CH 36

The audit work in Dongjiang not going smoothly was within Pei You’s expectations—after all, he had been in this profession for a long time and was used to unraveling complex situations.

However, he had never expected things to go so “unsmoothly.”

Dongjiang’s accounts were unlike any classic case he had encountered before. At first glance, there were numerous errors and omissions, but upon closer inspection, they weren’t as severe as he had anticipated. After completing the planned inventory items, the results he got were surprisingly similar to those provided by Liu Quan—the accounts were not organized, but they weren’t as terrible as expected.

That feeling of being neither here nor there was like being suspended in mid-air, making him feel uncomfortable, as if he had swallowed a fly and couldn’t decide whether to swallow it or spit it out.

The project managers also seemed to have been “trained” with Liu Quan, as their explanations were quite similar. When questioned about account issues, they feigned ignorance and passed the responsibility to the finance department. When asked about cost issues, they began to act pitifully, claiming that labor costs were too high, material losses were enormous, and they occasionally mentioned the “high-temperature subsidy” under new policies.

Those people were like slippery loaches, using their connections with Liu Quan to disregard anyone else. They spoke respectfully and cooperatively, but in reality, they knew nothing and said nothing.

Even someone as easy-going as Pei You couldn’t help but get annoyed by those unruly scoundrels. These days, he had been working day and night, drinking coffee like water, and his hotel room was turning into a mobile office.

“Take a break.”

Suddenly, a hand reached over, avoiding the documents and drafts all over the table and placed an iced Americano on the corner of Pei You’s desk.

“You’ve been busy for hours.” Zhou Qingbo leaned back and sat on the edge of the table, crossing his arms and wiggling his ankles.

“Why don’t you rest for a while?” Zhou Qingbo suggested, “Give your brain a break.”

Pei You’s document reading was interrupted, and he couldn’t help but furrow his brows slightly.

However, he knew Zhou Qingbo had his best interests at heart and wouldn’t direct his anger towards him. In just a moment, he managed to sort out his emotions and straightened up.

“I want to double-check this part,” Pei You said, “There are unidentified inflows and outflows in the public accounts, which is a big issue. Moreover, the loopholes in the accounts of various projects are not enough to cover these additional expenditures. This suggests that there are still parts we haven’t discovered—money doesn’t appear or disappear out of thin air, so there must be other issues involved.”

After the inventory, Pei You obtained a letter of verification from the bank and checked Dongjiang’s public account. In addition to the regular inflow and outflow records, Pei You also found two inexplicable transfer records—one around the time of the last New Year and the other at the beginning of this year. They were large sums, one amounting to three million and the other to two million six hundred thousand.

Both transfers were made in and out on the same day, staying in the public account for only one night, and their destination was unknown. The receiving account had also been closed, making it impossible to trace. When Pei You showed the proof issued by the bank to Liu Xin and inquired about it, he received an unconvincing answer.

“These two transfers were for material procurement fees,” Liu Xin said, “At the time, it was the end of the year, and Dongjiang’s financial operations were not functioning well. So, I borrowed this money from a friend. Originally, it should have been deposited into my personal account, but they made a mistake and deposited it into the public account instead.”

“With a friend’s loan?” Pei You’s expression darkened as he asked, “Why didn’t you apply for a loan from the bank? You have projects and assets; the bank would have approved your loan without any problems.”

“This is because the money I borrowed from a friend doesn’t include interest,” Liu Xin said.

“But there are no relevant documents for these two expenses in the inventory,” Pei You said. “There is also not enough material reserve in the inventory.”

“Oh, you don’t know.” Liu Xin, despite Pei You’s questioning, remained composed. He put on an expression of remorse, as if a cloud of sorrow had fallen over his face. “These two sums of money were originally intended for project purchases, but the material supplier suddenly got into gambling debts and disappeared with the money. When we went to ask for payment, we found that his company had become an empty shell. His parents were the only ones left, living in a dilapidated building, struggling with poverty. We didn’t want to push hard for the payment. In the end, I had to mortgage my house to pay off the debts and return the money to my friend.”

“…” Pei You furrowed his brows.

Pei You had his doubts and found Liu Xin’s explanation hard to believe. He thought Liu Xin was taking advantage of him and Zhou Qingbo by treating them as fools. Even Zhou Qingbo felt something was not right, although he couldn’t pinpoint the exact problem.

“But this money was paid out and never came back. It’s as good as gone,” Zhou Qingbo said, flipping through the documents. “If you say he embezzled it, then the five million should have been taken from the company’s account.”

“You believe what Liu Xin said?” Pei You didn’t answer directly but asked instead, “He said he borrowed the money.”

“I’d be a fool to believe him,” Zhou Qingbo coldly chuckled and shook his head. “Even rich people wouldn’t lend five million so casually, especially considering the size of companies in this region.”

“So that’s the problem,” Pei You said. “Company operations follow certain rules. The number of projects done, profits made, and balances should all have corresponding records. It’s easy to move money out, but it’s difficult to bring it back. His inexplicable extra five million can’t just appear out of thin air.”

This five million was most likely Liu Xin’s off-the-books money. However, Pei You compared the current inventory to the material loopholes and over-reported costs, totaling the amount and spreading it across East River’s projects, and even half of the five million couldn’t be accounted for.

This transfer record seemed to have come out of nowhere, and Pei You knew it was the key to solving the financial problem, but for now, he couldn’t find the evidence to expose the truth.

“That’s a shame.” Zhou Qingbo put down what he was holding, slid down the table, and then half-squatted beside the table, resting his chin on the table with a slightly furrowed brow. “If only we could check Liu Xin’s personal accounts, we might find more clues.”

“There is no direct evidence to prove that he embezzled company funds, and the bank won’t allow us to access his personal information,” Pei You said. He looked at Zhou Qingbo with a hint of amusement and brushed away the untouched coffee towards him, indicating that he could have it.

“I don’t want this.” Zhou Qingbo pouted and said, “Bitter stuff affects my taste buds, and my taste buds are precious.”

Pei You paused for a moment, then remembered that Zhou Qingbo’s main job was a part-time bartender, working only for a couple of hours a day.

“By the way, you seem to be working at a very fast pace lately,” Pei You observed. “Can you handle it? You don’t seem used to such intensity.”

“Of course… I’m not used to it,” Zhou Qingbo blinked and then quickly put on a pitiful expression. He slid further down the table and sat on the floor, showing only his eyes above the table, looking at Pei You with a pleading look. “I’m so tired, and even my dreams are about accounting.”

“Sorry about that,” Pei You said apologetically. “I’m used to this work intensity, and when I get busy, I forget to consider you.”

“It’s okay.” Zhou Qingbo said generously, “I forgive you – but you have to make it up to me.”

“Alright then.” Pei You agreed at first and then remembered to ask, “But what do you want?”

With a twinkle in his eyes, Zhou Qingbo quickly came up with an idea. His eyes curved slightly, showing a hint of amusement.

Next, Pei You saw a “figure” made up of two fingers appearing on the table. It wobbled and walked toward him along the edge of the table, clumsily falling and hitting his sleeve like a piece of porcelain, latching onto it.

“In that case,  I would like you to…” Zhou Qingbo deliberately kept him in suspense, lazily drawing out his words before continuing, “have dinner with me.”