"You're fired." The company's boss, Zhang Dahu, slowly turned around, his face cold as he stared at Ye Fan standing before him, slamming a resignation letter onto the table.
Being suddenly summoned to the boss's office had filled Ye Fan with trepidation. He knew being called to the boss's office alone was never a good thing, but to his surprise, he was being fired.
For a moment, Ye Fan froze, staring blankly at Zhang Dahu, his eyes turning red, unable to speak for a long time. This job, though low-paying, was a lifeline for Ye Fan, who was in dire financial straits.
"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what I just said?" Zhang Dahu coldly glanced at Ye Fan.
Slightly regaining his composure, Ye Fan raised his head slightly, looked at Zhang Dahu's furious face, and forced a smile, saying, "Mr. Zhang, you're joking, right?"
Zhang Dahu slammed his hand on the table, leaned forward, and stared intently at Ye Fan, saying, "Do I look like I'm joking?"
Seeing Zhang Dahu's anger, Ye Fan realized that the other party was not joking.
"I want to know the reason." Ye Fan took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "I've been with this company for three years now, and I've always been diligent and conscientious, without making any mistakes. Why are you firing me?"
"Hey!" Seeing Ye Fan ask for the reason, Zhang Dahu immediately laughed, pointing his finger at Ye Fan's nose and saying, "Why? Because I'm the boss here. I can fire whoever I want. Now I'm telling you to get out, get out right now."
Ye Fan knew that the boss was really angry this time, and he was definitely going to lose his job. When the boss started the business, Ye Fan had always followed along, working diligently. He never expected that after the company grew and he finally succeeded, he would be fired by the boss. Ye Fan grew increasingly helpless, suppressing his anger and grievances, and slowly said, "Firing me is fine, but my salary must be paid in full."
Upon hearing about the salary, the boss's eyes widened, his face contorted with rage as he glared at Ye Fan, shouting, "You still have the nerve to ask me for my salary? Get out of here right now!"
Since things had escalated to this point, Ye Fan decided to go all out and immediately said, "Letting me go is fine, but I'll say it again, pay my salary."
The boss was instantly enraged, but before he could retaliate, Ye Fan continued, "If you don't pay my salary, I'll sue you."
"You sue me? I have plenty of people," the boss sneered. Wealthy and powerful, he wasn't worried about being reported by Ye Fan. Besides, the company's legal department was perfectly capable of handling this matter; they were highly skilled at dealing with such issues.
Having worked for his boss for three years, Ye Fan naturally knew his boss's power. While he wouldn't claim to have connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles, he was certainly influential and powerful. If a lawsuit were to break out, the outcome would be unpredictable. But what could Ye Fan do? He needed his salary to live.
Suddenly, an idea struck him. He took out his phone and said to his boss, "I've recorded our conversation. If you don't pay me, you know the consequences."
The boss looked at Ye Fan with a shifty expression, seemingly not wanting to tarnish his image as a celebrity boss, or perhaps wanting to resolve the problem quickly. He swiftly pulled out his wallet, grabbed a handful of hundred-yuan bills, and slammed them hard on Ye Fan's face, yelling, "Take the money and get the hell out
of here!" Ye Fan stared blankly at the bills on the ground, then at his furious boss, his eyes turning red, his fists clenched. This was a complete slap in the face, but facing his wealthy and powerful boss, Ye Fan had no choice but to endure it. Ye Fan bent down to pick up the banknotes from the ground. As he walked to the door, he suddenly turned to the shopkeeper and said, "Zhang Dahu, one day you'll be begging me on your knees."
The shopkeeper immediately grabbed a chair and slammed it against the door, but Ye Fan was already gone.
Ye Fan clutched the banknotes tightly in his hand, expressionless, and walked downstairs. Filled with resentment and anger, Ye Fan even forgot to go back to his office to get his things, heading straight downstairs.
"Look at his expression, he's either been fired or yelled at."
"He always likes to meddle, and now he's meddling in our company's big client's business. Isn't he courting death?"
Along the way, almost all the colleagues who brushed past Ye Fan wore expressions of schadenfreude, watching the spectacle. A few even followed Ye Fan downstairs, wanting to continue watching the drama.
Filled with anger, Ye Fan glanced back indifferently a few times, said nothing, and continued walking downstairs. Just as Ye Fan reached the door, two burly men rushed up, grabbed Ye Fan's arms on either side, and dragged him out.
Still reeling from the shock, Ye Fan found himself in the back workshop, facing the notorious playboy Huo Zilong, rumored to be worth millions and wielding considerable power in Ninghai City. Huo Zilong,
a cigar dangling from his lips, tilted his head and grabbed Ye Fan's hair, saying sarcastically, "Kid, you've got some nerve, daring to interfere in my business. Don't you know who dares to mess with me in Ninghai City?"
Restrained by two burly men, Ye Fan was genuinely frightened, but his anger was already building. On a whim, he declared defiantly, "I'll intervene today!" If given the choice again, Ye Fan would still stop Huo Zilong. He couldn't stand by and watch a girl be bullied. If it were your family member being bullied, and others just stood by and watched, how would you feel? You'd be furious, perhaps even resentful of those who stood by.
Seeing Huo Zilong, Ye Fan understood why he had been fired.
Huo Zilong was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected that Ye Fan, who looked so frail, would dare to speak to him like that. He reached out and slapped Ye Fan's face, saying in a sinister tone, "Who the hell do you think you are? You dare to meddle in my business? I think you're tired of living."
After being humiliated by his boss, Ye Fan was already furious. Now, being humiliated by a spoiled brat, Ye Fan immediately exploded. He tried to break free from the two bodyguards' control but failed. In desperation, Ye Fan raised his foot and kicked Huo Zilong hard, knocking him to the ground.
Huo Zilong, enraged by the kick, ignored the pain, rolled over and got up, shouting, "Beat him to death... How dare you fight me..."
The frail Ye Fan was no match for the two professional bodyguards. He was knocked down with two punches. Before Ye Fan could react, he was already on the ground. As Ye Fan struggled to get up, his hands were stepped on, causing Ye Fan to wince in pain.
Huo Zilong roughly crushed Ye Fan's hands and said, "Help him up."
As soon as Ye Fan was helped up, Huo Zilong kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying more than three meters. Ye Fan slammed heavily into an open electrical box, sparks flying and pale blue arcs of electricity crackling around him…
Seeing the commotion, the people in the workshop scattered and fled. Huo Zilong, realizing the situation had escalated, also panicked and hurriedly fled with his bodyguards…
Accompanied by intense pain, Ye Fan's body convulsed uncontrollably, and screams echoed in his ears. Now unconscious, Ye Fan could hear nothing.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Fan slowly opened his eyes, finding them covered; he could see nothing but darkness.
"Ye Fan, you're awake?" Zhang Wei excitedly grabbed Ye Fan's arm.
"What's wrong with me? I can't see anything!" Ye Fan subconsciously reached for the gauze covering his eyes, a sharp pain shooting through his body. Ye Fan instinctively lowered his hands and cried out in terror. At that moment, Ye Fan realized that he might... be blind...
Zhang Wei hurriedly comforted him, "Don't get agitated. The doctor said your injuries aren't too serious. You'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Ye Fan gave a bitter smile, holding his head as he sat on the hospital bed. Ye Fan had already recalled everything that had happened. Hitting the electrical box, the 380-volt industrial voltage could have killed him instantly. It was a miracle he was still alive. As for resting for a few days, that was just a consolation prize.
Just then, a familiar voice came from outside the door.
"Young Master Huo, don't worry, that kid isn't dead, just injured. I've already asked the doctor. At most, he'll be blind and disfigured, but his life isn't in danger... Don't worry, I'll handle this. I've already arranged for HR to process it as a work injury."
Then, Zhang Dahu, wearing a thick gold chain, swaggered in.
As soon as they entered, before Ye Fan and Zhang Wei could even speak, Zhang Dahu immediately yelled, "Ye Fan, have you lost your mind? First, you meddled in other people's business, playing the hero and almost causing the company to lose hundreds of thousands in orders. Then you got into a fight in the workshop, causing the company to lose tens of thousands more."
Zhang Dahu had only one purpose in coming to the hospital today: to see if Ye Fan was really going to die. If Ye Fan was seriously injured and couldn't be cured, he and Huo Zilong would both be implicated. Even if Zhang Dahu secretly manipulated things and reported it as a production accident, he would still be arrested.
Now that he saw Ye Fan was still alive, Zhang Dahu breathed a sigh of relief.
Before Ye Fan could even speak, Zhang Wei, Ye Fan's only good friend in Ninghai City, interjected, "As Ye Fan's boss, you should be concerned about Ye Fan's current condition, not criticizing him."
At this moment, Ye Fan didn't have the mind to think about what Zhang Dahu was saying. Instead, he was worried about his future. Becoming blind? Living in darkness at such a young age? Thinking of this, Ye Fan fell into despair.
Zhang Dahu glanced at Ye Fan, whose head was wrapped in thick bandages, and said indifferently, "According to normal procedures, you would have been fired before you were injured, so your life or death has nothing to do with the company. You're just unlucky. However, considering you've worked for me for so many years, I'll reluctantly pay your hospital fees. From now on, we're even." With that, Zhang Dahu snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Ye Fan, filled with despair, felt a surge of anger and wanted to rush forward and fight Zhang Dahu to the death. Unfortunately, Ye Fan couldn't see Zhang Dahu's location. After struggling for a while, he almost fell off the hospital bed.
Zhang Wei, standing nearby, reacted quickly and caught Ye Fan.
"I'll fight him! This bastard is shameless!" Enraged, Ye Fan struggled frantically, having reached a point of despair where he was ready to fight to the death.
Zhang Wei held Ye Fan tightly, shouting, "Calm down! Your priority now is to recover from your injuries."
After a frantic struggle, Ye Fan sighed helplessly. Compared to the wealthy and powerful Zhang Dahu, Ye Fan was utterly insignificant.
Just then, a nurse entered the room, saying in a reprimanding tone, "The patient's injuries are severe; he needs rest."
Zhang Wei helped Ye Fan lie down again, then whispered, "Ye Fan, calm down. Don't get angry with scum like Zhang Dahu. It's not worth it. Rest well and recover from your injuries."
Ye Fan lowered his head, clenching his teeth, secretly vowing to avenge himself on Zhang Dahu.
Zhang Wei continued, "Focus on recovering. I'll go out and buy some food and come back to see you later." With that, Zhang Wei left the room.
Once quiet, Ye Fan subconsciously reached for the jade pendant. He had bought it from the antique market for a hundred yuan; it was of decent quality and resembled an eye. Ye Fan had always liked it and carried it with him.
Ye Fan reached out and grabbed at nothing. He instinctively tried a few more times, but still couldn't catch it. Ye Fan realized that the jade pendant might have been lost during the fight.