The contract was crystal clear and laid out before her, leaving He Yao with no room to deny anything.
However, she couldn't figure it out.
Besides her master, Liang Bo, and herself, no one else knew about this.
Her master wouldn't betray her, and Liang Bo likely wouldn't either, as they still had a business relationship and might need to deal with each other in the future.
So, who would do this to her?
Upon hearing that He Yao had confessed fully, Xu Zheng, who was waiting in the lobby, became even more bewildered.
How could something like this happen? I haven't treated He Yao poorly; how could she do this to me? And play such tricks behind my back!
"So, based on her situation, how should she be sentenced?"
The staff member replied, "We will continue the investigation. If the situation is confirmed, with sufficient witness testimony and evidence, considering the amount involved, it will be five years or more, but less than ten."
Xu Zheng gasped.
Five years or more, but less than ten!
Although He Yao wasn't very old, her future was completely ruined by this incident.
But then again, He Yao was too ungrateful; she deserved it!
If others hadn't acted on behalf of justice, he would still be in the dark, and the company would likely lose much more under her in the future.
At this point, it was more than generous of him not to stab her in the back; he would absolutely not help her!
As his workday came to an end, Zhan Jingrui, as usual, sent a message to He Yao.
She didn't reply after fifteen minutes, nor after half an hour, and still no reply after an hour.
Finally, he couldn't bear it and left work early.
Upon returning home, he found she wasn't there.
Xu Zheng didn't know about their relationship, so he couldn't directly call Xu Zheng to ask. Instead, he found an excuse to go to his company.
The company was abuzz with speculation about He Yao's situation. When Zhan Jingrui inquired, he learned that He Yao had been taken away.
He called Xu Zheng from outside his office. Fortunately, Xu Zheng's phone was still on.
"I was passing by your company and came to look for you. Why aren't you here?"
Xu Zheng had just come out, getting into his car and shaking his head.
"Don't mention it. Something came up, and I came to the branch bureau. I'm just leaving now and heading back. Why do you have time to look for me today? Is something wrong?"
Seeing that the rumors were confirmed, Zhan Jingrui's heart clenched.
However, he didn't suspect anything was wrong with He Yao. He thought Xu Zheng had done something shady that implicated He Yao.
"What's going on? Did you do something wrong to get arrested?"
Xu Zheng disliked hearing this. "What are you saying? Am I that unreliable? At most, I'm a scoundrel in my personal life, but I've never done anything illegal or against the law."
"It's He Yao, on the other hand. She always seemed diligent and hardworking. I treated her so well, I even wanted to pursue her. But look at this, she did such a thing behind my back!"
"What did He Yao do?"
Xu Zheng recounted the entire incident to Zhan Jingrui, but Zhan Jingrui still didn't believe it.
He Yao wasn't that kind of person; how could she do such a thing?
She must have been framed.
"Since you have something to attend to, you go ahead and handle it. I won't wait for you; I'll head back first."
"Don't, don't—"
Amidst Xu Zheng's repeated attempts to make him stay, he hung up the phone.
He then turned and called his assistant, asking him to find the location of Liang Bo's factory.
The assistant quickly found it. He drove to the factory and inquired, but it was a holiday, and the person wasn't there.
"Do you know where he went?"
The security guard said he didn't know. "The bosses don't report their whereabouts to me when they're on holiday."
"Do you have his phone number? Help me call him."
"That might not be a good idea. It's a rare day off, and if I call him, he might think something's wrong. Who are you to him?"
Without a word, Zhan Jingrui handed the security guard a 500 yuan cash.
"Give me his phone number, and I'll call him."
Liang Bo, along with his brothers, dressed smartly and handsomely, was at a private restaurant discussing life with Chu Xi when his phone rang.
He picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number, so he didn't answer.
However, Zhan Jingrui kept calling and calling.
He finally answered: "Hello, who is this?"
"Liang Bo, it's Zhan Jingrui. Where are you now?"
"Zhan Jingrui?" Liang Bo looked at Chu Xi.
His first thought was: Chu Xi had been getting too close to him recently, and Zhan Jingrui found out. He was jealous and came to settle the score.
"I'm at—"
He covered the microphone and asked Chu Xi, "Your fiancé is calling me, asking where I am. What's going on? Could it be that he misunderstood our relationship and came to settle accounts? Should I tell him?"
Chu Xi sneered inwardly.
He Yao had an incident, and then he came looking for her. That was quite something.
"Go ahead and tell him. Let him come."
Liang Bo hesitated, "Did you two really not argue? Damn, don't let this cause trouble between you two. Honestly, I don't have any romantic feelings for you. It's too pointless to get angry over me."
Chu Xi wasn't angry initially, but upon hearing his words, her face fell, and she slammed her chopsticks onto the table.
"What do you mean by that?"
Liang Bo didn't understand why she was angry and quickly explained.
"I don't mean anything. I mean, we're just ordinary friends, and you shouldn't get angry because of me."
Chu Xi pressed on, "What do you mean by saying you don't have that kind of feeling for me? Are you looking down on me? Am I not as good-looking as He Yao, not as good in figure as He Yao, not as good in personality as He Yao, or lacking somewhere else? Why do you have feelings for her but not for me?"
As soon as she said this, all the men at the table were stunned.
Liang Bo was confused about what Chu Xi really meant.
Was she using him to vent her anger at her fiancé, or was she serious?
Did the esteemed Miss Chu have feelings for him?
"Chu Xi, you can eat anything, but you can't say anything carelessly. Look at you..."
Chu Xi, too lazy to talk nonsense with him, reached out and snatched the phone, then recited the address.
"I'm with him. Hurry over, we'll make a seat for you."
Zhan Jingrui was also surprised to hear Chu Xi's voice.
Didn't she go to some South Australia Island for a trip? Why was she with Liang Bo? When did she return?
He decided not to dwell on it and went first.
He drove to the destination, entered the private room, and saw a large group of men sitting inside.
Liang Bo seemed a bit embarrassed and stood up to shake his hand in greeting. Zhan Jingrui ignored him and directly went to an empty seat.
"Chu Xi, when did you get back?"
"It's none of your business when I got back. You're busy, aren't you? It's good that I didn't tell you and disturb you."
Zhan Jingrui knew it was wrong to keep his dealings with He Yao a secret from Chu Xi, but it wasn't appropriate to discuss it in front of so many people.
"I'm sorry, I've neglected you recently. We'll discuss our matters later. Can you go back first so I can talk to Liang Bo alone?"
Chu Xi exploded: "Go back, go where?"
"This was my arrangement, not yours. I haven't finished my meal yet. What earth-shattering news do you have that you need to hide from me and discuss with him?"
Through her tone and attitude, Zhan Jingrui was certain.
Chu Xi knew everything and was venting in her own way.
"I know what you're thinking, and I'll give you an explanation, but not now. You wouldn't want this to become public knowledge, would you."