The richest man's parents were kidnapped, and his adorable son captivated the entire family.

Team Leader Zhang nodded, his face expressionless.

Sun Qiang then turned to Xie Yumin, his eyes filled with a questioning gaze bordering on sympathy, his tone even lower, carrying a hint of both tolerance and regret:

"Director Xie... is there... a problem with your original data source?"

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the computer beside him. "Or...is your computer...infected with something unclean?"

"This kind of error in critical data... Sigh, you're always so meticulous, were you just too tired this time? Or did you just slip up?"

As he spoke, his tone subtly shifted, conveying an even more malicious implication: "Or... could it be that someone deliberately sabotaged the process... and now they're trying to destroy the evidence?"

Xie Yumin almost instantly lost all color in her face, her heart suddenly sank, as if her entire body had been filled with ice water.

Her gaze was fixed on the USB drive in Sun Qiang's hand that looked exactly the same, and every detail flashed through her mind.

At the time, she personally loaded the original data into the USB drive, and the printed copy was also output from her sealed printer. She personally affixed the seal and completed the handover in person, leaving no room for error in any step.

But now, the man in front of her still smiled gently and innocently, but his eyes held a coldness and malice that she had never noticed before.

She fell into a very finely laid trap.

Not only was the data replaced, but even the "chain of evidence" was set up in advance.

The "copy" of the quotation, the altered "meeting minutes," the "sealed" nature of the USB drive and paper documents, and even the possibility that someone has "monitored" her computer system, deliberately creating traces of poisoning or tampering to block her last line of defense.

Xie Yumin tried to speak, but her tongue seemed to be paralyzed, and she could only utter dry, panting sounds.

"Team Leader Zhang, please check..."

"Enough!" Team Leader Zhang interrupted her sharply, his face showing no hesitation, only the coldness of a judge.

"We have both witnesses and physical evidence! This matter is extremely serious, involving serious data fabrication and potential transfer of benefits!" He waved his hand, signaling the members of the investigation team behind him to step forward.

"Xie Yumin, please come with us to the investigation team's office immediately for formal questioning! From this moment on, all your system privileges and access control privileges are frozen!"

"Your personal computer, mobile phone, and related devices will be sealed off pending investigation. You are suspended from all duties until the investigation is completed!"

Xie Yumin's lips trembled, but she couldn't utter another word.

She saw her computer screen flicker twice under the control of the security personnel beside her, before going completely black and locking up; her phone was also taken away at the cold request of the investigation team members. She could only watch as everything, like an iron gate, slammed shut in front of the workplace world she was once so proud of, completely isolating her from the outside world.

When she was "asked" to leave the office, some members of the project team had already stood up to watch.

The gazes outside the glass door surged in like a tide, not out of concern, but out of shock, suspicion, and even an undisguised thrill of prying.

Xie Yumin did not struggle; she stood straight, but her eyes held a calm that seemed on the verge of collapse.

She knew that no amount of explanation would help.

This was a premeditated hunt, and she was the prey.

Less than half an hour later, the storm swept from the real world to cyberspace.

On the company's anonymous internal forum, a new post quietly emerged like poisonous fog in the dark night.

The headline is eye-catching: The true face of the "capable assistant"? A deep dive into Xie Yumin and Gu Yinshen's "unconventional" promotion path!

The poster used an anonymous account registered with multiple VPNs, the IP source was untraceable, the profile picture was a gray silhouette, but the posting style showed obvious signs of manipulation.

Every word is a knife hidden in its throat; every phrase carries a seductive and ambiguous implication.

The content was extremely sensational: "According to reliable sources, our Director Xie's downfall this time due to data fraud is probably just the tip of the iceberg!"

"How did she get that position? Do you really think it was based on her abilities? It's said that Gu Yinshen promoted her against all odds, and the speed at which he did it was faster than a rocket could catch up!"

"Rumors of their 'intimate' relationship have been circulating for a long time! This incident might be because they were helping someone destroy some 'intimate evidence' that led to their exposure?"

"Now that their backer has fallen, they're panicking and making a hasty retreat, which is why they've exposed themselves? It's chilling to think about! We welcome any inside information to come forward!"

Within a minute of the post being published, it was quickly bumped up by several "alt accounts".

These alternate accounts share a common characteristic: they were all registered within the past seven days, have highly similar speaking styles, and use almost templated vocabulary.

"I knew something was off about her a long time ago!"

"I heard she's also very close to President Gu's illegitimate daughter; their relationship is quite complicated..."

"People on the project team say she has a terrible temper, and even Deputy Team Leader Sun is suffocated by her. Is she trying to shift the blame to Deputy Team Leader Sun this time?"

The online trolls guided the post to quickly expand from "job-related issues" to multiple topics such as "power-for-sex transactions," "ambiguous relationships," and "workplace bullying," layer upon layer, like a net that grew denser and denser.

Under this careful manipulation, even ordinary employees who were originally just dissatisfied with Xie Yumin's "promotion too fast" began to post comments online.

“Some people in my office used to say that she had incredibly powerful connections… She followed President Gu wherever he went, like a shadow.”

“At that meeting, she confronted Chairman Wang directly, and I thought she was too arrogant.”

"Hmph, is this how all powerful women rise to the top? Ha."

Rumors spread like poisonous weeds in a crack, growing wildly in an instant.

Rumors and hearsay spread rapidly on this anonymous forum, causing the post to explode in popularity. In less than half an hour, it became the top post on the homepage, with over a thousand comments. The post was then reposted into various departmental group chats and gossip lists circulating in break rooms.

A "workplace trial" meticulously ignited by framing, amplified by the platform, and then spread through human weaknesses has silently pushed Xie Yumin into a second, even more terrifying abyss.

When Xie Yumin stepped back into the familiar yet now unfamiliar corridor of the Gu Group headquarters under the cold gaze of the investigation team, the ceiling lights became particularly glaring in her eyes.

Soon after, he couldn't stand the atmosphere any longer and asked to get a glass of water.

However, as soon as she entered the break room, the employees who had been chatting quietly fell silent.

The air seemed to freeze instantly; the space, which had been filled with the aroma of coffee, was now filled with a chilling indifference and hostility.

A dozen pairs of eyes suddenly focused on her.

Some glanced sideways, some raised an eyebrow, and some gave disdainful sneers. Several young administrative assistants instinctively averted their gazes, their eyes briefly sweeping over Xie Yumin's slightly tired but still upright figure before quickly lowering their heads, unable to look directly at her.