Chapter 112 Best Friends Turn Against Each Other

Leaving the law firm, Wen Huilin went straight to pick up Chen Zetian from school, then took him to the Qianxi Hotel.

The next two days were the weekend. She asked her parents to help look after him for those two days while she focused all her energy on preparing for the divorce lawsuit.

After leaving the Qianxi Hotel, she headed toward Jian Ting's home. By the time she arrived downstairs, it was already dark.

Jian Ting lived in the New District, in a relatively new apartment complex.

She stepped out of the elevator and knocked on the door. Hearing footsteps from inside, the door opened a crack, and Jian Ting's face appeared behind it.

She didn't smile and pull Wen Huilin inside like she usually did; she just opened the door, turned around, walked into the living room, sat on the sofa, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What are you here for?"

"Tingting, I want to talk to you about what happened this afternoon. Lawyer Zhou asked me to come and ask you: today, when the inspection team reviewed the accounts of Hengxing Investment, did you see any abnormal fund transfers?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Ting suddenly let out a laugh.

The laugh was short, more of a snort from her nose, carrying a sharpness that Wen Huilin had never seen on her face before.

"I was suspended for investigation as soon as I got back this afternoon. Did you know that?"

"Ah... suspended?"

Wen Huilin's mind buzzed.

She had thought that the inspection would just blow over, and since the report hadn't succeeded, there would be no consequences. She never imagined that Jian Ting would actually be targeted.

She looked blankly at Jian Ting's face, which wore a mocking, derisive expression, and for a moment, she couldn't say a word.

"My dear friend, why are you still so naive?" Jian Ting sneered. "Do you really not remember that Director Zhong?"

"Do we know her?" Wen Huilin asked, bewildered.

"At first, I didn't remember either." Jian Ting shook her head slowly, a bitter expression on her face. "But later, I kept thinking about it because she felt familiar."

She looked up, her voice rising. "Guess what her name is? Zhong Yuanxin. She was Director Xu Qingwan's college roommate."

Staring at Wen Huilin, she questioned her again: "Remember now? Back when you set your sights on Chen Ang, who was still just the owner of the Nightlight Bar, we saw her with Director Xu Qingwan at the bar."

Wen Huilin felt as if she had been struck by lightning. In a daze, she recalled some images, but not many.

They hadn't met in the last seven years, so she hadn't recognized her at all.

"No wonder she said that about me..." Wen Huilin snapped out of her memories and stepped forward to ask Jian Ting, "Then is she acting on Chen Ang's orders to take revenge on us? But she's just the financial director of Hengxing Investment..."

Jian Ting looked at the panicked Wen Huilin with disdain, as if looking at an idiot. "Were you deaf this afternoon? She made one phone call to our bureau chief."

She sneered repeatedly, finding Wen Huilin more disgusting and stupid the more she looked at her.

Wen Huilin's legs went weak, and she reached out to steady herself against the back of the sofa. Her palms were cold, and her mouth tasted bitter. She murmured, "She's the one who made your bureau chief investigate you?"

"Obviously." Jian Ting cursed, looked Wen Huilin up and down, and suddenly let out a laugh. "You don't think that's the extent of her influence, do you?"

"Let me tell you, I won't be able to survive in the tax system anymore. Even jobs related to this field won't hire me."

Wen Huilin looked at Jian Ting in shock, her eyes wide, filled with disbelief.

"Don't believe me? Heh..." Jian Ting said self-mockingly. "Her surname is Zhong, and the head of the Nan Province Tax Bureau is also surnamed Zhong."

Wen Huilin froze, as if turned to stone. Fear and panic appeared in her eyes, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

She never imagined that Chen Ang would have such powerful connections; she had been so foolish to try to investigate Chen Ang through the tax bureau.

It was simply overestimating her own capabilities, pure wishful thinking...

It was like a basin of cold water poured over her head; the bone-chilling cold rushed in from the top of her skull, instantly enveloping her entire body.

"So, my dear friend, how are you going to compensate me?" Jian Ting uncrossed her arms, picked up a bottle of red wine from the coffee table, and poured herself a glass.

She completely ignored the dazed Wen Huilin and instead watched her with great interest.

Wen Huilin lowered her head and closed her eyes, trying to suppress her weak, trembling body. She opened her mouth and murmured, "How could it be like this?"

When she looked up again, she met Jian Ting's sharp, hateful gaze.

"How could it be like this? That's a question for you. As soon as I returned to the office, the higher-ups were already investigating the leak of internal system data."

"Why do you think I'm being investigated?"

Jian Ting downed half the glass, sneered, and said word by word: "I helped you investigate Hengxing Investment, helped you investigate New Hengtai, and helped you track that 200,000 yuan consulting fee. Every single time, there was a log record, and every single time, it could be traced back to me."

"The review team is going to talk to me tomorrow. At best, it'll be a major demerit and suspension; at worst, I'll be fired. It took me three years of exams to get this position, and she's going to make me lose my livelihood with just one sentence."

She slammed the glass onto the coffee table, stared at Wen Huilin, and asked with a twisted expression: "My dear friend, tell me, how are you going to compensate me?"

Wen Huilin stood there, her mind quickly sorting through this information.

Chen Ang was not only targeting her, but also dealing with those who helped her.

In an instant, she was hit by a wave of anger that almost made her lose control. At the same time, panic descended again, making her legs weak and almost unable to stand.

"I... what should I compensate you with?"

After steadying herself, Wen Huilin spoke up in a panic. Ask her for money? How could that be possible?

"Compensate with what?" Jian Ting stared at her. "You were the one who asked me to investigate this. Now that I'm in trouble, you can't just walk away."

Wen Huilin's lips moved, but she didn't say anything, because she couldn't help, nor would she.

Even husbands and wives go their separate ways when disaster strikes, let alone best friends.

Or should she beg Chen Ang? Not to hold Jian Ting accountable? How could that be possible? Chen Ang wasn't an idiot.

Today at the Financial Center, he hadn't even shown his face, yet two women had cleaned her up completely.

"Jian Ting, this matter was your own..."

"My own what?" Jian Ting interrupted her, her expression changing. "Wen Huilin, you aren't trying to say this has nothing to do with you, are you?"

Wen Huilin fell silent. Silence itself was the answer.

Jian Ting paused for two seconds, then suddenly started laughing. The laugh was soft but sharp, as if she had heard a particularly funny joke.

"You actually think that, my good friend, my dear sister."

"Jian Ting, please calm down."

"How many times have I helped you investigate?" Jian Ting's voice rose. "You said you wanted evidence, so I helped you find it. Now that I've been suspended, you're saying it has nothing to do with you?"

"You were the one who volunteered to help me in the beginning." Wen Huilin's voice also sharpened. "I didn't beg you to investigate."

As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the living room seemed to be sucked out.

Jian Ting stared at her blankly, the light in her eyes dimming little by little.

Then she started laughing loudly again. The laughter seemed to be squeezed out of her throat, very harsh.

"Wen Huilin, oh Wen Huilin." Jian Ting shook her head, glaring at her. "Do you know what you are? You are a fucking hypocrite."