Chapter 243 — Fleeing in Fear of Punishment

"Didn't do your job? Is it as simple as not doing your job?" Bao Lin's eyes had gone red! This money was not merely his own—it was Yang Juehuan's money. If the money vanished, and Yang Ce concluded he had handled things poorly, he would be in for a bad end! Bao Lin had witnessed Yang Juehuan's methods firsthand, so how could he possibly be in good humor now?

"Please punish me, Brother Bao!" Guo Jian was somewhat helpless. But he was the general manager of Mingyang Entertainment—if something went wrong, it was his responsibility. He believed it! Earlier, he had already sensed Yang Juehuan's dissatisfaction with Liu Chan from Yang Juehuan's own mouth. Now, with Xiao Wang saying the same, Bao Lin became even more convinced that Xiao Wang was telling the truth!

After all, Xiao Wang was nothing but a lowly assistant. Even if he pushed out Vice President Liu and Vice President Qu, it would do him no good—he was in no position to become deputy manager himself!

Moreover, these words could not possibly have been dictated by Guo Jian, because this inspection had been an unannounced special visit—there had been no prior notice to Guo Jian, they had charged straight into the company. By the time the front-desk staff told Guo Jian that he and Hou Lin had come to inspect, Guo Jian would have had no spare time to brief anyone on anything.

"You're saying these accounts were ordinarily handled by Liu Chan and Qu Daming?" Bao Lin fixed his eyes on the ledgers on the desk, his expression cold and sinister.

"Yes!" Xiao Wang straightened his back and spoke with absolute certainty. Even if Bao Lin killed him on the spot, Xiao Wang no longer cared—he had to tell the truth, he had to protect Guo Jian! It was Guo Jian who had promoted him back then, and Guo Jian who had advanced him a year's salary so he could promptly send his younger sister in the countryside her university tuition. Xiao Wang was deeply grateful to Guo Jian and was unwilling to let Guo Jian take the blame for Liu Chan and Qu Daming. Hearing this, Guo Jian let out a breath of relief, silently praising Xiao Wang's quick wits! Had he said these things himself, Bao Lin might have been suspicious, and more likely than not would not have believed him so readily—might even have thought he was sowing discord and framing the company's veteran executives! Guo Jian quickly picked up the internal line on the desk and dialed the secretariat. "Secretary Song, please notify Vice President Liu and Vice President Qu to come to my office."

Bao Lin and Hou Lin said nothing further; the two sat quietly, waiting for Liu Chan and Qu Daming to arrive so they could get to the bottom of things.

Quite a while passed, and still no one knocked at the door. Bao Lin and Hou Lin grew puzzled. "Why so slow? Is this the efficiency your company runs on?"

Guo Jian could only smile a bitter smile now.

Bao Lin sighed. It seemed the company had reached a point where it had to be set right! These two had grown so brazen that they did not even put the company's general manager in their eyes.

A good while passed, long enough for Bao Lin and Hou Lin to grow impatient, before the phone on Guo Jian's desk finally rang.

"Hello?" Guo Jian snatched up the receiver at once. "Secretary Song, how did it go? Vice President Liu and Vice President Qu still haven't come? What? You looked all over the company and couldn't find either of them? The parking lot guard says the two of them just drove out of the company? When was that? All right... I understand!"

"What's going on?" Bao Lin had caught the gist of it too. It seemed Liu Chan and Qu Daming had run off.

"Just now, not long after you and Brother Hou arrived at the company, Vice President Liu and Vice President Qu went down to the parking lot and drove away..." Guo Jian reported truthfully.

"Just now? Could the word have leaked?" Bao Lin frowned. "Did those two learn we were coming to audit the company's books and flee out of fear of punishment?"

"I... I don't know either..." Guo Jian was struck dumb on the spot. If those two had run, what was he supposed to do?

"Wait! Hold that thought!" Hou Lin rose to his feet and began examining Guo Jian's office carefully. Bao Lin and Guo Jian had no idea what Hou Lin was doing, but since Hou Lin had told them to wait, they both shut their mouths and watched him, baffled.

At last Hou Lin's gaze came to rest, fixed on the chandelier in Guo Jian's room! Rising slightly on his toes, Hou Lin took down from the chandelier a small black object shaped like a button!

"A bug!" Bao Lin was not unfamiliar with the thing in Hou Lin's hand; he recognized it at a glance for what it was, a miniature listening device!

Guo Jian and Xiao Wang, meanwhile, gaped in unison. They had never imagined that someone had planted a bug in the general manager's office! And for so long, none of them had noticed a thing!

Hou Lin nodded. "That's right, a bug! Our conversation just now was overheard, and that is why Liu Chan and Qu Daming ran!"

Bao Lin slammed his fist savagely onto the desk. He had never imagined that the worms eating away at Mingyang Entertainment would turn out to be the two old hands who had once carved out the empire at his side!

"A citywide manhunt! I refuse to believe we can't catch these two!" Bao Lin pulled out his phone in a fury, about to call his men and order a citywide search for Liu Chan and Qu Daming!

At that, Bao Lin glanced again at the bug in Hou Lin's hand and hastily stopped dialing. He pointed at the bug in Hou Lin's hand, meaning: the bug is still working, isn't it???????