Factory Director Wang leaned closer to Liu Lu, lowered his voice, and said, "I heard... it was Vice President Li who was behind this." Vice President Li, who was in charge of the group's finances and investments, was known for his iron-fisted approach and held a pivotal position within the group.
Liu Lu was startled. If it was Vice President Li who was behind this, then things would be tricky.
"Why did Vice President Li do this?" Liu Lu asked, puzzled.
"I heard that Vice President Li's nephew is also in charge of a project within the group, which is in competition with your S project," Factory Director Wang said meaningfully. "Do you understand what I mean?"
Liu Lu understood instantly.
It turns out it was a conflict of interest!
In order to secure more resources for his nephew's project, Vice President Li went so far as to suppress Project S.
A surge of anger burned within Liu Lu, but she tried her best to control herself and did not show it.
"Thank you for telling me all this, Director Wang," Liu Lu said gratefully.
"Xiao Liu, I know you've had a tough time, but you must remember that in the company, ability alone isn't enough; you also need to learn how to protect yourself," Director Wang said earnestly, patting Liu Lu on the shoulder.
Liu Lu returned to her office and carefully considered what Director Wang had said.
She knew she had to find evidence to bring down Vice President Li.
Over the next few days, Liu Lu tried to find out the reason for the funding cuts, but she was met with setbacks everywhere.
The finance department remained tight-lipped, and other departments also kept quiet about it.
Everyone avoided talking about her, as if she were a plague.
Liu Lu felt isolated and helpless, but she did not give up.
She recalled that when she was in the factory, in order to improve the production process, she went deep into the workshop, ate and lived with the workers, and eventually won their trust and support.
This time, she will use the same method to find the truth.
Using the connections she had built up while working at the factory, Liu Lu began to privately contact some of the lower-level employees.
She listened patiently to their stories, searching for clues.
Persistence pays off. She finally discovered that a department manager with ties to a competitor had been frequently visiting Vice President Li's office recently, and their conversations were quite secretive.
"It seems my guess was right," Liu Lu thought to herself. "Vice President Li was indeed up to no good behind the scenes."
She decided to find the department manager and extract the truth from him.
That day, Liu Lu waited downstairs at the company and finally met the department manager.
"Consultant Liu, what a coincidence!" The department manager's face showed a hint of panic when he saw Liu Lu.
"Yes, what a coincidence." Liu Lu smiled slightly. "I was just about to have a chat with you."
"Talk? Talk about what?" The department manager's eyes flickered uncertainly.
“Let’s talk about…” Liu Lu paused deliberately, then said slowly and deliberately, “The issue of funding cuts for Project S.”
The department manager's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously took a step back.
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything.
Liu Lu stared intently at him, her eyes filled with a sense of pressure.
"I..." the department manager's voice trembled, "I..."
"What did you say?" Liu Lu pressed closer.
Sweat beaded on the department manager's forehead. He looked around and, finding no one paying attention to them, relaxed slightly.
“Alright, Consultant Liu,” he said in a low voice, “I’ll tell you the truth…”
"Shh..." Liu Lu suddenly made a shushing gesture and turned her gaze to the figure walking not far away.
"It seems we should talk somewhere else." Liu Lu led the department manager to a coffee shop near the company and found a quiet corner to sit down.
"Can we talk now?" Liu Lu asked directly.
The department manager wiped the sweat from his brow, nervously looked around, and only after confirming that no one was paying attention did he stammer, "Vice President Li...indeed...instructed me..." He then recounted the whole story in fits and starts. In order to get more resources for his nephew's project, Vice President Li instructed him to secretly cut funding for Project S, promising him a promotion and a raise after the job was done.
Liu Lu listened calmly and recorded everything he said.
After obtaining the recording, Liu Lu did not immediately confront Vice President Li, but instead went home to be with her daughter, Liu Bei.
As soon as she opened the door, Liu Bei happily jumped into her arms, chattering about the interesting things that happened at school.
Liu Lu hugged her daughter tightly, feeling the warmth of family, and all the fatigue of the day disappeared.
Liu Bei's childlike voice was like a clear spring, washing away the restlessness in her heart.
The next morning, Liu Lu went directly to the department manager's office.
The department manager was in the morning meeting when he saw Liu Lu suddenly appear, and his face turned pale instantly.
Liu Lu walked straight up to him and, in front of all her subordinates, turned on the recording pen.
The department manager's voice echoed clearly in the office. His face was pale, his lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.
The subordinates watched this scene in shock, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Liu Lu.
"Is there anything else you want to say?" Liu Lu asked coldly.
The department manager slumped in his chair, his eyes vacant; he knew he was finished.
Liu Lu turned and left, leaving the department manager alone to face the questioning and disdainful looks of his subordinates.
"Consultant Liu, please wait!" The department manager suddenly called out to her, a sinister smile appearing on his face. "You think you've won just like that? Even if you solve this problem..." The department manager's face darkened, his tone carrying a hint of threat: "You think you've won just like that? Even if you solve this problem, I'll sabotage you elsewhere and make sure you can't stay in this group!"
Liu Lu stopped and slowly turned around. There was no panic in her eyes, but rather a cold chill.
“I’m never afraid of threats,” she said firmly, each word carrying weight. “You’re welcome to try. But let me warn you, if you continue to do evil, I won’t show any mercy. I will make sure you can’t stay in this group anymore, and you pay the price for what you did today!”
The department manager was intimidated by Liu Lu's imposing manner; he hadn't expected this seemingly weak woman to be so tough.
He originally thought that as long as he applied a little pressure, Liu Lu would give in, after all, she was just a newcomer to the technical advisor position.
But he was wrong; Liu Lu was much more resilient than he had imagined.
He hesitated, knowing that Liu Lu was not someone who would compromise easily.
If he continues to oppose her, he may very well end up shooting himself in the foot.
He began to regret his impulsive actions; he shouldn't have offended Liu Lu for the sake of Vice President Li's interests.
Liu Lu watched the department manager's changing expressions and a cold smile appeared on her lips.
She knew she had won the battle.
She didn't say anything more and turned to leave the office.
Back in her office, Liu Lu took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
She knew that this battle had only just begun, and she had more important tasks to complete.
She must resolve the funding issues for Project S as soon as possible to get the project back on track.
She turned on her computer and began organizing project materials, preparing to report the project's progress to the group's senior management.
She believed that as long as she could prove the value of the project, she would definitely gain the support of higher-ups.
Just then, there was a knock on the office door.
Liu Lu looked up and saw a familiar figure standing at the door.
"Advisor Liu," the visitor said with a smile, "let's talk."
Looking at the newcomer, Liu Lu felt a vague sense of unease.
This person is...
The visitor was the group's chairman. He had heard about the cuts in funding for Project S and came specifically to find out what was going on.
Liu Lu did not dare to be negligent and gave a detailed report on the project's progress and the reasonable allocation plan for funds.
After listening, the chairman praised Liu Lu's professionalism and dedication, and decided on the spot to increase the investment in Project S.
The news caused an uproar within the group.
Those who were originally waiting to see Liu Lu make a fool of herself were all dumbfounded.
They never imagined that Liu Lu would be able to turn the tide and gain the chairman's support.
Vice President Li was so angry that his face turned ashen. He never expected that his plan would fail at the last minute.
With sufficient funding, Project S was able to proceed smoothly.
Liu Lu led her team to work day and night, and the project progressed very smoothly.
However, just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, Liu Lu discovered some discordant voices within the team.
Some employees who were originally proactive began to become passive and even deliberately delayed project progress.
Liu Lu sensed something was wrong and suspected that these people had been bribed by competitors to sabotage Project S.
To verify her suspicions, Liu Lu began to secretly observe the actions of these employees.
She discovered that these people often contacted each other secretly in private, and their behavior had become unusually furtive.
One night, Liu Lu was working late when she overheard whispers coming from outside her office.
She quietly walked to the door and, through the crack, saw several employees gathered together, discussing something with tense expressions.
“Vice President Li promised to give us a sum of money, as long as we can delay the progress of Project S…” one of the employees said.
“But, wouldn’t doing this…” another employee hesitated.
"What's there to be afraid of! As long as we're careful, we won't be discovered..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Lu already knew the answer in her heart.
She pushed the door open abruptly and went out.
The employees turned pale with fright when they saw Liu Lu.
"You..." Liu Lu looked at them coldly, "What else is there to say?"
One of the employees mustered his courage and said, "Consultant Liu, you...you must have misheard..."
Liu Lu ignored his excuses and turned her gaze to another employee: "What about you? Do you think so too?"
The employee kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with Liu Lu.
“Very well,” Liu Lu said coldly, “you have all been fired.”
“You…you can’t fire us!” one of the employees shouted excitedly. “We…we didn’t do anything wrong!”
"Whether you did something wrong or not, you know the answer in your hearts." After saying that, Liu Lu turned and left the office.
She walked to the end of the corridor, stopped, and looked back at the dismissed employees.
They all hung their heads in dejection, looking like wilted eggplants.
Liu Lu felt no pity; she knew that she could not be lenient with these traitors.
She took out her phone and dialed a number: "Hello, it's me... help me check on these people..."
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