Fang Rong put away the tablet and continued, "I've notified security. They found this black cloth bag in a storage room on the third floor, with traces of red wine stains. Supervisor Li, maybe we should send it for testing to see if the stains match Miss Lin's wine. That would reveal who's lying."
With irrefutable evidence, the room buzzed again. Colleagues looked at Zhao Yi with contempt, and at Li Meili with suspicion.
Everyone could see that Zhao Yi had been instructed by Li Meili, who had been targeting Tao Xinrou all along.
Zhao Yi trembled, his eyes instinctively darting to Li Meili.
Li Meili panicked. "What are you looking at me for? This has nothing to do with me! You got greedy and tried to steal the wine!"
*
The next day, Zhang Hongbin's face was livid when he heard the news. In the manager's office, Tao Xinrou and Fang Rong were called in to report.
After listening, Zhang Hongbin slammed the table. "Investigate thoroughly! This must be investigated thoroughly!" He stood and walked to them, his gaze intense. "You two handle this properly. We must also give Miss Lin an explanation."
Zhang Hongbin's stance was resolute—he meant business.
The investigation quickly unfolded. The surveillance footage submitted by Fang Rong, the black cloth bag and wine stains found by security, were all solid evidence.
Faced with this, Zhao Yi couldn't deny it. Soon, he confessed everything: Li Meili had orchestrated the whole thing.
According to Zhao Yi, Li Meili had long resented Tao Xinrou. She thought Tao Xinrou was too capable and would eventually threaten her position. When Lin Zhizhi's party came up, Li Meili saw an opportunity to frame Tao Xinrou for stealing VIP items and get her fired. She colluded with Zhao Yi, planning the wine-hiding route and the incriminating story, even promising him a reward.
The inspection team verified Zhao Yi's confession and confirmed Li Meili's involvement.
With evidence confirmed, punishment was swift. Considering Li Meili's long tenure and her connections with many old clients, Zhang Hongbin only demoted her from supervisor to regular employee and canceled her annual bonus. As for Zhao Yi, he was fired outright and blacklisted.
Word spread. Colleagues gathered in the break room and hallway corners, whispering.
Zheng Shuhui found Tao Xinrou and sighed with relief. "Thank goodness you're okay, Xinrou. I was so worried. Even though Supervisor Li wasn't fired, demotion to regular employee is still justice."
Tao Xinrou nodded slightly, but her face showed no ease.
The storm had passed. Tao Xinrou's name was cleared, but her doubts weighed heavier than ever.
President Ying, why did you help me?
She stole a glance at the nearby workstation.
There sat Fang Rong, head down, focused on his computer with a slight frown. In his ordinary uniform, he somehow radiated a model employee's compliant aura.
Pretend, go ahead and pretend!
Tao Xinrou mentally slammed the table.
On the surface, he was a honest, even somewhat dull new employee. But behind the scenes, what kind of president was he?
His first time helping her could be coincidence. But this time? Could it still be coincidence?
Li Meili had set up such an elaborate trap, yet he had meticulously countered it—retrieving surveillance backups in advance, alerting security in time to gather evidence. If he hadn't stepped in to break the deadlock, Tao Xinrou would have been cornered.
Could he... be a young master from headquarters sent incognito to experience life? Or some corporate spy?
Couldn't be that he thought she had a special talent and wanted to recruit her, could it?
Wild guesses swirled in Tao Xinrou's mind.
She decided she couldn't keep guessing passively.
The mystery behind this disguised president was definitely not as simple as it seemed.
Alright, Fang Rong. No matter who you really are or what your goal is, I will uncover this mystery.
She wanted to see what script was hidden under that plain face.
Author's note:
----------------------
Tao Xinrou (squinting): Spill it. What are you trying to get out of me?
Ying Jingsheng (playing dumb): ???
Random small red envelopes for comments on this chapter, valid until 18:00 tomorrow.
Taking a break as usual tomorrow. Don't miss it!
Getting ready for the first ranking—please add to your collections!