Chapter 117

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

“President Fang…” Manager Jia found himself overwhelmed by fear, rendering him uncertain about his next course of action.

The head of the procurement department hastily interjected, “President Fang, I want to clarify that this situation is not my doing…”

“President Fang, I’m completely in the dark about this,” the warehouse manager grumbled, her teeth clenched as he refused to accept any culpability.

The team leaders of Line 4 and Line 5 recognized the futility of denying the situation further. Bowing their heads, they chose to remain silent.

With unruffled composure, Fang Yuan spoke, “Since none of you are willing to provide an explanation…” She cast a languid gaze over the group of individuals before her. “I suppose I’ll have to piece it together myself.”

The room descended into an anxious hush.

“I’ve reviewed the company’s purchase orders. The prices for each piece of fabric seem to align with market rates. Yet, it’s common knowledge in our industry that through long-term collaboration, we can secure lower prices.”

“For instance, a standard 100-meter cotton fabric typically costs around 1,200 yuan. With ongoing partnerships, we should be able to procure it for 800 yuan.”

“However, the procurement department head has been consistently buying at 1,500 yuan. Logically, we should have a surplus of at least 70 to 80 lengths of such fabric for creating new products. Strangely, we only find 20 to 30 pieces left in the warehouse…”

“President Fang, there’s a reason for this,” the head of the procurement department hastened to explain. “The Designing Department is comprised mostly of younger designers, and their product designs incorporate numerous intricate elements. They’re complex and labor-intensive, leading to substantial wastage of fabric when crafting each item. The issue primarily lies in the manufacturing process, which is beyond my purview.”

“Furthermore, if our production line workers indeed craft 70 to 80 products but record only 20 to 30 in the warehouse, how could they all agree to such a discrepancy? Their wages are calculated based on output.”

There existed a notable difference between 70 to 80 and 20 to 30 products, roughly around 50 items.

“But what if those additional 50 pieces are being sold elsewhere, and the profits are being secretly divided among everyone?” Fang Yuan inquired calmly. “What if the few pieces you negotiated with the fabric supplier for 800 yuan are, in fact, recorded in the books at 1,500 yuan?”

“President Fang, you cannot make baseless accusations. My unwavering loyalty to the company is as clear as daylight and night!”

Fang Yuan remained silent, opting instead to tap her keyboard several times before swiveling the computer screen towards herself.

“There are records of transactions with three fabric suppliers that deposit funds into your personal account on irregular dates each month. Outside of any legitimate commissions, could you provide an explanation for this?”

The head of the procurement department had not anticipated Fang Yuan’s ability to trace her personal account, leaving her momentarily flabbergasted. How was this possible?

“Anomalies persist in the purchase amounts, quantities, and quality…” As Fang Yuan spoke, her gaze landed on the reticent woman among them. “Issues have also arisen in the inventory management and the warehouse’s inflow and outflow… It’s your turn to clarify now.”

The warehouse manager was already overwhelmed with fear, stuttering as she attempted to explain, “Madam President, I… 1 didn’t…”

“I’ve already restored access to the company’s surveillance cameras. I’ve also examined the security footage from delivery points in close proximity.” Fang Yuan’s agile fingers danced over the keyboard, projecting a multitude of surveillance images onto her computer screen, visible to all.

“These records indicate that you’ve dispatched goods from the warehouse to the delivery point near the company on over 300 occasions. What’s more, you’ve employed several phone numbers, all registered under your own name, and they’ve been linked to over 300 courier deliveries.”

“Madam President, I…” Confronted with undeniable evidence, the warehouse manager paled, her entire being consumed by an icy dread.

“Furthermore, there’s an undelivered courier package that you took to the nearby delivery point after your shift yesterday. It contains recipient information. Wang Ning has already contacted the recipient, who stated that they purchased the item from a store called ‘Cheng Ming Clothing Proper Purchase.’”

“I examined this online store, and it indicates that it’s been in operation for the past 11 months. In other words, during our company’s second month of operation, you had already launched an online shop and were selling our products.”

“You acted without obtaining any form of consent or authorization from the company.”

“When customers placed orders, you determined their preferred styles. If the quantity was limited, you’d go directly to the warehouse after work to retrieve them and arrange for delivery. When the orders were substantial, you’d summon couriers to collect the items. To date, this has transpired over 200 times.”

“Furthermore, each item was sold at a discount of 100 to 200 yuan below market prices.”

The warehouse manager’s legs had grown feeble, her entire body quivering.

Fang Yuan scrutinized the others and pronounced each word deliberately, “You didn’t just vend the company’s products through online stores; you also covertly employed substandard materials to produce garments, affixing our company’s label and distributing them elsewhere. This has gravely tarnished the company’s reputation. Am I mistaken?”

The five of them had not anticipated Fang Yuan’s meticulous investigation. It was no longer a mere conjecture but solid, incontrovertible evidence!

They paled, perspiring, at a loss for words.

“Would any of you like to offer an explanation before I contact the authorities?” Fang Yuan’s gaze traversed each individual, waiting for them to speak up voluntarily.

Sun Peng, a member of Line 4, was the first to falter. He divulged, “President Zhao coerced us into these actions. We were given a choice: collaborate or leave.. We had no alternative!”