Chapter Thirty-Seven: Damn it, he's just a pretty boy

Lin Yang was by no means a master detective; he was simply a young man corrupted by watching too many suspense thrillers, prone to wild flights of fancy, weaving together every conceivable possibility into elaborate theories. At this critical juncture, with Baifu Pharmaceuticals on the verge of developing a new drug, the prized mountain ginseng was suddenly replaced, and by sheer coincidence, the key manager Li Yang, who had just resigned, jumped ship to a rival company. Anyone would point the finger at Li Yang and Fangyu Pharmaceuticals, and Lin Yang was no exception. Yet, his mind was more agile than most, and he didn’t stop at the obvious.

“How often do you check the medicinal storeroom?” After pondering a while, Lin Yang asked in a grave tone. He had a bold hypothesis that needed verification, and so a plausible pretext leapt from his throat.

This time, everyone’s gaze shifted in unison to Zhang Meimei, the only other woman left in the hall, which took Lin Yang a bit by surprise. He muttered inwardly, “So beauty really does attract attention—anything will get linked to her.”

Compared to Bai Jing, a true prodigy, Zhang Meimei was the archetype of a workaholic—rising from entry-level to HR manager in two short years. Surely, she must have weathered hardships and paid her dues. As for matters of the heart, she was as pure as a blank canvas, waiting for fate’s artist to inscribe her future.

Used to attention, Zhang Meimei rose habitually and replied, “We check the medicine inventory once a day, every morning at nine. That’s never changed.”

“So that means the ginseng was swapped sometime between yesterday at nine and this morning,” Lin Yang responded nonchalantly, as if offhandedly, though his gaze swept coldly across the few people left in the hall. He knew that to swap out so much ginseng without raising suspicion within a day, the perpetrator had to be an insider—one of significant rank. Ordinary staff wouldn't have such means. As for the procurement manager who resigned, he’d left two days prior, making him much less likely a suspect.

At first, Lin Yang’s suspicion had centered on Zhang Meimei, the girl with the most opportunity to tamper with things. Yet her eyes were so guileless, so clear, that he found himself unable to suspect her at all.

Did Lin Yang have a soft spot for beautiful women? Well, who could say...

As for Bai Jing, it was out of the question. Who would gamble with their own family’s lifeblood and steal from themselves? She wasn’t foolish or reckless—clearly impossible. That left the three senior managers as his prime suspects.

To have reached their positions, none of those present were fools; each was shrewd as a fox, and Lin Yang’s suspicious gaze did not go unnoticed.

The hot-tempered sales manager, Zhang Yan, was the first to blow up, slamming the table and pointing at Lin Yang, his voice thick and accusatory: “What’s with those eyes, kid? Are you suggesting we managers are behind this, stealing from our own company?”

With those words, Lin Yang was instantly cast as the enemy. These old hands were all close-knit; infighting was unthinkable. Now, with this upstart newcomer casting aspersions, he became public enemy number one.

“Exactly, Vice President Lin, you can eat whatever you like, but you can’t sling accusations without evidence. We could sue you for slander,” added Wang the Fat, the quality control supervisor, jumping up and sending his ample flesh quivering. His words were like knives, as if eager to see Lin Yang thrown into the deepest hell.

Lin Yang was speechless, muttering to himself, “When did I ever say you guys were suspects? You’re all but confessing by overreacting. This is just unfair!”

He couldn’t help but add, “See? Guilty conscience, all of you.”

Had the others known what he was thinking, they’d have been driven mad, ready to curse him out: “Who has a guilty conscience? Your whole family’s got a guilty conscience!”

Zhang Meimei had no interest in defending herself. Explain? She wasn’t that foolish. The more you try to clarify, the more suspicious you seem. Besides, her conscience was spotless; she couldn’t be bothered to defend herself.

As for the inscrutable market research manager, Zhu Ziqiang, his words were even more venomous, his tone chilling: “It seems our new vice president was just at the medicine storeroom, and left carrying a rather large, tightly wrapped bundle. Care to explain?”

Indirect insults were nothing new, but today’s was a masterstroke—his words sent ripples through the room, instantly shifting suspicion onto Lin Yang.

Lin Yang cursed inwardly, “New vice president? Who else could that be but me?”

But in truth, he really had visited the storeroom earlier and emerged with a large, wrapped bundle, now sitting on his office desk.

His reasoning at the time had been: “Herbs exposed to open air? That’s just wasteful—think of the cost! Who do these people think they are, squandering company resources? Have some conscience!”

In a rush, he’d grabbed a scrap of cloth, bundled up the herbs he needed, and left—unbeknownst to him, Zhu Ziqiang had seen the whole thing.

Now, Lin Yang was thrust onto the blade, and the three male managers were smug with satisfaction.

Let’s see how you talk your way out of this, they thought. You come swaggering in, daring to suspect us? Not even settled in and already picking a fight—you’re dead meat.

Before Lin Yang could defend himself, Bai Jing, unable to watch any longer, raised her voice and coldly rebuked them: “Enough! What are you doing? Vice President Lin has every right to take the herbs he needs. Don’t you understand that?”

Blatant, unashamed protection—these two might as well be joined at the hip. Instantly, not only did Lin Yang become the object of scorn, but he was also the target of their envy. Even Zhang Meimei cast him a strange look.

Was it confusion? Relief? Anger? Jealousy? Her gaze was so complex that Lin Yang’s brows nearly knit themselves into a knot.

Chastened by Bai Jing, the three men were suddenly as meek as defeated roosters, desperate to hide their heads in shame, cursing their own rashness. Only now did they remember that this seemingly harmless newcomer was, in fact, their superior. To openly challenge him—were they out of their minds?

“That’s enough for now. Meeting adjourned.” Seeing there was no point in continuing and the atmosphere only growing more tense, Bai Jing could only call it off.

As the others left and Lin Yang prepared to go, Bai Jing called out to stop him.

In the vast meeting hall, with only a man and a woman left behind, all sorts of suggestive images might spring to mind—and those who had left were no exception.

“Hmph, that guy is just clueless, trying to throw his weight around. Pretty boy, that’s all he is,” Zhang Yan grumbled irritably the moment he stepped into the corridor. To be suspected like this was more humiliating than being stripped naked and paraded through the streets.

It was baffling how someone so hot-tempered had become sales manager—a job that demands smooth talk and diplomacy. Salespeople are supposed to be deferential to clients, but this guy seemed incapable of it. Some questions are simply unanswerable.

“Exactly, that kid’s got a wild streak. Comes in and starts suspecting us—what’s next?” Wang the Fat egged things on, fanning the flames of anger, though his shifty eyes were already calculating other angles.

“Sigh! With Vice President Bai protecting him, all our complaints are pointless. If we push too far, we’re liable to get ourselves fired,” Zhu Ziqiang added venomously, with a hint of mischief.

Trailing behind, Zhang Meimei felt increasingly uneasy listening to their open grumbling. She hesitated, then turned back toward the meeting hall. She thought it best to talk to Bai Jing. She wasn’t naive—she understood that if this matter wasn’t handled properly, it could split the company apart, internal strife breaking out before external threats were even addressed.

…

“Xiao Yang, did you notice something?” After the others had left, Bai Jing hesitated for a while, then couldn’t help but ask in a low voice.

“Nope!” Lin Yang waved his hands dismissively, as if he couldn’t care less—a man who didn’t know when to be tactful.

Since he wouldn’t say, Bai Jing couldn’t press him, nor did she have the authority to interrogate him. She could only chalk it up to a woman’s intuition, without evidence or grounds to pursue further.

“But…” Lin Yang deliberately drew out the word, staring at Bai Jing’s lovely, hopeful face for a long moment before finally deigning to speak.

“But what?” Bai Jing pressed, her small hands clenched in nervous anticipation.