Everything was calm and peaceful within and outside the company.
It seems that Lu Zheng had given prior notice. Given his decisive and iron-fisted approach, a smart person would choose a comfortable job over being fired for gossiping.
Qiao Zhen was pleased with the situation and focused on her work.
As lunchtime approached, Qiao Zhen was exchanging WeChat messages with caregiver Deng when the receptionist leaned closer to her. "Sister Qiao Zhen, let's go have lunch together later?"
"Sorry, I brought my own lunch." Qiao Zhen smiled politely.
"Alright then, let's reschedule for another day." The receptionist left, looking slightly disappointed.
After confirming that Qiao's mother and Qiao Luosheng were both alright, Qiao Zhen and the caregiver Deng went to the break room to take their lunchboxes out of the refrigerator. Some colleagues were already heating up their meals.
"Qiao Zhen, you go first?" her colleague politely asked.
"No need, no need, I'll wait a bit, you guys go first." Qiao Zhen waved her hand, afraid that her colleagues would feel uncomfortable, and decided to go back to her workstation to handle some more work.
"Qiao Zhen, the food you brought looks so delicious and appetizing!" A colleague pulled her aside.
Qiao Zhen said, "Just some home-style dishes that I grabbed from the restaurant."
"Hey, is it just home-style cooking?" My colleague asked curiously, peeking out.
Qiao Zhen's lunchbox lid was semi-transparent, vaguely revealing an enticing and delicious color.
She specifically asked the resort's restaurant to find a takeout container without a logo, and ordered very ordinary home-style dishes, making sure that no one would suspect where the food came from.
"Yes, that's right." Qiao Zhen generously opened the box and showed it to her colleagues.
Sweet and sour pork tenderloin, shiitake mushrooms and greens, plus a plump salt-baked chicken leg—it couldn't be more ordinary.
Colleagues were eager to dig up any clues to determine how Qiao Zhen, who had been affected by the online bullying, had been doing these past two days, where she was hiding, and whether she was under the protection of President Lu.
But they acted no differently than usual.
After Qiao Zhen left, her gossipy colleagues couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"In the small work groups of each department, the supervisors would notify each other that they were not allowed to gossip or affect their work... It seems like a normal company operation, but no matter how I think about it, it feels like it was personally instructed by President Lu."
"It just so happens that news broke at this time that the Best Actress beat up her cheating boyfriend and his mistress. Can you honestly say that someone wasn't deliberately trying to divert attention?"
"Hehe, Qiao Zhen has such a violent and delinquent brother. I wonder what kind of scum she is in private. She actually managed to seduce President Lu and make him fawn over her. I really underestimated her before."
"It seems that the Shen family's daughter is no match for her; she's quite capable."
"That's right. If it were you, would you have the nerve to continue going to work?"
"So let's not discuss this anymore, lest the walls have ears."
On the other side, Qiao Zhen returned to her workstation. As soon as she sat down in the swivel chair, she noticed something was wrong when the wheels at the bottom started turning.
When leaving, the distance between the chair and the table shouldn't be this large.
She looked around and then picked up the bag from the corner.
The zipper was zipped all the way up, and when it was unzipped, all her things were still there. The bank safe deposit box key, hidden in a pack of tissues, was also in its original place, without any signs of being tampered with.
But a strange feeling still lingered in Qiao Zhen's mind.
I wonder if it's because so many things have happened that I'm becoming so paranoid.
"Qiao Zhen, you can heat up your food now," a colleague passing by reminded her.
Qiao Zhen smiled and thanked her, then looked around the entire workstation as she stood up.
Maybe I'm just overthinking things.
Qiao Zhen put down her bag with a wry smile and was about to return to the tea room when her gaze inadvertently fell on the metal fittings of the bag.
The overhead lights poured down without reservation, reflecting a dazzling light onto the metal fittings.
She grabbed her bag and turned it upside down in the light.
A faint fingerprint came into view.
Qiao Zhen doesn't like leaving fingerprints or other marks on metal parts, as they make them look dirty and unsightly. So she's gotten into the habit of not touching them, though she'll wipe them occasionally. The last time she wiped them was on her way to the company today.
The presence of suspicious fingerprints on clean metal accessories suggests that the bag has likely been rummaged through.
To avoid wrongly accusing someone, she took out a small mirror she carried with her and pressed her fingerprint on the mirror.
The difference is quite obvious.
The fingerprints on the metal fittings belonged to someone who was a bit heavier than her.
Looking around the office area, apart from colleagues who brought their own lunch, everyone else had gone downstairs to eat, and I couldn't see anyone suspicious.
Qiao Zhen calmly put down her bag and, on her way to the tea room to heat up her food, told Lu Zheng that her bag had been rummaged through.
Lu Zheng replied a minute later.
"The surveillance footage started after get off work last Friday and has been tampered with. Keep that fingerprint safe; I'll have Xie Yan come and retrieve it."
"good."
Qiao Zhen returned to her workstation and carefully, without telling anyone, transferred the contents of her bag to a handbag, and then carefully put the bag into a non-woven bag.
Soon, Xie Yan arrived.
"What... is Mr. Lu doing?" Qiao Zhen couldn't contain her curiosity and asked.
Xie Yan said, "President Lu is handling all the work and issues, Miss Qiao, please rest assured."
Qiao Zhen's heart rippled, and the waves spread outwards, as if her heart was being gently caressed by a warm hand, without the slightest fear or unease.
She pursed her lips, suppressing her emotions, and said softly, "Please convey my regards to President Lu for his hard work."
Xie Yan readily agreed.
After lunch, Qiao Zhen worked until the end of the workday.
The project team had a small temporary meeting room. By the time it ended, it was already past six o'clock. She was carrying a tote bag downstairs when she saw security guards trying their best to stop two people from entering the building.
"Why are you stopping us? We just want to go in and ask that viperous woman surnamed Qiao why she would allow her brother to harm an ordinary and innocent middle school student and ruin his life!"
Qiao Zhen wore a mask when she took the elevator downstairs, so the other person didn't recognize her.
She clicked her tongue inwardly. With completely unfavorable facts and evidence, the sheer amount of hatred to having so many people around to kill her and her brother was terrifying.
Qiao Zhen quickened her pace and left.
The insults still seem to echo in my ears.
She gazed blankly at the bustling city with its traffic and towering buildings until she reached a familiar intersection and saw a black SUV parked on the side of the road.
A pair of familiar eyes were visible through the half-open car window.
Her blurry vision suddenly cleared, and she immediately opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
"Did you find anything?" Qiao Zhen asked impatiently.
Lu Zheng said, "We will collect fingerprints from several key targets at the company tonight, and the results should be available by midnight at the earliest."
Qiao Zhen frowned: "When I left the company, I ran into security guards stopping the troublemakers. It seems like the two of them timed their appearance precisely when I came downstairs. It's been more than an hour since the normal closing time, and only the project team is left in the company. Who tipped me off...?"
Lu Zheng reached out and hooked his hand on the seatbelt, his upper body almost pressed against Qiao Zhen's. "It should be the same person who went through your bag."
"Then let's wait for the fingerprint investigation results..." Qiao Zhen took the seatbelt and pushed Lu Zheng away with one hand, "You're all sweaty..."
Lu Zheng's slightly lowered gaze slid from her eyebrows to her sweaty collar. "It's okay, you'll have to wash it when you get home anyway."
Speaking of this, Qiao Zhen remembered something, "Where are we staying tonight?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com