"You have a point," An Jing said, puzzled. "The situation with this bid has become so strange. What is Huangfu Group really up to? I really can't figure it out."
"No matter what, we'll stick to our plan and proceed according to normal procedures," Tianyi also sensed the underlying currents.
Huangfu Group's bid felt like a swamp shrouded in thick fog, making him want to stay away with a bad premonition.
However, withdrawing from the bid now would be unacceptable to his colleagues in the network department. They had to continue, and Huangfu Group would eventually reveal its true intentions.
...
Today, Susu received a call from Kang Xi at the studio.
Kang Xi informed her that the police would prosecute Yu Wei for intentional assault and had found no evidence related to Yang Shasha.
No matter how the investigating officer interrogated Yu Wei, he insisted it was his own doing, motivated by business disputes with Xie Zhendong.
Since the police found no further reason to question him, and the charges and evidence chain were complete, they had to initiate prosecution.
Susu knew Kang Xi had done his best upon hearing this. For now, Yang Shasha could not be brought to justice.
She returned home from work, masking her unhappy mood. Later that night, Tianyi asked her, "What's wrong today? Did something make you unhappy?"
"It's nothing, just a bit tired," Susu said, turning over and facing away from him as if to sleep.
Tianyi forcibly turned her back to face him and said, "Every time you act like this, it means you're hiding something from me. What happened?"
Susu pouted and said, "I'm in a bad mood, and I don't want to talk about it."
"If you tell me, I can share the burden, and maybe you'll feel better," Tianyi said, lying down and smiling at her, preventing her from turning away again.
Susu finally told him. She had told Kang Xi about Yang Sijie's child and that Yu Wei had been instructed by Shasha, but Shasha still couldn't be brought to justice.
Yu Wei had confessed and would likely be imprisoned soon.
Tianyi looked at her, his expression unreadable. "So you've been busy with this all along, and you're still feeling guilty about Zhan Jiayi's matter."
"Knowing she's harming others, and we do nothing. I really can't stand by and do nothing," Susu said.
Tianyi turned over and lay on his back, sighing. "Actually, it's very simple to bring Shasha to justice. Publicize how her child came to be. The Xie family won't forgive her, and she'll be cornered. Aren't you afraid of not finding evidence of her crimes?"
Susu had considered what Tianyi said, but because of the child, she couldn't bring herself to be so ruthless. She asked, "Then, after she's brought to justice, what happens to Yang Sijie's child? He's no longer the heir to the Xie Corporation, and he'll have to live with this identity forever, unable to live a normal life."
"Then what's the difference between you and Shasha? You want both the fish and the bear's paw. It's better to just not get involved," Tianyi said sharply and to the point.
Susu sat up abruptly, her mood worsening. "I'm an accomplice to Shasha, aren't I? You think so too?"
Tianyi immediately tugged at her. "I didn't mean that. Don't be angry. Actually, you don't need to feel guilty. This is a case of dogs fighting dogs. Think about it, the Xie family isn't easy to deal with. Shasha has done so many bad things in their family, they won't be suspicious. From Xie Zhendong making Shasha give up custody of the child, you can see that the Xie family has been guarding against her."
Susu thought about it and agreed. Jie Jie had become the sole heir of the Xie family, yet Xie Zhendong still resorted to this move, showing he had been wary of Shasha from the start.
Seeing that she was no longer angry and had fallen silent, Tianyi continued to pull her, telling her to lie down. "I think after Xie Zhendong's accident, Shasha won't be able to maintain her disguise for much longer. You don't need to worry; the Xie family will expose her."
Susu felt she shouldn't have lost her temper with Tianyi earlier. "I'm sorry, I was overthinking. I just..."
"It's alright, I know you're kind-hearted. You don't need to explain to me, I understand," Tianyi embraced her and kissed her forehead. "Go to sleep, and don't think about these things anymore."
Susu nestled into his embrace and hummed in agreement.
...
Zhao Jianhua had already told Huangfu Sishu about some of the loopholes in Xie Corporation and some things he knew.
However, he still hadn't received a firm commitment from the other party, specifically a promise that his network company would win this bid.
Tonight, Huangfu Sishu was having dinner with him and wanted to extract more information about Xie Corporation from him.
He deliberately didn't fall into the trap, saying nothing of substance. Changing the subject, he asked Huangfu Sishu familiarly, "Brother Huangfu, the inside information I've given you is enough to shake Xie's stock price. But you promised me something, yet you haven't given me any commitment. Are you playing me?"
"My dear brother, please don't think that," Huangfu Sishu said, lowering his stance. "Is the fact that your network company passed the review not our sincerity? Moreover, my elder brother and I have agreed that as long as your bid proposal is the most outstanding in this tender, you will definitely win."
Zhao Jianhua said confidently, "Although my network company was established not long ago, its technical personnel are top-notch. There will be absolutely no problem with that."
"That's good, that's good," Huangfu Sishu reminded him. "But I have seen Aoxiang Group's preliminary proposal. Their thinking and solutions in this area are internationally leading. It's truly a brilliant proposal."
"Aoxiang Group?" Zhao Jianhua understood. "You mean they will be my biggest competitor in this bid?"
"You could say that," Huangfu Sishu said with a smile. "I'm revealing something I shouldn't be. You know, for a large group like ours, since it's an open tender, we have to make people accept it convincingly on the surface."
Zhao Jianhua downed a glass of wine in one go, thinking resentfully that Qin Tianyi and Xiao Anjing were once again sabotaging him.
After finishing his drink, he said to Huangfu Sishu, "You haven't seen my preliminary proposal yet, so how can you be sure their proposal is the best? I will prepare and submit my preliminary proposal to you as soon as possible."
"Okay, I will definitely forward it to my elder brother," Huangfu Sishu said with feigned flattery. "You are so confident in your network company's technology, you are sure to win."
Zhao Jianhua knew Huangfu Sishu was being evasive, but he understood one thing: Huangfu Group was interested in Aoxiang's preliminary proposal.
This time, he was willing to betray Xie Zhendong to secure this project from Huangfu Group, and he couldn't let Qin Tianyi and the others ruin his plans again.
He had helped Qin Tianyi and the others with the previous shipment. This time, he wanted to invite Qin Tianyi out, preferably to resolve things peacefully and ask them not to compete with him anymore.
With this thought, he had a plan in mind.