Bai Chen left, promising he would prepare a whole range of self-defense supplies, including protective suits, body armor, and electric batons.
The two villas were practically torn down and rebuilt. All the walls were refitted with soundproof and heat-insulating materials. A power generation room and a water purification room were set up together. Countless pinhole cameras were installed inside and out, their signals broadcast on a private, independent channel someone had been hired to set up.
The outer perimeter wall was reinforced and fitted with camouflaging materials, and it also had a retractable shield.
The courtyard had been completely redone. The expensive and rare flowers were transplanted into her pocket dimension, and the yard was now a thriving vegetable farm, with chickens, ducks, and a fishpond on the side.
An air-raid-style shelter had been dug underground, stocked with enough food and water, as well as basic medical equipment and protective gear.
Although they could use the pocket dimension, only three people could access it freely. To prevent any mishaps, the villas were always stocked with fresh ingredients and medicine. Worst-case scenario, they could just move the items into the dimension right before they expired.
If they weren’t running out of time, the Bai family would have wanted to build a large-scale shelter for all their company’s employees.
For now, Mr. Bai was holding down the fort at the Bai Group, while Bai Xi began using the little bun in her arms to "screen for true friends."
The Bai Group headquarters was a 99-story skyscraper. Every floor was serviced by ten public elevators and a private one for the president.
Just inspecting the company took several days, and Bai Yunyun fell asleep in her mother’s arms on multiple occasions.
In the original story’s limited plot, Bai Xi had only managed to root out ten useless moles and identify five promising future talents by relying on Ye Yunyun’s inner voice.
After completing her task, Bai Yunyun should have gotten some much-needed rest, but she was "borrowed" by Bai Jiao instead.
The little cub was yawning nonstop as they headed out today.
Now free from her past love-addled state, Bai Xi’s formidable capabilities had returned.
She quickly hired a private investigator to gather evidence of their financial crimes and then met with each of them one-on-one.
They tried to play the sympathy card, but Bai Xi spoke first.
She stated that since they had been with the company for many years, they deserved credit for their hard work, if not for their achievements. If they compensated for the company’s losses this time, the company would not press charges.
The wary looks on their faces vanished, their eyes crinkling into smiling slits. They thought Bai Xi was just some soft-hearted, easily manipulated young woman.
He started to hem and haw. "I get it, I understand. It’s just... that’s a huge sum of money. I can’t come up with it all at once. How about I pay you back in installments? A little at a time?"
Bai Xi gathered her files without looking up. "Fine. You can pay in installments: tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that. Otherwise, in three days, I’m handing this evidence over to the authorities and the police department, and I’ll be notifying the board to get their public relations team ready."
"Hey, no need to be so hasty. We can talk about this. Does your father know you’re being so reckless?" he said, his tone turning preachy. "When you manage a company, you have to learn to turn a blind eye."
Bai Xi said, "In that case, you can go discuss it with my father right now."
She gestured for him to leave and proceeded to call in the next person.
’Originally, I was going to give them an "iron rice bowl" for life—in prison. But with the apocalypse coming, we’re short on liquid cash for stockpiling supplies. Making them cough up the money first is more important. Besides, prisons are heavily guarded and easy to defend. They’d make convenient bases in the apocalypse. Sending them there might actually be doing them a favor.’
Bai Xi didn’t finish her work until nightfall. By then, nearly everyone had gone home, leaving only the night-shift security staff.
Overtime wasn’t common practice at the Bai Group. With the apocalyptic alarm bell about to toll, the company had gone even further, switching to a six-hour workday and a three-day weekend in the hopes that employees would have more time to spend with their families.
She was heading to the restroom to wash her face when she happened to run into Li Tan.
’My brother didn’t take Li Tan on his business trip. Looks like he plans on setting a trap for him here at headquarters.’
Bai Xi feigned ignorance and walked over to greet him. "Li Tan, what are you doing here?"
Li Tan took the initiative, asking, "What brings the Young Miss to the 6th floor today?"
Bai Xi smiled. "We’re not at home, no need for ’Young Miss.’ You can just call me Vice President Bai."
"I was here today handling some personnel changes. Dug up a few traitorous dogs who’ve been selling out the company."
Li Tan’s eyelid twitched. "You seem to be in a good mood, Vice President Bai. I take it you’ve dealt with them?"
"I have," Bai Xi said, feigning curiosity. "What about you? Why are you here? Didn’t you go on the business trip with my brother?"
Li Tan answered, "It’s for the entertainment division. Mr. Bai has acquired the rights to a foreign show and wants to combine it with a local format to launch a hit reality show with regular people. I stayed behind to handle the details."
’And steal the project proposal and internal data while you’re at it, right?’
Bai Xi just smiled, saying nothing. ’The rights to that show were indeed purchased, but not by the Bai Group. They were bought by a shell company Bai Jiao set up back when he was a university student with a startup.’
’The core data was also fabricated by Bai Jiao. The show is being revised, but it’s a complete overhaul. The real core data is already sealed away.’
After bidding farewell to Li Tan and saying hello to the security guard at the entrance, Bai Xi could finally head home.
The Bai family had all moved into a luxury residential complex, not far from the home Bai Xi shared with Ye Jun.
Bai Xi then remembered the surveillance cameras she had installed.
She sat in the back seat of the car and opened her phone.
Ye Jun and the neighbor were wrapped around each other on the living room sofa.
Their voices drifted over from time to time.
"Brother Ye, do you think she’s noticed something? The house is so empty."
"Focus. Don’t overthink things, hmm? That stupid woman is still wrapped around my little finger."
"It’s probably because that little brat is scared of unfamiliar surroundings, so she moved everything out. Look, the housekeeper who cooks us gourmet meals every day? She hired her. Does that look like someone who’s gotten a clue?"
The two of them burst out laughing.
The woman said coquettishly, "Brother Ye, I’m not rich like she is. You can’t abandon me."
"Don’t worry. You gave me a son. You’re the greatest contributor to our family!"
Bai Xi closed her phone and shut her eyes, composing herself.
She had thought she could face it with indifference, but seeing it with her own eyes brought an indescribable heartache.
Her relationship with Ye Jun had been an accident from the start.
During a class team-building event, she had a bit too much to drink. Drunk and dazed, she stumbled into the wrong room and spent a fleeting, dreamlike night with a stranger.
When she sobered up slightly in the middle of the night, she felt her way out in the dark and found her own room.
If not for the undeniable marks on her body when she woke up the next day, she would have dismissed the whole thing as a dream.
The team-building event was held at a small venue. Since everyone in the club was splitting the cost, the price was cheap, and the quality of service was... memorable. The hallway in the lodging area didn’t have motion-sensor lights, only manual switches you had to find and flip yourself.
Bai Xi went to check the security footage, but it was pitch-black.
Of all the classmates at the event that day, Ye Jun was the only man, and his room hadn’t been far from hers.
Bai Xi went straight to Ye Jun and questioned him indirectly. To her surprise, he admitted it openly and apologized sincerely.
They started spending more time together, and Bai Xi discovered that Ye Jun was considerate, gentle, refined, and very ambitious.
And so, she fell deeper and deeper in love.