Unless... unless Du Liya and the others paid out of their own pockets to fill this hole.

And even if they filled that hole, there were still all the workers’ wages to consider. They shouldn’t think they could take over this factory so smoothly!

At this thought, Xu Da laughed smugly and leisurely sipped his coffee.

Meanwhile, Du Liya brought Qin Zhonghui and his wife to check on the cafeteria and inspect the factory’s general condition.

After sorting through the various documents, they needed to officially change the ownership. So, Shen Yi, Chen Sheng, and Qin Na went out to handle the paperwork, leaving only a few people behind in the large office.

Those who remained were Zheng Duo, who sat there holding down the fort, as well as Zheng Zhuli and Qin Jiao.

With Zheng Duo present, Xu Da and the other two employees were on their best behavior. Xu Da even put on a fawning smile whenever he looked at Zheng Duo.

Zheng Zhuli, for her part, was quite interested in Qin Jiao. She asked curiously, "Xiao Jiao, I heard you’re majoring in law?"

"Yes."

"That’s great."

Zheng Zhuli had actually expected Qin Jiao to study something like finance, but those like her with experience abroad knew that if a family was in business, it was imperative to have a member who understood the law.

This fact wasn’t obvious now, but the importance of law would gradually reveal itself in the future.

Zheng Zhuli asked curiously, "Xiao Jiao, what is it about our Xiao Yi that you like?"

Since there were outsiders present, Qin Jiao didn’t answer right away. Instead, she gave a nonchalant glance at Xu Da, who was eagerly pouring tea for Zheng Duo.

Zheng Duo, however, paid him little mind.

Holding the teapot, Xu Da turned his head to Zheng Zhuli and said, "Miss Zheng, you don’t even have to ask. What could she possibly see in Xiao Yi? It’s obviously his money."

Qin Jiao was examining the account books. The numbers seemed to add up for the time being, but there were many issues with the income and expenditures.

She smiled and said, "I take back what I said earlier about firing Manager Xu immediately." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Xu Da smirked.

Qin Jiao continued, "The factory’s accounts have numerous problems. We’ll need Manager Xu to stay on for a few days to explain everything to us. Also, there’s the matter of his current relationship with Shen Zhengfeng."

The color drained from Xu Da’s face, and he began to tremble, whether from anger or fear, it was hard to say.

Sometime later, the man found an opportunity and slipped away, but Qin Jiao paid it no mind. If he really had something to hide, he could run, but he couldn’t hide forever.

Li Weiguo, the creditor who had come earlier, had already taken his leave quite reasonably. Not only did he go, but he also convinced the other creditors waiting outside to leave with him.

He told the others, "Shen Zhengfeng is a real piece of work, leaving a huge pile of bad debts for that mother and son. But I still trust the Du family’s character. Let’s give them another week to pay back what they owe us."

Li Weiguo held a certain amount of sway, and since the clothing factory owed his own factory the most money, his words carried weight. The others were willing to trust Shen Yi this once and give Li Weiguo face, so the crowd dispersed.

Soon, Du Liya and her party returned. She said angrily, "This is outrageous! They produced a pile of plain, single-color T-shirts with no designs, along with a batch of light-colored zippered jackets. On top of that, the several hundred workers in the factory have vanished as if into thin air, leaving only a few on-duty staff who don’t know what’s going on. I’ve already asked around—the rest of them are holed up in the factory dorms and refusing to come out."

Qin Zhonghui added from the side, "The cafeteria is starting to stink. Some of the pots, pans, and dishes are gone. The freezer was probably too big for anyone to move, but the storeroom is completely empty. There’s no food left at all."