The Art of Teasing - Chapter 167

Chapter 167

Wen Zhengyu watched Ye Ling so busy she had no time to rest, even eating boxed lunches for her meals. Ye Ling was young now and not paying attention to maintaining her health, but once she got a little older, all the aches and illnesses would start emerging.

She couldn't meddle with the group company's standards and regulations, but when it came to Ye Ling's meals, she could still take charge.

The house Ye Ling had lived in before was about a half-hour drive from her current workplace during rush hour traffic jams, and just over ten minutes at other times—not far at all. Her family had a ready-made chef, and Ye Ling had a ready-made kitchen here, so she simply reassigned Sun Yuan over and started a kitchen at Ye Ling's place. Sun Yuan needed to go home at night, and the commute would take up some time, so she only prepared lunch and dinner for the two of them—dinner delivered by Sun Yuan herself, lunch brought over by the rotating bodyguards.

Wen Zhengyu ate both lunch and dinner together with Ye Ling in Ye Ling's office. If she had nothing going on in the evening, she could also keep Ye Ling company while she worked overtime. Although she still got dizzy even looking at documents now and couldn't be of much help, just being able to stay with Ye Ling—even doing nothing at all—felt pretty wonderful. She discovered that Ye Ling at work was quite different from Ye Ling in everyday life. Normally, Ye Ling always wore a smiling, teasingly irreverent demeanor, but when she worked, probably because she was so stern-faced and extraordinarily busy with an especially fast pace, she exuded a swift and decisive efficiency that was utterly formidable. This was also somewhat different from the Ye Ling back at the art studio. That Ye Ling had been more restrained and self-possessed, quiet and silent most of the time; now, she was so busy her hands and feet never stopped, yet she still found moments to look up and tease her a few times.

Having been teased by Ye Ling so often, Wen Zhengyu felt her own skin had thickened along with it.

A knock sounded at the door, pulling Wen Zhengyu's thoughts back.

Secretary Chen pushed the door open and informed Ye Ling, "Director Ma is here."

Without looking up, Ye Ling said, "Please show him in."

Director Ma, one of the company's four minor shareholders, was in his early forties, with a slight, skinny build. He was a man of few words; whatever matters arose, it was always the other three shareholders who spoke. This Director Ma held only three percent of the company's shares, making him the shareholder with the smallest stake.

Director Ma entered. A complete departure from his previous attitude of looking down on Wen Zhengyu, he first called out warmly, "Miss Wen," greeting her, and only then went over to Ye Ling and asked, "Chairman Ye, I wonder if what you said about acquiring shares at thirty percent above market price still stands?"

Seeing the complete turnaround in Director Ma's attitude, Ye Ling knew he must have gotten wind of some information.

She asked, "Director Ma, why the sudden change of heart?"

Director Ma, having been able to find his way to Ye Ling so quickly, naturally possessed no small talent for trimming his sails to the wind. He said, "This matter was actually stirred up mainly by Boss Jin and the others. It was only when I saw CEO Wen that I realized it was a case of floodwaters washing over the Dragon King's temple. Miss Wen's cousin is also my younger cousin's direct superior."

Ye Ling said, "Zhengyu has quite a few cousins. May I ask which one Director Ma is referring to?"

Director Ma said, "That younger cousin of mine works at the Administration for Industry and Commerce."

Ye Ling understood then: Lian Zhao. Lian Zhao ranked second in Wen Zhengyu's generation and was the eldest son of Wen Zhengyu's second maternal uncle. She said, "Director Ma, even if I bought your three percent, I still wouldn't gain absolute controlling interest." But the fact that Director Ma could inquire about Wen Zhengyu and still come here—that naturally warranted a different kind of treatment. Ye Ling said, "The year before last, your nephews, the brothers Ma Cheng'an and Ma Chengkui, through falsifying accounts, passing off inferior goods as quality ones, then selling company assets at low prices and flipping them for high prices, made a total profit for you, uncle and nephews, of over seventy-six million. Last year, the performance growth was gratifying, multiplying several times over. Juntu Investment's normal profit last year was twenty percent, yet at the year-end settlement, it actually showed a five percent loss."

Director Ma's face instantly crumpled. "Chairman Ye, those words... last year, the headquarters sent people down to audit the accounts... In business operations, there are profits and losses. Sometimes a deal that looks profitable ends up as a loss—that happens often..."

Before he could finish, Ye Ling raised a hand to stop him.

Ye Ling said, "It's because you could find out about Zhengyu's family connections and are sitting here that I'm telling you this. You're usually a low-key person, and I have no intention of making things difficult for you. Return the money, and then we can discuss other matters."

Director Ma had never expected this kind of attitude from Ye Ling. Ye Ling was the largest shareholder. With the shareholders making such a ruckus now, Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang were both strong contenders for the position of board chairman. Once the group experienced upheaval, the one who stood to lose the most was Ye Ling, who held the most shares. He pondered briefly, then said, "General Manager Zhang's and Vice Chairman Xu's shares combined could match yours. Add in any other shareholder's vote, and your position as board chairman might not be so secure."

"You hold so many shares. If the group falls into turmoil and crisis, your interests are the first to be damaged. I'm just a minor shareholder. This bit of money is surely nothing in your eyes. I won't meddle in the competition between you. I'm pulling out."

Ye Ling signed the document she had just finished reviewing, set it aside, capped her fountain pen, and said unhurriedly, "Director Ma, whether you pull out or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you return the money."

Director Ma's brow twitched, and his expression immediately turned very ugly.

Ye Ling glanced at him flatly and continued with the work at hand.

Director Ma sat for a few minutes. Seeing that Ye Ling paid him no further attention, he stood up and left.

Wen Zhengyu watched Director Ma leave, then looked back at Ye Ling. Seeing Ye Ling look her way, she asked, "Will he return the money?"

Ye Ling said, "A fat piece of meat already in the mouth, involving far too much money—they won't be willing to spit it out. That money didn't just fall into his hands alone. Even if he wanted to return it, those who've already gotten their share wouldn't be willing. Such a large sum of money, they couldn't produce it all at once. Even if we reported it to the police or filed a lawsuit, it would be very difficult to recover."

"Before, I didn't have enough funds at hand, and there were too many constraints; I lacked the power to clean house. I could only let them act while slowly gathering evidence. Now, even if they don't return the money, having these accounts allows us to produce glossy financial statements proving the projects were profitable, so the subsidiary can be sold at a high price. Once the subsidiary is sold, we'll itemize the accounts they, the few shareholders, embezzled from, and deduct it from their dividends. Once they fill the shortfall, they won't see any profit. Meanwhile, Vice Chairman Xu, General Manager Zhang, and I can take that money to form a new company and continue our cooperation."

"If they sell their shares, we take them over, smoothly kicking them out, and continue operations. If they don't sell their shares, the shares in their hands will only become less and less valuable."

Ye Ling paused, then added, "According to the company's articles of association, when shares are transferred, under equal conditions, other shareholders have the right of first refusal. If I then raise the bid by another thirty percent, even if they want to find someone else to buy, it will be hard for anyone else to match that price. This can minimize the risk of them transferring shares to outsiders to the greatest extent possible."

"These are all just tactics. The specific results depend on implementation and how things develop."

Wen Zhengyu mulled it over for a full several minutes before fully digesting the information in Ye Ling's words.

Watching Wen Zhengyu gaze at her longingly, looking utterly reluctant to go home, Ye Ling felt her heart soften. She packed up the unfinished documents and materials and took Wen Zhengyu home with her.

Having stayed at the company for so many days, returning to their comfortable, cozy nest was rare. Somewhat unwilling to work overtime, and seeing Wen Zhengyu freshly bathed and fragrant, sprawled on the bed, Ye Ling tossed work and everything else aside and snuggled up with Wen Zhengyu under the covers.

The result of their sweet nighttime snuggling was that both woke up late the next day.

It was almost eleven o'clock by the time they arrived at the company.

After arriving at the company, Wen Zhengyu discovered the atmosphere had suddenly shifted again. When she went to distribute documents, the way everyone treated her was no longer contemptuous or dismissive, sneering at her as a kept woman; instead, they became friendly and gracious, greeting her with smiling faces. Those smiles were as sincere as could be, as genuine as could be. Yesterday, they had been secretly spitting behind her back and whispering mockery; today, they had flipped their attitudes completely, leaving her seriously wondering if she was hallucinating or having some kind of illusion.

Secretary Ji told her that Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang, under the board chairman's appointment, were launching a thorough investigation into all the group's transactions over the past three years. Early that very morning, economic crime investigators from the police had arrived and taken quite a number of company personnel away, most of whom were those connected through connections to the several minor shareholders' families.

Secretary Ji had shed all of yesterday's anxiety and unease, becoming exceptionally energized, her steps practically floating as she walked.

Rumors and whispers swirled constantly through the company. Secretary Ji diligently gathered tidbits of gossip every day and reported them to Wen Zhengyu. Even though Wen Zhengyu's mouth was tighter than a clam shell, not a sliver of news ever escaping, it didn't stop Secretary Ji from reporting the gossip to her.

The minor shareholders weren't pushovers either. Unable to do anything to Ye Ling, they again used Wen Zhengyu to cause trouble, leaking the news that Wen Zhengyu was Wen Shiyi's daughter, saying she had gotten together with Ye Ling for money. They also claimed she had once approached Yu Jie in the finance department, seeking to collaborate in selling information from Ye Ling's side—complete with time, place, and details of the conversation. She had demanded eighty million right off the bat, and Yu Jie hadn't agreed.

Upon hearing this news, Secretary Ji hurried to tell Wen Zhengyu, saying that whatever misunderstanding there was, she should quickly go explain things to Chairman Ye to avoid any misunderstanding.

Wen Zhengyu could only marvel at these people's ability to fabricate rumors and invert truth and falsehood.

Yu Jie also went to the supervisory board to report that Wen Zhengyu had peeked at Ye Ling's documents and leaked company secrets, including the confidential contents of the shareholders' meeting. He spoke with such detailed conviction, even specifying which document had been leaked. At the shareholders' meeting, Wen Zhengyu was the only non-shareholder present, and she had been sitting right beside Ye Ling when documents were being signed.

The news from the shareholders' meeting had indeed leaked, and with Yu Jie personally coming forward to accuse Wen Zhengyu, the supervisory board had no choice but to investigate.

The supervisory board members formed an investigation team and summoned both Wen Zhengyu and Yu Jie to the company's large conference room. Senior management and the four minor shareholders who had gotten wind of the matter also attended the meeting, where Yu Jie and Wen Zhengyu were to confront each other face-to-face.

Yu Jie claimed that Wen Zhengyu's leak of secrets had happened during the very meeting where she had approached him proposing cooperation and asking for eighty million, and that it was to demonstrate her sincerity that she had disclosed this information to him.

He further claimed that Wen Zhengyu had told him that if he wouldn't cooperate with her, she had someone else to cooperate with, and that the other party had agreed to pay part of the sum upfront as a deposit. He suggested the supervisory board investigate the bank account information of Wen Zhengyu.

The supervisory board asked Wen Zhengyu if she had any objection to Yu Jie's accusation.

Wen Zhengyu said, "Regarding the financial matters, I will explain shortly." She looked at Yu Jie and asked, "Are you saying that I secretly read confidential company documents and then leaked and sold that information?"

Yu Jie said, "Correct."

Wen Zhengyu asked, "Are you certain?"

Yu Jie said, "You said so yourself."

Wen Zhengyu asked, "I simply said I saw confidential documents verbally, without taking photos and sending them to you, correct?"

Yu Jie confirmed.

Wen Zhengyu then said, "Which document I supposedly leaked—I need Supervisor Yu to confirm once more."

Yu Jie confirmed again.

Wen Zhengyu requested the supervisory board retrieve the original document from the board of directors.

The supervisory board agreed.

Wen Zhengyu took the original document and, upon seeing the size-5 font, passed it to the supervisors to examine. Then she pulled up the medical evaluation report of her head injury, done upon her discharge from the hospital, which was saved in her email, and showed it to the supervisors.

She stated, "My injury has healed quite well, but that only applies to daily life without impediment. When I look at documents in size-5 font like this, I see double vision; each character is strenuous to read, and if I stare even slightly too long, I feel dizzy and nauseous. In my current condition, I am incapable of reading through and memorizing a document like this. If there's any disagreement on this point, I can cooperate with the investigative team to undergo another evaluation."

Yu Jie said, "Who are you trying to fool? If your eyesight is so bad, how do you manage to come to work every day?"

Wen Zhengyu simply ignored Yu Jie's words and continued, "As for the assets under my name, ever since my hospitalization, they have been managed by Ye Ling. Whether there are any assets of unknown origin in my name—that's something you'll have to ask Ye Ling."

The members of the supervisory board then went to the chairman's office and invited Ye Ling over.

Ye Ling glanced at Yu Jie and said, "Two hundred thousand. You really think that's a presentable sum."

Yu Jie sneered, "So she sold company secrets for two hundred thousand."

Ye Ling placed her laptop on the conference table. The computer was already logged into Wen Zhengyu's online banking, with the final page of the detailed transaction list open. She told the supervisory board members: "There is a sum... let's tentatively call it funds of unknown origin. This money was transferred into Wen Zhengyu's most commonly used primary card. It arrived this morning." After speaking, she presented the laptop to the supervisory board members, letting them view this property of unknown origin.

Yu Jie, eyeing Wen Zhengyu coldly, said, "Chairman Ye has already stated that Assistant Wen has two hundred thousand in unexplained assets under her name. How do you explain that?"

The supervisory board members, seeing that page of the detailed transaction list on the computer screen, exchanged glances. They even specifically confirmed that this account genuinely belonged to Wen Zhengyu, not Ye Ling, before finally finding that pitiful two hundred thousand in income at the very end. On that detailed list was an endless stream of card payments, all large-sum expenditures, and at the very top was an extraordinarily large deposit.

This down payment for selling company secrets wasn't even as much as Wen Zhengyu's spare change when buying jewelry. Compared to that extraordinarily large deposit noted as share dividends, it didn't even match the monthly interest it earned sitting in the bank.

It was clear from this that the rumor they'd heard about the board chairman borrowing money from Wen Zhengyu at the shareholders' meeting was true. Wen Zhengyu indeed could afford to lend that sum.

The supervisors silently returned to their seats. The way they looked at Wen Zhengyu now, it was as if she were coated in a layer of gold, radiating light.

The chief supervisor returned the computer to Ye Ling and asked Wen Zhengyu, "Miss Wen, what is this about the eighty million?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "Supervisor Yu told me to photograph the documents on Ye Ling's desk, saying he would give me money. I asked him how much. He held up an eight sign. I thought it meant eight hundred million, but he didn't seem like someone who could afford eight hundred million, so I asked if he meant eighty million."

The chief supervisor said, "Miss Wen, that will be all. You may leave." He then said to Yu Jie, "Now then, Supervisor Yu, we can discuss the matter of this leak—specifically, who leaked the information to you?"

Yu Jie stood up, pointing at Wen Zhengyu, and said, "What grounds do you have to just let her leave?" He shouted, "In front of so many senior managers, in front of the shareholders, this matter must be publicly clarified! Otherwise, we have the right to suspect a cover-up."

The chief supervisor said, "Regarding this unexplained asset in Miss Wen's account and where it came from, we will certainly investigate thoroughly. Supervisor Yu, if you speak now, it's still not too late. The police are very busy, and we're reluctant to trouble them further."

Yu Jie said, "Chief Supervisor, no need to threaten me. I took such a huge risk to expose Wen Zhengyu's selling of company secrets. To let it go so lightly—I refuse to accept this. None of us accept it."

The several minor shareholders also demanded that the chief supervisor clearly explain what grounds he had for concluding that Wen Zhengyu had not sold company secrets.

Ye Ling couldn't even be bothered to deal with this bunch of idiots. Hugging her laptop, she left. After a few steps, she turned back, utterly amused, and said, "I'm not working overtime tonight. I'll take you out to dinner."

Wen Zhengyu stared wide-eyed at Ye Ling. A workaholic, actually not working overtime? She immediately understood. She had been at the goldsmith's shop crafting gold pieces and jewelry for the betrothal gifts; Ye Ling had seen her account details and already knew. She hadn't even proposed yet. She cast a guilty glance at Ye Ling, her eyes darting everywhere, not daring to look at Ye Ling anymore.

Ye Ling, unable to suppress her laughter, hugged her laptop and left.

Only after Ye Ling was gone did Wen Zhengyu straighten her posture again.

Seeing Yu Jie's indignation, she said, "Even if my eyes were fine and I could read the documents, you shouldn't have transferred just two hundred thousand. Even if you consider that two hundred thousand as a half-percent down payment, it would total at most four million. That wouldn't be enough to buy off someone close to the board chairman. A mole close to the chairman selling confidential documents—such a scheme, if it were to be a setup, could only be a one-shot deal, and it would have to be selling the most critical document at the most pivotal moment, the kind that determines victory or defeat in one stroke."

She paused briefly, then continued, "Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows that the so-called confidential documents from a semi-public shareholders' meeting like this are hardly true secrets at all. Perhaps you thought I was utterly clueless and that seeing such documents at a shareholders' meeting would make me think they were secrets worth selling—which fits your imagined version of me. Or perhaps you thought that with my family bankrupt, I'd do such things for a few hundred thousand."

Her tone slowed. "Even if I were poor, even if my relationship with Ye Ling were merely one of being kept and keeping, and I had no other special talent for earning money, anyone wanting to buy me away from Ye Ling would, logically, have to offer enough to secure a living for the rest of my life. But if you had to provide that amount..." She looked toward Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang, who were sitting to the side watching with amusement, and smiled. "That's the kind of deal that would only make sense for Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang to undertake." In short, those few minor shareholders held too few shares, their vision was too small, and they couldn't afford the price. If they really had to spend that much money, the loss would outweigh the gain; they'd be better off just selling their shares directly.

"As for how that two hundred thousand was transferred—banks keep records and it can be traced. The investigation team can go collect evidence. That's one. Secondly, regarding the harm caused by the leak: even if I had sold this document, and you reported me, aside from wasting everyone's time and energy, this matter hasn't caused the group a single cent of loss. Thirdly, for a so-called confidential document of this semi-public nature, one can only say: whoever paid money for it is a fool."

Yu Jie, his face ashen, stared at Wen Zhengyu and said, "All of this is just your self-serving justification."

Wen Zhengyu's words hadn't been meant for Yu Jie anyway. She ignored him, gave a slight nod toward the supervisory board's investigation team, rose, and left.

Director Yu watched Wen Zhengyu leave, then turned his gaze back to Yu Jie, his eyes practically spitting fire. This was Yu Jie's idea of a mission accomplished, Wen Zhengyu properly framed? He'd given Yu Jie two million, and only twenty thousand had reached Wen Zhengyu's side!

Director Yu stepped forward and delivered a resounding slap across Yu Jie's face, then turned and stalked off.

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