Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 018

Chapter 18 ☆, A Mysterious Letter of Report.

In “Forrest Gump,” Forrest Gump’s mother once told him that life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.

For a time, Xin Xin deeply disliked the monotony of her workday and thought that perhaps Forrest Gump’s life was truly a box of chocolates full of surprises. But her life was all dark chocolate; after eating one, she already knew what the next one would taste like. But now, she suddenly realized that even her seemingly ordinary life was like chocolate, perhaps even…

Strange-tasting chocolate.

The inspection, which had been carried out in full swing for two weeks, yielded much fanfare but little action. No substantive issues were uncovered regarding Zhao Xi. Aside from a few issues, such as a missing review stamp on an approval procedure, which Ms. Fan from the Internal Control and Compliance Department meticulously wrote down, Zhao Xi escaped unscathed.

When Chengjing’s boss first got into trouble, many people criticized Zhao Xi, many of them secretly gloating over his misfortune.

Now that the inspection results were out, after Chen Gang reported the problems at the feedback meeting, he solemnly stated, “Recently, due to some external risk events, we have also had some internal rumors. As of today, Mr. Zhao’s business has been thoroughly reviewed, and no issues have been identified. I hope that all of our people will be united in their outreach. If anyone is found spreading false information, they will be dealt with severely.”

Xin Xin glanced at Zhao Xi. His gold-rimmed glasses, elegant shirt, and the slight smile on his lips were refreshing.

The previous days’ lethargy had vanished, and he had returned to his perfectly cocooned, flawless self.

When Chen Gang arrived, he had maintained an impartial approach to law enforcement. Now, Xin Xin understood that he was truly here to support Zhao Xi. Chen Lisha offered a few polite words as usual, and everyone dispersed happily.

However, no one expected that after the feedback meeting, upon opening the conference room door, a letter would lie on the doorway.

Inscribed in large letters: “To the Inspection Team.”

This solitary letter, lying on the ground, revealed a strange irony.

Xin Xin was the first to discover the letter, and her face paled. Chen Lisha took it, also startled, and grimly handed it to Chen Gang.

Chen Gang calmly took the letter and said quickly, “All department heads, please return. We’ll have a meeting within the inspection team.”

This was so strange and bizarre that Chen Lisha secretly arranged for someone to check the surveillance footage to see who had sent the letter.

She heard the surveillance footage didn’t reveal anything, and it was a delivery guy who delivered it.

Most areas of the Haining branch were monitored, so security was relatively high. Plus, everyone usually ordered coffee and tea after work. A delivery guy wouldn’t draw much attention.

Unsolved case.

Xin Xin sat in her office, reviewing the audit draft again. She went over the items several times in her mind, even recalling some of her conversations with Zhao Xi.

There was nothing wrong, at least not within her comprehension.

So what was the purpose of this letter? Since they knew which office it was sent to, who it was sent to, and what was being investigated, it must have been done by someone from the company.

Xin Xin was pondering this when the office door opened and Yang Rui from the Legal Department poked his head in.

“Ms. Xin, are you free?”

Xin Xin nodded. “Mr. Yang, please come in.”

Yang Rui gave a flattering smile and wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead. “Tell me, every external project we have has gone through layers of review. Besides, Mr. Zhao and you are both professionals among professionals. If there are any obvious problems, we shouldn’t do it. I think there must be someone with bad intentions, seeing that we’ve escaped a disaster, and trying to find trouble for us.”

Sometimes, Xin Xin really couldn’t understand how the company arranged its personnel. Yang Rui was over a decade older than Xin Xin, and he did indeed major in law and indeed graduated from a very prestigious university. He had risen through the ranks early; at least he was already in his current position when Xin Xin first joined the company.

Xin Xin felt that this person was a lackluster version of Xue Baochai. He wouldn’t speak when it didn’t concern him and shook his head when asked, saying he didn’t know. He was always the first to pat his chest when the boss assigned him a task, but when it came time to actually do the work, he would beg for food from every department. He took credit when nothing went wrong, but when something did, he would start fussing over approvals and formalities. He thought every department had problems, except for him.

In fact, every company had several people like this, and in the right position, they could even play a very important role.

But Yang Rui happened to be in the crucial legal department, and he refused to take any responsibility at all.

No matter how big or small, he would go through a single document over and over again and face a cascade of approvals, fearing the slightest responsibility.

His most common refrain was, “Oh, you see, our legal department isn’t easy either. This document carries a certain risk; it needs the signature of the top leader.”

Xin Xin didn’t particularly like him, feeling that he was fawning and extremely cunning, so she approached him cautiously. “Since you’re here to inspect, you’re just a channel. By sending a letter, you might have information we don’t know. The inspection team is composed of elite individuals from every department in the company. No matter what, they’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Yang Rui tried to pry some information out of Xin Xin, but she was incredibly thorough. Unwilling to give up, he had no choice but to reveal his own information. “Did you hear that Xixi was called away by Chen Lisha?”

Xin Xin was actually somewhat suspicious of Xixi. This unconventional and sneaky method felt like something Xixi would do.

But Xin Xin remained impassive, feigning impartiality. “Maybe it’s something else. We’re not sure what’s in the letter yet, so why would we start suspecting a colleague?”

Yang Rui was annoyed by Xin Xin’s businesslike demeanor. He had assumed Xin Xin and Xixi were sworn enemies, but he hadn’t expected Xin Xin to have completely emulated Zhao Xi’s cunning and calculating caution.

They truly resemble the person they raised.

Knowing he couldn’t get anything out of Xin Xin, Yang Rui left in disgrace. As soon as he left, Xin Xin received a message from Mary, “Did you know? The inspection team’s departure tickets have been rescheduled.”

Xin Xin’s heart sank. She knew the letter was bound to be a tangent, but she just didn’t know what it contained.

But she soon learned the truth. Chen Gang personally arranged to meet with her.

“The accusation we received alleges that you were promoted exceptionally during your time at the Haining branch because you had an improper relationship with Mr. Zhao. We’d like to hear your perspective first.”

Xin Xin didn’t believe the letter contained all that information, but it was both surprising and reasonable.

“Mr. Chen, when Zhao Xi was General Manager of Haining City, I was promoted through the ranks within the department. There was no exceptional promotion. During the competition for the deputy manager position, I followed the procedures. At the time, my CFA and CPA certifications were both certified, and I had the highest net worth of clients in the entire investment banking department.” Xin Xin smiled. “I was the entire lead for Hanhai’s IPO. Even now that I’m in the retail department, I still manage the private brokerage business of my former clients. I believe that, in terms of professionalism and qualifications, I’m flawless.”

Chen Gang sized Xin Xin up, as if trying to determine if there were any flaws in her claims. Xin Xin, however, wasn’t at all nervous. Even if the king of lords arrived, she and Zhao Xi were innocent.

“As for Zhao Xi and I, our relationship is strictly one of superior and subordinate. There’s no meaningful relationship between us, let alone an inappropriate one.”

Chen Gang pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Who do you think sent this letter, and what’s their purpose?”

Xin Xin was stunned. Instead of answering, she asked, “Is the letter solely targeting Zhao Xi and me?”

Chen Gang smiled, but she understood. Xin Xin feigned confusion, saying, “When Mr. Zhao was in Haining, he was a very kind person and well-liked by everyone. I’m not one to stir up trouble. I’m not sure who would maliciously slander us with such groundless rumors.”

Xin Xin already had her answer: it had to be Xixi who sent the letter. Zhao Xi was a very good person. While he wasn’t perfect, it was unlikely that someone would go after him to cause him trouble.

The other possibility was that someone was taking advantage of the situation to upset Xin Xin. Could it be that she provoked Xixi that day, causing her to resort to such desperate measures?

Chen Gang nodded. “We’ll continue the investigation. You go ahead and get busy.”

Xin Xin left the meeting room and met Fu Meng, who went back inside with a sullen expression.

This matter had been investigated for a week, and nearly everyone in the company had been consulted.

According to Mary’s reliable tip, including Mary herself, perhaps twenty people in the company had been indicted, yet only one case actually revealed a business problem. Ashley, implicated in this incident, had already resigned.

Xin Xin had assumed Xixi was targeting her, but she hadn’t expected her to go so far, indiscriminately attacking so many people. Even if she could be brought down, what good would happen to Xixi?

Mary curled her lips. “Who knows? I heard the letter mentioned something involving Chen Lisha, but the biggest problem lies with Ashley, who’s already gone. It’s said that only Xixi and Ashley knew about this. She’s absolutely crazy. Sending such a groundless letter, besides annoying others, what can it do to us? How can she still stay in the company after doing something like this?”

Xin Xin was curious. “What did she accuse you of?”

Mary looked confused. “She said I didn’t review my expenses carefully and flirted with a male colleague.”

Xin Xin smiled and jokingly said, “She’s not wrong. You judge people by appearances. She must have seen her reporting to a handsome guy faster.”

How did she explain it?

Mary raised an eyebrow. “Tsk, I’ll definitely say I’m impartial and never show favoritism. Besides, why would someone like me need to show favoritism?”

In workplace struggles, the most feared thing was this kind of incomplete harm to others, but also not self-interested.

Xin Xin put her mind at ease and happily enjoyed the weekend.