If this had been a month ago, Lü Heming might have spilled everything like beans. But ever since the development progress of Shengshi C-Class sped up, he had plugged all the holes considering his future career. Now, no one could find any financial issues with Lü Heming.
So, he couldn't admit to anything.
Some of the things written in the material were true, while others were mere fabrications. As a project manager, Luan Qingsheng, even if he knew some inside information, his knowledge was very limited. About sixty to seventy percent of the material was based on hearsay.
Though Lü Heming was both shocked and furious, he gritted his teeth, ready to tough it out.
Seeing his sullen face and twitching cheeks, Liu Chuzhang shook his head, "Old Lü, you should understand what it means when I show you this information."
Lü Heming extended his hand, "Don't say anything more, Director Liu. I know very well whether I have any issues. This is all nonsense. I absolutely do not admit to it."
Director Liu shook his head, lit a cigarette, and said, "Alright, let's wait for the audit team to come and see."
Lü Heming nodded, saying no more.
He couldn't think of a good solution in his quick thoughts. The fact that this move came without any prior notice indicated that the situation was out of control. Trying to smooth things over now would definitely fall into the hands of those with ill intentions.
He could only pray that heaven would favor him this time and that no problems would be found.
About half an hour later, a seven-member audit team arrived at the company. Without saying a word, they went straight to the accounting department and sealed all the accounts.
The accounts of Hongqi were relatively easy to check, mainly concerning the funding and project development expenses. The audit team, being experienced in such matters, selectively extracted some accounts and immediately began to scrutinize them.
The company's accountants were somewhat bewildered by this situation; previous audits were always pre-notified and conducted on a small scale. This time, the aggressive approach clearly indicated they were well-prepared. The scope of the inspection was much larger than the usual twenty percent, and the accounts they picked seemed to be scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb, quite different from the usual casual and amiable checks.
Several accountants quietly left the office, and within half an hour, the news had spread throughout the company.
Only then did everyone realize that perhaps Hongqi was about to undergo a major change. But when the sky falls, those at the top will bear the brunt, while most employees watched the situation with a gossipy interest. Only Lü Heming’s secretary understood that if there were indeed any issues with this project, Hongqi would be in grave danger.
It wasn't until nearly the end of the workday that the audit team resealed the accounts and came to Lü Heming's office.
"General Manager Lü, I don't quite understand these few accounts and would like to ask you about them. These projects were approved by you, so why did they go through a long process, have their funds allocated, and then get stopped? Was this intentional? And why did you make such a large engine procurement when your models haven't even come off the line yet?"
Hearing this, Lü Heming instantly understood—the accounts didn't show any problems! Otherwise, it wouldn't be just questions from the audit team.
He slightly relaxed his mind, which had been tense all afternoon, and coldly said, "The projects were approved based on the progress of the whole vehicle development. There's nothing to explain about that. As for the engines, to shorten the development process, we cooperated with Zhengxin Power and adopted their products. Is there a problem with that?"
"I didn't say there was an issue with using their engines. I'm asking why you signed such a large procurement order when the vehicle hasn't been launched yet. You are still in the development stage, and these engines are now sitting idle in the warehouse. Isn't that odd?"
Lü Heming snorted, showing contempt towards the auditors, and said, "You just need to do your audit. As for interrogating me, that's not within your purview, is it?"
Seeing the auditors at a loss for words, he continued, "Engines are a critical component of cars and play a crucial role. This project is state-funded, and once successful, the Shengshi C-Class will be included in the domestic fleet as official vehicles for bureau-level and above leaders. To reduce delivery time, we must prepare in advance. We can't wait until the vehicle development is successful and then negotiate with the power plant, right? This is out of comprehensive consideration."
The auditors weren't really clear about these matters, and Lü Heming's explanation seemed reasonable enough, so they didn't delve further. They informed the people from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) and then left with the sealed accounts.
Once everyone had left, Lü Heming felt his body go limp and collapsed onto the sofa. Although the accounts taken away didn't have any glaring issues, a thorough examination could still reveal some traces. In any case, he couldn't escape the blame for delaying the development progress.
Now, it all depended on how the higher-ups intended to handle the situation. The thought of this made Lü Heming feel like there was a Damocles' sword hanging over his head, ready to cut off his official cap at any moment.
He pondered many things: Luan Qingsheng's betrayal wasn't hard to guess. This person had average ability, courage, and methods. If this coward had targeted him, Lü Heming would probably laugh. Considering the audit team's unusual behavior and the implicit targeting of him, it wasn't hard to guess who was behind this.
Xu Guangsheng's shadow had already vaguely appeared in Lü Heming's mind, but at this moment, he had no strength to think further.
He spent the entire night in his office, sleepless.
Xu Guangsheng learned the audit results that same night and was quite surprised by the outcome. He couldn't believe that such a major project in Lü Heming's hands could be so clean. For now, the only things worth scrutinizing in the accounts were those projects that went through a long process before being stopped and the large procurement order with Zhengxin.
Lü Heming was definitely going to be blamed for intentionally delaying the development progress. With Luan Qingsheng's real-name report, there was no escaping this. The ZGX888 engine procurement quantity was indeed large, and such a big order typically couldn't be justified for the development stage. However, the issue was merely the timing, as the account itself was spotless and transparent.
But such an opportunity to tarnish Lü Heming and strike at Li Fanyu was something Xu Guangsheng wouldn't miss.
Thus, the next day, some media outlets mysteriously learned that Lü Heming, the General Manager of Hongqi, was under investigation. The report explicitly pointed out that Lü Heming was deliberately obstructing the development process and vaguely suggested problems with Hongqi and Zhengxin's cooperation.
For the gossip-hungry media, this was enough. Although the investigation into Hongqi wasn't concluded, a storm had already started brewing outside.
...
Lü Heming spent a muddled day at the company, enduring the pitying or gloating glances from the employees.
In the afternoon, his secretary nervously knocked on his office door. "General Manager Lü, there are many reporters outside wanting to interview you."
Annoyed, Lü Heming waved his hand as if shooing away flies. "Tell them I won't accept any interviews until the results are out."
The secretary nodded and quietly retreated.
While no news was dug up from him, Li Fanyu had a hard time. Almost simultaneously, a large group of reporters swarmed the entrance of Zhengxin. The scene was like flies attracted to a pile of fragrant dung.
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