The taxi's two red taillights, like two unwilling sparks, were quickly swallowed by the night.
The university gates have returned to their usual tranquility, with only the dim streetlights illuminating the few students returning home late.
Ye Linchen withdrew his gaze and looked at Gu Jingran beside him: "It seems that her company is really up to something."
If there were no ghosts, Meng Zihan would never have been so frightened by her few words that she fled in panic.
Gu Jingran said in a deep voice, "There's definitely something fishy going on. I've heard about the person behind her; he's a notorious old fox. Meng Zihan isn't smart enough for him to fool. He can probably coax Meng Zihan back with just a few words. When that happens, she won't understand how she was betrayed, and she'll hold you responsible and come looking for trouble."
Ye Linchen shrugged and said nonchalantly, "We'll deal with whatever comes our way. If she comes again, I'll just keep going."
"Don't worry," Gu Jingran looked at her, his eyes full of affection, "I've already asked my assistant in Hong Kong to keep an eye on things. If anything happens, I'll let you know immediately so you're aware of the situation."
"Okay, thank you." Ye Linchen thanked him sincerely.
This man always thought further ahead than she did, silently shielding her from all potential risks.
“Here we go again,” Gu Jingran glared at her, feigning displeasure. “Do we need to talk about this between us? If you keep being so polite, I’m really going to get angry.”
"Let's keep things separate." Ye Linchen smiled and took his arm, leaning closer to him, and said in a cheeky manner, "Of course we have to thank our President Gu properly for Meng Zihan's mess. As for other things, I promise I won't be polite to you."
She tilted her head back and suggested, "It's still early, shall we go for a walk?"
Seeing that she wasn't affected by the earlier farce, Gu Jingran breathed a sigh of relief.
He parked the car, took her hand, and the two walked side by side on the tree-lined path in the university campus.
The campus is exceptionally quiet at night, without colorful neon lights or noisy commotion, only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional laughter coming from the dormitory buildings in the distance.
The two walked slowly, their shadows stretching long under the streetlights. Occasionally, classmates on bicycles would pass by, their bells ringing crisply, adding to the lively atmosphere.
This peaceful and beautiful night was a world apart from the raging storm that Meng Zihan would face after returning home.
The next afternoon, Ye Linchen and Li Hongying had just returned from the library when the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open with a bang.
Lin Xuemei rushed in, dragging a large canvas duffel bag, her face beaming with undisguised joy.
"I'm back!"
She put her bag on the ground and took out sausages, smoked meat, and several packets of fried rice candy, all wrapped tightly in plastic bags.
"This is a local specialty from our hometown, come and try it!"
Ye Linchen quickly stepped forward to take the things: "Didn't you say you were going to stay a few more days? Why are you back so soon?"
"Everything's settled, what's the point of me staying here?"
While wiping her sweat, Lin Xuemei said happily, "Our startup project has reached a critical moment, so I can't let them down!"
Just as Li Hongying was about to nibble on some fried rice candy, she quickly asked, "How was it? Xuemei, were your boyfriend's family members easy to get along with? Did they give you any trouble?"
"Everything's going well!" Lin Xuemei's cheeks flushed. "His parents love me, and my parents think my boyfriend is honest and reliable. We've already planned to get married as soon as we graduate!"
"That's wonderful!" Li Hongying exclaimed enviously. "You're amazing! Your first love is headed straight for marriage. You're a true winner in life! I'm looking forward to your wedding!"
"You'll definitely be included!" Lin Xuemei waved her hand generously. "You'll have to be my bridesmaid!"
The dormitory was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
After laughing and joking for a while, the girls turned their attention back to their ongoing startup project report, chattering about the details of the market research and business plan.
Meanwhile, in the port city thousands of miles away, the scene was quite different.
Meng Zihan ran all the way from the airport to the company.
"Where's Linda!" she shouted to the receptionist as soon as she entered the room.
The receptionist was startled and said timidly, "She went to the factory to check out the new fabrics and hasn't come back yet."
"When are you coming back?" Meng Zihan pressed.
"Maybe...maybe this afternoon, or tomorrow." The little girl looked at her face and carefully added, "Or, should I page Linda and ask her to come back as soon as possible?"
Meng Zihan had a sudden thought: it was good that Linda wasn't there, as it would make it easier for her to look things up.
Ye Linchen's words reminded her, making her restless; she didn't want to wait even a second longer.
"No need!" She waved her hand at the receptionist. "Let her look at the materials in peace, don't bother her. You, go and bring me this month's company ledger to my office."
"Huh? The ledger?"
The girl was stunned. The boss had never asked to see this thing before, since the company was founded.
"What do you mean 'huh'? Just go when I tell you to!"
Meng Zihan snapped impatiently, then turned and stomped into the office in her high heels.
The receptionist didn't dare to delay. After thinking for a moment, she secretly slipped aside and made a phone call to Linda.
After listening to the phone call, Linda remained silent for a few seconds, then chuckled softly.
"She wants to see the ledger? Sure, just send her that account book," Linda said nonchalantly.
With Meng Zihan's brain, could she even understand what debit and credit are?
Even if she looks at it, she won't be able to figure it out, which shuts her up and prevents her from being suspicious every day.
Following Linda's instructions, the receptionist quickly arrived at Meng Zihan's office carrying a thick ledger.
Meng Zihan took the ledger and spread it out on the desk.
The ledger was filled with dense tables and numbers. She only flipped through two pages before feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
She suppressed her frustration and patiently turned the pages one by one.
She genuinely didn't understand, but she wasn't stupid.
When she turned to the middle, she suddenly noticed something was wrong.
The ledger clearly recorded several large sums of money that made her heart race, but within two days, almost the same amount was transferred out.
What made her even more uneasy was that the names and account numbers of those large expenditures were all the same!
This is definitely not right!
What kind of clothing business can have millions of dollars coming in and going out so quickly every few days?
Or should the money be transferred to the same account?
It's obvious that Linda is behind this!
She used her company to engage in money laundering!
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