Chapter 1149 - 1146: The Missing Money
Tang Yumeng, under Lin Chuan's guidance, successfully absorbed the spiritual energy from the Red Fruit, which holds the essence of heaven and earth, and after circulating it several times, she opened her eyes to see Lin Chuan smiling at her.
Tang Yumeng felt an indescribable comfort in her body, as if she had been reborn, and said to Lin Chuan, "Lin Chuan, I never thought this thing would actually work."
Lin Chuan chuckled, "Of course, the Red Fruit is a mystical fruit of heaven and earth, absorbing its spiritual energy. Yumeng, you are now a cultivator. As long as you practice Qi Cultivation daily as I instructed, I guarantee you will remain youthful forever."
What woman doesn't want to be forever young and beautiful? Tang Yumeng, being a woman, was no exception.
"Really?" A joyful smile spread across Tang Yumeng's face as she looked excitedly at Lin Chuan and said, "Lin Chuan, thank you so much."
Lin Chuan teasingly replied, "You can't just say thanks; you should show me some real gratitude."
Tang Yumeng was startled, then understood Lin Chuan's meaning, and blushed while playfully scolding, "You rascal, get out of here!"
Lin Chuan brushed his face, moved closer to Tang Yumeng, and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Tang Yumeng pushed Lin Chuan away and said, "Don't mess around. This is an office."
Tang Yumeng was right; this was the City Committee Secretary's office, and being seen would indeed have a bad impact, so Lin Chuan suppressed his impulse.
Tang Yumeng tidied her messy hair and said, "Lin Chuan, Secretary Liu called yesterday about the money Song Ming gave you. You need to sort it out quickly."
With things being busy these days, Lin Chuan had somewhat forgotten about it and said, "I'll check it now. If I can't find a way, I'll think of a way to pay it back first."
Tang Yumeng nodded and said, "That's best, or it will affect many things."
Bringing the little ones out is inconvenient, so Lin Chuan left them with Tang Yumeng and would take them back when Tang Yumeng goes home after work.
Leaving the City Committee office building, Lin Chuan stood at the entrance, pondering. The money from Song Ming was handed by himself to Mu Bai for safekeeping, originally intended for the Sichuan University Group's charity fund. But now that Mu Bai is dead, the money has no leads.
Mu Bai promised to use the money for charity, but why didn't she enter it into the accounts? Where exactly did this money go?
After thinking hard for a long time, making his head ache, Lin Chuan decided to stop and hailed a taxi directly to Sichuan University Group.
Many staff at Sichuan University Group recognized Lin Chuan and greeted him politely.
Lin Chuan returned their greetings with a smile and headed to Xiao Chile Zhou Rui's office.
Knocked several times, but no response. As Lin Chuan was about to call Zhou Rui, someone walked out from a nearby room.
Lin Chuan recognized the person, Zhou Kai's girlfriend, Ma Yilin.
"Hello, Chairman Lin." Ma Yilin greeted Lin Chuan with a smile.
Ma Yilin's greeting made Lin Chuan feel a bit uneasy, and he smiled, "Xiao Ma, don't call me that. Just like Zhou Kai, call me Brother Chuan."
Ma Yilin grinned and said, "How can that be? You're the boss of Sichuan University; I wouldn't dare disrespect you. Chairman Lin, are you here to see Mr. Zhou?"
Lin Chuan nodded, "Yes, where did she go?"
Ma Yilin replied, "Mr. Zhou went to the newly acquired Liu Group. Should I call her for you?"
Lin Chuan mused, "No need, I'll call her myself."
Saying that, he took out his phone and dialed Zhou Rui's number. Zhou Rui was arranging matters at Liu Group's side, and after taking Lin Chuan's call, she promised to return soon.
"Chairman Lin, you might as well wait for Mr. Zhou in my office first." Ma Yilin, showing a hint of playful expression, said to Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan nodded and followed Ma Yilin into her office.
Sitting down, Ma Yilin poured Lin Chuan a cup of water and then sat behind the desk opposite him.
Taking the cup Ma Yilin handed him, Lin Chuan took a sip and then glanced around her office, noticing a photo of her and Zhou Kai on the desk.
In the photo, the two looked very close. Lin Chuan felt cheerful; Zhou Kai managed to come around under his and Zhou Rui's matchmaking.
"Are you and Zhou Kai planning to get married soon?" Lin Chuan recalled hearing from Zhou Rui that the two were planning to wed and asked Ma Yilin.
Ma Yilin blushed, looking shyly, and nodded.
"When is the wedding planned?" Lin Chuan asked.
Ma Yilin shyly replied, "It's set for the eighth of next month."
Lin Chuan said, "I must congratulate you both then. Once I finish some matters, I'll personally help arrange your wedding."
Lin Chuan, Zhou Kai, Huang Bo, and Lu Dapao have an extraordinary bond; they are the founding members of Jvyi Gang and have made significant contributions.
The grand wedding for Huang Bo and Xiao Feng was very ceremonial and impressive. For Zhou Kai, similarly, a grand ceremony is necessary.
As they were talking, Zhou Rui came back and entered Zhou Rui's office, where Lin Chuan brought up the issue about Song Ming's money.
After listening, Zhou Rui said, "I've prepared the money for you already. Just give me an account number, and I'll transfer it."
It was a huge sum, over 100 million yuan. Lin Chuan looked at Zhou Rui and said, "Xiao Rui, this won't negatively impact the group, will it?"
What Lin Chuan meant by negative impact was whether Sichuan University Group would face tight funds if they gave him this money.
Zhou Rui laughed and said, "Lin Chuan, don't worry, I've talked it over with several key personnel in the group. They unanimously agreed that you can use this money freely."
Lin Chuan pondered for a moment before calling Tang Yumeng to ask her to get the treasury account number from Secretary Liu of the Provincial Committee.
Tang Yumeng received Lin Chuan's call and immediately phoned Secretary Liu for the account number, then called Lin Chuan back to inform him.
After resolving the issue with Song Ming's money, Lin Chuan felt relieved. With Mu Bai dead and the whereabouts of these funds unknown, he knew he had to get to the bottom of where the money went.
"Lin Chuan, are you free tonight?" Zhou Rui asked Lin Chuan with a hint of longing.
Lin Chuan thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "I don't have anything planned tonight. Why, do you need me for something?"
Zhou Rui replied, "I want you to have dinner with me."
Lin Chuan paused and said, "Sure, no problem. Where do you want to eat?"
Zhou Rui said, "I'll call you tonight."
Leaving Sichuan University Group, it was already past one in the afternoon. With nothing to do, Lin Chuan returned to his home at Changlin Factory, paid respects to his mother, and dozed off on the sofa.
Awaking, he checked the time; it was after six in the evening, and Xiao Xi was nowhere to be seen.
Thinking Zhou Rui should be off work by now, Lin Chuan called her to ask where she wanted to go for dinner.
Zhou Rui mentioned a place, and Lin Chuan hung up, washed his face, and left, walking to the location Zhou Rui specified.
The restaurant Zhou Rui mentioned wasn't far from Lin Chuan's place. He walked out of Changlin Factory and along the street.
It was almost seven by now, and the street was bustling. Suddenly, Lin Chuan felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him from behind.
He quickly turned around. Many people were passing by, and he scanned the crowd, hoping to find those eyes. But after a while, he found nothing unusual.
Lin Chuan shook his head slightly, wondering if he was just being overly suspicious.
Since he found nothing strange, Lin Chuan turned and continued walking forward. The sense that eyes were on his back only grew stronger.
Despite glancing back several times, Lin Chuan still couldn't spot those eyes.
Arriving at the restaurant Zhou Rui mentioned, Lin Chuan entered and saw Zhou Rui was already there.
Lin Chuan walked over and sat down opposite Zhou Rui, smiling, "Order whatever you like. It's my treat."
Zhou Rui's eyes were somewhat charming as she said, "Of course it's your treat. Surely you don't expect an employee like me to pay the bill, do you?"
Lin Chuan laughed heartily, "I'm just a nominal chairman. You have way more money than I do. Alas, I'm a poor man."
Zhou Rui rolled her eyes flirtatiously at Lin Chuan and scolded, "If you're poor, then I'm just a beggar wandering the streets."
Lin Chuan joked, "You're a lady beggar, and I'm a gentleman beggar. Together, we're a pair."
Zhou Rui spat lightly at Lin Chuan, saying, "Shameless! As if I'm a pair with you."
They ordered a few dishes, and Zhou Rui also asked for a bottle of red wine.
The meal, filled with laughter and conversation, lasted nearly two hours. Zhou Rui seemed in high spirits, drinking more than two-thirds of the bottle.
With her cheeks flushed from the wine, Zhou Rui showed signs of intoxication and had a light step as she walked. Lin Chuan had no choice but to support her as they left the restaurant, reaching out to hail a taxi, but Zhou Rui wanted Lin Chuan to walk her back.
Lin Chuan had no choice but to support Zhou Rui's right arm and slowly walked along the street with her. Zhou Rui was almost leaning entirely on Lin Chuan's body, somewhat excited, talking non-stop.
Zhou Rui lived with her aunt in the Changlin Factory residential area.
They turned a corner onto a quiet alley. Passing through it would lead them to the residential area.
The alley had dim streetlights, and Zhou Rui, excited from the alcohol, began singing.
To be honest, Zhou Rui's singing voice wasn't very pleasant, and Lin Chuan patiently listened to her tone-deaf song while supporting her wobbly steps.
Under the dim streetlight, a shadow quickly flashed by, as light as a night owl.