Jiang Ling assured her he was sending more people to find the mole in the company, asking Shi Xinxin not to worry too much.
His words were filled with concern, but they also implicitly told Shi Xinxin not to get involved, lest she be dragged into the matter.
How could Shi Xinxin let it go so easily? She was now one hundred percent certain that the postponement of this competition was Feng Lao's doing.
Shi Luo had a five-star international reputation and had never had any unpleasant dealings with other companies. It was a rare stream of purity among many companies. How could it possibly provoke Feng Lao, who didn't even understand the clothing industry?
A glint flashed in Shi Xinxin's eyes.
It was obvious that Feng Lao was targeting her this time, intending to ruin her business. He was willing to drag in other innocent people, causing them to bear burdens they shouldn't have to.
It seemed she had to resolve this matter herself. She wanted Feng Lao to see clearly that she, Shi Xinxin, was not a soft-hearted person to be bullied.
Shi Xinxin immediately perked up and sent another message: "Don't worry, I won't ask too much about this. But... can you send me the profiles of all employees from your main company? I want to understand everything clearly."
Jiang Ling received the message. He lowered his gaze, a slight smile curving his lips. Although she said she wouldn't ask too much, he understood Shi Xinxin perfectly. He knew she wouldn't rest until she investigated thoroughly.
He sighed softly and, with a hint of helplessness, sent her the employee information sheet of the main company.
He also added a reminder that might have been ineffectual: "You might not be able to find relevant information. It's late, you should rest."
Meanwhile, Shi Xinxin was already fully focused, opening the file and examining it, not even looking at the messages.
Although Shi Luo was a major brand, its human resources department was very well-managed. They hired only for quality, not quantity. Thus, since the brand's inception, the main company had only about a hundred employees.
This made it easier for Shi Xinxin to understand the information of these few employees.
She moved the mouse, her eyes fixed on the screen, afraid of missing any member's information.
The employee records in Shi Luo's HR department were also very standardized. They not only recorded the employees' names and contact information but also their previous jobs before joining the company, along with their exact positions.
Shi Xinxin went through the first few rows of employee information and found that all these employees had been normal from before their joining until now, with nothing amiss.
She frowned slightly, resting her chin on her hand, her tired eyes continuing to scan downwards.
Suddenly, a name caught Shi Xinxin's eye. Her fingertips stopped, and the screen scroll froze.
"Li Shuo..." Shi Xinxin murmured the name. She had a vague feeling she had seen this name somewhere before, but she couldn't recall it immediately.
She stared at the name with a puzzled expression, then her gaze moved down, and she saw the person's previous career.
Li Shuo's career was simple. He had been a professor at a university before, nothing more.
Something's not right... A strong intuition screamed in Shi Xinxin's mind. She clicked on the person's information and saw that Li Shuo had been a medical professor at a university.
For some reason, Shi Xinxin thought of Feng Lao. Her heart was filled with suspicion, and a persistent obsession lingered. She leaned back slightly, trying hard to remember where she had heard this name.
While the name might not be uncommon among the general public, with perhaps four out of ten people sharing it, Shi Xinxin was certain she hadn't misremembered. She must have heard this name on a significant occasion for it to stick in her memory so vividly.
Shi Xinxin slowly put down the mouse. She closed her eyes, letting her vision fall into darkness, to achieve greater calmness. She repeated the name aloud, trying to dredge up something from her memory.
At that moment, her phone on the desk vibrated. Suddenly, as if a nerve in her brain was stimulated by the notification sound, Shi Xinxin's eyes snapped open, her mind now clear with memory.
Yes, she remembered correctly. Feng Lao's pen name when he sent letters was Li Shuo!
That was in her second year abroad. Shi Xinxin had completely trusted Feng Lao by then, treating him with the respect due to an elder, without any suspicion whatsoever.
She had accidentally wandered into Feng Lao's study and happened to see a letter he hadn't sent yet. At the time, she had merely glanced at it and paid no attention to the unfamiliar name.
Thinking back now, Li Shuo was likely another identity of Feng Lao!
Shi Xinxin took a deep breath, suppressing the intense emotion of discovering a secret. She quickly returned to her computer, her trembling fingers typing on the keyboard.
Shi Xinxin: "Immediately investigate the employee named Li Shuo. He is very suspicious. If I'm not mistaken, he should be Feng Lao disguised as an employee in your company."
Just as she was about to hit send, Shi Xinxin suddenly noticed something was amiss.
Feng Lao had been so masterful in his schemes for so many years, remaining undiscovered and playing her, Yan Hao, and others like puppets. His cunning and insidious nature were undeniable.
But here was the crucial point. Why would such a sly and treacherous person personally disguise himself to enter the company, only to sabotage a small fashion competition?
Indeed, the fashion competition was a trivial matter in his eyes. Shi Xinxin pinched her chin, thinking carefully. Apart from affecting her, what other ulterior motives did Feng Lao have?
Shi Xinxin couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried. Feng Yu's investigation hadn't even fully begun and couldn't provide much useful information.
So, Shi Xinxin sat up straight, deleted the text in the chat box, and then typed again: "What major enterprises has your company collaborated with recently? Or are you planning any large-scale projects?"
Until she fully uncovered the reason for Feng Lao's personal infiltration of Shi Luo, Shi Xinxin decided not to reveal the truth to Jiang Ling yet, lest she alert him and Feng Lao escape.
It would be better for her to gather solid evidence first, then contact Jiang Ling to catch Feng Lao off guard.
Shi Xinxin mentally perfected her plan just as Jiang Ling's message arrived: "Didn't I tell you to go to bed early? Why are you up investigating in the middle of the night?"
Even through the stiff text, she could almost imagine his exasperated expression in front of the screen. Shi Xinxin typed with feigned seriousness: "I'll go to bed as soon as I'm done investigating. If you still want me to go to bed early, then answer my question quickly."
There was a pause, and then Jiang Ling quickly sent a file, showing her complete lack of reservation.
Shi Xinxin's heart leaped with joy, feeling one step closer to the success of her plan. She quickly clicked on the file and scrolled down the screen.