Chapter 63: One Trouble After Another
Chapter 63: One Trouble After Another
After hanging up the phone, Zhao Min immediately left her office and headed toward the Finance Department. Chen Mo’s call was unusual—he normally did not get involved in company affairs, but this time he suddenly called to check the accounts.
Was there a problem in the Finance Department?
Zhao Min dared not delay. Today was the day the Tax Bureau was coming to inspect the accounts, a fact that had been announced two days earlier. If there really was an issue with the books, the trouble would be immense.
Sun Hong held a receipt in his hand, his eyes scanning the computer screen. The weather wasn’t hot, yet fine beads of sweat covered his forehead.
After modifying the entry for the receipt, Sun Hong quickly slipped it back into his pocket. He then pulled another receipt from the ledger and began altering it.
“Sun Hong, what are you doing?”
A voice came from behind him, making Sun Hong’s heart clench and his pupils shrink tightly. “Manager, I’m recording and checking last month’s company accounts.”
“Give me the ledger. The President is coming soon,” Zhang Yi said.
“Okay, okay.”
Sun Hong hurriedly closed the ledger in his hands and passed it to Zhang Yi.
“You’re sweating? Are you sick?” Zhang Yi frowned deeply as he looked at Sun Hong’s flustered face.
“No, my clothes are too thick, Manager. I need to use the restroom.”
“Hmm.” Zhang Yi nodded, his brow still furrowed. Watching Sun Hong’s hurried retreat, his eyes flickered with suspicion. He called out tentatively, “Wait, Sun Hong. The accounts seem off.”
At these words, Sun Hong’s heart tightened violently, and he almost collapsed in fright. Without a word, he turned and fled.
“Grab Sun Hong!”
Zhang Yi’s eyes narrowed, and he immediately pointed at Sun Hong’s fleeing figure, shouting. Hearing the cry, a staff member who had just appeared at the doorway quickly blocked Sun Hong’s path and tackled him to the ground.
“Let me go! I didn’t do anything! It’s not my fault…” The captured Sun Hong struggled desperately, and soon two other male employees pinned him down.
…
As Chen Mo and Zhao Min arrived at the Finance Department, they were met with a clamor. All the employees’ eyes turned toward the two of them.
“Chairman.” “President.”
The noise in the Finance Department died down instantly. Every employee’s gaze fixed on the two of them, tension filling the air.
Zhao Min felt puzzled as she followed Chen Mo inside. At the sight before her, her heart sank.
In the middle of the crowd, Zhang Yi and several employees were holding down a man. Zhang Yi’s face was as dark as thunder, looking extremely grim.
“What’s going on?” Zhao Min asked, her brow furrowed.
“Chairman, President. I just came to check the accounts and caught him in the act of tampering with them. Luckily, I discovered it quickly, or he would have escaped,” Zhang Yi said, his expression dark.
The company was already going through a turbulent period, and for problems to arise in the Finance Department at such a critical time… Thankfully, Zhao Min had asked him to check.
That bastard had chosen this moment to cause trouble, attempting to manipulate the accounts. If it hadn’t been detected in time and the Tax Bureau found out, Zhang Yi would likely have been forced to pack up and leave.
“Is it serious?” Zhao Min asked, her face stern.
“Not too bad. He had only altered a few entries when I arrived. We found the original receipts on him and are currently correcting the records.” After speaking, Zhang Yi glared at the captured man. “Sun Hong, the company has treated you well, hasn’t it? Why would you do this?”
“Someone offered me five hundred thousand to change some entries in the accounts,” Sun Hong pleaded, his face full of despair. “Please let me go just this once. I was blinded by greed—give me another chance.”
“You think saying ‘blinded by greed’ solves everything?” Zhang Yi’s expression remained dark. “Do you realize what could have happened to the company if we hadn’t caught you in time?”
“I had no choice,” Sun Hong said miserably.
“No choice? A choice to betray the company?”
Zhang Yi’s face was grim. Although rumors had been swirling outside the company lately, internally, everything had seemed fine. Who would have guessed such a major issue would surface in the Finance Department? He had no idea how to explain this to Zhao Min.
“I was forced into it! I have a family to support. My wife is in the hospital for surgery, and we’ve used up all our savings. There’s still the mortgage and car loans—I had no other option. I need money to take care of my wife and son.” Sun Hong’s voice grew hysterical.
“Is that your excuse for committing a crime? I sympathize with your situation, but I don’t agree with your actions. We’re not children—you have to take responsibility for what you’ve done.” Zhang Yi roared angrily, “Call the police. This matter must be dealt with strictly.”
“Please let me go! I can’t go to jail. I still have a family—you can’t destroy my home!”
“You destroyed it yourself,” Zhang Yi said coldly.
Such behavior could not be overlooked lightly. If they let it slide, the company would face even bigger troubles in the future. With everyone in the Finance Department watching, this would serve as a warning.
The Finance Department was the lifeblood of the company. Zhao Min had entrusted it to him because she trusted him. If problems arose here, the entire company would suffer.
As Sun Hong was taken away, the Finance Department staff wore complicated expressions, but there was no sympathy. No excuse justified what he had done. If Sun Hong had succeeded, many of them would have lost their jobs.
All eyes turned to Chen Mo and Zhao Min. With the Chairman and President here now, it seemed they were in for a scolding.
“Everyone else, return to your work. I don’t want to see something like this happen again. If anyone doesn’t want to work here, resign. Don’t ruin your future over a moment’s poor judgment.”
After Sun Hong was escorted out by security, Zhang Yi shouted at the gathered employees. Instantly, everyone scattered like birds, returning to their posts.
“Chairman, President, I take responsibility for this incident,” Zhang Yi said, head bowed, after following Chen Mo and Zhao Min back to the office.
Zhao Min remained silent, looking at Chen Mo. She was also upset, but thankfully, the issue had been caught early with no losses. If the Tax Bureau had discovered it during their inspection, the consequences would have been severe.
People outside were just waiting for their company to fail.
“You couldn’t have known about this in advance—it was unavoidable. We won’t hold you responsible this time, but let it be the last. I hope nothing like this happens again. Go back and keep a close watch on the ledger; the Tax Bureau will arrive soon,” Chen Mo said.
“Understood.” Zhang Yi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Chen Mo wouldn’t pursue the matter, feeling a flicker of gratitude.
“Notify the staff that after this turmoil passes, everyone will receive an extra half-month’s salary as a bonus,” Chen Mo added after a moment’s thought.
With so much happening in the company and an incident like this, if they didn’t give the employees some motivation, the atmosphere would become lifeless. Plus, the Smart Assistant’s explosive sales warranted some reward for the staff.
“Okay.”
Only after Zhang Yi left did Zhao Min turn to Chen Mo.
“How did you know there would be a problem in the Finance Department?”
“Would you believe me if I said it was a coincidence? I just thought that since the Tax Bureau was coming, it would be good to verify the accounts once, in case someone was tampering with them. I didn’t expect there really would be,” Chen Mo replied.
Naturally, he wouldn’t mention Ink Girl, as the existence of Artificial Intelligence was best kept unknown for now.
Zhao Min rolled her eyes, clearly not buying it. But for now, that explanation would have to suffice.
That same day, reporters photographed a police car outside the Legion Ant Company office building. Not long after, they saw Tax Bureau personnel enter the premises. This sensational news quickly spread across the internet.
“Did Legion Ant Company evade taxes?”
“Rumored arrest of Legion Ant Company’s Chairman!”
“Is the rumor true? Did Legion Ant Company steal technology from other firms?”
That afternoon, various photos and articles circulated online, all concerning Legion Ant Company.
It was already a turbulent period, and the sight of a police car at the entrance to Legion Ant Company’s office building seemed to confirm that something undisclosed had occurred within the company.
“President, due to the rumors, some mobile phone component suppliers have suspended their cooperation with us.”
“Butterfly Eye’s production has also stalled. The factory demands full payment before they resume manufacturing.”
In the conference room, Zhao Min listened to Zhu Li’s report, her brow deeply furrowed and her expression grim.
“Pay them the final installment for this batch of Butterfly Eye. Halt Butterfly Eye production and find a new manufacturing partner. Lingfeng, you handle this. Tomorrow, we’ll hold an impromptu press conference.”