CH 33

Pei You knew that the newly appointed “accountant” of Dongjiang was just a pawn in Liu Xin’s hands, who could be shifted to handle any unclear matters. Both the previous and current accountants were clueless about the situation, and there was no one accountable.

Pei You wasn’t surprised by this kind of responsibility-shifting and had already prepared for the appropriate response, but before he could speak, he heard a relaxed knocking sound at the door of the warehouse.

“Ignorant, incapable, and unable to do anything. What’s the use of having an accountant then?”

Pei You and Liu Quan turned their heads together, only to find that Zhou Qingbo, who was supposed to be “freely wandering,” had come back at some point.

He hung his coat on his arm, rolled up the sleeves to reveal his well-defined forearms. Pei You glanced at him and noticed mud stains on his trousers, as if he had just run out of a mud pit.

“Handing over work that isn’t done well,” Zhou Qingbo leaned against the door, frowning impatiently, and said, “What’s the point of having such an accountant? Just resign already.”

Liu Quan had heard of Zhou Qingbo’s reputation beforehand. Liu Xin had arranged for him to receive the “distinguished guest,” so he naturally explained about him clearly. Compared to Pei You, an ordinary external collaborator, Zhou Qingbo, as a high-ranking executive with deep connections, was undoubtedly more important.

As a result, Liu Quan’s eyes lit up, and he almost didn’t hesitate. He left Pei You behind and turned to deal with Zhou Qingbo.

“Zhou, the thing is,” Liu Quan said with a smile, trying to explain, “The new accountant has just arrived, and he’s not yet familiar with the business. It’s understandable. He’ll get the hang of it after a while.”

“Not yet familiar with the business?” Zhou Qingbo stepped over the threshold and entered the room, swaggering over to the desk. He reached out and flipped through several contracts on top of it, furrowing his brows impatiently, and said, “Why bother spending so much time getting him started? I’m busy, if he can do it, great, if not, forget about it.”

After venting his frustration, Zhou Qingbo didn’t care about Liu Quan’s expression and walked over to Pei You. He casually asked, “Have you finished the audit?”

Pei You glanced at Liu Quan over his shoulder and then nodded, closing the contract in his hand.

“We’re done,” Pei You said, “but…”

He did find some issues in the accounts that needed to be discussed with Zhou Qingbo. However, it wasn’t appropriate to do so with “eyes” around. Having worked with Zhou Qingbo for some time, they had developed some understanding between them. They exchanged a glance without saying a word, and then Zhou Qingbo impatiently snatched the documents from Pei You’s hand.

“But what?” Zhou Qingbo grabbed Pei You’s wrist and pulled him outside without waiting for an answer. “We’re done with the audit. Let’s call it a day. I saw a digging machine outside, bright red paint, it looks awesome. Come on, let’s go check it out.”

Pei You: “…”

Even though Pei You knew that Zhou Qingbo just wanted an excuse to be alone with him, he was still taken aback by this excuse.

“A digging machine…” Pei You’s expression was a bit complicated. He lowered his voice slightly and asked in disbelief, “What’s so interesting about a digging machine?”

“What?” Zhou Qingbo seemed even more shocked than him. He widened his eyes, looking at Pei You with an incredulous expression, and said with passionate indignation, “It’s a digging machine! No man doesn’t like watching a digging machine!”

Pei You: “…”

Pei You had a hard time understanding Zhou Qingbo’s complex and eccentric preferences. He gave Zhou Qingbo a puzzled look but eventually gave up trying to understand his thought process.

Meanwhile, Liu Quan approached them and smiled, “The site is chaotic. Xiao Zhou, do you want me to accompany you?”

“No need,” Zhou Qingbo impatiently waved him off, saying, “We’ll go take a look, and then we’ll leave. No need for you to come with us.”

As Zhou Qingbo dismissed Liu Quan, he pulled Pei You away. Liu Quan’s eyes scanned  Zhou Qingbo’s mud-stained trousers, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately chose not to follow them. Instead, he made a call to Liu Xin.

Liu Xin seemed to be waiting for updates from that side. The phone was answered after just a couple of rings.

“Hello,” Liu Xin said, “How’s it going? Have they left?”

“Not yet,” Liu Quan glanced outside through the window and saw Zhou Qingbo slowly walking toward the construction site. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief and said casually, “Liu Xin, you can rest assured. I think that young master is just here for show. He didn’t check any accounts; he went straight to the construction site to check out the digging machine.”

“Really?” Liu Xin asked with some doubt, “He got up early and went all the way there just to watch a digging machine?”

“Yes,” Liu Quan affirmed, “He didn’t even bother with the inventory or the accounts. As soon as he arrived, he went straight to the construction site. He seems like a young master who enjoys everything new. The auditor who came with him seemed more serious, but he didn’t find anything either and was taken away by him impatiently.”

Liu Xin knew the situation of that construction site well. He wasn’t afraid of Pei You checking the accounts, but he was worried that Pei You might have some unexpected tricks up his sleeve to uncover their secrets. Hearing Liu Quan’s report, he felt somewhat relieved.

“That’s good then,” Liu Xin still couldn’t completely relax and reminded, “Keep an eye on them, and don’t let anyone on the site gossip.”

“I know,” Liu Quan said, “You can rest assured.”

While Liu Quan was giving real-time updates, Zhou Qingbo wasn’t idle either. He really did lead Pei You to the construction site, walking step by step, to watch them drill a well.

The digging machine and the cutting machine were operating together, making a loud rumbling noise. Zhou Qingbo stood near the steel frame not far away and wasn’t worried about anyone overhearing their conversation.

“How did it go with the audit?” Zhou Qingbo asked. “From the look on your face, it seems like it didn’t go smoothly.”

“Indeed,” Pei You admitted. “The inventory of this project doesn’t match, but the quantity involved isn’t too large. If Liu Xin wants to embezzle money from this level of ‘misappropriation,’ it would probably take several decades.”

Zhou Qingbo furrowed his brows, hesitating a bit, and said, “Do you think the gossip might be wrong… maybe Liu Xin isn’t greedy for that much after all?”

That seemed to be the most plausible scenario at the moment, but after thinking it over, Pei You shook his head.

“Probably not,” Pei You said. “If it were only to this extent, he shouldn’t be afraid of being caught. His family has a long-standing relationship with yours, and the loss of a few hundred thousand wouldn’t be a big deal. He could cover it easily.”

“Moreover, I have a feeling that there are still some secrets he’s hiding that we haven’t discovered,” Pei You added.

Having worked in this industry for so long, Pei You had developed an almost intuitive sensitivity to financial records and internal management. He felt that the deficit in Dongjiang’s account wasn’t just a minor issue; there must be something deeper and more complex.

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to ask you,” Pei You suddenly remembered something and turned to Zhou Qingbo, “Where did you go earlier?”