But Tao Xinrou still hadn't figured out how to ask Ying Jingsheng for help.
What followed was another question: What exactly did Ying Jingsheng want?
Ying Jingsheng sneezed. At that moment, he was standing by the window of the rental apartment, looking out at the neon-lit street scene.
His mind was churning with thoughts even more complex than Tao Xinrou's.
He had originally wanted to observe Tao Xinrou's reaction during the theft incident to confirm whether she was connected to Zhang Hongbin's faction, but he hadn't expected her to precisely locate the hidden wine and refuse to compromise with Li Meili, instead confronting her directly.
Combined with his previous observations, Ying Jingsheng temporarily dismissed his suspicion that Tao Xinrou was Zhang Hongbin's informant. However, Tao Xinrou's performance had completely exceeded his expectations.
A grassroots employee with such sharp insight and steady adaptability could not possibly be an ordinary person.
There might be other forces behind her, just not yet revealed.
But for now, although Tao Xinrou's stance was unclear, at least it proved she wasn't on the same side as Zhang Hongbin.
If he could confirm that Tao Xinrou's stance aligned with his own, he might be able to win her over and make her a capable assistant at the grassroots level.
Just then, his assistant called.
"President Ying, there's new progress in the investigation into the internal leak case," Wang Anran said.
"Go ahead."
"We've found the source of the leak. It's likely related to an old project of the Southwest Branch from several years ago."
Ying Jingsheng's eyes darkened. "The Southwest Branch? The company that went under five years ago? Go on."
"Yes. We found that the project was suspected of illegal operations back then, and it was forcibly suppressed. The leaked content this time happens to involve some core data from that project. We also managed to find the responsible person's log from that time. President Ying, are you free this evening?"
It seemed the log was an important clue. Ying Jingsheng thought for a moment and replied, "Meet me at Cangdao at 7 PM."
Cangdao was a Hunan restaurant hidden in an alley in the old city. The food was authentic but low-key, and Ying Jingsheng had specifically chosen it because it was quiet and suitable for serious discussions.
Shortly after Ying Jingsheng sat down, Wang Anran arrived.
He walked respectfully to Ying Jingsheng. "President Ying, sorry I'm late."
Wang Anran pulled out the chair opposite and sat down, placing a sealed document bag on the corner of the table.
Ying Jingsheng nodded, signaling him to order first. After the waiter left, he asked in a low voice, "What key information is inside?"
"The log belonged to the project manager of the Southwest Branch at the time. It detailed the project's progress, and we found multiple traces of illegal approvals. The signatory was Tao Haizhen. We checked the related clues—he was the logistics supervisor for the project, responsible for material procurement and site safety. But he died 16 years ago."
"Tao Haizhen?" Ying Jingsheng had no impression of this person, but since Wang Anran mentioned it, it must be important. Moreover, since the man had died, there must be something suspicious.
"Continue investigating. Report any findings to me immediately."
Just as Wang Anran was about to respond, he saw Ying Jingsheng's gaze suddenly flick to the door.
He followed his gaze and saw Tao Xinrou and Zheng Shuhui walking in.
Their eyes met. Tao Xinrou hadn't expected to run into Fang Rong here, and her steps faltered.
Zheng Shuhui, however, didn't think much of it and smiled as she greeted them. "Fang Rong? What a coincidence! You're here to eat too?"
Ying Jingsheng quickly composed himself and resumed his naive demeanor. "Yeah, what a coincidence. This is my friend; he came to hang out with me."
Wang Anran immediately smiled cooperatively and nodded at them without saying much.
But Tao Xinrou's eyes were scrutinizing Wang Anran from head to toe.
"Ah, I see. We won't disturb your catching up then. Xinrou, let's find a place to sit," Zheng Shuhui said, pulling Tao Xinrou to a table not far from them.
As soon as she sat down, Tao Xinrou kept casting suspicious glances at the scene over there.
She had been racking her brains on how to approach Ying Jingsheng, and then Zheng Shuhui had invited her to dinner.
But seeing Wang Anran sitting opposite Ying Jingsheng, a new doubt arose in Tao Xinrou's heart.
This friend of his seemed far from ordinary.
By inference, Fang Rong's true identity was not what they saw.
He was disguising himself as an ordinary employee, definitely not a good person.
Maybe his true nature was that of a complete villain?
"Xinrou?" Zheng Shuhui nudged her with an elbow, suppressing a laugh. "Why do you keep staring at Fang Rong? Don't tell me you like him."
Tao Xinrou snapped back to reality and quickly averted her gaze. "No, I'm looking at his friend. Don't you think it's strange? That friend of his looks very reserved. And you know how Fang Rong is usually with us, but look at him now—though he's still smiling, his whole demeanor is a bit different. Doesn't he seem like a president traveling incognito?"
Zheng Shuhui was stunned by her meticulous observation and couldn't help but take another look. "Now that you mention it… it does seem like that." Zheng Shuhui paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Oh, I think you're just in love with him. As they say, beauty lies in the lover's eyes."
Tao Xinrou blushed. "No, I'm not. Look, his friend is wearing a full outfit of designer brands. Birds of a feather flock together, so Fang Rong can't be as simple as we think. And did you notice? After we came in, he and his friend barely talked."
Zheng Shuhui thought for a moment, then lowered her voice gossipily. "That's true, but I think you're overthinking it. With how competitive job hunting is these days, maybe Fang Rong has no choice? I heard from someone in the logistics group that his alma mater is a top-tier school, and tuition is probably over a million a year. Anyone who can afford that must come from a well-off family. Ah, I just think finding a job is really tough now. I should cherish this job more."
Tao Xinrou was baffled by Zheng Shuhui's reasoning. She retorted, "Shuhui, you're too naive. Don't you think something's off here?"
Zheng Shuhui shook her head. "No, but it's none of our business anyway. The food's here, let's eat."
Meanwhile, Ying Jingsheng was also keeping an eye on Tao Xinrou. Seeing her repeatedly looking his way, he was even more cautious not to act recklessly.
"By the way, during our investigation, we also found that someone else was looking into the branch's archives," Wang Anran said quietly.
This immediately aroused Ying Jingsheng's vigilance. Without changing his expression, he picked up a piece of fish for Wang Anran and deliberately raised his voice a bit: "Try this chopped pepper fish. It's the specialty here—very fresh."