Chapter 202 Exposed

After he finished speaking, he raised his head, his eyes filled with a mixture of anticipation and unease.

Many companies are after media exposure; once the money arrives, they have to release a press release.

They are not simply doing charity; they hope to enhance their brand image and gain public favor through this.

If the Song family, as the initiator, breaks its promise, all partners will be implicated, and a public relations crisis will erupt instantly.

Manager Chen knew that his responsibility was not only to supervise funds, but also to be the trust hub of the entire incident chain.

He has several mountains pressing down on him.

The boss's questioning, the media's inquiries, and the donation company's doubts were like three knives hanging over my head.

He dared not wait any longer, nor dared to be perfunctory. He could only stand there with a stiff upper lip, trying to pry a clear answer out of Song Xiaoxiao.

Every second of silence made him feel suffocated.

Song Xiaoxiao's lips moved slightly as she looked around—

Outside the office, reporters had already surrounded the corridor, their cameras and microphones pointed at the door, flashes going off frequently.

Light streamed through the glass wall, allowing her to see the throngs of people and the cameras held high outside.

On any other day, she could have easily found an excuse to send Manager Chen away and then secretly made up for the money.

The flashes were everywhere, all from camera lenses.

Every action and every word will be magnified and interpreted, edited into news clips, and spread across the entire internet.

She couldn't say "there were financial problems," because that would be tantamount to admitting mismanagement;

She couldn't say "the money hasn't been raised yet," as that would directly lead to a collapse of trust.

She could only delay, and delay some more.

If no one had taken the photos, she could have easily gotten away with it.

She could even fabricate an excuse about a system malfunction, or shift the blame to the bank, and then slowly clean up the mess.

But now, everyone's eyes are on her, and even the rhythm of her breathing can become a topic of conversation.

She knew she had no way out.

But now, if you say one wrong word, the whole internet will explode.

She stared at Manager Chen, her eyes filled with a complex mix of anger and apprehension.

She knew she couldn't refuse outright anymore, otherwise it would only escalate the conflict and invite even fiercer criticism.

She gritted her teeth: "The finance person is on leave today. I'll have him give you a reply tomorrow."

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, carrying a hint of deliberate composure.

She tried to remain calm, even managing a faint smile, as if it were just a minor incident.

But her fingertips trembled slightly, and her hands, hidden under her sleeves, clenched into fists.

"ah?"

The man's eyes widened in disbelief.

He stood up abruptly, the color draining from his face instantly.

"A request for leave? A request for leave at a time like this?"

He raised his voice, then quickly lowered it, afraid of being overheard.

"But this money is for saving lives! The children in the mountains are waiting for surgery, and the hospital has already scheduled appointments!"

He almost blurted it out, but he forced it back down, leaving only a heavy breath.

At this moment, Song Zhiwei spoke softly: "How about I tell everyone the truth?"

Her voice was soft, yet it was like a knife, precisely slicing through the silence of the air.

She stood in the corner of the office, wearing a plain dress, her hair neatly draped over her shoulders, her expression calm and serene.

But those eyes revealed a sharpness that could not be ignored.

Song Xiaoxiao's heart clenched suddenly.

She abruptly turned to look at Song Zhiwei, her pupils contracting sharply, as if she had seen the last person who should be there.

Her breath hitched, and her heart skipped a beat, as if something uncontrollable was gushing out from the crack.

No one knew better than Song Zhiwei that the Song family's accounts were already empty.

The company appears glamorous on the surface, but in reality, her sister had already misappropriated funds to cover the losses from failed investments in earlier years.

The accounts looked perfect, but an expert could spot the anomaly in the working capital at a glance.

And Song Zhiwei was the one who knew the accounts best.

Her eyes flickered, and her voice tightened: "Don't talk nonsense..."

Song Xiaoxiao almost growled, her voice extremely low, carrying a threat and warning.

Her hand suddenly reached out towards Song Zhiwei, but stopped in mid-air, afraid that the movement would be captured by the cameras outside.

Her face had turned from white to pale, and cold sweat was seeping from her forehead.

Song Zhiwei ignored her completely, her voice calm and unhurried: "The money is still in your personal bank card."

She approached step by step, speaking steadily, each word clearly identifiable.

“You didn’t use the company account or the foundation’s channels at all. All your promises were just a performance.”

She raised her head slightly, her gaze sharp as a knife, piercing Song Xiaoxiao's heart.

She looked directly at Song Xiaoxiao and said, word by word, "Since it's a public fundraising event, you shouldn't mind cooperating with the bank to check your bank statements, right?"

Her words were calm, yet contained the power of thunder.

After she finished speaking, she slowly took out a copy of a court investigation letter from her bag and gently placed it on the table.

“I have applied for a temporary regulatory order. As long as you nod, the bank system can retrieve the fund flow for the past seven days within three minutes.”

The air seemed to freeze.

Everyone froze in place, even Manager Chen forgot to breathe.

Outside the office, the flashes of light continued to flicker, but even the clicking sound seemed to have become slow and heavy.

Time seemed to stretch out, and every second felt like an ordeal.

Song Xiaoxiao didn't say anything.

She stood there, her body swaying slightly, her fingers gripping the corner of the table so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes darted back and forth between Song Zhiwei, Manager Chen, and the camera at the door.

Looking up, I saw cameras everywhere.

She could see her reflection in the glass—disheveled, pale, and panicked.

She finally realized that she had no way out.

The original plan was to wait until tomorrow, quietly transfer the money, and erase all traces.

She originally planned to work overnight to split the funds in her personal account into multiple small transfers and then repatriate them through overseas channels to completely clear her name.

But now, every minute and every second feels like a countdown.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket; it was a message from the finance department: "Sis, the bank's system has just been locked down by an investigation and can't be accessed."

She closed her eyes, her fingernails digging deeply into her palms.

If she doesn't acknowledge it today, the leadership of the Song family will be handed over to Song Zhiwei.

The family elders have long been dissatisfied with her autocratic ways, and once this incident is confirmed, the board of directors will immediately convene an emergency meeting.

Song Zhiwei, as the only person who can provide complete financial evidence, will become the new person in power.

But she dared not check the transaction records—if she did, the whole thing would be exposed.

Those huge transfers, private expenses, and casino turnover will all be exposed one by one.

Her reputation, status, freedom, and even criminal liability will all collapse along with her.

Her fingers trembled slightly, her fingertips were icy cold, and she could barely hold the phone.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, took her phone out of her bag, hesitated for a moment on the screen, and finally dialed that familiar number.

"Ah Yan..." Her voice was soft and cloying, with a hint of deliberate grievance and dependence, "I've run into trouble at the Song family's, the situation is a bit complicated, can you come over? Right now..."

I really need you.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a very soft reply—

"Um."