Major Heavy Industry: Starting with a Fake Marriage

Chapter 56 Proof

When I arrived at the factory, there were two people standing at the door of the technical innovation team's office. They were wearing Zhongshan suits and had serious expressions; they were clearly from higher up.

"Are you Jiang Cheng?" one of them asked.

"I am."

"We are from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. Someone has reported that your technological innovation team embezzled public funds and misappropriated bonuses during the equipment upgrade process. Please cooperate with the investigation."

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath: "Okay."

He was led into the office. A stack of ledgers lay on the table, and several strangers were flipping through them. Factory Director Zhou stood to the side, his face ashen. Huang Deqing squatted in the corner, silent, a cigarette dangling from his hand.

"Sit down," the disciplinary committee member said, pointing to a chair.

Jiang Cheng sat down. The man opened a notebook, which contained some figures: "How much money did your technology innovation team earn last year through equipment upgrades?"

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment: "About three thousand yuan."

"Where did all this money go?"

"Part of it was used to buy materials, part was used to distribute bonuses, and the remainder was used as operating expenses for the group."

"Giving out bonuses?" The man's tone turned stern. "Who gave you permission to give out bonuses?"

Jiang Cheng looked at him and said, "It's allowed by the factory. Every bonus is recorded and approved. We didn't take any for ourselves."

Factory Director Zhou chimed in, "I can vouch for that. Every expenditure by the technical innovation team was approved by the factory."

The disciplinary committee member glanced at Factory Director Zhou, said nothing, and continued flipping through the ledgers. After a while, he closed the ledger and looked at Jiang Cheng: "We will take the accounts back for verification. Until the results are available, the technical innovation team will be suspended from work."

Jiang Cheng's heart sank, but he remained outwardly calm: "Okay."

The disciplinary committee members left. The office fell silent. Factory Director Zhou sighed, "Xiao Jiang, someone's got your hands on."

Jiang Cheng nodded: "I know."

"Think about it, who is most likely?"

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, and two people popped into his mind—Zhou Chuanming and Qian Zhiguo. But he didn't say it aloud because he had no evidence.

Huang Deqing stood up from the corner and lit his cigarette: "Chengzi, do you remember when you offended Qian Zhiguo at the heavy machinery factory last time?"

Jiang Cheng nodded.

"He has connections in the provincial government. His brother-in-law is Zhou Chuanming, and Zhou Chuanming has connections above him." Huang Deqing took a drag of his cigarette. "This time, they were probably the ones who did it."

Jiang Cheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Master, there's nothing wrong with the accounts. I'm not afraid of them checking."

"The accounts are fine, but they can find other problems for you." Huang Deqing looked at him. "Believe it or not, after they check the accounts, they'll check your background, your history, and the source of your technology. They didn't finish checking last time, so they'll continue this time."

Jiang Cheng's heart tightened. He knew his master was right. Last time, when people from the province came to investigate his "historical issues," Huang Deqing turned them away. But those people wouldn't give up so easily. Like hunting dogs, they would chase after their prey until they pounced on it.

"Master, what should we do?"

Huang Deqing remained silent for a long time before saying, "Chengzi, listen to me. You can't panic right now. If you panic, they'll have even more energy. Just do what you're supposed to do, go to class, do your work. Let them check the accounts; if they don't find any problems, they'll leave on their own."

Jiang Cheng nodded. But he knew things wouldn't end so easily; once the struggle became intertwined with politics, it would inevitably be a fight to the death.

In the days that followed, Jiang Cheng appeared to be doing everything as usual, but he remained constantly on edge. He went to class at the college every day, went to the promotion office in the afternoon, and went home in the evening. But every time someone knocked on the door, he would tense up; every time he received a phone call, his heart would leap into his throat.

Zheng Yanxi noticed his unusual behavior. One evening, after Jiang Yuan had fallen asleep, she sat beside him and softly asked, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment before telling her what had happened.

After listening, Zheng Yanxi remained silent for a long time. Then she reached out and took his hand: "Jiang Cheng, I believe you. You haven't done anything wrong, so don't be afraid of them investigating."

Jiang Cheng looked at her, a warm feeling welling up inside him: "Yanxi, aren't you afraid?"

"What are you afraid of?" Zheng Yanxi said. "You're not a bad person. Good people aren't afraid of being investigated."

Jiang Cheng smiled. He suddenly felt that with her by his side, nothing was scary.

At the end of May, the disciplinary committee released its investigation results.

The accounts are in order; every expenditure is traceable, and there has been no embezzlement or misappropriation. The allegations in the whistleblower report are untrue and are therefore rejected.

When the news reached the factory, the members of the technical innovation team breathed a sigh of relief. But Jiang Cheng wasn't happy. He knew that although they had won this battle, their opponents wouldn't give up. They would find new excuses and reasons to continue their harassment.

Sure enough, in early June, new troubles arose.

That morning, Jiang Cheng was preparing for his graduation exams at the college when he suddenly received a phone call. It was from Teacher Fang, whose voice was very serious: "Jiang Cheng, you need to come to the Academic Affairs Office right away."

Jiang Cheng rushed to the Academic Affairs Office and found several people sitting inside. There was the director of the Academic Affairs Office, the vice dean of the college, and two strangers.

"Jiang Cheng, please have a seat." The vice dean gestured to the chair.

Jiang Cheng sat down. The vice dean cleared his throat and said, "Jiang Cheng, someone has reported you for cheating on the exam. We need to verify this."

Jiang Cheng was stunned: "Cheating? Me? Which subject?"

"Advanced Mathematics. Last semester's final exam."

Jiang Cheng remembered. He scored 98 points on the final exam of advanced mathematics last semester, ranking first in the class. At the time, some people even joked that he was a "mathematical genius".

"I didn't cheat," Jiang Cheng said. "My answer sheet can prove it."

The director of the academic affairs office took out an exam paper and placed it on the table: "This is your answer sheet. It's indeed very well done, but some of the problem-solving methods are beyond the scope of the syllabus. We suspect that you received the answers beforehand."

Jiang Cheng looked at the test paper, which was densely covered with formulas and derivations. He took a deep breath and said, "Director, I taught myself these problem-solving methods. When I was working in the factory, I encountered many problems that required math, so I looked up books and figured them out slowly."

The vice-dean frowned: "Self-taught? You, a fitter, taught yourself advanced mathematics?"

"What's wrong with being a fitter?" Jiang Cheng's voice rose unconsciously. "Can't a fitter learn math?"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. The director of the academic affairs office coughed and said, "Jiang Cheng, please don't get agitated. We're not saying you definitely cheated, we just need to verify."

Jiang Cheng stood up: "Director, I request a re-examination. The questions will be given on the spot, and I'll answer them immediately. If I can solve them, it proves I didn't cheat. If I can't, you can decide what to do with me."