Chapter 147: Setting the Rules

Following closely behind Yang Changfeng were several members of the legal department. They knew very well that Master Kang was finished this time. With so many dirty dealings in his hands, he was still trying to fish for personal gain up until now—did he really not know what kind of person Yang was?

At the reception desk, a dozen young women who had been snacking quickly hid their treats the moment they saw Yang Changfeng strike another person—especially the veteran Master Kang—and stood up straight with model posture. They seemed to realize that after weeding out the company’s biggest corporate mole, Minister Yang was now beginning to establish strict rules for everyone.

Rules generally did not need much reiteration. This was a company, not someone's private home, and working here meant abiding by basic operational standards. Yet many people had long ceased to take these regulations seriously, sometimes even acting as though they were above the company itself.

Even Chen Aijia, the boss, could not completely place herself above the company; who else could possibly be bigger than the boss?

The first rule Yang Changfeng wanted to establish for the company was simple: while working here, do not engage in acts that harm the company.

Master Kang was not the first example made to set these rules—Wang Hu and his gang were—but Master Kang was truly the most representative one.

An old-timer. A slippery veteran. A habitual embezzler.

He was the ideal candidate to intimidate others of his kind, such as certain veteran employees who still stubbornly refused to let go of their grip on logistics.

The problems within logistics extended far beyond the cafeteria; procurement was where the real trouble lay. Although Yang Changfeng was not well-versed in finance, the moment he glanced at the ledgers, something felt immediately wrong. Discrepancies appeared page after page; he did not even need to review every entry, as a random glance at a few instantly revealed the issue.

For instance, why had the procurement department sent back a monthly refund to logistics for the past two years, only for a significantly larger sum to be wired back to procurement just a couple of days later?

Every single month, a certain amount was transferred out in excess, and every single month, the procurement department wired a fixed thirty or fifty thousand back to the finance department. Could anyone explain what was going on here?

As for the financial side, procurement's explanation was: "Sometimes we forgot to buy things and thought we applied for too much money, so we transferred the unused portion back." When asked why even larger amounts were subsequently requested, they replied brazenly: "Because there were more items that needed to be purchased."

As to what exactly was being purchased, the accounts showed nothing at all.

No wonder some people could act with such utter arrogance; it was not a one-sided issue. Where there is someone fanning the flames, there must be someone lighting the fire. Resolving these problems without exerting immense effort was quite impossible.

It was no wonder Chen Aijia had entrusted this matter to Yang Changfeng. Aside from him, few others dared to tackle the embezzlement issues rampant in almost every department. If someone else had been sent, they might not have been clean themselves—how could they possibly uncover anything?

Yang Changfeng had originally intended to simply announce the closure of the cafeteria and have the cafeteria staff undergo internal investigations at home. He never expected that Master Kang would be bold enough to storm into Chen Aijia’s office and cause a scene. Well, since the man had abandoned his own dignity, there was no need to spare his face any longer.

Blood was trickling from Master Kang's nose as he howled incessantly, clamoring to call the police.

Yang Changfeng picked up the landline phone from the front desk, dialed the emergency number, handed the receiver to Master Kang, and said, "Go ahead, speak for yourself."

Master Kang instantly hesitated. He knew very well that his own shady dealings would never withstand scrutiny.

Things having reached this point, it seemed his only option was to make a scene and play the rascal.

Dropping flat onto the floor, Master Kang began kicking his legs and wailing, "This is outrageous! Young President Chen is trying to purge us founding contributors! Oh, this is too much, I can't go on living!"

"Never mind, we have an employee here staging a strike," Yang Changfeng said into the receiver.

The female dispatcher on the other end was startled and quickly replied, "Understood, please hold, officers are being dispatched immediately."

Yang Changfeng chuckled. "You probably don't need to send anyone. First, consult your superiors and tell them that the guy named Yang is beating people up again, and see if they want to send anyone over."

He had long since become a thorn in the police's side; whenever he was involved, the police would find any excuse to avoid getting mixed up.

He was a complete loose cannon. Even the branch bureau chief was still depressed over how Yang had handled him, and was currently looking for a chance to have a serious talk with the fellow. That was until word came from above that not only Young Master Sun, but also Princess Ye held a high appreciation for this man named Yang, and that the two were personal friends.

Who in their right mind would go looking for trouble to chat with this loose cannon?

Hanging up the phone, Yang Changfeng—completely oblivious to the image he held in the minds of everyone from the exasperated municipal bureau down to the local police precinct—walked over and gave Master Kang a swift kick. Master Kang clutched his head in agony, and his howling dropped to a much softer whine.

"Since you still want to play dead and put on a show, let's take this to the courts. Have the finance department pull all relevant evidence immediately, and send everyone from the cafeteria inside first. Question those with issues, interrogate those without, let those at fault take personal responsibility, and the company will issue a formal apology to anyone proven innocent. That's how we'll settle this." Yang Changfeng couldn't be bothered to waste time wrangling with such a person. Bringing the legal department along was a deliberate move to make an example of Master Kang—killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. If the man had been reasonable, they could have settled it by returning what was taken and paying restitution; but who could have foreseen that this person would descend to such shameless depths?

Upon hearing this, Master Kang panicked completely. He sat up, wrapped his arms around Yang Changfeng’s legs, refusing to let go, and wailed loudly, "What did I do wrong? By what right are you treating me like this? I have made contributions to this company! I am going to see Old President Chen, you... ouch..."

Yang Changfeng flicked Master Kang sharply on the forehead with his knuckle. Master Kang clutched his head and went back to rolling around on the floor.

Want to see Old President Chen? That was fine, but only after accounting for his own misdeeds first!

Yang Changfeng instructed the legal department, "There is only one principle: however much was taken from the company doesn't need to be paid back with extra damages, just bring every single penny back in full. Return the money, hand in your resignation, and the company will let bygones be bygones. If anyone still wants to play rogue, then—"

The members of the legal department were thrilled. The boss had explicitly stated that they were to follow the instructions of Minister Yang Changfeng. If they did their jobs well, everyone would get a salary increase; if they performed exceptionally, the company would award half a year's salary as a bonus and double their year-end bonuses.

That amounted to nearly a hundred thousand yuan. With only a handful of people in the legal department, there was no need for petty power struggles—getting a raise was what everyone was happiest about.

Yet they also knew that whether their performance was deemed "exceptional" depended entirely on the verdict of this trigger-happy Minister Yang. He was currently wielding the ultimate pen of evaluation, holding all the power in his hands.

Several lawyers spoke up solemnly in unison, "Don't you worry, Minister Yang! If we can't handle such an open-and-shut case of criminal behavior cleanly and thoroughly, we'd be letting down the high salary the boss is paying us. We are heading to the finance department right now to pull the documents. We guarantee all evidence will be gathered within three days, and we will represent the company in filing a lawsuit with the relevant authorities."