Chapter 69: Intolerable

Stepping out of the car, Zhou Ming stretched lazily, looked up at the sign of the County Agricultural Bank, and couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia. The first money he made after being reborn came from here. Back then, he had to be cautious and meticulous in everything he did. Even when others bullied him, he had to endure and stay low. But now, after returning from Port City and Nanjiang, a new Zhou Ming had emerged!

"Zhou Ming, wait for me a moment. I'll just make a quick call to report to the leadership, it'll only take a few minutes," Dai Zhenjiang's voice came from behind. He also got out of the car, tentatively suggesting.

Zhou Ming could sense Dai Zhenjiang's cautiousness and understood that Dai Zhenjiang must have speculated about his status after hearing he was going to buy Factory 760. This was why he was lowering his stance.

Zhou Ming had no ill feelings towards Dai Zhenjiang. On the contrary, Dai Zhenjiang had helped him a lot in the beginning. Zhou Ming smiled and replied, "No need. It's not far from here to the factory, and I don't have much luggage. A walk will be fine. Thanks, Director Dai."

"You're welcome," Dai Zhenjiang said. "If you need anything, feel free to contact me."

Zhou Ming thanked him again and started walking towards Factory 760. As he turned onto the path leading into the factory, he heard the sound of a car engine behind him. Sensing something was off, Zhou Ming instinctively moved to the side, only to see a small jeep speeding towards him. The jeep splashed a puddle of dirty water onto Zhou Ming's pants.

"Damn it! What kind of driving is this?" Zhou Ming cursed.

The jeep stopped, and an unpleasant face emerged—it was Huang Zheng. He looked at Zhou Ming with a deliberately provocative tone, "Oh, isn't this Zhou Guoping's little brat? What, you still have the nerve to come back?"

"Damn you, Huang! Stop talking nonsense in front of me! Just so you know, your end is near!" Zhou Ming retorted.

"Oh? The little brat's temper has flared up after being away for two months. Even daring to shout at your father now?" Huang Zheng said smugly.

"I curse your entire family!"

Without further ado, Zhou Ming picked up a brick from the roadside and threw it at Huang Zheng. The brick smashed the jeep's windshield, causing Huang Zheng to scream and quickly retreat into the car. Zhou Ming coldly remarked, "Huang, your movements just now were quite like a turtle. This time, you were lucky to have the turtle shell protect you. But who knows if the next brick will be so merciful?"

"You've got guts, Zhou Ming. Just you wait; I'll make sure you regret this!"

Huang Zheng shouted as he hastily started the jeep and sped away. Zhou Ming watched as the jeep drove off, narrowing his eyes.

...

Arriving home, Zhou Ming felt an uneasy premonition. His parents had always loved him deeply. Whenever he returned from a trip, regardless of the weather, they would wait for him at the road junction if they knew in advance. But today, he hadn't seen them even at the doorstep. Could something have happened?

The door was unlocked. As Zhou Ming was about to push it open, he heard voices from inside...

"This Ma Jianjun is too much of a bully. Just because he's the deputy factory director, does he really think he's above the law? I work diligently every day, but now the factory lost something, and he's accusing me of stealing? Does he even care about reason anymore?" His mother, Wang Fengqin, was speaking.

"Calm down, calm down. Ma Jianjun has always been hostile towards Zhou Ming. Ever since Zhou Ming left, hasn't he been looking for trouble? It's just an unfounded accusation. How could the factory's security department actually arrest you? Zhou Ming will be back soon; don't let him worry," his father, Zhou Guoping, replied.

Listening to his parents, Zhou Ming clenched his fists. He was filled with self-loathing. He regretted his naïveté. Even though he knew he had offended many powerful figures in the factory, he thought they wouldn't really harm his parents. However, he underestimated their willingness to create trouble.

His parents, to spare him worry, would never reveal their suffering to him. Zhou Ming had thought that leaving them with 20,000 yuan would be enough, but he never imagined how much they had endured on his behalf. Hearing his parents' conversation about Ma Jianjun's accusations against his mother, and the threats to involve the factory's security, made Zhou Ming furious.

"Damn it!" Zhou Ming gritted his teeth. He knew his parents were honest and wouldn't know how to handle such false accusations. For his sake, they likely bore all the grievances silently, just like today.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Ming was about to enter the house when an unpleasant voice came from behind, "Oh? You little brat still dare to come back?"

Zhou Ming didn't need to turn around to recognize the voice—it was Ma Lin, Ma Jianjun's son.

Turning around, Zhou Ming saw Ma Lin's disdainful expression, with Ma Jianjun standing behind him.

Zhou Ming's face darkened as he looked at Ma Lin, "I thought you might have learned your lesson after being punished. I didn't expect my judgment to be so off. Can a dog ever change its ways?"

Ma Lin clicked his tongue and taunted, "You still dare to curse me? You really are ignorant. Zhou Ming, Zhou Ming, you're indeed completely wrong. Not for any other reason, but because you think you're something special. What right do you have to teach me a lesson? Let me tell you, your girlfriend Zhang Qian has been with me during the day and night. She had an abortion at the hospital before, and after coming back, I continued with her. Was it enjoyable?"

"You're nothing more than a beast," Zhou Ming said coldly.

"Thanks, that's because you don't have the ability," Ma Lin provocatively said. "Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, Factory 760 is about to be restructured. The factory will conduct an asset clearance. You and your parents, who are such poor workers, will have to move out of the factory housing quickly. However, if you kneel down and call me 'Daddy,' I might have my dad talk to you, and maybe you can stay a bit longer. How about it?"

"Go to hell!" Zhou Ming shouted.

Ma Lin raised an eyebrow, "What did you say?"

"I said go to hell!"

Zhou Ming roared and threw a punch at Ma Lin's face. He heard the sound of his nose breaking as Ma Lin fell to the ground, covering his face. Zhou Ming kicked Ma Lin's face, feeling his shoe connect with his teeth.

Zhou Ming had never been this angry. Even when Ma Lin took Zhang Qian away, he wasn't this furious. That was a matter of young romance and Zhang Qian's choice. But now, it was Ma Jianjun and Ma Lin's malicious retaliation against him, and they had involved his parents. That was something Zhou Ming couldn't tolerate.

"Hey! What are you doing? Stop it! This is intentional injury, and you could end up in jail. Think about yourself and your parents!"

Ma Jianjun rushed over, trying to pull Zhou Ming away from Ma Lin, while also threatening him.

Hearing Ma Jianjun's words made Zhou Ming even angrier. He kicked Ma Jianjun in the stomach and said, "Get lost! If I don't beat you today, I'd be letting my parents down!"

"Zhou Ming, stop it! Stop it right now!" 

The door opened, and Zhou Guoping and Wang Fengqin hurried out to pull Zhou Ming away from Ma Jianjun and Ma Lin. It was clear they had heard the commotion and come out to see what was happening.

Seeing Zhou Guoping and Wang Fengqin, Ma Jianjun immediately pointed at Zhou Guoping and shouted, "Zhou Guoping, how do you discipline your son? I suspect you're inciting him to kill!"

Zhou Guoping quickly explained, "Director Ma, it's not like that. Zhou Ming is a good kid, never got into fights, and would never kill anyone!"

"How do you explain what I saw with Ma Lin? Do you expect me to believe your lies?" Ma Jianjun pressed on.

Zhou Ming stepped in front of his father and pointed at Ma Jianjun, saying, "You bastard, stop spewing nonsense in front of my parents. My father is honest, and he calls you Director out of respect. To me, you're nothing but a pile of dog shit!"

As the deputy director of Factory 760, Ma Jianjun had never been cursed out like this by a junior. He trembled with anger, pointing at Zhou Ming, "Outrageous! Simply outrageous! Zhou Guoping, look at the son you've raised. I'm going to report him to the factory security department and have him arrested. I'll also fire you and take back your housing. You'll be kicked out of the factory for good!"

At this moment, Ma Lin, still holding his face, chimed in, "Yes, Dad, make sure to fire them. Zhou Ming is a murderer, and his parents are just scoundrels and thieves!"

"Ma Lin, it's only because I didn't knock out your teeth that you're still talking," Zhou Ming said, preparing to strike again if not held back by his parents.

Ma Lin, frightened by Zhou Ming's threat, screamed and hid behind Ma Jianjun. Ma Jianjun stepped back a few paces and said, "What are you trying to do? You've already assaulted someone, and now you're threatening factory leaders and their families?"

Zhou Ming sneered, "Leaders? People like you, Ma Jianjun, don't even deserve the title. Let me tell you, you won't be jumping around for much longer."

Seeing Zhou Ming's fierce attitude, Ma Jianjun initially intended to leave with Ma Lin. However, he suddenly noticed Huang Zheng and the factory security personnel approaching in the distance. Delighted, Ma Jianjun pointed at Zhou Ming and said, "Zhou Ming, the factory security is here. Let's see how you handle this!"

Zhou Ming turned his head and saw Huang Zheng leading a group of security guards towards them. Anger surged through him as he realized this was a setup. His hands clenched into fists, but he was aware of the need to stay calm in this situation.