Upon hearing this, Lin Zhiqiang glanced at Wang Wei, a flicker of caution rising within him.

"Thank you, sir." Wang Wei took the water and drank a sip, composing herself. "I believe there must be justice in this world. Zhou Yan worked so hard to turn his restaurant around. He won everyone over with his cooking, and business was finally starting to pick up."

"Mrs. Zhao is such a good person. She helps Zhou Yan run the restaurant, bustling about all day. By evening, her voice is hoarse, but she never stops smiling at the customers."

"So why are people claiming they’re making a fortune and trying to cause trouble for them? They were losing money for the first three months of business."

"If you want to talk about the loss of state assets, I think the factory cafeteria’s books are the real mess. The factory allocates a huge budget to subsidize the cafeteria every year, all so the workers can eat well and without worry."

"But now the workers are up in arms, complaining about the cafeteria every single day. You’re the one who should be sending people to investigate that place thoroughly!"

Wang Hongliang nodded slightly at her words, sinking into thought.

Lin Zhiqiang looked at Wang Wei’s determined expression and felt a stir of admiration.

’This girl... I didn’t expect her to be such a passionate idealist. She can’t stand to see injustice.’

"You mentioned issues with the cafeteria’s books. Do you have any evidence?" Wang Hongliang asked, looking at her.

"I do!" Wang Wei pulled open the cloth bag slung over her shoulder and took out a red notebook. "This contains copies of all the account entries I’ve found suspicious this year. Many of the numbers don’t add up. At the end of every month, Sun Meili finds a way to cook the books to make them balance. It happens every single month."

"The cafeteria’s suppliers are also an issue. Their food prices are about twenty percent higher than the daily prices at the supply co-op. On top of that, when I went to the finance department to file reports, they had me cross-reference our accounts with the co-op’s, and I found discrepancies there as well."

"Director, today I am officially reporting Sun Meili, under my own name, for falsifying the accounts. I had originally planned to gather more evidence for a deeper investigation, but I have to report this today."

Wang Hongliang’s expression turned serious. He rose and took the notebook with both hands, flipping it open to examine the contents.

Lin Zhiqiang leaned in to look as well.

Wang Wei had graduated from a technical secondary school with a degree in accounting. She had noted everything—dates, issues, line by line—with meticulous order. It was all perfectly clear at a glance.

"Comrade Wang Wei, you have done an excellent job," Wang Hongliang said to her, his expression grim. "This is an extremely serious matter. I will immediately have our people from the security department secure the cafeteria’s financial records and detain all relevant personnel for questioning. We will investigate this to the very end."

The nature of this situation had gone far beyond a hundred-yuan rent dispute at Zhou Yan Restaurant.

Lin Zhiqiang remained silent, but he knew Sun Meili’s luck had just run out.

Or rather, it wasn’t just Sun Meili. Others were likely going to go down with her.

...

Sun Meili was still signing and stamping the notice, with Wu Lili standing beside her like an obedient lapdog.

Just then, officers from the security department filed into the room, led by Luo Weidong.

"Director Luo, what is all this...?" Sun Meili asked, looking at Luo Weidong in confusion.

"Sun Meili, we’ve received an official report accusing you of falsifying accounts, corruption, and embezzling cafeteria subsidies. You’ll need to come with us to the security department for questioning," Luo Weidong said, cutting her off.

"Who... Who reported me?! That’s nonsense! How could I possibly do something like that...?" Sun Meili’s face fell as she argued frantically.

Luo Weidong waved a hand, and the officers took Sun Meili away. He ordered the others to seal the account books in the office and confiscate them.

Wu Lili was so frightened she stood trembling by the desk, not daring to move a muscle.

Luo Weidong’s eyes swept over the notice on the desk. His brow furrowed as he looked at Wu Lili and ordered, "Take her in for questioning as well."

Stack after stack of account books was carried out of Sun Meili’s office.

The two junior accountants left in the cafeteria’s finance office watched the scene unfold, terrified.

"Don’t be scared. This has nothing to do with us," Wang Wei said with a smile as she returned, reassuring the other two.

’Watching Sun Meili get hauled away just now was so incredibly satisfying!’

The finance office was right next to the factory cafeteria, so when the arrests happened, all the chefs came out to watch the spectacle.

When the news reached Wang Defa, he collapsed into his chair. His face went pale, his mind a complete blank.

The security department had arrested Sun Meili.

And they were auditing the books!

That meant they must have evidence of the kickbacks.

’What do I do? What in the world am I supposed to do?’

’It was just a hundred-yuan rent increase for Zhou Yan. How did everything spiral into this?’

KNOCK KNOCK.

There was a knock on his office door.

Wang Defa’s heart leaped. He looked up to see Luo Weidong entering with two security officers.

"Director Wang, there is a matter that requires your cooperation. Please come with me to the security department," Luo Weidong said, looking at him.

"Wh-What matter is this?" Wang Defa asked, getting to his feet and trying his best to appear calm.

"It’s regarding the factory cafeteria’s financial records. As the cafeteria director, you should be the most familiar with the situation. Please cooperate with our investigation," Luo Weidong said, his tone still reasonably polite.

"Alright, I’ll go with you."

Wang Defa nodded and followed them out, his steps heavy.

’Who on earth could have reported this?’

’All he could do now was pray that Sun Meili knew how to keep her mouth shut.’

...

With both Sun Meili and Wang Defa taken away, the news spread through the textile factory like wildfire.

Gossip about the two of them also began to circulate, each story more vivid and detailed than the last.

Xu Rui, the deputy director of the silk-reeling workshop, was squatting by a flowerbed near the wall, chain-smoking. The ground at his feet was littered with cigarette butts.

"Old Xu, let it go. Life has to go on, right?" Zhao Dong said, patting his shoulder comfortingly.

Xu Rui looked up, his eyes completely bloodshot. He gave a bitter smile. "I’ve got three kids. What choice do I have but to move on?"

Zhao Dong lit a cigarette for him. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he held them back. ’He doesn’t even know if the kids are his.’

’This family is definitely over.’

...

Zhou Yan never received the notice from Wu Lili. Instead, Officer Wu from the security department showed up and told him that Sun Meili had been arrested and Wang Defa had been taken in for questioning.

"Huh? All this drama... over a hundred yuan?"

Zhou Yan was completely stunned.

’He’d never imagined sending Sun Meili and Wang Defa to prison!’

’Lin was really looking out for him, just like a real uncle!’

’When he had a problem, Lin genuinely took it to heart.’

Zhou Yan decided he absolutely had to write a letter to Xia Yao tonight, if only to thank her dear uncle.

Mrs. Zhao was also stunned. She never would have thought a hundred-yuan dispute could get two directors arrested.

When the lunch break started, the workers who came to eat were all buzzing about the news.

The factory’s workforce was eighty percent female, and they loved a good piece of gossip.

The sheer volume of chatter from all corners confirmed the news was true.

The gossip was just too juicy, and every gossip-monger in the field was feasting happily.

Zhou Yan’s feelings on the matter were complicated.

’The grand ambition Comrade Zhou had set for himself might not come to pass after all.’

’The factory cafeteria hadn’t collapsed, but Wang Defa was about to.’

’It felt a little satisfying. A little nice.’

Rumors started to spread that Zhou Yan himself was the catalyst for the whole incident, which all started with the hundred-yuan rent hike at Zhou Yan Restaurant.

Because of this, plenty of gawkers came to the restaurant specifically to get the story straight from the source.

The explosive rush of business continued right up until the bell rang, signaling the end of the break.

"These women are insane!" Zhou Jie exclaimed, collapsing onto a long bench with a deep sigh.

Zhou Yan shook out his aching hand and grabbed a nearby enamel mug, gulping down several mouthfuls of herbal tea. He felt like he’d been swinging his spatula so hard it was creating sparks.

[Ding! Side Quest: Kneeling Beef Inheritance complete. Zhou Jie, learning progress: 3/3]

[Reward Gained: The Number One Dish of Sichuan Cuisine—Twice-Cooked Pork]

Two notifications suddenly popped up from the system.

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