Chapter 58#

“Have you seen enough?”#

Something incredible happened today.

In the Qin Corporation’s pantry, two employees were whispering to each other. One of them stirred her coffee with a small spoon, leaned close to the other person’s ear, and whispered the inside scoop she had just gotten:

“You don’t know yet, do you? Section Chief Jiang was reported for accepting bribes and has now been suspended for investigation.”

At this, she lowered her voice even further and whispered, “And it was actually Manager Qin who…”

“No way—” her companion’s face was full of surprise as she tugged at her, asking, “Where did you hear that? Is it reliable?”

Challenged, the girl immediately retorted, “Of course it’s reliable. My boyfriend works in a government department. They received the tip-off letter yesterday, and Section Chief Jiang was suspended that very afternoon!”

“Whoa!” The other person widened her eyes in astonishment. “Was it really Manager Qin? If something like this gets out, how will the company handle it?”

The girl smacked her lips and shook her head. “I don’t know. Manager Qin… after all, his surname is Qin… Who knows how the company will deal with it?”

“Who reported it, I wonder…”

“Who knows…”

The girl shrugged, and their hushed conversation gradually faded away in the pantry.

In the largest office on the same floor, Qin Zheng had just hung up the phone. The connection he had worked so hard to establish was severed just like that—not only had over a month of painstaking effort gone down the drain, but he was also covered in mud.

The timing of the anonymous tip-off was too coincidental. All the times he had been turned away before, and all the bridge-building he had done, had gone off without a hitch. Just as Section Chief Jiang’s attitude had finally softened and he was one step away from securing the project, it all collapsed.

Today, the chessboard he had set up so carefully was overturned in one fell swoop.

The person who sent that tip-off letter acted as if they were just waiting for him to step into the trap.

A knock sounded at the door.

Qin Zheng paused, his gaze turning icy as he looked at the person entering.

The visitor seemed not to notice his unwelcoming expression and sat directly across from him. Times had changed; although they were back in his office again, their roles were no longer what they used to be.

“Jian Yunchen,” Qin Zheng said. “You aren’t welcome here.”

Jian Yunchen curled his lips, leaned back in his chair, rested his chin on one hand, and tilted his head at him.

He wore a playful, teasing smile. “How cold. You weren’t like this the last time we met.”

Remembering their last meeting, Qin Zheng’s expression grew even colder. He fixed his gaze on Jian Yunchen, unable to help but scrutinize him.

If one were to say Jian Yunchen sent the tip-off letter, it didn’t seem likely.

He had never mentioned these matters to anyone, and looking at the demands Jian Yunchen had made of him, he didn’t seem like the type to send a tip-off letter either.

Thinking it over…

There was only one person left who was the most likely candidate.

Someone who both knew about his private dealings with Jiang Ming’an and didn’t want him to succeed in this partnership.

Ignoring Jian Yunchen’s ambiguous remark, he withdrew his gaze coldly. “Where is it?”

Jian Yunchen pulled a flash drive from his palm.

Qin Zheng frowned. “A flash drive? You put the database on a flash drive?”

Jian Yunchen let out a mocking laugh and tossed the flash drive across the room. The silver drive traced a graceful arc in the air. “Check the goods first. This is only a part of it. For the rest, I need to see your sincerity.”

Qin Zheng caught it with one hand, his lips pressed into a thin line. He plugged the drive into his computer, and sure enough, it contained a small fraction of the massive “Jiang Ming” medical database. With this, he could construct a sufficient model—it was that crucial final step.

The cold white light from the computer screen hit Qin Zheng’s face, making the subtle curl of his lips look bone-chillingly cold.

He stared fixedly at the computer screen, his hand sliding the mouse. Recalling Jian Yunchen’s demands, he added a touch of mockery to his voice: “I really have to admire you. To go to such lengths for a good-for-nothing like that.”

Jian Yunchen smiled faintly, his expression impenetrable. “That’s not something you need to worry about. You’d better think about how to fulfill your promise to me. If you deceive me…”

“Big brother will be very angry, you know.”

The final sentence was inexplicably profound.

Qin Zheng looked up at him and suddenly realized that Jian Yunchen’s smile looked exactly like a wild fox that had just tasted blood.

That look…

He felt a sudden jolt in his heart, an indescribable sense of peculiarity surrounding him.

Just then, the closed door was violently pushed open.

The person at the door stared at them for two seconds in shock, then abruptly strode forward and grabbed Jian Yunchen’s wrist.

Jian Yunchen looked up, eyes wide. In an instant, his face turned pale. He bit his lower lip tightly, trembling with fear. He glanced at Qin Zheng out of the corner of his eye, and Qin Zheng’s heart skipped a beat—a bad premonition arose.

“Brother…” he said timidly, his voice trembling. “Why are you here…?”

Jiang Yunhan gripped his wrist tighter, anger burning in his eyes. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing? Do you know what the consequences of your actions will be?”

Jian Yunchen was pulled to his feet. As Jiang Yunhan finished speaking, his eyes were already slightly red, yet he remained stubborn. “What did I do wrong? Dad doesn’t like me at all; he’s obsessed with pushing me off to Qin Mu… I agreed to help Qin Zheng get the database so he would help me. Only then could I possibly… marry into the Qin family…”

Tears fell from his reddened eyes as Jian Yunchen bit his lip and whimpered, “You don’t want me here either. Can’t I even find a way to leave the Jiang family myself?”

Finished, Jian Yunchen shook off his hand and turned to dash out.

Jiang Yunhan watched his departing silhouette, a trace of heartbreak crossing his eyes.

He lowered his head in desolation, looking at his own hand that had just been shaken off, his heart filled with bitterness.

“Xiao Han!” Qin Zheng called out to him.

Jiang Yunhan looked back and gave him a deep glare. Seeing the data still displayed on his computer, his despondent heart was instantly ignited by rage.

Clenching his back molars, he raised his hand and slapped Qin Zheng across the face.

The sharp sound of the slap drew the attention of everyone outside. Since the office door was left open, everything had occurred under the eyes of the staff.

“How could you manipulate my younger brother!” Jiang Yunhan’s voice trembled.

A visible red mark immediately appeared on Qin Zheng’s face. He turned his head and touched the spot; it burned with pain.

Putting it all together…

He realized it wasn’t him who had tricked Jian Yunchen.

It was Jian Yunchen who had tricked him yet again.

“You’ll stop at nothing for the sake of a project! First you used me to get close to Uncle Jiang, and then you coerced my brother into getting you that database. Is there anything you wouldn’t do?”

Jiang Yunhan’s eyes were bloodshot. The fury of being deceived and manipulated, combined with the fear of his brother’s ruin, sent his emotions to an unprecedented high.

“Qin Zheng! You truly disgust me!”

Qin Zheng could only listen to his accusations one after another, unable to offer a single word of rebuttal.

After speaking, Jiang Yunhan snatched the flash drive and turned to chase after his brother.

Qin Zheng was left alone in the office. He stared coldly down at the documents on his desk.

Suddenly, he grabbed the papers and smashed them against the door.

The loud thud of the impact suppressed all the gossip and prying eyes outside.

He swept a cold gaze over the crowd and asked, “Have you seen enough?”