Chapter 43 [43]
crisis
Who is Yin Xingwei?
When Luo Qingyue heard this unfamiliar name, she was at Lu Mingxiao's house, playing a racing game with him.
In the upscale audio-visual room, a huge projector screen is displayed on the wall.
They sat on the beanbag chairs directly opposite each other, each with a controller in hand.
The space was dimly lit, making the projected image exceptionally bright.
Luo Qingyue stared intently at her own yellow racing car, her hands never stopping as she pressed the handle.
However, even with her fingers practically sparking, she still couldn't escape Lu Mingxiao's crushing defeat, losing three games in a row. Frustrated, she threw the controller to the person next to her.
"Now I understand why Li Heng was so angry after the match that his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all hurt. It's because he had no chance of winning at all. You didn't give your opponent any chance to turn the tables."
Lu Mingxiao stroked Luo Qingyue's head to soothe her: "Before we started playing, I asked you how much of my strength you needed me to use. You were probably the one who said it, and I was just following orders. As for Li Heng, he was angry because I stole his love, and it had little to do with the competition."
"How could I have known that your 100% was so different from what I imagined?"
Luo Qingyue looked annoyed at her own underestimation of the opponent, "My brother and I used to play this game all the time. You are indeed the boss of a car company. You are so good at it on your first try. I am embarrassed to call myself a veteran player."
"The control of direction and speed is similar both in and out of the game."
Lu Mingxiao handed the controller back to her. "Come on, I'll teach you how to find my weaknesses and crush me."
Luo Qingyue took the controller, her fighting spirit rekindled: "I don't need you to teach me, I don't believe I can't win a single game."
She pressed the control key to enter the menu interface, and was about to start a new game when Lu Mingxiao's phone beeped twice with a message notification.
He picked up his phone, opened WeChat, and Luo Qingyue hugged his arm, leaning closer to look at the phone screen. It was Yin Xingwei.
"Yin Xingwei has a particularly keen eye for investment. When housing prices were low in the early years, he bought a lot of properties in first-tier cities. Later, when the era of real estate speculation came, he sold them all and made a fortune."
"He is good at reverse thinking and has an amazing ability to predict the environment and trends. He has been involved in multiple fields such as education, medical care, and communications, and has built a huge network of relationships. On the surface, he is Mingyue's partner, but in reality, he helps me to gather intelligence from all over the world and obtain first-hand resources."
As Lu Mingxiao spoke, Luo Qingyue understood: "He is a hidden strategist."
Lu Mingxiao gave an affirmative answer, and then asked, "How did you convince such a capable person to willingly become an unofficial member and not have any ulterior motives towards you?"
Lu Mingxiao pressed the screen of his phone to finish replying to the message before answering, "Because I really did save his life."
During a diving trip years ago, Yin Xingwei's equipment malfunctioned.
Just then, Lu Mingxiao happened to pass by the area and pulled him up quickly, narrowly escaping disaster.
They didn't know each other before, and Yin Xingwei said that this was a kind of fate.
They then became friends, and Yin Xingwei also provided Lu Mingxiao with maximum support in his career.
The message he sent to Lu Mingxiao was related to Lin Qian.
The marketing center compiles user data returned from various stores every month.
Even someone at Luo Qingyue's or Xu Jie's level needs approval from a superior to have their access granted.
However, as the marketing center director, Lin Qian's rank was second only to Lu Mingxiao and the other vice presidents, so she did not need anyone's approval.
Luo Qingyue leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh: "Even with Lin Qian in this state, I still held onto a sliver of hope that she would reject Yin Xingwei out of consideration for her relationship with Mingyue."
"Affection is no match for temptation or attraction."
Lu Mingxiao pulled Luo Qingyue into his arms. "Even though I know what Lin Qian will choose, I'm more curious about what method she will use."
——
For the next two weeks, Lin Qian made no move.
Just when Luo Qingyue thought she would stay true to herself and start to look at her with new respect, news of the leaked user data spread throughout Mingyue.
Lu Mingxiao posted an announcement in the group, stating that the leaker would be severely punished, and Lin Qian also convened an emergency department meeting.
“Our marketing center has all the user data. Although Mr. Lu didn’t say it explicitly, he hinted that I should investigate.”
"Whoever did it, step forward. Maybe Lu will give you a lighter sentence. Don't wait until the evidence is conclusive and the whole industry is notified, ruining your own career."
As soon as she finished speaking, the conference room erupted in an uproar. Everyone looked at each other, no one daring to utter a word.
Based on Luo Qingyue's understanding of Lin Qian, she wouldn't openly put herself in the public eye. If she dared to say that, she must have already found someone to take the blame.
Luo Qingyue's first thought was of herself.
But then she thought about it again, and realized that Lin Qian couldn't possibly not know why Yao Wenbo was in detention.
It's not that stupid to touch her a second time.
The entire marketing center was in a state of panic.
If you know you're not the one, you'll definitely suspect others.
There are signs of internal trust crumbling, and the atmosphere is extremely tense.
The next morning, Luo Qingyue met Song Tao at the entrance of the park and walked with her toward the office building.
"Qingyue, who do you think leaked the information?"
Luo Qingyue shook her head and remained silent. Song Tao then said, "Indeed, you can't make things up without evidence, but I believe it definitely wasn't you."
Luo Qingyue said the same thing to her, and the two smiled at each other before entering the elevator.
To her surprise, as soon as she entered the office, she found a large crowd gathered around her. Lin Qian stood next to Song Tao's computer, her face clouded with worry.
As they approached, Lin Qian said sternly, "Song Tao, I've trusted you so much all this time, and the evidence is irrefutable. What else do you have to say?"
Song Tao looked bewildered, bracing herself on the desk with both hands as she stared at the monitor.
At this moment, Luo Qingyue realized that "Qianxuan the Unlucky One" had surfaced.
Lin Qian said this because she pulled up the internal software records, which showed that the last person to export the user information was Song Tao.
On Song Tao's computer, there were a large number of downloaded archives, including all the leaked user information, as well as an email that was sent but not deleted, with the information packaged into a zip file as an attachment.
Lin Qian grabbed Song Tao's arm: "Come on, let's go see President Lu now."
Song Tao resisted fiercely, using all her strength to lean backward.
She cried out, "I didn't do it at all! This is a lie, a slander!"
Lin Qian continued to pull Song Tao forward, when Luo Qingyue suddenly spoke up: "Director Lin, Song Tao was the second-highest scorer in her year's college entrance examination. I don't think she would be so stupid as to send emails using the company's internal email address, download things to her computer, and not delete them. Leaving such obvious things behind would give you leverage against her."
He Jiale chimed in, "That's right. Song Tao is a hardcore fan of murder mystery games. If she really wanted to do it, would she choose such childish methods and expose her weaknesses?"
Lin Qian looked at Luo Qingyue and He Jiale: "Are you saying that I wronged her?"
Luo Qingyue removed Lin Qian's hand from Song Tao's arm, patted her shoulder, and then replied, "Song Tao's computer doesn't have a login password, which means anyone can access it. In that case, can I also say that you framed her?"
Song Tao was initially a little flustered, but after being comforted by Luo Qingyue, she suddenly remembered and pointed at Lin Qian.
"It was you who asked me to export user data last week, saying that President Cheng needed it. No wonder you were in such a hurry to take me to see President Lu. You're just a thief crying 'stop thief!' trying to make me take the blame."
The office was quite a scene, with people from other departments also crowding around the glass to watch.
Suddenly, the crowd dispersed, and Lu Mingxiao's appearance drew everyone's attention.
He strode over, carrying his inherent powerful aura.
Everyone automatically made way for him, and once he stood next to Song Tao's workstation, his cold voice filled the entire office.
"You're not working properly during work hours, making so much noise that the whole building can hear you. Do you think there's not enough work to do? Why don't you go run a couple more laps on the track?"
She was also involved in the argument.
Luo Qingyue and Lu Mingxiao exchanged a glance, then pursed their lips in embarrassment. They then saw Lin Qian pull Song Tao in front of him.
"Mr. Lu, I've found out. She's the one who leaked the user data."
Song Tao did not back down and argued her case: "You are talking nonsense. I did not do it. I do not admit to it. I believe President Lu will clear my name."
He Jiale was standing close to Lu Mingxiao, who asked him to recount the whole story.
After He Jiale finished speaking, he pleaded, "President Lu, I guarantee with my integrity that Song Tao would never do such a thing. Please investigate thoroughly."
Lu Mingxiao remained noncommittal: "I've already asked Xiao Xie to check the surveillance footage in your office. It'll be clear whether this is a setup or not."
Ho Ka-lok: "But the surveillance cameras in our office broke down two weeks ago, and no one has come to fix them yet."
Lu Mingxiao looked at Lin Qian with a deep gaze: "Is it possible that it has already been repaired?"
His words were so certain, they brooked no argument.
Lin Qian's heart tightened, as if her huge lie had been exposed. Her hand touched Song Tao's glass, which fell to the ground with a "bang".
A moment later, Xiao Xie handed the USB drive to Lu Mingxiao.
Lu Mingxiao looked at Lin Qian and Song Tao, gesturing for them to make room for him.
He sat down in the chair and had just plugged the USB drive into the computer when he heard a scream.
Lu Mingxiao turned his head and saw Lin Qian pick up a fruit knife from someone's workstation and hold it to Song Tao's neck.
He stood up and faced Lin Qian, his voice cold and devoid of any human emotion: "Lin Qian, stop now, don't make another mistake."
Lin Qian looked at Lu Mingxiao: "You knew it was me all along."
Lu Mingxiao admitted, "If you had held on for just one more minute and waited for me to open it, you would have found that there was nothing on the USB drive."
Lin Qian laughed heartily: "As expected of President Lu."
She paused, then realized something: "Yin Xingwei is one of your people too, isn't he?"
Lu Mingxiao ignored him: "Put down the knife, don't force me to say it a second time."
The answer is obvious.
Lin Qian turned to Luo Qingyue: "Song Tao is your friend. You don't want to watch her die in vain, do you? I'll give you a chance. One life for another."
The knife was only a few micrometers away from Song Tao's skin; even the slightest disturbance could be fatal.
Luo Qingyue didn't hesitate at all: "How do you want to change it?"
Lin Qian dragged Song Tao towards the door, her fierce gaze and domineering voice reflecting each other.
"Everyone except Luo Qingyue, get out of here."
Lu Mingxiao winked at Xiao Xie and pretended to walk towards the door.
After everyone else had evacuated, in a flash, Xiao Xie grabbed Lin Qian from behind and locked her throat.
Lu Mingxiao worked with him to take the knife from Lin Qian's hand.
Luo Qingyue reacted quickly, taking advantage of Lin Qian's loosening of her grip to pull Song Tao towards her.
In terms of strength, Lin Qian was no match for them.
Lu Mingxiao grabbed her arm, but Lin Qian held onto the knife tightly and wouldn't let go.
She swung the knife with all her might, aiming it at Lu Mingxiao's hand.
Lu Mingxiao instinctively dodged, and in an instant, the knife sliced across the back of his hand, blood oozing out slowly.
The knife fell to the ground, and Lin Qian was subdued by Xiao Xie and forced to kneel on the ground.
Luo Qingyue grasped Lu Mingxiao's right wrist, and the long knife mark came into view, a shocking sight.
"Stop the bleeding first. I have a first-aid kit in my drawer."
Song Tao bent down, took out the medicine box, placed it on the desk, opened the lid, and took out the gauze.
Lu Mingxiao originally intended to bandage it himself, but Luo Qingyue went ahead and brought the gauze over before him.
Lu Mingxiao remained expressionless as he watched her wrap the gauze around her hand, reminding her to wrap it tightly.
Luo Qingyue responded, her lips trembling slightly.
If she could, she would want to slash Lin Qian's face with a knife and let her taste the pain.
He was subdued by Xiao Xie and had no room to maneuver.
Lin Qian pleaded with a sob in her voice, "President Lu, I know I was wrong. I followed you and President Cheng from Longhua to Mingyue. I may not have made any great contributions, but I have worked hard. Please give me another chance. I promise to be loyal to you and never do it again."
Lu Mingxiao didn't say anything. She then looked at Luo Qingyue and said, "My parents have been bedridden for years and urgently need money. I had no choice but to resort to this. Could you please plead with President Lu for me? He will definitely listen to you."
"When you arranged for me to meet Yao Wenbo, did you ever think about how terrified and desperate I would feel being locked in that private room by him?"
Luo Qingyue's voice was calm and even, "Did you think you had hidden your relationship with him well? But there are no secrets in this world. I have always believed that I will not offend others unless they offend me, but you have offended me and infringed on Mingyue's interests. I can only say that everything you have done is your own fault."
When her pleas went unanswered, Lin Qian scoffed and decided to go all out: "You're nothing but Lu Mingxiao's kept mistress, someone he can't have in the light of day. Do you really think you're any better than me?"
Before the person involved could speak, Song Tao rolled up her sleeves and scolded, "Our Qingyue and President Lu are in a legitimate relationship. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Feeling happy to be protected, but unaware that she had been exposed, Luo Qingyue slowly turned to look at Song Tao: "?"
[Author's Note]
Xiao: We've been found out, haven't we? [Evil laugh][Evil laugh][Evil laugh]
Moon: Wasn't I hiding it well enough? [crying][crying][crying]
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