Chapter 284 - 207: A Crooked Shadow (2)

President Zhao’s expression changed drastically. The anonymous report was alarmingly similar to the comments she had written on that OA approval form. It was impossible not to read into it.

"President Zhao, think about it. This report might be anonymous, but how did they get the CEO’s corporate email? Someone from inside Xinyue Group must have provided it. But did this person just provide the email, or are they in cahoots with the sender?

"And what about the comments the two of us left on that OA form? Won’t that make them suspicious? If they really start investigating me, I have a good defense. After all, I have no beef with Yanghe Commerce, past or present. I’m already 54, with no more room for promotion. And I have nothing against President Tian at the Qingjiang Regional Company. If something happened to him, it’s not like I could take his place. I have no motive to do this."

President Zhao panicked. You had to read between the lines with President Liu.

’First, someone inside Xinyue Group definitely gave out the CEO’s email address. Second, this person either has a grudge against Yanghe Commerce or is targeting President Tian. And if President Tian goes down, who stands to benefit? The regional vice presidents, of course. No, maybe anyone who has a shot at the regional general manager position is a suspect. That makes me, a management trainee hand-picked for development by the greater region, the most suspicious one of all.’

Combined with her comments on the OA form, President Zhao was in a full-blown panic. She truly hadn’t meant to target President Tian, but who would listen to her explanation now? It was like falling into a pile of mud—even if it wasn’t shit, everyone would say it was.

After President Liu left, President Zhao snatched up her phone and called Zhao Rui again. "What rotten luck have I had to end up with a nephew like you? Were you sent by my enemies to ruin me?"

Zhao Rui was completely baffled. His aunt had scolded him before, but she’d never said anything so harsh. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

"Zhao Rui, tell me the truth. Did you have someone report the regional company?"

A chill ran down his spine, and sweat trickled down his back. "Aunt... Auntie, why would I report the regional company?"

"Hmph. You have a grudge against Yanghe Commerce. Don’t tell me you didn’t think you could get them kicked out by reporting the regional company?"

"No, absolutely not! Auntie, you have to believe me. No matter how much I hate Yanghe Commerce, I would never dare to report the regional company. If I got caught doing something like that, my entire career would be over."

President Zhao snorted. "The fact that you understand that means you still have some sense. So, you didn’t give the CEO’s email to anyone, did you?"

"Of course not! Auntie, you have to trust me. I know what’s at stake. It wouldn’t matter if I got in trouble, but it would drag you down too. How could I ever do that?"

"Good. As long as you’re truly not involved, then fine. Otherwise, we’ll both be doomed beyond recovery."

Hanging up, Zhao Rui wiped the sweat from his forehead. The fear in his heart hadn’t subsided. Who on earth was bold enough to report the Xinyue Group’s Qingjiang Regional Company? Even he understood that regardless of what happened to the accused, one thing was certain: if the anonymous whistleblower was ever found, they were dead. If they worked in the corporate world, their career was over. If they were a business owner, Xinyue Group would probably blacklist them for life. This whole thing was a ticking time bomb.

’Thank God this has nothing to do with me.’ He felt a little relieved.

’Who could have sent the report? They must be from the Qingjiang Region, and they must know the details of Yanghe Commerce’s business terms. That narrows the circle of suspects considerably. So, who has the motive? One of the regional vice presidents, or a rival of Yanghe Commerce. A rival of Yanghe Commerce? Holy shit—’

Zhao Rui’s face suddenly paled. Speaking of who had the CEO’s email address, he remembered that to show off to Han Chao the other day, he’d shown him a reply from the CEO. It was a company-wide email, so— ’No way, right?’

Zhao Rui shot to his feet nervously. He wanted to call President Zhao, but then thought better of it. If it really was Han Chao, he himself would be implicated, and his aunt’s career would be over. This wasn’t something you could get out of just by claiming you weren’t involved. Sometimes, once a superior formed an opinion of you, they didn’t need any proof.

’If Auntie finds out I’m connected to this, she’ll probably skin me alive.’ Besides, he couldn’t even be sure it was Han Chao. He kept trying to brainwash himself, forcing himself to believe Han Chao had nothing to do with it. But on the other hand, he knew perfectly well that Futong Commerce had every motive to do something like this.

Just then, Han Chao happened to message him, asking if the OA approval form had been rejected.

Zhao Rui thought for a moment and resisted the urge to ask if he was the one who sent the report. Instead, he replied, "After multiple rounds of discussion among the Group’s top leadership, they’ve approved Yanghe Commerce’s business terms."

He mentioned the extensive negotiations and discussions to imply that President Zhao had influence on the matter. It suggested that, at the highest levels, there had been several rounds of debate, and ultimately, the faction supporting Yanghe Commerce just happened to have a bit more clout.

If he admitted that nobody had paid any attention to President Zhao’s comments, it would make her seem completely irrelevant. And then how could he brag about his connections in the future?

When Han Chao received this news, his expression changed drastically. He couldn’t believe they still hadn’t taken down Yanghe Commerce. ’Their luck is just too damn good.’ He had no idea how he was going to explain this to Li Yang. After all the drinks and karaoke, he had promised it was a sure thing, and now it had all come to nothing. Knowing Li Yang’s temper, he was definitely in for an earful.

He couldn’t hide, either. Li Yang had told him that very morning to keep an eye on the outcome and to report back the moment he heard anything.