Chapter 143: I Am Wrongfully Accused

Chen Zhidong walked in immediately afterwards, followed by Liu Xiaoyan, Deng Xi, and two security guards.

Chen Zhidong rushed over to Liu Xiaoyan to lodge a complaint. Upon hearing that Haoxuan was staging a rebellion within Section Four, Liu Xiaoyan was furious.

For the longest time, the section chiefs and deputy section chiefs beneath the sales department had all been appointed by her. How could anyone just become a section chief simply because they wanted to?

Furthermore, He Haoxuan was someone specifically singled out for her attention by Mo Xiufang, so she absolutely could not allow him to succeed.

Otherwise, Mo Xiufang would consider her incompetent.

And who was Mo Xiufang? She was the primary secretary of General Manager Li Qingying. If General Manager Li Qingying were to develop a negative impression of her, her days at Baili Group would become extremely difficult.

One had to realize that the current Li Qingying was different from before. Li Dasong and the Old Madam Li had tried repeatedly to remove her from her position, yet they had never succeeded.

And what was the reason? It was because Li Qingying possessed formidable capabilities and was highly valued by Quanle Trading. Based on this alone, Li Qingying remained in an invincible position.

Therefore, Liu Xiaoyan had no desire to offend Mo Xiufang, lest she lose favor in the eyes of Li Qingying down the line.

"He Haoxuan, are you leading a disturbance here?" The mere sight of He Haoxuan caused Liu Xiaoyan's anger to flare up instantly.

Especially when she recalled how He Haoxuan had called her "auntie" that day and peeked at her after she had fallen, her rage intensified even further.

He Haoxuan smiled and said, "Oh, so Director Liu has graced us with her presence. Are you here to officially announce my appointment as section chief?"

"You are being preposterous," Liu Xiaoyan rebuked angrily. "Who becomes section chief is entirely my decision to make. You don't get to be section chief just because you wish it."

He Haoxuan nodded vigorously and said, "Indeed, it is up to Director Liu to decide, which is why I am now respectfully awaiting your esteemed presence to officially proclaim my appointment as section chief."

"I would never let you become section chief!" Liu Xiaoyan said, grinding her teeth in anger.

Chen Zhidong laughed triumphantly and said, "He Haoxuan, did you hear that? Stop harboring pipe dreams. The position of section chief for Section Four belongs to me, and no one can take it away. Now that Director Liu is here, she certainly won't let any troublemakers get away with their reckless behavior."

Hearing Chen Zhidong's words, Xu Yang and the others unconsciously took a few steps backward.

Chen Zhidong was entirely correct. Liu Xiaoyan was the director of the sales department, holding absolute power over their professional lives and livelihoods. With a single word from Liu Xiaoyan, they might be fired on the spot.

Even though regulations dictated that normal dismissals came with compensation, the fact remained that they still had unrecovered debts, giving the company grounds to withhold their severance entirely.

Moreover, Liu Xiaoyan was renowned throughout the company as a cold-faced tiger who would strike directly without even bothering to smile while stabbing you in the back.

Xiao Yu had initially retreated a few steps as well, but seeing He Haoxuan standing alone and isolated at the front, she stepped forward again and took her place behind him.

"Xiao Yu, are you planning to go down with He Haoxuan?" Chen Zhidong barked furiously.

He was beyond exasperated. He had intended to claim Xiao Yu for himself, yet she had actually defected to He Haoxuan instead?

Xiao Yu was startled, but she clenched her teeth and bravely replied, "Section Chief Chen, Brother Xuan is a good person. You shouldn't be acting this way."

"What have I done?" Chen Zhidong stared coldly at Xiao Yu. "Xiao Yu, don't talk nonsense. There are certain things you have no business saying, and you shouldn't speak them."

"I know very well what should be said. Take this instance, for example—Brother Xuan secured the one-hundred-thousand-yuan contract, and you had no right to steal it from him." Xiao Yu cast all caution to the wind.

At worst, she would just be fired and leave this company.

She had already resolved the one-hundred-thousand-yuan overdue debt with Qingguo Company anyway. If she were dismissed now, not only would she receive three months' severance pay, but her previous bonuses would also be refunded to her.

"You—you—" Chen Zhidong was so angry he could barely speak.

In the past, Xiao Yu had been exceptionally timid and never dared to talk back to him. What on earth had gotten into her today?

He Haoxuan sneered and said, "Director Liu Xiaoyan, please be the judge here. Is this any way for a section chief like Chen Zhidong to behave? The contract I secured from Qingguo Company was claimed by him as his own, under the pretext that he had previously coordinated with them. Even though I was the one who signed it, he dismissed it as invalid and claimed the performance credit for himself."

"That's right, he is completely shameless." Seeing that things had already reached this point, Xiao Yu was no longer afraid of Chen Zhidong and blurted out the whole truth.

Liu Xiaoyan furrowed her brow slightly and asked, "What? Xiao Yu, have you recovered that one-hundred-thousand-yuan debt from Qingguo Company?"

"Brother Xuan helped me recover it, and on top of that, we secured another new contract worth one hundred thousand. But who would have thought that Section Chief Chen would hijack it?" Xiao Yu said indignantly.

Liu Xiaoyan had been unaware that an unexpected incident had occurred when Chen Zhidong went to Qingguo Company for the collection; she had assumed Chen Zhidong had already collected the funds and handed them over to the finance department.

The person who delivered the funds was of paramount importance. As long as Chen Zhidong brought the money back, the performance credit would naturally belong to him since he was the one who established the initial contact, while He Haoxuan had merely jumped ahead and tricked Qingguo Company into signing.

"Indeed, this is completely outrageous! Can we ever dare to work under such a leader in the future?" Xu Yang chimed in loudly, equally consumed by anger.

Seeing an opportunity, the other colleagues from Section Four began voicing their grievances regarding Chen Zhidong's past misbehavior as well.

"Chen Zhidong, explain what is going on here!" Liu Xiaoyan demanded angrily.

Now that Chen Zhidong had provoked public outrage among the staff, even if she wanted to shield him, she dared not do so too blatantly.

However, as the director of the sales department, she was still capable of providing him some cover.

"Director Liu, I am being wronged," Chen Zhidong said with a bitter expression.

He Haoxuan chimed in, "Director Liu Xiaoyan, if you fail to handle this matter fairly and justly, I will go straight to the general manager's office to lodge a complaint and make you all pay dearly for this."

*Humph, not only will I file a complaint within the corporation, but tonight I will also complain to my wife in bed and make sure you all crash and burn,* He Haoxuan thought with a covert, malicious smile.

Truth be told, He Haoxuan generally preferred not to bother himself with such trivial matters.

However, Chen Zhidong's behavior had grown increasingly intolerable, and by brutally suppressing his subordinates like this, no one would ever be willing to work diligently for the sales department again.

Allowing a cancer like Chen Zhidong to remain within Baili Group was simply unacceptable, as it would only make his wife's job increasingly difficult in the future. Therefore, he had no choice but to step in.

Hearing He Haoxuan's words, Liu Xiaoyan knitted her brows in deep concern.

To be frank, if everything He Haoxuan had just stated was true, Chen Zhidong had crossed the line completely. Should He Haoxuan actually report this to the general manager's office, a massive scandal would ensue, and she herself would inevitably face reprimand from General Manager Li Qingying, bearing at least some supervisory liability.

"He Haoxuan, stop making a fuss. I will investigate this matter thoroughly," Liu Xiaoyan said, hoping to sweep the issue under the rug and restore peace.

Chen Zhidong panicked and blurted out, "Director Liu, that's not how it is! I was set up by He Haoxuan. He drew up a fake contract, and Qingguo Company completely refuses to recognize it. The one-hundred-thousand-yuan worth of merchandise has already been delivered to Qingguo Company's warehouse, but they are withholding payment, stating they need to investigate the matter thoroughly first."

"What? Chen Zhidong, you didn't manage to bring the money back?" Liu Xiaoyan asked in astonishment.