Chapter 6: The Fatal Ledger

"You are slandering us!"

Cao Mei's voice was cold and somewhat sharp, her chest heaving, hinting at the intense psychological struggle within her. Although she tried to appear calm, the panic that flashed in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts.

"Whether you admit it or not, we have already obtained evidence of your and some leaders of Hongfang's illegal operations, which constitute a crime..."

Yang Zixuan said coldly, gesturing to the two tall men behind him without any hesitation.

"Arrest her!"

The two tall men nodded, took out their work IDs from their pockets, and stepped forward, one on each side. This scene, which she had only seen on TV, gave Cao Mei a strong visual impact.

Watching Yang Zixuan about to turn away, Cao Mei bit her lip, wanting to say something but ultimately remained silent...

All of this was within Yang Zixuan's sight.

"Actually, you still have a chance. If you hand over the ledger of the Hongshui Textile officials' embezzlement and testify against them, you might be able to atone for your crimes and reduce your sentence..."

Yang Zixuan spoke calmly, with a confident demeanor. The more urgent the moment, the more important it was to remain calm to break through the opponent's psychological defenses. This was a tactic he had learned from his previous life's experience in the cutthroat business world.

Cao Mei bit her lip but still did not respond.

"Ring! Ring! Ring!"

At that moment, the school bell of the county's first elementary school rang.

This was the moment Yang Zixuan had been waiting for!

"I know you have a daughter in the first grade at the county's first elementary school." A strange smile appeared on Yang Zixuan's lips. "Think about it. Now that school is out, imagine if she comes out and sees her mother being taken away in handcuffs. How much psychological trauma would that cause her for the rest of her life..."

"Stop talking." Cao Mei shouted sharply, covering her ears and crouching on the ground.

Clearly, Yang Zixuan had broken her last psychological barrier...

"You don't have much time left." Yang Zixuan said calmly, gesturing to the two tall men to make the arrest.

"Wait." Cao Mei finally looked up, her eyes red as she stared at Yang Zixuan. "If I cooperate with you, can you guarantee that my daughter will be safe?"

"Absolutely no problem. She can continue to attend the county's first elementary school." Yang Zixuan coaxed her, like a dishonest uncle luring a little girl with a lollipop. "And I will do my best to reduce your sentence."

"Alright! I agree!" Cao Mei stood up. "But can you wait until I pick up my daughter and take her home before you come?"

"No problem, we can wait for you downstairs at your home." Yang Zixuan said calmly. "But you had better not try any tricks. That would only harm you and your daughter!"

"I won't!" Cao Mei said expressionlessly.

Cao Mei lived in a co-funded apartment building of the Hongshui Textile Factory. During its heyday, the factory had built several co-funded buildings to allocate to old employees who had made significant contributions. The water and electricity facilities were quite complete. However, in recent years, as the factory's fortunes declined, the buildings had fallen into disrepair, becoming old and frequently experiencing water and power outages.

Yang Zixuan waited downstairs at Cao Mei's building. He was accompanied only by Su Ming and his sister. The two tall men from the procuratorate, whom An Zai had brought to help, had been sent back. He had called them to create pressure on Cao Mei and make her submit, and that goal had been achieved.

After about half an hour, Cao Mei finally came down, her face pale and with tear marks around her eyes, clearly having just cried.

Su Chen, pouting her glossy, tender lips, tilted her head and looked at Yang Zixuan's young profile, her eyes blinking, becoming increasingly curious about this man who had orchestrated everything and turned his life around.

"Let's go. The ledger is at the factory. I'll go get it now." Cao Mei didn't look at Yang Zixuan's face and walked straight out.

The factory building of Hongfang was unusually quiet today. The workers had all gone to the county government compound for a rally, and the factory leaders were at the county committee discussing solutions. Yang Zixuan's group didn't encounter anyone on their way. From the outside, they could see many large textile machines inside, covered in dust and spider webs, clearly unused for a long time...

"This is the ledger of Hongfang..." Cao Mei took out a stack of slightly yellowed ledgers from behind a secret wooden cabinet in her office, filled with clear, small characters detailing various expenditures and income of Hongfang...

Yang Zixuan pulled over a chair and quietly flipped through the pages, becoming increasingly shocked...

As a high achiever from the University of Pennsylvania in his previous life, he could quickly understand the information recorded in the ledger...

The factory party secretary and factory manager Tian Li, along with other factory leaders, had colluded to withdraw several hundred thousand yuan from the factory's finances multiple times for receptions and entertainment.

Yang Zixuan noticed that there was a 300,000 yuan expenditure right before Li Sicheng was promoted to county magistrate, which was withdrawn by factory manager Tian Li. Another large 200,000 yuan expenditure was withdrawn by a deputy factory manager right before Xu Fuguo was appointed county party secretary...

This couldn't help but raise suspicions...

"Very good." Yang Zixuan looked at Cao Mei with some appreciation. This woman had a real talent for accounting, with everything clearly organized.

Yang Zixuan gestured to Su Ming, indicating for him and Su Chen to put the ledgers into a black bag that had been prepared in advance.

"Accountant Cao, you should also go home and prepare. We will hand over the ledger to the city, and the legal process will likely begin soon. You need to be ready to testify." Yang Zixuan's mood improved, and his tone became more gentle. "I will do my best to minimize your sentence. Even if the worst happens and you have to go to prison, I will ensure that your daughter is taken care of."

"I will." Cao Mei remained expressionless. "But you must remember what you said."

As they left Hongfang, it was almost dark. Yang Zixuan and the Su siblings had dinner at a restaurant. On the roadside, Yang Zixuan called An Zai's pager and waited for a reply.

"You two go back first. I'll handle the rest." Yang Zixuan smiled. "You've been running around these past few days."

Su Ming was flattered and waved his hands. "No, no, it's our duty to do what the leader asks..."

"I am your leader, but Xiao Chen is not my subordinate..." Yang Zixuan looked at Su Chen's beautiful profile, feeling a bit heated.

Su Chen giggled, like a blooming snow lotus, and said, "You are the parent official of the 800,000 people of Hongshui County. How can you say you are not our leader? But I must say, I've never seen a leader like you. Unlike some leaders who always have a stern face and act superior, ready to scold people at any moment..."

Su Ming quickly gave her a warning look, and Su Chen stopped.

Yang Zixuan waved his hand and smiled. "It's fine. I actually like Xiao Chen's straightforward personality. How about you come work for me at the county government after this is over?"

"Sure!" Su Ming didn't hesitate and agreed on behalf of Su Chen. After all, getting a job at the county government was a secure position, much better than the uncertain future at Hongfang, and he would feel more at ease knowing she was under his care.

"What about you, Xiao Chen?" Yang Zixuan looked at Su Chen's ivory-white, beautiful face with interest.

Feeling Yang Zixuan's gaze, Su Chen's face turned slightly red, and she played with the hem of her clothes, nodding.

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