Chapter 10: Making a Mess Like You're Tearing Down the House

The few colleagues remaining at the office were essentially not Yan Jun’s confidants; those were the ones sent out on field assignments. While field work was tougher, it offered more freedom and more "grease"—extra perks and kickbacks.

Aside from two veterans who had been with the company for over a year, the rest were newcomers brought in over the past few months. Employee turnover at the company had been quite high in recent years, especially in departments like Planning, where performance pressure was intense. If Chen Feng hadn't been tied down by his contract, he certainly would have left long ago.

As for the majority who weren't bound by contracts, they naturally left whenever they pleased.

The few colleagues currently holding Chen Feng back weren't doing it to save Yan Jun; they just didn't want the situation to escalate, and of course, they were afraid that if things got out of hand, they would be implicated.

Besides, if they stood by and did nothing, Yan Jun would surely make them pay for it later.

"Alright, let go. I won't hit him again."

At Chen Feng’s words, the two people gripping his arms let go after he struggled a few times, though two others still blocked his path in front.

Supported by two other colleagues, Yan Jun finally managed to stand up from the floor. He wiped his mouth with his hand, only to find it covered in blood—all of it flowing from his nose. Trembling with rage, he roared, "Chen Feng! I’m going to kill you!"

Chen Feng gave him a contemptuous smile and said, "I’m standing right here. Do you have the guts?"

"Fine, fine, fine! Let’s see if I have the guts!"

Having been brutally pummeled by Chen Feng and left with a face full of blood, Yan Jun had lost all his dignity. Naturally, he no longer cared about maintaining the image of a department manager.

As Yan Jun gritted his teeth, he quickly reached over to grab a keyboard from a desk. He yanked it with both hands, but it wouldn't budge—the cable was still connected to the computer.

Frustrated, Yan Jun pulled again with all his might. This time it came free, but the force dragged the computer tower off the desk, causing it to crash to the floor with a loud *clang*. The monitor then toppled over with a *thud*, the screen shattering instantly, while various items on the desk clattered to the ground.

It looked like a house had been demolished.

This made things rather awkward.

Yan Jun’s fierce, tiger-like momentum suddenly withered. Thinking back to the ruthless intensity Chen Feng had displayed just moments ago, his resolve weakened even further.

Chen Feng was a man with nothing to lose, but he, Yan Jun, had a five-figure monthly salary, a car, a house, a wife, and kids. He couldn't afford to risk his life against someone like that.

But since he had already raised the keyboard, backing down now would be too humiliating.

Yan Jun quickly signaled to the nearest subordinate with his eyes, hoping the man would hold him back so he could use it as an excuse to step down.

As it turned out, the subordinate completely misinterpreted the look. Thinking he was being told to get out of the way, he conscientiously stepped aside, signaling that he wasn't blocking him and that Yan Jun was free to use the keyboard as a weapon to his heart's content.

Yan Jun was dumbfounded. He cursed the idiot under his breath, shot the newcomer a deep glare, and mentally marked him.

The newcomer, thinking he had done the right thing, gave him a shy smile.

Yan Jun was so angry his liver ached. He stood there holding the keyboard, caught in a dilemma.

Chen Feng saw his cowardice and mocked him, "Yan Jun, are your legs turning to jelly already? Someone like you can only scheme and stab people in the back. When it comes to a real fight, you’re just a spineless coward. With your pathetic self, you probably can't even satisfy your wife. Who knows how many green hats she’ll be putting on your head in the future."

"Chen Feng! You son of a b*tch!" Yan Jun was absolutely furious. Chen Feng had hit a raw nerve; he truly couldn't satisfy his wife, and it hadn't been just a day or two. The fear of his wife cheating on him had long been a source of anxiety.

Chen Feng had touched the exact sore spot he wanted to avoid.

"Hold him down for me!" Yan Jun roared, ordering his subordinates and dangling a carrot, "If you hold him down, I’ll double your bonuses next month and promote you all in the future."

A few hundred yuan in monthly bonuses was a tangible benefit. As for the promotion, while they didn't fully believe him, it was better than being targeted for retaliation.

The group hesitated, looking at one another.

Chen Feng remained calm, laughing, "Yan Jun, you’re trying to drag others down with you? Others might not know, but we here know that you’re a man who favors his own, takes kickbacks from clients, and conspires with your cronies to line your pockets and harm the company’s interests. You’ll be eating prison food sooner or later—and you still want to drag others down with you?"

"You... you f*cking stop spouting nonsense."

Yan Jun lost his composure, feeling extremely guilty. He had thought his actions over the past two years were well-hidden, known only to himself and his inner circle. He hadn't expected Chen Feng to expose it all in one sentence.

"What? Scared? Feeling guilty?"

Chen Feng looked at him with a playful expression.

Yan Jun was indeed scared and guilty. He had colluded with people inside and outside the company to pocket quite a bit of money over the last two years. Otherwise, how could he live so comfortably in Xiuzhou, a provincial capital? It was impossible on a salary of just over a hundred thousand a year.

"Chen Feng, stop your f*cking barking. I’ve always walked the straight and narrow. Do you think anyone will believe your baseless accusations?"

Though Yan Jun said this, he had already lowered the keyboard he was holding and stopped mentioning having his subordinates hold Chen Feng down.

Chen Feng sneered, "Have you forgotten that I used to be a deputy manager too? Your little tricks might work to deceive those above you, but they can't fool someone who has worked in your position. Understand?"

Hearing this, Yan Jun’s head began to buzz again. He knew his own business; he had indeed been skimming off the top.

For instance, if a project proposal was quoted at 1 million, he would take a 100,000-yuan kickback from the client and report only 800,000 to the company, claiming the client was a tough negotiator. This was a clear case of damaging the company's interests.

Another method was colluding with the project manager at the client's company. A proposal that should have been 1 million would be quoted at 1.5 million so the client's manager could get a cut, and he would pocket at least tens of thousands in "consulting fees."

These were the most common methods—the "unspoken rules" of the workplace. There were other, more complex ways he had skimmed money as well.

In short, his gray income over the past two years had been several times his actual salary.

Of course, these were criminal acts; he would definitely go to jail if caught. Even though he believed there was no evidence against him, he didn't dare take the risk.

Especially if an insider like Chen Feng were to blow the whistle, he would be in deep trouble.

"Chen Feng, considering I once mentored you, let’s call it even today. Consider it me returning the favor from back then. I won't make things difficult for you regarding your bonus and performance review. Let’s end this here. That’s it."

Yan Jun was decisive; he chose to compromise for the time being. Escalating things now would do him no good.

He would stabilize Chen Feng for now and find a way to deal with him privately later.

Chen Feng, of course, didn't want to let him off so easily. They had already burned their bridges; what kind of favors were there left to talk about?

Besides, even though he had beaten Yan Jun up, the frustration he had bottled up for two years hadn't fully dissipated.

"Wait!"

"Wait!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously. Chen Feng looked toward the door in surprise to see the company’s General Manager, Mr. Cao, accompanied by other senior executives, ushering in a sharp-looking woman in her thirties.

Mr. Cao’s expression was grim; his already dark complexion looked even darker.

(End of chapter)