Chapter 22: The Character “Yu” Split Into Two Little People
Chapter 22: The Character “Yu” Split Into Two Little People
One minute passed in the blink of an eye.
“Okay,” Li Zian said.
Yu Meilin asked curiously, “What did you figure out?”
But Li Zian closed his eyes.
He had two brains: one ordinary, and one Fangshi Secondary Brain guided by the Great Sluggish Cauldron. He needed to enter the Fangshi Secondary Brain now. Closing his eyes helped reduce distractions from the surroundings, allowing him to focus better and enter the Fangshi Secondary Brain more quickly.
Kun Li muttered under her breath, “Pretending to be mysterious.”
Li Zian opened his eyes and spoke, “Meilin, you wrote the character ‘Yu’ on my hand.”
Yu Meilin wore a strange expression, surprised as she said, “I was just scribbling randomly on your palm; I didn’t even know what I was drawing. How could it be the character ‘Yu’?”
Li Zian did not explain but continued, “Now I will recite the Hexagram Interpretation: ‘Family affection is no more precious than money, Fighting for power and profit turns friends into foes, When you fall into a well, avoid the stones thrown from above, The character ‘Yu’ split open reveals two little people.'”
Yu Meilin asked curiously, “What does it mean?”
Li Zian explained, “This Hexagram Interpretation is easy to understand. ‘Family affection is no more precious than money, Fighting for power and profit turns friends into foes’ — How did your father treat you to get back the Chairperson position? How did your two uncles treat you? You know this better than I do. These two lines refer to exactly that. The following two lines, ‘When you fall into a well, avoid the stones thrown from above,’ mean someone wants to harm you. Right now, you are like someone who has fallen into a well; you must be careful that others don’t throw stones at you. ‘The character ‘Yu’ split open reveals two little people’ — If you split the character ‘Yu’ apart when writing it, doesn’t it look like ‘two little people’? Moreover, the Hexagram Interpretation clearly states that there are two little people around you. As for your fall, I believe someone pushed you intentionally.”
Yu Meilin seemed a bit dazed in her reaction.
She didn’t expect Li Zian to explain it so logically.
“How many people with the surname Yu are in this company?” Li Zian asked.
Yu Meilin thought for a moment and said, “Two. One is Yu Jiayong, and the other is Yu Hui. She is one of my cousins, a very honest person.”
Li Zian said, “I don’t even need to investigate; it’s definitely one of these two.”
“How can you be so sure? Why would they target me?” Yu Meilin countered.
Li Zian replied, “I am only performing Divination and interpreting it. As for the specific reasons, we need to investigate to find out. But I think if someone attacks without any grudge, it’s either because you’ve blocked their path to money, or someone is instructing them from behind.”
“Should I call those two with the surname Yu here to confront them face to face?” Kun Li said.
Li Zian responded, “You really are naive. If one of those two did something bad, and you bring them here for a face-to-face confrontation, do you think they would admit it?”
Kun Li let out a light humph, “So we just let you say whatever you want with that mouth of yours?”
Li Zian couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. He went on, “I think maybe the surveillance wasn’t turned off, or someone in the Security Section knows something. Meilin, find a way to send Yu Jiayong away. I’ll go check; I should be able to find something…”
Knock, knock.
A knocking sound came from outside the door.
Li Zian stopped speaking.
Yu Meilin said, “Come in.”
The office door opened, and a man walked in. He was in his thirties, slightly overweight, with a receding hairline. As soon as he entered, he first glanced at Li Zian, then walked boldly toward Yu Meilin. There was no trace of a subordinate’s respect for a superior in his eyes.
They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but very few people can truly understand the meaning in others’ eyes.
In Crescent Moon Village, Li Zian was the subject of everyone’s mockery and endured many scornful looks. In that environment, he developed the skill of reading people’s eyes, though most of the time he was inaccurate. But ever since he inherited Ji Da’s legacy and the Great Sluggish Cauldron attached to him, his ability to read people’s eyes had never been wrong since.
It made sense; someone capable of Star Observation and reading appearances, how could they possibly misread someone’s eyes?
Just from that one glance, Li Zian had a guess in his heart: “This person shows no fear of superiors; there’s even a hint of disdain in his eyes. Could he be that Yu Jiayong?”
Sure enough, just as he was thinking this, Yu Meilin spoke up, “Section Chief Yu, what can I do for you?”
It really was Yu Jiayong.
“Meilin, I came to check on your injury. Why don’t you go to the hospital for an examination?” Yu Jiayong said, appearing very concerned.
But Li Zian saw something else in his eyes; his gaze was flickering, observing.
Yu Meilin said, “Thank you, but I’m fine. If I feel unwell, I will go to the hospital for a check-up. Also, in the company, please address me by my position. Don’t call me by my name here.”
Yu Jiayong grinned, “We’re family. By seniority, you should call me Brother Yong…”
Yu Meilin cut him off, “Outside the company, you are my Brother Yong, but here, I am your General Manager Yu. I won’t remind you again.”
Yu Jiayong’s smile froze on his face.
Yu Meilin said coldly, “Section Chief Yu, is there anything else?”
Yu Jiayong gave a mocking laugh, “Nothing else. I just came to see you, General Manager Yu.”
He emphasized the words “General Manager Yu” heavily, not hiding his dissatisfaction and disdain at all.
“If there’s nothing else, you may leave,” Yu Meilin said.
Yu Jiayong turned and walked away.
Li Zian leaned close to Yu Meilin’s ear and whispered, “When I came in, I saw someone knitting a sweater in the office. Don’t you think you should hold a meeting to tighten discipline?”
Yu Meilin’s brow furrowed immediately. It was unclear whether she disliked Li Zian being so close and whispering in her ear, or if she was angry upon hearing that someone was knitting during work hours.
Li Zian added another sentence, “This Yu Jiayong definitely has problems. I need a bit of time to investigate.”
Yu Meilin hesitated for a moment, then spoke, “Section Chief Yu, in fifteen minutes, have all company staff come to the meeting room. Please go inform them.”
Yu Jiayong had just reached the door. He paused his steps, “Okay.”
He only said that one word, “Okay,” without even turning his head, pulled the door open, and left.
Only then did Li Zian notice that the roots of Yu Meilin’s ears had turned slightly red.
He wondered inwardly: Was she shy, or just sensitive?
“How do you plan to investigate?” Yu Meilin asked.
Li Zian said, “I’m going to ask someone.”
“Who?”
“The one guarding the main gate. I don’t know his name, but he doesn’t need to come to the meeting later,” Li Zian said.
Kun Li said, “You just got here; you don’t even know that person. How do you know he’ll listen to you and even help you investigate?”
Li Zian replied, “He’s an honest man. If he had to choose sides between the Chief and a Section Chief, which side do you think he would pick?”
Kun Li curled her lip.
“Zian, is your Divination really accurate?” Yu Meilin asked.
Li Zian said, “I’ve never failed in my Divination. But if you’re asking whether I can find evidence to prove that Yu Jiayong has problems, I can’t guarantee that. I can only try my best.”
Ten minutes later.
Li Zian carried a notepad and arrived at the main entrance of New Star Company. The security guard was sitting in the guardroom, watching the entrance intently.
He wasn’t actually old, probably in his twenties, but his skin was rough, his complexion dark, and with a bit of stubble, he looked like someone in his thirties.
Li Zian walked into the guardroom.
The security guard immediately stood up, looking somewhat nervous.
Li Zian smiled, “No need to stand up. Sit down; let’s chat.”
The security guard said, “No, no, leader, you sit. I’ll stand.”
Li Zian did not decline. He sat in the chair in front of the desk, opened the notepad, picked up a pen, and asked, “What’s your name?”
“My name is Wei Dazhuang, hehe.” Wei Dazhuang’s face was full of a simple, honest smile. Seeing Li Zian write his name in the notebook, he nervously added, “Um, leader, why are you writing my name in the notebook?”
Li Zian smiled, “Don’t be nervous. I’m just conducting a survey to understand the employees’ situations. Only by understanding the employees’ conditions can we serve them well.”
Wei Dazhuang scratched his head and laughed again, “So that’s how it is.”
“How many people in your family?”
“Just me and my old mother. There’s also my Wife-to-be; she works in a restaurant. We plan to save enough money and then go back to our hometown to get married,” Wei Dazhuang said.
“Where’s your hometown?”
“Northwest, in the mountains.”
“Is your old mother alone at home? Is that okay?”
“My mom is tough. She works in the fields and can carry a hundred jin while walking briskly,” Wei Dazhuang said cheerfully.
Li Zian made a few simple notes, closed the notepad, and looked at Wei Dazhuang, “Let me ask you something. If you know something, tell me. It’s for the company’s good, and for your good too.”
“Leader, what is it?”
Li Zian remained silent for a moment before saying, “My wife, that is, your General Manager Yu, she fell down the stairs today right after arriving at the company. I think someone pushed her. Do you know who that person is?”
Wei Dazhuang immediately became nervous, “I don’t know anything! When General Manager Yu fell, I was right here. I don’t know anything.”
Li Zian looked into his eyes and said slowly, “Why are you so nervous? You know something, don’t you?”
“I… I…” Wei Dazhuang couldn’t get the words out.
Li Zian felt even more certain in his heart. He said calmly, “Do you care about this job?”
Wei Dazhuang was slightly stunned, then said, “Of course I care. I’m counting on saving enough for the betrothal gifts to go back home and marry my Wife.”
Li Zian said, “Let me be upfront with you. I came to you because I have suspicions. If you don’t tell me, I’m afraid you might lose this job.”
“Ah? No, leader, I didn’t do anything!” Wei Dazhuang grew anxious.
“Listen to me finish. If you tell me what you know and then help me find that person, I’ll promote you. You’ll earn more. How about that?”
Wei Dazhuang hesitated, undecided.
Li Zian added nonchalantly, “I came to you because I see you’re an honest person. This opportunity isn’t available to everyone. Also, when choosing sides, you should pick the better side. Suppose your Section Chief did it. On one side is the Section Chief, on the other is the Chief. Which side should you choose? I don’t need to teach you that, do I?”
Wei Dazhuang bit his lip.
Li Zian had already seen his decision in his eyes but pretended otherwise, saying, “It seems you’re still very afraid of your Section Chief. Then I’ll go find someone else.”
“I’ll talk,” Wei Dazhuang said.