Chapter 18 Section 18

It was originally said that it would take a month to recover from the injury, but I only stayed in the hospital for a week. After I was discharged from the hospital, I rested for two days and went to work in the company on the next Monday. When I returned to the factory, everyone's attitude was very cold.All my colleagues avoided eye contact with me, and even when I offered to join the conversation, they would deliberately walk away.Although I had expected this to happen, I was still very frustrated seeing everyone's attitude. They must be very concerned about me attracting Fujita's hatred.I think they must think I'm scary, a double-faced person.I can feel that they don't want to have anything to do with me, they would rather avoid me and protect themselves wisely.I went back to my original job of moving money.

About 30 minutes before the lunch break, the team leader came to see me.The group leader looked ashamed as if he had been soaked by the heavy rain, and asked me to go with him. He took me to a rest area a little further from the production line.A blackboard stands beside it to block the view from the aisle.The section chief in a white uniform sat smoking a cigarette.I hardly ever talked to the head of the class. The team leader asked me to sit face to face with the class leader, and I sat down on the chair beside me. "Are you Tajima?" The head of the section said through his glasses, looking at my name tag. "A lot of things have happened, it's really hard for you. Are your injuries healed?"

"Well, it's almost ready." I nodded vaguely, not knowing what he was going to say, and feeling anxious. "After that incident, the police also came to me and asked me a lot of things. I was really exhausted. Oh, the police also went to the team leader, right?" The team leader was suddenly pointed to by the class leader and nodded without saying a word. "I'm sorry to trouble you." I apologized first. "Well, that's all right. The question is what are you going to do from now on?" I don't know what the section chief is talking about, looking at his face.

"After all, Fujita was the perpetrator, right? And you were the one who was assassinated. It's always a problem when things like this happen in the same work unit. Teamwork is important on the production line, right? If there is a dispute within the group, the team members will You won’t be able to concentrate on your work.” I think I already know what the headmaster wants to say. "Will I be transferred to another work unit?" However, the head teacher didn't nod.He put his finger against the center of the eye and adjusted the position. "Well, this is also a method." The section chief muttered as if he had a marinated egg in his mouth. "But this matter has spread throughout the factory, so it may be difficult for us to continue to use you."

Hearing this, I finally understood what they really meant and opened my eyes wide. "Do you want me to resign?" "No, no," the headmaster waved his hand. "We didn't ask you to resign. It's just that it will be very hard for you to stay any longer. Besides, you are still young and have the capital to start from scratch...I think all this is for your own good." I thought to myself, "What's the difference between asking me to quit my job?" But I didn't say it. I looked at the team leader.He took off his work hat and stroked the brim.A dark blue brim indicates the position is Team Leader.

It's not that I can't understand their distress.Although Fujita has resigned, if an employee in the same work unit has an attempted murder case, the immediate superior will of course be held accountable for management.Trying to deal with Kazuyuki Tajima is likely to be the company's instructions, not their intention. However, I couldn't really nod my head in agreement.I had no relatives, and if I was kicked out of the bachelor dormitory, I wouldn't even have a place to live.Besides, finding your next job is easier said than done.The only way for me to survive is to stay in the current company.

"I can't resign." I said honestly, "I understand what the section chief said, but once I resign, I don't know what to do for a living. And the point is, I'm a victim of this incident, and I don't No……" Although this explanation is inappropriate, at least it emphasizes that my fault is not my fault.The head of the section clearly showed displeasure, but he didn't refute me. "I see. Then, I'll think about it in the future." The class leader got up from the chair and winked at the team leader.The team leader put his work cap back on. I don't think that's how it ended.I am very concerned about how the section chief plans to rethink.I looked at the back of the team leader walking in front without saying a word, and fell into an illusion, as if the soles of my feet were floating, and I wobbled.

For a while after that, nothing happened.Still no one in the factory spoke to me, but no one made fun of me either.Even so, I had a restless day to day. In addition, Kanae's matter has always been on my mind. During the hospitalization, she never visited me once.When Kosan and Naoko came to see me, Naoko said that she had also notified Kanae, so she should know that I was injured.I called her once and it was her mother who answered the phone.Her mother just said flatly that she was not at home.I asked her mother to tell her that I had called, but it is not known whether this was actually communicated.After being discharged from the hospital, Kanae didn't contact me, so I panicked.One night, I asked Xiaoshan, could I ask Naoko to ask what happened to Kanae.

"Didn't she contact you?" Xiaoshan asked. "Yes." I replied.The atmosphere was extremely awkward. "It's okay to ask Naoko to ask, but..." "But what?" "No...it's nothing. I'll let you know when I have news." "Thank you." I said. Not long after, the team leader came to see me again at work.This time he called me to the office.I have a bad feeling. As soon as I walked into the office, I realized my hunch was right.The two people from the personnel department that I met before sat on the side of the table and waited for me.The thin man noticed that I was coming and raised his hand gently.

"Is the injury all healed?" The skinny man asked me. "Ok." "That's good." After the thin man finished speaking briefly, he looked at the folder in hand. "Not much nonsense, I want to sort out the content of this incident, so I want to ask you something." "Ok……" "Anyway, what I don't know the most is," the skinny man looked up at me after reading the folder. "Motive. Why does Fujita want to kill you?" "I have spoken to the police about this." "Hmm. You mean, for some reason, Fujita decided that you also participated in the rat club that bought and sold gemstones, and was dissatisfied that you were the only one who was not punished, didn't you?"

"yes." "Then why is Fujita so sure?" "I've said this before. It's true that I went to explain the meeting. Fujita met me there, so he decided that I also..." "I think you've joined the club too, don't you?" the thin man interrupted me. "But, no matter how much you misunderstand, will it go to the point where you want to kill you?" "It's useless for you to ask me about this kind of thing." I lowered my head, but still felt the sight of the skinny man. "Actually, after talking with you before, we met with Fujita again." His tone became a little more serious, so I raised my head.There was no usual smile on his face. "He insisted that there is absolutely no way you didn't join Hoji International." "He lied. I didn't join." "But he said he wanted to join because he saw you join. He doesn't look like he's lying." The man next to the thin man didn't know if he was there at that time, so he nodded slightly. "Mr. Fujita hates me, how could he join the club because of me?" "But he said he didn't want you to get the benefits alone, so he joined." "He lied." I shook my head. "I didn't join." The thin man leaned back on the back of the chair, folded his arms, and kept his eyes on my face with an observing look. "We really don't have evidence to prove that you are a member, so we think your words are more trustworthy than what Fujita said. But it happened that he attacked you, and after that, we received a strange news." My heart was pounding in my chest.I have an ominous feeling, and it's not purely intuitive.I was very concerned about what Fujita said at the time. "Obviously you set the trap and let me fall into that deceitful business." Why did Fujita know?It was also on my mind as I lay in my hospital bed. "The news basically said that although you are not a member of Hoji, you are employed by Hoji and work there." The skinny man said. I can't kill you to ask why you would know. "Who? Who is talking nonsense?" "It shouldn't matter who said it? We just want you to know that we are not so stupid as to believe such inexplicable news without thinking about it. When we receive any news, we will investigate first to find out the inside story. Just like us It’s like not directly believing Fujita’s words.” "Then... do you understand the inside story?" "Oh?" The thin man's expression finally softened, and he leaned forward and asked me, "Do you care?" "Then..." "Isn't that strange? Didn't you just say that the news was nonsense? If that's the case, just ignore it." The thin man saw that I was speechless, and a sly smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "About Hoji's request for a part-time job is really deceptive. Not only is it credible, but also very interesting. In a word, the so-called part-time job is responsible for blackmailing people. The company sends these people to attend the briefing, and then take advantage of the situation Push the hesitant people. That is to say, pretend to join the club on the surface, but actually don't join the club. Because the guy who blackmails people knows Hozumi's true face, he only helps recruit people. Carefully I thought, this kind of practice is worse than joining the club yourself or finding your buddies to join the club. Because they are helping the evildoers." The skinny man looked at me with his eyes rolled up. "Well? Don't you think the situation is very similar to yours? Fujita said he did see that you joined the club, but you said you didn't, and you didn't actually join the club. So if you assume that you are doing that kind of job, everything That makes sense.” My armpit was sweating, my mouth was thirsty, and I kept thinking: "Who spread this news?" "I didn't do that." "So, you mean the news is wrong?" "Yes." I replied.I told myself that I couldn't avoid my eyes. "So, what do you do if there is evidence or witnesses? But you will be punished more severely for deceiving the company. Is it okay?" I rolled up my eyeballs and looked at my skinny man's face, feeling an indescribable malice.I feel like I'm being driven down a dead end.Maybe that was the case, but I can't go back. "It's okay." I replied. "Very good." The skinny man nodded. "Don't forget what you said." He stood up from his seat, his face full of confidence that he was sure of winning. That weekend I decided to meet Cang Chixiu, and I took the initiative to find him out.We met at the coffee shop in front of the station where we had an appointment.Kuramo is wearing a dark blue jacket and tie, looking a bit like a salesman of a first-class company. I told him about the questioning from HR.Cangchi listened to me while drinking coffee, and when I finished speaking, he sighed deeply: "In short, if the company finds evidence to prove that you are working part-time and recruiting people into the club, will they fire you?" "I think that's what they mean. Since the attempted murder incident, the company has regarded me as a thorn in the side and tried every means to fire me." "That's no wonder. From the standpoint of the company, of course we don't want the person who caused such troubles to stay." Cang Mochi crossed Erlang's leg. "Then, what do you want me to do? And from the way they talk, it seems that they have some evidence. Is it possible?" "Our affairs should not be recorded in Hoji, and ordinary members should not know that people like us exist." Kuramochi shrugged. "I don't know. It's useless to think about it anyway." "Useless?" "Isn't it? If the company has any evidence, it's useless to worry about the matter until now." I clenched my fist and pounded on the table.The female guest on the side looked at us in surprise. "I fell into that part-time job at your instigation." "So what? Are you going to ask me to be responsible? I think you forgot, let me remind you, your job was to ask questions at the right time at the briefing, but you wanted that man named Fujita to be fooled by you." Pretending to be in the club. If you want to get to the bottom of it, the source of the matter is like this, and all this is your own fault." I have nothing to say about his objection.He was right.If I hadn't done that at the time, Fujita might not have joined the club.No, even if he joins the club, he probably won't be particularly suspicious of me. "Let me tell you," Cang Mochi lowered his tone. "Do you really have no bottom in your heart?" "What's the bottom line?" "Did you tell anyone about the part-time job?" I was about to say, "That's okay, of course not!" But I hesitated.I replied: "No." Kuramochi didn't miss the slight change in the expression on my face.He looked up at my face. "Really?" "Ok." "You're lying." Cangchi smiled wickedly, took out a cigarette, took out one, and tapped on the cigarette case lightly. "Who did you tell? It's written on your face: 'I told you.'" "I can trust that man." When Kuramochi heard my answer, he turned his face away with a wry smile and shook his head slightly. "Several people?" "Just one." "A woman?" Kuramo raised his head. Seeing that I didn't answer, he took me as the default. "You'd better check with her." "Why would she tell my company about this? It wouldn't do her any good." "She told others, and others told others. As she talked, it spread to people in your company. That's how it is." "impossible." "That's why I asked you to confirm. When will you meet next time?" "have not decided yet." "Then," Kuramochi pointed to the public phone in the corner of the store. "I'll see her later. It's fastest to ask me right away." "What reason should I use to find her out?" Kuramochi laughed until his whole body trembled. "What reason do you need to find a girlfriend?" "She's been away a lot lately." "So what? Maybe you won't be at home today?" I was speechless and stood up slowly.I haven't been in touch with Kanae for more than 20 days.Even if that didn't happen, it's about time I gave her a call.On the other hand, I thought to myself: "Don't be treated coldly by her mother again." After hesitating for a long time, I still called.But it was her mother who answered the phone, saying that Kanae had gone out. "Are you unable to contact her, or do you not want to contact her?" After listening to what I said, Cang Chi said, "Just go to see her directly." "That's what I said, but how to do it..." "You know her home, right? Maybe she's really gone out now, but she will always come home." "Do you want me to ambush in front of her house?" "You can figure it out," Cang Mo put the coffee money on the table. "If it were me, I would take action. Thinking about it, nothing can be solved." "Let's go first." He said and left. An hour or so later, I hid behind a phone booth and stared at a house—Kanao's.I have sent her back to this Japanese-style house with a small garden several times. I thought to myself, is this the first time I have ambushed and waited for someone like this?Long, long ago, I ambushed next to the hometown where Cangchi sold tofu.A few years later, I followed my father who was infatuated with a bar girl.And my father was also waiting for the restaurant girl who came out of the store. I don't know how long I was there.It's been about two hours.Maybe it's because I'm nervous whenever someone shows up, so it feels like an eternity. At ten o'clock in the evening, a car stopped in front of the house.I clearly saw Kanae sitting in the passenger seat.I held my breath when I saw the man driving, one of the fellowship members.Of course, he also shares the dormitory with me.A man named Zhishan. The figures of the two overlapped in the car for an instant, and then the door of the passenger's seat opened, and Kanae got out of the car.She was wearing a grown-up one-piece dress that she didn't seem to have worn on a date with me. Kanae stood in front of the house until the car left.After the car was far away, she turned and walked into the house.I shouted behind her: "Kanmiao!" She turned her head back with a stiff expression, showing fear and embarrassment. "What's going on here?" I said to her who bowed her head. "Why would you meet that guy?" "Whom I like to meet is my freedom, right?" "Then what should I do? You don't even answer the phone calls." Kanae started to lose her temper and was silent.I called out her name again: "Kanao!" "Don't be so loud, the family will hear you." "Then you should say something." "I see. Then I will confess that I have decided not to see you again." "why?" Kanae sighed and pushed her bangs up. "I'm sorry, I fell in love with someone else. I can't be on two boats, can I? So..." "you……" "After all, people's feelings will change. Or, once you start dating, you are absolutely not allowed to change your mind? Do you have to be together for a lifetime?" "I didn't say that, it was just..." "Besides," she looked up at me. "Hexing, you have to quit your job, don't you?" My mouth was open, my whole body was stiff, and I blinked subconsciously. "what are you saying?" "Mr. Zhishan has said everything. He said that if the company finds out what kind of dangerous job you are doing, you will definitely be fired without saying a word." "Have you told Zhishan about my part-time job?" She bit her lip with a "finished" expression on her face.I grab her arm. "Yes or no?" "It hurts, let me go." "Answer me! Did you tell Zhishan?" "It hurts to death. Come, help!" Her voice could be heard far away. The lights in the hallway came on.A figure appeared inside the door.I let go of Kanae's hand.She pressed the place I just grabbed and rushed to the entrance. "Hurry up, open the door!" I started running when I heard someone yelling behind me. After returning to the single dormitory, I stayed in the room without saying a word.I originally wanted to go to Zhishan, but felt that doing so would only embarrass myself more. Soon after, Xiaoshan came back.I quietly asked him about Zhishan. "I don't know that person very well. He seems to be three years older than us. That day, he went to fight for us." "Which unit is he in?" "I don't know. Why are you asking about him?" "Nothing." I replied vaguely. We are three years older than us, which means that Zhishan and Fujita joined the company at the same time.Of course he knew Fujita.It is very likely that he told Fujita after he heard about me from Kanae, and after Fujita died, it must be Shibayama who told the news to the personnel department. I slumped on the chair, feeling exhausted. -------------------------------- Note: