210: Chapter 210 Hu Da Kuan, in a Desperate Situation

When the Safety Supervision Bureau's vehicle pulled up to the main gate of Cuican Fireworks, General Manager Hu Dakuan was in his office reconciling the month's accounts with the accountant.

When the iron gate was banged on loudly, he thought it was a delivery, but when he looked down through the window, he saw the face of Bureau Chief Yang Desheng, along with several uniformed safety enforcement officers behind him, and the smile on his face instantly froze.

He dropped the ledger, puffed out his large belly, and ran downstairs. Before the iron gate was even fully opened, he squeezed his way out, plastering a smile on his face as he approached Bureau Chief Yang Desheng.

"Bureau Chief Yang, what is this..."

Bureau Chief Yang did not waste words with him; he pulled a document from his briefcase and held it up in front of him.

With black text on white paper and a bright red official seal, it was clearly just a thin sheet of paper, but holding it in his hand felt like supporting a mountain.

"General Manager Hu, upon investigation, your company has been found to have multiple major safety hazards. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the 'Work Safety Law', it has been decided to implement a suspension of production and rectification for your company."

"Please see the notice for specific rectification requirements. Please complete the rectification within the stipulated time limit; production can only be resumed after passing the inspection."

"These are the relevant documents. Please sign to acknowledge them."

General Manager Hu Dakuan's face turned pale instantly. He took the document, his fingers trembling like a sieve.

Soon, as the machines in the production workshop were shut down one by one, the workers gathered at the workshop entrance, whispering to each other in twos and threes.

Some were bewildered and helpless, others were indignant.

The work had stopped, and so had the wages; the livelihood of their entire families had been cut off just like that.

The warehouse was sealed, and the white paper strips swayed on the iron door like a funeral couplet hung in advance for this factory.

General Manager Hu Dakuan stood at the entrance of the office building, watching as those seals were applied one by one. His legs went weak, and he had to hold onto the door frame to barely support his body, preventing himself from collapsing on the spot.

He took out his phone and made his first call to Deputy Director Gao Qiang.

Deputy Director Gao Qiang was drinking tea in his office, and he was still somewhat indifferent when he received the call.

"Deputy Director Gao, Cuican Fireworks has been sealed by the County Work Safety Administration!"

"Bureau Chief Yang Desheng led the team here personally. The seals have been applied, and the production lines have all been stopped!"

"Didn't you say you were going to put in a good word for us?"

General Manager Hu Dakuan's voice was anxious and angry, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Deputy Director Gao Qiang hung up the phone, his face livid.

He had only called Bureau Chief Yang Desheng yesterday, implying that this was the intention of a certain leader in the city, telling him to be mindful of the boundaries and not to discourage an excellent private entrepreneur.

He had thought that with those words as a foundation, Bureau Chief Yang Desheng would at least give him some face, or at the very least, not openly go against the City Public Security Bureau.

He hadn't expected this small-time County Work Safety Administration Bureau Chief to be so ungrateful; not only did he not stop, but he escalated, directly sealing the man's factory.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the office, picking up the phone to call Bureau Chief Yang Desheng to demand an explanation, but just as his finger was about to dial the number, he suddenly remembered something.

The meeting notice sent by the Municipal Government office yesterday afternoon stated that a special meeting on the city's work safety would be held at 3:00 PM today, and all persons in charge of work safety in the counties and districts were required to attend.

The one attending from Changyuan County was none other than Xu Weidong. His hand stopped above the dial pad, as if he had been struck on the crown of his head with a club, and he suddenly sobered up.

Cuican Fireworks was a company in Changyuan County, and Bureau Chief Yang Desheng was the Bureau Chief of the County Work Safety Administration of Changyuan County; behind Bureau Chief Yang Desheng stood Xu Weidong!

And what was he, Deputy Director Gao Qiang, in front of Xu Weidong?

A Deputy Director of the City Safety Supervision Bureau, a deputy division-level cadre—in the eyes of someone with Xu Weidong's background, he was simply insignificant.

General Manager Hu Dakuan couldn't wait for a response from Deputy Director Gao Qiang, so he called Deputy Director Li Wenfu.

Deputy Director Li Wenfu's attitude was even colder than Deputy Director Gao Qiang's. After listening to General Manager Hu Dakuan's complaint, he only said he understood and would look into the situation before hanging up the phone.

He was different from Deputy Director Gao Qiang; Deputy Director Gao Qiang at least had a direct connection to the safety supervision system, whereas he, as a Deputy Director of the Administration for Industry and Commerce, naturally couldn't say anything forceful on this matter.

He had only agreed to help last time out of respect for Zheng Ze and for the sake of that envelope.

Now that the County Work Safety Administration wasn't even giving face to the City Public Security Bureau, what could he, a Deputy Director of the Administration for Industry and Commerce, do?

Help General Manager Hu Dakuan call Bureau Chief Yang Desheng?

In what capacity would he call?

On what grounds would he call?

He cursed General Manager Hu Dakuan thoroughly in his heart. As a Deputy Director of the City Administration for Industry and Commerce, he had also seen the list of attendees for the afternoon meeting.

Knowing full well that Cuican Fireworks had been ordered to shut down and rectify by that young master, Xu Weidong, and still running to the city to ask him to put in a word—wasn't this pushing him into a pit of fire?

General Manager Hu Dakuan stood at the entrance of the office building, clutching his phone. The attitudes of Deputy Director Gao Qiang and Deputy Director Li Wenfu were like two basins of ice water poured over his head, chilling him to the bone.

The hesitation of the two deputy directors when the calls were connected and their silence after hanging up made him understand completely.

They could no longer help him, or rather, they were no longer willing to help him!

General Manager Hu Dakuan gritted his teeth and dialed Zheng Ze's number.

The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered.

He hung up and dialed again, but still, no one answered.

The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time—he stared at the "no answer" prompt on his phone screen, and the last shred of luck in his heart was shattered like glass.

He leaned dejectedly against the door frame, and his phone slid to the ground.

He truly was not resigned to this!

Think of him, General Manager Hu Dakuan, starting from scratch in Changyuan County, building up from a small workshop to the largest fireworks enterprise in the county, going from rags to riches—he could not just watch his life's work be destroyed in an instant by a few seals!

He bent down to pick up his phone, ignoring the shocking crack on the screen, and staggered toward his car.

He started the engine, slammed on the gas, and the car rushed out of the factory gate, heading in the direction of the city.

He had to find Zheng Ze!

He didn't believe Zheng Ze wouldn't care. Zheng Ze held a ten percent stake in Cuican Fireworks and took home millions in profits every year just by sitting there!

Now that his factory had been sealed by someone and his money pouch had been squeezed, on what grounds could Zheng Ze not care?

Meanwhile, Zheng Ze was in a private room at a top-tier business KTV in the city, discussing matters with a real estate boss.

It was called discussing matters, but in reality, it was enjoyment.

The private room was large, the lighting was ambiguous, and a circle of leather sofas was filled with people.

The real estate boss was surnamed Wang, and he had also started his business by relying on Zheng Dongguo's connections. He fawned over Zheng Ze incessantly, inviting him for a full course of wining, dining, and entertainment every few days.

Today, he had invited over a dozen hostesses. A row of young women wearing cheongsams stood in the center of the room, dancing gracefully. The slits of their cheongsams went all the way to the top of their thighs, and as they spun with the music, one could catch glimpses of the scenery hidden within.

Beside each of them were two young women in low-cut, tight-fitting skirts serving them; one on the left poured wine, while the one on the right peeled fruit, providing meticulous service.

Zheng Ze had his left arm around a beauty in black silk stockings and his right arm around another young woman in a low-cut dress. The two women leaned against him like delicate birds, their smiles professional and exquisite, like two perfectly trimmed artificial flowers.

The real estate boss, Boss Wang, sat opposite, surrounded by several beauties as well, offering a toast to Zheng Ze with a face full of smiles.

That smile was more laborious than the skin exposed by the beauties' necklines, and every wrinkle was carved with obsequiousness and flattery.

"Third Master, have another glass? This is red wine I brought back from France, kept specially for you."

Zheng Ze did not refuse; he picked up the wine glass, tilted his head back, and downed it. Red wine spilled from the corner of his mouth, flowed down his chin and across his neck, dripping onto the collar of his shirt.

The low-cut young woman serving him hurriedly took a tissue to wipe it for him, her chest pressing against his arm.

The coffee table was covered with wine bottles and fruit platters; the private room was filled with smoke, and the music was deafening.

His phone vibrated once, but he ignored it.

It vibrated again, and he took it out to glance at it.

General Manager Hu Dakuan?

He frowned and threw the phone back onto the coffee table.

He did not like being disturbed when he was having fun, no matter who it was.

The phone vibrated frantically on the coffee table, the sound almost inaudible amidst the noisy music, the screen lighting up, going dark, and lighting up again...

Zheng Ze didn't even glance at it; he pulled the woman beside him closer and kissed her on the neck.

The other woman leaned into his arms, giggling as she reached out to hook her arms around his neck, quickly dragging his attention away from the phone screen and back to the soft bodies.

Seeing this, the real estate boss, Boss Wang, tactfully did not ask who the call was from. He raised his glass, shouted "Third Master is mighty!", and took the lead in clapping and cheering.

The others in the room followed suit and clapped; the beauties in black silk stockings giggled and pressed themselves even tighter against Zheng Ze.

The phone screen finally went completely dark. Zheng Ze was laughing and joking while holding the women, completely unaware that General Manager Hu Dakuan was nearly going insane with anxiety, and even less aware that the gate of Cuican Fireworks had been sealed.