Chapter 650 - 431: Repayment

Inside the Meiruxue Company building, on the outskirts of Mingzhu City, many employees were still camped out, sleeping on makeshift beds on the floor as they occupied the building.

The massive company had been completely stripped bare within three days. The work cubicles were desolate and empty, with nothing left but waste paper littering the floor.

Now, even the waste paper was covered in dirty footprints.

If it weren’t so much trouble to gather the documents scattered on the floor, they probably would have been bundled up and sold for scrap money too.

Yesterday, an employee from the planning department had gone on a tirade in the work group chat, sending more than ten consecutive voice messages.

The gist of his rant was that he was out of options, saying he had no money left for his mortgage payment.

He said that if the bank came after him, he didn’t care. He was going to live at the company, bringing his bed, desk, and chair from home. From now on, the second-floor planning studio would be his bedroom, and he wouldn’t leave no matter who tried to make him.

Jiangg Ning and other members of company management arrived one after another.

There weren’t as many vehicles parked in front of the building as there had been a few days ago.

But the banners were still there, their bright red an eyesore.

Even the white company van from the basement, which had been in service for years, had been dragged out. Its surface was a mess, covered in red spray paint.

"Has the message been sent out?"

After getting out of the car, Jiangg Ning asked an executive who had come to meet her.

"Yes, I’ve notified them. I told them to gather on the first floor... Miss Jiangg, is there any development with the funds?" the executive asked, his eyes full of hope as he looked at Jiangg Ning.

"Yes, rest assured, the funding is secured. I will pay back every last cent of the unpaid wages. Of course, I will also repay the money owed to you shareholders, but we have to prioritize. Please make that clear to everyone in the management group."

"Alright, then."

They weren’t family, merely colleagues. Theirs was a professional relationship.

Jiangg Ning didn’t expect these white-collar elites in the management group to understand her current predicament.

Of course, she would repay every last cent that was owed.

But in Jiangg Ning’s eyes, the plight of these struggling employees was clearly more urgent.

...

The group entered through the main doors and into the lobby.

The area around the front desk was already packed with people, all talking over each other in a constant clamor. The occasional, exceptionally foul curse could be heard, making the faces of Jiangg Ning and her companions darken.

"Excuse me, please let us through... Let us through."

Lawyer Gu and a few others formed a circle around Jiangg Ning, forcing a path through the crowd.

A foul odor permeated the lobby—a mix of sweat and smelly feet, with the faint, acrid tang of urine.

If the issue of the unpaid wages wasn’t resolved, this once-gleaming company lobby would likely become a complete garbage dump in a few more days. After all, no one was maintaining it anymore.

Jiangg Ning and her entourage were dressed very differently from the employees. Their polished, eye-catching clothes stood out, and when a few people recognized some of the executives, a ripple of whispers went through the crowd. Soon, all eyes were fixed on the group of "people in charge."

"When are you going to pay us what you owe!"

"The boss has already been arrested! So who’s going to fix this? What about our social security for next month???"

"Pay up! Give us our wages! Let’s surround them! Don’t let them leave today until they give us our money!"

"Yeah, yeah, surround them!"

It was unclear who started it, but someone in the crowd began to whip up emotions. The repressed employees instantly became incensed, surging toward Jiangg Ning and her group.

The scene was terrifying—a mob of several hundred people.

Lawyer Gu remained relatively calm, but several executives had already gone pale with fear, terrified that the mob would riot and give them a beating.

Jiangg Ning felt a surge of panic for a few seconds but quickly composed herself.

"Everyone, calm down!" she yelled with all her might.

But it was useless. Her voice was swiftly swallowed by a tidal wave of angry shouts.

Jiangg Ning glanced around at the furious, enraged faces, and a look of determination settled over her.

"Can you help me up?" Jiangg Ning asked Lawyer Gu, who was beside her.

"What are you doing?" Lawyer Gu asked, surprised.

The next moment, instead of answering, Jiangg Ning pulled a chair over to the front desk.

Lawyer Gu understood her intention and quickly moved to the side, allowing Jiangg Ning to brace herself on her shoulder. And so, Jiangg Ning, still in high heels, climbed onto the chair and then up onto the reception desk, where she stood tall.

Though she was wearing a skirt, her steps were steady and firm. The expression on Jiangg Ning’s face turned resolute.

"Everyone, be quiet and listen to me!"

In an instant, every gaze in the room was locked on her. The combined pressure was impossible to describe.

"And who are you!?" someone demanded.

"It doesn’t matter who I am," Jiangg Ning shouted after taking a deep breath. "I know you’re all furious. You want to reclaim your salaries, you want fair treatment. It’s already hard enough trying to make a life in Mingzhu City, and many of you are counting on this money to support your families. I promise you, I will personally put the money you are owed back into your hands!"

She had become emotional, and her voice trembled slightly as she finished.

"I guarantee it. Within one month, all wages will be paid out to everyone, along with severance! As long as your claims are valid and stipulated in your contracts, I won’t short any of you a single cent. The boss may have been arrested, but you have not been abandoned."

"Therefore, I implore all of you to return the items you have taken from this building. We have already sold the Meiruxue Building to pay off the company’s debts and your wages. Also, please remove the vehicles you’ve used to blockade the building. As for the facilities inside, please stop damaging them and instead, actively help restore them to their original condition. It’s heartbreaking for everyone that the company is going bankrupt, but if we’re going to go under, let’s at least do it with some dignity."