Zhan Bei Jue had his reasons.
After the others left, the two were alone.
From six to seven in the evening, then eight. At first, they could calmly pretend not to know each other, ignoring each other.
Later, their eyes began to meet, and then they started making nervous little movements.
During this time, Zhan Bei Jue personally investigated their backgrounds.
Both had applied to Zhan Corporation's foreign trade department at the beginning of the year, and were around 38 years old.
One company had gone bankrupt, and he was laid off mid-career, moving to Zhan Corp.
The other had failed in his own business and chose to work for others.
Although they hadn't known each other before, their family situations shared a striking similarity.
That is, they were both from the same hometown, owned houses and cars in Nan Cheng, had elderly parents and young children, and thus faced considerable financial pressure.
Given such significant financial pressure, how could they afford such high living expenses by simply being ordinary foreign trade clerks?
When the two were kept until around ten in the evening, Zhan Bei Jue pushed open the conference room door.
Their phones were dead, and they had no idea what awaited them. The two were going crazy in the conference room.
Upon seeing Zhan Bei Jue enter, their expressions were a mix of surprise and relief.
Zhan Bei Jue first apologized for making them stay so long and asked Ah Zhong to bring them dinner.
Although the two were hungry, they were too embarrassed to eat in front of Zhan Bei Jue, saying they weren't hungry. They also felt very ashamed of the major oversight in their work.
Zhan Bei Jue said it was alright.
"To err is human. To know one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. I know you have a lot of life pressure, and it's not easy to support a family of elders and children. So, sometimes, due to the guidance of certain individuals, you might temporarily lose judgment, which is normal. Since the major mistake hasn't completely occurred yet..."
The two feigned ignorance, asking Zhan Bei Jue what he meant, if he suspected them.
Knowing they wouldn't easily admit anything, Zhan Bei Jue spoke to Salesperson A.
"I heard you were previously self-employed, failed, and incurred over 300,000 in debt. Now, not only do you have to repay that debt, but you also have a mortgage of over 6,000 yuan per month."
"Your son just entered the 15th Primary School, and your wife is pregnant with your second child..."
Upon hearing Zhan Bei Jue had investigated her background so thoroughly, the salesperson's face changed immediately.
"Mr. Zhan, what is this?"
"Nothing else, just getting to know my employees' lives, chatting with you, so you don't think I'm out of touch."
Zhan Bei Jue rambled, "I just want to ask, based on your salary level over the past six months, you can't possibly afford your monthly living expenses, yet your external debts haven't increased, and you've been repaying them on time. In this situation, you can even afford a second child. How did you manage that?"
"I..." The salesperson's eyes darted around.
"Mr. Zhan, taking on private jobs after work to earn some extra income doesn't violate company regulations, right?"
"Of course not. May I ask what kind of part-time job you do?"
The salesperson seemed hesitant, "Mr. Zhan, this..."
Zhan Bei Jue then chatted with B, recounting his basic situation.
Just as the two were completely under Zhan Bei Jue's psychological control, feeling precarious and on the verge of their defenses collapsing, Ah Zhong called.
Salesperson A's son had just been hit by a car in the neighborhood and was being rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. His wife had just called, urging him to go to the hospital immediately.
Zhan Bei Jue had no concrete evidence to prove they had done anything wrong to the company, and therefore had no right to detain them.
Under the guise of overtime, they had been kept until now. Now that a family emergency had occurred, he could no longer hold them.
Although he knew it was too coincidental that a family emergency occurred at such a critical moment, there was nothing he could do.
Zhan Bei Jue told him to leave first, and Ah Zhong arranged for someone to accompany him.
Upon hearing that A's family member had an accident, B immediately panicked.
He pleaded with Zhan Bei Jue, claiming his stomach condition had flared up, making him very uncomfortable. As he spoke, he began to feel nauseous and vomit, his face turning pale.
He could only have someone escort him to the hospital as well. The investigation was suspended.
Now Zhan Bei Jue could almost with his toes know who was behind the scheme. He would not give up easily.
He needed to keep a close eye on these two. As long as he could break their silence and find their connection to Mrs. Gao, it would be a matter of time before she was brought down.
To Zhan Bei Jue's surprise, after rushing to the hospital, Salesperson A's son had already passed away.
His wife fainted on the spot, and in her emotional distress, the second pregnancy was lost.
The elderly parents, upon hearing that their eldest grandson was gone, and then their second grandson, couldn't bear it and also fainted from shock.
Salesperson A, rushing between home and the hospital, under immense pressure, was so enraged that he unfurled a banner and stood on the hospital rooftop, intending to jump.
Before jumping, he loudly denounced Zhan Corporation for mistreating its employees, blaming them for incidents, and causing his family's ruin.
Salesperson B, due to excessive stress, suffered acute gastric bleeding and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
After emergency resuscitation, he was transferred to a regular ward.
However, in the middle of the night, during a doctor's rounds, he was found to have died under mysterious circumstances.
Moreover, news of his death spread like wildfire, and by dawn, an article was written and posted online.
Coupled with the employee A who was about to jump, Zhan Corp was thrust into the spotlight.
"Selling fake medicine under the guise of producing electrical equipment."
"Blaming employees for incidents, and if they don't comply, they are treated as expendable, with their families also persecuted? This is too wicked!"
Zhan Corp was instantly branded as the most villainous corporation in history.
Regardless of the facts, the vast majority of netizens, upon seeing such news, preferred to believe it rather than not, and discussions erupted, bringing Zhan Corp unprecedented attention.
Zhan Bei Jue hadn't expected Mrs. Gao to be so meticulous in her schemes to ruin him, laying the groundwork for so long.
She had started preparing as early as half a year ago, when her husband planned to transfer to Nan Cheng.
In this battle, he had lost due to underestimation, and he accepted the defeat wholeheartedly.
But he would not surrender.
"Since you are using underhanded tactics to make my life difficult, don't blame me for not being polite. Mr. Gao holds a special position. If I were to disregard proper conduct, I believe you would fall even faster than I would."
Upon seeing this news early in the morning, Zhan Bei Jue felt so disgusted that he didn't even want to eat breakfast and headed straight to the company.
Hu Jia Sheng called him.
"I know who did these things. I'll help you."
Zhan Bei Jue was somewhat surprised.
After all, Mrs. Gao was his biological mother.
"Collaborate with me? Are you sure?"
"Sure, definitely, and absolutely."
Hu Jia Sheng said, "But I also need you to do me a favor."
"Have your legal team step in and, no matter what, ensure Tang Nan Nan is released safely. You handle Tang Nan Nan and company matters, and I'll head to Su Cheng now."
"Give me a week, and I will provide a satisfactory answer regarding Mr. Gao."