Chapter 119 - Chapter 119: Collusion

Chapter 119: Collusion

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Although Zhao Quan’s actions were reprehensible, they chose to assist him, causing significant losses to the company, which was entirely blameless. Fang Yuan exchanged a meaningful glance with Wang Ning, who promptly dialed the police, recording all their statements for later use. Fang Yuan had intentions to submit this recording to the authorities.

Out of the blue, Fang Yuan asked, “Can you tell me the name of the betting website?”

This question left Manager Jia momentarily stunned, tears still glistening in his eyes. He hesitantly retrieved his phone and showed the website’s name to Fang Yuan. “It’s this one… Even though it’s been shut down, we still owe money to relatives and friends, and we need to repay the loans we took from the software every month. President Fang, why do you want to know?”

Realizing that the website had been permanently closed, the original investments were undoubtedly lost.

“Just a casual question,” replied Fang Yuan, committing the website’s name to memory for future reference.

Their frustration was evident as one of them said, “Despite this entire scheme being orchestrated by Zhao Quan, we lack concrete evidence. Each month, the shares he provides us are either transferred to an anonymous card or given in cash…” The group felt a sense of injustice; they were on the verge of being arrested, while Zhao Quan appeared to be escaping justice.

Fang Yuan was aware that only tangible proof would point directly at Zhao Quan. Without it, even if they were to arrest him today, he might ultimately go free due to insufficient evidence.

One of them spoke with determination, “We brought this upon ourselves when we agreed to participate, but the true mastermind behind all of this is Zhao Quan! He is the principal instigator and benefitted the most. We’ll only be satisfied when he receives the punishment he deserves!”

Fang Yuan declared, “I’ll find a way to expose Zhao Quan for who he truly is.” Just as she finished speaking, the police arrived.

As the five individuals were taken away by the police, the onlookers outside couldn’t help but feel a profound sense of sadness.

This incident ultimately sent shockwaves throughout the entire company. Cheng Ye was in the midst of a game of golf when he received the news, his face darkening.

“What happened?” Qiao Xinhui rushed over upon hearing that something had occurred to Yuanyuan, thinking that Yuanyuan might have been mistreated.

After Cheng Ye hung up, he stumbled a few steps, struggling to maintain his balance.

Cheng Yuqi rushed over to assist him. “Dad, what’s wrong with Sister? Please, take a deep breath and tell me slowly.”

“It’s not that something happened to your sister…” Cheng Ye was led under the parasol and settled into a lounge chair to regain his composure. After sipping his tea, his color began to return to normal.

“The company called Yuanyuan into the office this morning, along with the Warehouse Manager, Manager Jia from the Production Department, the Team Leaders of Line 4 and Line 5, and the Head of the Procurement Department…”

Qiao Xinhui placed her hand over her chest. “And then?”

“Have you ever wondered why the company hasn’t made any progress over the past year?” At this point, Cheng Ye’s anger, which he had been struggling to contain, flared up again, making it hard to catch his breath.

“Don’t rush. Explain it to me slowly,” Qiao Xinhui said, sensing that something was amiss.

Cheng Ye made an effort to compose himself. “The three cloth suppliers our company collaborated with charged around 800 yuan per 100 meters of cloth, but the Procurement Department head reported an inflated purchase price of 1,500 yuan. He split the excess money with Manager Jia, the Warehouse Manager, the Team Leaders of Production Line 4 and 5, and even some workers!”

They were utterly astounded. Could such a thing actually happen?

“It would have been one thing if they had just been greedy for 700 yuan, but this greed persisted for an entire year. Yuanyuan conducted an investigation, and the sum involved runs into tens of millions!”

Qiao Xinhui was even more shocked upon hearing this revelation. “They conspired to embezzle such a large sum of money!”

“The three cloth suppliers were transferring money to Manager Jia every month. Manager Jia even confessed it himself…”

Cheng Ye’s anger was so intense that it pained his heart. “And there’s more. Out of that 100-meter fabric roll, there should have been at least 70 to 80 finished pieces. Yet, when it reached the warehouse, only 20 to 30 pieces remained. Do you have any idea what happened to the missing 50 pieces?”

Qiao Xinhui and Cheng Yuqi exchanged bewildered glances, both eagerly waiting for Cheng Ye to continue.

“In the second month after the company was founded, these individuals set up an online store. When a customer placed an order, they would directly take the goods from our warehouse and sell them. If the customer ordered more, they’d arrange for a courier to pick up the products directly from our company’s warehouse!”

Qiao Xinhui was left utterly flabbergasted. “Aren’t they being incredibly audacious? Weren’t they concerned about the security cameras capturing their actions?”

“They erased the surveillance footage. They were all in cahoots and completely unafraid,” Cheng Ye explained. He himself had been skeptical at first, but the evidence was undeniable. “1 heard that Yuanyuan only uncovered this after she managed to recover the deleted surveillance footage.”

Qiao Xinhui remarked, “If it weren’t for Yuanyuan, how much longer would they have kept this a secret…”

“Furthermore, they hoarded numerous subpar fabrics, manufacturing items mimicking our company’s styles. They affixed our company’s label and sold them elsewhere. They believed these substandard fabrics wouldn’t raise suspicion, but many customers suffered skin allergies from wearing them. It essentially tarnished our company’s reputation… the consequences are enormous!”

Qiao Xinhui felt like a lightning bolt had struck her. Now, she finally understood why the company had struggled to make any profits for a whole year.. It was all due to the clandestine activities of these individuals!