Chapter 21 — A Day as a Janitor

Shen Zhiyuan suddenly reached out, intending to mute the meeting audio. Gu Nan immediately pinned his hand down with a firm grip. The very next second, an elderly, resonant voice echoed from the ongoing virtual conference.

Let her speak.

The speaker was none other than the second-largest shareholder of Fartai Corporation, as well as the founding board member whose signature sat first on the historical roster signed thirty-two years ago.

As the aged voice reverberated through the virtual conference room, Shen Zhiyuan's hand froze mid-air. Gu Nan continued to secure his wrist, refusing to yield an inch. Shen Zhao'an gazed at the screen, his voice dropping to a low, measured register.

Director Fu, are you participating in this as well?

The elderly man on the other side of the screen was Fu Hongzhang. He had been the inaugural investor of Fartai and the primary founding witness on that long-standing roster. Fu Hongzhang bypassed all customary pleasantries.

Qin Ngoc Tran, state everything you know.

I stood directly in front of the camera, still clad in my slate-gray sanitation uniform. Quite a few members of the board attending remotely were laying eyes on me for the very first time; their expressions flickered between deep skepticism and mounting impatience. I felt no rush to voice my immediate grievances. Instead, I raised the official transfer decree in my hand.

At eight-forty yesterday morning, I received this formal position adjustment notice.

The document explicitly states that I am being reassigned from General Administration Manager down to a frontline logistics sanitation worker.

The effective date falls precisely one day prior to my scheduled retirement.

A murmur of displeasure rippled across several faces on the monitor. Shen Zhiyuan spoke up in an icy tone, This is merely an internal human resources dispute and should not usurp the precious time of the Board of Directors. Fu Hongzhang tapped his fingers lightly against the polished wooden table.

Let her speak.

I lowered the transfer decree and picked up the official retirement confirmation letter instead.

A month ago, the Office of the Chairman formally signed and sealed my retirement benefits package.

This was executed in strict accordance with the sixth provision listed under the Special Startup Security Scheme.

Yet, after the Administration Center processed the receipt, this critical document was intentionally withheld from me.

Simultaneously, Trinh Hoai Nhan, La Thien, Phan Minh, and their associates plotted to exploit my final day as a sanitation worker to drastically alter the baseline calculations for my retirement settlement.

Luong Chinh Nghi signaled the corporate auditor to synchronize and upload all gathered evidence directly to the online meeting feed. The transfer decree, the incriminating audio recordings, the formal receipt slips, the forged disbursement vouchers, the records from the old factory, and the photographs capturing the arson scene flashed onto the screen one after another. The board members who had previously readied themselves for a swift vote now sat in absolute silence. I continued my testimony.

This is by no means an isolated issue concerning my personal welfare alone.

Old Uncle Liu from the warehouse, Chef Tran from the cafeteria, Engineer Mang from the equipment department, Uncle Ho from the transport team, and Vuong Thuc Cam at the reception desk are all slated under this exact same scheme.

Some had their resignations from supplementary allowances forged, others had their management tenure dates altered, and several had their original confirmation documents hidden away deep within the utility lockers of the first basement level.

Sister Vuong, seated just behind me, had red-rimmed eyes, yet she shed no tears. She lifted her own draft of the settlement calculation sheet for all to see.

I have not even reached retirement yet, and they have already forged my signature in advance.

One of the board members participating remotely chimed in, Can these documents genuinely prove that the top leadership of the group orchestrated this? Luong Chinh Nghi immediately answered, A complete chain of evidence has already been established.

The Administration Center, Human Resources, Finance, the Branding Department, and the Secretariat of the Board of Directors all have individuals complicit in this conspiracy.

Simultaneously, certain parties attempted to forge the Chairman's authorization to illegally convene a premature impeachment meeting.

Shen Zhiyuan abruptly let out a cold laugh.

Head Luong, one must bear full legal responsibility for such sweeping accusations.

You claim the authorization was forged, but has there been any formal judicial conclusion yet?

Luong Chinh Nghi refused to give ground.

The absence of a judicial conclusion does not grant the Board of Directors license to ignore massive corporate risks and blindly proceed with a vote.

Hua Thu Le sat quietly in the far corner, his complexion ashen. He did not dare to meet Shen Zhiyuan's gaze. Outside the doors, law enforcement officers were already waiting, merely bailing for the meeting to conclude so they could escort individuals away for formal questioning. Fu Hongzhang addressed me directly: Qin Ngoc Tran, speaking as a witness from the company's founding era, what is your primary submission to this board today? I looked straight into the camera lens.

My submission is entirely straightforward.

The very premise upon which this impeachment meeting was called is a complete fabrication.

The so-called improper handling by the Chairman was entirely manufactured by individuals who first infringed upon employee rights, and then manipulated public opinion to invert reality and frame the Chairman for dereliction of duty.

The so-called temporary authorization was engineered by illegally stealing equipment and corporate seals from the convalescent center.

The so-called effort to stabilize the corporation is nothing more than using the hard-earned retirement security of senior employees as a stepping stone.

Shen Zhiyuan's expression grew thoroughly frigid.

Qin Ngoc Tran, you certainly have a way with words.

Yet you only speak of how others allegedly harmed you, conveniently omitting why Fartai was compelled to stem its financial bleeding.

He turned his body to face the remote board members.

Distinguished colleagues, the founding security commitments have placed an unsustainable burden on the group's cash flow.

Chairman Shen has concealed a genuine financial shortfall for years; if we continue to disburse funds at the maximum tier, it will inevitably plunge the company into a bottomless fiscal abyss.

Shen Zhao'an lifted his gaze slowly.

What shortfall are you referring to?

Shen Zhiyuan gestured to his legal counsel to display a different set of files. Projected onto the grand screen was a complex capital calculation spreadsheet bearing the title: Audit of Special Startup Security Fund Balances. In the balance column, the total read a mere thirty-seven thousand two hundred.