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Chapter 66: Can you please be more restrained? This is a company, and I’m still here?
Indeed, something has happened.
In the early hours of the morning, while everyone was still in their beds, the “Ming-890” fleet owned by the Zheng Group caused a maritime traffic accident near the coast—a collision between the tugboat “H” and a container ship, resulting in 9 barges separating from the tugboat. It was not a minor incident.
After listening, Chen Wengang’s breathing paused for a moment, his eyes staring blankly, unsure whether from shock or still being half-asleep.
Huo Niansheng didn’t want him to worry, so he waved his hand in front of Chen Wengang, “What are you thinking?”
Chen Wengang grabbed his hand and asked, “Did the tugboat sink? What about the barges?”
“We’ll know the news in a while.”
“What were they carrying?”
“It seems like they were carrying yellow sand. There might be other things too; we’ll know when it gets light.”
“Oh… It wasn’t crude oil they were carrying?”
“I don’t think so; this isn’t an oil tanker.” Huo Niansheng adjusted his messy hair and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Are you still half-asleep?”
Chen Wengang furrowed his brows and sighed in relief, feeling a cold sweat on his forehead. He looked up, staring strangely at Huo Niansheng.
His gaze returned to his phone, lying on the bedside table, fully charged but still silently switched off.
No wonder it was so quiet; once it’s turned on, a series of messages and calls will flood in.
Chen Wengang felt his eyelids twitching.
He lowered his eyes in contemplation.
Tugboat collision, barges separating—it seemed similar yet different from the trajectory of his previous life. So, in that moment of being woken abruptly, he panicked, thinking it was the same accident from his previous life where an oil tanker carrying seventy thousand barrels of crude oil sank in the open sea, causing an environmental disaster and resulting in the Zheng Group’s market value evaporating over 15 billion overnight, not to mention the immeasurable pollution it brought to the environment.
Such a catastrophic accident, for the Zheng Group, cast a shadow for years to come.
For those involved, it brought a series of troubles, both expected and unexpected.
So, since his return to this life, it was impossible not to warn Zheng Bingyi in advance.
Apart from weather conditions and environmental factors, 80% of the cause of the collision incident was **. The news back then shocked the world, and the causes of the accident and the perpetrators were all investigated and understood. Chen Wengang still remembered the name of the captain who caused the accident.
In fact, he had found evidence of negligence and violation of regulations against that person several times, and it was convenient to report to Zheng Bingyi. It was only recently confirmed that he had been dismissed. Chen Wengang thought everything was fine now. He let down his guard, thinking everything would be peaceful from then on.
So why did another ship collide?
It was as if fate was reminding him that Oedipus was still Oedipus and the future was not so easily rewritten.
He instinctively rolled over and hugged Huo Niansheng.
Huo Niansheng patted his back, “What’s really going on? Why such a big reaction?”
Chen Wengang buried himself in his embrace, “It’s just a bit sudden. Let me digest it for a moment.”
He couldn’t explain his confusion, so he wiped his face and faced reality. Outside, the sky was already getting brighter. After hugging for a while, Chen Wengang took the phone from Huo Niansheng. He knew that as soon as he turned it on, it would be chaos, so he sighed softly.
Suddenly, Huo Niansheng spoke, “If you don’t want to get involved, you can stay with me.”
Chen Wengang smiled and said, “What do you take me for? The whole family must be in chaos now, and I need to go and see.”
This matter wasn’t exactly unrelated to him; he was a member of the Zheng family, and it was his obligation as well.
Huo Niansheng got out of bed and put on some clothes. “That’s good. I’ll take you there.”
Chen Wengang hesitated to object, “You don’t have to come.”
Huo Niansheng looked at him intently.
After a moment’s pause, Chen Wengang came up with various weak excuses in his mind, but he reluctantly chose one, remembering that Huo Zhenfei had called Huo Niansheng yesterday to visit Huo Kaishan in the hospital. “You still have to go to the hospital… You go do your thing; I’ll call you.”
Huo Niansheng’s eyes held a hint of inquiry, but he eventually agreed.
***
As soon as he turned on his phone, dozens of messages exploded.
Before he could read them, he received a call from Zheng Bingyi, instructing him to go directly to the port.
When Chen Wengang arrived, television reporters were already on site, broadcasting live from the scene and providing real-time updates on the rescue efforts.
The wind was strong by the sea, causing the microphone to crackle with interference. There were many onlookers, and people on the dock were discussing animatedly.
The situation was worse than imagined—reporters explained to the camera that after the 9 barges broke away, they were adrift at sea without any mooring, posing a significant risk of polluting the waters due to one of the ships carrying dangerous chemical methanol.
Zheng Bingyi was in command, his aging face looking extremely serious, with people constantly coming to brief him on the situation.
Seeing Chen Wengang arrive late, he furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “What were you doing this morning?”
Knowing he was overwhelmed, Chen Wengang apologized, “Sorry, my phone ran out of battery. What can I do now?”
“Your task today is to assist in receiving the families. Comfort them and make sure they don’t cause any trouble at this critical moment.”
“Understood. How many people were involved in the accident, and how is the rescue operation going?”
“Wait for the rescue team to give updates.” Another person approached, and Zheng Bingyi was occupied again, “You go check on Maoxun first.”
Chen Wengang navigated through the crowd and found Zheng Maoxun on the dock.
He was being held by the mother of one of the deceased crew members, who was crying inconsolably.
Without his usual airs, Zheng Maoxun seemed at a loss for words, even if he wanted to comfort her. Two senior executives from the companies were squatting beside her, trying to console her.
The atmosphere was extremely heavy. Although it wasn’t as catastrophic as the oil tanker sinking in his previous life, causing ecological devastation, it couldn’t be called a minor accident either. Ten crew members were confirmed dead on the tugboat, five were injured, and twenty-two were reported missing.
More than thirty people, behind whom were exactly thirty-plus families.
And one family after another—wives, children, elderly, and young—rushed to the port. Soon, this scene of sorrow and pain would infinitely expand and spread.
At the end of this day, Chen Wengang was also in a state of chaos. He, Zheng Maoxun, and several other company leaders worked hard to maintain order on-site and comfort the families of the victims, but how easy was it? Dozens, even hundreds, of anxious or grieving families, when stirred up, were uncontrollable and almost brought the dock crashing down. Some people nearly fainted from crying, while others shouted in agitation.
At this moment, Bald was no longer hiding, always sticking close to Chen Wengang.
During a brief pause, Chen Wengang gave him a task: “You’re responsible for persuading your boss not to come over here.”
Baldy didn’t understand, but he obeyed unconditionally.
In any case, Huo Niansheng respected his wishes and didn’t show up.
In the evening, the logistics department brought drinks and food again. They distributed them to the families one by one, persuading them to eat a little.
Many staff members hadn’t eaten anything themselves, and Chen Wengang was the same. But he wasn’t hungry; all he could hear were cries and sighs.
He saw a young girl squatting in a corner, wiping tears while looking at photos on her phone.
Chen Wengang couldn’t bear to see this scene. He didn’t let Huo Niansheng come because he was afraid he would also collapse if he thought about these things.
To retrieve the barge, the Zheng Group deployed rescue tugboats and assistance vessels to the area of the accident. Both the Huo and Li families called to inquire, but the He family was the most generous this time, dispatching two “Hercules” semi-submersible vessels to assist in the rescue without a second thought. The operation lasted the whole day, and finally, there was news: the semi-submersible vessel was towing back the barge carrying methanol, at least giving people a sigh of relief.
It was almost eleven o’clock when Chen Wengang and Zheng Maoxun finally left the port, but they didn’t go home.
Originally, they planned to stay overnight at a nearby hotel, but halfway there, they were relentlessly pursued by reporters. So, they changed course and returned to the Zheng Group headquarters. Regardless of whether it was the public relations department, the emergency department, or them, none of them would be able to sleep tonight. It didn’t really matter where they were for the night.
Chen Wengang pulled out the foldable bed from the office, which was very narrow, almost touching the ground. He lay down wearily in a proper posture, hands folded on his abdomen, staring straight at the ceiling. This posture seemed to help him quietly think about things or just daydream.
Zheng Maoxun was also exhausted and collapsed on a nearby colleague’s bed.
“Don’t lie so straight; what’s with the scare?”
Chen Wengang smiled, and Huo Niansheng sat down beside him, holding his hand. “How was today?”
He turned his gaze towards Huo Niansheng and said, “We’re fine. Just tired.”
“How did it go with comforting the families? Were you given a hard time?”
“It’s understandable, their feelings can be understood, their agitation can be understood. When you see them like that, there’s nothing to complain about. At least we’re all physically intact, and our loved ones are safe and sound. Understanding and allowing them to vent their emotions is already good.”
Huo Niansheng smiled and tightened his grip on Chen Wengang’s hand. The bed was narrow, and even though he sat lightly, he occupied a quarter of it, his waist and hips pressed against Chen Wengang’s. Leaning closer, Huo Niansheng rested his arm near Chen Wengang’s face and asked, “So, why didn’t you let me come over?”
Zheng Maoxun felt the atmosphere wasn’t right. “Hey, you two? Can you tone it down a bit? This is the company, and I’m still here.”
But neither of the two paid attention to him. Zheng Maoxun shrugged, feeling tired and not having the energy to intervene further.
Chen Wengang shifted his gaze back to the ceiling and answered somewhat evasively, “I’m thinking, are some things destined?”
Zheng Maoxun lifted his legs and twisted his ankles. “Hard to say. I’m atheistic, but I find this stuff pretty mysterious. Take this incident, for example. Last year, a Taoist priest from Qingguang Temple or somewhere told me there would be a disaster at home. Did he hit the mark?”
“Did he tell you if there’s a way to avert the disaster?”
“I didn’t believe him at the time. Next time, I’ll ask him again.”
Finally, Chen Wengang chuckled. After laughing, he suddenly felt hungry, and his stomach growled.
Huo Niansheng pulled him up. “Kang Ming said you haven’t even eaten? What’s going on?”
Zheng Maofeng asked, “Who’s Kang Ming? Is he the guy with the bald head today? I was wondering who he was. Why didn’t he ask me if I’d eaten?”
Chen Wengang glanced at him. “Isn’t two hamburgers and two cokes considered a meal?”
“If you knew how many steps I’ve taken today, you’d realize I’m done. Hurry up and order something else, and get me a portion.”
There weren’t many places open at this hour. Huo Niansheng didn’t have a food delivery app—people like him typically didn’t rely on takeout for survival. So, he used Zheng Maoxun’s phone. Chen Wengang leaned against him, whispering, and pointed at the screen.
They ordered two servings of fresh shrimp congee with white clams, accompanied by boiled sea snail slices, squid flowers, large shrimp, bean curd skin, and chilled cucumber salad. Zheng Maoxun didn’t bother to sit up and just said whatever was fine. He turned his head to look at them sideways, unable to describe the feeling he got from this scene.
The delivery person arrived with their late-night snack. The three of them sat on the low bed, with a filing cabinet in the middle. Chen Wengang was unpacking the food when Zheng Maoxun suddenly remembered, “We didn’t see Zheng Yucheng all day. While we’re exhausted, what was he busy with?”
Huo Niansheng knew well, “Looking for your brother? He’s at the hospital.”
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