Jiang Zhou’s words completely shattered Liu Tao’s mental defenses. The psychological resolve he had managed to build up earlier vanished without a trace under her gaze.
“Lu Shen threatened me with my mother’s illness. He said if I didn’t follow his orders, he’d have me blacklisted from the industry so I’d never find another job…” Liu Tao deflated, finally spilling the truth.
From the very beginning, Liu Tao had been a mole planted in the Shangzhou Games by Lu Shen to steal secrets and cause disruption. However, because his technical skills weren’t exceptional, he was never chosen as a core member, which limited the damage he could do.
After World launched, Liu Tao had essentially lost his utility. He couldn’t poach the real talent, and he wasn’t privy to confidential files. He was effectively discarded.
But then, Jiang Zhou announced a new project group. Liu Tao was selected, putting him back on Lu Shen’s radar. He began taking “blood money” to leak bits of data from the new project. Between the high salary from Shangzhou and the spy fees from Lu Shen, he managed to afford the best hospital for his mother’s first surgery.
“Lu Shen originally approached me to buy my life for five million. If I jumped, that money would be sent to my mother’s card as a ‘donation from a kind benefactor’ to cover her treatment…” Liu Tao’s eyes reddened. “My mother’s follow-up treatment is about one million. With the salary here, it would take me three years to save that, but the hospital is pressing for payment. I was hesitating.”
Jiang Zhou listened patiently, noticing the firefighters creeping up from the other side out of the corner of her eye. She kept him talking. “And then you agreed?”
Liu Tao shook his head. “While I was hesitating, the company suddenly announced the double salary for three months. I felt like I could make it on my own, so I refused Lu Shen…”
“So he stopped using bribes and started using threats. He said if I didn’t do it, he’d report me for leaking trade secrets and send me to prison. If I go to jail, my mother won’t survive…” Liu Tao began to sob. If there was a way to live, who would choose to die?
“Did Lu Shen contact you personally?” Jiang Zhou asked casually, her hand in her pocket.
“No, it was another person, but I know it was him. No one else would do this.”
“I see.” Jiang Zhou nodded toward the approaching firefighter. Her tone softened. “Actually, this is easily solved. You can borrow money from the company. Given your position, the company can grant you an interest-free loan of one million for five years.”
“Really?” Liu Tao froze, a flicker of hope in his eyes. “Then… would you forgive me, President Jiang?”
Jiang Zhou gave him a small smile. Before she could answer, the firefighter lunged forward, locking Liu Tao securely between his arms and the railing.
As for forgiveness—Jiang Zhou was no saint. Even if Liu Tao was a pitiable victim of blackmail, a mistake was a mistake. Some things had to be handled eventually. If she hadn’t isolated these moles in a “special project” early on, who knows what chaos they might have caused.
Once Liu Tao was safely pulled back, the crisis ended. He was taken away by the police for questioning.
“Everyone,” Jiang Zhou said, narrowing her eyes at the crowd of onlookers. “Until the police release an official statement, I hope no one spreads rumors. Especially those of you filming with your phones just to watch the world burn. I hope my company has fewer people like that in the future. Understood?”
She didn’t spell it out, but anyone who wanted to keep their job knew exactly what she meant.
…
“Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?”
As soon as Jiang Zhou got downstairs, she was swept into Xia Shang’s arms. The CEO had rushed over as soon as she heard.
“I’m fine. The police took him for investigation.” Jiang Zhou patted Xia Shang’s back. “I just let him vent for a bit until the firefighters could grab him.”
Xia Shang pulled back, inspecting her from head to toe. “As long as you’re okay. Next time, don’t go alone.”
“I thought it wasn’t a big deal, and you were in a mee—” Jiang Zhou caught the shift in Xia Shang’s expression and immediately swallowed the rest of her sentence. “Alright. Next time, I’ll tell you everything and we’ll discuss it. No running off on my own.”
Only then did Xia Shang’s face relax. “No next time.”
“Understood,” Jiang Zhou replied obediently.
The employees nearby, who had just witnessed a suicide attempt, were now forced to witness a massive display of public affection. It was enough “dog food” to keep them full for a week.
…
“Liu Tao was taken by the police?” Lu Shen’s hand trembled as he held his cigarette. “What happened? Didn’t you convince him?”
“Apologies. There were unexpected circumstances,” the assistant lowered his head. His methods usually worked, but Liu Tao had been a fluke.
“Unexpected circumstances?” Lu Shen smashed his ashtray onto the floor. “Is the trail clean? Will he rat me out?”
“Based on his personality, he won’t tell the police everything. He’ll likely just say he was under temporary mental distress.”
“And the scene? Was anyone there?” Lu Shen frowned.
“He has no evidence; no money was transferred to his account. As for the scene, our other two plants sent back video clips. They contain useful material.” The assistant handed over a USB drive.
Lu Shen opened the files. His expression improved. The footage showed Liu Tao outside the railing, shouting accusations about Shangzhou Games and Jiang Zhou “forcing” him. With the right editing, it was perfect.
“Is there full footage?” Lu Shen asked.
“After that, it was a private conversation between Jiang Zhou and Liu Tao. No one else could hear what they said.”
“Fine. Go pull some strings. Make sure Liu Tao doesn’t say anything he shouldn’t.” Lu Shen pinched his brow. Liu Tao was a burnt bridge. What was next? Should he use a direct physical approach? No, if anything happened to Jiang Zhou now, all eyes would be on him. He needed to be careful.
…
Liu Tao was indeed a coward. He had confessed to Jiang Zhou because he feared her ruthlessness even more than Lu Shen’s. But at the station, he regained some clarity. He couldn’t afford to offend either side. He told the police it was just the stress of his mother’s medical bills.
“You mentioned earlier you were under pressure from Jiang Zhou and the company?” the officer asked.
Liu Tao bit his lip. “No… the benefits are great. They just doubled our salary… it was just… me. I was afraid of the future.”
He didn’t dare name Lu Shen, nor did he dare frame Jiang Zhou. He was terrified. He never should have agreed to be an industrial spy. He should have just stuck to coding and traded his hair for money like everyone else.
Since he hadn’t technically committed a crime, the police let him go after a psychiatric evaluation.
As soon as he got home, his phone rang. He looked around nervously, locked the door, and answered.
“Hello? Are you looking for me?” his voice shook.
“Did you say anything you shouldn’t have at the station?” a raspy voice asked.
“No, nothing. I said I was just depressed…” Liu Tao whispered. According to the plan, he was supposed to smear Jiang Zhou’s name.
“Keep your mouth shut if you want your mother to be safe. If I hear anything I don’t like, you know what happens.”
…
Once he confirmed Liu Tao wouldn’t talk, Lu Shen made his move. The edited video of Liu Tao’s accusations was quickly pushed to the top of the trending topics by marketing accounts.
#ShangzhouGamesBossOppressesStaffLeadingToSuicideAttempt# #BlackHearted996BossDrivesStaffToTheEdge#
Netizens began to buzz. Some were skeptical, but many were quick to condemn the “unscrupulous” business practices.
“Why are some people so persistent?” Jiang Zhou clicked her tongue at the screen. Did she really look like such an easy target?
She logged into her verified account and uploaded the full, unedited video she had obtained from the police. It showed her rebutting Liu Tao’s claims and remained silent during their private whisper, but it clearly recorded the entire sequence of events.