His words hit home for Tao Xinrou. The CEO really was thoughtful!
"Thank you. We'll use it."
After noting down the layout, Tao Xinrou was moved.
The CEO also provides timely help! How wonderful!
Fang Rong took back his phone, seeming to remember something. "Oh, by the way, when I came to deliver the diffuser earlier, I saw Wei Jiaxin near the fire exit."
"Wei Jiaxin?" Tao Xinrou's heart jolted.
"Mm. He seemed to be holding something, but I didn't pay much attention. I'll get back to work. Feel free to call me if you need anything." Without saying more, he turned and left the room.
Fang Rong's reminder aligned perfectly with her suspicions.
After Fang Rong left, Zheng Shuhui breathed a sigh of relief. "Xinrou, could it be that Wei Jiaxin took the ornament? Did Fang Rong see him hiding it? Why would he set me up?"
At this moment, Zheng Shuhui was like a curious child, firing off every question in her mind.
Tao Xinrou had many questions too. Although she had foreseen that Wei Jiaxin would frame Zheng Shuhui, there must still be secrets hidden beneath.
"Let's go check the fire exit."
*
The next morning, everyone was busy when Li Meili suddenly came in and called Zheng Shuhui and Wei Jiaxin away. The atmosphere in the department instantly became tense.
Colleagues began whispering anxiously. "Did you hear? A valuable crystal ornament went missing from Room 2008. I heard they're going to hold someone accountable."
Another colleague leaned in. "I passed by the supervisor's office this morning and heard Supervisor Li checking the cleaning records with Sister Wang. Her tone was pretty serious."
"I heard Zheng Shuhui was temporarily assigned to inventory the 20th floor yesterday. Are they going to pin it on her?"
"Hard to say. I heard Supervisor Li always values the VIP area the most. If a valuable item is really lost, she'll definitely handle it severely..."
...
Tao Xinrou went over and listened for a bit. It was just as she had foreseen yesterday—Li Meili had called Sister Wang into the office for questioning.
It seemed this was just a show to kill the chicken to scare the monkey.
Before long, Li Meili clicked into the office on her high heels. "Everyone, we have a meeting in the conference room at 10 sharp."
Right on time, everyone gathered in the conference room.
The room was not large. The wooden surface of the long conference table reflected the cold white ceiling lights, casting harsh light on everyone's faces, bringing a sense of solemnity and oppression.
Tao Xinrou sat in the back, scanning the room until her gaze landed on Zheng Shuhui in the front row. She and Wei Jiaxin stood on one side of the conference table. Zheng Shuhui was clutching the hem of her clothes tightly, while Wei Jiaxin stood straight with a helpless expression. Tao Xinrou subtly gave Zheng Shuhui a reassuring look.
After a moment, Li Meili followed Zhang Hongbin into the conference room. The inspector sat in a side seat, notebook in hand.
"Manager Zhang, Inspector, regarding the loss of the crystal ornament in Room 2008, I have completed a preliminary investigation and will now report to you all." Li Meili pulled out a cleaning record. "This is the record of Sister Wang entering Room 2008 for cleaning at 1:20 PM after the guest checked out, with completion at 2:15 PM. This is Sister Wang's cleaning confirmation sheet, which clearly states 'All items present, none missing,' and bears her signature along with the verification record from the Guest Room Center."
Sister Wang sat in the side seat, looking a bit uneasy, but still nodded. "It was me who cleaned. I did check at the time. The ornaments were all there." Tao Xinrou noticed that when Sister Wang said this, her eyes unconsciously flickered toward Li Meili, suggesting her testimony had been coached in advance.
Li Meili then produced another inventory record. "This is the inventory record for our VIP guest room department. The inventory was originally assigned to Wei Jiaxin, but due to an urgent need to deliver documents to headquarters, I arranged for Zheng Shuhui to take over the inventory of all VIP rooms on the 20th floor. This is the inventory record submitted by Zheng Shuhui, with her signature, showing she entered Room 2008 at 5:30 PM yesterday and completed the inventory at 6:10 PM, but did not record it as per regulations."
At this point, she shifted gears, projecting the hotel's "VIP Area Asset Inventory Policy" onto the big screen and reading one line: "According to regulations, for VIP room valuable items inventory, 'missing items must be reported immediately; delayed reporting is considered dereliction of duty.' Zheng Shuhui has committed serious dereliction. Additionally, I have learned that Tao Xinrou assisted Zheng Shuhui in checking some rooms yesterday but did not sign the inventory record. According to policy, assistants must also sign and bear joint responsibility for the verification results. If Zheng Shuhui is confirmed to have failed in her duty, Tao Xinrou will also be held accountable for collaborative dereliction."
A double kill!
A collective gasp echoed through the conference room.
Li Meili's maneuver was truly a masterclass in workplace scheming.
"I didn't! The ornament was already missing when we did the inventory. Xinrou and I looked for it but couldn't find it. Xinrou isn't derelict either!" Zheng Shuhui argued.
"Then why didn't you report it? You only discussed it verbally with a colleague, which doesn't follow procedure. This already constitutes serious dereliction and suspicion of concealment." Li Meili's voice was firm.
"I..." Zheng Shuhui shot a pleading look at Tao Xinrou.
Seeing that, Tao Xinrou had no choice but to stand up. "Manager, Inspector, I have a few words to say."
"Yesterday, I accompanied Zheng Shuhui throughout the entire inventory of the 20th floor VIP rooms, including Room 2008. The reason only she signed the inventory record is that Supervisor Li hadn't assigned me to do the inventory. If I had rashly signed, it would have raised suspicion. So Zheng Shuhui and I agreed that the primary responsible person would sign first, and I would sign later as a supplement. Moreover, I have documented the entire process." Tao Xinrou pulled out her notebook, but Li Meili didn't even look at it.
"Supplement? We have no such rule. If there's a mistake, there's a penalty. Since you're so proactive, you might as well be punished together."
Just as Tao Xinrou was wondering how to respond, Fang Rong stood up.
"Manager Zhang, Inspector, I can testify that they are not derelict."
Author's note:
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Everyone who leaves a comment on this chapter will get a small red envelope, valid until tomorrow's update.
But it seems no one is reading though.