Chapter 96

Chapter 96

After leaving Uncle Song’s teahouse, Meng Yifan and I rushed to our next destination without a moment’s delay.

It was my father’s workplace, Rongda Electronics Factory.

As luck would have it, the owner of that stolen motorcycle was actually a colleague of my father’s named Wang Hua.

Whether my father actually knew Wang Hua personally, I wasn’t sure. Honestly, the easiest way to handle this would have been to go straight to my dad and have him introduce us, but I didn’t dare face him. I had been beaten into such a sorry state; if he saw me like this, I wouldn’t even know how to begin explaining it.

Upon arriving at Rongda Electronics Factory, Meng Yifan and I slipped inside by pretending to be job seekers. The factory was massive; I had been here once before. It was currently noon, the time when employees headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

Meng Yifan and I spotted several names of factory leadership on a bulletin board. These minor leaders had been recognized as outstanding management personnel. My father’s name was on the list; he was the department manager of the Finance Department. We also saw Wang Hua’s name; he was a workshop director.

Meng Yifan suddenly remarked, “The factory has designated parking. Wang Hua’s motorcycle was stolen from inside the factory grounds. Only someone from the factory could have ridden it away, and they would have needed access to his keys. This person must be at least a member of the management staff.”

I froze for a moment, catching his drift. The prime suspect also worked at this factory and was likely a manager.

If that was the case, what if he knew my father worked here too? Would he try to harm him?

“Maybe… you should just persuade your dad to resign,” Meng Yifan said seriously. “That person killed Fang Man for no reason; he’s clearly targeting you. I think your dad might be in danger too.”

Fear gripped me instantly. How was I supposed to convince my father? Could I even get him to leave?

“Let’s find Wang Hua first and go from there.”

I sighed. Meng Yifan and I sat on the edge of the sports field with cigarettes in our mouths, waiting for the employees to finish their lunch and head back to work before we went looking for Wang Hua. I was afraid that if we wandered around aimlessly, I’d run into my father. The injuries on my face would be impossible to explain, and I didn’t want him to worry.

But of course, what you fear most always happens. My father must have finished his meal and come to the field for a stroll, because he spotted us from a distance.

“Chen Mo? Meng Yifan?”

He ran straight toward us.

“What are you two doing here?”

As soon as he reached us, he saw the bruises on our faces, and his expression shifted instantly. “What happened to your faces? How did this happen? Who were you fighting with?”

Meng Yifan quickly greeted him, calling him “Uncle,” but he didn’t dare explain where the injuries came from.

“Dad, we weren’t fighting. We’re not kids anymore; why would we be fighting?”

“If you weren’t fighting, then how did you get these injuries?” My father’s face was grim as he demanded an answer. “You’ve been beaten to a pulp! Meng Yifan, you tell me-what exactly happened?”

Meng Yifan gave a sheepish smile and said, “We really weren’t fighting. We were just on the receiving end of a beating. We ran into some muggers.”

“Muggers?” My father was startled. “Did you call the police? Did they catch them? Are you two hurt anywhere else?”

Meng Yifan and I stood there on the field, spinning a story for a long time before we managed to gloss over the “robbery.” Since we had already run into him, we didn’t hide our reason for being there. We told him we were looking for Wang Hua and asked if he could introduce us.

“Old Wang? What do you want with him?”

“Dad, are you close with him?” I asked.

My father nodded. “Fairly close, I suppose. He’s the director of the third workshop. We often grab drinks together during company gatherings, so we have a decent relationship. Why are you looking for him?”
I had prepared my explanation in advance. “A while back, I bought a used motorcycle from someone,” I said. “I only realized later that it was stolen property-the guy who sold it to me had snatched it. I asked a friend on the police force to help me look up the owner, and it turned out to be Wang Hua from your factory.”

My dad grumbled, “What did you go and buy a motorcycle for? Did you forget you almost broke your leg riding one of those things back in the day?”

I quickly played along. “Yeah, I messed up. I won’t buy another one, I promise. Just call Wang Hua out here so I can give the bike back to him. It wouldn’t be good if he thought I was the one who stole it.”

My dad pulled out his phone and called Wang Hua right in front of us, telling him to come down to the yard.

About ten minutes later, a middle-aged man came running out of the factory building.

I watched him intently from a distance, trying to see if he was the prime suspect.

I had seen the prime suspect twice. Although I didn’t know what his face looked like either time, I remembered his build. He was the same height as my father, but broader and more muscular.

This Wang Hua was a bit thinner than my dad. He clearly wasn’t the man.

“Old Chen, what did you need me for? I’m right in the middle of my shift.”

Wang Hua walked over and offered my father a cigarette.

My dad took it and introduced me. “Old Wang, this is my son, Chen Mo.”

Wang Hua looked a bit confused, unsure why my father was introducing me, but he still shook my hand warmly.

“Uncle Wang, take a look. Is this bike yours?”

I pulled up the photo on my phone and showed it to him.

He took one look and immediately grew excited. “That’s my bike! It was stolen not long ago. Xiao Chen, where did you see this?”

I repeated the story I had just spun for my father, claiming I had bought the bike.

“Uncle Wang, is it definitely yours?”

“Of course it’s mine!”

Wang Hua looked a bit embarrassed. “Xiao Chen, how much did you pay for it? It really is my bike. Look, let me pay you…”

I cut him off. “I don’t want any money. Since it’s yours, just come by my place tonight and ride it home.”

He found it hard to believe. “This… how can I do that? You spent money on it, after all.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “Legally speaking, I shouldn’t be taking money from you anyway. But I do want to know-how exactly did it go missing?”

Wang Hua cursed. “It was stolen right here at the factory. They even stole my keys. I have no idea when such a bold thief started operating in this plant.”

Meng Yifan couldn’t help but ask, “Doesn’t the factory have surveillance? Did the cameras catch the thief?”

Wang Hua slapped his thigh. “If the cameras had caught him, wouldn’t that have saved us a lot of trouble? But as luck would have it, the surveillance was turned off right when my bike was stolen. Nothing was recorded.”

I frowned. “Don’t the guards know who turned it off?”

Wang Hua sighed. “They don’t know. I asked the security guard, and he said he had diarrhea at the time and was constantly running to the bathroom. He’s actually been on leave recently because his gastroenteritis flared up; he only just came back to work today.”

I nodded and didn’t ask anything else. I handed him the keys directly and told him to just come by and pick up the bike tonight.

After Wang Hua left, my father pulled Meng Yifan and me toward his office, inviting us to sit for a while.

I told them to go ahead, saying I needed to use the restroom.

My father pointed me in the right direction.

Once I reached the restroom, I watched my father and Meng Yifan enter the office building.

Then, I walked straight back out and headed toward the security room.