Chapter 5: The Beauty Trap? The Heavenly Khan Teaches You What a Counterattack Is
Lu Mingyu felt his luck had been running out lately. As the group's vice president in charge of marketing, and a trusted confidant handpicked by Chairman Qian, his days had become increasingly difficult ever since the newly appointed consultant, Li, began "implementing regulations." The previously tacitly agreed-upon gray-area expense reimbursements, premium contracts with cronies, and even the misappropriation of public funds for private banquets were all tightly controlled by the newly launched "intelligent approval system" and the frequent "process reviews" by the supervisory department. Not to mention, news from Chairman Qian indicated that the audit seemed to be targeting several long-standing issues, causing him sleepless nights.
He couldn't sit idly by and wait for his doom. At a private gathering of only a few core members, someone mentioned "cutting off his supply lines." Since a direct confrontation with the shrewd and powerful Advisor Li was unwinnable, it was better to target him "personally." What weaknesses could a young, ambitious man who had suddenly risen to such a high position have? Nothing more than wealth, lust, and fame. Wealth seemed less appealing; fame was at its peak; so…
“Lust.” Zhao Zifeng, Chairman Zhao’s distant nephew who also worked at the group, lowered his voice, a sinister glint in his eyes. “I heard that this Consultant Li and Chairman Wang, although husband and wife, are more like… business partners? They live together, but their relationship is distant. A man in his early thirties, in good health, how could he not have some needs? Let’s find someone who ‘matches his needs,’ cater to his desires, and once he takes the bait, we’ll gather evidence…”
The plan was quickly finalized. The candidate had to be carefully selected; she couldn't be a seasoned prostitute, but rather someone who appeared pure and elegant, preferably with some artistic or literary cultivation, to match the taste of the supposedly classically inclined consultant, Mr. Li. After some secret searching, a girl named Su Wanqing came into their sights. She was a music academy student majoring in the guqin (a seven-stringed zither), possessed a cool and aloof demeanor, and was beautiful. More importantly, she came from an ordinary family, had a younger brother seriously ill and urgently needed money, making her easy to control.
Lu Mingyu personally approached Su Wanqing, citing the need for the group's corporate culture department to record a promotional video featuring traditional music and having heard of Miss Su's exceptional skills. The generous payment, the "opportunity" to meet with the group's top management, and a hinted promise regarding her younger brother's illness quickly convinced the naive girl to agree. The task was simple: after a "chance encounter" and leaving a lasting impression on Consultant Li, create an "unexpected" opportunity for a private moment, and then… the rest would naturally be "arranged" and "recorded."
The opportunity soon arrived. The group was about to host a high-end customer appreciation dinner at a private garden club with a classical charm. According to the "arrangement," Su Wanqing would attend as a specially invited guest guqin player and, during the intermission, "practice" in a relatively secluded waterside pavilion in the garden, which "happened" to be equipped with hidden cameras.
On the day of the banquet, Li Shimin, dressed in a simple dark Zhongshan suit, appeared with an upright posture, accompanied by Wang Yi and several senior executives. He didn't speak much, but the natural authority and demeanor he exuded drew the attention of many well-known business figures present. Su Wanqing had secretly observed him while he was playing on stage. This young consultant, Li, was indeed as Lu Mingyu had described—handsome and with an outstanding temperament. Especially when he listened intently to the piano, his calm and profound eyes made her inexplicably flustered, and she almost played a wrong note.
During the intermission, the guests dispersed in small groups to chat. Li Shimin, using the excuse of getting some fresh air, walked alone into the depths of the garden. Lu Mingyu and Zhao Zifeng, hiding in the shadows, watched his figure walk towards the reserved waterside pavilion, their hearts filled with joy. Su Wanqing was already "coincidentally" there.
Inside the waterside pavilion, the candlelight was soft, and the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window were reflected on the shimmering water. Su Wanqing sat at the zither table, her fingertips unconsciously plucking the strings, her heart filled with unease. Footsteps approached, and she quickly stood up, her eyes meeting Li Shimin as he entered.
"Advisor Li," she said, bowing her head. Her voice was barely audible.
Li Shimin's gaze swept over her, landing on the guqin in front of her. "During the banquet just now, were you playing 'Flowing Water'?" he asked calmly.
"Yes." Su Wanqing nodded, mustering her courage. "Consultant Li also knows the guqin?"
"I know a little bit." Li Shimin walked to the window, looked at the scenery outside, and asked casually, "Is the shape of this zither imitating the Tang Lei family zither?"
Su Wanqing was slightly surprised, not expecting the other party to be able to identify the object of imitation at a glance. "Advisor Li has a good eye, it is indeed an imitation of Lei Wei's 'Autumn Sounds' style from the Tang Dynasty."
"The tone is clear and melodious, already showing some promise. But..." Li Shimin turned around, his gaze falling on the zither, then slowly shifting to Su Wanqing's slightly pale face, "The zither is the voice of the heart. Your fingers are hesitant; is something on your mind?"
Su Wanqing's heart trembled, and her fingertips quivered. Had he seen through her? Or was it just a casual remark?
"No, no..." she hurriedly denied, following the "script" she had memorized beforehand, trying to force an expression that mixed admiration and shyness onto her face. "It's just... it's just that it's my first time performing on such an important occasion, and... and I'm seeing you, Consultant Li, so I'm a little nervous." As she spoke, she quietly took a small step forward, trying to close the distance a bit, and the faint scent of her perfume filled the quiet room.
Li Shimin leaned back almost imperceptibly, his brow furrowing slightly. The fragrance was overly sweet, lacking any elegance, a far cry from the faint, herbal, and scholarly scent he remembered of Empress Zhangsun, or the clean, crisp aroma that later lingered around Wang Yi at Qixia Garden. The woman before him was undeniably beautiful, and her posture deliberately feigned weakness, but how could the panic and deliberate effort in her eyes possibly escape the notice of Li Shimin, a man who had spent his life navigating the vortex of power and witnessing countless beauties' schemes?
He sneered inwardly. A honey trap? Such a crude trick paled in comparison to the ruthless concubines in his harem who would stop at nothing to win his favor, and even to the enemy spy who tried to get close to him to gather intelligence years ago. Moreover, having lived two lives and witnessed the rise and fall of empires, this youthful body beating with a heart nearing its end. Romantic desires had long since faded from his heart, far less stirring than a game of chess, a history book, or a trusting glance from his daughters.
However, since someone has set up a stage right in front of him...
Li Shimin remained expressionless, but instead went along with her words, his tone slightly "gentle": "No need to be nervous. Your zither playing is quite good, and given time, you will surely improve." He pointed to the zither, "In the second half of 'Flowing Water' just now, the force of the rolling strokes could be more even, so as to show the surging of the river, its ceaseless flow day and night."
He actually began to instruct her on the piano, his tone professional, and the problems he pointed out were precisely the ones that had been perplexing Su Wanqing during her recent practice. Su Wanqing momentarily forgot her "mission," subconsciously nodding and listening, even wanting to ask a few more questions. Just then, Li Shimin casually glanced around the room, his gaze lingering slightly on a landscape painting hanging somewhere—that was where Lu Mingyu and his group had installed their most concealed camera.
“The scenery here is quite unique,” Li Shimin strolled to the bottom of the scroll, as if admiring it. “However, this painting… seems to imitate the style of the Southern Song Dynasty, but it has a bit too much of a craftsman’s touch, and the scale is a bit small.” He reached out, seemingly to brush away non-existent dust from the scroll, but his fingertips, at an angle and speed imperceptible to others, gently pressed on the tiny gap where the scroll met the wall. A miniature signal jammer, smaller than a grain of rice and given to him by Wang Yi for self-defense, silently activated from his sleeve, instantly locking onto the frequencies and approximate locations of several nearby hidden signal sources.
"You seem very hot?" Li Shimin withdrew his hand, looking at Su Wanqing, whose forehead was already beaded with sweat, his tone still calm. "Your complexion isn't very good either. Are you feeling unwell?"
Su Wanqing felt uneasy under his gaze and stammered, "No, no... I'm just a little bored."
"Oh?" Li Shimin walked to the window, pushed open a carved wooden window, and the night breeze blew in, carrying coolness and moisture. "In that case, go back and rest early. Tomorrow I will have my assistant send you a photocopy of a Tang Dynasty qin score, which may be helpful to you."
He's leaving already? Not yet… Su Wanqing panicked. According to the script, she should "accidentally" sprain her ankle or spill tea to create an opportunity for closer contact…
"Advisor Li!" she said hurriedly, her voice trembling with urgency.
Li Shimin had already reached the door when he heard this, so he stopped and turned his head. The moonlight outlined the handsome profile of his face, and his eyes appeared particularly deep and unfathomable in the shadows. "Is there anything else?"
"I..." Su Wanqing met his all-seeing gaze, and all the words and actions she had rehearsed caught in her throat, leaving only boundless guilt and fear. She suddenly realized that she might have been drawn into an extremely dangerous game, and the man in front of her was not someone she could scheme against or control.
"N-nothing's wrong." She lowered her head, her voice barely audible.
Li Shimin nodded, said nothing more, and left Linshui Pavilion directly. He hadn't gone far when he took out his phone and sent Wang Yi a short message: "Linshui Pavilion has 'eyes and ears.' Investigate the signal source, paying close attention to the recent movements of Lu Mingyu and Zhao Zifeng. The guest performer, Su Wanqing, may have some hidden story; perhaps someone could 'check in' on her family situation."
Wang Yi replied quickly: "Understood. Be careful."
The "accident" that evening did not occur. Lu Mingyu and Zhao Zifeng waited in front of the monitor screen until the banquet ended. They only saw Li Shimin and Su Wanqing exchange a few innocuous words in the hall, after which Li Shimin left as if nothing had happened. Su Wanqing, however, sat alone in the hall for a long time, her face pale. The cameras they had installed showed a brief, almost imperceptible static and delay in the image after Li Shimin approached the scroll, and they did not capture any "valuable" content.
"Useless!" Lu Mingyu smashed his wine glass in anger. The plan had failed, and he had even alerted the enemy.
What they didn't know was that the real "snake" was no longer the easily lured "young person" they had imagined. The next day, Su Wanqing's account received an anonymous remittance enough to cover her brother's medical expenses. At the same time, she received a call from a "helpful lawyer" who offered to provide her with free legal advice to help her clarify her "employment relationship" with certain "bad people." Terrified, Su Wanqing, under the lawyer's guidance, recorded in detail how she had been coerced and lured by Lu Mingyu and others into plotting against Li Shimin.
At the same time, Wang Yi mobilized resources and not only quickly located the specific locations and equipment numbers of several hidden signal transmitters in and around Linshui Pavilion last night, but also followed the clues to find records of Lu Mingyu and Zhao Zifeng purchasing and leasing these spy devices through underground channels recently, as well as suspicious financial transactions between them and several overseas shell companies—some of which seemed to be related to the problematic funds discovered in the previous audit.
A week later, at a seemingly ordinary weekly meeting of senior executives, Li Shimin listened to reports from various departments as usual. When it was Lu Mingyu's turn, he was speaking eloquently about the marketing budget for the new quarter.
Li Shimin suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him.
“Vice President Lu,” Li Shimin’s voice was not loud, but it instantly silenced the entire conference room, “In your budget, regarding the portion for new media channel placement, the qualifications of the selected agencies seem to have some issues.”
Lu Mingyu's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a smile and said, "Consultant Li, these are all long-term partners who have undergone rigorous screening, and their qualifications are absolutely not in question..."
"Really?" Li Shimin pulled out a few documents from the folder beside him and had his assistant distribute them. "These are the equity change records and background checks on the actual controllers of two companies over the past three years. One company just changed its legal representative three months ago, and the new legal representative is Zhao Zifeng's cousin's college classmate. The other company's holding parent company is registered in the British Virgin Islands, and tracing back to the end, it has an indirect connection with the recipient of the problematic promotional expenses in the North American market last year."
The information on the document was clear and unambiguous, the evidence irrefutable. Lu Mingyu's face instantly turned deathly pale.
“Not only that,” Li Shimin leaned forward slightly, his gaze shooting like a sharp arrow at Lu Mingyu, “Vice President Lu seems quite concerned about my personal life? He even went so far as to spend a lot of money to arrange a unique ‘chance encounter in the garden’?”
As he finished speaking, the multimedia screen in the conference room suddenly lit up, playing not a PowerPoint presentation, but a processed audio recording—Su Wanqing's statement guided by her lawyer. Although her voice was obscured, the names Lu Mingyu and Zhao Zifeng were clearly identifiable. Simultaneously, several screenshots of purchase records and fund flow diagrams appeared on the screen.
"A honey trap?" Li Shimin's lips curled into a cold smile, devoid of any warmth, only boundless majesty and mockery. "You dare to dabble in such a lowly trick?"
He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the room, finally landing on Lu Mingyu, who was deathly pale, and Zhao Zifeng, who was trembling like a leaf. His voice was not loud, but it resounded like thunder in everyone's ears.
“Chairman Wang,” he turned to Wang Yi, his tone regaining its usual businesslike calm, “Lu Mingyu, Zhao Zifeng, and others are suspected of commercial fraud, attempting to harm company executives, and may also be involved in other economic crimes. The evidence has been transferred to the legal and supervisory departments. I recommend that they be immediately suspended from their duties to cooperate with the investigation and that relevant legal procedures be initiated.”
Wang Yi nodded without hesitation: "Agreed. Execute immediately after the meeting."
The meeting ended in deathly silence. Lu Mingyu and Zhao Zifeng were practically "escorted" out. The other executives present, regardless of their previous stances, now looked at Li Shimin with deep awe and fear. They finally realized that this young advisor, Li, was not only highly skilled and cunning, but also possessed an absolute power that seemed to come from another dimension, crushing everything in its path. To play tricks and schemes in front of him was tantamount to suicide.
Li Shimin straightened his cuffs, as if he were just casually brushing off a speck of dust from his clothes.
A checkmate with a backhand is nothing more than this.
This time, it wasn't just about dealing with a few clowns; it was about showing everyone that anyone who tries to challenge his bottom line through underhanded means will pay an unbearable price. The company's landscape has completely changed.
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