard immediately replied, "Don't worry, Mr. Jiang. Xiao Wang is going to meet his girlfriend tonight. They only see each other a few times a month, and every time they meet, they stay out overnight. To maintain full attendance, he didn't even take a leave. He just told me and left, so there's only me in the factory tonight, and no one else knows."

"That's good. We can't be careless about this. If anyone sees us, it will be useless. So we need to be careful, understand?" The middle-aged man's voice sounded again.

"Understood, understood. Mr. Jiang, you think of everything." The security guard's tone was very respectful, almost fawning.

The so-called Mr. Jiang outside the gate seemed very satisfied with the security guard's flattery and said, "Work hard. If everything goes well tonight, you'll get your share. When this incident breaks out, I'll arrange a better job for you."

Hearing this, Old Zhang's demeanor became even more humble, and he bowed, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Jiang, thank you, Mr. Jiang. I will work hard for you. I won't have to put up with He Xiangdong's young upstart. I'm a technician, yet he made me guard the gate. He Xiangdong is just being malicious, it's too despicable."

Hearing Old Zhang belittle He Xiangdong, Mr. Jiang's voice also sounded very pleased, "You're right. He Xiangdong is just a petty person. This time, he was the one who acted unrighteously first, so it's his own fault that you acted unrighteously in return!"

As they talked, the big lock on the gate was already open. Old Zhang quickly opened the gate, and a Dongfeng large truck drove into the factory with its lights on. After receiving a set of keys from Old Zhang through the driver's window, the truck drove straight to the third workshop. Behind the truck, a man in his forties with a potbelly walked in, lit a cigarette, and chatted casually with Old Zhang. This man was the Mr. Jiang that Old Zhang had mentioned. Seeing Mr. Jiang's true face, He Ping's eyes instantly became sharp.

It was him! Jiang Dezhi! He Ping didn't expect it to be an acquaintance.

Who was this Jiang Dezhi? To put it simply, he was the current factory manager of Qingshan Machinery, He Xiangdong's biggest competitor in Qingshan City! Qingshan Machinery was originally a state-owned enterprise, but it had suffered severe losses in recent years, leading to many employees being laid off. Jiang Dezhi took advantage of the restructuring trend to acquire Qingshan Machinery at a low price. Most of the original employees were forcibly laid off, and Jiang Dezhi didn't care about their well-being. Because of this, He Xiangdong had privately expressed his dissatisfaction with Jiang Dezhi.

The reason He Ping was so familiar with Jiang Dezhi wasn't because he was his father's competitor. In fact, as a child, he didn't even know what a competitor was. By the time he found out, his father was already in prison and had nothing to do with Jiang Dezhi anymore. He Ping recognized Jiang Dezhi because of Jiang Dezhi's younger son, who was also his current classmate, Jiang Xiaolong, whom he and Dong Dapeng called "Jiang Xiaochong."

He Ping and Jiang Xiaolong had no friendship, but they had plenty of enmity. In school, Jiang Xiaolong and he didn't get along, often arguing, and a few times even involving the teachers. Jiang Xiaolong was the class study committee member, a top student, and his grades were second only to Zhao Yuke. He Ping, on the other hand, was the class troublemaker, a problem child in the eyes of the teachers. When their conflicts were brought to the teachers, Jiang Xiaolong was always in the right, which deepened their enmity.

Later, when He Ping transferred schools, he didn't see Jiang Xiaolong again. But when he quit his first job after graduating from university and decided to start his own business, he unexpectedly ran into Jiang Xiaolong again. Jiang Xiaolong, relying on his family's wealth, constantly hindered He Ping's entrepreneurial efforts, preventing him from developing. Several times, if it weren't for Dong Dapeng's timely help, He Ping might have ended up bankrupt.

Since He Ping and Jiang Xiaolong were enemies, he naturally knew about his father and how he had built his vast fortune through Qingshan Machinery. Because Jiang Dezhi's wealth was even greater than that of Dong Dapeng's parents, even with Dong Dapeng's help, He Ping still found it difficult to compete fairly with Jiang Xiaolong. Therefore, He Ping was very familiar with Jiang Xiaolong, his brother, and his father.

It was him! It was Jiang Dezhi who did all this! He Ping's hand clenched into a tight fist. He wished he could rush out and beat this despicable scoundrel right now. When he and his father discussed who might have framed him, He Xiangdong had specifically ruled out Jiang Dezhi. At that time, although Jiang Dezhi's Qingshan Machinery and He Xiangdong's Dongfang Hardware were competitors, the market was far from saturated, and orders were already full. There was no real impact between the two companies.

Moreover, He Xiangdong believed that although Jiang Dezhi had been suspected of speculating on state assets and treating the original employees poorly, he was still a significant figure and wouldn't do such despicable things. He Xiangdong thought it might be a business rival he had offended or a power that was dissatisfied with his upcoming appointment as a member of the Qingshan Political Consultative Conference.

He Ping restrained his anger. Even if he rushed out and beat Jiang Dezhi now, it wouldn't be enough to satisfy his hatred. For such a despicable person, he needed to use despicable methods. Since Jiang Dezhi had ruined his family in the previous life, this time, He Ping would make him taste the same pain.

Using the same method to hide a batch of controlled knives in Qingshan Machinery? The process was simple, but He Ping couldn't guarantee the outcome. Clearly, the inspection team that appeared at Dongfang Hardware the next day in the previous life had a problem. Otherwise, why would they arrive at Dongfang Hardware the day after their action, and on a Saturday, when they were usually so lazy that they didn't even work on weekends?

If the inspection hadn't happened the next day, He Xiangdong would have noticed something was wrong. If he had reported it first, it would have been investigated as an illegal intrusion. If he used the same method to frame Jiang Dezhi, the result would be the same. He Ping couldn't control the inspection team, and the outcome would only be that Jiang Dezhi would discover it in advance, become alert, and make it harder to use other methods.

However, He Ping had already thought of a way to deal with Jiang Dezhi. Seeing that Jiang Dezhi and Old Zhang were still chatting, He Ping activated his stealth ability, which allowed him to blend into the surroundings when moving at a low speed, and slowly moved toward the third workshop. No matter what, he needed to eliminate the immediate threat first.

[PS: First update of the day! Those damn mosquitoes... It's already autumn, and there are still mosquitoes in the house. I hardly slept last night...]