Chapter 131: Drawn on Behalf of Shu Yue

"No problem at all! As security personnel, hiding in the back when the company faces danger is an act of dereliction of duty. For dereliction of duty, withholding bonuses is entirely appropriate! The handling of the others is also perfectly reasonable. The Human Resources Department fully supports your decision!"

Liang Hui responded to Hua Tianyu’s question quickly, her gaze lingering on him with something undefined and difficult to read.

Observing the shock in Liang Hui’s eyes, Hua Tianyu suddenly offered a mysterious smile and whispered to her, "Don’t look at me like that, or I might start thinking you’ve fallen for me!"

Liang Hui’s expression tightened as she hissed, "Mind your behavior in public!"

Hua Tianyu pondered for two seconds before murmuring, "Fine. I’ll wait for you in an empty lounge later—someplace where I don’t have to worry about appearances."

Liang Hui: "..."

She glared at him, deciding to ignore this fellow for the time being. Trying to follow his train of thought was an exercise in futility; it never adhered to conventional logic.

While the two were talking, the conference room had erupted into an uproar.

The fired security guards were, naturally, dissatisfied. They had initially hoped the HR manager would speak up for them, but that hadn't happened at all. They realized that if they didn't unite and cause a scene today, they would truly have no chance left.

"On what grounds are you firing us? We don't accept this!"

"If you want to fire us, pay us compensation!"

"That’s right, pay up!"

Among the clamor, the loudest voice belonged to Cheng Feng.

Earlier, when the green-haired thug came to cause trouble, Cheng Feng had been among the most cowardly when Hua Tianyu ordered them to charge. While he had his own hidden reasons, to everyone else, this former head of the security department was nothing but a spineless coward and a waste of space. Yet now, he was the most fiercely opposed to being fired by Hua Tianyu.

"I don't accept this! I'm different from them! I signed a long-term contract with the company! You cannot fire me!"

Cheng Feng was stating a fact. Most of the security staff were on temporary contracts, so Hua Tianyu’s actions were perfectly legal regarding them. However, as the former head of the department, Cheng Feng held a long-term contract. According to the company's policy, firing him after withholding his monthly bonus did not conform to the terms of his agreement. Legally, the Swan Group would have to pay him a significant sum in compensation to terminate his contract.

Even though the others were on temporary contracts, if Cheng Feng succeeded in his protest, the rest would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to extort a settlement from the company as well.

"You don't accept it?" Hua Tianyu chuckled.

He had originally intended to use Cheng Feng as bait to hook a bigger fish, intending to leave him alone for the time being. Now that the fish had taken the bait, he was planning to follow the trail to see who was really pulling the strings behind the scenes at Swan Group. He hadn't expected this piece of bait to start wriggling on its own.

"Fine," Hua Tianyu thought. "If you don't accept it, I’ll just dry you out like a shriveled earthworm and toss you aside."

With his hands in his pockets, Hua Tianyu walked over to Cheng Feng.

Cheng Feng suddenly felt his eyelids twitch uncontrollably. Memories of Hua Tianyu teaching him and Shi Yi a lesson last time began to play in his mind like a film. He realized just how terrifying and shameless the man before him truly was.

"What... what do you want to do?" Cheng Feng asked, suppressing his panic. He could only hope that with the HR manager and the CEO present, Hua Tianyu would show some restraint.

Hua Tianyu didn't answer, merely offering Cheng Feng a faint smile.

That smile made Cheng Feng feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He had smiled at him just like that last time, and then...

Before Cheng Feng could react, Hua Tianyu struck the old wound on his head with a baton.

"Argh..." Cheng Feng clutched his head and crouched down.

"Hua Tianyu, what are you doing?" Wei Xueying demanded.

She felt it was only right for Hua Tianyu to fight back against thugs, but seeing him strike Cheng Feng, as the CEO, she felt he had gone too far.

"That blow was for Shu Yue," Hua Tianyu said coolly.

"Shu Yue?" Wei Xueying asked, puzzled.

"Do you remember the thief who first broke into the company and later tried to steal from Shu Yue's home?" Hua Tianyu asked.

"Yes, I remember," Wei Xueying replied.

The incident had left a deep impression on her, mainly because she could never understand why Shu Yue would blush so furiously whenever it was mentioned.

"After that thief was caught at the company, it was Cheng Feng who let him go. If he hadn't let the thief escape, none of the subsequent trouble would have happened," Hua Tianyu explained.

"But wasn't Cheng Feng knocked unconscious by the thief? How could he have let him go?"

"That's right. The wound on Cheng Feng's head was bloody; it couldn't have been faked."

"Manager Hua, you can't just make baseless accusations!"

Once Hua Tianyu spoke, the conference room exploded like a drop of water in a pot of hot oil. The guards who had been fired—but hadn't yet left—were particularly vocal; Cheng Feng was now their comrade in arms.

Wei Xueying looked at Hua Tianyu quietly, waiting for his explanation. She trusted he wouldn't speak recklessly, but she needed a clear account.

When the noise died down slightly, Hua Tianyu continued slowly, "At the time, Cheng Feng claimed the thief had cut his own ropes and then struck him hard on the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Is that correct?"

"Yes!"

"That's how it happened!"

Everyone nodded; that was indeed what Cheng Feng had said.

Only Cheng Feng, crouching on the floor, felt a jolt of panic. He realized a flaw in his story had suddenly been exposed. Where was it? He felt it was right in front of him, but he couldn't quite grasp it.

"Look at the position of his wound!" Hua Tianyu yanked Cheng Feng up and pointed at the injury. "It's on his forehead!"

"May I ask, if someone hit him from behind, why wasn't the blow to the back of the head? This wound is clearly from a blow delivered face-to-face!"

"Of course, I know some will argue, why couldn't it have been a face-to-face struggle? Couldn't he have been struck while fighting the thief?"

"To that, I will tell everyone: if it had truly been a face-to-face fight, would Cheng Feng not have claimed credit? Furthermore, there were no signs of a struggle on his body at the time. Therefore, there was no fight at all!"