Chapter 60 Shameless Scoundrel
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Qian Xiaoying didn’t dare to argue any longer; hurriedly buttoning her clothes, she ran away. She jumped onto a bus and sat down before daring to look back. These women were terrifying. Even after the bus had driven quite a distance, they still chased after her, waving brooms in the air. Cheng Shi never once came out to check, as if he had merely shooed away a cockroach or a rat. Only now did she realize that there was no hope for her and Cheng Shi. Biting her finger, trembling all over, she muttered to herself, “If that’s the case, then I’ll destroy you.”
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The police station received a report from Liu Jianshe about someone embezzling state property, which was rather baffling. The last time this matter escalated so much that leaders from the city’s public security system got involved. Why was Liu Jianshe still unwilling to give up and continuing to harass them? Liu Jianshe spoke sternly, “I request that the machine be immediately sealed to prevent the culprit from destroying the equipment in a desperate attempt to evade punishment.” Regardless of what happened last time, Liu Jianshe was still the director of a large state-owned factory, so the police had no choice but to respond. Moreover, he was so serious and had witnesses with him. The officers promptly went to Cheng Shi’s home.
Cheng Yongjin was busy processing parts when two officers suddenly burst in and sealed everything. Cheng Yongjin was completely stunned. “What’s going on this time?” The officers said, “Someone is accusing you of misappropriating state assets. You can choose to settle privately by returning the assets to the complainant to withdraw the case, or wait for our assessment and fight it out in court for the judge to decide.” Cheng Yongjin immediately understood Liu Jianshe’s malicious intent, feeling cold all over. Zhang Ziqiang was furious, “How can you do this? This is clearly Liu Jianshe’s false accusation!” The officer replied, “Whether it’s a false accusation isn’t up to you. We’ll wait for the experts’ assessment to know for sure.” Cheng Shi came out of the office calmly, grabbed Cheng Yongjin’s hand, and patted Zhang Ziqiang’s shoulder. “You take my dad upstairs to rest. I’ll handle this.” At this moment, anger would only worsen their situation.
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Zhang Ziqiang wanted to say more, but Cheng Shi gripped his shoulder and gave him a deep look. Zhang clenched his fists and turned to support Cheng Yongjin upstairs. The police had actually made some progress. After all, Cheng Shi was now a public figure, and the matter had escalated so much that no resolution would be easy. If Cheng Shi was proven wrong, they would have to admit their own prior mistakes. If proven right, they would be embarrassed. Cheng Shi said, “I fully support the police’s work. However, this machine is not just mine; it also belongs to the credit union. If it is to be sealed, shouldn’t the credit union be notified as well?” The officers secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you for your cooperation, Comrade Cheng Shi. We will notify the credit union immediately.” Director Cao received the call, frowning. “What does this mean?” The officer explained, “The machinery factory filed a report saying Cheng Shi concealed the value of the CNC machine to purchase state property at a low price.” Cao snapped, “Isn’t this nonsense? What evidence do they have?!” The officer replied, “They have witnesses. We are also consulting asset appraisal experts now.” Cao said, “I’m coming right away.”
Qian Xiaoying, Liu Jianshe, the reporters Liu brought, and the mechanical experts had all arrived. The experts powered up the machine and, after a detailed inspection, said, “The machine should be priced around ten thousand.” Liu Jianshe immediately told the reporters and police, “Did you hear that? This is the expert’s opinion. I’m not falsely accusing her.” Cheng Shi calmly said, “That only proves its current value is more than five thousand. It doesn’t prove that the value was higher than that when I bought it.” Liu Jianshe’s smugness couldn’t be contained. “I have witnesses who can prove this machine is exactly the same as when it left the factory.” Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Which expert has such sharp eyesight?” Qian Xiaoying stepped forward. “I do. Officer, I’ve worked with this machine for two years, and I can confirm it’s exactly the same as when it left the workshop.” She expected Cheng Shi to be angry or terrified, unable to believe it. In the end, Liu Jianshe withdrew his claim on the machine. Cheng Shi had no choice but to return to the machinery factory, ready to once again dominate his body and mind as the victor.
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Yet Cheng Shi showed no trace of panic, merely nodding slightly. “Comrade Qian Xiaoying, your eyesight is indeed remarkable.” This was clearly sarcasm, mocking Qian Xiaoying’s reckless claims. When the machine was moved out of the factory, it hadn’t operated for quite a long time. Even if it had, no one could identify problems with integrated circuits merely by the naked eye. Otherwise, what would they need mechanical experts for? The experts also felt insulted, frowning slightly as they glanced at Liu Jianshe. Director Cao came in from outside. “I can prove the machine was only worth five thousand when it left the factory.” What a joke. Did these people even understand loan procedures? Applying for a loan requires submitting proof of collateral value. The collateral’s value usually exceeds the loan amount, or at least equals it. Now the machinery factory was suddenly claiming the machine’s value had doubled, effectively accusing the credit union of deliberately undervaluing the machine to reduce the loan amount. Under the state’s series of policies supporting private enterprise development, and with so many credit unions competing for clients, if the Qiaotou Credit Union was really accused of this “crime,” could it continue operating? Or, there was another way: admitting the credit union failed to properly review the documents, causing a severe discrepancy between the application and reality. But that would be a major dereliction of duty; none of the staff involved could escape blame. That was even more terrifying.
Liu Jianshe said, “Director Cao, your valuation is based on the inventory at the end of last year, right? From then until the time Cheng Shi bought the machine, six months have passed. During this period, our factory workers have made several modifications and repairs to the machine, so its value is far beyond five thousand now.” Qian Xiaoying added, “Yes, I can testify to that. Our workshop even won a technical innovation award on May Day, partly because of upgrades and modifications to the equipment.” Cao gritted his teeth. “I don’t understand technical matters. Now you bastards are insisting Cheng Shi is falsifying, and I’ve become an accomplice. It’s a total disaster for all of us.” Cheng Shi asked Qian Xiaoying calmly, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you speak up when the machine was sold?” Qian Xiaoying smiled. “I was attending a symposium in the city that day. I only found out afterward. But the director had already signed the contract with you, and the machine had been moved. I told him, but out of concern for you, he said it was best not to escalate it to the police and ruin your future.” Liu Jianshe silently cursed, “Good, Qian Xiaoying, you really know how to talk! Truth or lies, whatever it is, as long as Cheng Shi can’t refute it and obediently hands over the machine.”