Chapter 12 — A Day as a Janitor

Old Khau lowered his gaze, staring fixedly at his own arm.

Mine.

He used a knife to slash me, then smeared the blood over the car.

He said that way, it would look like I had been silenced.

At that exact moment, the ignition device emitted a sudden, sharp beep. Every person inside the warehouse froze in place. The officers lunged forward, desperately trying to sever the wires, but the entire mechanism had been sealed shut with industrial adhesive. Shen Zhao'an lowered his voice, commanding everyone to evacuate first. The old wooden crates were carried out one by one. The rear exit revealed itself halfway. The heavy door had been bolted from the inside, but the latch was rusted completely solid. I grabbed an iron bar lying on the ground and hammered it against the rusted bolt. Gu Nan tried to stop me.

Sister Tan, let me do it.

Help Chairman Shen.

I struck it three times, the flesh between my thumb and forefinger going completely numb. Old Hu rushed over from the opposite side, though none of us knew when he had slipped into the factory compound.

Sister Tan, step aside.

He swung a fire extinguisher, smashing it violently against the door latch. By the fourth strike, the metal bar snapped. The back door pushed open just enough to reveal a sliver of space. The biting outside wind rushed in. The police escorted Shen Zhao'an out first. Gu Nan supported Old Khau. La Qian’s legs turned to jelly, and she was nearly dragged across the threshold. I was the very last one to emerge. Just then, from deep behind a shelving unit, a sudden telephone ring echoed loudly. In the hollow expanse of the empty warehouse, the sound felt jarringly piercing. I came to a halt. A police officer shouted back at me.

Get out here immediately!

I looked toward the source of the noise. It was the exact number that had sent me text messages earlier in the day. The phone was hidden right inside the warehouse. I spun around and bolted back inside. Gu Nan yelled in a panic, Sister Tan! I thrust my hand into the gap between the storage racks, snatching an old mobile phone. The screen was illuminated by an incoming call. The caller ID displayed only two words: Vice President Zheng. I clutched the device and ran toward the rear exit. Behind me, flames flared up inside the warehouse. The piles of fabric had caught fire. A fire engine finally battered its way through the gates of the old factory. Water hoses were deployed, and the blaze was brought under control. I handed the phone over to the police.

The call history is still there.

When the officer took it, the call had just disconnected, but the screen clearly displayed the missed call record. Zheng Huaiyin stood outside the police cordon, his face alternating between light and shadow beneath the flashing lights of the fire truck. Shen Zhao'an stared straight at him.

Do you have anything left to say?

Zheng Huaiyin did not panic in the slightest. He even calmly adjusted his cuffs.

A name saved in the contacts proves nothing at all.

I stepped forward until I was standing right before him.

What about Old Khau's testimony, then?

Zheng Huaiyin glanced at Old Khau, who instinctively averted his eyes. A cold laugh escaped Zheng Huaiyin’s lips.

A driver desperate to commute his sentence will naturally bite wildly at anyone to save himself.

I pressed further. What about Cao Ban? Finally, a subtle shift rippled across his expression. At that exact moment, the screech of tires braking hard echoed from outside the factory compound. A small white truck slammed into the stone curb by the roadside. The door flew open, and a man with severe burns on his arms tumbled out onto the pavement. The red ledger he clutched tightly against his chest slid from his arms and landed squarely under the glare of the vehicle's headlights.

12

Everyone swarmed toward the small truck. Cao Ban collapsed onto the ground, his forehead split open and bleeding, yet his hands remained clamped desperately over the red ledger. The police swarmed him, pinning him down. He struggled violently, screaming at the top of his lungs.

I only came to retrieve the items!

I had no idea the warehouse was going to catch fire!

Zheng Huaiyin shouted from the other side of the police cordon.

Shut your mouth!

That roar was more damning than a thousand explanations. Cao Ban froze for a second, then, as if ignited by pure fury, spun around to bite the hand that fed him.

You were the one who told me to come!

You said that once I took the copies and burned the warehouse, nobody would ever be able to audit the old ledgers!

You even told me that if anything went wrong, I should go into hiding for a few days and the money would be wired straight to my sister's account!

Zheng Huaiyin’s face turned an ugly, livid shade of grey.

You are talking nonsense!

Though pinned heavily to the ground by officers, Cao Ban craned his neck and roared.

I have audio recordings saved on my phone!

Don't even think about pinning this all on me!

Those words rendered Zheng Huaiyin completely speechless. Gu Nan picked up the red ledger from the dirt and handed it directly to Shen Zhao'an. The upper left corner of the red cover had once been soaked in water, swelling into a distinct, hardened crease. Looking at that familiar mark, the taut wire that had strained within my chest all night finally slackened just a fraction. This was the genuine ledger. Shen Zhao'an did not open it on the spot. Instead, he cradled it against his chest, holding it much like a man clutching a fractured span of years that had nearly been reduced to ash. The police escorted Zheng Huaiyin aside for questioning. La Qian was also restrained. Pan Minh stood a short distance away, his knees trembling so badly he could barely keep upright. Seeing me approach, his voice emerged hoarse and cracked.

Sister Tan, I was wrong.

I looked down at him.

You weren't just wrong.

You miscalculated.

His complexion turned instantly ashen. I continued, You calculated that I was about to retire, you calculated that Chairman Shen wouldn't be around, and you calculated that nobody would ever dig through the old archives.

The only thing you failed to calculate was that I have worked here for thirty-two years, and I know precisely where every single piece of paper belongs.

Pan Minh lowered his head, not daring to utter another word. As the sky began to pale with the first light of dawn, we returned to the corporate headquarters. The lights in the conference room remained brightly lit. The authentic ledger, the photographic negatives, the retirement confirmation letters, the original verification documents, the forged cash vouchers, and the performance bonus sheets were each cataloged and sealed one by one. The police led Zheng Huaiyin, La Qian, Cao Ban, and Old Khau away. Before stepping out, Old Khau turned back to look at me one last time.

Sister Tan, I truly never meant to hurt you.

I offered no response.