Chapter 104: Framed! (Part 1)
Starlight Technology, top floor, chairman's office.
Yu Ling sat behind a large and heavy mahogany desk. She was wearing a well-tailored dark gray women's suit, which made her look more calm and unquestionable than she was a few months ago.
She became the chairman of Starlight Technology by buying 35% of the company's shares with 100,000 yuan under Zhao Chen's operation. The company's market value exceeded 100 million yuan, making her the company's largest shareholder and being elected as the chairman.
Yet, at that moment, beneath her straight back, the familiar, sinking pain emanating from deep within her abdomen was like a malicious mockery, invading her forced composure. The first day of her period was always particularly difficult, bringing a chill to her fingertips.
She put down the report on the quarterly promotion plan of the "Xinghai" AI cloud platform, pressed her lower abdomen unconsciously with her fingertips, and frowned slightly.
Reaching out and opening the first drawer on the left, my fingertips familiarly touched the warm cylinder—a silver thermos tumbler with simple geometric lines. Unscrewing the lid, the rich, mellow aroma of brown sugar mingled with the distinctive spicy, warming aroma of aged ginger instantly filled the air, dispelling the chill of the cedarwood.
It's him.
Zhao Chen.
He always did this, remembering everything about her vividly. This morning, as he was leaving, he solemnly reported, "Mr. Chairman, today's strategic supplies have been deployed to the first position to the left of your desk. Please ensure you replenish your energy on time and maintain peak combat condition."
That serious "subordinate" look, coupled with the mischievous smile that could not be hidden in her eyes, could always easily pierce through her forced seriousness.
A sip of warm brown sugar water slid down her throat, and the warmth spread, slightly soothing the discomfort in her stomach. Yu Ling breathed a sigh of relief and was about to put the cup back.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
There was a knock on the door.
Yu Ling paused, and the string in her heart, which had just relaxed a little due to the warmth, instantly tightened!
"Come in." Her voice was steady, and there was nothing unusual to hear. She gently put the thermos back into the drawer and closed it.
The door was pushed open.
It wasn't the secretary who came in, but three people.
Leading the group was Zhou Zheng, the legal director of Starlight Technology. He was about forty years old, with a square face and eagle-like eyes. He was dressed in a sharp, dark suit, meticulously dressed. Behind him followed two legal department specialists, also wearing dark suits, with solemn expressions and sharp eyes.
Zhou Zheng walked straight to the large desk without any hesitation or greeting, and placed a thin tablet computer in his hand on the mahogany table in front of Yu Ling.
"Mr. Yu, excuse me. Could you please explain this?" He tapped his finger lightly on the tablet screen.
The screen lit up instantly.
A screenshot of a bank statement filled the entire screen.
Recipient: An extremely unfamiliar personal account with a meaningless combination of pinyin names.
Amount: RMB 800,000.
Time: Marked as three days ago.
In the remarks column, a few bold black characters pierced Yu Ling's sight like a poisoned dagger: "Xinghai Platform Core Algorithm Advance Payment"!
And the account name of the remittance party...was Yu Ling's name and the bank card number under her name!
"This is impossible!" Yu Ling's heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an icy hand. She raised her head abruptly, her voice rising slightly in shock and anger. The last trace of color instantly faded from her face, and the pain in her stomach suddenly intensified, causing fine, cold sweat to seep out of her forehead.
"Director Zhou! I have never transferred money to this account! I don't even know this person! This is definitely a fake!" Her fingertips turned white from pressing hard on the table.
"Forgery?" Zhou Zheng's face showed no expression. He slid his fingers across the tablet and pulled up another document - a complete screenshot of an email.
Sender: Yu Ling’s exclusive email address as Chairman of Starlight Technology.
Recipient: The email address corresponding to the receiving account.
The email was concise, cold, and deadly:
"We've received the information and the preliminary assessment shows it's very valuable. We've already paid a down payment of NT$800,000, with the balance subject to final delivery quality. It's been a pleasure working with you. — Yu Ling"
Sent time: It matches the time of the 800,000 transfer record exactly to the second!
"The mail server log clearly shows that the sending IP address is exactly the dedicated intranet fixed IP address of your office computer."
Zhou Zheng's voice was like a cold gavel, hammering down on Yu Ling's heart. "The Technical Security Department has conducted a preliminary verification and found no trace of technical forgery in the email content, sender information, or routing."
boom--!
Yu Ling felt her vision go dark and the world was spinning! A perfect trap! A fake transfer! A fake email! They even used the exclusive IP address of her office computer!
Every detail was incredibly precise, each linking closely together like a meticulously choreographed script! Not only did they want to frame her for stealing secrets, they also wanted to incriminate her with "instructing others" and "financial transactions"! This was to completely nail her to the pillar of shame, forever forbidding her to rise!
"This is a frame-up! This is a swindle! A complete conspiracy!" Yu Ling stood up abruptly, her hands resting on the cold tabletop. Her body trembled slightly from extreme anger and abdominal cramps, her voice hoarse with despair:
"Director Zhou! I demand the immediate launch of a top-level internal investigation! Thoroughly check the IP access logs! Thoroughly check all email server operation records! Thoroughly investigate..."
"Mr. Yu!" Zhou Zheng interrupted her sharply, his eyes sharp with a condescending scrutiny and a subtle hint of complexity:
"Representatives from Xinyue Technology, along with their legal counsel and what they claim to be key 'witnesses' and a complete chain of physical evidence, have arrived at the company. They have formally lodged a solemn complaint with Starlight Technology, accusing you, as the company's chairman, of instructing a third party to steal the secrets of the soon-to-be-released 'Skyscreen' AI core algorithm and paying a hefty advance fee. The evidence is complete."
He paused, and every word he said was like a nail tempered with ice, fiercely chiseling into Yu Ling's eardrum:
"Just ten minutes ago, the company officially received a lawyer's letter from Xinyue Technology, as well as a copy of the case filing notice from the Haicheng Intermediate People's Court."
Zhou Zheng's eyes were fixed on Yu Ling's instantly pale face. His voice was cold and formulaic, pronouncing the cruel reality:
"In view of the seriousness of the situation and the evidence currently available, the board of directors has voted at an emergency meeting (you abstained from voting) to make the following decision: Effective immediately, you will be suspended from your position as Chairman of Starlight Technology and all related positions. You will fully cooperate with the internal and judicial investigations. All your system access and decision-making authority will be frozen until the results of the investigation are clear. Furthermore, the company reserves the right to pursue legal action against you based on the results of the investigation. Please understand and cooperate."
Suspension of duties.
Freeze permissions.
Notice of case filing.
Legal liability.
These words, like invisible shackles, instantly pinned Yu Ling to the mahogany chair, a symbol of power. She was instantly overwhelmed by the immense humiliation, the anger of betrayal, and the despair of isolation and helplessness. Zhou Zheng's solemn face and the luxurious furnishings of the office began to distort and blur.
Gu Qianqian! It's you again! What a ruthless move! This time, you're targeting her position as chairman!
Just then—
“Buzz…Buzz…”
The cell phone she placed in the inside pocket of her suit vibrated clearly and continuously through the thin fabric.
Yu Ling's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Yu Ling endured the churning pain in her stomach and the soreness that almost burst through her eyes. Under Zhou Zheng's cold gaze, she reached into the inside pocket of her suit with a somewhat stiff movement and took out her cell phone.
The screen is on.
A new message lay quietly on the lock screen.
Sender: Clingy person.
Content: "The brown sugar water is in the left drawer. Drink it up. Don't be afraid."
Just ten simple words.
I didn't ask her what she was doing or why she didn't reply to my message.
There is only the simplest reminder and those two words - "Don't be afraid."
In this cold moment when she was deprived of power, framed and slandered, and abandoned by the whole world, he was the only one, this "clingy guy", who was still wondering whether she had drunk the cup of brown sugar water, and was still telling her not to be afraid.
She gripped the phone tightly, the cold metal shell almost embedding into her palm, but it became the only hot fulcrum at the moment.
"Pack your personal belongings. Security personnel will accompany you out of the company later." Zhou Zheng's voice was still cold. "We need to temporarily seal your office computer, work phone and this personal communication device for evidence collection. Please cooperate." He gestured to the legal affairs officer behind him.
Yu Ling didn't resist, but nodded numbly. She opened the drawer on her left, pulled out the silver thermos cup with simple geometric lines, and hugged it tightly to her chest. The warm cup pressed against her cold fingertips, the only source of warmth and support at this moment.
Under Zhou Zheng's cold gaze, and accompanied by two legal affairs officers who acted like prisoners, Yu Ling walked towards the office door step by step, holding her thermos cup.
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