Meeting her gaze, Tao Xinrou felt a chill run down her spine.
This wasn't a reminder—it was a blatant warning!
She would have to find another way to investigate.
On the third day in the group, Tao Xinrou's investigation was still making no progress.
In the morning, Zhou Yun received a phone call. Her voice was very low, but Tao Xinrou, sitting nearby, vaguely caught phrases like "rest assured" and "watching."
Tao Xinrou's heart tightened. That call was most likely from Ying Huaishan.
She pretended to organize files but her mind was racing.
At this rate, she couldn't even get near the archive, let alone investigate.
But what could she do? Zhou Yun was watching them like a hawk. The moment they made a move, her eyes followed.
At lunch break, colleagues went off in twos and threes to eat. Tao Xinrou had no appetite and sat alone at her temporary desk, dazed.
This couldn't go on. Even Ying Jingsheng seemed powerless. There might be no solution. And she couldn't directly tell Ying Jingsheng what she was looking for.
Zhou Yun's gate was too tight.
However, in the afternoon, an unexpected person showed up.
Zhang Hongbin arrived.
With him was his secretary, Feng Ji. Both carried several bags, smiling warmly.
"Everyone's been working hard. President Ying asked me to bring you some afternoon treats. I happened to be at headquarters on business, so I stopped by," he said, and had Feng Ji distribute coffee.
Zhou Yun frowned and stood up, her face still wearing that formulaic politeness. "Manager Zhang, no unauthorized personnel are allowed in here."
Zhang Hongbin looked awkward for a moment, and others snickered.
He picked up a cup of coffee and walked over with a smile. "Ah, Director Zhou, actually about that..." He called Zhou Yun outside.
Tao Xinrou, sitting near the door, strained her ears but only caught fragmented words like "progress" and "cooperation."
After a brief conversation, Zhang Hongbin left with Feng Ji. No sooner had they gone than Zhou Yun clapped her hands inside.
"Everyone, considering the tight project schedule and to improve efficiency, starting this afternoon, you may access the archive on your own, provided you follow all regulations. However, each time you enter or leave, you must go in pairs and register with me. The materials accessed must strictly match the list. Also, let me reiterate: the archive is monitored everywhere. If anything is missing or lost, report it in advance, otherwise liability will be pursued."
This sudden relaxation stunned everyone.
Many colleagues expressed that it would improve efficiency, but Tao Xinrou's inner alarm bells rang.
Zhang Hongbin had just visited, and now Zhou Yun changed the rules—this was definitely suspicious!
But this was the opportunity she had been waiting for. Even knowing it might be a trap, she had to take it.
Soon, many colleagues went to Zhou Yun with their lists to get them signed. Tao Xinrou mixed her list in and slipped into the archive with them.
Among the files, she quickly found the 2009 archive. In an appendix titled "2009 Branch Outstanding Logistics Personnel Showcase," she saw her father Tao Haizhen's name and a small individual work photo. In the photo, her father wore a work uniform and smiled brightly.
She suppressed her excitement and continued searching.
According to the archive's indexing, this summary should have an attached detailed account of the relevant personnel's deeds.
However, she searched the entire box and even checked adjacent years, but could not find that attachment.
Even the previous personnel transfer records were missing.
She searched meticulously and found that several years' archives were incomplete, especially records from the first half of 2009. Some seemed to have been replaced with generic, unimportant content.
The archives had been tampered with. Someone had removed key sections beforehand!
Tao Xinrou's heart sank.
Her initial suspicion was confirmed: her father's death was no accident, and someone had been covering it up, even after all these years, vigilantly guarding against any possible investigation.
She forced herself to calm down and returned to the temporary office.
"Director Zhou, when I reviewed this 2009 Southwest Branch summary, I noticed the 'Detailed Account of Relevant Personnel's Deeds' mentioned in it is missing. According to archive filing standards, such attachments should normally be kept together. I'm concerned it might have been omitted during filing, which could affect the completeness of our project results."
Zhou Yun took the file and examined it, then stood up. "I'll check the filing records and adjacent files. Wait a moment."
Tao Xinrou nodded. As Zhou Yun passed her on the way to the archive, she suddenly grabbed her arm. "Director Zhou."
"Huh?"
Instantly, several images forced their way into Tao Xinrou's mind—
Zhou Yun sat in front of her computer, the screen showing detailed archive access logs. She was organizing a list.
Zhou Yun spoke respectfully on the phone: "...Yes, Vice President Ying. The archive is open to them. I focused on the logistics-related parts."
On the other end, Ying Huaishan's low voice: "Mm, is everything taken care of?"
"You can rest assured, Vice President Ying. I've been keeping watch."
"Good. Pay extra attention to that Tao Xinrou. Be thorough."
"Yes, I'll focus on her."
...
"What's wrong?" Zhou Yun asked.
The images vanished. Tao Xinrou snapped back to reality.
"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to say your collar isn't straight."
Tao Xinrou pointed at her own collar.
Zhou Yun coughed, adjusted her collar, and said, "Wait here for me." Then she turned and left.
Tao Xinrou's heart suddenly raced. Vice President Ying? That must be Ying Huaishan.
Why was Ying Huaishan focusing on her?
Unless he already knew, unless he wanted to hide something.
Wanting to hide meant that Ying Huaishan was the one behind it!
Tao Xinrou's heart pounded like thunder. She couldn't believe it. The murderer she had been searching for was so close to her.
But how could she bring him down?
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Author's note: The manhunt is now in full swing!
This is my first time writing a mystery case. There may be bugs or poorly written parts. Everyone is welcome to point them out.
Random red envelopes for comments on this chapter.