Yet she insisted on playing tough, saying "President Ying, you're joking," only to slip up and blurt out Zhang Hongbin's name.
He almost laughed out loud then.
But he had to admit, her reaction was pretty cute.
At the thought, the corner of his mouth curled again.
But soon, the smile faded.
Zhang Hongbin, Ying Huaishan.
Using Tao's mother as a leverage point was indeed a malicious move. If she hadn't come to ask him tonight, he might not have found out so quickly.
He checked his phone and saw a mass email from HR about the welfare policy, just as she had described.
Looks like some people were getting impatient and ready to strike first.
Ying Jingsheng smiled to himself and murmured, "Maybe now is the right time to bring Tao Xinrou into my camp."
*
The next day, Tao Xinrou followed the plan and signed up.
When Zhang Hongbin saw her name on the list, he was delighted and quickly reported to Ying Huaishan.
Ying Huaishan nodded in satisfaction. Now that the fish had taken the bait, as long as he held leverage over Tao Xinrou, he could keep tabs on Ying Jingsheng's moves.
"Hongbin, arrange for Tao Xinrou's mother to have the check-up immediately. Make sure it reflects the group's care."
"Yes, sir."
Zhang Hongbin, having received the order, came to headquarters again to ask about Tao Xinrou's registration. But to his surprise, Tao Xinrou used the countermeasure she had devised the day before, looking helpless as she told him: "Manager Zhang, I'm really sorry. I just got a message from my cousin saying she's already booked an appointment with a famous specialist in another city. She asked us to go over there in a few days. I might need to take a couple of days off."
Zhang Hongbin was caught off guard by her seamless counterattack. He could only maintain a gracious smile and say repeatedly, "That's fine, as long as your family is taken care of."
When he reported to Ying Huaishan, the latter's face was clearly cold.
"It seems this Tao Xinrou has already discovered something. Since she can be a project member accessing archives, she's more than just Ying Jingsheng's landlord—she might already be his eyes and ears." Ying Huaishan leaned back in his chair, thinking calmly. He then gave Zhang Hongbin new orders: "We can't let her stay outside our control, guessing her intentions. Since she's Tao Haizhen's daughter, clearly investigating old matters, and likely in league with Jingsheng, we need to take back the initiative. Confront her directly and make her choose."
After that, he picked up the phone and called Zhou Yun, giving her instructions: "Make sure to keep an eye on Tao Xinrou at all times. Report any of her movements to me immediately."
Hanging up, Ying Huaishan felt that wasn't enough. He needed to know how much evidence Ying Jingsheng already had.
Time passed until the last day of the project team's stay at headquarters.
Tao Xinrou worked overtime to finish the final project wrap-up. When she left the office, it was already dark.
As she stepped out of the building, a black sedan slowly pulled up beside her and stopped.
The rear window rolled down, revealing Zhang Hongbin's faintly smiling face.
"Xiao Tao, off work?"
"Manager Zhang? What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to have a word with you. Get in."
Tao Xinrou's heart tightened. Instinctively, she wanted to find an excuse to decline.
"It won't take long. Won't steal more than a few minutes."
Tao Xinrou glanced around and finally decided to get in and hear what Zhang Hongbin had to say.
The car slowly drove away from headquarters, heading toward her home. Zhang Hongbin was silent for a while before speaking: "Xiao Tao, what do you think of our company?"
Tao Xinrou gripped her bag strap and looked at Zhang Hongbin's eyes through the rearview mirror.
His gaze wasn't sharp, but it made her feel an undercurrent of tension.
"I think the atmosphere is good, and there's room for growth."
"Is that so? Good. Remember the interview day? I personally met all of you. Back then, what I valued about you, aside from your excellent resume, was your simple family background."
Tao Xinrou tightened her grip on the bag strap. She knew getting in the car wouldn't be that simple.
"Your father is Tao Haizhen, right?" Zhang Hongbin threw out the name directly, turning to gauge her reaction. "There are some old things I think you should see."
Tao Xinrou's breath caught, and her blood seemed to chill instantly.
What had to come had finally come.
Zhang Hongbin didn't beat around the bush. He pulled a yellowed photo from his briefcase and handed it to Tao Xinrou.
In the photo, a young Tao Haizhen was wearing an old-style Yunlu Hotel uniform, standing in front of the company gate, smiling simply.
On the back, there was a faint handwritten note and a date—December 15, 2008, Tao Haizhen.
That was the day her father was about to be transferred to the Southwest Branch.
"You joined the company to investigate your father's case, didn't you?" Zhang Hongbin asked bluntly.