railway
As soon as she got home, You Jiale didn't care about anything else and quickly and carefully dialed the number of her online friend.
"Hello, it's me, Yu Shanhe." His voice was very low.
A voice came from the other end of the phone: "What's going on?"
You Jiale recounted exactly what Zhang Xiande had said in the car earlier that day, adding at the end, "I feel like Zhang Xiande seems to have sensed something and is testing me."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then the voice said, "Zhang Xiande is no simple man. It's hard to hide anything from him when you're working under his nose. You did the right thing by reporting it promptly." After a pause, the tone became serious, "Now I have a task for you: to test Zhang Xiande's attitude from the other end."
You Jiale was taken aback, somewhat confused: "Testing him instead?"
"Yes. If he really is testing you, is it possible that he... has designs on our side?" The voice online carried a hint of anticipation. "You know what the railway lines in Zhang Xiande's hands mean, how much strategic material and time they can buy for our comrades at the front."
You Jiale's heart beat faster; he understood the significance of this.
"If Zhang Xiande's attitude is positive, not resistant, and even shows a slight inclination to join forces, we must do our best to win him over. But we must be extremely careful," the online commentator emphasized. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
After hanging up the phone, You Jiale leaned against the cold wall and let out a long sigh. He felt the burden on his shoulders grow even heavier. Testing Zhang Xiande?
For the next few days, You Jiale had no choice but to grit her teeth and appear in front of Zhang Xian from time to time.
You Jiale raised her hand and knocked twice on Zhang Xiande's office door, which sounded somewhat abrupt in the quiet corridor.
"Come in."
You Jiale pushed open the door and went inside. Zhang Xiande was sitting behind a large desk with several documents on it.
"Boss." You Jiale put on a cautious smile, but her eyes quickly scanned the entire office.
Zhang Xiande raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and said nothing, but simply gestured with his chin toward the chair opposite him.
You Jiale chuckled twice and sat down without ceremony, his heart pounding. He carefully chose his words before speaking, "Boss, about that railway project we talked about in the car last time..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Xiande suddenly stood up from his chair, walked to the office door, stretched out his long arm, and slammed the door shut with a "click." This sudden action made You Jiale's heart sink, and a strong sense of vigilance instantly surged up.
Zhang Xiande turned around, leaned against the door, and looked at You Jiale with great interest, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Now, we can have a good talk."
You Jiale composed himself, trying to appear calm. He looked at Zhang Xiande and asked warily, "What do you want? This is the company!"
Zhang Xiande flicked the ash from his cigarette and said slowly, "I know you've joined the underground party now."
You Jiale tried her best to appear calm and asked in a composed manner, "You've been testing me time and time again. Could it be that you have such intentions?"
Zhang Xiande chuckled, his smile carrying a hint of amusement and an all-knowing confidence: "Pretend with me? No problem, I'll make you talk." He paused, his sharp eyes fixed on You Jiale, "I also know that your people have infiltrated 'Leji' as well."
Unexpected, yet predictable.
You Jiale knew she couldn't hide anything from him! But she was still very curious about how she had been exposed.
He tried hard to recall his and his comrades' every move, trying to find where they had slipped up. But he soon realized that someone like Zhang Xiande might not need solid evidence at all; he could simply use his keen observation and years of experience to spot some clues.
You Jiale cursed "old fox" in his heart, but still pretended to be blank on the surface.
Seeing his expression, Zhang Xiande's smile widened: "Aren't you curious why I haven't exposed you since I know all this?"
You Jiale's eyes narrowed, alarm bells ringing in his mind. Zhang Xiande was finally about to reveal his true intentions. He composed himself, watching Zhang Xiande's retreating figure, and cautiously asked, "I don't know. What exactly do you want? Do you know my identity and want to hand me over?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiande suddenly took a few steps forward and came to You Jiale's side. He reached out, grabbed You Jiale's wrist, and pulled hard. Caught off guard, You Jiale lost her balance and cried out in surprise as Zhang Xiande pulled her onto his lap.
"You!" You Jiale was shocked and furious. His buttocks felt like they were on fire, and he struggled to stand up. But Zhang Xiande seemed to have expected him to resist. He pressed down on You Jiale's waist with one hand and held his wrist firmly with the other, making him unable to move.
Zhang Xiande lowered his head, leaned close to You Jiale's ear, his warm breath carrying a faint smell of tobacco, spraying against his ear, his voice deep and with a hint of ambiguous seduction.
You Jiale turned her head away, trying to avoid Zhang Xiande's approach, her tone tinged with annoyance: "Let go of me! This is an office!"
Zhang Xiande ignored his struggles and said to himself, "I told you on the train that day that you used to be in charge of the railway, do you remember?" As he spoke, he looked at You Jiale with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
Speaking of the railway project, it was a lucrative piece of meat that Zhang Xiande had practically carved out of those officials. Why? It was all for the sake of providing the troops at the front with an additional supply line. However, this intention wasn't necessary before, and he wouldn't have had the chance to tell You Jiale about it later.
You Jiale paused for a moment, his mind racing as he recalled the scene in the car that day. Zhang Xiande had indeed mentioned it, but he hadn't paid much attention to it at the time. Now, however, he found it to be quite meaningful.
“I checked when you joined Zhang’s company. It’s such a coincidence. I guess you joined Zhang’s company back then because of this project,” Zhang Xiande continued, his tone carrying a hint of certainty and amusement. His hand casually stroked You Jiale’s back.
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
