Chapter 14: Division of Labor |
Qiao Yi returned not long after, carrying a first-aid kit, and went back into the conference room. He cleaned and bandaged Meng Haolin’s wound, his technique surprisingly professional.
Li Yunxiang’s convulsions lasted for about six or seven minutes, then she fell into unconsciousness.
A security guard brought in a folding stretcher from outside, opened it and placed it beside Li Yunxiang, and along with another security guard lifted her onto it. The ambulance arrived quickly; they needed to carry her downstairs first.
Ji Yongsheng instructed Qiao Yi, “Take two more people with you. Stay with her the whole way.”
After the stretcher was carried out, an environmental maintenance staff member came in and cleaned up the broken porcelain shards and water stains on the floor.
The conference room door closed again, and everyone sat in silence for a while. The scene a moment ago had been too unexpected; people needed a moment to settle.
“Sigh!” Meng Haolin heaved a long sigh, his voice low as he said, “My interactions with Li Yunxiang began about three years ago, around when she had just joined the company.”
He had already prepared himself mentally when he asked for tea, so he didn’t hold back much now.
What Li Yunxiang had just caused looked like a lot of commotion and speech, but aside from exposing his shame, she hadn’t said a single useful thing. In that case, he had to explain himself.
“You know, I had just finalized my divorce around that time, and I felt a long-missed sense of relaxation. Chatting a few words with Li Yunxiang in the morning made the whole day feel refreshing. So I started timing my arrivals to the office; almost every time I came, I’d meet her. I began to think she might be waiting for me too.
“As we got to know each other, we talked about more things. She envied the technical positions in the company. I told her I could teach her, and that if she reached the ability level, I could help get her transferred into a technical role.
“I could tell she studied diligently. But she only had a junior college diploma, her basics were weak, and she progressed slowly. When I explained a concept I often had to start from a very shallow layer, bring it down to a level she could understand, and then slowly build it back up.
“But in March this year she suddenly seemed to click—her comprehension improved massively, her learning speed sped up. Other than that, I didn’t notice any other differences from before. If President Ji hadn’t presented the substation log as evidence today, I would never have suspected her.”
When Meng Haolin paused, Ji Yongsheng asked, “Were the CMS control commands something she only recently learned from you?”
“No.” Meng Haolin shook his head. “I demonstrated those operations for her, including how to modify system logs, at least a year and a half ago. At the time she couldn’t read it at all. Her so-called bragging probably referred to that.”
Ji Yongsheng frowned. “So you mean that although she didn’t understand the operations back then, she memorized the commands; now that her skill level has risen, she can apply them?”
Meng Haolin nodded. “I know it sounds absurd, but it’s the most reasonable explanation I can think of.”
That explanation was hard to accept, but Meng Haolin didn’t seem to be hiding anything. Although Li Yunxiang hadn’t revealed anything useful earlier, there was definitely something wrong with her.
Someone knocked on the conference room door. A security guard at the entrance opened it, spoke a few words to the person outside, then took a phone and hurried over to Ji Yongsheng.
“President Ji, Director Qiao said he has something important to report to you.”
Ji Yongsheng took the phone and stood by the large floor-to-ceiling window. “Qiao Yi, this is Ji Yongsheng. Go ahead. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I understand.”
He hung up, turned to everyone, his expression grave as he said, “Li Yunxiang is dead.”
Li Yunxiang is dead?
Hearing this, everyone in the conference room froze briefly, then various expressions began to show on different faces.
Although Li Yunxiang hadn’t disclosed anything useful earlier, anyone with eyes could see there must be someone behind her, possibly even a powerful force.
All the clues pointed to this woman, and yet she died at this moment. It was hard not to imagine darker possibilities.
Ji Yongsheng asked Meng Haolin, “Meng, had Li Yunxiang previously shown signs of epileptic symptoms?”
“I never saw any.” Meng Haolin shook his head. “Nor did she mention it.”
Ji Yongsheng looked to Ding Yafan. Before he could speak, Ding Yafan quickly said, “I can confirm she has no history of epilepsy.”
Ding Yafan did not have a deep impression of Li Yunxiang, but she was very certain on that point.
Because environmental maintenance staff work in certain special environments, a history of epilepsy is strictly forbidden. The company conducts annual physical exams; if Li Yunxiang had such an issue, HR would definitely have records.
Ji Yongsheng pondered for a moment, then walked over to Dai Songquan and spoke quietly, “President Dai, I don’t think Li Yunxiang’s death was a simple accident.”
Dai Songquan nodded. “Call the police.”
Ji Yongsheng nodded, then sat down at the conference table. The others returned to their seats.
“Everyone, I’ll assign tasks.” Ji Yongsheng’s expression was solemn. “Jiang Kai, you lead the coordination with Paradise Beverages and handle matters related to ad placements. The leads from the advertising company are crucial; treat them carefully.”
“Understood.” Jiang Kai nodded.
“Wu, you lead liaison with the police. We will go to report this. Coordinate closely with Jiang, assist the police in following up the advertising company leads, and don’t neglect the line involving Li Yunxiang.”
“Got it!” Wu Wenjun, who was called on, responded. He was about forty-two or forty-three, broad and solidly built, the general manager of the Comprehensive Support Center.
“President Gu, please lead the CMS rectification work and produce a plan as soon as possible. The exposure this time will draw attention from regulators and police. Qian, assist President Gu and help coordinate the related work.”
Gu Shiming and Qian Jiayu both agreed.
CMS originally belonged to the Technology Development Center. With Meng Haolin and Mu Wei both implicated, Gu Shiming would temporarily take over.
After finishing the assignments, Ji Yongsheng emphasized, “Leads who need to handle sensitive issues and require personnel allocation should prioritize those here today. Please give full cooperation to the assigned leads. If you need to go beyond this group, you must report to me first.
“You all understand the gravity of the situation. Honestly, this far exceeds what I anticipated before the meeting. Please be on guard, and be careful with your words and actions. Meeting adjourned!”
