“Think twice? Old Xiao, did you hear that? Vice President Xu here doesn’t have any d*mn regard for you.” Zhang Dashan called out to his president and couldn’t suppress a conceited smile.
As he spoke, the door to the conference room was pushed open, and Xiao Luo walked in his business suit. His smooth, fair, and clean-shaven face had a coldness to it. His features were comely, his angular jaw, poise, and confidence gave off vibes that made others take him seriously.
President Xiao?!
Everyone instinctively stood up upon seeing Xiao Luo, who meant something to each and every one of them. He was a legend and had saved Luo’s Workshop, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and closure, from the jaws of their competitor, Taste Buds.
“It really is the big boss!”
Luo Qi was both shocked and elated. After not seeing Xiao Luo for such a long time, she did indeed miss him quite a bit.
The delight was written all over Li Zimeng’s face as well. Xiao Luo was the kind of boss whom subordinates could quickly take a liking to.
“Seems that there is trouble here.”
Lin Chongdong was more circumspect, as he discovered that every time Xiao Luo appeared with that expression, someone was bound to pay, and who that unlucky person was this time around, was quite evident.
“President Xiao, when did you… you come back?”
Xu Guansong’s expression was troubled, not knowing whether to sit or stand, and he appeared a little tentative.
“I was worried that if I did not return, Vice President Xu, you were going to overstep me.”
Xiao Luo glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, then gave a wave of his hand and said, “Sit down, everyone, let’s talk.”
Everyone sat down immediately, and unlike earlier, they all sat up straight, looking alert and focused. Several people who were dozing off before Xiao Luo stepped in suddenly had no more trouble keeping their eyes open.
Respectfully, Zhang Dashan gave up his seat in the middle and sat on the right of the long table.
“I’ve been busy over some private affairs recently, and I specifically appointed President Zhang to manage the company for me. When I left, you all also agreed to give your full cooperation to President Zhang. But some people here think that they have done our company great service and are indispensable. They even don’t give a d*mn about President Zhang, defying him publicly. Xu Guansong, you’ve really impressed me.”
Xiao Luo was standing and leaning on the table, with both hands on the table supporting his weight. His words sent a chill down the spines of Xu Guansong and his allies.
“President Xiao, Mr. Zhang is not capable of running this business, how can you leave the company in his hands? The company would go out of business sooner or later if this continues.” Xu Guansong explained himself.
“He isn’t really capable of running this business?”
Xiao Luo laughed coldly. “So tell me. How has the business been lately? Have there been any significant incidents? It seems customers’ orders are increasing, and he managed the operations well, yet you are telling me that he isn’t competent? Surely you aren’t going to claim that he wasn’t the one in charge during this period, and the company did well because of you, Xu Guansong?”
“I’m not saying that,” said Xu Guansong.
“You didn’t, and you dare not, because you did nothing during this period other than to create trouble for President Zhang and embarrassing him,” Xiao Luo growled.
“President Xiao, I know Zhang Dashan is your classmate in university and your best friend, but you can’t fire me just because I didn’t obey his orders. At the very least, I watched Luo’s Workshop grow. I was already working here when Fang Changmiao was the boss, and I don’t think there’s anyone else in the company that has worked for more years than I have.
“If you fire me just for your friend’s sake, let me ask you, who in this company would be able to feel secure about their jobs from now on? And if they accidentally offended your friend, you would not hesitate to punish them. Aren’t you worried that the company would no longer have any spirit of unity and fall apart by doing so?”
Xu Guansong responded in a way that portrayed that he had the interest of the employees at heart. At this juncture, he couldn’t turn back, and his best hope was to plow ahead without fear of Xiao Luo as he had nothing to lose. He needed to be perceived that he had the conviction and courage to argue with Xiao Luo. Doing it in front of all the key employees of the company would strengthen his standing. So what if Xiao Luo was back. He honestly did not believe that Xiao Luo would really dare to fire him.
As he had hoped, on hearing his words, a looks of doubt formed in everyone’s eyes. Firing Xu Guansong for only being rude to Zhang Dashan was unreasonable and a disappointing decision. The fear had been seeded in their minds, and it played to Xu Guansong’s advantage.
“Are you threatening me?” Xiao Luo glanced at him calmly.
“I dare not, you are the boss of Luo’s Workshop, and we are all your subordinates. You can fire whoever you want, I am just reminding you not to disappoint us all. No matter how high a building is, as long as its foundation is unstable, it will collapse,” Xu Guansong said so in an impartial manner, playing to the sentiment of the crowd.
His words sounded earnest, from the bottom of his heart, and it touched the souls of the listeners. Even Luo Qi and Li Zimeng felt that Xiao Luo was unreasonable, what more the others.
“Sir, Vice President Xu is loyal to the company and has been hard at work all along. If you fire him just because he had been rude to President Zhang a few times, I would be the first to object.”
“Yeah, President Xiao, please do not disappoint us as we are all loyal to the company.”
“It’s normal to have differing views during company meetings. Vice President Xu only voiced out his opinion, he wasn’t deliberately being rude to President Zhang. If this isn’t even allowed, who would dare to speak up in meetings the next time?”
“A good decision requires everyone to work as a team and participate in the discussion actively. If there wasn’t even freedom for us to voice our thoughts, there would be no need for a meeting at all, and President Zhang might as well just make all the decisions himself.”
Xu Guansong’s trusted subordinates began to speak up in support of him. They firmly believe that Xiao Luo would relent.
But Xiao Luo just smiled and stared coldly at Xu Guansong, and said, “Xu Guansong, do you really not know why I am firing you?”
Xu Guansong was slightly stunned, and he suddenly sensed something amiss. He coughed a couple of times dryly and forced himself to calm down. It was all or nothing, he spoke with the conviction of one with nothing to hide, “President Xiao, don’t mince your words, just say it out loud. A straight foot has no fear of a crooked shoe. I, Xu Guansong, swear on my dignity and have never done anything detrimental to the company!”
“Do you?”
Xiao Luo laughed in derision, then called out fiercely, “Department Head Guo!”
The door to the conference room was pushed open. A lady in office attire walked in, her face pale and uneasy.
Guo Fu, the head of the finance department?!
Only then did everyone realize that Guo Fu wasn’t in the conference room when the meeting commenced.
Xu Guansong had also just realized it. His expression changed drastically, and he cast Guo Fu with a meaningful stare as if warning her of something.
“The first thing I did after coming back was to visit the finance department and check the accounts for the period I was gone, and I realized that Department Head Guo had manipulated the financial reports,” Xiao Luo said very calmly.
While Xiao Luo was talking, Zhang Dashan turned on the projector in the conference room, promptly clicking on two files and projecting the reports in question on the screen.
Two financial reports were displayed, one interim and the other external. It showed that the contents of the two were identical, except for the final sums of transaction.
“The company pays taxes according to this financial report. Under the item of the total transaction, the external report has an amount of five million dollars less than that of the interim report. However, the tax expense reported to the company by the finance department is about 200,000 dollars more than the actual amount of taxes we are required to pay. This 200,000 dollars didn’t enter the government’s coffers, nor did it enter the pockets of everyone seated here.”
Xiao Luo turned his gaze to Guo Fu and smiled mockingly. “Department Head Guo, tell us, whose pockets did it enter? As long as you tell the truth, I will not pursue your case, given that no significant damage has been done yet.”
The entire conference room fell into a sudden lull, awaiting what the Department Head Guo had to say. These were unit managers holding critical roles in the company and familiar with financial matters. They immediately recognized that someone had siphoned money out of the company. The amount in question was about 200,000 from tax provisions, channeled elsewhere after adjustments were made to the final report’s net income. The day the government’s tax department found out, and they always do, the company would face severe penalties and even jail terms for its top executives. Tax evasion and fraud were punishable by law.
Guo Fu glanced at Xiao Luo timidly, she really didn’t know why she told Xiao Luo everything. She simply felt that a voice in her head was guiding her, making her expose every detail on the accounting fraud. Little did she know that she had been hypnotized by Xiao Luo.
“Department Head Guo, aren’t you going to say anything?” Xiao Luo said coldly.
Guo Fu trembled as she spurted out her reveal, “It… it’s Vice President Xu, out of the 200,000 plus dollars taken from the tax provision, 150,000 dollars went to Vice President Xu, I only took…”
“How dare you! Shut your mouth!”
Xu Guansong screamed, his eyes turned red with rage, and a vein protruded visibly on his forehead. He glared at Guo Fu and continued ranting, “You are making unfounded accusations! This is defamation, I will sue you for defaming me!” With generous amounts of saliva spraying liberally around him, those seated close to him inconspicuously took cover…
“Xu Guansong, be honest and ask yourself, is she really defaming you?” Xiao Luo said calmly.
Xiao Luo had all along only wanted to use this case as a severe warning to Xu Guansong. But seeing how things had panned out, he was left with no other choice than to put an end to Xu Guansong’s career. While Xiao Luo was away, this man had committed a blatant act of malfeasance with the head of the finance department and embezzled money from the company. No boss should have to tolerate such a breach of trust.
Xu Guansong put forth his argument without any hesitation, “This is outright defamation. With no evidence, she could simply claim anyone as the culprit.”
Fixing his gaze on Xiao Luo, he said, “I know, all these so-called evidence have all been arranged by you, right? You want to fire me. But if you fire me solely because I have offended your brother, this would only create doubt in our employees’ minds and affect the unity of our company. So, you’ve come up with the perfect excuse, accusing me of committing fraud. This gives you have a good reason to fire me. Xiao Luo, you are really good at these underhanded corporate tricks!’
He even raised an arm in a rally to action, declaring loudly to all the key employees present, “Comrades, please don’t be deceived, I am innocent. Xiao Luo is using conspiracy and trickery to force me to leave. I have already worked in this company for nearly 15 years, and I have dedicated the best years of my life here. But in the end, is this the outcome I deserve? Comrades, in your hearts, don’t you all feel worried? With such a boss, can you all still perform at your jobs with peace of mind?”
“What Vice President Xu has said is right, this has all the makings of a conspiracy. President Xiao’s goal is obvious. He just wants to fire Vice President Xu.”
“It is disappointing to see him use such dishonorable tactics against Vice President Xu, one of our longest-serving employees who has been around for ages. He simply isn’t treating us like humans, despite us toiling and sacrificing so much for the company.”
“I suggest that we all stand together and oppose this overbearing and unreasonable move by President Xiao. As long as we are united, we have safety in numbers, and he can’t fire us all. If he does, the company won’t be able to continue operating!”
Xu Guansong’s followers were vocal, and their attitudes were rebellious and arrogant. They had all been promoted by Xu Guansong and were very loyal to him. Among them were even relatives of Xu Guansong himself, who made up the cliques that gave Xu Guansong their unwavering support in the organization.
BOOM!
Those seated at the table nearly jumped out of their seats in fright. Zhang Dashan was furious and shot up from his chair, slamming both his palms on the table hard. “Big customers will bully shopkeepers, and bad servants would bully their masters. I once thought that these were nothing more than plot in television dramas, so I least expected that I would have the chance to witness it in real life.”
“Ahh, a stick is soon found to beat the dog with…”
Xu Guansong said in deep emotion, then dramatically looked to the heavens, resigned to his fate. It appeared as if a righteous person had been wronged… his performance was flawless.
Many of those who heard Xu Guansong’s impassioned plea earlier, and the voices of support that came after, were swayed. The seeds of doubt had truly been sowed. Those in the room could not cast aside their anxieties and worries for their own wellbeing. That their president, Xiao Luo, could stoop to such an unethical level of deception just to get his own way, raised questions on their own future in the company.
Li Zimeng, Luo Qi, and Lin Chongdong exchanged glances and chose to remain neutral. Although they were convinced that Xiao Luo wasn’t that kind of a person, they found it hard to believe that Xu Guansong would embezzle funds from the company. After all, he had already reached the level of vice president, and besides a high annual salary, he would also receive significant bonuses at the end of each year. Surely he had no need to plunder from the organization.
“Are you done?”
Xiao Luo glanced indifferently at Xu Guansong.
Xu Guansong posed with the demeanor of a man with nothing to hide and held his head high. A guilty man would not act in this way.
Xiao Luo didn’t bother with him, and instead turned to look at Guo Fu, and questioned her, “Department Head Guo, I too want to look at the evidence. Since you said that Xu Guansong has taken the money, you must provide proof to convince everyone. Otherwise, they would think that you are only defaming him.”
Guo Fu bit her lips and hesitated for a while, then she raised the hand holding on to her handphone. “There are bank transaction records on my phone. According to Vice President Xu’s instructions, I transferred the 150,000 dollars into an account in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The account holder is a woman named Wang Xueli.”
Wang Xueli?!
Who was the woman? How was she related to Xu Guansong?
Everyone exchanged quick glances, and this time, they were puzzled. Was there another twist to the plot?
Xu Guansong’s face reddened, but he recovered quickly and confidently said in a clear voice, “I don’t know any Wang Xueli or Zhang Xueli,” cleverly throwing in a variation of the name for good measure.
“Shirley, that’s her English name, don’t you always address her that way?” Guo Fu said, and a tinge of jealousy could be detected in her voice.
“I don’t know what you’re saying. If President Xiao had instructed you to bite me, then you really aren’t doing a good job as a b*tch tasked to do the biting!” Xu Guansong snorted.
Bi*tch?
Hearing the use of that derogatory term, Guo Fu gave him a pained smile as she replied coldly, “Xu Guansong, so I’m a b*tch in your eyes?”
Tears streamed down her face, and she was incredibly hurt.
Everyone was shocked. Just what was going on?
It was at that moment that Guo Fu made up her mind. She opened the private storage in her phone and would expose Xu Guansong for what he was. When the contents were presented to everyone, it caused a stir because the folder was full of the photos of Guo Fu and Xu Guansong together, in bed. In every picture, Xu Guansong was asleep in the nude, looking tired, and Guo Fu had her smiling face in the selfie shots.
Xu Guansong was slack-jawed with shock, and his expression was somewhat moronic like a boy caught with his hands in the cookie jar. He had never expected Guo Fu to have taken photos of them after having sex in motel rooms.
“As what you all have seen, I have been maintaining an immoral relationship with Xu Guansong, or to put it another way, I am… the other woman.”
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Guo Fu had loved Xu Guansong, but he had heartlessly mistreated her, and now she only felt betrayal and hatred. The deeper the love, the deeper the hatred. She sobbed, and said with as much dignity as she could gather, “I took all these photos secretly after he fell asleep. He would never allow me to take pictures of him. I never planned to use them for any purpose other than as mementos of our happy times together. Maybe you all think that I am shameless, or dumb, but which woman wouldn’t after falling in love with a man? Although I knew that this affair would not have a good ending, I was still willing to go with him without hesitation.”