She knew that over the past two years, her husband had earned quite a bit of money. He had resigned from his accounting job at his former workplace and was now the financial director of a real estate company. The boss was his classmate, whom she had met a few times.
The real estate industry had been booming in recent years, but she never interfered with her husband's finances. As long as she and their daughter had enough to eat, wear, and use, she was content. Her own salary from work was enough to support the two of them.
So, she never concerned herself with how much money her husband had. If he gave her some, she accepted it; if he didn't, she never asked.
He had given her a card—perhaps depositing some money for household expenses, their daughter Siyan's future education, or savings for buying a house.
Their home was a second-hand apartment bought a few years ago, only fifty square meters. Now that Siyan had grown up, the place felt a bit cramped.
But he had promised to give her a sum of money. Where was it?
That evening, when he returned, she asked him, "How much money did you put in that card you gave me?" As she spoke, she glanced at him.
She noticed an unnatural expression flicker across his face. "Not much," he replied.
"Not much? Surely not just a few hundred?"
"Did you check at the bank?" He avoided her gaze, his voice uneasy.
"Oh, the company's been having some cash flow issues recently. I withdrew the money and invested it in a project. Once it's completed, we'll be able to afford a bigger house."
She didn't press further. She was certain that what had happened to the older woman at her workplace would never happen to her. She had complete confidence in her husband in this regard.
Later that afternoon, as she was leaving work, her husband's boss, President Song, called her. "Is Yihang there?"
She was confused. "He's not here. Isn't he on a business trip? He hasn't returned yet."
"Who sent him on a business trip? He told me his father-in-law—Homo sapiens—had suddenly passed away, and he had to return to his hometown for the funeral. I called him yesterday, but couldn't get through. Today, his phone is still off. That's why I called you. Has everything at home been settled?"
"What? My dad died? He's perfectly fine—I just spoke to him two days ago!"
She found it strange. Why would Shen Yihang lie like this?
She couldn't understand why he would deceive his boss, even going so far as to claim her father had died. The thought made her grit her teeth in anger.
Back when she had wanted to marry Shen Yihang, her father had been the most vehemently opposed. Their relationship had nearly fractured over it. It was only after their daughter Siyan was born that the tension between father and daughter eased slightly.
On the other end of the line, President Song grew agitated, his tone urgent. "What did you say? Your husband didn't go back for a funeral? Then where is he? I never assigned him any business trip!"
"My husband said you sent him on a business trip. What's going on?"
"I didn't send him anywhere. There's a discrepancy of one million yuan in the company's accounts, and we've been waiting for him to return. Don't tell me… he's run off?"
President Song's voice carried a sudden realization.
"It seems your husband has embezzled the money and fled."
"What? Embezzled and fled? That's impossible!" She found the idea absurd, yet her heart pounded wildly.
"I see now. There's a young girl at the front desk who's been flirting with your husband all year. Turns out, they've been involved. He's spent a lot of money on her, too. And this past week, that girl also took leave. I bet they've run off together. I need to report this to the police immediately."
"What? My husband ran off with some girl?"
Before she could finish, the line went dead with a series of beeps.
Stunned, she immediately hailed a taxi to her husband's company to meet President Song and get to the bottom of this.
President Song had already called the police.
A few days earlier, she had spoken to her husband on the phone. His voice had sounded completely normal. Yesterday, when she couldn't reach him, she assumed he was busy with his business trip and didn't want to disturb him.
That night, before bed, she tried calling again, only to hear the automated female voice: "The number you have dialed is currently switched off."
For so many years, her husband had treated her well. Despite being married for a long time, their relationship remained as loving as ever. Whenever he was home, he helped with chores and cooking—most meals were prepared by him. He was an excellent cook, while her skills were mediocre, so even their daughter preferred his dishes.
He had celebrated every birthday with her, and their marital life was harmonious. She had never noticed anything unusual about him—never even entertained such thoughts.
Yet now, without warning, he had quietly embezzled a massive sum, abandoned her and their daughter, as well as his own parents, and fled without hesitation with some young girl. She couldn't make sense of it.
It wasn't until she arrived at his company and spoke to the police that a financial audit revealed the truth: her husband had indeed misappropriated company funds—a staggering two million yuan.
Such an enormous amount. And her monthly salary was only...