Chapter 326 - 326: The Worst-Case Scenario

"My new suit!"

Jiang Xinghai's head throbbed. He looked at Shen Lingxue's helpless, wry smile and could only grab some tissues to start cleaning up Su Yanyun.

"Just take it off," Shen Lingxue said, shaking her head.

If he didn't, the smell wouldn't dissipate anytime soon.

"But you bought this suit for me. I can't just throw it away, can I?" Jiang Xinghai was extremely reluctant to part with it.

"But what else can we do now?" Shen Lingxue shrugged.

In the end, with a heavy heart, Jiang Xinghai took off his trousers. Shen Lingxue then picked them up and tossed them into a trash can.

Su Yanyun, in her drunken state, was completely oblivious.

After the three of them arrived at the AM company building.

Jiang Xinghai had no choice but to wake Su Yanyun.

"Hey, hey, hey. Wake up."

Jiang Xinghai tapped Su Yanyun's cheeks, while Shen Lingxue moved to the back seat to help her out.

The moment Su Yanyun lifted her head, she finally began to stir.

But when she saw that Jiang Xinghai wasn't wearing any pants, the color drained from her face.

"The smell of alcohol is so strong! HURK..."

Overwhelmed by the pungent, lingering smell of alcohol in the car, Su Yanyun lowered her head and vomited again.

This time, it landed squarely on a certain part of Jiang Xinghai.

Even Shen Lingxue didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the sight.

"I can't just take off my last line of defense, can I?" Jiang Xinghai said with a mournful expression.

He couldn't possibly get out of the car like this.

If he took off his last piece of covering, he'd be mobbed in broad daylight for being a pervert.

"Xinghai, I'm so sorry."

Fortunately, Su Yanyun's mind was finally clearing, and she understood the reason for Jiang Xinghai's embarrassing predicament.

Shen Lingxue said, "I'll help you upstairs first. Xinghai can wait here, and then I'll just drive him straight home."

"I'm afraid that's the only option," Su Yanyun said, thoroughly embarrassed.

Jiang Xinghai waved his hand dismissively. "Yanyun, you need to drink in moderation from now on. You can't just drink yourself to death like that."

"I know," Su Yanyun said as she prepared to leave.

"Oh, right," Jiang Xinghai reminded her. "Today's launch was a great start. Remember to speed up the hiring process. We need to get a massive amount of product out there, and we can't afford to slack on purchasing the medicinal ingredients either."

"Right, I've thought about that too. Later... later, I'll start procuring the ingredients for the Longevity Pill formula..." Su Yanyun said, starting up the stairs with Shen Lingxue's help.

Shen Lingxue also suggested, "I think we should launch our second product, the Longevity Pill, when the Provincial City branch opens in half a month."

"Yes, I had the same thought. You and Xinghai should discuss it later," Su Yanyun said, her mind clearing further.

The two chatted as they arrived at the office.

Just as Su Yanyun was about to use her key, Shen Lingxue gave the door a light push, and it swung open.

"I remember locking it," Su Yanyun said with a perplexed look.

As they entered, Su Yanyun rushed straight to the bathroom.

"Yanyun, you should get some sleep this afternoon. We can discuss the urgent need to hire more people once you're fully sober. This can't wait," Shen Lingxue said, preparing to leave.

"I know!" Su Yanyun's voice called out from the bathroom.

Shen Lingxue shook her head with a smile and turned to leave.

But as she glanced around, her eyes suddenly froze.

"Yanyun, you didn't lock the safe either?" Shen Lingxue asked as she hurried over.

"No way. I remember locking that, too."

Su Yanyun rushed out, having already taken off her jacket and now only in her underclothes.

"This is bad. Someone pried it open," Shen Lingxue said, pointing out the marks on the safe.

"Oh no!"

Su Yanyun's eyes widened in horror as she dropped to a squat, frantically pulling things out of the safe.

She tossed aside stack after stack of cash and jewelry.

"Where's the formula? The Anti-Aging Cream formula is gone!"

Instantly sober, more so than she'd ever been, Su Yanyun screamed, "Lingxue, the Anti-Aging Cream formula is gone! It's been stolen!"

"Think carefully. Are you sure you put it in here?" Shen Lingxue asked, forcing herself to stay calm as she helped search.

"I'm positive, absolutely positive! This is terrible, just terrible..." Su Yanyun practically turned the safe inside out.

"Don't tell me the formulas for the Longevity Pill and Repair Ointment are also..." Shen Lingxue's expression began to stiffen.

"No, I put the formulas for the Longevity Pill and Repair Ointment somewhere else..." Su Yanyun said, feeling worse the more she thought about it.

Shen Lingxue took a deep breath. "We need to look on the bright side. Luckily, you didn't put all your eggs in one basket. Only the Anti-Aging Cream formula was stolen. We're fortunate to still have the other two."

"Xinghai's Senior Sister gave me all three of those formulas. Now I've lost one of them. I'll never be able to live this down," Su Yanyun lamented.

"First, we need to find the thief before the situation gets out of hand." Shen Lingxue considered the worst-case scenario: if someone else managed to produce the Anti-Aging Cream, then the AM company would no longer have a global monopoly!

Su Yanyun's fists clenched. "Lingxue, the thief only stole the Anti-Aging Cream formula and didn't touch the cash or jewelry. They must have been after the formula's value!"

"I'll call Xinghai and have him come up. You pull up the security footage, quickly," Shen Lingxue urged.