Back in his office, Xu Ye sat thinking for a long while, then got out his phone and sent Zhang Xiaoyan a message. "Send Yuqi to my office."

Zhang Xiaoyan got the message and went straight to the front desk, then brought Yuan Yuqi in.

"Yuqi, let me ask you something."

Xu Ye asked it smiling. "You deal with everyone in the company regularly. Lately, have you noticed anyone being off? I mean… anyone who's changed a fair amount."

"Changed a fair amount?"

Yuan Yuqi didn't quite follow. She hadn't felt that anyone was off lately.

"Think it over. Whatever comes to mind, say it."

Yuan Yuqi didn't understand what Xu Ye was getting at. She thought for a moment, then said whatever came to her. "Li Tongwen's been leaving very late, and he came in over the May Day break to work… Qiu Yi's been taking time off a lot, something to do with her thesis… yesterday afternoon someone sent Zhan Zifeng a milk tea, I think her boyfriend probably ordered it for her… and then Zhang Quan clocks out fairly early now. Sometimes when you're not in the office he leaves the second it's time. And he seems to have gotten a lot more extravagant lately — he used to order takeout at twenty or thirty a meal, and now he orders the expensive stuff."

Yuan Yuqi was still talking when—

Li Tongwen knocked and came in from outside. Seeing Zhang Xiaoyan and Yuan Yuqi there he was about to leave again, but Xu Ye waved him to stay.

"Anything besides that?"

"That's all there is."

Xu Ye frowned. "Have you noticed anyone having a lot of contact with people outside the company?"

"No… I don't think so."

Xu Ye couldn't help asking outright. "What about Zhang Quan? Have you seen him meeting anyone?"

Yuan Yuqi shook her head.

Li Tongwen heard that, and although he had no idea why Xu Ye would ask, he put in a word anyway. "Don't you remember? One Friday when we were leaving, Zhang Quan got into an Audi with someone. You…