Chapter 86: The Important Client

He could never have imagined it.

The woman before him—the one he had always trusted implicitly, the one he had relied on as his right hand—had embezzled over two hundred thousand from him behind his back!

Over two hundred thousand!

No wonder his factory had fallen into such dire straits! So all the working capital had ended up in her hands!

"You wretched woman! After all the trust I placed in you, you repaid me with a plot to bring me down! Mo Xiao, you truly deserve to die!"

Lan Yaoming spoke again, his tone no longer agitated, but the way he ground his teeth made his expression almost ferocious.

Over two hundred thousand.

Having spent half his life in business, he understood perfectly well: to misappropriate such a vast sum required dozens of transactions. And each and every one of those would have impacted his operations—how many cycles of cash flow had been disrupted? How much profit had he lost because of it? It was impossible to calculate!

Mo Xiao suddenly snapped her head toward him. Her gaze was so chilling, so cold and menacing, it was terrifying.

"Me, deserving of death? Lan Yaoming, if anyone here deserves it, it's you! I gave up my husband and child for you, let you destroy my family. And in the end, what did I get? Nothing but a tool for your pleasure whenever you desired! Bringing you down? That would be the kindest thing I could do!"

"You—"

Lan Yaoming was speechless. Despite the anger on his face, he couldn't utter a word.

Back when he was lying with her, he had made a thousand promises. But after Mo Xiao took it seriously and divorced first, he lost his nerve.

If things had come to this, he could not deny his share of responsibility.

"How amusing," Wu Ya, who had been watching coldly from the side, sneered. "Adulterers, yet they act like lovers torn apart by hatred and love. Absolutely disgusting."

There were five people in this room: three men—two of them brothers-in-law—and one woman, who at that moment was still naked, trembling with fear and shame.

What a mess.

If his own interests weren't at stake, Wu Ya wouldn't have involved himself in this filthy business at all.

After all, he was still a pure and innocent young man!

"About time they showed up, isn't it? Are the police in Xiangzhou always this slow?" Wu Ya, feeling increasingly uncomfortable, cast a glance at the door.

Just then—

A commotion erupted in the hallway, and several figures burst into the room!

It wasn't that the police were slow—Wu Ya was simply impatient. It had only been half an hour since he'd called from downstairs.

"Who called the police?" the lead officer, a burly man with a stern expression, demanded as soon as he entered.

But when his gaze fell on Mo Xiao—

"Everyone turn around! Miss, please put on your clothes at once!"

His voice was even harsher as he barked this order.

They had rushed over, and since Wu Ya had only reported an economic crime, there were no female officers present. Who could have predicted a scene like this? All they could do was turn away and let her dress herself.

"Officer, I was the one who made the call."

"You?" The lead officer turned to find himself facing a boyish face!

Was this some kind of joke? A kid reporting an economic crime?

Economics? What could a child possibly understand about that?

The officer's expression cooled as his thoughts raced. He was about to say something more when—

"Officer, I'm Lan Yaoming, director of Hongtu Equipment Manufacturing Factory. I asked him to call you! That woman is Mo Xiao, my factory's accountant, and that man is the director of the State-run Wuhu Machinery Factory! The two of them conspired to embezzle my personal assets—over two hundred thousand!"

Lan Yaoming stepped forward decisively.

He could see the skepticism in the officer's eyes—Wu Ya's youth had cast doubt on the call. He didn't want to waste any more time, so he clarified everything at once.

"Over two hundred thousand?" The lead officer was momentarily stunned.

A major case! This was the biggest he'd ever handled in his career! If he solved it, it would be a shining achievement.

"Take them all back to the station for overnight questioning!"

His heart raced with excitement, his hands trembling. There was no time to waste here—he would interrogate them through the night and report this sensational case first thing in the morning.

It would make for an exhilarating breakfast briefing for his superiors—and perhaps mark the end of his long years at this local station. He'd spent ten years here, dealing with endless trivial disputes—broken windows, chickens eating neighbors' rice, petty arguments. He'd always hoped for the day a major case would come his way, so he could finally rise above.

And here it was!

"Director Lan, I'll need you to come with us as well. Everything concerning these two must be substantiated with solid evidence. Get your proof together, or not only will we be unable to convict them, you might be charged with slander yourself."

Suppressing his excitement, the officer issued a stern warning.

But—

"Evidence? I—" Lan Yaoming was at a loss.

He looked hesitantly at Wu Ya.

He'd been so consumed by anger from the moment he entered that everything since had been guided by Wu Ya. Evidence? He didn't have any! Lan had shown up, but a single witness was hardly enough—people could conspire together. If Mo Xiao and her accomplice turned the tables and accused him of colluding with Lan to frame them, the consequences would be disastrous.

The officer's expression darkened at Lan Yaoming's hesitation.

"What? You don't have any evidence?"

"I do!" a voice rang out from behind. The reply was firm and decisive.

"This lady is the cashier under Director Lan. She has the account books documenting Accountant Mo's embezzlement! I persuaded her to bring them here. You can use these records to convict the two of them!"

There were account books!

Wu Ya's words made the officer's eyes light up—and Lan Yaoming felt a wave of relief and gratitude.

A savior!

Not only had Wu Ya helped eliminate hidden dangers and saved the factory, but he'd also convinced Lan to bring irrefutable proof. Now, neither Mo Xiao nor Zhu Changxing would escape, and all of Lan's lost assets would return to him. To Lan Yaoming, this was a debt of rebirth.

"Young man, standing up for justice deserves recognition! Which school are you from? I'll send your school a commendation letter tomorrow! This is exactly the sort of thing we should be encouraging!"

As the account books were handed over, the officer's face filled with excitement and approval.

So young, yet able to persuade someone to present evidence and report a crime—such wisdom set him apart. After all, whistleblowers often carried a heavy psychological burden, especially the fear of retaliation. Yet this boy had convinced the cashier to come forward. Remarkable!

"Thank you, but I'm not from around here, and I’m not in school anymore."

Not in school. Wu Ya was about to enter Huaiyuan University, but he had no wish to draw attention to himself. If he entered so publicly, his reputation would overshadow him from the start.

The officer frowned slightly at this.

"Someone your age, already out of school?"

To him, that sounded like a sign of trouble.

But—

"Officer, he's our factory's client! A major client!" Lan Yaoming quickly explained, leaving the officer stunned.

A major client of the equipment factory? Just how much money did this young man have?

"And... what’s your name?"

Only now did the officer remember to ask Wu Ya's name. Until then, he'd been too caught up in the case.

"My name is Wu Ya, from Weiling City in Huaiyuan Province."

Wu Ya.

"Very well! Wu Ya—no, Boss Wu, we’ll need you to come with us too. As a participant, we’ll need your statement."

Without further ado, the officer waved his hand, and several policemen took Mo Xiao and Zhu Changxing into custody. He then led Wu Ya, Lan Yaoming, and Lan out of the hotel, heading straight for the station.