Both men agreed with Mu Linjing's statement, but there were few people daring enough to target Zhan's now, so they had no suspects for the moment.
In fact, Mu Linjing had a suspect in mind, but she wasn't sure, so she was struggling whether to speak up or not. After all, any word now could influence their judgment and the subsequent outcome.
Zhan Yichen noticed the hesitation on her face and asked, "What's wrong? What are you thinking?"
After some consideration, she decided not to hide it. "Actually, I suspect Jiang Siyu did it. I have a photo that feels rather strange."
As she spoke, she pulled up the photo from yesterday afternoon. "I feel like this car might be a company vehicle, but I can't quite place which company."
This was indeed useful information. After dismissing Jiang Siyu, Zhan Mohan hadn't focused his energy on her, and he certainly didn't expect her to cause trouble so soon after leaving the company.
If that were the case, Jiang Siyu was undoubtedly the prime suspect. She must have been full of resentment after being fired, and retaliating in such a way was typical of her behavior.
Zhan Yichen glanced at the photo, put down his phone, and stood up to leave. "I'll go check the surveillance footage and find out where this car came from."
Seeing this, Mu Linjing quickly followed. The two of them went to the surveillance room and retrieved the footage from the company's main entrance for yesterday afternoon. After confirming the license plate of the car Jiang Siyu got into, Zhan Yichen had someone investigate who the car was registered to.
His efficiency was high. The call was returned quickly. "Young Master Zhan, we've found it. The car is registered to the boss of Xingguan Media and is used for their reporters to go out on assignments or pick people up."
Zhan Yichen's phone was on speaker, and when Mu Linjing heard the name Xingguan Media, she suddenly understood. No wonder she had a vague impression of the car. The reporter friend who had given her the brooch was also from Xingguan Media.
"It seems we need to have a serious talk with Xingguan Media," Zhan Yichen said, hanging up the phone with a sharp look.
Xingguan Media was considered one of Pengcheng's top media outlets, with a well-established internal system. If they were to expose something, the impact would be enormous.
Zhan's had cooperated with them before. Although Xingguan Media survived on traffic, their负责人 had stated back then that they would never publish false news. However, it seemed that was not the case now.
Mu Linjing followed Zhan Yichen. "I'll go with you. I have a friend at Xingguan Media, and perhaps they can help us."
Zhan Yichen nodded silently and strode ahead. On the way, Mu Linjing took out the video again and examined it closely. She also compared it with Xingguan Media's usual videos and found that their videos always had a watermark. However, the video exposing Zhan's financial deficit had no watermark.
Mu Linjing understood these things to some extent. The watermark permission for videos was granted by supervisors before being added to the video, indicating official authorization and prohibiting unauthorized use.
The fact that the video exposing Zhan's had no watermark meant that even their supervisors hadn't seen the video.
She showed the video comparison to Zhan Yichen. "I'm afraid we'll come back empty-handed even if we go. This video might have been sent out privately by their employees without upper-level approval."
She explained the difference between the two videos and the purpose of the watermark to Zhan Yichen. "If Xingguan Media is truly not involved, all they can do is clarify. Without cutting off the source of the video, it can't be controlled."
Zhan Yichen agreed with her, but they still had to go to Xingguan Media.
"Remember, our goal is not to cut off the source of the video's spread. This trip is at least to find out who met with Jiang Siyu yesterday."
The two arrived at Xingguan Media. Although Zhan's was currently flooded with negative news and its stock price had fallen sharply, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Moreover, Zhan's had not yet reached its lowest point, so outsiders still had to give them some respect.
Upon hearing that they were from Zhan's, the receptionist consulted with the boss and led them to the boss, Judy's, office.
Judy rose enthusiastically upon seeing Zhan Yichen. "Young Master Zhan, what brings you here? Please have a seat."
Zhan Yichen and Mu Linjing exchanged glances. It seemed Judy was unaware of the possibility that the exposé video originated from Xingguan Media, as she received them so calmly.
However, one never knew what was in someone's heart. Zhan Yichen didn't want to waste time on pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Judy, you've seen the news about Zhan's online, haven't you?"
As a leading figure in the news industry, Judy was naturally aware of all current news. When Zhan Yichen asked her, she appeared calm. "Of course. If Zhan's needs to clarify, you can provide corresponding evidence. Young Master Zhan should know that Xingguan does not publish false reports; that is my principle."
Observing her demeanor and tone, Mu Linjing gave Zhan Yichen a look. She didn't think Judy was acting.
Zhan Yichen smiled. "Zhan's naturally needs clarification, but not now. I'm here to ask you about something else. Yesterday afternoon, around 4 PM, a Xingguan company car appeared at the entrance of Zhan's and picked up a senior executive who had just resigned from Zhan's. I'd like to know who was using this car yesterday."
As he spoke, he pulled out the photo and pushed it towards Judy.
He had heard about Judy and was willing to believe that this matter was not condoned by Judy but rather by an unscrupulous subordinate.
The news about Zhan's was spreading like wildfire, and given the nature of their profession, Judy understood Zhan Yichen's meaning.
In today's society, adhering to principles and not being tempted by profit is not easy. Therefore, she had emphasized more than once that her employees should not engage in false reporting for personal gain. This was one of her bottom lines, and if such a thing had happened, she would absolutely not tolerate it.
Returning the phone to Zhan Yichen, she asked them to wait for a moment. "We have records of the company car's usage. I'll have someone check the usage records for that car yesterday."
After a brief wait, Judy announced that she had identified the employee who had used the car during that time period and had summoned that employee to the office.
Zhan Yichen and Mu Linjing waited, but they were surprised when the door opened and in walked someone Mu Linjing knew – the friend who had given her the voice-recording brooch, Haidi.