Chapter 36: Explosion in Li Corporation’s Upper Management

Chapter 36: Explosion in Li Corporation's Upper Management

"I'm saying that Secretary Fan has excellent crisis PR skills." Li Wenzhao's voice had become noticeably louder, clearly annoyed.

Jing Yi lightly responded with an "Oh."

Seeing Fan Ming reminded him of Secretary Zou from next door.

Shen Shubai was causing a ruckus in Li Corporation all by himself, with no one trying to calm him down. Had Secretary Zou left his post without permission? Or had he taken another leave?

A thought struck Jing Yi, causing him to tremble.

Secretary Zou, could it be that you're still at home solving problems?

Out of curiosity, Jing Yi took out his phone and sent a message.

[You Jing's Grandpa]: Secretary Zou? [Cat peeking image.]

[Next Door Secretary Zou]: 0.o?

[You Jing's Grandpa]: Are you working today or on leave?

[Next Door Secretary Zou]: On annual leave.

No wonder then.

The last time Shen Shubai came to Li Corporation to cause trouble, it was Secretary Zou who had been holding him back. Now that Secretary Zou was on leave, Shen Shubai was running wild, causing trouble everywhere.

As he pondered, his phone buzzed again.

[Next Door Secretary Zou]: Assistant Jing, the problems you gave me have an issue.

[You Jing's Grandpa]: What issue?

Jing Yi smirked, thinking they were probably too easy.

[Next Door Secretary Zou]: I found that several problems had serious errors in the solution explanations, and when I called the institution selling the book to point it out, they actually refused to admit their mistake! [Angry cat image.]

Jing Yi cautiously asked: [So...?]

[Next Door Secretary Zou]: I've arrived at their offline location and am about to give them a piece of my mind.

[You Jing's Grandpa]: ...

Jing Yi's eyes widened. Good for Secretary Zou! Daring to confront them face-to-face!

"What's wrong?" Perhaps it was because Jing Yi's gaze had become too sharp, Li Wenzhao glanced over. "Your expression tells me you've probably caused trouble again."

"No," Jing Yi modestly put away his phone, pressed his lips together, and spoke in a somber tone, "But it seems I've led Secretary Zou down a path of no return."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

·

Having spent the whole morning gossiping, Jing Yi felt guilty about his high salary as he hadn't accomplished a single piece of work.

Looking at Secretary Fan, who was spinning like a top, Jing Yi realized he had been idle as a fish.

Jing Yi tidied the messy snacks on his desk into the drawer, opened his computer, and then turned to look at Li Wenzhao with eager eyes, like a child waiting for the teacher to assign homework.

"Jing Yi." Li Wenzhao could feel the intense gaze of the young butler without turning around.

"Huh?" Jing Yi looked up obediently.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Waiting for the eldest son to assign me a task."

Li Wenzhao raised an eyebrow. "Not praying to the gods anymore?"

Jing Yi spoke lightly, "I still pray, but now I balance both worshiping Buddha and my career. I won't neglect either side."

"It's good that you know the importance of being down-to-earth." Li Wenzhao's lips twitched slightly. "Praying to the gods is just self-deception. True success comes from hard work now and in the future."

Jing Yi was silent for two seconds, his eyes lighting up. "So, I'll take a break for the next two days."

Li Wenzhao moved on from the topic and deliberated over the files on the table. "There's no suitable work for you."

Jing Yi stretched his neck, looking at a particularly unique colored folder. "None at all? I think this one is quite suitable for me."

"You're saying it's suitable without even looking at the content." Li Wenzhao chuckled lightly. "Even Secretary Fan doesn't have your eye for detail."

Jing Yi gently smiled and softly corrected, "Let's not bring Secretary Fan into this."

Behind them, Secretary Fan, who was about to knock, suddenly stopped.

How come I'm part of their antics too?

Fan Ming's shock was too obvious, and Li Wenzhao noticed. "What is it?"

Fan Ming calmed the tremor in his heart and replied coolly, "Mr. Li, the high-level meeting starts in ten minutes."

Li Wenzhao nodded, stood up, and put on his coat. The two were about to head out for the meeting. Jing Yi poked his head out from behind his small desk, looking eagerly. "What about me?"

Li Wenzhao buttoned his coat and looked down at him, saying after a moment, "Stay here and keep an eye on things."

"Alright."

"Just when I wanted to be proactive, heaven didn't give me a chance. I guess I'm still more suited to praying and being a lazy bum."

Hearing these words of resignation, Li Wenzhao's steps paused, remembering that he still needed Jing Yi's help.

He took out a stack of files from the confidential file cabinet. "These are the personnel files for all positions at the headquarters. Have a look through these."

Jing Yi took them. "What for?"

"To do some fortune-telling on them." Li Wenzhao said lightly. "See who might betray us later."

Fan Ming shook his head silently.

Tsk, I'm getting more and more confused by the play between the CEO and the young butler.

Li Wenzhao had requested these files from the HR department a few days ago. He had wanted the young butler to look at them but was sidetracked by the collective scandal online.

Li Wenzhao knew that there were too many people with ulterior motives around him, each of them eyeing the Li family covetously. If it weren't for Jing Yi's sudden appearance, who knows what kind of fragmented mess the Li family would have become by now.

Jing Yi understood Li Wenzhao's meaning: "Understood, Mr. Li, I'll make sure to do a thorough calculation."

Li Wenzhao thought of the troubles that the young butler had caused in the past and said with implied meaning, "Let's hope so."

Jing Yi trembled. "Eldest young master, what kind of troublemaker do you think I am?"

Li Wenzhao chuckled. "What do you think?"

Recalling the things he had done, Jing Yi fell silent.

Well, he had to admit, he really was a troublemaking butler.

With the office now empty, Jing Yi settled down comfortably to do his "homework."

Downstairs in the meeting room, all the top executives had arrived. When they saw Li Wenzhao approaching, they immediately stood up to greet him.

Li Wenzhao nodded. "Sit. Let's skip the small talk. Finance department, give us the revenue report for the last quarter."

"Certainly." A middle-aged man stood up.

At the same time, upstairs, Jing Yi began reviewing the personnel files.

"Where should I start...?"

"Let's start with you, Finance Department—after all, you handle the most money!"

Li Wenzhao's eyes flickered and landed on the man who was speaking confidently in front of him.

"The data shows that last quarter's real estate income grew year-over-year by..."

"Hmm? Wang Tingshan, finance department manager..."

"Now I remember, this guy is a major problem! His daughter is the lover of Shen Shubai. On the surface, he looks upright and steady, but in secret, he's a double-dealer and a traitor! I can describe him that way, right?"

"This guy has been secretly embezzling funds, making the financial reports look perfect, but he's already bought luxury villas in non-extradition countries, just waiting for the Li family to go bankrupt so he can fly over and enjoy his retirement!"

"Mark him off the list!"

In the meeting room, the man finished his report with a calm expression and smiled. "That concludes the report from our finance department. Please give us your instructions, Mr. Li."

The room fell eerily silent.

The man at the head of the table looked displeased.

Finance department manager Wang Tingshan stood awkwardly in place, reflecting on the data he had just presented. He had checked it three times; there shouldn't have been any mistakes...

"Manager Wang," Li Wenzhao said.

Wang Tingshan cautiously smiled. "Yes, Mr. Li, please go ahead."

Li Wenzhao looked up, his eyes unfathomable, but his tone was casual. "I heard that you've bought a villa abroad and invested in some properties. I'm curious, when are you planning to immigrate?"

Wang Tingshan's face turned pale.

There was a moment of surprise in the meeting room, and the executives began to whisper among themselves.

The situation had come too suddenly, and Wang Tingshan, unprepared, stammered nervously, "Mr. Li, are you joking? How could I afford to buy a villa abroad... a-a-and invest in properties? Even if you sold me, I wouldn't fetch that much."

A thunderclap reverberated in Wang Tingshan's mind.

He knows! Li Wenzhao found out!

His mind went blank, his thoughts scrambled by his fear of imprisonment. But in the face of the accusation, he still stubbornly refused to admit anything, "Mr. Li, I am an employee of the Li Corporation... How could I possibly embezzle funds? Without evidence, you can't just make wild accusations..."

Li Wenzhao stared silently at the flustered man, a sigh of disappointment echoing in his heart, "Worthless." He then asked, "Am I wrong? Aren't you Shen Shubai's father-in-law?"

Whispers rippled through the conference room.

Wang Tingshan's heart stopped for a moment, cold sweat pouring down his face as he collapsed to the floor.

Li Wenzhao said coldly, "Secretary Fan, bring the security team up from downstairs and contact Team Leader He from the Capital Police Department."

Fan Ming had been stunned into silence in the corner for a long time.

Wasn't this supposed to be a top-level meeting? How had it suddenly turned into a sting operation?

And they just caught a big-time embezzler!

Fan Ming quickly gathered his shocked emotions and immediately contacted the security team. Five minutes later, the security team leader led his men to take Wang Tingshan away.

The entire conference room fell into an eerie silence.

Li Wenzhao looked at these familiar faces, people he worked with daily. Yet, behind his back, they had been colluding with outsiders to undermine him.

Why?

He prided himself on his conduct, never being harsh on his subordinates, never venting his emotions in the company, and never withholding wages. So why did everyone harbor such malice towards him?

Li Wenzhao's breath grew slightly heavier, his dark eyes closing slightly.

Upstairs, Jing Yi began muttering to himself again.

"Next, I should probably look at the department managers. As the saying goes, cut off the head of the snake to bring down the whole nest."

"So many departments... I'll pick one at random. Little chicken, pick someone! It's you, the lucky one from the R&D Department!"

Li Wenzhao suppressed his tumultuous emotions and spoke calmly, "R&D Department."

A female executive was singled out, her red lips and voluminous curls complementing her sharp, professional blazer suit. She was still reeling from the shock of seeing Wang being dragged away and took several seconds to recover.

She stood up, opened the PPT, and trembled as she spoke, "Yes, Mr. Li, I will now present the report to you..."

As Li Wenzhao listened to her listing the data, his attention gradually shifted to the young butler's complaints.

"Chen Leilei, Vocal! This person is a total pervert!"

"She arbitrarily bullies department employees and squeezes their bonuses, inserting her extremely bad high school-educated relatives into various departments of the Li Corporation!"

"Even worse, she is mentally deranged, oppressing and humiliating department employees. During a department team-building event, she publicly forced a newly graduated male student to crawl to her feet to drink, forcing him to resign in humiliation. He then joined the Shen Group."

"This male employee is quite a character, possessing hacker skills so advanced that Shen Shubai used him as a cheat to expose all the hidden dirt within the Li Corporation."

"Ahhhh, this person is so evil! I'm giving you a big X!"

Li Wenzhao: "..."

His expression shifted, and he raised his hand to halt her. "Mr. Li?" Chen Leilei was bewildered but felt a growing sense of dread.

Li Wenzhao rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Recently, has anyone from the R&D department resigned?"

Chen Leilei was confused by the seemingly unrelated question but was secretly relieved. "No."

Li Wenzhao nodded. Before she could continue, his cold, detached voice cut in, "Next time, have the entire R&D department staff present for the report."

Chen Leilei was taken aback but quickly responded, "Mr. Li, they are a bunch of tech geeks. They rarely go out and aren't very good at speaking..."

"Are they bad at speaking, or have you been keeping them from speaking?" Li Wenzhao interrupted directly.

Chen Leilei choked on her words. "Mr. Li... What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing much," Li Wenzhao's voice was low. "The R&D department isn’t your personal playground, and my employees aren’t your toys to abuse whenever you want."

Chen Leilei's face paled, and her breathing became erratic.

How does Li Wenzhao know what I’ve been up to behind his back? Who’s been ratting me out?

"Mr. Li," she hurriedly explained, "This must be a misunderstanding..."

"Is that so?" Li Wenzhao sneered. "What's the relationship between the people you've inserted into the company and you?"

Even without concrete evidence, Li Wenzhao had years of experience in reading people and playing their emotions like a fiddle. He could make them fall into disarray, revealing their weaknesses without needing proof.

But the more he did this, the colder his heart became.

He had treated these people well.

"Secretary Fan."

Fan Ming shook off his shock. "Mr. Li."

"Inform the R&D department staff that from today, Chen Leilei is relieved of her duties. Any employee she previously humiliated can now sue her for free through the company’s legal team—and we’ll keep going until they win."

Fan Ming nodded. "Understood, I'll notify them immediately."

"Legal department." Li Wenzhao's voice startled the lawyers. "Mr. Li."

"Are there any challenges in filing the lawsuit?"

The man gently shook his head, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes as he looked at Chen Leilei. "No issue, I’ll take care of this case myself."

Li Wenzhao stared at him for a few seconds before texting Jing Yi: [Any issues with the head of the legal department?]

A quick reply came: [No issues. Jian Lin is a very upright lawyer!]

"Every year, he offers free legal aid to those in need and has earned a solid reputation in the community. It’s a shame he was later framed and discredited by Shen Shubai, lost his license, and hasn’t set foot in a courtroom since..."

Li Wenzhao let out a small breath of relief. Thankfully, he hadn’t been completely abandoned.

This high-level meeting included eight executives. As soon as the meeting began, two of them fell from grace. The rest were on edge, wondering if they had also exposed their own weaknesses.

Li Wenzhao glanced around and noticed three individuals trembling the most. "Administrative department, production department, sales department."

The three who were called out turned pale.

Li Wenzhao sneered coldly. No need for the young butler to check—these idiots were clueless enough already.

This time, without needing Mr. Li's instructions, Secretary Fan called the security guards over with a grimace and had the two escorted out.

The conference room still had two managers remaining, a man and a woman, both appearing shocked but remaining composed across the empty tables. They showed no obvious signs of guilt.

If it weren't for Mr. Li's ability to hear Jing Yi's thoughts, he might have temporarily let the two off.

"Lu Mian from Human Resources, I remember her very well. This woman and Song Censen, the procurement manager, are a pair of black-hearted headhunters!"

"Lu Mian's job was to scout suitable candidates from employees who were rejected or dismissed by Li Corporation, then sell them to illegal companies for 50,000 each, binding them with exploitative contracts that enslave them for life."

"Meanwhile, Song Censen from Procurement handled the transportation, using Li Corporation's resources and channels to boldly send people into the tiger's den!"

"This is a criminal offense, isn't it? I'd give you both ten big red X's in the name of justice!!!"

Mr. Li looked troubled, saying nothing.

Just then, Secretary Fan knocked on the door, "Mr. Li, Deputy Captain Shu has arrived."

The upright Shu Bei entered the conference room, greeting Mr. Li, "Here we are again, Mr. Li. How come you always have so many criminals around? We just finished dealing with one batch, and now another. Our city's detention center is already full. If you hadn't reported them yourself, I might have suspected you of being the mastermind behind all of this."

Mr. Li smiled wryly, "I don't want to cause trouble."

"It's our job," Shu Bei said, "We should thank you for providing the leads. No cover-ups, no favoritism—everyone's equal under the law." He then added, "By the way, Director He asked me to pass along a message."

Mr. Li was surprised, "Director He?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you yet," Shu Bei smiled, "Director He got promoted. He's now the deputy director of the branch. Today's his appointment ceremony."

Mr. Li congratulated him and asked, "What did Director He want to tell me?"

Shu Bei looked around and whispered, "He said if things get too rough, maybe you should pray to a Buddha. You're surrounded by so much bad juju—all these criminals... But don't tell anyone I said that. Director He isn't promoting superstition."

Mr. Li looked troubled, saying nothing.

Seeing Mr. Li chatting happily with a female police officer, Lu Mian and Song Censen exchanged a glance and stood up, "Mr. Li, since you're busy, we'll head back to work."

"No need," Mr. Li said expressionlessly, "The two of you can leave with Officer Shu."

The two were speechless.

Shu Bei frowned, "What's going on with these two?"

"Human trafficking."

Shu Bei was so shocked he almost drew his gun, "Damn it!!! How many criminals are hiding in your company? You're almost completing the entire criminal law book!"

Mr. Li didn't want this either, but all the criminals seem to flock to him!

Lu Mian looked anxious, "Mr. Li, are you joking?"

Song Censen chimed in, "Everyone in the company can vouch for our character, Mr. Li. Got any proof we're involved in human trafficking?"

Mr. Li said, "I do."

He looked at Shu Bei, "Officer Shu, Secretary Fan will be handing over the evidence to you soon."

Fan Ming was speechless.

Ah?

At the mention of this, Lu Mian and Song Censen immediately turned pale and, unable to control themselves, took a step forward, wanting to leave the enclosed space at once. However, the exit was blocked by Shu Bei, leaving them no way out.

In a panic, Lu Mian blurted out a bit of the truth: "We're not involved in human trafficking. They're all adults, and they volunteered..."

"Shut up!" Song Censen shouted angrily.

Shu Bei's face turned cold. "What are you yelling for?! Are you trying to see who has the loudest voice? Come with me to the police station, and I'll let you shout as much as you want."

Shu Bei greeted Li Wenzhao and left with the two men.

The conference room was left in silence.

The high-level meeting had been going well, but of the eight people present, only Jian Lin was left. The empty tables and chairs highlighted the unfairness Li Corporation faced.

To those unaware, it might seem as if Li Corporation was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Even the formidable Li Wenzhao couldn’t help but feel a bit desolate now. The feeling of being abandoned by everyone was not a pleasant one.

"Mr. Li," Fan Ming said softly, "The board has been informed about today's incident. They are asking for an immediate explanation from you."

"There's no need to explain," Li Wenzhao said, "Just relay the facts."

"Then..." Fan Ming cautiously asked, "With seven senior executives dismissed all at once, what's the next step for our Li Corporation?"

Li Wenzhao rubbed his temples. "Choose suitable candidates from the lower-level staff or promote from the branch company. Give me a list by tomorrow."

Fan Ming: "Understood."

After the noisy crowd dispersed, Li Wenzhao lingered alone for a while, and only then did the lingering fear in his heart gradually fade.

He loosened his tie and let out a breath, heading back to the top floor.

·

Top-floor office.

Jing Yi was alone, and the hundreds of employee files in front of him gave him a headache.

When reading the novel, the author had only focused on the important figures around Li Wenzhao, with many minor characters barely described, leaving him to make rough guesses.

After reviewing a few key departments, he was already feeling tired.

Jing Yi stretched and, feeling thirsty, went to the water station to pour a cup of water. Before he could take a sip, his arm went numb, probably due to poor posture, a cramp.

The cup slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground.

Jing Yi stared at the broken pieces in silence.

In the novel, everything around the CEO was worth at least six figures. How could regular folks like us afford to break anything?

"I wonder if this month's salary will be enough to cover it."

"Life’s tough, the butler sighed."

Jing Yi grabbed a broom to sweep the floor. Some of the fragments flew under the coffee table. The low-slung redwood base was too short, and the broom couldn't reach inside.

Jing Yi rolled up his sleeves, went up to the table, grabbed the tabletop, spread his legs, and wobbled in a horse stance. Then, with a forceful move, he was forced to slowly do the splits...

Jing Yi: “……”

Click, the office door lock turned, and footsteps walked in.

Jing Yi's heart skipped a beat as he clung to the table and turned his head.

Li Wenzhao: “……”

Li Wenzhao, who had been feeling down, was suddenly struck by how funny it looked. Heaven had been too harsh on the Li family, but fortunately, it brought Jing Yi into his life.

"What are you doing?"

Jing Yi: "Getting rid of evidence."

Li Wenzhao:？

Jing Yi hid the broom behind his back, trying to cover the water stains on the floor, but Li Wenzhao still saw the fragments on the floor. "Did you cause some trouble?"

Jing Yi awkwardly shook his head. "No."

Li Wenzhao chuckled softly, and the gloom lifted from his heart. "So, what’s this then?"

Jing Yi hesitated for a moment. "The river god's water cup."

Li Wenzhao: "Huh?"

Jing Yi quickly grabbed two cups from the table and, with a nervous bravado, said, "Which one do you want, eldest young master? The gold cup, the silver cup, or the broken one on the floor?"

Li Wenzhao: “……”