Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The atmosphere on the whole 18th floor was dull in the past half month.

After half a month of gloominess, Section Chief Jiang and his confidants had fully accepted the fact that he was about to leave the office.

“Section Chief Jiang.” Sister Liu and Luo Qian knocked on the door and entered the office.

Section Chief Jiang looked up at them and said in a rather calm voice, “The people from Jiangdong have yet to see you?”

Upon hearing this, Sister Liu shook her head tiredly.

Sister Liu had always been an expatriate and had been dredging relationships with Jiangdong for the past two weeks. However, from beginning to end, she didn’t even manage to dredge the first-level relationship.

Although they had already anticipated this a long time ago, it was a case that hadn’t been solved for five months, after all. All the same, they didn’t expect that even the first step would be so difficult to take.

Section Chief Jiang nodded and didn’t entangle with the matter anymore. “Where’s Xiao Pan? She still hasn’t come to work?”

Pan Mingyue had asked for leave ever since the second day of the case and had yet to come back.

She was probably the first intern who dared to take so many days off at the Inspection Institute. The main thing was that the personnel department didn’t say anything.

“I guess she doesn’t dare to see you,” said the group leader.

This was a case brought up by Pan Mingyue herself, after all.

However, Section Chief Jiang and his confidants didn’t mean to blame her at all. After all, Deputy Liu had been eyeing their department for several months, and Section Chief Jiang wouldn’t have been able to escape without Pan Mingyue.

Section Chief Jiang nodded slightly.

He looked at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. It was 8:40, 20 minutes before the deadline for them to hand in the case. It was also the last 20 minutes they could stay in the Inspection Institute.

“Let’s get ready,” Section Chief Jiang withdrew his gaze and said calmly.

His confidants prepared the final information.

Sister Liu and Luo Qian exchanged glances before opening the door and going out.

When they went out, the people sitting outside in front of their computers all glanced at them subconsciously. A few people withdrew their gazes indifferently, a few stopped talking, then suddenly thought of something, and quickly withdrew their gazes.

“Sister Liu, I’ll pour coffee for you. We still have to make the report later.” Luo Qian glanced at the exhausted Sister Liu and voluntarily went to the lounge.

Inside, Fan Tongya was talking to another person.

Seeing Luo Qian, she took a cup of water and laughed. “Luo Qian, it’s not too late for you to quit now. If you just ask me, I’ll definitely be able to help you.”

Fan Tongya had big ambitions and wanted to make a breakthrough in the Inspection Institute. However, for Luo Qian to obtain the only internship spot in his school, he was naturally not weak. Now that the Inspection Institute was changing personnel, it was highly likely that he would stay behind.

This statement was also to win his heart.

Luo Qian didn’t have any animosity with them and was just a little gloomy to see them hitting a person who was down. He shook his head and said in a low voice, “Thank you, but no need.”

He poured coffee and directly left.

Staring after him, Fan Tongya couldn’t help but sneer. “Luo Qian, are you stupid? You might not be able to obtain the opportunity to work here even after 10 years.”

Luo Qian still didn’t look back.

Sister Liu took the coffee, took a sip, and finished sorting out her information. Then, she lowered her voice and gave Pan Mingyue a call.

She had deep contact with her and also understood her personality. Hence, she knew that even if she had no choice, she wouldn’t escape at this time.

“Sister Liu.” Pan Mingyue was still at 129 at this time, and she answered the phone in a calm voice.

“Where are you?” Sister Liu printed the document.

Pan Mingyue stared at the countdown on the computer screen.

Before she spoke, Qin Ran, who was playing games with her legs crossed, said without even looking up, “25 minutes and 17 seconds.”

Pan Mingyue understood her meaning and calmly said, “It’s too troublesome to explain it. I’m waiting for the last appraisal. There are still 4 minutes and 17 seconds. It’ll take 21 minutes for me to reach the Inspection Institute, so please wait 25 minutes and 17 seconds for me.”

The identification of 129 could only be received at 129.

This was the firewall set by Qin Ran, which she herself couldn’t even break. Thus, Pan Mingyue had been at 129 these days.

“25 minutes and 17 seconds?” Sister Liu was silent for a few moments when she heard this number accurate to the seconds. This was probably the first time she heard someone so arrogantly count to the seconds.

She hung up and pinched her watch subconsciously.

…

At 8:50, the team leader knocked on the door of Section Chief Jiang’s office. “Section Chief Jiang, the time is almost up.”

It was the final deadline, the day they had to report Jiangdong’s case to the Inspection Institute and their superiors.

Although the case didn’t have any room for change, they had still seriously investigated it. Having run around for the past half a month, all of them looked very tired now.

Section Chief Jiang picked up a leather bag and said calmly, “Let’s go.”

The two team leaders, Sister Liu, and Luo Qian entered the elevator together.

Fan Tongya glanced at them, put down the work at hand, and went to audit.

In fact, besides her, a large group of people in the office had also completed their work ahead of time.

This matter was done in the reporting hall.

At 8:55, Section Chief Jiang and the others arrived at the reporting hall.

At this time, 50 or 60 people were already sitting inside.

“Old Chen, look, they’re here.” Sitting in the first row, Deputy Liu was talking to a few people around him when he heard the sound of the door opening. He looked outside and smiled at Section Chief Jiang.

He Jinxin was sitting in the middle, holding a report in her hand. The people under Deputy Liu weren’t under her control, but over the past six months of internal fights, she had only just managed to stabilize herself.

Knowing that this time, Section Chief Jiang had been chosen to take the fall, she wanted to protect him as best as she could. “Section Chief Jiang, are you ready?”

Under everyone’s attention, Section Chief Jiang walked to the desk with the report.

He was about to start the report when Deputy Liu interrupted him. “Wait.”

Putting a hand on the document, Section Chief Jiang raised his head and calmly looked at him. “Deputy Liu?”

“I remember that you had six people in your team along with an intern?” Because of Pan Mingyue’s blatant rhetoric that day, she had left a deep impression on him.

“She asked for leave,” Section Chief Jiang politely said. Even in this situation, he was neither servile nor overbearing.

Asked for leave?

She was probably afraid that she couldn’t save the situation this time and didn’t dare to come.

Sitting at the back, Fan Tongya couldn’t help but smirk when she heard this. She was in a good mood these days. After all, the 18th floor had to exchange several positions at once, and Deputy Liu would definitely support the newcomers.

What kind of talent was worthy of promotion by Deputy Liu?

Naturally, Fan Tongya was a pure newcomer who didn’t belong to any section.

“Asked for leave?” Deputy Liu gave Section Chief Jiang a meaningful look. “Old Chen, shall he start now?”

Sitting in a dignified manner, Old Chen nodded slightly.

Many people had come to the reporting hall to watch the show today. Section Chief Jiang was so courageous to dare to take the Jiangdong case. Although almost everyone thought that he couldn’t solve it, it didn’t prevent them from wondering how much he had found out, and whether it was new information.

However, Section Chief Jiang hadn’t found any new information.

Without Deputy Liu’s help, he couldn’t even obtain the right news. If he had been given a longer time, he might be able to find something out, but half a month was too short.

He Jinxin wrote down the evidence reported by Section Chief Jiang and couldn’t help but frown.

This level of investigation was too difficult for her to protect him.

Her heart sank, and she remained silent during Section Chief Jiang’s report.

Deputy Liu glanced at him and said solemnly, “Section Chief Jiang, Old Chen came here especially for you today. The entire Inspection Institute is waiting for your results. You only managed to find this?”

He turned to look at Old Chen. “Old Chen, this matter is my negligence.”

Old Chen’s face was calm as water.

He got up and said, “It’s a huge Inspection Institute, but you can’t even investigate a case. What’s the use of raising you?!”

In the crowd, Sister Liu looked down at the countdown on her phone.

It was the last 10 seconds.

She couldn’t help but massage her temples. She must have been crazy to believe in Pan Mingyue’s countdown.

If Pan Mingyue can’t come before Old Chen left, even if she really investigated something, it would be futile.

Furthermore, Sister Liu felt like Pan Mingyue couldn’t have found more things than Section Chief Jiang.

“Sister Liu?” Luo Qian glanced at her subconsciously.

Sister Liu checked the time on her phone again.

Three seconds.

Shaking her head, she watched as Old Chen walked away, and smiled freely. “Go back and pack your things.”

One second.

She just got up from her seat when the door was pushed open from the outside.

Old Chen was flaring up in the front, while Deputy Liu was chiding Section Chief Jiang. The atmosphere in the entire hall was very quiet, and almost no one dared to speak for fear of being arrowed.

The sound of the door opening attracted everyone’s attention, and most people subconsciously looked back.

Pan Mingyue came in with a laptop in one hand and a document bag in the other.

Beside her was a woman wearing a white sweater. Her hoodie was buttoned over her lowered head, and she had her hands in her pockets. She closed her legs carelessly as if she had just kicked the door open.