Chapter 150: Department Chief Cao Takes the Blame

"I've been thinking about Liu Yaoming's case. Something feels a bit off," said Qin Mengnong.

Lin Yang said with a deliberately mysterious air, "Actually, I know what's really going on."

Qin Mengnong's curiosity was instantly piqued. "You do? Tell me about it."

"Call me daddy, and I'll tell you."

"Daddy..."

Lin Yang was very satisfied. Qin Mengnong was truly becoming more and more obedient lately. He felt a deep sense of contentment and achievement.

"Good girl."

Lin Yang pinched Qin Mengnong's cheek and said, "It's actually quite simple. I made a phone call to Cao Keming and told him I was the one who did it. Since he has to give me some face, he simply reclassified Liu Yaoming's death as a suicide out of fear of punishment."

Qin Mengnong immediately looked at him with an expression of pure adoration. "So that's how it is! You are simply too amazing. A single phone call was all it took to make Cao Keming fall right into line. You're wonderful."

"Aren't you well aware of how wonderful I am?" Lin Yang said with a mischievous grin, preparing to deal Qin Mengnong another heavy blow.

"Cut the nonsense! I swear you'd rather die than stop bragging."

Qin Mengnong didn't let Lin Yang have his way. She was hungry and had no energy left for another round, so she hurried out of bed, utterly refusing to believe a single word of what Lin Yang had just said.

"I need to get to the company. With Liu Yaoming dead, the loan is even more hopeless. I have to find a way to resolve the funding issue as soon as possible, otherwise..."

Qin Mengnong quickly dressed herself, instantly transforming back into the single-minded, career-driven powerhouse she used to be.

"Here's the key. I know you probably don't have anywhere suitable to stay right now, so you can temporarily stay here for the time being."

Qin Mengnong pulled a key out of her handbag and placed it on the bedside table.

"Are you trying to keep a... handsome man hidden in a golden house?" Lin Yang teased with a smile.

Qin Mengnong declared imperiously, "That's right! Just obediently stay right here and eat plenty of rare delicacies to nourish your body."

"With physical stamina like mine, do I need any nourishment? Could you even handle it?"

She had conveniently forgotten who it was last night that had begged for mercy on her knees, ultimately forcing him to take a completely different path!

Knowing she couldn't outtalk Lin Yang, Qin Mengnong hurried away in a rush.

Lin Yang also got out of bed and stretched lazily. Another wonderful day had begun!

***

The moment Qin Mengnong arrived at the company, her secretary excitedly reported, "President Qin, wonderful news."

"What wonderful news?"

Qin Mengnong was in a slightly more relaxed mood than usual. Fortunately, Lin Yang had thoroughly cleared things up for her last night; otherwise, she would have been feeling even more depressed.

Lately, she hadn't heard a single piece of good news—only bad news that spelled trouble for Xingyao Group and herself.

"City Bank just called to say that our loan application has been approved. They're asking us to go back to the bank to sign the paperwork, and the funds can be disbursed today."

Hearing her secretary's words, Qin Mengnong snapped to her feet, hardly daring to believe her own ears.

She had lost a great deal of sleep over this matter, even going so far as to endure her own nausea just to wine and dine that old pervert Liu Yaoming and put herself in danger. Now that Liu Yaoming was dead, she had completely abandoned all hope of securing this loan.

"Bank President Liu Yaoming is already dead. How did the loan get approved? Are you sure there hasn't been some mistake?"

Qin Mengnong found it increasingly bizarre.

"It's true beyond a doubt. There's definitely no mistake," the secretary said.

"Alright, come with me to the bank."

Replete with lingering doubts, Qin Mengnong headed straight for City Bank, where Vice President Jia Fuqiang personally greeted her.

"President Qin, sorry to trouble you with a trip over here. Just sign your name on this document, and everything will be settled," Jia Fuqiang said with an enthusiastic grin.

Qin Mengnong glanced over the document. There were no issues whatsoever, and Jia Fuqiang's attitude toward her was vastly superior to how he had acted before.

When she had visited the bank previously, Jia Fuqiang had basically given her the cold shoulder, pushing her off by claiming that loan approvals were entirely up to President Liu Yaoming.

"Vice President Jia, I heard that President Liu committed suicide out of fear of punishment last night. So who actually approved and signed off on this loan?"

Jia Fuqiang adopted an expression of righteous indignation. "President Qin, given your stellar reputation, this loan should have been a breeze. It was always that dog Liu Yaoming throwing up roadblocks and refusing to sign off on it. Our hands were tied."

"And then? Liu Yaoming is dead, but a new president shouldn't be taking office this quickly, should they?"

"Of course not! This loan of yours was personally approved by Director Cao himself. What need is there for any bank president's signature? President Qin, if you had connections with Director Cao's office, you should have said so earlier... My poor attitude in the past was solely due to pressure from that scoundrel Liu Yaoming. Please forgive me."

Jia Fuqiang wouldn't dare offend Qin Mengnong now, and he plastered a fawning smile across his face.

"Director Cao personally approved it?"

Qin Mengnong's doubts deepened. She and Cao Keming were complete strangers; they had only crossed paths a few times, and always at formal public functions where they hadn't even exchanged a single word.

***

Cao Keming had no reason to help her. Could it be that Cao Keming had taken a fancy to her?

It wasn't that Qin Mengnong was being narcissistic; no matter how she turned it over in her mind, this was the only logical explanation. Otherwise, Cao Keming had zero motivation to personally step in and bail her out!

Qin Mengnong suddenly realized that the municipal law enforcement department hadn't even called her in for questioning regarding Liu Yaoming's death. She had previously found it unreasonable, but now, connecting the two events, it made complete sense. Cao Keming must have intervened behind the scenes; otherwise, law enforcement would never have let her off without an interrogation!

For two complete strangers, when someone like Cao Keming suddenly extends a helping hand, he certainly isn't doing it for money. Since she had nothing else of equal value to offer in return, the only possibility was that he wanted her body.

"That's right! Director Cao personally called early this morning to issue the instructions."

Even though she knew Cao Keming wouldn't help without an ulterior motive and must be expecting something in return, Qin Mengnong had no alternative at the moment. She had no choice but to accept this assistance; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to clear up the cloud surrounding Liu Yaoming's death, and she desperately needed the funds anyway.

Of course, surrendering her body to Cao Keming was out of the question. Qin Mengnong would never allow another man to touch her.

"After all, it wasn't really a major issue. I didn't want to disturb Director Cao over it, but it seems I ended up troubling him after all."

Qin Mengnong had no choice but to play along with Jia Fuqiang's narrative.

As Qin Mengnong made to stand up and leave, Jia Fuqiang lowered his voice and said, "President Qin, please stay a moment."

"Does Vice President Jia have anything else to discuss?"

"Since Liu Yaoming is dead, Director Cao will undoubtedly promote a vice president to take over the presidency. I am hoping President Qin might put in a good word for me with Director Cao. If I become the president, I will forever remember your kindness. From then on, whenever you need a loan, you won't need to bother Director Cao—I can handle it all by myself."

Jia Fuqiang's deductions were essentially identical to Qin Mengnong's.

He also believed that Cao Keming's sudden assistance to Qin Mengnong stemmed from a desire for her body. After all, Qin Mengnong was genuinely gorgeous, an absolute stunner—which man could lay eyes on her and not feel tempted?

Therefore, he needed to curry favor with Qin Mengnong, even pledge his loyalty to her, in order to secure the bank presidency.

Qin Mengnong felt utterly speechless inwardly: *If I had that kind of clout, would I have ever needed to put myself in danger dealing with Liu Yaoming?*

Being an intelligent woman, Qin Mengnong replied neutrally, "If the opportunity arises, I'll mention it. Goodbye!"

Seeing that Qin Mengnong had agreed, Jia Fuqiang beamed from ear to ear. He personally escorted her out of the bank and even opened the car door for her himself, acting with the utmost humility and deference.

This was something Qin Mengnong would never have imagined possible in the past. While a City Bank vice president wasn't the highest-ranking official, they held real power. Unless one possessed the immense financial wealth and status of a heavyweight aristocratic family like the Murong clan, which allowed them to ignore banks entirely, ordinary people wouldn't dare offend Jia Fuqiang.