Chapter 16 Internal Troubles Hidden in the Thorny Road

Dai Shiya's eyes were fixed on the string of numbers, her fingers pressed hard, and her brows furrowed more and more. The five million yuan was nominally used to purchase equipment and raw materials, but in fact, the company had no relevant purchasing plans in the near future.

"There is a problem, there must be a problem here!" Dai Shiya couldn't help but mutter to herself, a strong sense of uneasiness surged in her heart. She immediately called up the detailed records of the payment, carefully checked every detail, trying to find some clues.

"What's wrong? What did you find?" Wei Qing saw Dai Shiya's solemn expression and realized the seriousness of the matter.

"The whereabouts of this money is unknown, and..." Dai Shiya pointed to a name on the computer screen, "The person in charge of handling this money is Secretary Zhang."

Wei Qing followed her gaze and her expression became serious. "Secretary Zhang has worked in the company for many years and has always been highly valued by President Li. She is responsible for many confidential matters..."

"The more this is the case, the more we must not let our guard down." Dai Shiya said in a deep voice, "You can't know a person's heart, but you can know his appearance. Who can guarantee that he hasn't been bribed by Mr. Li?"

Hearing this, Wei Qing couldn't help but feel a chill down her spine. If Secretary Zhang really had a problem, the consequences would be disastrous.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I will investigate secretly first, and I must not alert the enemy." Dai Shiya's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, "Please help me keep an eye on Secretary Zhang's recent movements, see who he has frequent contact with, and see if he has any abnormal behavior."

"Okay, I understand." Wei Qing nodded solemnly.

In the following days, Dai Shiya pretended that nothing had happened and was still busy with company affairs as usual, but secretly began to investigate Secretary Zhang. She retrieved Secretary Zhang's recent work records, call records, and email exchanges, trying to find evidence of his collusion with General Manager Li.

However, what surprised Dai Shiya was that Secretary Zhang's performance was flawless. He worked conscientiously and responsibly, got along well with his colleagues, and did not do anything suspicious in private.

"Am I too suspicious?" Dai Shiya couldn't help but begin to doubt her own judgment.

At this moment, Wei Qing hurried into the office and said in a low voice: "Shiya, I found that Secretary Zhang asked for leave this afternoon and went out, and the direction he went seemed to be..."

"What is it?"

"It's the private club that Mr. Li often goes to."

Dai Shiya stood up suddenly, with a cold light flashing in her eyes, "It seems that our Secretary Zhang is not as simple as he seems..."

Dai Shiya and Wei Qing looked at each other and saw worry in each other's eyes. Secretary Zhang went to the private club that CEO Li often went to, which made people wonder if they were plotting something that was detrimental to the company.

"We have to find out what they are doing." Dai Shiya made a quick decision, "Let's go to the club."

The two drove to the private club. In order not to alert the suspect, they did not go in directly. Instead, they found a cafe nearby and observed the activities in the club through the window.

About an hour later, Dai Shiya saw Secretary Zhang walking out of the club with a briefcase in his hand and left in a hurry.

"It seems that they came prepared for today's meeting. Secretary Zhang might be holding the company's confidential documents." Wei Qing said in a low voice.

Dai Shiya didn't say anything, but just stared at the direction where Secretary Zhang left, with a flash of determination in her eyes.

The next morning, Dai Shiya asked the company's administrative department to replace some office supplies, using the excuse that the office needed to be rearranged. Taking this opportunity, she secretly installed a miniature camera in the corner of the office ceiling, a location that was very hidden and difficult to detect.

After everything was ready, Dai Shiya began her "wait and see". She believed that as long as Secretary Zhang really had a problem, he would reveal his true colors.

However, Secretary Zhang seemed to have noticed something. He began to intentionally or unintentionally create some illusions in the office, such as deliberately scattering some unimportant documents on the desk, or deliberately raising his voice when making a phone call and saying some ambiguous words, trying to mislead Dai Shiya's judgment.

Dai Shiya saw all of this and became more certain of her guess. The more Secretary Zhang tried to cover up, the more it showed that he had something to hide.

One afternoon, Dai Shiya was checking the surveillance video when he suddenly discovered that Secretary Zhang had sneaked back into the office. He looked around vigilantly, and after making sure that no one was around, he took out a micro USB flash drive from his pocket and plugged it into the computer.

Dai Shiya's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, she knew that Secretary Zhang was about to take action.

However, at this moment, the picture on the screen suddenly started to snow, and then fell into darkness.

Dai Shiya suddenly realized what had happened. She stood up and rushed to the office...

When she rushed to the office, Secretary Zhang was standing in the corner with a panicked look on his face, holding a disassembled miniature camera in his hand.

"You..." Dai Shiya pointed at Secretary Zhang, too angry to speak.

Secretary Zhang sneered, threw the camera in his hand to the ground, and crushed it with his feet.

"Ms. Dai, I know you are suspicious of me, but you have no evidence." He said coldly, "I advise you not to struggle in vain."

After saying that, Secretary Zhang walked out of the office without looking back, leaving Dai Shiya standing there alone, her face pale.

He knew that he had already alerted the enemy... Dai Shiya fell weakly on the chair. The office was a mess, just like her mood at the moment. Secretary Zhang's words were like a sharp blade, leaving scars in her heart.

"Shiya, what should we do now? What should we do?" Wei Qing's anxious voice brought Dai Shiya back to her senses.

Dai Shiya took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "We can't alert the enemy yet. We must find solid evidence to bring him to justice."

However, things turned out to be far worse than they had imagined. Due to the leakage of core technology, the company lost several important customers, orders dropped sharply, and the capital chain also had problems. Family members accused Dai Shiya of poor management and made her take full responsibility for the company's current predicament.

"Shiya, look at what you have done to the company now? When your father was here, the company had never had such a big mistake!" Uncle Dai Jianguo slammed the table angrily, and his saliva splashed on Dai Shiya's face.

"That's right. A girl should stay at home to take care of her husband and children. Why should she show off?" Second Aunt also echoed in a sarcastic tone.

Facing the accusations and doubts from everyone, Dai Shiya did not defend herself, but endured it all silently. She knew that it was useless to say anything now, and only by finding evidence as soon as possible could she prove her innocence and save the company from danger.

Since it was no longer feasible to break through from Secretary Zhang, Dai Shiya decided to change her mindset and look for a breakthrough from the outside. She carefully recalled the people who had contact with Secretary Zhang, trying to find some clues.

After several days of investigation and visits, Dai Shiya finally found some clues. Secretary Zhang often went to a high-end restaurant, and the owner of this restaurant had a close relationship with the CEO of a rival company.

"It seems that our Secretary Zhang is not a simple person." Dai Shiya sneered and decided to meet this mysterious restaurant owner in person.

A few days later, Dai Shiya met with the restaurant owner in the name of discussing cooperation. During the meal, she quietly asked questions in an indirect way, trying to get some information about Secretary Zhang from the owner.

"Boss Wang, I heard that you and Secretary Zhang are old friends?" Dai Shiya picked up the wine glass and took a sip of red wine elegantly.

Boss Wang obviously didn't realize Dai Shiya's intention. He laughed and said, "Yes, Secretary Zhang and I have known each other for many years. He is a very capable person, but..."

Boss Wang suddenly stopped, as if realizing that he had said something wrong, and quickly picked up his wine glass to cover up his embarrassment.

"What is it?" Dai Shiya asked, staring at Boss Wang sharply.

Boss Wang's eyes flickered, and he stammered, "Nothing, nothing, come, have a drink..."

Dai Shiya knew that Boss Wang must know something, but she did not continue to ask. Instead, she changed the subject and continued to deal with Boss Wang.

After leaving the restaurant, Dai Shiya immediately called Wei Qing: "Help me check all the information about the owner of this restaurant. The more detailed the better."

She had a feeling that she was getting closer and closer to the truth...

Wei Qing was very efficient. In less than two days, she sorted out the information of restaurant owner Wang Hai and handed it to Dai Shiya. As expected, Wang Hai and the CEO of a rival company, Li Chengming, were college classmates and they had always maintained close contact. Secretary Zhang was able to get in touch with Li Chengming through Wang Hai's introduction.

"It seems that Li Chengming has buried Secretary Zhang as a chess piece very deeply." Dai Shiya looked at the information in her hand with cold eyes.

She is now basically certain that Secretary Zhang is the commercial spy planted by Li Chengming next to her, but he is very cautious and has not revealed any obvious flaws. Dai Shiya lacks the decisive evidence to completely bring him down.

"Shi Ya, the company's situation is getting worse and worse. The bank has been urging us to pay back the loan. If we continue like this, we will really go bankrupt..." Wei Qing said worriedly. The pressure of recent days made her originally fair face look a little more haggard.

"Don't worry, Qingqing, I will definitely find a way to solve it." Dai Shiya held Wei Qing's hand three times and gave her a reassuring look.

However, things turned out to be far worse than they had imagined.

That day, Dai Shiya had just arrived at the company when she received a call from the company's financial director: "Boss Dai, this is bad! All the funds in our company's account have been frozen!"

"What?!" Dai Shiya suddenly felt a buzzing in her head and her vision went dark.

She forced herself to calm down and rushed to the Finance Department. After some investigation, she learned that the company's account had been frozen by the tax department because of suspected tax evasion.

"This is impossible! Our company's financial statements have always been very standardized. How could it be..." The CFO was sweating profusely, puzzled.

Dai Shiya's heart sank, and she immediately realized that someone was deliberately framing the company behind the scenes, and this person was most likely Secretary Zhang!

He was like a poisonous snake hiding in the dark, always waiting for an opportunity to strike, but I was too cautious to bring him to justice.

"Shi Ya, what should we do now? Our capital chain has been broken. If we can't unfreeze the account as soon as possible, the company will be really finished..." Wei Qing's voice was filled with tears.

Dai Shiya took a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm. She looked around and saw the panic among people in the company. An unprecedented sense of responsibility surged in her heart.

"I won't let the company go bankrupt, absolutely not!" Her eyes were firm and her tone was full of power.

"But...but what else can we do now?" Wei Qing was completely panicked. She looked at Dai Shiya helplessly, as if she was grasping at the last straw.

Dai Shiya didn't say anything. She was thinking about countermeasures quickly in her mind. Suddenly, she thought of someone...

"Qingqing, please help me contact ..."