Chapter 144 I (End Countdown 2)

Me (Countdown to the End 2)

Bu Qianli's tone was still calm, and he didn't sound like he had any emotion: "Kill one person in ten steps. It's me."

Chi Dong stared at the scene with his eyes wide open. His throat seemed to be blocked by something and he could not speak for a moment. A suffocating silence filled the air.

"I'm sorry." Bu Qianli looked straight at him, the apology in her eyes was genuine.

Chi Dong was silent for a long time, so long that his face, which was originally pale, became almost transparent. His voice was so soft that it seemed to come from far away: "When did you know... that I was 'Dong Dong Hiding'?"

Seeing his pitiful look of bewilderment, Bu Qianli felt distressed and wanted to get closer, but she remembered Chi Dong's resistance just now. She couldn't help but sigh and reminded him softly, "The document you sent in was addressed to your email address."

Email...

Yes, that day, when he was printing the documents, he accidentally printed an extra copy of the mailbox page, and Chi Dong's eyes showed a hint of realization.

However, the next second, his mind flashed back to the scene where he delivered documents for a colleague and was severely reprimanded by Bu Qianli for no reason. His voice couldn't help but tremble slightly: "...Why are you telling me this? I'm just a nobody. Do you want to tell me the truth..."

"I like you." As if she had guessed what he was going to say, Bu Qianli quickly interrupted him.

"Like... me?" Bu Qianli thought that what she said would make him happy, but unexpectedly, Chi Dong's expression suddenly changed, becoming decadent and gloomy, and a miserable smile slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth, "You mean... you like me, so you rejected me that night?"

There was a hint of self-mockery in his voice, as if he was questioning, or as if he was talking to himself.

"I..." Hearing this, Bu Qianli's face showed an indescribable complex emotion. It cannot be denied that Chi Dong was right. He was the one who rejected the confession first and even claimed that he only treated him as his own brother.

Now he suddenly says that they don’t want to be brothers anymore, but lovers. What should Chi Dong think?

At this moment, the air seemed to freeze, leaving only a silent confrontation between the two.

"It's my fault. I will compensate you. Don't worry, I have already dealt with the forum matter. Everyone knows that you..."

"No, that's not necessary." Chi Dong's voice was hoarse, and his two big dark eyes, which looked like grapes, were staring at the handsome face in front of him. He had already deeply engraved it in his heart and thought about it countless times. "I have deleted my account and quit the game. Those things are no longer important."

His mind was in a mess, and his chest felt like it was weighed down by a rock, making it hard for him to breathe. The familiar face in front of him once made him feel warm, but now it only filled him with endless bitterness.

Chi Dong lowered his head, not wanting to see his handsome face that easily moved people's hearts. His voice became softer and softer. "This matter was my fault from the beginning to the end. It has nothing to do with you. What they said... is also true. I am indeed a man playing a female character. I am a complete liar."

At this point, he smiled bitterly, "But don't worry, I have already paid back everything I owe you, and I won't pester you anymore. As for the chivalrous relationship, you can go to Yue Lao to apply for a severance after you come online."

After saying that, without waiting for Bu Qianli to respond or explain, the thick door in front of him was tightly closed by Chi Dong with a "bang". Bu Qianli could still hear the "click" sound of the door being locked from inside. In the silent night, one could clearly feel the reluctance and sadness of the people inside.

Bu Qianli raised his hand, his slender fingers were about to touch the door, but when he thought of Chidong's dejection and self-mockery just now, he stopped knocking. He stood at the door and waited for a long time until two worried voices came from the stairwell.

"Damn, did you hear it when you came back just now? They said a thief broke into our school."

"Yes, I heard it was found in our building."

"Oh no, could this be the person Chi Dong mentioned, the one who knocked on his door?"

"Well, it's very likely."

"Come on, let's go up and see if he's okay."

"Don't rush me, I'm running. This is a stupid school. Not only did they assign all the students in our major to the top floor, but it's also the only dormitory building without an elevator. I'm drunk."

"Okay, okay, stop complaining, we're almost there."

The voices of the two people were getting closer and closer. Bu Qianli stared at the closed door for a few seconds, the deep meaning and obsession in his eyes were about to reveal themselves. Then, before the two people came up, he quickly walked to the stairs on the other side and soon disappeared in the corridor.

After that night, Bu Qianli never saw Chi Dong again. He sent him messages and called him, but he received no responses. He also waited at the gate of Z University, but he still refused to see him. After the "thief" incident, Z University dispatched additional security personnel overnight and tightened supervision on the campus. No strangers were allowed to enter or leave, and teachers and students living on campus had to undergo facial recognition before entering or leaving the school.

Not to mention Bu Qianli, even the family of his senior who borrowed his pass were not allowed in, so Bu Qianli could only wait at the school gate.

In the huge office, the air was filled with a heavy sense of low pressure.

Bu Qianli was seen sitting on the chair with a stern expression, glancing at the mobile phone on the table from time to time. Today was already the third day, and Chi Dong had not replied to him yet. He could hardly bear it any longer.

There was a knock on the door, breaking the silence in the office.

"Mr. Bu, there's a result." Chen Lian pushed the door open and walked in.

Bu Qianli raised his eyes, his gaze cold: "Who is it?"

Chen Lian handed over the information in his hand. "The person who posted it is named Liu Dahai. He admitted that someone paid him 10,000 yuan to post these posts."

Bu Qianli's eyes fell on the information, and the more he looked at it, the more his brows furrowed. "Who hired him?"

Chen Lian hesitated for a few seconds, then looked at the two people sitting on the sofa not far away, and answered in a low voice: "It's... Vice President Jiang's sister, Jiang Nisheng."

"What did you say? Ni Sheng?! Impossible." Without waiting for Bu Qianli to speak, Jiang Ying stood up suddenly and raised his voice abruptly, "Assistant Chen, are you mistaken? Don't you know what kind of person Ni Sheng is? How could he hire someone to throw dirty water?"

Seeing him so close, Chen Lian quietly moved a few steps to the side, putting some distance between him and Jiang Ying. He didn't want to be splashed by the other's saliva, as he was a germaphobe.

Chen Lian nodded slightly: "Mr. Jiang, the investigation results have been repeatedly verified. The person who transferred the money to Liu Dahai was indeed Miss Jiang."

Jiang Ying's face turned pale instantly and he clenched his fists, obviously finding it hard to accept this fact.

"How is this possible... How could Ni Sheng do such a thing?"

"Mr. Jiang, you may doubt the authenticity of the data, but please do not question my professional attitude. If you do not believe it, you can check the data yourself."

Chen Lian was already prepared. As early as after Bu Qianli asked him to notify Jiang Ying and Bu Yan to come to the office, he had anticipated printing a few more copies of the materials. Sure enough, these materials really came in handy.

"According to our investigation," Chen Lian flipped open the file in his hand and said in a serious tone, "Ms. Jiang used your position to conduct a financial transaction with Li Li from the company's technical department. She wanted to use the system backend to find out Dong Dong's hidden true identity, and then tampered with the player's login permissions to make him offline, so as to obtain the information she wanted."

Jiang Ying stared at the thin pieces of paper in his hand in disbelief, reading them over and over again as if he wanted to see a flower in them, muttering, "No wonder... that night, I called someone to delete the post, but it took several hours and it couldn't be deleted. It turns out... it was Li Li's gang who did it."

Bu Yan, who came over, also had a piece of information in his hand. Compared to the fact that Jiang Nisheng was the mastermind behind the scenes, he was more concerned about the relationship between his younger brother and Dong Dongzang.

He looked up at Bu Qianli, his tone seemingly nonchalant but actually probing: "Qianli, how are you going to solve this problem?"

"Handle it according to company regulations." Bu Qianli stood up slowly, his expression showing no clues. Only Bu Yan, his childhood playmate, knew that his vindictive and ruthless cousin would never let go of anyone involved in this incident easily.

When Jiang Ying heard this, he immediately became as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. No matter how dumb he was, he could tell that his friend was determined to get to the bottom of the matter this time.

But Ni Sheng is the main messenger, what should we do?

He was extremely anxious, and he quickly stepped forward and pleaded, "...Qianli, please don't use the company's legal team, okay? Can we settle this privately? Ni Sheng is still young and doesn't understand. I apologize to you on her behalf. Just... just for my sake, for the sake of our friendship over the years, please forgive her this time."

"..." Bu Qianli remained silent. He just raised his eyes slightly and glanced at him coldly. His eyes were as sharp as an ice blade, giving Jiang Ying an unprecedented sense of oppression.

Jiang Ying's heart sank. He could tell with his toes how angry Bu Qianli was. Under normal circumstances, Bu Qianli would never have such an attitude due to their long-term friendship. But now, things had obviously touched his bottom line.

Jiang Ying couldn't help but curse in his heart - Ni Sheng really wanted to kill him! She actually dared to use his work account behind his back and commit such a criminal act.

This already constitutes a commercial crime. If the charges are proven, not only will his and Ni Sheng's future be ruined, but even their Jiang family will have no chance of surviving in Beijing.

"Qianli, you grew up with Ni Sheng. No matter what, she can be considered your sister. Although you don't have any feelings for her, you don't have to be so unkind, right?" Seeing that Bu Qianli still didn't say a word, Jiang Ying's smile suddenly became a little stiff, and his tone was a little anxious and helpless.

He turned to look at Bu Yan, trying to seek support: "Brother Yan, can you say something? Do you also think it is necessary to be so ruthless?"

Bu Yan, who was suddenly called, pursed her lips and calmly put down the documents in her hand. After a few seconds of silence, she slowly spoke: "I reminded her a long time ago. Unfortunately, she didn't listen."

Jiang Ying was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead. "Is there really no room for negotiation? Considering our friendship for so many years, is there no room for maneuver?"

Bu Qianli finally spoke, her voice much colder than before: "...Yes."

Jiang Ying's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had grasped a life-saving straw: "What is it? You tell me, as long as we can do it, we will agree to it."

Bu Qianli glanced at him indifferently: "I want her to apologize to Dongdong."

"This is easy. Don't worry. This was her fault in the first place. I will teach her a lesson and bring her to apologize to Chi Dong in person." Before Bu Qianli finished speaking, Jiang Ying couldn't wait to respond, as if he was afraid that he would go back on his word if he spoke too late.

"I haven't finished yet." Bu Qianli added calmly, "What I mean is that I want her to apologize to Chi Dong publicly on the Internet, quit the game, and never show up in front of us again."

"This..." This request was hard for Jiang Ying to accept, let alone Jiang Nisheng.

Jiang Ying knew his sister's personality too well. She appeared gentle and generous, but in reality she was arrogant and spoiled. She would do whatever it took to get what she wanted, and if she couldn't get it, she would rather destroy it than let others get it. Asking her to apologize publicly on the Internet and to bow to her rival in love was more difficult than asking her to die.

Jiang Ying wanted to fight back a bit more and try to get a private apology, but Bu Qianli didn't give him that chance.

"I'll give you two days. If you don't see her take action tomorrow, don't blame me for being ruthless." After saying that, he stood up, pushed the door open and left without looking back. Chen Lian followed him out, leaving the two people in the office looking at each other, one with a helpless look on his face, and the other with a bitter smile.

Jiang Ying looked at Bu Yan for help: "Brother Yan, I..."

Bu Yan sighed and shook his head: "Ah, I can't help you. If it weren't for the fact that you are his friend, he would have dealt with it today, not to mention two days. How could we have the right to say anything?"

Bu Yan didn't want to help Jiang Ying, but he really couldn't do it. In the final analysis, this matter can only be blamed on Jiang Nisheng for using such despicable means, directly touching Bu Qianli's bottom line.

Jiang Ying was silent for a while, looking around. Just when Bu Yan wanted to persuade him again, he slowly said, "I understand. I will go back to Ni Sheng and ask her about this matter. I will definitely give an explanation to the company, Qianli and Chidong."

*

Time quickly came to two days later. During these two days, Bu Qianli was extremely busy. Not only did he have to deal with various problems that arose within the company, he also had to hold a meeting to rectify the rules and regulations of all the game forums under the company and strengthen the restrictions on posting.

In addition to these, before going to work every day, he drove to Z University, paid for the nutritious breakfast he had bought with great care, and had a student who lived in the same building as Chidong take it to Chidong's dormitory. He also instructed that if there was no answer when he knocked on the door, he should put the breakfast on the door handle, as there was an insulated box, so it would not get cold.

Since Chi Dong didn't want to see him, he wouldn't force him. He just planned to wait until he finished dealing with the urgent matters at hand, and then wait and see and catch the person.

As the workday was about to end, Bu Qianli glanced at his watch and suddenly there was a knock on the door. Jiang Ying pushed the door open and walked in, his face as gloomy as if a dark cloud was hanging over his head. The air was filled with a tense feeling as if a storm was about to come.

Fortunately, he did not lose his temper due to anger. As soon as he entered the door, he apologized in a low voice: "I'm sorry."

Seeing that he looked exhausted and depressed, Bu Qianli was not surprised. There was even a flash of understanding in his eyes. He asked indifferently, "Why are you alone? Where is she?"

"Ni Sheng... refused..." Jiang Ying gritted his teeth, his voice filled with helplessness, "She's been hiding from me and hasn't been home for several days."

Bu Qianli's breath suddenly turned cold. Although he had expected Jiang Nisheng not to compromise so easily, he still held a glimmer of hope in his heart, hoping that she could reform herself and apologize to Chi Dong.

Unexpectedly, she finally let him down.

Bu Qianli's heart sank when he thought about how she had deliberately spread those specious and misleading news while he was away in order to force Chi Dong to quit the Internet.

If Chidong hadn't deleted his contact information until now, maybe she would have succeeded.

"Since she has refused, don't blame me for being ruthless. I can only handle it according to the procedure." Bu Qianli said in a cold voice, and his words were no longer as gentle as before.

Hearing this, Jiang Ying's pupils shrank suddenly, and he raised his head in surprise: "Really... are we going to go this far?"

"Well, you should be aware of my principles." Bu Qianli glanced at him indifferently, and said calmly, "Even if I don't pursue it, the company's directors will not let it go easily."

Jiang Ying was silent, and a feeling of powerlessness came over him, as if the exhaustion of cleaning up the mess for his sister over the years had reached its peak at this moment. He sighed slightly, and said helplessly: "...I know, after this matter is over, I will persuade my parents to send her abroad to study and control her temper."

After that, he paused, shook his head awkwardly, and asked cautiously: "...By the way, I just went to the Operations Department and wanted to apologize to Dongdong, and then they said that he...had resigned. Did you know about this?"

"Yes, I know."

Hearing this, Jiang Ying couldn't help but frowned and asked in confusion: "Then... you don't want to go find him?"

"...He doesn't want to see me." Bu Qianli suddenly stopped writing, raised his eyes, and looked straight over there, his eyes full of helplessness.

At this moment, he is no longer the powerful and sought-after game god, nor is he the new technology elite praised and admired by everyone in the workplace.

When facing the person he likes, he is also an ordinary person. He will also worry about gains and losses, worry about making the other person angry, and fear that once he misses the opportunity, he will never be able to get it back.

Just a few days after meeting Chi Dong that day, he lost his temper. He seemed calm and composed on the surface, as if he had everything under control, but in fact, he would send messages to Chi Dong on Penguin and WeChat every night, but he never got any response.

Looking at the cold and quiet chat interface, if Jiang Ying hadn't suddenly appeared, he would probably have driven straight to Z University.

Jiang Ying also has a girlfriend, so he knew the confusion in his heart. He was silent for a few seconds, then hesitantly said, "Do you want me to help?" He paused, then added, "Just think of it as me making up for Ni Sheng's mistakes."

Bu Qianli shook her head and refused: "...No, I can still handle it."

Seeing that he was so persistent, Jiang Ying said nothing more: "Okay, I won't bother you anymore. I'll leave first."

"...Wait." Just as Jiang Ying was about to leave, Bu Qianli suddenly called him.

Jiang Ying turned around in shock: "What's wrong?"

"Li Li has been fired and prosecuted by the company for being involved in confidential matters. We need to find someone to take over his job. Please prepare a list of candidates and send it to me when the time comes."

"Okay, I understand." Jiang Ying understood. Bu Qianli's words were a subtle reminder to him that the employees who secretly assisted Ni Sheng had been dealt with, and it would be Ni Sheng's turn next, so he and his family should be mentally prepared.

In addition, this was also a warning to him that Li Li was his subordinate after all, and he must strengthen supervision in the future to avoid being taken advantage of again.

Shortly after Jiang Ying left, Chen Lian knocked on the door and walked in.

"Boss Bu, it has been arranged."

Bu Qianli didn't even raise his head and said calmly: "Well, let's get started."

"yes."

At the same time, Z University——

Chi Dong, who had been hiding in his dormitory, had no idea that earth-shaking changes had taken place in the game. Not only were all posts and comments related to him forcibly deleted, but those players who were originally waiting to watch the show or take the opportunity to stir up trouble had no time to ask questions before their cognition was completely refreshed by the news that followed.

The officials who never get involved in the love-hate relationship or conflicts among the players and just pretend to be dead, do not refer to the official "Heroes" here, but all the official platforms of ET Technology, all of which issued a statement at the same time.

——We recently discovered that some player data was accessed without authorization, and we have taken measures to protect your information security. We are working with relevant departments to investigate the matter and will strengthen data security measures. Thank you for your understanding and support. ——[ET.Technology]

In addition, only the statement of "Xia Jiang" has a different explanation, saying that during the rectification period, the sale and deletion of all player accounts will be suspended.

Not only that, in order to expand the publicity and let more people know, these official accounts have all tacitly started a forwarding lottery activity, where 100 fans are drawn every day and each is rewarded with 1,000 yuan for three days.

This move instantly set off the entire Internet, and many people came to hear the news.

Moving bricks makes me happy: Wow, I came here to smell the melon.

I want to eat snail rice noodle: Is there any melon? Where is it? Please show me the way.

-I am Cat-: Front row.

Xiao Longren: The one who asked for the melon, please stop asking. You won’t get it even if you ask. The original post is gone.

Hallelujah: Oh my god, I have been following ET's Weibo for so long, and apart from posting cold and impersonal promotional ads, I was actually surprised to see that he would post something related to a certain hero.

I'm hungry with an empty stomach: You don't have to say it, I also thought that this official was just a tool, but I didn't expect that he was also a spectator.

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