From Runaway Bride to Global Queen

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Disappearing Farm

“I’ll send someone to investigate this matter; you don’t need to worry.”

“I’m not worried about myself; I just don’t want Lu Ming’s wrongdoing to implicate Lu Group, especially since dad has been very good to me.”

Qiao Yi fiddled with her fingers as she explained, but the explanation seemed overly defensive, which only made Lu Yanchuan chuckle.

“What are you laughing about! What’s so funny! If Lu Ming does something illegal, it’s your Lu Family that will be affected! And here you are laughing!”

Qiao Yi, embarrassed and angry, decided not to bother with Lu Yanchuan anymore.

However, holding back a smile, Lu Yanchuan seriously and earnestly admitted his mistake, coaxing Qiao Yi to talk to him again.

“I will thoroughly investigate the matter with Lu Ming, and I’m certain he won’t do anything that jeopardizes me… and dad.”

Lu Yanchuan deliberately elongated his tone, causing Qiao Yi to glare at him before he spoke properly.

“I’ll go out this afternoon and probably won’t be back very early. I’ll get a separate room for myself; you don’t have to wait for me.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Qiao Yi turned to him, frowning. She had serious business to handle; why would Lu Yanchuan come along!

“I know you came to F country to investigate the company’s fund movements, and that’s why I’m here too.”

Lu Yanchuan decided to lay his cards on the table and, under Qiao Yi’s surprised and suspicious gaze, pulled out his investigation results.

“Five months ago, there was a sum of money from Lu Group that mysteriously got transferred out. It was rapidly replaced, but the amount was substantial. It was moved without my approval, and whoever did it was meticulous with the accounts. By the time I found out, three months had already passed.”

It’s not just that this person was meticulous with the accounts; it’s that they were highly skilled in manipulating people.

If the money hadn’t been replenished on time, the finance department would have had to report it early, as they wouldn’t be able to shoulder the responsibility if things escalated.

But the funds were replenished in time, the books balanced, and naturally, to avoid issues, the finance department wouldn’t bring it up voluntarily until it came to light during the quarterly meeting. That’s when Lu Yanchuan discovered the movement of the funds.

After investigating for two months, the result was that the funds had once been transferred into an account in F country, then transferred back two days later.

There are not many people in the company who can access liquid funds, but any executive level or above has the authority to move funds, and in special circumstances, it doesn’t even require the CEO’s approval.

After hearing Lu Yanchuan speak, Qiao Yi also shared what she had entrusted Feng Siyu to investigate.

Comparing both, the financial movements of the two companies were exactly the same, even ending up in the same account!

“There could be an internal mole in both of our companies.”

And not just any mole, but one holding a high position!

This was no small matter; Qiao Yi and Lu Yanchuan exchanged a look and left the room together.

When Qiao Xin opened the door, she caught a glimpse of Qiao Yi and Lu Yanchuan’s hurried silhouettes and, after a moment of hesitation, decided to follow them.

“Yuanyuan found a farmstead, and the trail ends at that estate. The main reason I came to F country this time is to check out the farmstead.”

There are too many farmsteads in F country; they had passed by dozens just on the way there. Following the address Feng Siyu had given, they arrived at a desolate field instead.

“How could this be? This is indeed the address Yuanyuan gave me; how can there be nothing here?”

Qiao Yi pulled out a photo from her bag. The quality was poor, but it clearly depicted the farmstead location they were at.

However, all Qiao Yi and Lu Yanchuan could see was a wasteland stretching before them.

A barren piece of land, without even a few weeds.

Lu Yanchuan took the photo to compare and then stepped out of the car to inspect the barren land.

Following him, Qiao Yi alighted from the car too, both unaware of the white SUV parked around the corner of the nearby path.

“This place used to be a farmstead. The spots without grass are very regular in shape and likely were buildings or storage previously, and among the grass, there are some sheep droppings. It must have been a sheep farm before, but it’s unclear when it was all moved out, so thoroughly and cleanly.”

“It must be that someone discovered Yuanyuan was investigating this! That’s why they were prepared and moved out in advance!”

Qiao Yi was both angry and regretful. She had asked Feng Siyu to investigate just so the person moving the funds wouldn’t know she was on to them.

But it wasn’t just Qiao Family; they had also tampered with Lu Group.

Aside from these two companies, who knows how many others had been affected by their fund movements!

“It’s my fault for being so rash. If I had known, I would have investigated it myself and not let this culminate like a rabbit hiding away!”

Qiao Yi was so angry she kicked the ground, while Lu Yanchuan shook his head and guided her back to the car.

“We definitely won’t find what we’re looking for here. Let’s go back.”

“Wait, I want to look around some more. Maybe we’ve come to the wrong place?”

Qiao Yi was hesitant and unwilling to get into the car.

“How about we ask around the nearby farmsteads? They might know something about this place.”

Qiao Yi’s eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled Lu Yanchuan towards the car.

“Hurry up, let’s go ask at the farmstead we just passed by! They’re so close; they must know something!”

Qiao Yi’s sudden excitement made Lu Yanchuan unable to help but smile as he let her drag him into the car, urging the driver to head for the nearest farmstead to inquire.

After Qiao Yi and Lu Yanchuan’s car left, Qiao Xin slowly drove to where they had alighted from their vehicle.

The sun cast a reflection on the ground and a flash of blinding light caught Qiao Xin’s attention. She bent over in the dirt and picked up a cufflink.

The exquisitely crafted sapphire cufflink was clearly valuable and not something just anyone could afford.

Turning the cufflink over in her hand, Qiao Xin saw a small engraved letter on the back.

“L? Lu?”

A single letter was insufficient to determine the owner of the cufflink, but Qiao Xin put it away carefully. From the way Qiao Yi and Lu Yanchuan were acting, perhaps this cufflink might prove useful to her in the future.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yi and Lu Yanchuan had arrived at the nearest farmstead. They explained their purpose and were warmly welcomed by the owner.

The farm owner, an amiable F country gentleman, upon hearing about Qiao Yi and Lu Yanchuan’s request, began to talk about the neighboring farmstead.

“The owner of that farmstead is quite peculiar. He doesn’t stay there usually, only coming occasionally with a group of people. I don’t know what they do there, but there’s always a strange smell. It doesn’t disappear until after they’ve left.”