Chapter 6: Shifting Blame? Identifying the Real Culprit

After Chen Xiao made this revelation, Su Desheng's face turned pale with shock.

Gao Hongze, on the other hand, grew increasingly anxious.

Unbeknownst to others, Gao Hongze and a few friends had been barbecuing, drinking, and playing mahjong on electric stoves near the factory the previous night. With the freezing temperatures in Jiangcheng, the heat from the three electric stoves was intense. However, Gao Hongze hadn't considered whether the burning of the machine tool's mainboard was related to the electric stoves. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind.

"Who do you think you are?" the security guard sternly reprimanded Chen Xiao when he saw the unfamiliar and youthful face.

"I'm Chen Xiao!" Lin Hui's heart skipped a beat upon seeing her son.

"Chen Xiao, go back home and study. What are you doing here, meddling in grown-up affairs? Hurry up and leave!" At that moment, Chen Qiang desperately wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

As soon as Chen Xiao was identified as Chen Qiang's son, Su Desheng heaved a sigh of relief, considering him nothing more than a brat afraid of his own shadow.

To the security staff, Su Desheng ordered, "Take him away, get him out!"

Chen Qiang grew increasingly nervous, fearing that the security staff might treat Chen Xiao roughly. He quickly pulled his son and ushered him outside, saying, "Hurry back home. The adults will handle this."

Chen Xiao, however, spoke up boldly, "Director Su, you claim that my father is responsible for burning out the machine tool's mainboard. It's clear that you're just looking for a scapegoat. You are well aware of my family's financial situation, and we can't afford to bear the cost of replacing the motherboard. It's simply unrealistic."

"As for how the mainboard got damaged, I suggest finding a qualified electrician to inspect it. This is clearly a case of someone violating regulations by using electrical appliances improperly, resulting in a circuit overlap issue. So, before jumping to conclusions and assigning blame, perhaps you should examine your own conscience. Do you have something to hide?"

Gao Hongze, pondering the three high-powered electric stoves he used for barbecuing the previous night, shuddered at Chen Xiao's words. "You insolent child! What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Undeterred, Chen Xiao continued, "Even if my father ends up in prison for causing damage to state-owned assets, as the factory manager, you bear the ultimate responsibility. With the cost of replacing tens of millions worth of motherboards, what do you think awaits you, Director Su? Punishment?"

Su Desheng's heart skipped a beat. He was on the verge of retirement and had aspirations to climb even higher. However, competition in the ranks was fierce.

With over a dozen machine tool mainboards burnt out, production was bound to be severely affected. At such a critical juncture, if he were to be punished, Su Desheng would likely be confined to Jiangcheng for the rest of his career.

Observing Su Desheng's expression closely, Chen Xiao saw a golden opportunity—a chance not only to gain considerable influence but also to potentially earn his first substantial sum of money through this incident.

Perhaps Chen Qiang's innocence would go unrecognized for now, but not for long.

The real aim now was to obfuscate the true culprit and expose the cover-up. With Chen Xiao's skills, he could ensure that the repaired mainboard would malfunction at the opportune moment, making it impossible for the equipment to run smoothly and causing all fingers to point at Chen Qiang.

At Chen Qiang's age, what he needed most was the respect he deserved. To Chen Xiao, repairing the mainboard was child's play. Prior to his rebirth, he had pursued a major in microelectronics during his undergraduate studies. Repairing such an outdated and simple circuitry-based motherboard was as easy as child's play for him.

Although Chen Xiao had claimed to be capable of cultivation, nobody would believe him if he said so. However, if he mentioned his uncle who had studied in Germany, the credibility of his words would greatly increase. In this era, blind admiration for foreign countries was prevalent. People in this era were genuine turtles, not the metaphorical kind.

The truth would eventually come to light, and it would be even better if the exposure occurred after Chen Xiao successfully fixed the mainboard.

At that point, everyone would know that the mainboard had been repaired by Chen Xiao himself, potentially resulting in a small boost to his influence.

Chen Qiang and Lin Hui exchanged confused glances. Lin Hui had a younger brother who worked as a farmer in the countryside, slaughtering pigs. Repairing motherboards was nowhere near his area of expertise, and it was unlikely that he had even heard of the concept of a motherboard.

Chen Xiao then clarified, "I can repair this mainboard. I was taught how to do it in my computer class. As for claiming that my uncle studied in Germany, it was merely to make them believe me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to bring this mainboard back."

After Chen Xiao's statement, both Lin Hui and Chen Qiang put down their chopsticks, their faces filled with astonishment.