OBS Chapter 1565 The Night Is Deep (Final Chapter)
Chapter 1565 The Night Is Deep (Final Chapter)
The next day, Zhao Mei had just arrived at work and hadn't even sat down yet, still holding her coffee cup, when she saw Liang Danning walking over from the other end of the corridor and waving at her.
Just as Zhao Mei was about to speak to her, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw three people walking out of the elevator. They were wearing dark suits, had serious expressions, and wore Ghost's name tags around their necks—Internal Inspection Department.
Liang Danning saw it too, her heart sank, and she quickly walked over.
“Zhao Mei, they…” Before Liang Danning could finish speaking, the leading man had already walked up to Zhao Mei and spoke expressionlessly.
"Deputy Director Zhao, someone has reported you for accepting bribes from suppliers. Please come back with us to explain the situation."
Liang Danning hurriedly defended Zhao Mei: "Impossible, you must have made a mistake. How could Zhao Mei accept bribes from others?"
The internal inspector gave a forced smile: "That's why we asked Deputy Director Zhao to explain the situation."
Liang Danning wanted to say something more, but Zhao Mei stopped her: "The innocent are innocent. I also want to know who is slandering me."
She followed the three people into the elevator. Liang Danning stood in the corridor, watching the elevator doors close, her fists clenched.
Soon, Zhao Mei was led to an office on the top floor. The room wasn't large, containing a long table, a few chairs, and a mirror on the wall—she knew it was probably a one-way mirror, indicating someone was watching from behind. A recording device sat on the table, its red indicator light illuminated.
The internal inspector sat opposite her, opened a folder, and read aloud a statement. The gist of it was that someone had reported her for accepting a bribe of 20,000 yuan in cash and a dog from a supplier representative named Lu Ting. Zhao Mei was completely baffled; she didn't know anyone named Lu Ting at all.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken? I've never heard of this name before."
The internal inspector didn't answer, but pulled a photo from a folder and pushed it in front of her. Zhao Mei looked down and her pupils contracted sharply—she recognized the woman in the photo.
Lu Ting, around thirty years old, with short hair, a round face, and two dimples when she smiles. She always walks her dog in the park next to her apartment complex when she goes for her night run. The two became acquainted over time, added each other on WeChat, and chatted occasionally. Lu Ting said she works for a foreign trade company and often works overtime, which is why she has time to walk her dog in the evenings.
"Do you know her?" the internal inspector asked.
Zhao Mei opened her mouth, her voice a little hoarse: "I know her... but she's not a supplier representative. She's a friend I met while jogging in the park at night."
The internal inspectors didn't press further, continuing to flip through the documents: "According to the report, Lu Ting is a supplier representative for Guangzhou Hengtong Trading Co., Ltd., which is our packaging material supplier for Ghost. As the Deputy Sales Director, your personal dealings with suppliers violate company regulations."
Zhao Mei felt her head buzzing. She had never discussed work with Lu Ting, didn't know she was a supplier representative, and didn't know that Hengtong Trading was related to Guster.
The internal inspector continued, "According to the information provided by the whistleblower, you not only accepted Lu Ting's dog, but also 20,000 yuan in cash."
Zhao Mei suddenly raised her head: "There is a dog, but it's not 'acquiring,' it's 'adopting'!" Her voice rose several octaves: "Lu Ting said she was going abroad to find a boyfriend and was looking for a home for her dog. I've always wanted a dog, so she persuaded me to adopt it. From beginning to end, I haven't given her a single penny, and she hasn't given me any money either!"
"So, you did indeed take in a dog?" The internal inspector asked with a half-smile, making a note in his notebook.
“That’s not taking in, that’s adopting—” Zhao Mei’s voice trailed off. She suddenly realized something, and a chill ran through her heart.
This is a trap.
It started about six months ago, or even earlier. Lu Ting "bumped into" her in the park, became friends with her, chatted for a few months, and then gave her the dog under some pretext. Every step was meticulously planned, every step was perfectly timed. And she was completely unaware, like a fish obediently biting the hook.
“If it were just a dog, it wouldn’t be considered bribery.” The internal inspector closed his notebook and looked at her. “But that 20,000 yuan…”
"I told you, I didn't take any money!" Zhao Mei was in a state of turmoil, her fingers twisting together under the table.
"Whether you received the money or not is only your side of the story." The internal inspector stood up and walked to the door. "But you did receive the dog, which matches the report we received. Unless you can find Lu Ting to testify, it's hard for us to believe you're innocent."
Zhao Mei knew she had no chance of clearing her name. The people who wronged her knew better than anyone how wronged she was, and they would never give her a chance to prove her innocence.
She lowered her head, staring at the table, without saying a word.
Liang Danning waited in her office for a long time before finally seeing Zhao Mei come out of the elevator. She rushed over to greet her, only to find that Zhao Mei was pale, her eyes were red, and she looked completely drained.
"Zhao Mei, are you alright?" Liang Danning held her arm.
Zhao Mei didn't answer. She pulled Liang Danning into her office and closed the door. The moment the door closed, she couldn't hold back anymore. She hugged Liang Danning tightly and burst into tears.
"It must be Shen Mo! He meticulously orchestrated this whole thing to promote Dong Yue. I'm now completely unable to defend myself..."
Liang Danning patted Zhao Mei on the back and gently comforted her, "No, you can definitely explain it clearly."
Zhao Mei shook her head, sobbing, and told Liang Danning everything the internal inspector had said.
Liang Danning felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn't believe that someone would spend half a year planning something. Such cunning and patience were terrifying.
"Danning, you're the only one who can help me now." Zhao Mei suddenly grabbed Liang Danning's hand tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Liang Danning was stunned for a moment: "Me?"
"Yes, as long as Qin Hao can step in, Shen Mo will definitely give him face..."
“But, I’ve already—” Liang Danning lowered her head, her voice muffled.
“No matter what, he’s still the child’s father.” Zhao Mei’s voice was full of pleading. “Danning, this is my last chance. If Dong Yue becomes the sales director, he will definitely do everything he can to suppress me and force me to resign. A middle-aged woman, divorced and unemployed…”
Liang Danning felt increasingly distressed as she listened.
"Zhao Mei, don't be anxious." Liang Danning held her hand: "I'll go find Qin Hao right now, so please don't overthink things."
Watching Liang Danning's hurried departure, Zhao Mei wiped away her tears, her previous weakness and despair completely gone. She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and let out a long breath.
"Danning, don't blame me," she murmured. "I really have no other choice. Now I can only rely on you."
On the other side, Liang Danning dialed Qin Hao's number as she walked. Her finger slid across the screen, found the number she hadn't dialed in a long time, took a deep breath, and pressed the dial button.
The phone rang a few times before being answered.
"Hey, where are you?" Liang Danning's voice was a little tense.
However, it wasn't Qin Hao who answered the phone.
"What do you want with him?" A woman's voice asked, tinged with wariness and impatience—it was Helen Jo.
Upon hearing Qiao Hailun's voice, Liang Danning instinctively wanted to hang up. Her finger hovered above the screen, hesitating for a few seconds. But thinking of Zhao Mei's desperate situation, she could only steel herself and say...
"Please ask him for a favor."
There was no response for a long time on the other end of the phone. Liang Danning could hear soft breathing and Qiao Hailun and Qin Hao talking in hushed tones. After a while, Liang Danning finally heard Qin Hao's familiar voice, flat and devoid of any emotion.
"Tell me, what's the matter?"
Liang Danning recounted Zhao Mei's story. From the internal inspection team's visit, to Lu Ting's investigation, to the dog, to the 20,000 yuan charge. She tried to be concise, but every word betrayed her anxiety.
After listening, Qin Hao refused outright: "I can't help with this."
“You and Shen Mo are such good friends, if you step in, he will definitely give you face,” Liang Danning said hurriedly.
Qin Hao interrupted her without any politeness: "According to what you said, Shen Mo has been planning this for half a year, which means that this matter is very important to him. Whether as a friend or a business partner, I have no reason to ruin his plans for Zhao Mei's sake."
“But… Zhao Mei was wronged…” Liang Danning’s voice trembled.
"Nobody cares about the truth in the workplace," Qin Hao said calmly. "It's all about the winner. Zhao Mei falling for the trap only shows that she still needs to hone her skills."
Liang Danning opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something. But before she could speak, Qin Hao dropped a sentence.
"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."
beep - beep - beep -
The phone went dead. Liang Danning stood in the corridor, feeling something shatter inside her. She realized that she had completely lost her place in Qin Hao's heart.
After Liang Danning finished explaining the situation, Zhao Mei was struck dumb. She sat in her chair, frozen in place. All hope was shattered. Qin Hao refused to help, she couldn't break Shen Mo's trap, and Dong Yue's rise to power was a foregone conclusion. She could only wait for her death.
Liang Danning stood to the side, wanting to say something comforting, but found herself unable to utter a word.
However, just when Zhao Mei was in despair, her subordinate Wang Hao, who had always secretly loved her, volunteered to take the blame for her. He confessed to the internal inspection department that the dog was a gift from Lu Ting, and the 20,000 yuan was given to Lu Ting in Zhao Mei's name without her knowledge.
The internal investigation department thoroughly investigated but couldn't find direct evidence of Zhao Mei accepting bribes. Ultimately, Wang Hao was dismissed from the company. Although Zhao Mei was cleared of bribery allegations, she lost her chance for promotion. While the company didn't publicly criticize her, everyone knew that someone who had been reported for bribery was unlikely to be promoted again.
Soon, an internal email announced Dong Yue's promotion to sales director.
After Dong Yue's promotion, it was customary for him to "pay his respects" to influential clients and distributors within the company. Shen Mo was naturally the first person he would visit.
In a private room on the second floor of the Silkworm Cocoon Bar, Shen Mo prepared a fish feast for Dong Yue. On the table was a steamed sea bass, its body intact and its scales shimmering. Shen Mo personally picked up his chopsticks, took the tenderest piece of meat from the belly of the fish, placed it in Dong Yue's bowl, and then turned the chopsticks over to flip the fish over.
This is an old custom in Guangdong's business circles—"turning over the fish" means "turning things around," implying a fresh start after taking power. But when Shen Mo handed the chopsticks for turning over the fish to Dong Yue, the meaning was clear: the first thing you should do after taking power is to fire Zhao Mei.
Dong Yue took the chopsticks, looked at the fish that had been turned over, and said nothing.
Shen Mo picked up a piece of fish, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and then slowly said, "I have someone in mind for the position that Zhao Mei has vacated."
He waved to the side. A woman stood up from the corner, walked to the table, and smiled at Dong Yue.
Dong Yue's heart skipped a beat when he saw it—it was Lu Ting.
The woman who gave the dog to Zhao Mei and then reported Zhao Mei. She was dressed in a smart business suit, her hair was up, and she wore light makeup. She looked completely different from the short-haired girl walking her dog in the park.
"Lu Ting, from now on I'll be your deputy." Shen Mo picked up his wine glass and took a sip.
Dong Yue looked at Lu Ting, then at Shen Mo. He knew in his heart that this was a spy Shen Mo had planted next to him.
His first instinct was to refuse. But as the words were about to come out, he suddenly remembered what Qin Hao had said that night.
He picked up his glass and took a big gulp. The alcohol burned in his throat.
"Okay." He put down his wine glass, smiled at Shen Mo, and said, "Then we'll do as President Shen says."
Shen Mo nodded in satisfaction and patted him on the shoulder.
Dong Yue lowered his head, looked at the piece of fish in the bowl, slowly picked it up, and put it in his mouth. The fish was very tender and melted in his mouth, but he couldn't taste anything.
Meanwhile, just as Zhao Mei was feeling utterly hopeless, Qi Youlan, the deputy director of human resources, came to her door.
Qi Youlan was wearing a dark blue dress, her hair loose, and she looked much gentler than usual. She sat opposite Zhao Mei, and without exchanging pleasantries, went straight to the point.
"Zhao Mei, have you ever thought about why, despite all you've done, you still can't beat Dong Yue?"
Zhao Mei gave a wry smile: "Because he has Shen Mo behind him."
“No.” Qi Youlan shook her head: “Because you have no one backing you.”
Zhao Mei was stunned.
Qi Youlan stood up, walked to the window, and turned her back to her: "After working in Guster for so many years, do you know what my biggest feeling is?"
Zhao Mei did not speak.
“This company is white supremacist.” Qi Youlan turned to look at her. “That idiot, Rhett Butler, is arrogant and greedy. He knows nothing, does nothing, but just because he’s white, he can sit in the CEO’s seat and boss us around. You and I are far more capable than him, so why can’t we take his place?”
Zhao Mei's heart skipped a beat.
"You want to... kick Rhett Butler out of the game?"
Qi Youlan snapped her fingers, a smile playing on her lips: "It's not that I want to, it's that we want to do it together."
She walked back to the table, placed her hands on the surface, and leaned down to look at Zhao Mei.
“Gust has never appointed a Chinese person as the president of a branch office before.” Zhao Mei hesitated for a moment: “Besides…”
“Besides, I’m a woman,” Qi Youlan said for her.
Zhao Mei did not deny it.
Qi Youlan straightened up and crossed her arms: "Who says a woman can't be in charge? What Bai Ruide can do, I can do too. What he can't do, I can do as well."
She looked into Zhao Mei's eyes and spoke, word by word.
"Besides, do you have any other choice?"
Zhao Mei fell silent. Qi Youlan was right; she had no way out now. Dong Yue had taken over, Shen Mo wanted her dead, Bai Ruide wouldn't protect her, and Qin Hao refused to help her. If she did nothing, she could only slowly rot in this deputy director position until one day Dong Yue kicked her out.
"What do you need me to do?" Zhao Mei looked up.
Qi Youlan laughed: "We need solid evidence, such as the contract Bai Ruide signed with Ruijing Consulting, and evidence that he took kickbacks."
Zhao Mei was in a dilemma. Normally, she would have agreed without hesitation. But now, she and Li Dongming were going through a divorce, and their relationship was irreconcilable. Asking Li Dongming to hand over evidence of Bai Ruide taking kickbacks? Wasn't that a pipe dream?
But she agreed anyway. Even if it meant making some concessions to Li Dongming, she couldn't let her career end there.
"Are you crazy?" Li Dongming scoffed over the phone. "If I give you the evidence of Bai Ruide taking kickbacks, how am I supposed to stay in this business? Which client would dare to work with me?"
Zhao Mei said calmly, "The house is split in half, that's my biggest concession. If you don't agree, I can still ruin your reputation."
"You—" Li Dongming's face turned green with anger. One after another, they were threatening him—Qian Shasha was threatening him, Zhao Mei was threatening him. Unfortunately, they had leverage over him, so he had no choice but to agree.
After obtaining the evidence of Bai Ruide's kickbacks, Zhao Mei immediately handed it over to Qi Youlan. Qi Youlan then used her connections to deliver the evidence to the big boss overnight.
The big boss was furious and sent an investigation team down.
Bai Ruide panicked. He sat in his office, holding the investigation team's notice, his fingers trembling. He quickly called Shen Mo and Qin Hao for help, his voice filled with terror.
"President Shen, President Qin, you must help me. If this is verified, I'm finished."
Shen Mo comforted him for a while, then hung up the phone and immediately made a video call to Qin Hao.
"President Qin, Bai Ruide cannot be removed." Shen Mo's expression was serious: "If he is dismissed, not only will Dong Yue's position be in jeopardy, but the newly appointed president may not be as easy to fool as he is."
Qin Hao leaned back in his chair and nodded. He and Shen Mo could make a considerable amount of money each year by selling Gusteau's wine. Although the profit wasn't much to Qin Hao, who would complain about having too much money?
“Bai Ruide has been reported, so someone must have put him in charge,” Qin Hao said. “However, as long as we express our support for him, headquarters shouldn’t replace him easily.”
After reaching a consensus, Qin Hao and Shen Mo naturally showered Bai Ruide with praise when facing the investigators from Guster's headquarters. The two of them, working in unison, lauded Bai Ruide to the skies.
Then, something terrifying happened to Qi Youlan and Zhao Mei. The investigation team stayed in Guangzhou for five days and finally concluded that "there were some oversights in management, but it did not constitute a major violation of discipline." The headquarters only issued an internal notice about Bai Ruide and did not remove him from his post.
Moreover, Bai Ruide quickly learned through various channels that Qi Youlan had stabbed him in the back. He didn't make a scene, but began to constantly cause her trouble at work.
Two weeks later, Qi Youlan finally couldn't hold on any longer and resigned. On the day she left, Zhao Mei stood in the corridor, watching her figure disappear into the elevator, feeling empty inside.
Although Zhao Mei gritted her teeth and didn't resign, her life wasn't easy either. Dong Yue didn't make things difficult for her and always greeted her when they met—but everyone knew who would be in charge of the sales department from now on.
As the deputy director, she was reduced to being the supervisor of the sales promoters, and her daily work consisted of arranging which bars and nightclubs the promoters went to.
Meanwhile, Li Dongming was in even more dire straits.
After receiving the five million yuan, Qian Shasha destroyed the original video as promised, but before leaving, she still reported Li Dongming. Her reason was simple: she didn't want to see Li Dongming harm other female employees.
Upon hearing the news, Li Dongming nearly fainted. He sat in his office, staring at the message Qian Shasha had sent on his phone screen, feeling utterly drained.
Competitor Mr. Fan naturally wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by. He convened a meeting of senior partners overnight, immediately suspended Li Dongming from his post, and launched an in-depth investigation into the projects he had worked on.
"Water that is too clear has no fish." How could someone as shrewd as Li Dongming be content with just a meager salary and bonuses? He was quickly exposed for a host of shady dealings, including taking kickbacks from downstream companies, falsifying project expenses, and engaging in private transactions with suppliers.
To eliminate any future trouble, President Fan directly handed the evidence over to the police. Based on the amount of bribes Li Dongming received, he should be imprisoned for at least three to five years.
……
Two years later.
In a private hospital, the corridor reeked of disinfectant. The operating room lights went out, the door opened, and a nurse pushed out a gurney. On the gurney lay a pale-faced woman, cradling an infant wrapped in a blue swaddle.
After a half-hour cesarean section, Qiao Hailun finally gave birth to her and Qin Hao's first child, a boy. She looked down at the little guy in her arms, tears streaming down her face, but her lips curled into a wide smile.
"It's a boy." She smiled weakly, her voice hoarse.
Qin Hao stood by the bed, looking at the little one curled up in swaddling clothes, his face full of smiles. He reached out and touched the child's tiny hand, which was only the size of his thumb, soft and warm, with the fingers clenched into a fist.
“Looks like you,” Qin Hao said.
"Looking like me is much prettier." Helen Qiao rolled her eyes at him.
Outside the hospital corridor, Mr. and Mrs. Qiao were also weeping with joy. Mrs. Qiao leaned on Mr. Qiao's shoulder, crying like a child. Mr. Qiao patted her back, his eyes also red, and kept repeating "Good, good, good".
Sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting a golden glow on the hallway floor.
[Ding, the system has detected that the host has completed the main storyline of the "Night is Deep" world. Would you like to load the next world?]
What world will be next?
[Next world: Ten years of love, will it be recorded?]
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