Double evil in the business district

Xiao Yue's gaze was fixed on the screen. Lines of data danced before her eyes, like cold characters, yet stirred a turbulent wave in her heart. The purchase price of a certain type of steel was a full 30 percent higher than the market price!

This couldn't be explained by normal market fluctuations. A bad premonition spread through her heart, wrapping around her like a vine, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. Could it be... someone was using this project to enrich themselves?

She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. The price of just one material wasn't enough to prove anything. She needed more evidence. Xiao Yue continued to investigate, discovering several other items with similar price issues. While the increases weren't as dramatic as steel, they were still significantly higher than the market price. This intensified her suspicions.

She decided to first go to Accountant Chen, who was in charge of material procurement, to find out more about the situation. Accountant Chen was a veteran employee of Xiao's, having worked at the company for more than ten years and had always been diligent and conscientious. Xiao Yue had a good impression of him.

"Accountant Chen, I'd like to know about the material procurement for this project." Xiao Yue knocked on the door of Accountant Chen's office and walked in.

Accountant Chen looked up and saw Xiao Yue, his face full of smiles: "Miss Xiao, what can I do for you?"

"It's like this. When I was checking the material purchase list just now, I found that the prices of some materials seemed a bit high." Xiao Yue expressed his doubts as tactfully as possible.

Accountant Chen's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal. "Ms. Xiao, you may not know that these materials are of special types and are in short supply in the market, so the price will naturally be higher."

"Really?" Xiao Yue asked calmly, "But the average market price I checked isn't that high."

Accountant Chen took out a stack of documents from the drawer and handed them to Xiao Yue: "Ms. Xiao, this is the supplier's quotation and contract. You can take a look. We purchased everything according to the formal process, so there is absolutely no problem."

Xiao Yue took the document and carefully looked through it. The official seals and signatures were all present, and it looked fine. But she couldn't help but feel something was amiss. These documents were too perfect, so perfect that she felt a little uneasy.

Back in her office, Xiao Yue spread the documents out on the table, carefully examining them over and over again. Time ticked by, the office so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly, her eyes stopped at the date on one of the contracts.

She picked up her phone and checked the date. Her face suddenly changed. The contract was signed before the project officially launched! This meant that the contract had been drafted before the project even started. There was definitely something wrong!

A feeling of being deceived surged in Xiao Yue's heart. She clenched the contract tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white. She decided to report the matter to the company's top management. Just as she was about to stand up, there was a knock on the office door.

"Ms. Xiao, someone has reported that you have been involved in corruption and bribery at work. Please come with us." Two uniformed personnel stood at the door with a cold tone.

The two uniformed officers appeared so suddenly that Xiao Yue froze in her tracks. Bribery? That was sheer nonsense! She'd never done anything illegal, so why would anyone report her? Could it be... someone deliberately framing her?

This thought flashed through her mind like lightning, instantly waking her up. She recalled the unusual data she had previously investigated, as well as Accountant Chen's evasive attitude, and a vague suspicion formed in her mind.

"Excuse me, who reported me?" Xiao Yue tried to remain calm and asked in a calm tone.

"We can't disclose that," one of the officers replied in an official tone. "Please cooperate with our investigation."

Xiao Yue knew that nothing she said would help. She could only follow the two people out of the office.

The news spread quickly, and Xiao's corporate executives immediately set up an investigation team to investigate Xiao Yue. Rumors quickly spread, and everyone in the company was pointing fingers at Xiao Yue and talking about him.

Xiao Yue's investigation was forced to be suspended, and she was suspended for investigation. This was undoubtedly a huge blow to her. She knew that someone must be manipulating all this to prevent her from continuing the investigation.

But she will not give up. She believes that she is innocent and she will find evidence to prove her innocence and expose the true face of the mastermind behind the scenes.

She began to search for evidence to prove her innocence. She re-examined the material procurement documents and, with her keen observation and professional knowledge, discovered some subtle signs of forgery.

Although the official seal on the contract looks very real, if you look closely, you will find that the color of the ink is slightly off, and the edges of the seal are a bit blurry, as if it was scanned in later.

She also discovered that some suppliers' addresses and contact information were fake. When she tried to contact these suppliers, she found that the phone numbers were invalid and the addresses did not exist.

These discoveries made Xiao Yue even more convinced that she was being framed. She compiled the evidence and prepared to submit it to the investigation team. But she knew that this was not enough. She needed to find more solid evidence to completely clear herself of suspicion.

At this moment, she thought of Shen Ting. Shen Ting was a partner in this project, and he should also have some information about material procurement. Perhaps he could help her.

She called Shen Ting and briefly told him about her situation.

After hearing this, Shen Ting was silent for a moment, then said, "Ms. Xiao, I believe you are innocent. I will do my best to help you."

Shen Ting's words gave Xiao Yue great encouragement. She knew she was not fighting alone.

The next day, Xiao Yue received a strange phone call. A deep male voice said, "Ms. Xiao, I know who framed you."

Xiao Yue's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Who is it?"

"Yes..." The other party paused, then said, "Director Ma."

Director Ma? Xiao Yue was shocked. Director Ma was a director of Shen Enterprise and one of the leaders of this project. Why would he frame him?

"What evidence do you have?" Xiao Yue asked.

"I know that Director Ma and Accountant Chen have some private transactions..." The other party's voice became lower and lower, and finally almost inaudible.

"Hello? Hello?" Xiao Yue shouted into the phone a few times, but heard no sound.

She clutched the phone, her brow furrowed. Director Ma... Accountant Chen... Could there really be some secret deal between them? And who was calling this mysterious number?

At this moment, the office door was pushed open and Shen Ting walked in. He was holding a document in his hand, his face solemn.

"Xiao Yue," Shen Ting walked up to her and handed her the document, "Take a look at this."

Xiao Yue took the document, opened it, and his face turned pale. The document clearly stated: Evidence of Xiao Yue's embezzlement of public funds...

"This..." Xiao Yue raised his head and looked at Shen Ting, his eyes full of confusion and puzzlement.

Shen Ting sighed deeply and said in a heavy tone: "Xiao Yue, I know this is hard for you to accept, but..."

"But what?" Xiao Yue stared at Shen Ting's eyes and asked in a hurried tone.

Shen Ting didn't say anything, but just turned his gaze to the window, with a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Boss Shen," Xiao Yue's voice trembled, "Do you... do you believe me?"

Shen Ting avoided Xiao Yue's gaze for a long moment before he slowly spoke, "Xiao Yue, the evidence is irrefutable, and there's nothing I can do. I hope you can cooperate with the investigation. Perhaps... there's still hope."

Xiao Yue felt a chill run from her feet to her head. Conclusive evidence? How could it be possible! She had never touched a single cent of the company's money. This so-called evidence must be fabricated!

She slammed the documents on the table, and they scattered all over the floor, just like her broken heart.

"I don't believe it! Someone must have deliberately framed me! Mr. Shen, do you really believe that I would do such a thing?"

Shen Ting's silence made Xiao Yue's heart sink to the bottom. She stumbled back a step, shaking her head in disbelief: "You...you don't believe me either?"

She suddenly remembered the mysterious phone call, and the mention of Director Ma and Accountant Chen, and a bold hypothesis formed in her mind. Could this all be a trap set by them to prevent her investigation?

She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Mr. Shen, I will prove that this so-called evidence is forged. Also, I will continue my investigation and will definitely find the real mastermind behind this!"

With that, Xiao Yue turned and left the office, leaving Shen Ting standing there alone, watching her retreat with a complicated expression. He clenched his fists, his heart filled with conflict and struggle. He trusted Xiao Yue's character, but this evidence forced him to doubt her. He didn't know what to do, so he could only watch Xiao Yue disappear in silence.

Meanwhile, at Shen's Enterprise, Director Ma was pacing anxiously. He had just learned that Xiao Yue was investigating material procurement, which made him feel very uneasy. He knew that if Xiao Yue continued to investigate, some of his previous shady activities would be exposed.

"Damn it!" He slammed the table hard. "This Xiao Yue is really haunting me!"

He immediately called his confidant, Wu Baoan, and said, "Old Wu, go to the archives right now and destroy all the documents related to material procurement! Not a trace can be left behind!"

Wu Baoan received the order without delay and immediately led his men to the archives room. The archives room was filled with various documents. Wu Baoan instructed his men to move out all the documents related to material procurement and pile them together.

Then he lit a fire... The raging flames devoured the documents and the evidence of Director Ma's guilt.

Xiao Yue returned to her office and began to carefully study the so-called "evidence." Relying on her professional financial knowledge, she analyzed it item by item and finally found some clues.

While the data on this evidence appears flawless, some key data contains logical errors. Furthermore, the signature and official seal on the evidence are slightly different from the authentic ones. While difficult to distinguish with the naked eye, under a high-power magnifying glass, the signs of forgery are clearly visible.

Xiao Yue was overjoyed. She had finally found evidence proving her innocence! She immediately compiled her findings into a report and prepared to submit it to the investigation team. She believed that as long as this report was submitted, she would be able to clear herself of suspicion and reopen the investigation.

She couldn't wait to restart her investigation and find the mastermind behind her framing. Her first thought was the anomalous data she'd found and Accountant Chen's evasive attitude. She immediately dug through her previous investigation records, only to discover...

The records were gone! Not only that, but all the material procurement documents she had collected had vanished without a trace. Her desk was a mess, as if someone was deliberately searching for something.

Xiao Yue's heart sank, and an ominous premonition came over him...

She walked to the door of the archive room, and a burning smell hit her nose...

She pushed open the door and saw a mess, with burnt paper scattered on the ground...

"My documents..." Xiao Yue muttered to herself, her face pale. She turned to look at Wu Baoan who was standing at the door and asked in a cold tone, "Where are my documents?"

Wu Baoan pretended to be calm and replied, "What document? I don't know..."

The archives room was filled with a pungent, burning smell. Xiao Yue stood at the doorway, her eyes scanning the ashes scattered across the floor. Her heart sank to the bottom. She had worked so hard to get rid of the false accusation, but the little clue she had finally found was gone.

"What document? I don't know..." Wu Baoan's eyes flickered and he answered calmly, but he didn't dare to look directly into Xiao Yue's eyes.

Xiao Yue took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. She knew it was pointless to continue arguing with Wu Baoan; he was just a pawn following orders. The real mastermind, lurking in the shadows, was manipulating everything.

"Really?" Xiao Yue sneered, "It's best not to know. However, I advise you to pray that these documents are really not important, otherwise..." She did not continue, but just looked at Wu Baoan meaningfully, turned and left the archives room.

Back in the office, Xiao Yue slumped weakly in her chair, rubbing her aching temples. With less than five days left until the deadline for the collaborative project, if she couldn't find conclusive evidence within that timeframe, not only would Xiao's company suffer enormous losses, but her personal reputation would also be irreparable.

She carefully reviewed the materials she had compiled, trying to find new clues. However, all the documents related to material procurement had been destroyed, and all that remained were some irrelevant reports and data that could not prove anything.

As time ticked by, Xiao Yue's anxiety grew. She felt like she was trapped in a giant spider web, unable to escape no matter how hard she struggled.

"Knock knock knock..." A knock on the door interrupted Xiao Yue's thoughts.

"Please come in."

Shen Ting pushed open the door and walked in, holding a document in his hand. "Xiao Yue, I've re-investigated the suspicions you raised earlier." He walked over to Xiao Yue and handed her the document. "Although I haven't found direct evidence, I've discovered some suspicious areas."

Xiao Yue took the document and quickly scanned it. Shen Ting's investigation revealed that Shen's company did have some irregularities in its material procurement practices. While these weren't criminal, they were still alarming.

"Thank you." Xiao Yue looked at him gratefully. "This information is very helpful to me."

Shen Ting nodded slightly, "I hope we can work together to find out the truth."

Xiao Yue understood what Shen Ting meant. Although he didn't explicitly say he believed her, he was at least willing to give her a chance.

"I will." Xiao Yue answered firmly.

However, Xiao Yue knew that it was difficult to obtain new clues from within the Xiao Group. Almost all relevant documents had been destroyed, and those in the know had been bribed or threatened. She had to find another way.

She recalled some rumors she had heard in the company's tea room before. It was said that there were some small groups within Shen's enterprise. The members of these small groups had close relationships and knew many of the company's internal secrets.

A bold idea gradually took shape in Xiao Yue's mind...

She stood up and walked to the window, looking at the brilliantly lit city at night in the distance, muttering to herself, "Looks like I have to take the risk of infiltrating the enemy..." She turned around, picked up her phone, and dialed a number, "Hello, is this Secretary Li? Help me check..."