Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 741 The Opportunity of the Medicine for Apologizing
Not long after, Li Huaide personally visited the security department.

As for why I came, it's because of the medicine.

"What is Xu Damao up to? I sent him to get medicine, how did he end up in the interrogation room!"

After all, Xu Damao went there to get medicine for himself, and Li Huaide couldn't turn a blind eye and sit idly by.

I'll have to go and see for myself what exactly happened.

Upon entering the interrogation room, Xu Damao immediately began to wail about how difficult things had been for him.

"Director Li, you have to save me!"

Li Huaide's deep gaze lingered on Xu Damao's tear-streaked face for a good ten seconds, and the air in the interrogation room seemed to freeze.

Xu Damao's sobs faded to a whisper, like the cries of mosquitoes.

"Alright, stop howling. There's no one else here." Li Huaide walked up to Xu Damao.

"What did you do? I asked you to get the medicine, and you got yourself into this mess and now someone has caught you red-handed. Things have gotten to this point, and the nature of the matter is very bad."

"The theft at the factory has a very bad impact, especially since the perpetrator was a deputy section chief."

Xu Damao's heart was in his throat as he stared longingly at Li Huaide.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Li Huaide needed to know the specifics of what had happened; Squad Leader Zhao hadn't explained why Xu Damao had committed the crime.

At this point, Xu Damao knew he could no longer deceive them, so he immediately told them everything.

"Director Li, I was confused! But I really did it for you! That kid Li Kailang quit, the medication ran out, and it delayed your work."

"Enough!" Li Huaide said in a low voice, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Don't mention the word 'medicine' here! How did this get involved with Li Kailang?"

"Yes, yes, I got this medicine from Li Kailang too. He said he was quitting a few months ago."

Xu Damao recounted the details of what happened.

"The master is dead? He stopped working a few months ago."

After hearing Xu Damao's explanation, Li Huaide frowned.

It turns out that Xu Damao was just one of Li Kailang's buyers, and this Li Kailang was actually the real source.

He just didn't expect that the medicine he wanted had already been discontinued, but Xu Damao still tried to take a chance and didn't tell him.

His manhood, the very thing that sustained his energy and special "prestige," was severed!
Seeing Li Huaide's gloomy expression, Xu Damao cautiously pledged his loyalty:

"Director Li, I searched Li Kailang's office because of you. He always had things in his office before, but I didn't expect that they weren't there this time."

He hoped that this would allow Li Huaide to save him, otherwise he would have to go to jail.

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide remained silent, lost in thought.

Xu Damao wasn't the only one working for him; one more or one less wouldn't make a difference.

But Xu Damao's role was special; he was there to get him medicine, and the medicine was quite good. But now that it's gone, what's the point of saving him?
It now seems that Xu Damao has no value whatsoever.

Seeing that Li Huaide remained silent, Xu Damao, trembling with fear, whispered, "Factory Director Li, Factory Director Li."

Li Huaide thought for a while, then looked up at Xu Damao, as if he had thought of something else.

Xu Damao was not doing well, but he knew about his medication, and he had to protect himself both publicly and privately, but he had to keep things in order on the surface.

"Alright, stop yelling. Luckily you didn't steal anything; you're just an attempted theft! Otherwise, if you had actually stolen something, there would have been nothing I could have done to save you."

"Yes, yes, Director Li is right." Hearing that Li Huaide was going to save him, Xu Damao finally felt relieved.

Li Huaide walked back to the table, his fingers lightly tapping the cold surface: "Since you've confessed, then proceed according to the rules. You deserve all the punishments."

"Ah?" Xu Damao's face turned deathly pale. "Director Li, you...you can't..."

He thought that by bringing in Li Huaide, he could make the matter seem trivial.

"Let me finish!" Li Huaide interrupted him, with a condescending tone as if he were giving him a chance.

"The punishment is to give an explanation to the factory, the security department, and especially to Comrade Li Kailang. You must apologize to Li Kailang in public, show the utmost sincerity, and beg for his forgiveness."

"Be humble and sincere!"

Xu Damao, as if grasping at a straw, nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay! I apologize! I'll definitely kowtow to him and apologize! As long as he calms down."

"Kowtowing is unnecessary; don't overact and make yourself look foolish," Li Huaide calmly analyzed.

"After you apologize, I will have the security department temporarily suspend your punishment, record it on file for observation, and not make it public."

"Nominally, it's about seeing how you behave afterwards, and whether Comrade Li Kailang accepts your apology; in reality..."

Li Huaide leaned closer, lowering his voice even further, "Actually, I'm giving you time! Time to repair your relationship with Li Kailang! Do you understand what I mean?"

Li Huaide also planned to have Xu Damao try to get the medicine.

If it works, the punishment can be forgiven; if it doesn't...
A glint of light flashed in Xu Damao's eyes as he understood Li Huaide's plan: "I understand! I understand! Director Li, you're brilliant! You're saving me, and you're also leaving a way out for the medicine!"

Li Huaide nodded slightly: "It's good that you understand. Whether we can get the medicine or not depends on Li Kailang."

“If he ignores you or goes too far, then no one can save you. So, the first thing you should do after you get out is to immediately go find Li Kailang, put down that slutty face, and beg him!”

“Let him see your ‘repentance,’ if necessary,” a resolute glint flashed in Li Huaide’s eyes.

"Shift the blame a little to me. Say that I needed the medicine and was pressuring you, and you were so confused that you stole it from his office."

Xu Damao was slightly surprised. Li Huaide would actually take the blame for this?
He quickly nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I understand. I just said I misunderstood you and was too eager to show off."

"Hmm. You decide the appropriate level of discretion." Li Huaide straightened his collar, resuming his authoritative leader demeanor.

“Now, I’m calling the security guards in. You need to honestly admit that you broke into the materials department and rummaged through things. Just say that you were ‘confused for a moment and did something wrong.’”

"Don't mention the medicine! Then, demand that he publicly apologize to Deputy Section Chief Li and ask for forgiveness."

Li Huaide walked to the door and knocked.

Squad Leader Zhao immediately pushed the door open and came in.

“Squad Leader Zhao,” Li Huaide resumed his gentle tone, but it carried an inherent sense of authority and pressure.

“I just spoke with Comrade Xu Damao, and he has deeply realized the seriousness of his mistake and is very remorseful. He admitted that he did indeed enter the Materials Department without permission and rummage through Comrade Li Kailang’s desk.”

"His motive? He said it was driven by curiosity. He wanted to see if Deputy Section Chief Li had any 'treasures.' Young people like him have low awareness and mistakenly treated their work and study materials as a treasure trove!"

Squad Leader Zhao and the recorder exchanged a glance. This understated explanation and the use of the word "treasure" clearly characterized the nature of the incident as a non-targeted and relatively minor case of "curiosity."

This is quite different from the "bottles and jars" clues mentioned in Xu Damao's previous confession.

But once Deputy Factory Director Li made his assessment, they dared not object.

Li Huaide continued, "Although nothing was stolen, ransacking other people's offices, invading their privacy, damaging their work environment, and disrupting production order have had a very negative impact!"

"Comrade Xu Damao is deeply remorseful and willing to take full responsibility for his mistakes. He now has a strong request." "What request?" Squad Leader Zhao asked cooperatively.

Xu Damao immediately stepped forward, his voice trembling with tears, and bowed deeply: "Squad Leader Zhao! I am guilty! I accept the punishment! But I beg the organization to give me a chance to atone for my sins!"

"I want to apologize to Deputy Section Chief Li Kailang in person! I want to beg for his forgiveness! I will accept whatever compensation he asks for! I will not fight back or talk back!"

Li Huaide added at the opportune moment: "Yes, it is a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them. I believe that Comrade Xu Damao's remorse is sincere."

"Xiao Zhao, attempted theft disrupted work order. What's the factory rule for this? Is there a clause about making a public apology?"

Squad Leader Zhao understood immediately: "Yes, Director Li. A severe warning and a public apology at the general meeting are the minimum requirements."

“Alright!” Li Huaide made the decision. “Let’s handle it this way! However, in accordance with the principles of learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the disease to save the patient, we should also give the comrades who made mistakes a chance to correct them.”

"You can write a self-criticism first. Whether the meeting will be held or not, and what the final punishment will be," he said meaningfully to Squad Leader Zhao.

"Let's see how Comrade Li Kailang reacts to this apology and how Xu Damao behaves afterwards! If Comrade Li Kailang is magnanimous, he will give him a chance to start anew."

"As for the punishment method, the factory can also consider giving some education and room for redemption."

"Three days! Three days to see how Xu Damao behaves! He'll have to clean all the factory toilets for these three days! He needs to reflect deeply on his actions!"

These words sounded grand and dignified, acknowledging the principle that punishment was necessary while cleverly shifting the blame for the final punishment to Li Kailang's attitude and Xu Damao's performance.

Furthermore, the public self-criticism was changed to "written first," and the "general meeting" became something that was optional and the form of punishment was debatable.

In the end, only the most insignificant task was implemented: "clean the toilet for three days."

Squad Leader Zhao could only nod: "Yes, Director Li's instructions are correct! Our security department will definitely urge Xu Damao to make a thorough self-criticism, clean the toilets, and wait for the feedback from Deputy Section Chief Li of the materials department."

"Very good!" Li Huaide nodded in satisfaction. "Then let's not delay. Take Xu Damao with you and go to the Materials Department now."

"Make him apologize to Comrade Li Kailang in person!"

He specifically emphasized "face to face" and "now".

As for myself, it's certainly inconvenient for me to come forward.

Materials Science.

After Squad Leader Zhao went to the interrogation room, Li Kailang returned to the Materials Section.

He knew exactly what the effects of Qianjin Fang were, and given Li Huaide's philandering nature, he would most likely still protect Xu Damao.

They would only abandon Xu Damao if they truly couldn't get the medicine.

The facts were just as he had imagined.

Suddenly, there was a noise at the door.

Squad Leader Zhao walked in, looking slightly embarrassed, followed by Xu Damao, who looked ashen-faced and dejected.

All eyes turned to that direction instantly, and the entire department fell silent.

"Dear colleagues in the Materials Department, I apologize for disturbing you. The Security Department has made preliminary progress in its investigation into the disturbance of Comrade Li Kailang's office belongings."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Li Kailang: "It was Comrade Xu Damao who did it!"

A gasp of disbelief rose from the crowd.

Although Zhang Fen's words had previously referred to Xu Damao, the fact that Squad Leader Zhao personally announced it at this moment still made many people's hearts tighten.

Someone was secretly glancing at Li Kailang to see his reaction.

Squad Leader Zhao continued, "According to Xu Damao's confession, he was purely driven by personal curiosity and made a mistake, mistakenly believing that Comrade Li Kailang might have some 'treasure'."

"So at noon, while everyone was away, he sneaked in and ransacked Deputy Section Chief Li's desk. He felt extremely ashamed and remorseful about this, took the initiative to admit his mistake and accept punishment, and strongly requested to apologize to Comrade Li Kailang in person."

These words were almost a verbatim copy of Li Huaide's statement, firmly pinning the motive on the harmless banner of "curious baby".

After Zhao finished speaking, he stepped aside to make room.

Xu Damao immediately understood and practically scrambled to a spot two steps away from Li Kailang.

Under everyone's gaze, he suddenly knelt down with a "plop"!

This kneeling, though silent, was like a boulder thrown into the hearts of everyone in the Materials Science department! Everyone was stunned!

If Li Huaide were there, he would have been shocked too. He only told Xu Damao to lower his posture, not to actually kneel!

This kid is overacting!

"Brother Li! Brother Kailang! Section Chief Li!" Xu Damao began his performance with a sob in his voice, sounding miserable.

"I was wrong! I'm not human! I'm a bastard! I'm so sorry! I deserve to die! I deserve to die a thousand times over!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and slapped himself repeatedly, the force of which left red marks on his face instantly.

"I must have been blinded by greed and kicked in the head by a donkey! I was just curious whether you had any good things to offer you after you became the deputy section chief, so I wanted to see if I really didn't steal anything!"

"Really! I swear to God! If I stole anything from you, may I be hit by a car and die as soon as I step outside!"

Xu Damao stammered and swore incoherently, his face covered in snot and tears.

"I was just confused for a moment! I couldn't control my filthy thoughts! I know I offended you! I made you lose face! It's all my fault!"

"You are so magnanimous! You can forgive me as if I were nothing! Or you can hit me as hard as you want! Hit me until you're satisfied! I promise I won't utter a sound!"

While kowtowing and bowing, Xu Damao tried to hug Li Kailang's leg, but Li Kailang subtly stepped back to avoid him.

Everyone in the materials science department was stunned. They had never seen anything like it before.

I often see people apologizing, and most of the time they just bow and say sorry.

I've never seen anyone like Xu Damao kneeling down, kowtowing, slapping himself, and sobbing uncontrollably about how "filthy" and "deserving to die" he is.

Even the mature and steady Wang Mantiao frowned, feeling that it was a bit too much.

Zhao Xiaohai was dumbfounded, thinking to himself that Xu Damao was really ruthless to himself!
Squad Leader Zhao twitched his lips: "Comrade Li Kailang, you see, Xu Damao's attitude is very sincere."

"Although the nature of his mistake was serious, and it was a serious act of disorganization and indiscipline, he still hopes that your understanding can help him express his remorse."

"The factory will not tolerate this behavior. The security department has decided to deal with him seriously: a written self-criticism and an order to clean all the factory toilets for three days as punishment! As for the final decision..."

Squad Leader Zhao relayed Li Huaide's decision: "Our security department will wait three days, taking into account your feedback on Xu Damao's apology attitude, as well as his reflection over the past three days, before finally reporting to the factory to determine the final punishment!"

"Whether it's a serious warning or something else, we'll decide later!"

The meaning couldn't be clearer: the prerequisite for punishment is your attitude, Li Kailang.

All eyes were on Li Kailang.

The entire materials science department was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Li Kailang's eyebrows twitched slightly.

(End of this chapter)