In this situation, calling the police was the safest option, as they had no evidence. Everything that had just happened was just her wild speculation. So, the two of them went to the police station, recorded their statements, and then an officer accompanied them back home to gather evidence. After everything was settled, it was already 2 a.m. Meng Suihuan tidied up a bit and went to sleep.

When she woke up and went to the company, it was almost noon. As usual, she went to her desk, planning to show the company’s charter and personnel allocation that she had prepared the previous day to the others. But when she looked for it, she realized that the proposal she had worked on late into the night was missing. She searched for a long time but couldn’t find it.

“Xiao Jiang, have you seen the proposal on my desk?”

Jiang Chengxuan came over in response.

“The file?” He thought for a moment. “There was nothing on your desk when I came in.”

“Go ask the others.”

Jiang Chengxuan asked around, but no one had taken her file. Meng Suihuan began to doubt whether she had made a mistake. But she clearly remembered putting the proposal on the desk before she left.

At that moment, Xiao Zheng, the first to arrive at the company to open the door that morning, suddenly seemed to remember something and said, “Boss, this morning a couple in their forties came to our company. I thought they were here for an interview, but then they said they were your parents and even brought some local specialties for you.”

“The woman’s reaction was a bit strange too. I just asked her if she wanted some water or tea, and when I called out to her, she turned pale from fright…”

“Also, when they left, the woman kept telling me not to tell you, saying she didn’t want you to worry…”

Everyone: “…… Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”

Xiao Zheng: “I was busy with the project and forgot.”

Meng Suihuan’s expression darkened. A suspicion began to form in her mind, and her face turned cold. Xiao Zheng, the youngest member of the team, had made a mistake again. Seeing Meng Suihuan’s stormy expression, his face turned pale. Especially when her gaze landed on him, he couldn’t help but shrink back.

The next moment, she spoke sternly, “From now on, the meeting room door should always be locked. Important documents should be securely stored. No one should be allowed into our office except in the reception area. I hope this kind of situation never happens again!”

Everyone realized the seriousness of the situation and looked very solemn. “Understood!”

After Meng Suihuan finished reprimanding them, Jiang Chengxuan and the others couldn’t help but ask the crucial question.

“Boss, the file that’s missing, is it the school district project proposal we just worked on?” If that file was lost, their plan might have been leaked early. What would happen to their project? Would they continue with it, or would they come up with a new plan?

“No.”

Hearing this answer, everyone’s tension finally eased. But the next second, their anxiety returned.

“However—”

Meng Suihuan paused, looked at everyone, and seeing their breathless anticipation, she slowly said the next part.

“Next time, I can’t say for sure.”

Jiang Chengxuan was startled and couldn’t help but complain, “Boss, could you just say everything at once next time?” Don’t suddenly give them a suspenseful pause like that! It’s terrifying! His heart was still pounding!

Meng Suihuan raised an eyebrow. “Would you have listened so attentively if I didn’t do that? Do you really take it to heart now?”

Everyone: “……”

Unable to refute.

After delivering the reprimand, Meng Suihuan waved her hand and dismissed everyone. Soon, only two figures remained in her line of sight—Xiao Zheng and Lu Xiuhe. Meng Suihuan first beckoned Xiao Zheng over. Xiao Zheng, looking like a scared deer, slowly moved toward her, immediately taking the initiative to admit his mistake. “Boss, I was wrong. Whatever punishment you give me, I accept. Just… can you not fire me?”

In Xiao Zheng’s mind, making a mistake often meant being dismissed, especially considering what had happened with Chen Ge at Song Ming’s place. They didn’t like him, so they just kicked him out. Now, Xiao Zheng had made an even more serious mistake. Though the stolen proposal wasn’t part of the current project, he couldn’t be sure of the boss’s intentions. But admitting his fault was always the right choice.

Meng Suihuan originally wanted to scold him more, but seeing him so fearful, she swallowed her words. She just maintained a stern expression and said, “You’ll lock the meeting room door this week.”

Seeing Xiao Zheng still confused, she added, “This is your punishment. Remember it, and don’t make the same mistake again.”

Xiao Zheng finally grasped the meaning of her words and couldn’t help but feel excited. “Boss, really, I just need to lock the door?”

Meng Suihuan replied, “Mm.”

Xiao Zheng deeply bowed to her, his voice full of gratitude. “Thank you, Boss! I’m willing to accept double the punishment!”

“Up to you.”

After Xiao Zheng left, Lu Xiuhe immediately walked over. “Xiao Huan, the couple Xiao Zheng mentioned, do you think they are our parents?”

Meng Suihuan shook her head. “It should not be them.” From her understanding of Lu’s parents, they would never do such a thing. Compared to them, her own parents, who treated her as a cash cow, seemed more likely to be involved. “It might be my biological parents.”

But Meng Suihuan couldn’t understand why they would come to her company to submit a proposal. What were they trying to achieve?

Meanwhile, Meng Suihuan’s parents, holding the documents, naturally gained the courage to negotiate with the man opposite them.

“We’ve brought you what you wanted. Now, can you release our son, Xiao Cong?”

The man looked at them with a dismissive glance, his attitude arrogant. “You have no right to negotiate with me.”

Meng Suihuan’s father, known for his fiery temper, was about to erupt, when he suddenly heard their son shouting.

“Dad, Mom! Hurry, give him the documents!!”

Zheng Xiujuan, who already felt pity for their son, couldn’t stand seeing this and immediately handed over the documents. The man took the documents with satisfaction, but after flipping through two pages, his face turned dark with anger, and he threw the file at Zheng Xiujuan, hitting her face.

“Useless! What kind of trash is this that you brought back?!”

Zheng Xiujuan had already been holding resentment, but now, being humiliated in public, her fury surged. She nearly rushed over to beat him up, but their son’s voice pulled her back to her senses. She could only force down her anger.

“This proposal was personally brought by me from Meng Suihuan’s company. Don’t try to go back on your word.”

“We want the project proposal, not their company’s personnel adjustment plan!!!” The man was so angry he almost yelled, but the fury wouldn’t subside, nearly making him faint with rage.

“This isn’t our fault. When you negotiated with us, you said that we would bring the proposal and you would release Xiao Cong. You didn’t specify which proposal!” Zheng Xiujuan argued assertively.

The man was about to explode, still not knowing what the project proposal from Meng Suihuan’s company actually was. He only knew it was definitely connected to Shuangyang Middle School! But what had this couple handed him? A staff distribution list from Xuyu Company! What use was that?

He couldn’t be bothered to argue further and said bluntly, “I don’t care how you do it. Just hand over the project proposal and I’ll release the person. Otherwise, we’ll follow our own rules.”

Just as he finished speaking, someone made a cruel cutting motion with their hand. Meng Zicong immediately panicked, crying out loudly, “Dad, Mom, I don’t want to be maimed! If I lose my hands or legs, who will take care of you two…?”

Zheng Xiujuan’s eyes were almost red. “Don’t be afraid, my son. Mom won’t let you get hurt. I’ll go find that nasty girl and make her bring out that proposal!”

So, the Meng couple headed to Xuyu once again. Zheng Xiujuan walked in, her tone haughty. “Meng Suihuan, come out here!”

At that moment, Meng Suihuan was reorganizing personnel adjustments and arrangements when she heard that familiar voice. Everyone in the company turned their attention to the Meng couple. Xiao Zheng immediately pointed at them and said, “It’s them! They were the ones this morning!”

Zheng Xiujuan ignored the comments and attempted to barge into the office to find Meng Suihuan, but she was stopped by Jiang Chengxuan and others.

“Hello, this is our company’s business area. Unauthorized personnel cannot enter freely.”

Zheng Xiujuan retorted, “I don’t care about that!”

She was about to force her way in when a tall, muscular man easily blocked her path, as if handling a child.

“Lady, if you keep trying to barge in, don’t blame us for being impolite.”

Looking up at his towering frame and hearing his rough voice, Zheng Xiujuan’s arrogance immediately dissipated. She smiled and said softly, “I’m your boss’s mother. I need to find her for something urgent. Can you please let me in?”

Jiang Chengxuan smiled and responded politely, “Lady, please wait here. Once the boss is done with her work, she’ll come out.”

Reluctantly, Zheng Xiujuan had no choice but to wait outside. After a while, her patience wore thin, and she wanted to explode, but when she saw the tall man’s gaze on her, she immediately simmered down. With a forced smile, she asked, “We’ve been waiting for so long, why hasn’t she come out yet?”

Jiang Chengxuan responded, “Lady, our boss is very busy. She has a lot to handle every day.”

Zheng Xiujuan: “…”

After about ten more minutes, she finally saw a familiar figure walking out. Just as she was about to yell, she made eye contact with the person, immediately losing her resolve. She faked a sweet tone, saying, “Xiao Huan, Mom came to see you.”