Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Zhang Jinshan suddenly turned his head to look at the Song Dynasty.

He strode over, his leather shoes making a dull thud on the muddy ground.

He stood in front of Song Chao, pointed at Song Chao's nose, and spoke so loudly that the entire construction site could hear him.

"The Song Dynasty? How could it be you?"

His tone was full of shock and disappointment, as if he had been betrayed by the person he trusted most.

"I've always treated you well! I even gave you a 30,000 yuan bonus for passing the inspection. How could you do something so disloyal!"

These words were like a bomb, thrown into the crowd.

"I knew it! That 30,000 yuan wasn't given away for nothing! It turns out they had already colluded with someone!"

"No wonder General Manager Zhang treats him so well. When has General Manager Zhang ever given us workers a second glance? It turns out he's got something on him!"

"Looks honest, but he's so ruthless! Replacing the steel bars could kill someone! Who's responsible if the building collapses?"

"Exactly! This kind of person should be arrested and sentenced to several years! He's ruined the reputation of our construction site all by himself!"

"No wonder he was working overtime every day; turns out he wasn't being diligent, he was secretly switching the materials when no one was around!"

The discussions grew louder, and everyone's gaze towards the Song Dynasty changed.

Several of his coworkers who had spoken up for him earlier have now fallen silent and quietly taken a few steps back, afraid of getting involved with him.

The Song Dynasty felt its blood run cold.

He stared at Zhang Jinshan, his eyes red as if about to bleed.

"I didn't! Mr. Zhang, speak up! That 30,000 yuan was a bonus you gave me! You said it yourself because you praised my work on the steel bars! When did I ever switch the steel bars?"

Zhang Jinshan shook his head slowly with a cold face, his expression utterly disappointed.

"You still dare to deny it now? That 30,000 yuan was clearly stolen money from selling the steel bars!"

He turned around, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Liu Lei, and spoke with a tone of deep sorrow and indignation.

"Captain Liu, it's my fault for not disciplining him properly, resulting in such a scoundrel. I initially thought he'd be given a chance because of his family's financial difficulties, but I never expected him to be so unrepentant! Investigate however you need to, sentence him however you need to, our group will absolutely not cover it up!"

"General Manager Zhang is a man of great principle."

Liu Lei nodded and gave Zhang Jinshan an approving look.

"take away!"

Song Chao was dragged onto the car by two security guards.

His luggage was scattered all over the floor, and Yuan Qiao's neatly folded sweater rolled out of the bag, covered in mud.

The orange-flavored fruit candy fell out of the pocket, bounced twice on the ground, and rolled into the gaps between the steel bars.

He desperately turned his head to stare at Zhang Jinshan, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping iron.

"Zhang Jinshan! How dare you cheat me! What did I ever do to you! Why are you treating me like this! Say something!"

Zhang Jinshan stood still, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The smile vanished in an instant, so quickly that almost no one noticed, except for Song Chao, who was three steps away and could see it clearly.

That was the smile of a victor.

A laugh that is amusing to see a turtle trapped in a jar struggling for its life.

Song Chao's mind went blank for a moment, as if something had exploded in his heart.

He suddenly understood everything.

That 30,000 yuan wasn't a bonus.

That 30,000 yuan was hush money, stolen money, and the final nail that nailed him to the charge of "steel bar replacement".

From beginning to end, he was just a pawn on someone else's chessboard.

Zhang Jinshan watched as he was shoved into the car, then slowly turned around.

He walked to the side, took out his phone, and dialed a number.

I answered the phone after it rang twice.

"Young Master Ming, the man has been captured."

Zhang Jinshan's voice was very low, and his tone was unusually respectful, completely different from his previous heartbroken appearance.

"Yes, he doesn't know anything and is still protesting his innocence. Okay, I've already spoken to the interrogation team. Liu Lei is my sworn brother; I guarantee he'll confess obediently."

A young man's calm voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Well done. Once he signs the confession, the acceptance process will be completely settled."

"Understood, understood. Don't worry, there definitely won't be any problems."

Zhang Jinshan nodded and bowed as he hung up the phone, the smile on his face vanishing the instant he hung up.

He turned around and shouted at the workers who were watching.

"What are you looking at! Get back to work! Anyone who dares to talk about this again will have their entire month's salary deducted!"

The workers immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

No one dared to say another word.

Only Lao Zhou remained standing in the same spot.

He watched the security vehicle disappear in the direction outside the construction site gate, the dust kicked up by its wheels gradually dissipating in the air.

He raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.

With a crisp, loud snap, it dissipated in the wind, unheard by anyone.

He squatted down, held his head in his hands, and his shoulders heaved silently.

He worked as a foreman for twenty years and had supervised hundreds of workers. Song Chao was the most honest one.

While other workers might slack off, cheat, or cut corners on twisting the wire, Song Dynasty workers never did such things.

While other workers would haggle over overtime pay, Song Dynasty workers never hesitated.

While other workers went out drinking and womanizing after receiving their wages, Song Chao sent all his money home and wouldn't even smoke a pack of cigarettes for himself.

Such a good person, yet he personally pushed himself into the fire.

Old Zhou recalled that day when Zhang Jinshan's secretary called him aside and told him that the quality inspection station's inspection failed and they needed to find someone to take the blame. Boss Zhang had his eye on Song Chao.

He wanted to refuse at the time.

But the secretary said something—"You've been working on construction sites for twenty years. Your son is taking the college entrance exam next year, right? Mr. Zhang knows people at the provincial capital's admissions office."

He shut his mouth.

There aren't that many good people in this world.

Most consciences ultimately succumb to their own weaknesses.

He squatted on the ground, his tears falling drop by drop into the mud, which were quickly covered by the dust.

Meanwhile, on the security van, Song Chao was sandwiched between two security guards, his wrists cuffed with cold handcuffs.

He lowered his head, watching the metallic gleam of the handcuffs reflect the cold light under the streetlights flashing past the car window.

My mind is a complete mess.

He couldn't figure it out.

Who did he offend?

He never argues with anyone or makes enemies. He does dirty work whenever someone asks him to do it on the construction site, and he doesn't dare to say a word if someone takes more of his wages than he deserves.

He just wanted to work honestly, save enough money for renovations, enclose the balcony, and keep his wife and children warm in winter.

What did he do wrong?

He remembered Zhang Jinshan's smile.

I remember the face Old Zhou turned away from.

He recalled the way his coworkers had looked at him earlier, like they were looking at a thief.

His chest felt tight, as if a large stone had been stuffed into it, making it hard for him to breathe.

He closed his eyes, and suddenly Niu Niu's face appeared in his mind.

Niu Niu hugged her Barbie doll and smiled at him, calling him "Daddy" in her sweet, childish voice.

His nose suddenly stung, and his eyes welled up with tears.

No.

He cannot plead guilty.

If he confesses, what will happen to Yuan Qiao and Niu Niu?

They are still waiting for him to go back and enclose the balcony.

He gritted his teeth, his nails digging into his palms, leaving a row of deep, bloody marks.

He had no idea what awaited him ahead.

But he knew one thing clearly—he couldn't fall, he couldn't fall even if he died.

The security van sped through the night, heading towards the Zhaoming City Public Security Bureau.

Outside the car window, the construction site lights grew farther and farther away, eventually becoming a blurry dot in the darkness.

His life, which lasted twenty-seven years, was extinguished by someone's casual actions.