OBS Chapter 10: Planning and Testing
Chapter 10: Planning and Testing
Night had fallen, and Lin Chuyue locked herself in her study. The desk lamp cast a dim, yellowish light, illuminating her profile with a cold and resolute expression. The ledger lay open before her, its unusual flow of funds like a hidden river leading to Shen Fang's overseas company. What pained her even more was the faint trace of her father, Lin Zhengguo, appearing in the financial chain.
"How could Father be involved?" Lin Chuyue gripped the pen tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. She didn't want to believe it, yet she had no choice but to confront the connection between everything.
She knew that to uncover the truth, she had to find the "confidant" who carried out the fund transfer operations on Shen Fang's behalf.
Lin Chuyue began to observe the people around Shen Fang. Shen Fang's secretary, driver, and even her private lawyer were all suspects, but they all seemed too ordinary to attract her attention.
It wasn't until a group finance meeting one morning that Zhou Ming aroused her suspicion.
During the meeting, a director questioned the rationality of the group's recent financial statements, speaking aggressively: "President Shen, these expenditures and overseas investment income data are clearly inconsistent. Can you explain this?"
Zhou Ming frowned slightly, about to speak, but Shen Fang spoke first, coldly saying, "I personally verified these financial data; Assistant Zhou was just following my instructions."
Zhou Ming didn't say much, keeping his head down as he organized the documents in his hands, as if he had long been used to being pushed behind the scenes. Lin Chuyue, however, noticed that his fingers tapped on the table, as if suppressing some kind of unease.
After the meeting, Zhou Ming quietly followed behind Shen Fang, silently tidying up her documents and bag. Shen Fang also reminded him, "Zhou Ming, prepare the documents for this afternoon in advance. I don't want any more mistakes."
This scene made Lin Chuyue suspicious: Zhou Ming's existence might be much more important than his apparent position.
Since Shen Fang personally oversees everything, why does she trust Zhou Ming so much? If the truth is hidden in the group's data system, then obtaining the communication records is undoubtedly the fastest way.
Lin Chuyue set her sights on Zhang Kun, the head of the IT department. Zhang Kun had been severely reprimanded by Shen Fang for a system malfunction, and although he outwardly obeyed, his resentment towards Shen Fang was obvious. She decided to start from this point and make him her ally.
One afternoon, Lin Chuyue, carrying a cup of coffee, pretended to bump into Zhang Kun by chance in the tea room.
"Manager Zhang, what a coincidence." She smiled slightly, her tone natural and friendly. "I heard you've been in charge of the system upgrade recently. You've been working so hard."
Zhang Kun looked up and saw Lin Chuyue. He replied somewhat awkwardly, "Ms. Lin, you're too kind. It's just part of my job."
Lin Chuyue leaned against the counter with her coffee in hand and started chatting casually: "I've been learning some basic things about the company lately, but I still don't quite understand the system operation part. It feels a bit complicated."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Kun smiled modestly and said, "Actually, it's not difficult. You'll get used to it."
Lin Chuyue seized the opportunity to continue probing: "Then you must be very familiar with the system, right? For example, are internal communication records also under your jurisdiction?"
Zhang Kun's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Yes, but this kind of data is usually automatically recorded in the background, and we rarely check it proactively."
"That's quite convenient." Lin Chuyue nodded, then asked casually, "But if I want to see some ordinary records, such as the recent communication situation of the finance department, will it be particularly troublesome?"
Zhang Kun paused for a moment, then tentatively replied, "Ordinary records aren't difficult to access, but... company regulations stipulate that information involving senior management cannot be accessed casually."
Lin Chuyue keenly caught the hesitation in his tone, then put on a harmless smile: "I just want to understand the work process of the finance department, it won't involve any secrets. After all, Dad always says that I need to pay more attention to these things, so that I don't not even understand the cooperation between departments."
Zhang Kun was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "You'd better go through the formal procedures for this kind of thing. It might be a bit troublesome for me to investigate for you."
Lin Chuyue looked apologetic: "I was being presumptuous, Manager Zhang. Please don't be embarrassed. I'll figure it out myself slowly." After saying that, she took her coffee and left the tea room, seemingly not taking Zhang Kun's rejection to heart.
Over the next few days, Lin Chuyue continued to frequently contact Zhang Kun under the pretext of studying. She acted humble and sincere, occasionally asking him some basic questions, and even bringing him coffee or snacks a few times.
Gradually, Zhang Kun's wariness of her lessened, and he even began to proactively answer some of her questions about using system permissions.
Finally, during a conversation, Zhang Kun asked in a low voice, "Ms. Lin, you mentioned wanting to see the finance department's records before, is there something special about it?"
Lin Chuyue sighed, a hint of helplessness in her eyes: "It's nothing major, but lately I've felt that Aunt Shen Fang trusts Assistant Zhou a lot, and even my father rarely interferes in their affairs. I just want to know how often they communicate lately, to see if I'm overthinking it."
After hesitating for a long time, Zhang Kun finally said in a low voice, "I can help you check some ordinary communication records, but I can't see the content, I can only see the frequency of contact."
Lin Chuyue nodded quickly: "This has already helped me a lot, thank you, Manager Zhang!"
Two days later, Zhang Kun secretly handed a printed copy of the communication record to Lin Chuyue.
“These are Zhou Ming’s communications over the past three months. I don’t dare touch Mr. Shen’s permissions. Please take a look and see if they’re useful.” Zhang Kun looked nervous. “Remember, don’t drag me into this.”
Lin Chuyue solemnly accepted it: "Don't worry, I will keep it a secret."
Back home, Lin Chuyue quickly reviewed the records. The documents showed that Zhou Ming and Shen Fang's contact frequency far exceeded that of a normal superior-subordinate relationship, especially late at night and on weekends, with the two contacting each other almost daily. In addition, Zhou Ming made numerous calls to overseas numbers, the origins of which perfectly matched the flow of funds within the group.
What shocked her most was that a private number appeared in the records, and this number belonged to the head of one of Shen Fang's trust institutions—a secret account specifically for managing fund transfers.
All of this indicates that Zhou Ming was not only Shen Fang's most trusted executor, but also directly involved in the operation and transfer of funds.
Lin Chuyue tapped her fingers lightly on the document, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "It seems it's time to get closer to Zhou Ming."