Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Chapter 507 What Will You Choose?

Shen Hai and Wang Ping'an both fell silent.

"Say something!" Wei Zhonghua said urgently.

Shen Hai snorted, "If he wants to choose that troublemaker, what's there to say? Can we stop him? You can't force a melon to ripen; I won't interfere with what he chooses."

“I’m not trying to interfere! I won’t interfere with anything. I’m just asking you, what should we do if he chooses Qian Ping? Should we continue to be with him? Should we stay in the cake factory? Can we even stay in the factory anymore? If we don’t work here, what should we do?” Wei Zhonghua asked a series of questions.

Shen Hai and Wang Ping'an were both stumped by the question.

After a long while, Shen Hai considered each point one by one, "To be honest, even if he can forget our brotherhood of so many years, I can't forget it..."

As he spoke, Shen Hai's eyes reddened.

Wang Ping'an nodded in agreement, his eyes also reddening.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Isn't this exactly what I'm struggling with?" Wei Zhonghua didn't even dare to imagine what would happen if He Qiancheng chose Qian Ping.

Shen Hai is usually taciturn, but at crucial moments, he made a quick decision: "If he chooses Qian Ping, in my heart, he will still be my older brother. If he is doing well, I will silently wish him well; if he is not doing well..."

Shen Hai paused for a moment, then said, "I'll always be his support."

Wei Zhonghua exclaimed excitedly, "That's what I think too! I... I think the same way as you!"

"Then...then...what about the factory?" Wang Ping'an originally had traumatic hearing loss, but he had not lost his speech function. Since he got a hearing aid, he can speak without any problems now.

“That’s the crux of the problem,” Shen Hai said softly. “Brother He is like a brother to us, but so is Commander Gu, and Comrade Lin is our benefactor. No matter what we do, it’s unjust and immoral…”

“Actually, we have already let Comrade Lin down.” Wei Zhonghua sighed. “The cake factory is under my management, but such a big mess has occurred there. Although the change of raw materials only started last month, we still failed to protect the rear for Comrade Lin.”

“It’s no use talking about this now,” Shen Hai said. “The deed is done. If my brother chooses Qian Ping, he probably won’t stay at the cake factory anymore. We can only see what Comrade Lin thinks. If she still needs us, we’ll work hard and wholeheartedly. If she doesn’t need us anymore, we’ll leave. As for what we do in the future, we’ll talk about that later.”

“You must… take responsibility.” Wang Ping’an pointed with his finger.

"Of course, it's our responsibility, we can't shirk it, we should take the initiative to accept the punishment." Wei Zhonghua said solemnly.

The three brothers reached an agreement and were now just waiting for He Qiancheng to make a decision.

Not long after, the matter was brought up again the next day.

The next day, Lin Qingping came to the factory again. Today, everyone was there. Except for He Qiancheng, the other three, along with Factory Director Cheng, were all there. Even the old gatekeeper—Qian Ping's father—was there to guard the gate. Moreover, he didn't stop Lin Qingping when he saw her. However, after Lin Qingping entered the factory, he spat at her back and said: "Just wait, just wait until this factory belongs to my old Qian family, then I'll give you a good beating!"

Soon, the missing one arrived.

Lin Qingping had just entered the factory when He Qiancheng arrived, along with Qian Ping.

He Qiancheng went straight to Lin Qingping's office. He entered with a cheerful air, looking quite pleased with himself. Once inside, he saw a room full of people. Besides Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng with their child, Wei Zhonghua and his two companions, Factory Director Cheng and his family of three were also there.

"So happy? Are you getting married?" Shen Hai saw Qian Ping following behind him, both of them beaming with joy. He felt a pang of jealousy and discomfort. It seemed that the two of them had made up again, which meant that they had chosen this troublesome woman. He couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

Unexpectedly, He Qiancheng's face flushed with joy upon hearing this, his eyes sparkled, and he nodded.

Shen Hai felt like the sky had fallen, but he had said that as long as his older brother was doing well, he would wish him well...

Qian Ping hated Shen Hai. She felt that just looking at the scar on his face would give her nightmares! Especially when he was always staring at her from the shadows, it was absolutely terrifying!

Hearing Shen Hai say that, Qian Ping felt even more disgusted with him. She thought to herself: "Hmph, originally, out of respect for He Qiancheng, I only wanted to kick Lin Qingping out and get rid of Director Cheng. These three are He Qiancheng's brothers, and as long as they are obedient, they can still be kept. But this Shen Hai is definitely not going to stay!"

Shen Hai's announcement that he was getting married, along with He Qiancheng's overjoyed reaction, created an awkward silence that left everyone speechless. In the end, Lin Qingping spoke first.

Lin Qingping smiled and said, "Well then, congratulations!"

He Qiancheng was even happier to receive Lin Qingping's blessing than when Shen Hai had just revealed that he was getting married. He was both joyful and excited, rubbing his hands together with delight. Then, he turned around and gestured to Qian Ping.

Qian Ping then stepped forward and said with a smile, "He Qiancheng and I made up yesterday. He Qiancheng also scolded me. You are all his good brothers and friends. Yesterday, my brother didn't recognize people and was reckless. Today, I will apologize on behalf of my brother. I hope you will forgive my rudeness."

Everyone: ? ? ? Changed your mind? It can't be that simple, can it?

Qian Ping continued, "It seems you all gathered here today because you have something important to discuss! Actually, we also have things to discuss. Besides the happy news of the wedding, there are also matters concerning the factory. Since everyone is here today, let's talk about it and share our opinions, shall we?"

Lin Qingping smiled calmly, finding it amusing that Qian Ping spoke like a domineering CEO. What did the factory's affairs have to do with her?

Lin Qingping remained silent, wanting to see how far this farce would escalate, but Shen Hai couldn't hold back and spoke directly, "What does the factory's business have to do with you? What are you to the factory? You're just a figurehead accountant, receiving a salary only because of your elder brother's influence. You don't really think you can make decisions for the factory, do you?"

Qian Ping was speechless for a moment, her face turning red. But if she backed down, she wouldn't be Qian Ping, and she wouldn't deserve the title of "troublemaker" that Shen Hai had given her.

“Shen Hai…” He Qiancheng was even giving Shen Hai a wink.

Shen Hai really wanted to grab He Qiancheng's head and shake it a few times to see if there was any sound inside!

Qian Ping didn't become hysterical today, even though she was already on the verge of exploding with anger, but she held back and still smiled, "Brother Shen Hai is right, but isn't it just that our boss is bad at speaking? I'll speak for him and say what he wants to say."

Shen Hai remained silent, while the others all wore expressions that said, "You tell me what you're talking about."

Qian Ping continued, "Brother Shenhai, Brother Zhonghua, Brother Ping'an, and Director Cheng, all of us have put a lot of effort into this cake factory. I've seen how hard you've worked."

Lin Qingping: ? ? ? This sounds like her company's annual party speech!

She continued listening to Qian Ping.

"So, brothers, whatever rewards you get in the end will be worth it." Qian Ping then made a turn, her gaze falling on Lin Qingping, "But, brothers, you've worked so hard from dawn till dusk to earn this money, why should those who don't work for it get a share?"

Lin Qingping then realized that they were waiting there to kick the boss out.

The others were still in a daze, staring at each other wide-eyed: Who is this person who is getting something for nothing? Could it be the Gu Group?

The brothers even turned their gazes toward Gu Juncheng, only to be glared back at by him.

Qian Ping walked up to Lin Qingping and said with a smile, "Comrade Lin, don't you think so? You don't even come back once a year, let alone work hard with your brothers. Just because you're the wife of their good leader, you take away so much profit. Don't you feel guilty when you go to sleep at night?"

Good heavens! They're actually talking about Comrade Lin!

The brothers' eyes widened in surprise.

He Qiancheng was stunned. "What are you talking about? Didn't you say you came to apologize?"

"Didn't I already apologize?" Qian Ping returned to his side, took his arm, and smiled sweetly. "I also said, let's talk about the future of the factory. You can do whatever I say."

"You're right, I won't let your brother cause trouble again!" He Qiancheng's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"That's right! He won't mistake people for others or talk nonsense again. He's learned his lesson this time!" Qian Ping said with a smile. "By the way, tell me, am I right?"

They don't say it.

Wei Zhonghua and the other two only watched the play.

They wanted to see how He Qiancheng would handle the situation with the woman he treated so preciously.

Shen Hai even chimed in, "That's right, what you said makes a lot of sense."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhonghua understood Shen Hai's meaning. "Indeed... Comrade Lin... I also feel that you take too much of the share every year."

As she spoke, she winked at Lin Qingping: You absolutely have to understand what we're doing!

Wang Ping'an didn't understand. He was furious and about to explode when Gu Juncheng pulled him back.

Gu Juncheng shook his head, and Wang Ping'an barely managed to suppress his anger, but he snorted and turned to the other side.

Qian Ping thought she had really convinced them, and her impression of Shen Hai started to improve rapidly. She hadn't realized that this kid was so savvy!

So Qian Ping turned to He Qiancheng and said, "Old He, what do you think? In this factory, you four brothers are the main force. I think you need to reconsider who is in charge. More work, more pay; no work, no pay. Isn't this a simple principle that everyone understands?"

"I understand," Lin Qingping finally replied. "You mean I should leave this factory?"

“Yes! That’s exactly what I mean.” Qian Ping said happily, “You didn’t do anything at all in this factory.”

Lin Qingping glanced at Shen Hai and Wei Zhonghua behind her. "You two think so too?"

Shen Hai and Wei Zhonghua nodded.

"And what about you, He Qiancheng?" Lin Qingping looked at He Qiancheng. "The minority should obey the majority. Now two people think so too. If you also think I should withdraw, I have no problem with that."

He Qiancheng did not give a direct answer to Lin Qingping's question.

He Qiancheng was furious at this moment, and his eyes were fixed on Shen Hai and Wei Zhonghua. He shouted angrily, "Are you two even human?"

Shen Hai and Wei Zhonghua exchanged a glance, and both looked up at the sky.

"You two, repeat what you just said!" He Qiancheng rushed forward and dragged the two of them directly in front of Lin Qingping. "Say it! Say it in front of Comrade Lin! Say it in front of Commander Gu!"

Shen Hai glanced at him sideways, "Aren't you getting married soon? When you're married, you listen to your wife! We all listen to you, which means we listen to your wife!"

“You…” He Qiancheng was so angry that his veins were bulging.

“You should say it yourself in front of Comrade Lin and Commander Gu, tell them exactly what you want!” Wei Zhonghua threw out a remark.

He Qiancheng's chest heaved violently with anger, but he gradually calmed down through his own efforts.

Then, he walked up to Qian Ping and said, "If I had known that this was what you were going to say, I wouldn't have brought you here today. No, I should say I wouldn't have agreed to it yesterday."

Qian Ping's expression also changed. "What...do you mean?"

“What I mean is, I can tolerate a lot from you… even to the point of losing my dignity, but… “I cannot tolerate you sowing discord between us and Comrade Lin.”

"I was trying to sow discord..." Qian Ping stamped her foot, "I was doing it for your own good!"

"For our own good?" He Qiancheng suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with emotion. "Once upon a time, there were four people: a cripple, a deaf man, a man with a disfigured face, and a man who, though able-bodied, was just like the other three. They lived in a backward little county town that you looked down upon, so poor that the four of them couldn't even afford a single unpatched garment. If such a cripple appeared in front of you, would you be interested in him?"

Qian Ping was taken aback by his question.

“But there was this one person who brought us to the capital, treated the deaf man’s hearing so he could hear again, taught the four of us skills so we could learn to make cakes from scratch, found us shops, invested money in us so we could open our own shops, and finally we had a way to make a living. She lent us money to buy houses so we could have a home in the capital. The house I live in now, the spacious one you mentioned, she still hasn’t asked me to pay her back…” He Qiancheng said, as if he were reliving those days, his eyes already glistening with tears. “You say it’s for our own good? We’ve met people who truly care about us, but we don’t know what ‘good’ means?”

At this point, a suppressed sob broke out. It was Wang Ping'an, who could hear every word He Qiancheng said, and he couldn't help but cry.

It is said that men bleed but do not cry.

He returned severely wounded but never shed a single tear...

And who among those present hasn't shed blood? Who isn't shedding tears at this moment?

Even the Cheng family, including the factory director, couldn't help but shed tears when they recalled their past.

“There are things you haven’t experienced, things you don’t understand, and I don’t blame you. My physical disability has been a burden to you, and I know I’m guilty. So, I’ve tried my best to meet your unreasonable demands. Including your request to work in the factory’s finance department, your father’s request to find a job, your sister’s request to find a job, your brother’s request to deliver goods…” He Qiancheng was filled with regret and remorse, “I’ve swallowed my pride and exhausted the life-or-death friendship I’ve built with my brothers to beg for your help…”