Chapter Nine: The Stratagem

“Oh? What kind of way?” Lin Peishi was momentarily stunned, unable to grasp his meaning.

“Have you ever heard of 'dog eat dog'? Think about it—if we hand things over now, what do you suppose will happen when their interests are threatened?”

“Desperate measures?” Lin Peishi asked.

“Exactly, that's right. They'll resort to desperate measures. And what we're dealing with is merely some financial loopholes; they can’t be used as real evidence. Anything truly useful, like invoices, has likely already been quietly destroyed.”

“If we rashly turn this over to the authorities, we might gain nothing and instead alert them, forcing them to turn against us. Without concrete proof, these are only supporting pieces of evidence.” Shu Yiming shook his head and laughed quietly.

“You make a valid point. But if these people keep going as they are, even your family's wealth might not last much longer,” Lin Peishi smiled, suddenly finding herself intrigued by the man before her.

Shu Yiming remained silent, only smiling. He lifted his hand and gently patted her shoulder, saying, “Go on. I still need to think carefully about this. For now, keep your head down at work—don’t show your claws. This isn’t the moment to strike back.”

Lin Peishi nodded, suddenly enlightened. She finally understood why her mentor had urged her to act discreetly—there was a deeper reason behind it.

She left work late that night; she could have finished at five, but didn’t leave until ten. Yet the effort was worth it—she managed to quietly preserve many pieces of evidence she hadn’t yet had time to deal with, all tucked away on a USB drive in her bag.

Of course, she did everything without leaving a trace; anyone unaware would have thought she was simply familiarizing herself with her duties.

But as she left the company building, a shadowy figure followed her.

Wu Jun had used his own methods to discover that the person Shu Yiming was so pleased with was Lin Peishi. He waited at the company entrance and began trailing her as soon as she appeared.

Lin Peishi got out of the car and headed toward her dormitory; she had chosen to live there due to some family conflict and for convenience. The only thing she disliked was the long alley she had to pass through to get from the dormitory to the company.

As soon as she entered the alley, she sensed footsteps behind her. Terrified, she immediately pulled out her phone and instinctively sent a message to Shu Yiming.

“Where are you? If I get into trouble on the way home, does it count as a workplace injury?” After sending the message, she shared her location.

She quickened her pace.

Wu Jun soon caught up, prompting Lin Peishi to run frantically, but he seized her arm in the end.

“Ah, don’t touch me! If you want money, I can give it to you. I have money—I can take you to get it right now!” Lin Peishi was miserable; what an unlucky day.

In the corner by the wall, Shu Yiming was chuckling at the message on his phone when Ouyang Zhu nudged his arm, “He’s gone too far! Should we intervene?”

Ouyang Zhu had tracked Wu Jun early on and anticipated his intentions, so he had called Shu Yiming and they’d been waiting there.

“Wait!” Shu Yiming felt nervous, though he couldn’t quite say for whom.

“Alright!”

Wu Jun glanced at Lin Peishi and snorted, “What do you think I’m up to? Let me take a few pictures and I’ll let you go!”

He reached out, attempting to pull at her clothes.

“No, I have money—a lot of money!” Lin Peishi was terrified, fumbling in her bag for a card. “Three hundred thousand—there’s three hundred thousand here. If it’s not enough, I’ll get more for you.”

Wu Jun had planned to settle things immediately, but when she said there was three hundred thousand on the card, he snatched it and stuffed it in his pocket.

“You’re quite sensible, aren’t you? So, do you have any other cards? Give them all to me, and maybe I’ll consider letting you go!”

He sneered—this alley was deserted. He’d take the money first and deal with her later.

“Yes, there’s another card—this one has a hundred thousand.”

“Heh, you’re really naïve. But tonight, I really want something else.” Wu Jun finished speaking, laughing lasciviously as he reached for her again.

“Hurry, go!” Seeing this, Shu Yiming grew anxious, disregarding any concern for evidence, and rushed forward with Ouyang Zhu.

The sound of hurried footsteps startled Wu Jun. He bolted toward a nearby house, not daring to look back.

Lin Peishi sobbed uncontrollably, but in the next moment, she was enveloped in a warm embrace.

Instinctively, she looked up and, illuminated by the glow of her phone, saw Shu Yiming’s face.

“It’s alright now, it’s alright,” Shu Yiming murmured, guilt and remorse in his voice, gently patting Lin Peishi’s back.

“Alright, get home quickly. This alley really isn’t safe. Hey, Yiming, does your company not provide accommodation?” Ouyang Zhu teased as he organized the documents in his hands.

The evidence had already been sent off. Robbery—thirty thousand—was enough to land Wu Jun in serious trouble.

After escorting Lin Peishi home, Shu Yiming’s mood was far from good. Though Wu Jun’s matter was resolved and he likely wouldn’t have the nerve to lure him abroad, being busy escaping instead, Shu Yiming felt no sense of satisfaction—only emptiness. He took two bottles of liquor, sat on the balcony, smoked and drank, lost in tangled thoughts.

…

Early the next morning, Jinghan appeared in Shu Yiming’s office, cheeks puffed with anger and a look of displeasure.

“Brother, I heard what happened yesterday. You owe me an explanation. Peishi is someone I worked hard to recruit. Why not let her stay at our house?” Jinghan planted her hands firmly on his desk, exuding authority.

Without even looking up, Shu Yiming nodded, “Alright. But I’m telling you now—you’ll have to come work here too. That’s the only way I’ll agree.”

Jinghan was actually a very capable girl, with a real talent for this field. In his previous life, Shu Yiming had protected her so well that she lacked confidence; though she studied management, she never dared to enter the company, afraid of disgracing him.

“Huh? Me?”

Jinghan hesitated; her brother had always told her to prioritize her studies.

“Mm! What’s wrong, afraid? Your Peishi needs an assistant. I don’t trust anyone else—someone might bully her. She’s too straightforward.”

Mentioning it brought Shu Yiming a headache—her personality needed some tempering, or she’d suffer for it later.

Hearing she’d be Peishi’s assistant, Jinghan grinned and nodded. “Fine, you said it! From now on, you’ll pick us up and drop us off for work. And since I’m still in school, you can’t blame me for missing clock-ins during class!”