Fu Chen turned his back to her, leaning his hands against the window, overlooking the city below. He needed to calm down and think.

The agreement of Fengtou Company did have too many hidden traps as Ning Nanxue said, but he was dazzled by Howard's promise at the time.

The room fell silent, with only the occasional sobbing sound of Xu Zhiru.

"Get out," Fu Chen said without turning back, "Don't let anyone in."

Xu Zhiru opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing, lowered her head and left the office.

The moment the door closed, Fu Chen took out his cell phone and dialed a secret number. After the call was connected, he lowered his voice and said, "It's me."

"Hey, isn't this our President Fu?" a lazy and sarcastic male voice came from the other end of the phone. "I heard that there was a good show at the board meeting?"

Fu Chen clenched his phone tightly, suppressing his anger: "Xu Zhao, stop talking nonsense."

"Tsk tsk, my dear future brother-in-law," Xu Zhao said frivolously, "You don't expect me to sympathize with your failure, do you?"

"You said Howard was trustworthy, but the agreement he drafted for me was like a contract of sale!"

"Oh, so you finally figured it out," Xu Zhao laughed harshly. "Honestly, Fu Chen, do you really think others will help you unconditionally? The business world is like a battlefield. How can you succeed without a price?"

Fu Chen gripped the phone tightly, a vein bulging on his forehead. "Stop talking nonsense. The situation has changed. The board of directors is temporarily leaning towards Ning Nanxue."

"Don't be so nervous, my dear future brother-in-law." Xu Zhao said frivolously. The sound of clinking glasses could be heard from the other end of the line. "Failure is only the mother of success."

"What exactly are you planning?" Fu Chen lowered his voice. "If you're just here to make fun of me, there's no need to continue this call."

Xu Zhao took a leisurely sip of his wine and asked, "Have you heard of the new energy laboratory project?"

"What's wrong with this project?" Fu Chen frowned.

"The investment exceeds one billion US dollars, and all major domestic groups are vying for it." Xu Zhao's tone suddenly became serious. "This project is not only profitable, but more importantly, the reputation and connections it brings are enough to enable the company that undertakes it to take a leading position in the new energy field. Ning Nanxue just signed a new project."

Fu Chen fell into deep thought: "You mean..."

"I can get a project requirements document," Xu Zhao said slowly, "but I will deliberately omit one of the recently updated supplementary environmental protection approval clauses that has not yet been widely publicized."

"Go on." Fu Chen turned around and looked at the brightly lit city outside the window.

"This is a newly introduced environmental impact assessment standard with special requirements for wastewater treatment," Xu Zhao explained. "If they had developed a plan based on the incomplete requirements I provided, it would have inevitably gotten stuck at the environmental impact assessment stage. By that time, the project would have already been invested in and the contract signed, leading to huge liquidated damages and reputational damage."

Fu Chen sneered. "You mean, let Ning Nanxue fall into this trap?"

"Smart," Xu Zhao praised. "She just had a moment of glory on the board of directors, and she's feeling very proud. It's impossible for her not to be interested in a project like this."

"Even if she bids, she may not win." Fu Chen raised the question.

"Don't worry, I have my own way to ensure she wins this project." Xu Zhao's tone was full of confidence. "Once she signs the contract and the truth comes out, the Fu Group will face huge liquidated damages and a reputational crisis. At this time, who can step forward and save the situation?"

"Me." A cold light flashed in Fu Chen's eyes.

"And don't forget, she completely ruined my and my sister's reputation at the board meeting." Xu Zhao's voice turned cold. "This time, I want her reputation to be completely ruined."

This is a great opportunity, not only to win back a city, but also to completely destroy Ning Nanxue's prestige.

"I agree." Fu Chen said firmly, "When does it start?"

"The project bidding will start next week. I'll send you the information tomorrow." Xu Zhao chuckled. "Next, please enjoy a good show."

At the same time, on the other side of the Fu Group Building, in Ning Nanxue's office.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." Ning Nanxue withdrew her gaze.

Secretary Chen walked in, holding a stack of documents. "Mr. Ning, this is preliminary information about the Greenlight Technology New Energy Laboratory project."

"New Energy Laboratory Project?" Ning Nanxue took the document. "This project is coming so timely?"

"Yes." Secretary Chen nodded. "The total investment in this project exceeds one billion US dollars. It has excellent prospects and will have strong synergy with Fu's existing business."

Jiang Tingchen took the information and flipped through it. "This is indeed a rare opportunity. Not only will it bring considerable profits, it will also be very helpful for the company's transformation."

Secretary Chen added: "It is said that many companies are vying for this laboratory. The project will start bidding next week."

Ning Nanxue and Jiang Tingchen looked at each other.

"We should strive for it," Ning Nanxue said. "If we can win this laboratory construction project, it will not only bring substantial benefits to the company, but also help me gain more support from the board of directors, which coincides with our cooperation with Green Light Technology."

Jiang Tingchen seemed lost in thought. "The bidding documents need to be prepared as soon as possible."

"Please ask the Finance and Technology Departments to immediately form a team and hold a meeting tomorrow morning to discuss this matter," Ning Nanxue instructed Secretary Chen. "Also, I want all public information about this project. Nothing can be left out."

"Yes, President Ning." Secretary Chen nodded and left.

Jiang Tingchen looked at Ning Nanxue. "How do you feel? This project came at a very timely moment."

Ning Nanxue flipped through the documents, her brows furrowed slightly. "It's just in time."

"You suspect something's wrong?"

"Maybe I'm overthinking it." Ning Nanxue closed the file, "But it happened so coincidentally that it always makes me a little wary."

"I'll ask Huayun to check the details of this project." Jiang Tingchen whispered.

Ning Nanxue looked out the window at the night scene.

This lab project was undoubtedly a great opportunity, but her intuition told her that things were not that simple.

She needed more information to determine if this was an opportunity or an elaborate trap.

"No matter what, we must be prepared." Ning Nanxue turned to Jiang Tingchen, "If this is an opportunity, I won't miss it; if it's a trap, I will make the person who set it up suffer the consequences."

"It's always better to be cautious." Jiang Tingchen leaned on the desk next to her, his fingertips casually flipping through the corners of the project documents. "I always feel that project information comes too easily."

Ning Nanxue nodded slightly and pushed the project file to the center of the table.

"Can you find the source of this information?"

"We're already investigating." Jiang Tingchen reached out and adjusted the long hair on Ning Nanxue's shoulders. "On the surface, it seems to have leaked from within the industry, but the clues are too clean to be true."

"Fu Chen just stumbled at the board meeting. He won't give up so easily." Ning Nanxue stood up and walked to the window, crossing her arms over her chest. "There must be a trick up her sleeve."