Chapter 55: The More You Trust, the More You Worry

Chen Anlong’s office was a suite: the inner room was his private office, while the outer room served as A’Ping’s workspace.

At the moment, only the two of them were there when Jiang Fan deliberately leaned in close to her ear and asked in a low voice, “Do you want to know?”

A’Ping nodded eagerly. “Of course I do!”

Jiang Fan laughed mischievously, relishing her curiosity. “Well, since you want to know, I’ll just keep it to myself.”

His triumphant laughter caught the attention of Chen Anlong and Deputy General Manager Tang inside the office.

Hearing Jiang Fan’s voice, Deputy General Tang, his face flushed, was the first to open the door. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Why are you here? Is it about the canteen incident as well?”

Jiang Fan didn’t rush to reply. Instead, he looked past Deputy General Tang at Chen Anlong and addressed him directly, “Boss, as a bodyguard, getting injured is part of the job. But in the end, I was hurt because of you. You can’t deny that, can you?”

Chen Anlong couldn’t quite figure out what Jiang Fan was getting at, but he nodded nonetheless. “Your injury counts as a work-related accident. During your recovery, your salary will be paid as usual. Once you’re healed, submit all your medical bills for reimbursement. If you’re short on money now, you can get an advance from Finance—including yesterday’s medical expenses.”

His tone was not exactly gentle, but neither was it as overbearing as he was with others in the factory.

Jiang Fan was puzzled. How did so many people in the factory already know about what happened with the security team yesterday?

Seeing the notoriously stingy boss being so generous towards him, Jiang Fan neither let it go to his head nor tried to take advantage.

Instead, he shook his head and bargained, “The injury I suffered for you will heal in about ten days. Now, with a new wound reopening and other minor injuries, all I need is ten days of paid leave. Any extra time off, you don’t have to pay me. As for the medical expenses, I don’t want them either—just consider it a favor I’m asking of you. And let’s not pursue what happened at lunch today, alright?”

Having just argued with Deputy General Tang, Chen Anlong’s patience was wearing thin. He’d already offered Jiang Fan generous compensation, but hearing these terms, he grew annoyed. “The factory has its rules. Whoever breaks them faces the same consequences. If I show favoritism, how can I manage this place? Business is business. Your salary and benefits can be increased, but that favor is out of the question.”

Jiang Fan felt frustrated as well. The matter of dismissals didn’t concern him directly, but he still blamed himself. If he hadn’t provoked the team leader, things wouldn’t have escalated. And if he hadn’t helped those carrying meals the other day, they wouldn’t have let their guard down, and so many people wouldn’t have been caught at once.

Jiang Fan saw that the boss refused to grant any favors, and, in his sour mood, he didn’t hold back. “Fine, if you won’t, then I won’t stick around. Settle my salary and medical expenses. I earned them with my life. You’re not going to delay my pay for two or three months like you do with the workers, are you?”

Sensing the tension in the air, Deputy General Tang stepped in to smooth things over. He patted Jiang Fan’s shoulder. “The matter of the dismissals hasn’t been finalized yet. I’m still discussing it with Mr. Chen. Don’t get too worked up.”

Jiang Fan, still angry, took the comment as insincere. He figured he was merely a sidekick to Chen Anlong and that his own fate was irrelevant. If Deputy General Tang said Chen was still considering, it meant they were working together.

He didn’t hide his derision. “The dismissal notice has already been posted on the bulletin board, and you say it’s not decided yet? Do you really think we workers are that gullible?”

Chen Anlong had mentioned improving Jiang Fan’s compensation hoping he wouldn’t press the issue, but he hadn’t expected Jiang Fan to be so stubborn. Recalling Deputy General Tang’s argument earlier about the benefits of keeping Jiang Fan, Chen Anlong wanted to take back his earlier refusal. Still, his pride as the boss wouldn’t allow him to go back on his word in front of the whole factory—it would undermine his authority. He shot Deputy General Tang a look, hoping for help.

But after being rebuffed by Jiang Fan, Deputy General Tang was at a loss for how to defuse the confrontation.

Chen Anlong then looked to A’Ping, signaling her to step in and mediate.

In front of the two top men at the factory, A’Ping put on a tone as though she wasn’t very close to Jiang Fan. “Deputy Manager Jiang, isn’t your goal just to keep those people here? Deputy General Tang already said it’s under discussion with Mr. Chen. Even national policies change with circumstances—what’s a factory notice in comparison? Can’t you just let this go?”

A’Ping’s intervention gave Deputy General Tang the opening he needed. “A’Ping is right. As long as everyone can stay, everything will be fine. But the factory must have rules. Everyone named on the notice gets a fifty yuan fine as a warning. Deputy Manager Jiang, does that sound fair to you?”

With just a few words, Deputy General Tang managed to cover all angles—protecting Chen Anlong’s dignity, upholding factory rules, and allowing Jiang Fan to achieve his aim.

Seeing the matter settled, and to prevent Jiang Fan’s stubbornness from stirring up more trouble, A’Ping quickly picked up the phone. “I’ll inform HR to revise the notice right away.”

Jiang Fan finally calmed down. He looked at Deputy General Tang and sincerely said, “Thank you.”

Without even saying goodbye to Chen Anlong, he left the office, his mind turning to Deputy General Tang, feeling that he was unlike the other haughty Taiwanese managers he’d met.

Chen Anlong and Deputy General Tang returned to their office. No sooner had the door closed than Chen Anlong began to complain. “That troublemaker—always making things difficult for me.”

Deputy General Tang ignored his grumbling. “Didn’t I tell you? You didn’t believe me. This young man is different from the usual docile workers. He’s stubborn, yes, but he handles matters with integrity. When it comes down to it, he can be relied on.”

“Relied on, maybe, but not easy to manage! Look at the chaos he’s stirred up in just a few days. Keeping him around feels like I’m working for him, constantly having to consider his feelings.”

Thinking of how Jiang Fan dared to stand up to him, Chen Anlong couldn’t help but feel that he’d be more at ease with people like the team leader and Zhu Bing, who always treated him with deference.

Seeing that Chen Anlong still refused to set aside his pride and see things differently, Deputy General Tang shook his head in resignation. “Mr. Chen, if you’re unwilling to put yourself in others’ shoes, you’ll never get to the heart of the matter. That’s my advice—whether you take it is up to you.”

Noticing Deputy General Tang’s admiration for Jiang Fan, Chen Anlong remembered something. “By the way, you didn’t finish telling me what happened after the security team incident yesterday. How did he get out?”

“I only heard he was caught with a very pretty woman while wandering around the reed marshes in Village Five. They left the security team together. This morning, Zheng Xiaomao was taken away by the police—turns out he’s involved in quite a bit. Before I left, the village was holding a meeting about choosing a new security team leader.”

After hearing the explanation, Chen Anlong thought of when he’d first seen Jiang Fan at the dumpling shop—a man dressed in rustic clothes, his shoes nearly worn through at the toes. How did he suddenly become so capable?

Seeing Chen Anlong lost in thought, Deputy General Tang pressed on. “How did you meet him? What made you decide to bring him into the factory?”

Chen Anlong replied, “The first time I saw him was just over ten days ago. He was wearing thermal underwear and pants patched at the seat. He helped the mama-san from Happy Family handle some robbers at the Humen intersection. I saw his skills and thought it’d be safer to have him by my side.”

“If he has such a deep background, what’s he doing working here with us?”

“Hopefully, the factory can keep him—that’s my personal recommendation.”

Deputy General Tang, who admired Jiang Fan, found himself even more puzzled after hearing about the security team incident. He reminded Chen Anlong once more before leaving the office.