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Chapter 23: You Are Such a Genius!
When Li Yi entered Liu Tongfu's lounge, the decor was as lavish and exquisite as he expected. But despite the luxury around him, his mind was elsewhere. He was desperately trying to figure out where to find the keys.
He turned the entire lounge upside down, but there was no sign of them, leaving him in a frustrating dilemma.
Just as he was deep in thought, a "tapping" sound of footsteps echoed outside. Li Yi froze. The footsteps were heavy and deliberate, signaling the approach of Liu Tongfu, the rotund man weighing 200 kilograms.
Sure enough, moments later, the sound of a key unlocking the door came from outside. Li Yi quickly scanned the room, realizing there was no time to escape. He swiftly restored the bed to its original state, then lifted the bed skirt and crawled under the bed.
As soon as he hid beneath it, he heard Liu Tongfu humming a tune as he walked into the office, not heading straight for the lounge. Instead, he first sat down at the huge desk, lit a cigarette, and continued humming, clearly enjoying the moment.
After a while, Li Yi heard the sound of drawers being pulled open.
Carefully, Li Yi shifted his position, lifting the bed skirt slightly to observe Liu Tongfu's every move. The factory director opened a drawer where money was stashed, pulling out two bundles of 100-yuan bills. He took one and, with a satisfied smile, sniffed it, savoring the scent of the ink as if it were some fine wine.
Li Yi couldn't help but scoff at him. Just a few bills, and he's acting like this? It was embarrassing for someone of his stature. Liu Tongfu, the director of a provincial meat processing plant, had a bureaucratic title. Yet, despite the financial struggles of the factory, including widespread layoffs and delayed wages, he was still acting this miserly.
After enjoying the moment, Liu Tongfu placed the money and other bills aside and walked toward the lounge.
Entering the lounge, he first closed the door and drew the curtains. Then, in a shocking move, he opened a wardrobe on the north wall of the lounge, revealing a hidden compartment behind it.
Li Yi was stunned. How could I have missed this? No wonder he couldn't find anything after searching for so long!
After placing the money into the secret compartment, Liu Tongfu pushed the wardrobe back into place with a satisfied sigh. He lay down on the bed, and within moments, the room was filled with the loud sounds of his snoring.
While Liu Tongfu slept soundly, Li Yi, stuck under the bed, endured the thunderous snores, struggling to stay composed.
Liu Tongfu didn't wake up until after four o'clock, when a phone call finally roused him. He answered it, washed his face, and left the office.
Before leaving, he locked the door, which left Li Yi cursing under his breath. This guy locked the office, forcing me to climb through the window to get out. What a pain!
But from this incident, Li Yi realized that Liu Tongfu wasn't as careless as he appeared. He was meticulous, and Li Yi would need to be cautious.
After lying under the bed for another ten minutes, Li Yi finally crawled out. He didn't immediately go for the secret compartment but first checked the window to make sure Liu Tongfu had left. Seeing that the 212 car was gone from the parking lot, Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
With the coast clear, he moved to the north wall and pushed open the wardrobe to access the secret compartment.
Inside, there was a deep recess, about 50 centimeters deep, built into the wall where the bathroom was located. At the back of the compartment, there was a small door, which wasn't locked.
Li Yi opened it carefully and found a stash of 100-yuan bills. There were also some pieces of jewelry and jade, but what caught his attention most was an iron box at the very back.
He reached in, took out the box, and opened it. Inside, to his delight, he found several keys.
A grin spread across Li Yi's face. He quickly took out the iron box filled with plasticine and copied the shapes and patterns of the keys. After replacing the keys, he closed the box.
Li Yi didn't take the keys with him for a good reason. If Liu Tongfu noticed the keys were missing, it could raise suspicion, and that could lead to him moving the stolen goods.
After sealing the compartment and pushing the wardrobe back into place, Li Yi was about to leave when he realized it was nearly five o'clock, the peak time for employees leaving the factory.
If he tried to climb out the window now, he'd surely be seen. After thinking it through, Li Yi decided to wait until it was dark.
While he waited, he took out the bills and secret documents from Angri. He hoped to discover why Liu Tongfu had stored them with the cash.
When he looked through the documents, he was shocked. Among the papers were several false reimbursement vouchers. The amounts were small but still significant enough to equal Liu Tongfu's annual salary.
There was also a contract for new equipment, specifically for a ham sausage production line. Li Yi recalled this being discussed in the factory a while ago.
The contract claimed that the order was for 5.8 million yuan. However, Li Yi knew the actual order amount was only 2.28 million. It seemed Liu Tongfu had been inflating the contract to pocket the difference. The extra 3.52 million would go straight into his pocket.
Li Yi couldn't help but admire this crafty bastard. You're a genius!
When it came to embezzling state funds, Liu Tongfu was clearly a pro. But if he had used his cunning to properly manage the meat processing plant, it wouldn't have fallen into such a sorry state. It was both infuriating and tragic.
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