Translator: PKitty
TLC: Momoepom
Editor: Rei
Quality Check: Draygan
First Published on Chaleuria
After a busy morning in the company, Gu Li was finally able to have a good rest during lunch time. She ordered curry beef fried rice at the company canteen, then sat and ate with Zhao LiLi, her colleague from the same department.
Zhao LiLi and Gu Li entered the company at the same period of time. As they were both around the same age, they quickly became good friends and colleagues that supported each other at the workplace. Zhao LiLi was lively and cheerful, unlike Gu Li, who was quiet at times. Once someone started a conversation, she would talk non stop. Although she was mischievous, in a fast-paced office environment, it was necessary to have someone to promptly adjust the mood.
“Hey~ Gu Li. I saw that you entered a high-end residential area with Lin Feng yesterday. What’s up? Are you guys cohabitating?” Zhao LiLi scooped a spoonful of plain rice from the bowl, dished up a pork rib, and chomped on it while she talked.
Gu Li did not stop to look at Zhao LiLi beside her. She was composed like a pure feminine beauty and held up a bowl of pig bone soup to drink. Although she seemed calm on the surface, her heart was actually thrown into a tempestuous sea.
Zhao LiLi thought it was tacit agreement when she saw Gu Li remain silent: “You two are progressing quickly! When do you plan to get married?! Hahaha…” The other colleagues followed along and teased Gu Li.
Gu Li gave Zhao LiLi a small pinch and said: “Eat your meal properly.” After she spoke, she cleared the table of her bowl and chopsticks and brought it to the tray return station, Zhao LiLi made a funny face behind her: “Being shy doesn’t mean you can pinch me!”
“Hahahahahaha…hurry up and eat! Teasing Li!” The rest of the colleagues chimed in with laughter.
Gu Li’s colleagues thought she was shy because they teased her about Lin Feng. Actually, Gu Li felt hurt… It was just like being tossed into the sea without any warning; she continued to sink deeper and deeper. The salty sea water entered her nose, pouring into her lungs and stomach… However, she was already numb to that kind of suffocating pain… She no longer wanted to struggle against it…
Last night, she wasn’t with Lin Feng. Therefore, the one with Lin Feng couldn’t possibly be her. Since Zhao LiLi had seen wrongly and had mistaken it for her, that meant that the other party was a woman, it was just that the woman was not Gu Li.
Throughout the whole afternoon, Gu Li tried very hard to convince herself that it was just a misunderstanding. Lin Feng would not meet up with another woman behind her back. Perhaps they were nothing more than just business partners… But “high-end residential area” contradicted that… What type of business matters needed to be discussed at home? No matter whose house… With just a man and a woman together…
Gu Li patted her face with both hands in an attempt to cheer herself up and continued to strive hard at work.
“Gu Li, our department is going to grant some funds. This is the bill.” The department lady pursed her lips and passed the form. After Gu Li received it, she nodded her head and indicated that she understood. After that, she entered the important information on the form into the computer file. She stood up and looked for Lin Feng. It was quite a large amount of funding, it was not an amount that the department staff could approve of as they pleased. She needed to get Lin Feng’s approval before she could grant funds.
She knocked and opened Lin Feng’s door, only to discover that Lin Feng was not in the office. She asked a nearby colleague, and she replied: “Section head did not go out today. I saw that he just left. Maybe he was too cooped up and went to the rooftop to smoke.”
“Smoke…” Gu Li frowned. She was with Lin Feng for two years and had never seen him smoke. Although occasionally there would be the smell of cigarettes, Lin Feng would always use the excuse that the smell of smoke was spread from the other colleagues to dodge and drop the matter.
Gu Li clearly told Lin Feng that she did not like the smell of cigarettes, and Lin Feng did not smoke a stick in front of her. This matter made Gu Li felt that Lin Feng placed great importance on her words and kept his promise not to smoke. Unexpectedly, he had been secretly hiding it and smoked behind her back… He had even lied to her…
How many other things was he still hiding from her?
Gu Li took the bill and went to the rooftop of the highest floor. The lift that led to the top floor could only be used by the higher-ups, so she could only walk up the stairs to the rooftop.
As she approached the rooftop, she heard Lin Feng’s voice. It sounded like he was on the line with someone. Gu Li hid behind the door that led to the rooftop.
Lin Feng was holding a cigarette in his left hand, his right hand held a phone placed to his ear. When he stopped talking, he would raise his left hand and take a puff. After he inhaled, he would exhale a dense cloud of mist.
“Dear, what’s the matter? You called me so many times in today…”
“Tonight you want me to come over and serve you again? Haha… Dear, when will it be your turn to serve me… My dick needs your love and care…
Gu Li trembled slightly. It was as though an evil spirit was blowing cold wind behind her back; a burst of cold chills bubbled forth from her heart.
—What exactly was Lin Feng hiding from her… Dear… Who was that?
After a while, Gu Li heard something even scarier—
“You’re asking how much I’ve transferred? Don’t worry, I’ve already transferred most of it out. Very soon this company will go bankrupt. No matter how much those finance department freaks earn daily in stocks, it’s still not enough to bridge the widening gap in expenditure … Just let your dad prepare the money and wait for the acquisition …Haha…”
—What?! Lin Feng diverted the company’s money out and allied with another company to cause this company to go bankrupt so that other company could easily buy the finance company stocks and bonds at a low price…
Gu Li connected it with the recent matter. The fund allocation to the other departments was more or less reduced. So it turned out that not all of it was stuffed into his own pocket. He transferred the company funds out. All those funds were most likely just a small portion of what was transferred out. There was still a big portion of back-end capital that was also transferred out…
There was a burst of nausea in the pit of Gu Li’s stomach. She could not believe that the Lin Feng she liked would be such an unfaithful and dishonest person… She fled in a sorry state, staggered, and ran down the stairs. She was flooded with the feelings of fear, disgust, and panic. She ignored the inconvenience of the high heels and ran back to her office on the third floor as quickly as if she was wearing sports shoes. Even though she fell, took a tumble, and scraped her knees, she still continued to run quickly… How badly she wished to escape this disgusting space…
Gu Li returned to the office distraught. Zhao LiLi had already packed her bag and walked over to ask: “Where did you go just now? I was about to look for you and head back home together.”
“…Sorry, I still have a bill that I’ve yet to hand to…section head…”
“…Well, alright. I’ll go first, goodbye.” Zhao LiLi furrowed her brows. She thought it was a bit strange because Gu Li would usually call Lin Feng by his name. She wondered why Gu Li called him section head so formally today, but she did not ask and walked out of the office area.
Gu Li was like a statue in her seat. She did not dare to believe! She did not understand, the company treated the staff pretty well. Furthermore, even the senior leaders from the higher floors had always treated the cleaning aunties amiable and kindly… After Gu Li joined the company, she felt the warmth of a big family. She liked this company and hoped that everything she did for the company would give them something in return.
Gu Li was like this. She was a righteous comrade, always taking loyalty and righteousness as a criterion for how one should conduct themselves. She loved the company and she would not allow anyone to harm the company that she treasured!
Gu Li turned on the computer, sorted out all the tax declaration forms that she had sent to Lin Feng, included the original amount of funds reported and the amount of funds that had been allocated, made a table and sent it to the company’s higher-ups by email.
All the senior leaders in the company had a list of funding records. They only needed to compare and they would know whether Lin Feng diverted the funds. Gu Li also sent what she had heard to the higher ups via email.
Less than a few minutes later, there was a reply—
【We will investigate, thank you for the report.】
Gu Li shut down the computer, grabbed her handbag, and walked out of the office. She happened to brush past Lin Feng just as he came down the stairs. The moment they brushed past each other, Gu Li held back the tears that were about to spill from her eyes. She ignored Lin Feng’s shout of “Gu Li!” laced with suspicion and smelled the scent of cigarettes on Lin Feng’s body. She felt aggrieved and angry in her heart. Her determination not to cry was about to fall short, the tears were about to spring up.
Gu Li was stubborn, with awe-inspiring righteousness, just like her brother. When they suffered grievances, they would not easily mention it. She did want to let people see her weakness.