Li Yi turned his head and was surprised to see a familiar face!
He really hadn’t expected to see Old Master Wang here.
Wang Guoguang recognized Li Yi as well, but instead of approaching him, he merely nodded in his direction.
The bald director frowned at the old man who had suddenly appeared, then said, “Comrade, this has nothing to do with you. Please don’t make trouble where there isn’t any!”
Wang Guoguang immediately retorted angrily, “How is this none of my business? Did you see the slogan on your heads? ‘Serve the People.’ I am one of the people you’re supposed to serve!”
Wang Guoguang continued, “This doesn’t just concern me—it concerns everyone here, because we are all the people!”
“You… you’re just being unreasonable!” the bald director said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“What do you mean, ‘making a fuss’? I think you’re just feeling guilty!” Wang Guoguang said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
“What do I have to feel guilty about?”
“Hah. Think about what you just said: ‘If you can’t afford it, don’t hold up the staff.’ If we don’t ask about the price, how are we supposed to know if we can afford it? If we don’t ask anything at all, then what’s the point of having you people here?”
Then the old man added, “I’d also like to emphasize one more point: this supply and marketing cooperative is merely a unit under the government’s centralized purchasing and distribution system. All goods are intended for the common people—it’s not as if expensive items are reserved for officials!”
Seeing Wang Guoguang’s commanding presence, the bald director knew he was no ordinary person and immediately asked, “Who exactly are you, and why are you getting involved in this mess?”
“Just an ordinary citizen. What’s wrong with that? Is there a problem?”
“You…”
Seeing the bald man’s furious expression, Li Yi immediately interjected, “Old man, don’t stoop to his level. I think we should report this to the Public Security Bureau and the Commission for Discipline Inspection!”
The bald man snapped, “What does this have to do with the police or the Commission?”
“Why wouldn’t it? We came here to shop and were verbally abused by your staff—isn’t that something the police should handle?” Li Yi said calmly.
“And what does the Commission for Discipline Inspection have to do with it?”
“Haha, I have serious doubts about your work ethic and competence. I really wonder how you managed to get hired at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. So I’m asking the comrades from the Commission for Discipline Inspection to look into it—is that a problem?”
Before the bald director could answer, Li Yi continued, “Also, I think there’s something fishy going on between you and this female colleague. Where have you ever seen a woman who’s been wronged throw herself at her boss, crying and wailing like that? So I have reason to believe you two are involved in an improper romantic relationship—that needs to be investigated by the Discipline Inspection Commission as well!”
To be honest, Li Yi had spotted the shady dealings between the bald man and the female sales clerk at a glance.
He hadn’t intended to get involved with these people, but since the two of them were being so tactless, he saw no need to spare their feelings and spoke up on the spot.
The bald director’s face turned pale the moment he heard this, and he immediately retorted, “You… you’re slandering me! I have every right to sue you!”
“No need for you to sue me—I’ll go get the police and the Discipline Inspection Commission right now!” Li Yi said, completely unafraid.
“You… Comrade, I admit that Comrade Zhou Fengmei’s work attitude was at fault. I’ll have her apologize to you, and we’ll call it even, okay?”
The bald director was flexible enough to know that if this matter were to escalate, it would be bad for both him and Zhou Fengmei, so he wanted to smooth things over.
However, he had underestimated just how foolish the woman standing next to him was. Upon hearing the bald director tell her to apologize, she immediately became displeased.
“I won’t apologize. I didn’t do anything wrong…”
“Shut up! This isn’t up to you. Apologize right now, or don’t bother coming to work tomorrow!” the bald director snapped.
“Just you wait, Gu Tongfu! You’ve already taken advantage of a young, beautiful, innocent girl like me, and now you want to fire me? I’m going to the county authorities to report you…”
The moment those words left her mouth, the entire room erupted in an uproar!
Everyone had initially thought Li Yi was just talking nonsense, but they never expected his words to come true!
In an instant, the expressions on everyone’s faces changed as they looked at the two of them!
Even the bald director, Gu Tongfu, turned pale with fear at the foolish woman’s words. Was this really something to be said in such a setting? If word got back to higher-ups, he’d be finished.
This was a matter of conduct. If the higher-ups really got wind of it, not even a god could save him!
“Smack!”
A hard slap landed squarely across her face, sending the saleswoman named Zhou Fengmei stumbling backward several steps before she finally steadied herself.
At that moment, the saleswoman realized she had said the wrong thing. She immediately covered her face and began crying in the corner, not daring to utter another word.
Gu Tongfu, however, addressed the crowd: “I’m sorry, folks. This comrade of ours has a habit of talking nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart…”
Li Yi, however, replied coldly, “Whether it’s nonsense or not, telling us won’t do you any good. You’d better start thinking about how you’re going to explain this to the comrades from the Commission for Discipline Inspection!”
Gu Tongfu said with a grim expression, “Comrade, why are you being so relentless? What exactly do you want?”
“You make it sound like we’ve done something to you. Remember what I just told you—this isn’t over!”
Faced with such a scoundrel, Li Yi just wanted to beat him to death with a club—he had no intention of keeping him alive for the New Year.
Just then, someone shouted, “The police are here!”
Li Yi looked toward the entrance of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and sure enough, saw several uniformed police officers hurrying inside, led by someone he recognized.
As soon as Li Gang stepped inside the supply and marketing cooperative, his eyes darted around the room, as if he were looking for someone.
When he spotted Li Yi in the crowd, he immediately walked over.
Seeing Li Gang walking straight toward him, and judging by his demeanor that he intended to greet him, Li Yi spoke up immediately: “Comrade Police Officer, I need to file a report!”
Li Gang had originally intended to have a word with Li Yi. Ever since returning home a few days ago, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the words Li Yi had spoken to him that day; the phrase “short-lived ghost” kept popping into his mind like a curse.
He had never believed in ghosts or spirits, and at first, he hadn’t given the matter a second thought.
But when he saw Wang Anguo follow Li Yi’s lead and effortlessly crack the missing child case that day, his resolve truly began to waver.
Especially Li Yi’s words, “Dig deep”—they still echoed in his ears.
No one could have imagined that those despicable human traffickers had actually locked the children inside an abandoned mine shaft—dozens of meters underground.
Without Li Yi’s guidance, they would never have been able to find the children.
So, not wanting to meet an untimely end, he decided to seek out Li Yi for a chat.
Coincidentally, while running errands today, he spotted Li Yi’s bright red mule outside the supply and marketing cooperative and immediately went inside.
But he never would have guessed that the moment they met, Li Yi would be shouting about calling the police!