Chapter 452 - 447: Taking a Fancy

Gu’er was stunned by Lin Shan’s words. She never in her wildest dreams imagined her father would be accused of improper conduct. So that was why the higher-ups had been delaying their decision all this time.

"The issue was reported to the provincial government. They held several meetings, but opinions were divided. An investigation team came down a few times specifically to look into it. Even though I have a clear conscience, some people were just spreading baseless rumors, which made things difficult for the provincial leaders. In the end, they questioned Liu Fang directly, and she testified that absolutely nothing happened. But the provincial authorities still didn’t entirely believe her. I heard they split into two factions. One side said they had to investigate this to the very end, and even if I was innocent, I couldn’t be transferred back to the city for an important position again. The other side said I hadn’t done anything wrong and they couldn’t just hold me back because of this. So they kept holding seminars and meetings, and the decision on my case was delayed again and again. In the end, it was Secretary Yuan who strongly vouched for me, and that’s the only reason I was able to come back."

Lin Shan didn’t hide anything, telling Gu’er the whole story.

"So that’s what happened. I was wondering why we hadn’t heard anything, even though it was time for the reshuffle. Thank goodness Secretary Yuan spoke up for you. Otherwise, this would have been a real mess."

Gu’er let out a long sigh of relief. A morality charge has never been a small matter. Sometimes, even when you’ve done nothing wrong, people can still sling mud at you, and you can’t even protest your innocence. It’s the kind of thing that’s impossible to explain away, and even if you’re eventually cleared, the stench still clings to you.

’Just like Dad’s case,’ she thought. ’If he didn’t have someone backing him up, they would have seized on this issue. He could forget about a promotion; he’d be lucky just to keep his job.’

’Now, Dad is basically on Secretary Yuan’s side. That’s good, too. It’s always easier to get things done when you have someone in a high place looking out for you.’

"Alright, it’s enough that you know about this. Just don’t say a word to your mother. You don’t need to worry about it anymore. Just focus on your recovery and taking care of Jiji."

Lin Shan patted Gu’er’s hand reassuringly.

"Don’t worry, Dad, I won’t tell Mom. I don’t want her to worry. But Dad... I want to ask you something, and please don’t be mad. That Liu Fang... your feelings for her...?"

Gu’er left the question hanging, certain Lin Shan would understand what she was asking.

Lin Shan glanced at Gu’er and gave a wry smile. "You silly girl. Do you really think I’m that kind of person?"

He sighed and continued, "Your mother... how should I put it? She has her little quirks and can be a bit fussy sometimes, but she doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. And she is completely devoted to me. When I married your mother, I had nothing. But she still chose to be with me. I swore an oath to myself back then: as long as this woman was content to build a life with me and was completely devoted to me, then I would be completely devoted to her for my entire life. No matter what happens, I will never do anything to betray her."

Lin Shan spoke with great conviction. Before Gu’er could respond, he continued, "Yes, I spent two years in the countryside, unable to come home. It was difficult being alone sometimes. There was no one to look after me. When I was hungry, there was no bowl of hot soup waiting. When I was cold, there was no one to hand me an extra layer of clothes. At night, there was no one to talk to. But those are not reasons or excuses to seek out another woman or do something wrong. Those are things a person can endure. As for Liu Fang... to be honest, she’s an attractive woman, and I did find her situation pitiful. I sympathized with her. But in my heart, I saw her as just another one of the locals. I never thought of her in any other way."

Gu’er nodded as she listened. She believed her father.

"It’s all better now that you’re back, Dad. All of that is in the past. Our family can finally have a peaceful life together."

Gu’er held Lin Shan’s arm and rested her head on his shoulder. ’Dad is a good man.’

Lin Shan smiled lovingly at Gu’er. At that moment, neither father nor daughter knew the matter was far from over.

When Sun Jiaming and Dingzi returned in the afternoon, they were thrilled to see Lin Shan. Lin Shan asked them what they had done about the shipment of goods.

"That batch of goods had a quality-control problem from the manufacturer. We’d worked with them before, and the samples they gave us were fine, so the person who went to pick up the shipment didn’t inspect it. That was our mistake. On top of that, even though the quality is poor, they refuse to take responsibility because we didn’t inspect it and we don’t have a contract. We can’t even sue them. We just have to eat the loss on this shipment."

Sun Jiaming and Dingzi had already identified the problem and contacted the other party, but they refused to take responsibility. After a long, drawn-out argument, they had no choice but to chalk it up to bad luck. After all, who could they blame but themselves for not inspecting the goods?