Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 159 Mysterious Boyfriend

In the confidential conference room of the provincial department, Wu Zhiyuan convened a case analysis meeting with members of the Operation Furnace task force.

Wu Zhiyuan got straight to the point: "Each group will take turns reporting on the recent progress of the investigation. Group one, please go first."

Jiang Yongsheng reported: "A team has conducted a preliminary review of Dadi Company's sales records and logistics documents for rare earth and rare metal products over the past three years and discovered some suspicious points."

Most of the transactions were compliant and legal, but one export chain leading to a port on the southeast coast was abnormal.

This shipment was nominally exported to a company called Xincheng Technology, registered in Southeast Asia, for the manufacture of electronic products.

However, our in-depth investigation into Xincheng Technology revealed that its background is extremely complex and that it has indirect connections with several offshore companies with Western military backgrounds.

More importantly, we retrieved the actual container loading records and customs inspection images from the port and found that there were differences in the packaging and specifications of the declared primary rare earth oxides and the actual goods leaving the country.

There may be instances of smuggling or product substitution, where high-purity or restricted-level products are mixed with ordinary products to clear customs.

We strongly suspect that this channel has been exploited by certain insiders and turned into a meticulously designed smuggling route.

There is likely an inside agent within Dadi Company, and someone of considerable rank, capable of coordinating multiple aspects such as production, quality control, warehousing, and logistics, to maintain such secrecy.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "Can the scope of the inside manipulator be narrowed down?"

Jiang Yongsheng shook his head: "There is currently a lack of direct evidence. Those with the authority and ability to handle this matter could be company management or key department heads."

Wu Zhiyuan nodded, signaling the second group to report.

Li Xiaoyu reported: "Group Two will continue to monitor Angel's Kiss Milk Tea Shop and Gao Bowen and Su Manli 24 hours a day."

Since the day he escaped our tracking and entered the milk tea shop, Gao Bowen has not left the house for the past few days. His activities have been limited to the second floor of the milk tea shop. He is very calm and composed.

He seemed to be waiting for something, or perhaps observing the situation and assessing the risks.

"As for Su Manli, we conducted an in-depth investigation into her background."

After graduating from university, she worked for a foreign trade company in the south for several years. During her work, she often went to the United States.

Three years ago, she suddenly resigned and opened this milk tea shop only 500 meters away from Dadi Company.

This timing coincided with shortly after Hu Ruoxi returned to China and joined Dadi Company, and also around the time Dadi Company was acquired by state-owned assets.

Su Manli runs a milk tea shop, goes out, and goes shopping, which seems normal.

However, our peripheral investigation revealed that her spending level did not seem to match the actual revenue of the milk tea shop, as she owned multiple luxury handbags and jewelry.

More importantly, we detected that she had an encrypted overseas messaging app account, but we are currently unable to access it.

Ma Xiangyang, the leader of the third group, reported: "Our third group is focusing on keeping the core technologies of Dadi Company confidential."

By activating the Shield team and reviewing the company's security record in recent years, it was discovered that the R&D department had experienced several undisclosed leaks in the past three years.

The most typical case occurred last year and involved an elderly expert named Ding Zhiyuan.

He violated regulations by taking some interim experimental data related to the new purification process out of the company, with unclear intentions.

Later, the company's security department intervened and found that the data had not been leaked. Expert Ding claimed that he had temporarily borrowed the company's data to analyze at home because his home computer was broken.

Because Expert Ding is a leading figure in the industry, and considering the potential impact, the company leadership, coupled with Expert Ding's good attitude in admitting his mistake, ultimately did not report the incident to the police, but only dismissed him.

Is the security department's investigation authoritative? Have any secrets been leaked? These remain unknowns.

Comrade Shield said that, first of all, Ding Zhiyuan's daughter did not return to China after studying in the United States.

Secondly, one of the senior executives who advocated handling the matter internally and downplaying it was Executive Vice President Hu Ruoxi.

She argued for a lenient sentence, citing the need to protect the experts' reputation and avoid impacting the research and development team.

Next, Wu Zhiyuan first introduced the information he had gathered from his contact with Hu Ruoxi, and then said: "The suspicions surrounding Hu Ruoxi are rising, but whether she is a victim, a target, or a participant requires more direct evidence."

Su Manli, as the key link between Gao Bowen and Hu Ruoxi, is an important breakthrough point.

He assigned the task: "Director Jiang, one team should continue to investigate the smuggling channels and try to find a more concrete chain of evidence."

Light rain, the second monitoring team must not let their guard down, and pay special attention to whether Gao Bowen has activated any backup communication methods or any signs of sudden activity.

Marco, in Team Three, assists the company in strengthening internal security and conducts a more in-depth secret investigation into the Ding Zhiyuan incident, while also digging deeper for other clues.

I will personally visit the Angel's Kiss milk tea shop and meet with Su Manli.

……

In the warm spring, the sun shines brightly.

Wu Zhiyuan changed into casual clothes and went alone to the commercial street near Dadi Company.

He walked to the entrance of the Angel's Kiss milk tea shop and saw Su Manli directing the staff inside.

Wu Zhiyuan pushed open the door and entered.

"Welcome..." Su Manli looked up and saw Wu Zhiyuan. She was both surprised and delighted. "Oh! Isn't this Mr. Wu? What brings you to my little shop?"

"Are you here to see Ruoxi? Ruoxi isn't here during working hours; you'll have to go to her office."

Wu Zhiyuan feigned surprise and said, "Miss Su? What a coincidence! I just happened to be visiting a client nearby and I'm a bit thirsty, so I'd like to buy a cup of milk tea."

"I never expected it to be Miss Su's shop, what a coincidence!"

He glanced at the price list. "Give me your signature milk tea, less sugar, please."

As Su Manli skillfully placed the order, she smiled and said, "Mr. Wu, you're too kind. Just call me Manli. It seems your collaboration with Ruoxi is going quite smoothly? You've even become friends who can take each other home for tea in the evening."

Wu Zhiyuan smiled wryly and said, "Manli, please stop teasing me. It's my honor to know President Hu and friends like you."

He offered to pay, but Su Manli firmly refused: "Mr. Wu, this milk tea is on me. Ruoxi and I are best friends. If she finds out I took your money for the milk tea, she'll beat me to death."

Wu Zhiyuan was drinking milk tea in the milk tea shop while observing the environment.

This is a street-facing storefront with two floors; the first floor is the storefront, and the second floor is the living quarters.

The storefront is located above a high-rise residential building.

Su Manli walked over: "Mr. Wu, would you like to come upstairs and have a seat?"

Wu Zhiyuan was more than happy to agree, but deliberately said, "Won't that interfere with your business?"

Su Manli pointed to the busy shop assistants: "There are two helpers, and besides, it's not very busy right now."

Su Manli gave a few instructions to the shop assistant and led Wu Zhiyuan up the stairs at the back to the second floor.

There is a small living room on the second floor, and the bedroom door is closed.

The living room is not large, but it is clean and comfortable.

On the small coffee table in the living room, there was an ashtray containing more than one cigarette butt.

Su Manli herself does not smoke.

"Manli, did you buy the house or rent it?" Wu Zhiyuan asked casually.

"It's rented, and the rent isn't cheap, over ten thousand a year."

Su Manli wore a silk slip dress with a beige knitted cardigan over it. Her legs, clad in stockings, were voluptuous yet did not appear fat.

"I think it's alright. Shops downstairs, residences upstairs. How many rooms are there?"

"How many rooms are left? Just one, please."

"It looks deserted upstairs. Do you live alone?"

"Yes, both shop assistants are from Jiangzhou and go home at night."

Su Manli shifted the topic to Hu Ruoxi: "President Wu, have you fallen for Ruoxi?"

Wu Zhiyuan said with a wry smile, "President Hu is beautiful, capable, and has a great presence; she is almost the perfect woman."

It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted, but I also know my own limitations and that I'm not good enough for her.

By the way, what exactly happened with Ruoxi's ex-boyfriend? She seems very reluctant to talk about it.

Su Manli opened up: "Ruoxi really doesn't want to talk about this; it's a sad story."

Her ex-boyfriend was named Yang Baocai. He was of Chinese descent and wasn't particularly handsome, but he had a very sweet tongue and was very good at sweet-talking people. In today's terms, he was an emotional value provider.

At that time, Ruoxi was studying in the United States and was unfamiliar with the place. Yang Baocai appeared at that time and began to pursue her intensely.

Ruoxi wasn't initially interested in him, but she couldn't resist his daily care and attention, and his constant stream of little surprises.

When a girl is in a foreign country and feels lonely, having someone so caring will eventually make her fall for them.

Later, Ruoxi graduated with a master's degree and had the opportunity to stay in the United States to work for a multinational company.

But Yang Baocai said he had deep feelings for China and wanted to develop his career there.

Ruoxi loved him deeply at that time, so she came back with him.

She got a job at her father's company, and Yang Baocai got a job at a foreign-invested consulting firm. Everything seemed to be going well.