"What! What kind of attitude is this!" The office director, who was promoted by Zhang Zufeng and was most loyal to her, blocked Qin Xiaoyu from leaving.

"I think you still don't know what happened, do you?" Qin Xiaoyu bluntly stated, and Zhang Zufeng panicked upon seeing this.

"Stop making a scene, listen to the leader's instructions, and go back to work. It's not worth losing your jobs because of me!"

At this time, she was still trying to be a good person and win people's hearts.

"No, let's make it clear. Anyway, it will be announced at the conference tomorrow or the day after, so one more day won't make a difference." Qin Xiaoyu ignored her and continued, "Your factory director Zhang has embezzled public funds by abusing his position, causing significant economic losses to the factory. The amount is enough to warrant a case."

"What? Impossible! How come I didn't know that!" The office director was frightened first and hurriedly tried to exonerate himself.

These people weren't stupid. They didn't know if it was true or not, so they all put on surprised and frightened expressions, walked around Zhang Zufeng, and stood their ground.

When it comes to corruption, it's a scary topic. In those days, discovering economic problems was a serious crime, ruining one's reputation. Some people were already calculating in their minds how much the small favors Zhang Zufeng had given her were worth.

"I'm dizzy." Zhang Zufeng couldn't save face any longer. She covered her head and swayed unsteadily. She couldn't find a place to lie down. Seeing that no one paid attention to her, she had no choice but to recite her lines herself.

"Let's go, and call a doctor for her while we're at it." With Qin Xiaoyu's words, the room was cleared, and everyone rushed out.

In the end, Qin Xiaoyu had to go and call the doctor herself. This is a classic case of "when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter," and Zhang Zufeng no longer had any close friends.

This made the investigation of the factory much easier, and the accounts were quickly thoroughly checked.

This time, Qin Xiaoyu showed no leniency. She reassigned all the people involved to their original positions, either placing them on standby or transferring them to less important departments.

Under her pressure, Factory Director Zhang has agreed to compensate the factory for its economic losses, and Qin Xiaoyu reserves the right to sue her.

After handling the entire incident, Qin Xiaoyu wrote down the details and sent them to Sister Zhang, asking her to use it as a template for public criticism throughout the entire Riyue Apparel Group, as a warning to others.

When Qin Xiaoyu and A Lei returned to the city, the modeling team had already recruited fifteen new members. This time, Qin Xiaoyu revised her recruitment criteria, making the height requirements stricter and the body proportions more scientific. Learning from this experience, she also lowered the age limit to 18, hoping to extend a model's career.

Because of her preferential conditions, and the fact that being a model meant better pay than being a factory worker, and that she wouldn't be fired if she got married and had children, families who had concerns about her were relieved, and the number of applicants increased significantly.

With this reserve force, Qin Xiaoyu felt more confident.

"I've noticed you're getting more and more ruthless," A Lei remarked sincerely after following Qin Xiaoyu for several days.

“I have to be ruthless. Now I have more responsibility and I have to be responsible for more people.” Qin Xiaoyu is much more mature than before.

Xiao Mengting had invited them to her wedding beforehand, and it was on her way back to the city anyway.

On the way back to the city, it was convenient, and Qin Xiaoyu also wanted to take a look at the factory there, so she readily agreed.

Qin Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment about what gift to give. Meng Ting was alright, but Zhu Jiudi was not so easy to deal with.

"Auntie, come to my place and pick whichever one you need," Tang Long said, reminding Qin Xiaoyu.

"Then I won't be polite," Qin Xiaoyu threatened.

"I won't mind if you take everything, go ahead and move it." Tang Long laughed.

Joking aside, Qin Xiaoyu really did need to go to Tang Long to get something. After searching for a while, she found a tea set from the Southern Song Dynasty. Back then, the focus was on brewing tea, and a tea set typically consisted of more than a dozen pieces. This set was in good condition and presentable.

"Xiaoyu, stay for two more days. The acquisition of Dafeng is done. Take a look before you leave."

My cousin-in-law brought news that the acquisition of Dafa Mall was progressing well, and her offer had been basically accepted.

Qin Xiaoyu was still interested in this matter, so she decided to wait a few days.

My cousin's wife bought a building at a very low price, and there are still many unsold goods.

These items had been sealed away for over a year, and some of the food items had expired. My sister-in-law had learned her lesson, so she disposed of everything, leaving none behind.

As for those usable but outdated products, we'll deal with them in one go, which will create some buzz.

Qin Xiaoyu helped her cousin-in-law name the new shopping mall "Xin Hengchang".

On the opening day of the new Hengchang, the place was packed with people, much more popular than Bai Weiwei's back then.

Qin Xiaoyu watched the commotion for a while, and was just about to head home when she heard A Lei's cell phone ringing.

The old-fashioned mobile phones are still bulky and have poor signal, but they are still useful in critical moments, so you have to keep them with you. Anyway, you have a good helper like A Lei.

It was Sister Zhang calling. She hesitated for a long time before finally saying that she wanted to borrow money.

"How much do you want to borrow?" Qin Xiaoyu asked, a question mark forming in her mind.

Sister Zhang is a retired government employee with a much higher salary than the average person. Both of her children work in government offices and are married, so neither of them is a burden to her. Therefore, if she needs to borrow money, it must be something serious.

"Xiaoyu, just tell me, how much can you lend me at most?" Sister Zhang's words confirmed Qin Xiaoyu's suspicions; there was still a problem.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"I... I did it for Lu Di," Sister Zhang said with difficulty.

Qin Xiaoyu then realized that Lu Di's unusual quietness lately wasn't because he was too busy with work to remember her, but because he was seriously ill and hospitalized. In Sister Zhang's words, his illness was caused by overwork.

The current situation is that there is still hope, but money is needed.

Lu Di doesn't have much savings, and he spends his money wisely, either on poverty alleviation or helping students. His daughter is supported by his parents-in-law.

"That old couple, although they have high retirement pensions, they're not good at managing money. They raised their daughter like a princess and sent her abroad to study, which almost depleted their savings. Raising their granddaughter is also a money pit," Sister Zhang said with a sigh.

"There's hardly anyone at his home?"

"Don't even mention it. The Lu family has only produced one successful person. The rest are all intellectuals, but they're all poor, pedantic scholars who can only stare blankly. When it's time to hire someone, they're useless. They have no strength and no money."

"Isn't the house public property too?" Qin Xiaoyu finally understood their family's situation; it was all just a facade of prosperity.

“Yes, it’s a government-owned house. It’s allocated when you reach a certain rank, and it will be taken back later.” Sister Zhang said helplessly, “He’s not that old, and he’s such a good person. His children are still young, so everyone wanted to help him. Many people donated money. But he’s also offended quite a few people. Many people curse and criticize him behind his back.”

“People’s hearts are like that; when you need them, who dares to criticize them? Sister Zhang, I’m going to the provincial capital tomorrow, so don’t worry about this matter.”

After discussing it with A Lei, Qin Xiaoyu headed straight for the provincial capital the next day. Despite A Lei's usual jealous and petty nature, he was quite decisive when it came to serious matters.