The person who answered the phone was Zhu Hui, Wan Cheng's wife.
"It's Li Ji, is something wrong?" Zhu Hui's voice was as usual, and there was no hint of sadness.
"Sister-in-law, are you okay?"
"Hey, what's good? It's just like that."
"What happened to Brother Wan Cheng is so unexpected, I can't believe it." Li Ji hesitated, "Wan Min said it's not convenient at home these days, so I just..."
"As long as you have this intention, it doesn't matter when you come."
"Sister-in-law, let me ask you something." Li Ji thought for a while and then said it.
"What's the matter? Just say it."
"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law," Li Ji hesitated, "someone said that Brother Wan Cheng went to Macau to gamble. Is this true?"
There was silence on the other side of the receiver.
After a while, I heard Zhu Hui sigh: "If you're not busy, let's talk in person."
Twenty minutes later, the two met at the cafe in front of the Marriott View Garden.
Marriott View Garden is a high-end community developed by Marriott Group. Wan Cheng and his father Wan Daming both live in a villa behind the community.
Zhu Hui was wearing a light-colored suit. She was obviously much thinner and looked very haggard.
"Sister-in-law, what happened to Brother Wan Cheng was so sudden. I can't imagine why he would take this path." Li Ji sat down opposite Zhu Hui and said softly.
"Depression? Huh!" Zhu Hui drank coffee slowly, and after a while, she raised her eyes, "I know that sooner or later, he will push himself to a dead end."
"What?" Li Ji was stunned.
"You are not an outsider, so I won't hide it," Zhu Hui's voice was a little hoarse. "He went to Macau to gamble. Many people in the group knew about it, but he hid it from only the old man."
"Why don't you persuade him, sister-in-law?" Li Ji asked.
"Me?" Zhu Hui raised her eyebrows, "Will he listen to what I say? They're all that little vixen!"
"Little vixen?"
"It's that special assistant who took Wan Cheng's soul away!"
Li Ji silently.
"I'm not afraid of your jokes. We haven't slept in the same bed for almost a year."
Zhu Hui had a helpless smile on her lips.
Li Ji lowered his head and took a sip of coffee, unable to think of the right words to comfort her.
Assistant Xiao's name is Xiao Wei. I heard that she graduated from the University of Hong Kong and studied international trade. She is very beautiful. More than a year ago, he joined the group as a special assistant to Chairman Wan Cheng.
"Sister-in-law, Brother Wan Cheng borrowed a 100 million loan from China Construction Bank, did you know?"
After a long silence, Li Ji asked.
"The group has loans from many banks. I stay at home all day long to serve the elderly and take care of the children. How could I know these things?" Zhu Hui shook her head.
Li Ji knew that Wan Daming had not been looking for a wife since Wan Cheng's mother died of illness. In addition to a nanny, Zhu Hui, the daughter-in-law, helps with most things at home. Fortunately, the two villas are very close to each other, which is convenient.
"Sister-in-law, is Uncle Wan okay?"
"No matter what, he is his own son. How can a white-haired person give a black-haired person a good life?" Zhu Hui sighed, "It's just that the old man hides it in his heart, and outsiders look at him like he's fine. In addition, the group is in such a mess now. There are enough things for him to worry about."
"Yes," Li Ji said sadly, "Brother Wan Cheng just left alone and didn't know how the whole family would live after him."
"I went to see the old man and saw him standing on the balcony several times, secretly wiping his tears alone."
"Is Uncle Wan at home now?" Li Ji asked.
"How can he sit still if such a big thing happened to the group?" Zhu Hui said, "The old man has been at the group these days and hasn't come back for dinner in several days."
"Brother Wan Cheng went to Macau with who did he go with?" Li Ji thought for a while and asked again.
"I heard that it was with Mr. Park..." Zhu Hui thought, "I overheard him talking about it on the phone once."
"Mr. Park?" Li Ji muttered.
"His father, or someone, seems to be the president of some bank," Zhu Hui thought, and finally nodded, "Yes, he is the president of the bank. Wan Cheng called him to ask him to apply for a loan."
"President? Your last name is Park?"
This surname is rare in Fengcheng.
Li Ji's mind was spinning rapidly.
But after thinking about it, I found that there is no bank president in the city named Park, not even a vice president.
"Before Wan Cheng's accident, one day the nanny was sick, and I had dinner with the old man. While we were washing dishes in the kitchen, Mr. Guo from the group came, and the two of them were talking in the living room. I vaguely heard Mr. Guo say, Wancheng misappropriated a large amount of the group's funds..."
"Misappropriation of funds?" Li Ji's eyes lit up.
Mr. Guo's name is Guo Shiqiang, and he is the deputy general manager of the group. He started working in a small workshop-style factory with more than a dozen people and worked hard with Wan Daming. He is considered a veteran and hero of the group.
"The old man was very angry and called Wan Cheng that night. Wan Cheng happened to be on a business trip that day." Zhu Hui gently turned the coffee cup in her hand, "I don't know what happened next..."
The fading sunlight fell quietly on the doorway.
There was a cleaner, wearing an orange vest, walking slowly along the street.
After bidding farewell to Zhu Hui and returning to the business, Li Ji's mind was in turmoil. There are so many clues that I don’t know where to start.
The phone rang.
Li Ji picked it up and looked at the number. It was Han Mei and hurriedly answered it.
"Senior brother," Han Mei's voice was a little excited, "I've got some news for you."
"Huh?" Li Ji was stunned, "What news?"
"The payees of those withdrawals were all Marriott Trading Company."
Marriott Trading Company?
Li Ji remembered it, wasn't that the company where Wan Cheng worked at the beginning?
For a long time, Wan Cheng has been responsible for the trading sector of Marriott Group.
Before becoming the chairman of Marriott Group, Wan Cheng had been the president and legal representative of Marriott Trading Company. Even after being promoted to chairman of the group, Wan Cheng still held this position concurrently.
"Okay, thank you very much," Li Ji said, "I'll treat you to dinner when you have time."
"Hey, you just can't change, why do you still need to be so polite to me?" Han Mei smiled, a rare moment of consideration for others, "You go ahead and talk about it when it's more convenient."
"That's good, that's good." Li Ji wished Han Mei would say that.
Putting down his phone, Li Ji took out the account page Han Mei gave him last time and looked at it quietly for a while. After hesitating for a long time, he finally dialed Wan Daming's number.
The call went through, but no one answered.
Li Ji waited for a while, but when there was still no movement, he hung up the phone.
A few minutes later, the phone rang.
When Li Ji saw it, it was Wan Daming who called back. He quickly stood up, walked to the balcony, and pressed the answer button with one hand.
"Hello, Uncle Wan!"
"Oh, it's Li Ji. Are you calling, are you okay?" Wan Daming's voice sounded much older, as if he was tired.
"Uncle Wan, I'm very sorry about Brother Wan Cheng." Li Ji's throat itched and his eyes were hot, "Are you okay? I haven't been to see you."
"I'm not free even if you come here. These days, I'm so busy that I can't even take a drink of water." Wan Daming took a long breath on the phone and was silent for several minutes before slowly saying, "Wan Cheng, this kid. , It really doesn’t make me worry at all. My uncle wanted to retire and enjoy his happiness, but who knows..."
Wan Daming's voice was choked with sobs, and there was a faint sound of sobbing.
"It's only been two years, hey. My uncle was really wrong at the time. He shouldn't have handed over the group to him so quickly..."
"Uncle Wan, don't be sad, it's important to take care of yourself." Li Ji said softly.
"Hey, what else can we do?" Wan Daming sighed, "It would be easier for him to close his eyes, but leaving this big stall behind, the group still has tens of thousands of people who need to eat."
Li Ji felt sad for a while and his eyes became wet.
"Uncle Wan, okay, why did Brother Cheng go to a dead end?"
As soon as Li Ji's words came out, he immediately felt that he shouldn't ask such a question at this time, but he couldn't take it back.
"They said it was depression," Wan Daming didn't seem to mind. "This kid can eat and drink. When did he get depression?"
Li Jizhang opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"Hey, Li Ji, are you looking for me for something?" Wan Daming suddenly remembered and asked.
"It's about the loan," Li Ji said. "Brother Wan Cheng took a 100 million loan from our bank and has not paid it back since it expired."
"Loan? What loan?"
"One hundred million is working capital."
"One hundred million? Liquidity?" Wan Daming repeated.
"Uncle Wan, this matter is a bit complicated to talk about. I can't explain it in a sentence or two," Li Ji said. "Maybe it's better to talk in person. When will you be free?"
There was a pause on the phone for a while, and Wan Daming said: "After three-thirty, then. I have a guest to meet later."
"Okay, okay," Li Ji agreed repeatedly, "Uncle Wan, please do your work first."
The slanting sun shines in through the glass window, making it hot. After putting down the phone, Li Ji seemed to feel much more relaxed.
Before three o'clock, Li Ji arrived at the Marriott Building. He ordered a cup of coffee from the coffee bar on the first floor, sat in the corner, and drank slowly.
The door creaked, and the gentle footsteps sounded like they were coming towards me.
Li Ji didn't pay attention, still holding the cup, in a daze.
"Brother Ji, why are you here?"
Li Ji was startled and quickly raised his head. It turned out to be Zhou Xiaoxue.
"I'm here to see Mr. Wan. I have something to discuss with him."
While talking, Zhou Xiaoxue sat down opposite Li Ji.
She waved to the front desk, and after a while, the waiter brought a cup of coffee over.
"I sent a guest downstairs, and saw that the person sitting inside looked like you, so I came in and took a look. It was really true." Zhou Xiaoxue took a sip of coffee and said with a smile.
"Let me ask you something," Li Ji lowered his voice, "Do you know the situation of Wanhao Trading Company?"
"Wanhao Trading Company?" Zhou Xiaoxue glanced both ways, "Why are you asking?"
"Should I ask too?" Li Ji was stunned.
