Due to her upcoming leave, Tang Yang has been busy since Thursday afternoon. Even on Friday noon, she was in her office approving documents for the next week.
Qin Yue brought her lunch, but Tang Yang only managed to gulp down half a bowl before resuming her work.
Sitting beside her, Qin Yue sighed helplessly, “Why are you taking leave at such a crucial time? That trash Fan Linlang even scraped papers from the shredder bin, and now you’re telling me you’re going on leave.” After her rant, Qin Yue added dejectedly, “I’m quite lazy, you know. With you gone, I’ll just be dawdling around…”
Tang Yang leaned close to Qin Yue’s ear and whispered something.
Qin Yue jumped up from her chair with a loud “Holy shit!”, feeling both surprised and incredulous.
Her eyes, now bright with excitement, fixed on Tang Yang’s belly, silently asking, “Is it true?!”
Tang Yang nodded with a smile.
A few seconds later, someone knocked on the office door.
“It’s unlocked,” Tang Yang called out.
Fan Linlang pushed the door open, poking her head in. “I just heard Deputy Qin’s voice outside. Is everything alright?” Summer brought many insects.
“No,” Qin Yue rolled her eyes at Tang Yang, “Someone’s complaining about the food I brought back while eating it.”
Tang Yang played along, “Well, it’s not like you made it.”
Qin Yue raised her chin, “I can’t cook.”
Tang Yang retorted, “Look at that, so proud of not being able to cook.”
Feeling out of place, Fan Linlang gave an awkward smile and closed the door as she left.
Qin Yue continued to banter with Tang Yang, “Stop showing off. You can’t cook either.”
“You’re right, I can’t,” Tang Yang replied with a smirk, “But my Jiang Shiyan can.”
Tang Yang added with a “tsk”, “Let me tell you, his cooking is delicious. Big dishes, small dishes, cold dishes, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Sichuan Boiled Fish, and Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs with a golden crispy exterior, rich sauce, and an amazing taste…”
Enough, enough, Qin Yue lunged forward to cover Tang Yang’s mouth.
After Tang Yang finished her meal, Qin Yue left, taking the disposable food container to the trash bin outside.
Tang Yang saw Qin Yue out of the office and went to the corner to get a glass of water. She closed the door and had just sat back down when her phone vibrated, displaying an unfamiliar string of numbers on the screen.
It was an A City number.
Tang Yang answered the call with suspicion.
A cold, steady voice came through the phone.
“Deputy Tang, it’s me.”
It took Tang Yang three seconds to realize it was Zhou Mo.
Had Zhou Mo changed his number? Why was he calling her?
Tang Yang collected her thoughts and responded politely, “May I ask what this is about?”
Zhou Mo replied, “Did you receive the package?”
Tang Yang was confused, “What package?”
She had only received one package this week, which Fan Linlang had brought to her. It was still unopened in the corner of her desk. Could it be something other than the humidifier she had ordered online?
Tang Yang reached for the package and indeed saw Zhou Mo’s name on it.
Meanwhile, Zhou Mo continued, “Inside is a pomelo, brought by relatives from my hometown. I didn’t send many to friends this time, Deputy Tang. You can open it and have a taste.”
Zhou Mo maintained his unhurried tone, and Tang Yang’s expression gradually became serious.
She knew from Jiang Shiyan’s investigation that Zhou Mo’s parents were either in a special profession or had passed away. Zhou Mo had grown up with his uncle, Zhou Zisheng, and both had extremely limited personal connections… How could there suddenly be talk of relatives from his hometown?
Tang Yang recalled the gesture Zhou Mo had made to her that night at the club.
“Alright,” she agreed.
After a few seconds.
“Deputy Tang,” Zhou Mo changed to a casual tone, “It’s been hot lately, but I often see clouds. Do you think it will rain?”
Tang Yang couldn’t decipher Zhou Mo’s riddle.
“You might need to check the weather forecast,” she answered objectively.
Zhou Mo let out a muffled laugh.
Another few seconds of silence passed.
Tang Yang hadn’t opened the package yet. “Thank you in advance for the pomelo,” she said.
Zhou Mo replied, “It is I who should thank you.”
Tang Yang found this statement odd but didn’t pursue it further.
They exchanged a few more stilted words before ending the call.
Zhou Mo said he wanted to thank Tang Yang, but why would he need to thank her?
Zhou Mo…
Tang Yang realized that Zhou Mo’s gesture that night might not have been coincidental. Her heart raced as she quickly found a craft knife in her drawer, cut open the package, and indeed found a pomelo nestled inside.
Tang Yang frowned as she took out the pomelo and examined it carefully.
The pomelo was only slightly larger than a tangerine, small and exquisite, with a broken line on its surface.
Tang Yang slowly pressed the knife tip against the line and began to cut. Halfway through, the pomelo split in two along the natural divide. Tang Yang then saw that one half contained the actual pomelo flesh, while the other half had been hollowed out and filled with a rectangular plastic bag!
Tang Yang’s throat tightened as she carefully removed the plastic bag and opened the seal.
Inside the bag were two items: a USB drive and a card.
The contents of the USB drive were unknown for now. Tang Yang stared at the account number “**DC003”, password, and IP address on the card, dumbfounded for quite a while.
At noon, Huishang’s official website posted an announcement about the afternoon maintenance of surveillance and monitoring systems, asking for everyone’s cooperation. The monitoring on Tang Yang’s floor was under maintenance, so she directly called back.
After one ring, the other party answered.
Tang Yang took a deep breath, “Director Zhou…”
Since their last chicken soup dinner together, Tang Yang hadn’t had a good impression of Zhou Mo, even after receiving his gesture that night. She remained wary of him.
However, Zhou Mo had indeed helped her out of a tight spot. She could guess how high the “003” authority was, even more effective than Chen Qiang’s friend.
Whether he was sincerely helping or using her as a pawn, Tang Yang was indebted to him.
“Doesn’t Jiujiang have confidentiality regulations?” Huishang had an internal network, so Tang Yang was well aware of the privacy of account numbers and passwords.
Zhou Mo said softly, “Try logging in and see.”
Tang Yang did as instructed. As the page loaded and she saw the name in the upper right corner, her pupils constricted, leaving her completely speechless.
Because this account didn’t belong to Zhou Mo.
It belonged to He Zheng!
He Zheng was a founding elder of Jiujiang Real Estate. If Zhou Mo was Wei Changqiu’s left arm, then He Zheng was his right arm.
Tang Yang knew him and had seen him that night at the club.
Zhou Mo was probably at home or in a place where he could protect his privacy. Sensing Tang Yang’s silence, he spoke in a casual tone, “The other day when I was talking to Zhou Zisheng, He Zheng came in, constantly talking about his son,” Zhou Mo said lazily, “He’s divorced, and I guessed his password without even thinking – it’s his son’s birthday. But Jiujiang’s internal network requires a fixed IP to log in,” Zhou Mo chuckled, “Finding out which IP he uses to access the internal network took some effort.”
Tang Yang logged in, and Zhou Mo was familiar with the accounts.
Tang Yang pulled out her previous notes and asked about the questionable points. Zhou Mo answered the dropdown menu questions with his eyes closed.
Tang Yang opened it, took photos with her left hand, and later tried copying – it worked!
She then began to copy the key content of the charity section one by one. The speed of her right hand moving the mouse gradually slowed down…
The screen showed that all of Jiujiang Real Estate’s charitable funds had been allocated to a place called the “Ecosystem”.
The Ecosystem not only received charitable funds but also other funds, and then spat out money with nearly 300% profit. This huge profit was partly used to maintain the normal operation of the group and project bidding, while a larger portion – tens of billions – flowed into an “Ecological Kingdom” for its construction, repair, and expansion.
Like a perpetual money-printing machine, endlessly churning…
Tang Yang scanned those amounts in disbelief, almost speechless.
After copying the content she wanted, Tang Yang realized Zhou Mo hadn’t hung up.
“Is the Ecosystem a code name?” Tang Yang asked.
Because real ecological engineering doesn’t make money. In the past two years, college students have sparked an eco-entrepreneurship trend, with relevant institutions offering up to 90% subsidies, yet the survival rate of eco-parks remained extremely low.
An average profit of nearly 300% was an astronomical figure.
Zhou Mo replied, “It’s on the USB drive.”
Tang Yang opened her laptop and inserted the USB drive. It contained nearly 10GB of data. While waiting, she joked, “I can’t watch big movies at work.”
Zhou Mo laughed along, but his voice lacked any humor: “It’s very stimulating.”
As the 10GB finished loading, Tang Yang stared at the neatly organized PDF on her computer screen, suddenly losing all ability to speak.
The first image was already shocking.
As she scrolled down, every Chinese character, every number, every image made Tang Yang’s throat dry up, unable to utter a sound.
The Ecosystem and Kingdom didn’t just involve Jiujiang Real Estate, but also other branches, even the entire Jiujiang Financial Group.
Labeled with green and beautiful words like “ecology”, the transactions inside were particularly bloody.
Many families suddenly broke apart and fell into debt, along with even more cruel scenes.
Tang Yang had imagined Jiujiang Financial Group’s abnormal profits and gray transactions, but she never thought they could be this horrifying. Yixiu had reported many cases of missing persons and illegal weapons, which Tang Yang had merely scrolled past as news, never imagining that these seemingly unrelated news stories could come from one place.
The darkest, most obscure, unimaginable… hidden from the light of day.
Tang Yang had scrolled halfway when her heartbeat became irregular and quickened. She stopped, breathing audibly. Her first reaction wasn’t to liberate these people or to single-handedly expose Jiujiang like an ant trying to shake a big tree or to be a savior.
She didn’t dare to scroll further, just afraid. Her mind was filled with only one emotion – fear.
She was 29 years old this year, from a well-off family, with a successful career and a stable relationship. Even if she wasn’t at Huishang, she could find a comparable job with great prospects at another financial institution.
She wasn’t a living Lei Feng, and she was carrying her and Jiang Shiyan’s little one. She just wanted to do her job well, to understand the cause and effect of Jiujiang’s exploitation of charity loopholes to stop the Jiujiang project. She only wanted to see a small part, not such a large and heavy… “Kingdom”.
Tang Yang was very clear about her self-awareness. She was just a slightly more hardworking ordinary person, with all the instinctive cowardice and selfishness of ordinary people.
She held the phone with one hand and wiped her face with the other, sighing, “Zhou Mo…”
Her voice carried hesitation, the sudden discomfort of seeing these things, and a hint of hidden rejection.
Of course, Zhou Mo heard it.
“Tang Yang,” he said very calmly, “I didn’t keep a copy of this data. This is the only copy, ten years of Jiujiang, in your hands.”
Tang Yang remained silent.
Zhou Mo continued softly, “You can choose to delete it immediately. You’ve already got the charity data you wanted. It’s not a big deal to turn your back on this. Just pretend this USB drive doesn’t exist. I certainly won’t mention it voluntarily to save my own life. It’s just that some of the information in there might never be found again.”
Tang Yang right-clicked, and the “Delete” option appeared.
Zhou Mo continued, “You can also anonymously hand it over to relevant agencies, but I don’t know how many of them are Jiujiang’s people or planted eyes.”
Tang Yang’s mouse hovered over the “Delete” button.
Zhou Mo added, “Or you can use your rational economic thinking and hand it over to Zhou Zisheng or Wei Changqiu. They’ll ensure you’re rich beyond measure. Jiujiang won’t fall, Huishang won’t fall, and you’ll have a smooth path to success.”
Tang Yang suddenly moved the mouse aside and took deep breaths.
Over the phone, Zhou Mo said, “What I hope is that you’ll give it to Jiang Shiyan.”
Jiang Shiyan had a natural media acumen. He was a hitmaker who knew how to ride the wave at the right moment in the future, when other groundwork and ripples had been laid, to bring everything into the public eye, in broad daylight, at the height of attention.
But the more shocking the news, the greater the risk.
Zhou Mo was gambling, betting on his understanding of Tang Yang and her choices.
Tang Yang understood that Zhou Mo’s account was just a stepping stone, yet she had used it anyway.
“Why didn’t you give it directly to Jiang Shiyan?” she asked, knowing it was a pointless question.
Zhou Mo replied, “Because the only person he trusts without reservation is you.”
Tang Yang countered, “So what makes you think I would give him such a difficult problem?”
Zhou Mo asked in return, “What makes you think Jiang Shiyan wouldn’t want the contents of this USB drive himself?”
Jiang Shiyan was only 29 years old. Whether he was being dramatic on WeChat Moments and Weibo or sharp-tongued, how could he support such a vast Yixiu without having deep thoughts?
After they finished speaking, both laughed simultaneously, but their laughter carried an undeniable heaviness.
Tang Yang didn’t immediately give her answer.
Zhou Mo wasn’t in a hurry either.
At least Tang Yang knew Zhou Mo’s stance now, and Zhou Mo knew Tang Yang was considering it.
Both sides showed a bit of an ally’s honesty.
After a moment, Tang Yang sighed, “So about my desire to thoroughly investigate Jiujiang, that one page of paper, did Fan Linlang give it to Zhou Zisheng or Wei Changqiu?”
Zhou Mo replied, “She gave it to Tu Chen, but Tu Chen is Wei Changqiu’s man, or rather,” Zhou Mo expressed more precisely, “he’s not Wei Changqiu’s man, but he benefits the most from Jiujiang.”
Tang Yang and Qin Yue leaving that paper was intentional, and Qin Yue didn’t want to make it easy for Fan Linlang, so putting it in the shredder was deliberate.
Tang Yang asked another question she had pondered before, “So between Wei Changqiu and Fan Linlang…”
Tang Yang only noticed the ambiguity between Gan Yiming and Fan Linlang when Gan Yiming’s incident was approaching. Shouldn’t rivals be especially jealous?
Zhou Mo didn’t have the excitement of a girl discussing relationship gossip. He described it dryly.
“Fan Linlang and Gan Yiming were childhood sweethearts, attending the same middle and high schools. Gan Yiming probably got tired of ordinary life and relentlessly pursued Wei Changqiu after meeting her. Gan Yiming was obedient and easy to keep, so Wei Changqiu just stayed with him,” Zhou Mo said, “Wei Changqiu’s private life was chaotic after marriage, and Gan Yiming also secretly misbehaved. Fan Linlang not only helped him book hotel rooms but also bought condoms for him and other women.”
Tang Yang was dumbfounded.
Zhou Mo also found it strange at the time, then continued: “Gan Yiming knew quite a bit about Wei Changqiu. Before he went in, he made one request, which was to protect Fan Linlang. Wei Changqiu said ‘Oh ho’ at the time, ‘Is this true love?'” Zhou Mo objectively stated, “Wei Changqiu is quite capable. I learned a lot from her. She agreed to Gan Yiming’s request to protect Fan Linlang, and Gan Yiming went in without complaint. On the other hand, she told Fan Linlang that Gan Yiming loved her and had entrusted her to take care of Fan Linlang, considering herself as the stumbling block between them.”
Wei Changqiu spoke recklessly, and Fan Linlang was promoted to deputy director, feeling deeply grateful to Wei Changqiu.
“I don’t know if ‘cheap’ is the right word to describe it,” Zhou Mo hesitated, “it seems very disrespectful to women.”
Tang Yang didn’t make any judgments about Fan Linlang and Gan Yiming’s relationship.
But based on her sixth sense, she even felt that Gan Yiming didn’t seem like a person capable of true feelings. Rather than guessing if Fan Linlang was his true love, it was more likely that Fan Linlang knew some of his secrets. But Tang Yang couldn’t interfere. However, she now fully understood the source of that ruthlessness when Wei Changqiu directly pressed her cigarette butt on Gan Yiming in the office when Tang Yang was playing the victim.
Tang Yang and Zhou Mo exchanged some more details.
Tang Yang suddenly realized: “Your phone… it’s not being monitored, is it?” It didn’t seem like Wei Changqiu’s style.
“Women seem to have a strange forgiveness when it comes to love,” Zhou Mo seemed to shrug, explaining, “I babbled to Wei Changqiu about liking you, but your relationship with Jiang Shiyan is very good. She probably thought there would be awkward communication between us, so she removed the phone monitoring when I called your number.”
Zhou Mo seemed to mock himself: “The first one is to call her, no need for monitoring, and you’re the second.”
Tang Yang didn’t know whether to laugh or not, and pulled at her lips: “So, are you doing well?”
Since Xu Shanshan left, Zhou Mo rarely had such a long conversation, and he didn’t feel tired, with a touch of calm contentment.
“It’s okay,” Zhou Mo took a sip of tea, “When I was investigating, I encountered another group of people also gathering evidence. They seemed to know I was investigating and left me many channels. At first, I suspected it was Jiujiang’s side testing me, but later I found out it wasn’t Jiujiang’s people…”
“I meant your personal life,” Tang Yang knew she might touch a sore spot for Zhou Mo, but she still asked, “Did you go to Jiujiang because of Xu Shanshan? If the records I saw weren’t a coincidence, Xu Shanshan’s graduation internship was at Huishang,” Tang Yang paused, “in the Credit Review Department…”
Zhou Mo didn’t answer, and Tang Yang didn’t pursue it further.
After a while, Zhou Mo’s voice changed, pretending to joke but with a tremor: “Do you think I’m the type of person who would sacrifice my entire life for a woman?”
From Tang Yang’s perspective, it didn’t seem so.
But from Xu Shanshan’s perspective…
Before Tang Yang could answer, Zhou Mo hung up the phone.
The wind was blowing outside.
The former Zhou Mo was rational, self-interested, young, and ambitious. He wanted to become an industry giant, to leverage the entire banking industry’s structure, to become a brass statue standing in a prominent position.
Until he met his life’s “Xu Shanshan”.
————
After finishing the call with Zhou Mo, Tang Yang clutched the USB drive and went to the bathroom.
She took two hair ties, first tucked the USB drive into her tied hair, then used the hair ties to secure her hair, and added several hairpins. After ensuring the USB drive was securely placed and wouldn’t fall out unless she removed it herself or all her hair was pulled out, she went to the sink and washed her hands, then walked out of the bathroom as if nothing had changed.
Throughout the entire afternoon, while signing documents, Tang Yang’s mind occasionally flashed to those bloody images and the numb eyes in the pictures.
Perhaps due to pregnancy, she became particularly sensitive. Each time she thought about it, her heart would “thump” “thump” rapidly and urgently, and her belly would feel a vague fullness. She quietly took out her examination report and looked at it, gently rubbing her abdomen while talking to herself: “Little Jiang puppy, be good, okay? When your dad comes to pick us up this afternoon, we’ll tell him, alright? We won’t wait until the weekend, we won’t scare him, okay…”
At 5:30 PM, Tang Yang hadn’t finished her work, so she called Jiang Shiyan to ask him to come half an hour later.
Jiang Shiyan agreed verbally, but he immediately went downstairs, thinking that accompanying Yang Yang to the office was also a good option.
The colleagues from the Credit Review Department came to say goodbye to Tang Yang one after another and left.
As people were leaving, fewer and fewer remained.
Zhou Zisheng passed by the Credit Review Department and specifically came in to check. Seeing Tang Yang’s door wide open, he knocked and Tang Yang looked up.
Several secretaries were standing nearby. Zhou Zisheng reminded her, “Don’t work overtime on Friday, okay?”
Tang Yang smiled, “Just a little bit more, almost done.”
Zhou Zisheng: “Did you see the notice about the surveillance maintenance? It seems to have reached your floor, be careful.”
Tang Yang didn’t feel there was any hidden meaning in these words: “I saw it.”
Zhou Zisheng hadn’t left yet: “Why don’t you ride with me? I can take you home.”
Zhou Zisheng had always shown an inexplicable parental concern for Tang Yang, and Tang Yang’s attitude was also gentle: “No need, Jiang Shiyan will come to pick me up later.”
Zhou Zisheng stared at Tang Yang for a few seconds.
Tang Yang brushed her bangs behind her ear.
“Be careful, everyone’s gone, you should leave too.” Zhou Zisheng instructed once more, then left with the secretaries and got into the elevator.
Tang Yang thought that if Zhou Zisheng hadn’t stopped to talk to her, she probably could have handled a few more things.
But Zhou Zisheng’s expression just now… Tang Yang reconsidered, Zhou Zisheng had been acting strange more than once or twice.
It was almost 6 o’clock, and Jiang Shiyan was stuck in the evening rush hour traffic. All other colleagues had left, leaving only Tang Yang in the Credit Review Department.
She finished her work and sent another WeChat message to Jiang Shiyan. He said he had gotten out of the traffic jam. Tang Yang casually put her phone in the keyboard drawer under the desk and started tidying up.
“Knock knock” came from the door.
Tang Yang looked up to see two unfamiliar men in suits, with burly builds.
Tang Yang frowned imperceptibly. While putting her keys in her bag, she said routinely, “For personal business consultations, please go to the first-floor reception. For corporate business, go to the third floor. The Credit Review Department is not currently handling external business…”
“Deputy Tang, hello,” one of the men politely nodded, “Our boss would like you to come with us.”
Tang Yang focused and recognized that these men were dressed the same as the men she had glimpsed when drinking chicken soup with Zhou Mo before.
She pretended not to know and secretly pressed the record button on her phone under the desk: “Who is your boss?”
The man didn’t hide it: “Jiujiang Real Estate, Wei Changqiu. She had an appointment with you for dinner next week but wants to move it to tonight to discuss some matters. Is that okay with you?”
Tang Yang: “It’s after work hours now, we don’t discuss business…”
Two more men in suits appeared at the door, four men blocking Tang Yang’s office door.
Tang Yang looked out the window, 23rd floor.
She swallowed, her heart slowly rising to her throat.
The man who spoke first said, “Deputy Tang, don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. We hope you can come out on your own…”
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Tang Yang was an obedient hostage. She had been bending over before, now one hand on the desk, the other pressing the stop button on her phone’s recording.
She quickly dialed Zhou Mo’s number, hung up after one second, and changed the subject: “Do I need to bring my bag?”
The lead man said: “No need.”
Tang Yang switched her phone from silent to vibrate and carefully placed it on the ground, pushing it into the gap under the desk: “So I just need to go by myself?”
The man said: “Yes.”
Tang Yang had been crouching under the desk for too long, and the man walked over.
Tang Yang angrily stretched out her foot: “Going to dinner without bringing anything is one thing, but not even letting me tie my shoelace?” She extended her foot with a bit of Jiang Shiyan-style tantrum, “Come on, you tie it for me.”
One decorative shoelace of the high heels was loose, the other tied.
Wei Changqiu had instructed not to harm anyone, but physical restraint was allowed.
The man roughly pulled Tang Yang up. Tang Yang struggled hard to break free: “I can walk by myself.”
Another man also came forward, gripping Tang Yang’s other arm through her clothes.
“This is a personal threat, Wei Changqiu’s attitude…”
Two men restrained Tang Yang, and two followed behind. Tang Yang cursed and struggled, but the four men had obviously received professional training and ignored her completely. As Tang Yang left the office, she turned her head and took a deep look at the corner of the desk…
Waiting for the elevator, the elevator arrived, and they got in.
The man who entered the elevator first took out a black cloth to cover the camera. Before Tang Yang could turn around, a hand holding a towel directly covered her mouth and nose. Tang Yang made a muffled sound and collapsed softly on the ground. The four men skillfully put Tang Yang into a large toolbox with holes that had already been placed in the elevator and closed it. Then, they opened another box and quickly changed into four sets of maintenance worker uniforms.
“Ding dong,” the elevator arrived.
The metal doors slowly opened.
The maintenance workers were inside the elevator, while Jiang Shiyan and his assistant stood outside. Their gazes met in mid-air.