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墨書 Inktalez
I should have been resting well over the weekend, but those unusual data points lingered in my mind like a curse. As a financial analyst, it was not my style to turn a blind eye to obvious financial fraud.
On Sunday night, I downloaded the financial statements of Future Tech for the past three years and began to analyze them closely. The more I looked, the more something felt off.
The company's financial data was perfect, as if it had been scripted in advance. Each quarter's profit growth rate remained stable at 15%, the cost ratio precisely decreased by 2% each quarter, and even the cash flow seemed to grow according to the golden ratio.
"A normally operating company could never have such perfect data," I muttered to myself. "This isn't business; it's a performance."
I started tracing every large transaction they made. By cross-referencing supplier and customer lists, a shocking discovery emerged.
The company had pulled off a clever trick. They first established several shell companies that conducted business with one another. It appeared that each company was profitable, but in reality, the money was just circulating within this closed loop, with no real business taking place.
It was like the childhood game of three people borrowing money: A borrows 100 from B, B borrows 100 from C, and C borrows 100 from A. On the surface, it looked like everyone had money, but in reality, there might only be a single 100 bill circulating among them.
Even more ruthless, they had registered over a dozen companies overseas. Through investments and loans between these companies, they packaged their original losses as profits. It was like someone buried in debt hiding their IOUs while only showing off their lavish spending.
At two in the morning, I rubbed my sore eyes. This might be the most complex case of financial fraud I had ever seen. But this was just the beginning; I needed more evidence.
Just then, my phone vibrated suddenly. A message from an unknown number read: "Stop investigating."
I felt a jolt of surprise but quickly scoffed. "You tell me not to investigate? That just makes me want to dig deeper." It was an old habit of mine; once I set my mind on something, it was like trying to shake off chewing gum stuck to my shoe. Back in school, I had discovered a classmate cheating and insisted on telling the teacher, which resulted in me being isolated for an entire semester.
But when I noticed a shadow flit past outside my window, a chill ran down my spine. Who knew I was investigating this matter? Why were they warning me?
I forced myself to calm down and decided to talk to Director Li the next day. After all, as my direct supervisor, he should know about this matter.
Early the next morning, I arrived at the office earlier than usual. However, as soon as I stepped inside, I sensed something was off. My colleagues were huddled together in small groups, whispering among themselves, and when they saw me, they cast strange glances my way.
"Hey, Siyuan," a colleague named Xiao Lin hurried over and lowered his voice. "Did you hear? Director Li was taken away by the police this morning!"
The news hit me like a bucket of ice water. "What? Why?"
"The specifics are unclear, but it’s said to be related to a major case."
Just then, a message from an unfamiliar number popped up: "Meet at the café across the street at noon. If you want to know the truth."
My mind raced. Director Li being taken away, a mysterious text message, financial fraud at Future Tech... what could all of this be connected to?
I was completely distracted during the morning's work. At 11:50, I stood up to "have lunch." As I exited the company building, my heart raced in sync with my quickened pace.
Pushing open the café door, I scrutinized every customer inside. In a corner, a man wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses nodded at me. I took a deep breath and walked over.
"Please sit, Mr. Chen," the man said in a low, gravelly voice. "I know you're investigating Future Tech. You've stepped into something very dangerous."
"Who are you?"
"That’s not important. I can share some insider information with you. But first, I need to make sure you're ready to face the consequences."
I remained silent for a moment. Perhaps my life would change completely, but as a financial analyst, pursuing the truth was in my nature.
"I'm ready. Go ahead," I said.
He handed me a USB drive. "There are some key pieces of evidence on here. But remember, from now on, you must be extremely careful. Some people will stop at nothing to prevent this information from leaking."
Just then, the café door swung open. A few men dressed in suits and ties walked in, and my mysterious contact quickly stood up.
"Remember, intuition is important. Don't trust anyone easily." With that, he hurried out through the back door.
Standing in the café, I suddenly felt a wave of disorientation. Three years ago, when I first entered the industry, I was here discussing investment strategies with colleagues, filled with ambition. Who would have thought that today I would be standing here, caught up in a potentially life-threatening financial conspiracy?
Movies about Wall Street often portray powerful figures manipulating money, but reality is far more brutal. This is not just a simple numbers game; it involves the hard-earned money of countless ordinary people and the fates of millions of families.
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