The July sun was far fiercer than June’s. Wang Cheng had grown up in the mountains and was not quite used to city weather, but he would have to adapt.
By the time he got off the bus, the heat had already left him somewhat dizzy. The whole way there, he had been considering a very serious question: should he find himself a free driver, or should he go get a driver’s license of his own?
When he arrived at the company, Wang Cheng immediately sensed that the atmosphere was a little different.
Tang Sisi had actually arrived early for once. Had he come in late? Wang Cheng turned to check the clock on the wall. No, he was not late. She really had come early.
Wang Cheng returned to his seat and ran his fingers along the edge of the desk. His eyes swept over the items on top. Nothing showed on his face, but surprise flashed through his mind. Someone had touched his things.
Tang Sisi looked the most suspicious, but she did not seem to have any reason to go through his belongings. Then who had? After thinking it over, he felt he might be making too much of it. Nothing was missing. Maybe Li Yu or one of the others had come looking for some documents and moved things around while searching.
That afternoon, a courier brought a package to the company.
Tang Sisi happened to be in the pantry instead of at the reception desk, so Wang Cheng went over to sign for it. He looked at the recipient’s name and was startled to discover the package was addressed to him, yet he did not recognize the sender’s name at all.
Wang Cheng was puzzled. If it was not from anyone he knew, why had someone sent him a package? He wanted to open it on the spot and see what was inside before signing for it, but the courier’s expression suddenly changed.
“Sir, what are you doing?”
“Can’t I open it and take a look before I sign?” Wang Cheng looked at him in surprise.
“Well…” The courier was left speechless.
“I can’t?” Wang Cheng asked again.
“No. Please sign for it as soon as possible. I’m in a hurry and still have another delivery to make.” The courier seemed to think of something and immediately answered.
Wang Cheng smiled and suddenly stopped caring about opening the package right away. “Are you kidding me? Isn’t delivering packages to me your job? Now I’m supposed to accommodate you? And why can’t I look at it before signing? I’ve never bought anything online, but even an idiot knows you shouldn’t casually accept something of unknown origin. You’re in such a hurry to make me sign for this package. Is there some secret you don’t want anyone to know?”
The courier’s face turned ugly. Then he did something Wang Cheng had not expected: he snatched the package back and ran. An elevator happened to open at that moment. By the time Wang Cheng went over to look, the man had already taken it downstairs.
“What happened?” Tang Sisi walked over carrying a cup of tea. Her smile looked much more self-assured than it had a few days ago. Whether she had finally thought things through or something else had happened, Wang Cheng could not tell.
“Nothing.” Wang Cheng had no desire to explain much to her.
Tang Sisi watched him walk away and suddenly frowned. After returning to her seat, she made a phone call.
Wang Cheng was not about to simply forget the package. When Zhang Yiheng came looking for him, Wang Cheng told him what had happened. The courier’s behavior had been strange enough to raise suspicion, and Wang Cheng had no intention of letting someone scheme against him.
Zhang Yiheng said he understood and told Wang Cheng not to worry. The package’s origin could be traced, and Changhe Building had surveillance cameras almost everywhere. Finding out who the man was would be simple.
Wang Cheng thought that made sense, so he told Zhang Yiheng the name of the courier company he had seen. When quitting time came, he left work. He still did not manage to catch a ride home that day. Then something else strange happened. Just as he was nearing Ningjing Residential Complex, a peculiar middle-aged man suddenly rushed over, grabbed him, said several bizarre things, and ran off. Wang Cheng genuinely had not understood a word. It was like someone who knew absolutely no English being confronted by a foreigner speaking nothing but English.
The next day, he finally learned why.
Fang Tian suddenly rushed in carrying a newspaper, shouting that something terrible had happened. “Information about our project has leaked.”
The moment Wang Cheng heard that, he knew it really was serious.
Huaying Real Estate was currently right in the spotlight. Plenty of real-estate companies were waiting to catch them making a mistake or simply watch them embarrass themselves. Now that something like this had happened, those companies would certainly spare no effort attacking Huaying Real Estate. The resort had not even been completed yet. If the fallout was serious enough, the whole project could end up collapsing.
Businesspeople chased profit. Crushing competitors by any means necessary for the sake of their own interests was common in the industry. Without connections, backing, money, and luck, a company could not survive. Wang Cheng’s eldest brother, Wang Ning’an, was a perfect example. He had ability and brains, yet his company had still been forced to close because of a major player in the industry. That was reality.
Before long, everyone in the company had gathered in the conference room, including Wang Cheng and Tang Sisi.
Chu Yifeng arrived once everyone else was there.