CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28: TAMPERING OF DATA.

Laughing, he said, "Sister-in-law, I had no idea that it was you. I take my back all that I said."

"You see, Ah Feng here is not a playboy. Although he liked your sister for a certain period of time, I can assure you that he was blinded at that period."

Yue Ning was speechless!

Huo Feng’s lips twitched. He was tempted to throw him out of his office since he couldn’t control his mouth.

"He Yuchen! Why are you here?" Huo Feng forced out.

"Of course I am here to see you. What could I possibly be here for?" He Yuchen laughed as he took a seat in front of Huo Feng.

Meanwhile, Huo Feng threw him a disgusted look.

"Don’t you have something to do?"

He Yuchen scratched his head awkwardly. "Actually, I faced some troubles, and I was wondering if you could help me with it." He finally spoke the truth.

Seeing He Yuchen’s facial expression, Huo Feng concluded that it was a serious issue.

"What is it?" Huo Feng queried.

He Yuchen turned to look at Yue Ning who had already returned her focus to her novel.

"Why are you staring at her?" Huo Feng noticed his expression, and he asked with a confused look.

He Yuchen didn’t give a reply, but Huo Feng could more or less understand what he was trying to say from his gaze.

"You don’t have to worry about her, I trust her."

"You haven’t known her for a long time, but you already trust her. Ah Feng, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for her?" He Yuchen teased.

Huo Feng shot him a glare, and he clamped his mouth shut instantly.

"I trust her," Huo Feng said again, but this time, more firmly.

"The He Corporation suffered a loss," He Yuchen finally confessed, rubbing his temples. His eyes flickered briefly toward Yue Ning onca again, as if weighing whether to continue with her present.

Yue Ning turned another page in her novel without looking up as she felt his gaze on her. "You don’t need to mind me," she murmured. "I can’t hear anything when I’m reading."

Huo Feng arched a brow at her nonchalant tone before returning his gaze to his friend. "Go on."

He Yuchen exhaled deeply, his earlier smile nowhere in sight.

"The He Corporation suffered a major financial hit last quarter," he confessed, leaning back in his chair.

"The numbers don’t look good, and the board has been restless. I’ve tried to hold them down, but if this continues, we could be looking at something much worse." He finished with his head lowered.

Huo Feng’s brows furrowed, his gaze sharpening. "How serious is it?"

He Yuchen chuckled mirthlessly. "Serious enough that I swallowed my pride to come here and ask you for help."

The air in the office shifted. Even Yue Ning, though still pretending to focus on her novel, could sense the gravity of his words.

Huo Feng twirled the pen in between his fingers while his gaze was fixated on He Yuchen who was repeatedly sighing.

"Do you have the data?"

"Of course," He Yuchen passed a flash drive to Huo Feng. "I had to bring it with me, I know you’ll have an answer."

Huo Feng stared at him pointedly, and he laughed nervously.

Huo Feng connected the flash drive to his laptop, and the dark laptop brightened.

Huo Feng knitted his brows as he glanced through the numbers. He fell into a deep thought. The situation wasn’t looking too good, but it wasn’t that bad.

They only need to come up with an effective solution.

Huo Feng thought for a while before he turned to look at Yue Ning who was focused on reading.

"Yue Ning." He suddenly called out, and she snapped her head up to look at him.

"Do you need my help?" She asked innocently.

"Yes. Can you please take a look at these numbers?"

"Brother Feng!" He Yuchen protested. He wasn’t aware of Yue Ning’s capabilities, so he was against her checking the numbers.

Ding!

There was a notification from the system which distracted Yue Ning from the two men.

"What is it now?" She asked with a tired sigh.

’A new mission.’ The system replied blankly.

"Oh."

The white holographic panel appeared, and Yue Ning could see the new mission.

She pursed her lips after she read it. She had to impress He Yuchen with her skills.

"Fine, I’ll do it. I’d have done it even if it wasn’t a mission. I want my husband’s friends to have a good impression of me."

The system laughed mechanically. Yue Ning’s words cracked her up.

"Yue Ning!"

"Uhn?" She finally snapped out of her thoughts.

"You seemed lost in thoughts, what’s going on in your mind?" Huo Feng asked worriedly.

"I was just thinking about something. Will Young Master He allow me to check the data?" Yue Ning asked, her gaze focused on He Yuchen who frowned.

Huo Feng said he trusted Yue Ning, but he didn’t know if he could trust her.

"Sure." He had no other option. If they didn’t have a solution, then his family’s company might go under.

Yue Ning smiled brightly before walking over.

She walked over to Huo Feng and stared into the laptop.

She didn’t know that being close to Huo Feng caused the latter to hold his breath. He could sense a rosemary scent on her, and for a moment, he wanted to drown in her scent.

"Mr. Huo, there seems to be an issue with this particular data," Yue Ning said, pointing at a row on the spreadsheet. "The figures here don’t align with the cash flow records. Someone has been tampering with them."

Both men stiffened.

He Yuchen frowned. "Tampering? That’s not possible. I double-checked everything before coming here."

"It’s not as bad as it looks," Yue Ning continued calmly. "The actual numbers show a loss, yes, but not nearly this severe. Someone exaggerated the data to make the situation appear worse."

"He or she probably wants to reduce your image in front of the board members," Yue Ning guessed while staring at the screen.

She tapped a few keys swiftly, adjusting the columns. A new graph appeared on the screen, steadier and far less alarming.

"If you cut down overhead on your overseas branch and freeze two non-essential projects, the He Corporation can recover within the next quarter," she concluded.

"It’s difficult, but not hopeless." Her lips curled up into a faint smile.

He Yuchen leaned closer, disbelief written all over his face. "You figured that out in minutes?"

Yue Ning smiled faintly, her gaze never leaving the screen. "Numbers don’t lie...unless someone makes them."

Her words hung in the air, heavy and unsettling.