Li Zhiyan took a deep breath, turned, and said to Sun Zhewen, who was sitting on the sofa, "Zhewen, I need you to help me. I want to take down Fengyun Group. I want those who hurt me to pay."
Sun Zhewen curled his lips in a cold smile. "Alright, our goals are basically the same. Since they want to drag me down too, then I won't be polite either." A hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. "If we're going to play, let's play together. We might as well die trying."
Li Zhiyan looked at Sun Zhewen, and felt a slight sense of relief. She knew Sun Zhewen was a reliable ally. Although they hadn't known each other long, it was clear that he was capable of anything when pushed. She leaned closer to Sun Zhewen and whispered, "Zhewen, I think we should start with Lixing Company, Fengyun Group's subsidiary. Maybe we can find what we need there."
Sun Zhewen raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the suggestion. "Lixing? Isn't that just a construction company?"
Li Zhiyan nodded, a glint of cunning in her eyes. "Yes, but what you don't know is that Lixing Company is actually an important cash flow point for Fengyun Group. If we can get a hold of Lixing Company's financial situation, we can find Fengyun Group's weaknesses."
Sun Zhewen's eyes lit up at the words. "Then what should we do?"
Li Zhiyan said, "Follow me." She went back to the bedroom and took a document from the space between the mattress and handed it to Sun Zhewen. "This is internal information from Lixing Company. It took me a lot of effort to get it. We can start from here and find their loopholes."
Sun Zhewen took the document, flipped through a few pages, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. "You're really amazing. But, we still need an insider to make our plan smoother."
Li Zhiyan nodded in agreement. "That's right, I already have someone in mind. Lin Xiaoya from Lixing Company's finance department. She's my college classmate and currently works there. I can contact her and try to get her help."
Sun Zhewen's brow relaxed slightly, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. "That's great. Xiaoya is smart and capable. With her help, our plan's chances of success will be even higher."
Li Zhiyan smiled. "Yes, Xiaoya is not only smart, but also very good at dealing with people. She's well-liked in the company and has good connections. With her on board, many things will become easier."
The two discussed for a while longer, finalizing the specific steps of their plan. Sun Zhewen returned to his room feeling pleased. His parents weren't staying there, so he didn't need to pretend to be a couple anymore. Entering the room, he picked up his phone from the bedside table and saw an unread text message.
The message was from Chen Qingyan: "I'll be reporting to Chengguan Town tomorrow."
Sun Zhewen looked at the message, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He didn't know what it meant, whether it was a gesture of reconciliation or a sign that the gap between them had widened. He hesitated for a moment and finally replied with a text: "Congratulations. I wish you a smooth start to your work."
At that moment, Chen Qingyan was alone at home. Liu Qunqi had gone off to who-knows-where with his latest fling. She was idly playing with her phone when she saw Sun Zhewen's message. She couldn't help but mutter, "Fool."
She was actually a little disappointed. She had hoped Sun Zhewen would say a little more, even ask about her current situation or express some concern about her job. However, his reply was short and cold, leaving her feeling a touch deflated.
Chen Qingyan put down her phone and walked to the window, gazing at the night view outside. The night was hazy, and the streetlights flickered. The tall buildings in the distance seemed particularly silent in the night.
The Women's Federation was full of women, and with women came gossip, and even more, backstabbing. These women spent their days together, and besides handling work matters, they also enjoyed chatting about family affairs: whose child had scored how many points, and whose husband was fooling around outside. Recently, their gossip target had been Sun Zhewen. Ever since Sun Zhewen had lost his backing, Liu Ruyue hadn't been paying him much attention either, and these women had started bossing him around, as if he had become their personal assistant.
In the office, several women were huddled together chatting.
"Xiao Li, have you heard? Chairman Liu is going to have the provincial Women's Federation chairman come to Jiangshan County for an inspection," Sister Wang said in a low voice, her face mysterious.
"Oh, I knew that a long time ago. I heard it was because of the domestic violence case last year; the province is very concerned about women's rights protection work in our area," Xiao Li nodded in agreement.
"Then, do you think Chairman Liu will take care of Xiao Sun? After all, he used to be a hotshot," Sister Zhang interjected, a hint of mockery in her eyes.
"Who knows? But, I see that Xiao Sun has been working hard lately, and Chairman Liu hasn't given him a good look," Sister Wang smiled and continued.
Just then, Liu Ruyue's office door suddenly opened, and she walked out, her eyes sweeping over the few people. Then, she said to Fang Ping, "Director Fang, call Sun Zhewen over here."
Fang Ping immediately jogged to Sun Zhewen's office and called out at the door, "Xiao Sun, Chairwoman Liu is looking for you."
Sun Zhewen was organizing documents. Upon hearing Fang Ping's call, his heart tightened. He knew that Liu Ruyue's summons was never good news. Since she took office, every time she called him, it was to assign tasks, and they were always the difficult ones.
He straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and walked towards Liu Ruyue's office. Along the way, he felt the gazes of the women focused on him, as if they were watching a good show.
Sun Zhewen arrived at the chairwoman's office and gently knocked on the door, still pondering today's work arrangements. A crisp voice came from inside, "Come in." He pushed the door open and saw Chairwoman Liu Ruyue busy stuffing files into her briefcase, her movements brisk and efficient.
"Chairwoman, you wanted to see me?" Sun Zhewen asked, with a hint of curiosity in his tone.
Liu Ruyue raised her head and looked at him with a firm gaze, "Yes, take the keys to the Jetta car and come with me to Wangshan Village."
As soon as he heard the words "Wangshan Village," Sun Zhewen immediately understood a few things. He wasn't stupid; he was also one of the participants in the Jiang Mei domestic violence case in Wangshan Village. "Alright, I'll go right away." He quickly turned and left the office, but his mind began to calculate the various possibilities of this trip.
He went directly to Fang Ping's office, knocked on the door, and poked his head in, "Director Fang, the Chairwoman asked me to take her out, and she needs to use the Jetta car."
Fang Ping was buried in a pile of paperwork when she heard the question. She raised her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Remember to record the mileage, okay? Where are you going?"
"Wangshan Village," Sun Zhewen replied, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"Ah, over there..." Fang Ping frowned slightly, as if recalling something. "Xiao Sun, is it because of Jiang Mei's case?"
"Probably. That's the only case like that that's happened in the last couple of years," Sun Zhewen nodded, but his heart began to pound.