Before being reborn and getting married, the pampered young lady emptied her family's assets to

Chapter 177 In business, integrity is paramount.
As Anmin and Liang Yi's business grew, they became increasingly busy.

Everyone says time is everything, and they're so busy they barely have time to breathe.

Anmin felt that if things continued like this, she and Liang Yi's bodies would not be able to withstand it, so she planned to hire some people.

However, I never expected that a rival company could sneak in here.

The two of them were busy like spinning tops every day. During the day, they would run around to factories and meet with clients, and at night they would reconcile accounts, organize documents, and study market information. They often did not get home until late at night.

Looking at her sleeping child, she felt a deep sense of guilt.

Anmin couldn't hold on any longer. She had a low-grade fever for several days, but she still forced herself to go and meet a client. When she came back, she almost fainted at the door.

Liang Yi was terrified and forced her to rest for two days.

"Liang Yi, this won't do."

Anmin leaned against the bed, her face still somewhat pale.

"You can never earn enough money, but you have to take care of your health. If this keeps up, we'll both collapse from exhaustion. Business has just started to pick up; if we both fall ill, we'll lose everything."

Liang Yi sat on the edge of the bed, held her hand, and nodded emphatically: "I understand, it's time to ask someone for help."

Just do it.

After discussing it, the two realized that what they urgently needed was a helper who could manage the storefront, greet customers, and handle daily chores.

It would be best if you knew some foreign languages, even just a few simple English or Russian phrases.

They posted a job advertisement at the entrance and also asked Li Hongmei to inquire at the factory if any reliable fellow villagers were willing to come.

There were quite a few applicants, but they either asked for too much money or didn't seem very reliable.

Until a girl named Sun Xiaomei appeared.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with delicate features, and spoke with a slight accent from another region, but very fluently.

She claimed to be a high school graduate from a neighboring province who used to work as a sales clerk in a state-run store and knew some basic English words.

"Boss An, Boss Liang, I can learn anything and I'm not afraid of hardship. I just want to find a stable job in the South."

Sun Xiaomei was humble, but her eyes revealed longing.

Anmin chatted with her and felt that the girl was quick-witted and generous in her interactions with others.

Although I don't understand Russian at all, I should be able to handle simple reception and record-keeping tasks.

Liang Yi also felt that he couldn't find a more suitable candidate at the moment, so he let her give it a try. They agreed on the salary, and she started working the next day.

Sun Xiaomei is indeed clever.

She quickly became familiar with the company's daily procedures, greeted customers warmly and thoughtfully, answered the phone politely, and organized documents in an orderly manner.

She even took the initiative to learn a few common Russian greetings from Anmin.

Although the pronunciation was awkward, Anmin was very satisfied with the effort put in, feeling that the money was well spent. She was finally able to catch her breath and have time to pursue more important orders and clients.

However, the good times did not last long.

About a month later, Liang Yi first noticed something was wrong.

On one occasion, he inadvertently saw Sun Xiaomei practicing writing Russian words on a scrap of paper while recording customer information.

Instead of common greetings, it contained several technical terms related to electronic component models.

This is not something Anmin would teach.

Another time, when he came back at night to retrieve some documents he had forgotten to take, he found that Sun Xiaomei was still there, whispering something into the phone receiver.

As soon as he came in, she hurriedly hung up, explaining that she was chatting with relatives from her hometown.

Liang Yi took note of it, but didn't say anything.

He privately reminded Anmin, "Minmin, our little Sun seems a bit too studious. Keep an eye on what kind of documents she handles."

An Min initially thought Liang Yi was overthinking things, but soon she also realized the problem.

She had secured an order to supply a batch of new tape recorder components to a Soviet client. The price was very low, the profit margin was good, and it seemed like a sure thing.

But just two days later, the other party suddenly called and stammered that they had found a cheaper supplier and canceled the order.

Similar incidents happened a couple more times, with deals that seemed about to be closed being snatched away at the crucial moment by competitors with a slight price advantage, so precisely that it aroused suspicion. "This is too much of a coincidence."

An Min frowned and reviewed the situation with Liang Yi: "It seems that the other party knows our bottom line perfectly well."

The couple exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking.

The problem is most likely internal.

Currently, besides the two of them, only the newly arrived Sun Xiaomei has access to the price list.

Liang Yi said in a deep voice, "Let's take another look. We need to catch the thief red-handed."

They set a trap.

Anmin deliberately prepared a fake low-price purchase contract for a niche electronic component that was not currently in high demand in the market.

The price is ridiculously low, with almost zero profit. Normal merchants would never sell at this price.

She casually placed the contract on the table, then made an excuse to go out with Liang Yi to meet a client, giving Sun Xiaomei the opportunity to be alone in the store.

They circled around outside, then quietly returned and entered the store through the back door.

Sure enough, Sun Xiaomei was seen frantically copying something onto a new piece of paper under the counter, holding the fake contract.

"Xiaomei, what are you copying?"

An Min's voice suddenly rang out, calm yet tinged with coldness.

Sun Xiaomei trembled with fright, dropping the pen and paper from her hand to the ground.

Liang Yi stepped forward, picked up the note, which contained the key information from the fake contract.

Product name, quantity, and that ridiculously low price.

There was also a phone number next to it.

Sun Xiaomei's face turned deathly pale, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.

"Who told you to do this?"

Liang Yi's voice turned somber.

Sun Xiaomei burst into tears and recounted the events in fits and starts.

It was the owner of a slightly larger trading company on the next street who found her.

They promised her three times her salary and invited her to apply, promising to provide her with timely updates on client information and pricing...

Her family was struggling financially and desperately needed money, so she was blinded by greed and agreed...

Looking at this girl who had once seemed diligent and clever, Anmin felt both angry and cold inside.

For the first time, she truly felt that this land in the south was full of opportunities, but also full of storms and hidden reefs.

Simply trusting and working hard is far from enough here.

"You go."

Anmin waved wearily: "You won't get your salary this month, and we'll also report your information to other bosses around here."

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiaomei immediately knelt down: "Sister An, if you do this, I won't be able to find a job in the future!"

"Doing business is all about integrity. If you were dishonest first, who can you blame?"

An Min turned her head and said this coldly.

Isn't it difficult for her?
Who will compensate her for these lost orders?

Sun Xiaomei cried and begged for a long time, but An Min and Liang Yi still wouldn't budge.

Watching her walk out of the store looking lost and dejected, Anmin felt a mix of emotions.

There was neither the thrill of catching a big fish nor the satisfaction of punishing the wicked; all that remained was the weariness of being betrayed.

Liang Yi crumpled up the piece of paper with the fake contract information and threw it into the trash can, then patted An Min on the shoulder.

"Don't overthink it. At least we've caught the mole, and we won't suffer this kind of loss again."