The truth comes out
The night was as dark as ink, and the rain poured down.
Zong Heng stood in Xu Yang's private studio, raindrops dripping from his black trench coat onto the floor. Xu Yang glanced at him and whistled, "Hey, Mr. Zong, five years have passed, what happened to you and how you've ended up in such a sorry state?"
Zong Heng ignored his teasing and slammed an encrypted file on the table: "Find out who messed with Xu Ying's computer."
Xu Yang raised an eyebrow, his fingers flying across the keyboard, the code scrolling across the screen like a waterfall. He chewed his gum and said casually, "Your dad played pretty dirty this time, even resorting to such underhanded tactics as IP forgery."
Zong Heng's eyes darkened as he stared at the screen: "I need evidence, irrefutable proof."
Xu Yang chuckled, then suddenly stopped what he was doing and pointed to a record on the screen: "Look, the vulnerability is here—the leaked file was sent at 2:15 a.m., but Xu Ying's computer was in hibernation between 2:00 and 2:30 a.m., so it was impossible for her to operate it."
Zong Heng's knuckles turned white from clenching his fists: "Continue the investigation."
Ten minutes later, Xu Yang whistled: "Interesting, the operation log has been remotely tampered with, very professionally."
But—" he pressed Enter, "there's a small detail: this person habitually adds a special symbol at the end of the code; it's an internal mark from the Zong Group's IT department."
Zong Heng sneered: "Chen Feng."
Xu Yang shrugged: "Most likely. But that's not enough, you need solid evidence."
Zong Heng picked up his phone and dialed a number: "Uncle Li, can you do me a favor?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a sigh: "Xiaoheng, what about your dad..."
“You owed my mother a life back then,” Zong Heng said coldly. “Now, it’s time to repay it.”
The rain was getting heavier.
Xu Ying stood downstairs at the company building, soaked to the bone. A security guard stopped her: "Ms. Xu, your access card is invalid."
She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. Just hours before, she was a rising star designer, but now she was a "corporate spy" that everyone avoided.
Her phone kept vibrating, filled with missed calls and abusive text messages from unknown numbers. She turned it off, took a deep breath, and turned to walk into the rain.
Rain mingled with tears as she slid down her cheeks. She walked aimlessly until a black umbrella suddenly appeared overhead.
A familiar scent enveloped her, and she froze, not turning around.
"Xu Ying." Zong Heng's voice was deep and carried an irresistible force.
She finally turned around and looked up at him. Rain dripped down his jawline, but his eyes were deeper than the night.
"Do you trust me?" he asked.
She opened her mouth, her throat tightening: "I don't even believe myself anymore..."
The next second, he pulled her into his arms. Her face was pressed against his cold shirt, but she could hear the strong heartbeat in his chest.
“Then trust me,” he said.
At three o'clock in the morning, Zong Heng brought Xu Ying to Xu Yang's studio.
Xu Yang whistled and handed over a cup of hot coffee: "Sister-in-law, don't be nervous, it'll be done in a minute."
Xu Ying held the coffee cup, her fingers trembling slightly. Zong Heng took her hand and looked at Xu Yang: "How is it?"
Xu Yang grinned: "Done. There's an encrypted folder on Chen Feng's computer, full of good stuff." He typed a few words, and a recording started playing:
"Shove the files into Xu Ying's computer, make sure she can't recover." — The father's voice was cold and clear.
Xu Ying suddenly looked up, her face deathly pale.
Zong Heng's eyes were sinister as he continued playing the recording. In the recording, Chen Feng said obsequiously, "Chairman, rest assured, I have already contacted General Manager Wang of Decheng Group. They will cooperate to suppress Xu Ying and will give me three million as a reward afterward."
Xu Yang clicked his tongue and shook his head: "This old man, he even cheated his own assistant." He pulled up another document, "Look, this is Chen Feng's overseas account statement. He received five large transfers in the past three months, all from shadow companies of Decheng Group."
Zong Heng sneered and took a picture with his phone.
Xu Ying suddenly spoke up: "Is this... enough?"
Zong Heng looked at her, his eyes resolute: "That's enough to shut my dad up."
Xu Yang suddenly raised his hand: "Wait, there's a surprise."
He clicked on a video, which showed Chen Feng secretly copying files in his office. The video clearly captured his face and the process of copying the files.
"This grandson is quite photogenic," Xu Yang grinned.
Zong Heng put away all the evidence and looked at Xu Ying: "Tomorrow, everything will be over."
She looked at him and finally nodded gently.
Zong Heng stood in front of the glass curtain wall of the Zong Group building, overlooking the entire city. Raindrops pattered against the window, blurring the neon lights, much like the night five years ago when he was forcibly sent abroad.
Xu Yang called: "All the evidence has been synced to your email, including Chen Feng's recording, bank statements, and the IT department's operation logs. Lao Zong, are you sure you want to do this?"
Zong Heng loosened his tie and sneered, "He should have thought of this day when he made a move against Xu Ying."
Behind him, assistant Lin Cheng strode over: "President Zong, the board meeting will begin in ten minutes. Your father has just arrived."
"Make him wait." Zong Heng turned around, his black suit accentuating his tall and imposing figure, but his eyes were chillingly cold. "Notify the media first and prepare the press release."
Lin Cheng hesitated, then said, "But..."
"No buts." Zong Heng picked up the USB drive on the table. "After today, either I leave Zong's completely, or he bows his head and admits his mistake."
Inside the boardroom, the twelve directors were already seated. Zong Heng's father sat at the head of the table, his fingers rhythmically tapping the surface. When Zong Heng entered, all eyes turned to him.
"Seven minutes late." The father glanced at his watch. "Is this how your new company operates?"
Zong Heng walked straight to the projector, plugged the USB drive into the computer, and said, "Sorry, I was preparing a 'surprise' for everyone."
The large screen lights up, and the first thing that appears is a bank statement.
"On the 15th of last month, Chen Feng's overseas account suddenly received a transfer of 2 million US dollars." Zong Heng clicked the mouse. "The remitter was Career Technology—which happens to be our competitor on our new project."
The board members began to whisper among themselves. CFO Zhang frowned: "What does this prove?"
Zong Heng then pulled up another surveillance video: "At 9:47 PM on the same night, Chen Feng used his access card to enter the IT department's main server room."
In the video, Chen Feng is seen furtively operating the server, occasionally glancing back.
"He's implanting a remote control program," Mr. Li, with his technical background, immediately realized. "Is he trying to falsify operation records?"
The patriarch suddenly stood up: "Enough! These unverified materials—"
"What's the rush?" Zong Heng sneered. "The show has only just begun."
He pressed play, and a recording exploded in the conference room:
"Put the files into Xu Ying's computer." The father's voice was clearly audible. "Make sure she can't recover."
The conference room fell silent instantly.
The grandfather's face went from pale to ashen, then flushed crimson. He grabbed a teacup and smashed it on the ground: "Fake recording! You think you can threaten me with such despicable tactics?"
"Do you need me to find a voiceprint analysis expert?" Zong Heng calmly pulled up the last document. "Or would you like to see this? The complete chain of evidence that you used the same methods to force Uncle Wang away three years ago."
The board of directors erupted in an uproar. The elderly Chairman Wang slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly: "Old Zong, you said back then that Director Wang resigned on his own!"
Zong Heng pressed his advantage: "Everyone should consider this: what wouldn't someone who would send his own son abroad and imprison him for five years do?"
"You!" The father trembled with rage. "I did all this for the Zong family! That woman will ruin you!"
"Xu Ying is cleaner than anyone here," Zong Heng said, emphasizing each word. "She earns her living through her design talent, unlike some people who only know how to use dirty tricks to eliminate dissidents."
Outside the conference room's floor-to-ceiling windows, a bolt of lightning cleaved the night sky, illuminating Zong Heng's sharp profile.
The eldest director, Zhou, slowly rose to his feet: "Old Zong, this matter demands an explanation. If the evidence is true, the board will need to consider whether you should continue to lead the company."
"How dare you!" the father roared. "I own 42% of the shares!"
Zong Heng suddenly laughed: "Now it's only 32% left." He tossed out a share transfer document, "This morning, Grandma transferred 10% of her shares to me. She said..." He paused deliberately, "'It's time to let the young people try.'"
These words struck him like a hammer blow. The grandfather staggered, grabbing the back of his chair, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He knew that his most respected mother had chosen her grandson in this contest.
"I don't care about the Zong family." Zong Heng looked around at everyone, "but two things must be done today: First, issue a statement immediately to clarify Xu Ying's innocence; second, from now on, my fate is my own decision."
He walked up to his father, and their eyes met: "Dad, you taught me the ruthlessness of the business world, but Xu Ying taught me something—true power is not control, but protection."
The city lights blurred in the post-rain mist, the neon lights shimmering into a kaleidoscope of colors. Xu Ying stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, her fingertips lightly touching the cool glass, her breath creating a small puff of white mist that quickly dissipated.
Zong Heng approached from behind. His footsteps were very light, but Xu Ying still noticed them—she knew everything about him, including the subtle sound of his shoes rubbing against the floor when he deliberately lightened his steps.
"What are you looking at?" he asked in a low voice, his arm encircling her waist and his palm covering the cool back of her hand.
Xu Ying didn't turn around, but leaned back slightly, letting her back touch his chest. His body temperature came through the thin shirt, and his heartbeat was steady and strong, each beat like a silent comfort.
“Look at this city,” she said softly. “I used to think it was too big and too cold, but now…”
She paused, her gaze falling on the flashing billboards on the distant high-rise buildings—the logo of the Zong Group, which now seemed exceptionally far away.
Zong Heng followed her gaze, his jawline tightening for a moment before quickly relaxing. He lowered his head, his nose brushing against her hair, his breath filled with the faint scent of gardenias emanating from her.
"Do you regret it?" she suddenly asked, her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the night breeze.
He chuckled softly, his chest heaving: "Regret what?"
“Give up the Zong family.” She turned around, looked up at him, “That’s where you grew up, everything you fought so hard for.”
Zong Heng lowered his gaze, which fell on her face. Her eyes shone exceptionally bright in the night, as if filled with tiny starlight, or as if veiled by a thin layer of mist. He raised his hand, his thumb gently brushing against the corner of her eye.
"Xu Ying." He called her name, his voice low and deep, "Do you know when I truly possessed 'everything'?"
She shook her head.
“It’s now,” he said, his fingers running through her long hair, cupping the back of her neck, his forehead touching hers, “it’s this moment when you stand before me.”
A night breeze lifted a corner of the curtains, bringing in a touch of coolness. Xu Ying shivered slightly, and Zong Heng immediately noticed, taking off his coat with one hand and draping it over her shoulders.
"Cold?" he asked, his tone reproachful. "Standing by the window dressed so lightly."
Xu Ying pulled his coat tighter, the sleeves hanging down to cover half of her hand. She lowered her head and sniffed; his scent still lingered on the clothes—a crisp cedar scent mixed with a faint tobacco aroma.
"Zong Heng," she suddenly called out to him.
"Um?"
"Did you used to smoke a lot?"
He raised an eyebrow: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"
“You smell of smoke,” she whispered. “I noticed it back in high school, but you never smoked in front of me.”
Zong Heng was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "You still remember?"
“I remember.” She nodded. “Once, after you finished fighting, you were hiding behind the equipment room smoking, and I caught you. You were…”
“I just stubbed out my cigarette and yelled at you, ‘What are you looking at?’” He picked up where she left off, a smile in his eyes. “Then you left without a word and left a box of throat lozenges on my desk the next day.”
Xu Ying's ears burned: "You still remember..."
"I remember." He lowered his head, his nose brushing against her earlobe, his voice hoarse. "I remember every piece of candy you gave me."
The distant horizon gradually turned a pale white, and at the boundary between night and dawn, the clouds were tinged with a faint orange-pink.
Xu Ying leaned against Zong Heng's chest, and neither of them spoke, simply watching the sky gradually brighten.
"Zong Heng," she suddenly said.
"Um."
What will happen to us in the future?
He tightened his arms, holding her even closer: "What do you want?"
"I don't know," she said softly. "I used to think the future was so far away, but now..."
"The future is in your hands now." He interrupted her, took her hand, and intertwined their fingers. "Xu Ying, we will have our own company, our own home, and more in the future..."
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, "There will be more children."
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks instantly burned: "Who, who wants to have your child..."
Zong Heng chuckled softly, his chest heaving: "It was bound to happen sooner or later."
She punched him in embarrassment and anger, but he grabbed her wrist and pressed it against his chest.
“Not now.” He stroked her ring finger with his thumb, his voice low. “Wait until I have everything ready, until I can give you the best—but before that, you have to promise me.”
Xu Ying's eyes welled up with tears, and her throat felt like it was blocked, making it impossible for her to speak.
Zong Heng lowered his head, his forehead touching hers: "If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."
She finally burst into laughter through her tears: "What kind of marriage proposal is that..."
"How about this?" He suddenly bent down and picked her up in his arms.
Xu Ying exclaimed in surprise and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck: "What are you doing!"
“Elope.” He strode toward the door. “Let’s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau now.”
"Zong Heng! Put me down!"
"I won't let go." He lowered his head and bit her earlobe, his voice tinged with laughter. "I'll never let go in this lifetime."
The first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the two of them.
Zong Heng stood at the door, holding the struggling Xu Ying in his arms, and suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
He looked down at her, sunlight falling on his eyelashes and casting a small shadow under his eyes.
"Xu Ying," he said softly, "it's dawn."
She paused for a moment, then turned to look out the window.
Yes, it's dawn.
The long night has finally passed, and their future is just beginning.
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