Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

More importantly, she noticed that the numbers on the buckets seemed disjointed, as if they had been added later.

The rain was getting heavier, and all the oil drums were quickly moved into the warehouse.

Cui Dake wiped the rain off his face and urged him on.

"Master Qin, please sign for it quickly, we still need to go back and report."

He handed the receiving slip to Qin Huairu, which clearly stated "Special lubricating oil, fifty barrels, inspected and approved".

All the pressure fell on Qin Huairu.

Signing the document meant that she had confirmed that the quantity and quality of the goods were correct.

If something really happens in the future, she will be the first to be affected.

If she didn't sign, offending Cui Dake and the transportation department would be a minor matter; what if it turned out to be just her overthinking that delayed the warehousing of production materials? She couldn't bear the responsibility for that.

Moreover, Cui Dake has Director Li Huaide standing behind him.

Qin Huairu's hands trembled slightly as she looked at the thin inventory receipt, which seemed to weigh a ton.

She remembered Li Zhenhua's eyes, which seemed to see through everything, and his words, "Hands and feet clean, mouth sealed tight."

She also thought of the job opportunity she had worked so hard to get, and her three young children at home.

A strong will to survive and her intuition told her that there was a trap!

She took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound calm.

"Captain Cui, the rain is too heavy, and it's hard to write on the forms when they're wet. Also, we were in a rush just now, and the stacking is a bit messy. Let me tidy it up a bit and check the numbers before I sign, so we don't have trouble with inventory later. Or... why don't you and the drivers go to the next room for a drink of water and get out of the rain? I'll bring it to you as soon as I'm done."

Her words were reasonable and her attitude was humble, leaving no room for criticism.

Although Cui Dake was impatient, he couldn't force the issue, since the warehouse keeper's confirmation was a necessary step.

He glanced at Qin Huairu suspiciously, only to see a fawning, harmless smile on her face. He thought to himself that a newly arrived widow was probably intimidated by the scene and wanted to be more careful to avoid making mistakes. He figured she couldn't cause any trouble.

"Alright, then hurry up."

Cui Dake waved his hand and led the driver and workers to the adjacent rest room.

After watching Cui Dake and the others leave, Qin Huairu immediately closed the warehouse door.

The rain pounding against the tin roof made a loud noise, which ironically provided cover for her actions.

Her heart was pounding, and she knew she had to hurry.

She first ran to the oil drums that seemed suspicious and examined them carefully again.

This time she could see it more clearly; the oil stains on the edge of the lid were indeed suspicious, as if it had been opened and then resealed.

She found a hand scale (used for weighing small items) in the warehouse and tried to move a barrel of oil to weigh it, but the oil barrel was too heavy and she couldn't move it onto the scale by herself.

What should I do?

Should we go directly to Director Wang?

Director Wang went to a meeting and won't be back for a while.

Moreover, without solid evidence, making a hasty report could lead to being seen as "unserious and paranoid," which would give others ammunition to attack you if no problems are found.

Find Li Zhenhua? That's the most direct way, but Li Zhenhua is a deputy director and very busy. Is it appropriate to bother him just because of a little suspicion?

Will it make him feel incompetent?

The rain was noisy, and Qin Huairu's mind was racing.

She remembered Li Zhenhua telling her to "come to him if you have any difficulties." Would this count as a difficulty?

This is clearly a conspiracy targeting him or himself!

We can't hesitate any longer!

She made up her mind that she had to contact Li Zhenhua immediately.

But she couldn't leave the warehouse; Cui Dake could come back at any time.

She looked around and saw an internal phone in the corner. She walked over quickly, took a deep breath, and dialed Li Zhenhua's office number.

The phone rang a few times before being answered, and Li Zhenhua's calm voice came through.

"Hello, this is Li Zhenhua from the Logistics Department."

"Director Li... Director Li,"

Qin Huairu lowered her voice, trying her best not to let her trembling be too obvious.

"It's me, Qin Huairu. There's been a bit of a problem at the warehouse."

"What is it? Tell me slowly."

Li Zhenhua's voice immediately became focused.

Qin Huairu quickly recounted the details of the special lubricating oil's entry into the warehouse, her suspicions, Cui Dake's urging, and the unusual situation surrounding those barrels of oil in the most concise language.

"…Director Li, I suspect there's something wrong with those barrels of oil. They might have been switched, or something else might have been added. But I have no evidence, and I can't verify it on the spot. Captain Cui and the others are still waiting for my signature. What… what should I do now?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, with only the crackling of the electricity and the sound of rain outside the window.

Those few seconds felt incredibly long to Qin Huairu.

Then, Li Zhenhua gave clear and calm instructions.

"Sister Qin, you did a great job, very alert. Now, do as I say."

Qin Huairu perked up and quickly replied.

"Please speak!"

"First, don't make a scene, and definitely don't clash with Cui Dake. Find an excuse, like saying that the numbering is a bit messed up and needs time to recheck, and ask them to wait a little longer. Be natural, just like you did earlier."

"Second, for those barrels of problematic oil, remember their exact location and numbers. Then, try to make a mark on the bottom of the barrels that only you can recognize, using chalk or anything you can find, without attracting attention."

"Third, and most importantly,"

Li Zhenhua's voice carried an undeniable power.

"Received normally".

"What? Sign for it?"

Qin Huairu was stunned.

"But……"

"Let me finish speaking."

Li Zhenhua interrupted her.

"You sign for the goods as usual, but you must write in very small print in the remarks column of the receiving slip, 'Some oil drums have abnormal serial numbers and questionable appearance. They have been stacked separately and are awaiting further verification.' Then, keep the duplicate copy of the receiving slip for yourself and give them the original copy. This way, you fulfill your responsibilities, express your doubts, and leave written evidence without immediately alerting the perpetrators."

Qin Huairu instantly understood Li Zhenhua's intention!

He's playing the long game!

If you insist on not signing or cause a scene on the spot, the other party may immediately stop the operation and move the problematic oil drum. In that case, there will be no way to prove anything, and you will be blamed for "delaying the warehousing".

By signing for the package normally but leaving clues, direct conflict was avoided, and crucial evidence was left for subsequent investigations!

"I understand, Director Li!"

Qin Huairu felt a sudden sense of relief, but at the same time, she also felt a chill and a sense of relief at Li Zhenhua's meticulous thinking.

"Very good. After signing for it, everything is as usual. Leave the rest to me. Remember, don't mention this to anyone, including Director Wang."

Li Zhenhua gave his instructions.

"Yes! I know!"

Qin Huairu nodded vigorously.

After hanging up the phone, Qin Huairu felt full of energy, and her previous panic vanished.

Following Li Zhenhua's instructions, she quickly drew an inconspicuous cross on the bottom of the problematic oil drums with her fingernail, then composed herself, took the receiving slip, and left the warehouse.

Cui Dake was already peering out of the lounge, his face showing impatience.

"Master Qin, is it done? The rain is almost stopped."

"Alright, alright, Captain Cui, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Qin Huairu smiled and took out a pen to sign her name on the inventory receipt, while quickly writing a line of small characters in the remarks column.

She tore off the front scroll and handed it to Cui Dake, while carefully folding the back scroll and putting it in her pocket.

Cui Dake took the order, glanced at the signature briefly, didn't notice the small print in the remarks column, and smiled with satisfaction.

"Okay, Master Qin is very meticulous. We'll have many more opportunities to work together in the future."

After saying that, he drove away with his men.

Watching the truck disappear into the rain, Qin Huairu leaned against the door frame and let out a long sigh of relief; her back was already soaked with cold sweat.

She knew that this war without gunfire had only just begun.

She had unknowingly been drawn into the center of the vortex. All she could do now was trust Li Zhenhua and carefully guard this hard-won position.

With the signed receipt in hand, Cui Dake returned to the transportation department, beaming with pride, and immediately reported to Li Huaide.

He embellished the story, describing how nervous and hesitant Qin Huairu was, and how she only signed the document under his "urging," implying that she was inexperienced, timid, and completely unfit for the job of a warehouse keeper. Li

After hearing this, a barely perceptible sneer appeared on the corner of Wilder's mouth.

He praised Cui Dake a few times and told him to keep a close eye on what was happening at the warehouse, especially the usage of that batch of lubricating oil.

Li Huaide's plan was to wait a few days until the workshop encountered problems using this batch of lubricating oil (he had already arranged the process), then follow the clues to find out that the warehouse's acceptance and inspection procedures were not strict enough, and that there might even be more serious corruption issues involved.

At that time, he could use mismanagement and poor personnel management as pretexts to attack Li Zhenhua. Even if he couldn't kill him outright, it would be enough to make him lose face and damage his prestige. At the same time, he could get rid of Qin Huairu and replace her with his own people.

However, for several days, everything remained calm.

The batch of lubricating oil seemed to have been delivered to the workshop smoothly, and no abnormal news came.

Li Huaide was puzzled and urged Cui Dake to inquire further.

Cui Dake reported that everything was normal, and the problem might not have surfaced yet.

Little did they know that on the very day Li Zhenhua received Qin Huairu's call, he had already quietly laid a trap.

He first secretly contacted a trusted senior engineer in the factory's technical department, who was also his father's old subordinate, and under the guise of random inspection, secretly took samples of the marked "problem oil" in the warehouse for testing.

The results came quickly: these barrels of oil were not special lubricants at all, but ordinary industrial lubricants mixed with a large number of impurities. Their performance and indicators were far from meeting the requirements for use in precision machine tools. Once used, the problems might not be apparent in the short term, but in the long run, they would inevitably lead to increased wear and tear on the equipment, and even cause malfunctions.

After obtaining conclusive evidence, Li Zhenhua did not immediately react.

He instructed Qin Huairu to prioritize distributing the confirmed good oil during routine distributions, and to keep the problematic oil barrels at the back of the warehouse for the time being.

Meanwhile, he secretly investigated the source and transportation of the oil through his own channels.

The investigation revealed that the quantity and quality of this batch of oil were fully up to standard when it left the warehouse from the superior unit.

The problem most likely occurred during transport. And the team in charge of this transport was led by Cui Dake.

Further covert investigations revealed that during the transport, Cui Dake had detoured to a small private workshop in the suburbs and stayed there for a considerable period of time.

That small workshop was secretly engaged in the business of recycling waste oil, processing it simply, and passing it off as good oil.

All the clues pointed to Cui Dake.

Whether Li Huaide directly instructed him to do so is currently unproven, but Cui Dake's actions are definitely related.

Li Zhenhua waited patiently, waiting for the right opportunity for Li Huaide and Cui Dake to step forward on their own.

The opportunity came quickly.

A week later, Li Huaide believed that the time was right.

He instructed a trusted workshop director to "casually" mention at a factory production scheduling meeting that a certain precision machine tool had been making some unusual noises recently, suspecting that there was a problem with the lubricating oil, and suggested tracing the batch of special oil that had recently been put into storage.

Li Huaide immediately seized on this topic and spoke with a serious expression at the meeting.

"This is no small matter! Precision machine tools are critical equipment in the factory, and the quality of lubricating oil is paramount. Comrade Zhenhua is in charge of logistics support, and you directly manage the warehouse. This matter must be thoroughly investigated! If it truly is an oil problem, the relevant personnel must be held accountable, no matter who it is, there will be no leniency!"

He appeared selfless and concerned about the factory, but his gaze swept over Li Zhenhua meaningfully.

Factory Director Yang also expressed concern and asked Li Zhenhua to find out the cause as soon as possible and report the results.

Li Zhenhua sneered inwardly, but maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

"Factory Manager, Director Li, please rest assured. There are no small matters when it comes to logistics support. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. If it really was a problem in our warehouse, I will not cover it up. If not, I will also clear the names of those involved to avoid affecting production."

After the meeting, Li Huaide couldn't wait to get started.

He thought Li Zhenhua would rush to the warehouse to investigate, thus falling right into his trap.

He had even prepared his subsequent attack arguments.

However, Li Zhenhua's actions were faster and more ruthless than his.

The next morning, Li Huaide had just sat down in his office, ready to hear Cui Dake's "good news," when there was a knock on the office door.

Li Zhenhua walked in calmly, accompanied by the senior engineer from the technical department and two officers from the security department.

"Director Li, we have completed a preliminary investigation into the issue of that batch of special lubricating oil."

Li Zhenhua got straight to the point.

Li Huaide's heart skipped a beat. Looking at the situation, he sensed something was wrong, but he still forced himself to remain calm.

"Oh? So fast? Have you found out what happened? Was it a problem with the warehouse inspection or the storage?" He deliberately steered the conversation toward the warehouse and Qin Huairu.

Li Zhenhua did not answer directly, but nodded to the old engineer behind him.

The senior engineer took out a lab report and handed it to Li Huaide.

"Director Li, these are the results of our sampling tests on some of the lubricating oil in the warehouse. The results show that most of the oil is of qualified quality and meets the standards."