At the same time, the atmosphere in Xu Zhao's office was solemn.
Fu Chen sat on the sofa, tapping his fingers on the armrest in a rhythm that betrayed his uneasiness. Xu Zhao stood by the window, his back to him.
"There's a problem at Hongtai." Fu Chen said, his voice filled with suppressed anger. "There are more and more customer complaints."
Xu Zhao turned around and waved away, signaling there was no need to worry. "We anticipated this. It's just a technical issue, it can be resolved."
"Solved?" Fu Chen sneered, "Qiu Mingsong has come out of retirement. Do you understand what this means? He is a top expert in the industry. It is definitely not a coincidence that Ning Nanxue asked him to come out of retirement."
Xu Zhao walked to the wine cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Brother-in-law, you're too nervous. What kind of waves can an old man make?"
"Don't underestimate Qiu Mingsong." Fu Chen stood up and his tone became stern. "His position in the new energy field is unmatched. If the Fu Group breaks through the technological bottleneck under his leadership, Hongtai will be finished."
"So we need a new strategy." Xu Zhao took a sip of his wine, a calculating look on his face. "Since the technical route is blocked, let's start from other aspects."
Fu Chen leaned back on the sofa: "Be more specific."
"First, I've contacted several media outlets and am planning to release news that the Fu Group's capital chain is strained." Xu Zhao put down his glass. "Second, we can disrupt their supply chain through special channels."
Fu Chen frowned: "This will implicate innocent suppliers."
"Business is like a battlefield, brother-in-law." Xu Zhao disagreed. "If you want to take back the Fu Group, you can't be so fussy. Besides, Nan Xue didn't show any mercy back then."
Fu Chen fell silent, obviously weighing the pros and cons.
Xu Zhao continued, "I've also contacted Qingyun Technology. They've been coveting Fu's market share for a long time. If we provide them with some inside information, they'd be happy to join the fray."
"Qingyun?" Fu Chen looked up. "Does Martin know them?"
"It's deeper than just knowing each other." Xu Zhao smiled. "Martin invested in their overseas projects. It's a three-party collaboration, and each party gets what they need."
Fu Chen stood up and paced: "Are you sure you can control the situation?"
"Of course." Xu Zhao was full of confidence. "We can temporarily cover up Hongtai's technical problems, and at the same time put pressure on Fu's finances, supply chain, and market. No matter how capable she is, she can't withstand attacks from all sides."
Fu Chen shook his head: "Nan Xue is not someone who can be defeated so easily."
"So we have one last trick up our sleeve." Xu Zhao lowered his voice, "My sister."
Fu Chen looked up suddenly: "Zhiru? What happened to her?"
"It's nothing, she's just not been feeling well lately. The doctor said she needs a quiet place to rest." Xu Zhao said meaningfully, "If you could spend more time with her, it might help her recover."
Fu Chen's voice turned cold: "You want to take advantage of Zhiru's illness?"
"How could I use my own sister?" Xu Zhao pretended to be hurt. "I'm just worried about her."
Fu Chen was silent for a moment: "I will go to see her. But business methods and personal feelings must be separated."
"Whatever you say." Xu Zhao shrugged, a hint of pride in his eyes. "However, if news of Zhiru's worsening condition gets out, Nanxue will be in a very passive position morally. After all... everyone knows about your past."
Fu Chen clenched his fist and then unclenched it: "Let's arrange a meeting with Qingyun. I need to think about other things."
Xu Zhao smiled triumphantly. "Martin will be here tomorrow, and we'll discuss it in detail. By the way, Zhiru asked if you're free tonight. She wants to see you."
Fu Chen hesitated for a moment and nodded: "I will go."
Xu Zhao watched Fu Chen leave, picked up his phone and made a call: "The plan is in progress, he has taken the bait."
Martin's deep voice came from the other end of the phone: "Make sure everything is foolproof. Hongtai is already in trouble, and we need a new breakthrough."
"Don't worry," Xu Zhao sneered, "This time I will make Ning Nanxue fall into a situation where she is surrounded by enemies on all sides."
At the Fu Group headquarters, Ning Nanxue stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the bustling city night scene. The meeting report in her hand had been read by her many times.
"The marketing department's efficiency has dropped by nearly 15% this quarter, the R&D department's core projects are lagging behind, and even the HR department has been approving unauthorized personnel changes." Ning Nanxue placed the report on the table and turned to face Jiang Tingchen. "This is definitely not a coincidence."
Jiang Tingchen leaned on the sofa, his long legs crossed, and tapped the armrest with his slender fingers. "I checked the list of employees who recently left. Several people's whereabouts are unknown after leaving, but they still maintain contact with the company."
"who?"
"Zhang Ming from the technical department, Liu Fang from the marketing department, and Assistant Zhou from the finance department." Jiang Tingchen stood up and walked over to Ning Nanxue, gently putting his arm around her waist. "They all resigned shortly after Fu Chen left."
Ning Nanxue broke free from his embrace and walked towards the desk: "I was wondering if the atmosphere in the company was weird recently. It turns out that Fu Chen was behind this."
"That's not all." Jiang Tingchen opened his tablet and pulled up a set of photos. "Surveillance footage shows that Zhang Ming came back last Friday night and stayed in the technical department for half an hour."
Ning Nanxue took the tablet and looked at the photo coldly: "They really do go to great lengths."
"Xue'er, this matter must be dealt with seriously, otherwise——"
A rapid knock on the door interrupted Jiang Tingchen. Secretary Chen walked in with a serious expression. "Mr. Ning, the R&D department just discovered that their server has been hacked, and some project data may have been leaked."
Ning Nanxue stood up suddenly: "When did it happen?"
"Just discovered, the technical department is tracing the source." Secretary Chen handed over an urgent report, "The preliminary judgment is that it was an internal operation."
Jiang Tingchen quickly scanned the report. "This is a very professional operation, likely assisted by external hackers. Xue'er, this is an organized operation."
Ning Nanxue was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up: "Notify all department heads to hold an emergency meeting at 8:00 tomorrow morning. At the same time, activate the security protocol and immediately disconnect and isolate all core project servers."
"It's already being implemented." Secretary Chen nodded. "One more thing: Employees from several departments have recently formed an 'after-school study group' that meets weekly for discussions. It seems suspicious."
Jiang Tingchen narrowed his eyes and said, "Find out the backgrounds of these team members, especially their time of employment and their recommenders."
After Secretary Chen left, Ning Nanxue sat heavily on the chair: "Fu Chen really won't let go easily."
"You should have expected this." Jiang Tingchen said in a low voice, "After all, he has been running the Fu family for many years and has deep-rooted connections."
Ning Nanxue picked up the teacup on the table. The tea had already gone cold. "I was too careless. I focused on product development and neglected internal management."
"Don't blame yourself." Jiang Tingchen walked behind her and gently pressed her tense shoulders with both hands. "This just shows that you care more about the company's future than Fu Chen. And he is still stuck in the struggle for power."
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