Chapter 1553: Unexpected
Xu Ke retrieved a paternity test from the drawer, which indicated that Wang Lishan had once conducted a paternity test with a young boy.
Furthermore, the date on the document showed that the paternity test was conducted roughly ten years ago.
Although the relationship between the boy and Wang Lishan was unclear, according to the final results, it was evident they were not biologically related.
This paternity test couldn’t have appeared here out of thin air; since Wang Lishan sincerely kept it stored here, it must be particularly important to him.
After thoroughly searching the entire office, no other items were found.
Hence, Xu Ke backed up all these documents and returned them to their original places intact.
Now is not the time to expose anything, so these items should remain undiscovered as much as possible.
Only by holding sufficient evidence can he capture them all at once.
Moreover, it’s still unknown what Wang Lishan might be scheming behind the scenes, what exactly his plan entails.
After finishing everything, Xu Ke and Wang Cuixia turned around and went back to Master Xu’s office.
First, Xu Ke gathered all the evidence he had discovered.
Due to the urgency earlier, he hadn’t examined some things thoroughly.
Upon reviewing all these documents again, Xu Ke quickly discovered something new.
Zhang Qiang, Li Dong, and Wang Lishan seemed to have some sort of connection.
This connection wasn’t overt; it seemed covert.
Just like these three individuals, they appeared quite harmonious on the surface. Yet privately, they were at odds, distrustful of each other.
Taking advantage of Xu Ke’s moment while reviewing the documents, Wang Cuixia turned and headed to the finance department.
Regarding the suspicions earlier, Wang Cuixia felt she must find out the reason.
Today is Saturday, so there were no staff working in the finance department, allowing Wang Cuixia to easily access the internal computer.
Being an old employee of the company, checking the internal bills was relatively easy for her.
Master Xu had previously granted her privileges, giving her access to all unknown passwords within the company.
After logging into the backend, Wang Cuixia immediately pulled up the company’s past records of financial statements.
Initially, she was unaware; upon seeing them, she was shocked.
Ten years ago, the company’s annual revenue was still around seven to eight billion, with a steady growth rate of 20% annually.
But after two years, this growth rate slowed directly to 5%.
Even five years later, not only did the company’s revenue not grow, but it also experienced losses.
Especially in the past two years, the company’s annual income was only slightly over five billion.
In Wang Cuixia’s view, this was utterly impossible; despite any issues, the company should comfortably earn 10 billion annually.
Examining the internal data revealed significant financial problems within the company over these years.
Previously, such revenue wouldn’t even pass through finance; it would need company internal reviews and board approval.
But over these years, no one on the board raised these issues.
Furthermore, finance hadn’t reported any irregularities in accounts.
Though Wang Cuixia used to work in finance, after joining Master Xu, she gradually handed financial matters over to others.
Unexpectedly, the outcome of leaving it to others turned out this way; Wang Cuixia now somewhat regrets her initial decision.
"Ah, I really didn’t anticipate things would turn out like this. I shouldn’t have agreed to Master Xu and handed financial matters over to outsiders."
Upon understanding the current state of the company, Wang Cuixia started worrying about these issues.
Xu Ke is soon to take over the company, but now everything is in such turmoil, how could she confidently entrust the company to her son?
Although Xu Ke aims for the company to develop better, given his young age, managing these issues will certainly entail many challenges.
Those board members are prestigious within the company; even with Master Xu at the helm, most within the company wouldn’t obey Xu Ke’s command, and there might even be instances of many strikes.
Wang Cuixia is no stranger to such occurrences, thus she feels exceptionally concerned about the current situation.
Upon investigating who is responsible now at the finance department, Wang Cuixia quickly found an unfamiliar name.
In her memory, this name wasn’t one she initially appointed.
Though personnel changes are normal after so many years.
Yet looking now, the person she appointed back then is no longer even in the company.
The benefits at Xu Group are considered world-leading, many people aspire to join.
There is no reason for someone to quit this place; something else must have transpired in between.
Wang Cuixia remembered they once had chat records back in the day, though it’s been years, she habitually kept such records.
In the messages, Wang Cuixia quickly found chats from a few years back.
Based on the phone number, Wang Cuixia quickly dialed it.
The call connected in no time, and a familiar yet strange voice sounded beside Wang Cuixia.
"Sister Wang, I didn’t expect you would still remember me after all these years."
This call addressed her as Sister Wang brought tears to Wang Cuixia’s eyes; this was a voice she knew well, belonging to the very person she initially placed in the finance department.
Back then, this young lady was merely a fresh graduate. Wang Cuixia thought she had exceptional insight and proficiency, so she deliberately groomed her.
When the opportunity was right, Wang Cuixia handed financial matters entirely over to her.
Turns out her judgment was correct; in the initial years, the young lady managed the company’s finance department neatly.
She solved many longstanding problems within the company, much to Master Xu’s delight.
But suddenly, the young lady vanished without notice.
Since Wang Cuixia hadn’t been attentive to the finance department, she only now reached out.
"Xiaoya, what happened back then? How did you end up resigning from the company for no reason?"
Filled with questions, Wang Cuixia wondered what transpired during those years.
Xiaoya was silent for a while following Wang Cuixia’s inquiry, then sobs began transmitting from the other end.
"Sister Wang, it really wasn’t my fault; I was forced to leave the company then."
Apparently, Xiaoya held some grievance, making her hesitant to actively contact Wang Cuixia all these years.