Xiao Xun clutched his phone tightly, wanting to throw it away, but the phone was not at fault.
He looked at the news app. The front page reported this matter: a dead person mysteriously "resurrected," with a shocking conspiracy hidden behind it.
The detailed content stated that Lei Wenxi had killed her best friend, then disguised her own corpse, and colluded with others to frame Xiao Xun, aiming to obtain a large sum of compensation. Unexpectedly, Xiao Xun did not go along with it, so they resorted to framing him. Moreover, the police apprehended her on a boat attempting to smuggle her out of the country.
There were detailed reports and interviews with relevant personnel. Although their faces were blurred, Xiao Xun still recognized the person in handcuffs being interviewed as his former assistant, Lei Wenxi.
From the lens, Lei Wenxi appeared very haggard; it was unclear what torment she had endured before her arrest.
Xiao Xun became even more fearful. These people acted faster, more ruthlessly, more unscrupulously, and were more resourceful than the police.
Although Xiao Xun understood that the truth of the matter was far more complex than this, achieving this level of manipulation was already beyond ordinary capabilities. For anyone else, the outcome would likely have been a quick death.
Although Xiao Xun had resigned, Sheng Di Luoman's public relations team still leveraged this incident to urge netizens not to follow the crowd blindly but to exercise their own judgment, not to become accomplices to the real culprits, and especially not to be keyboard warriors.
Because they had spoken up for Xiao Xun from the beginning, it was equivalent to speaking for justice, earning them much approval and support from netizens, greatly boosting their favorability and gaining countless followers.
Returning to the reserved parking lot for the bidding conference, Xiao Xun, with nothing else to do, was looking at the news on his phone.
Just then, an acquaintance walked past his car. He thought for a long time without recalling who it was, then he tried hard to remember, "It's the boss of Jin Hulu Net Bar. What is he doing here?"
He hadn't seen him since that day he drove him to the parking lot.
Beside the net bar owner was another person Xiao Xun didn't recognize. However, from their appearance, the person didn't seem like a good sort. The net bar owner appeared subservient to him, as if afraid of offending him.
A moment later, Xiao Xun's phone rang. It was Mu Jiahe calling.
"Hello! Where are you?"
Her voice sounded unhappy. It wasn't clear who had offended her. "I'm in the parking lot."
"Why are you parked there? Didn't I tell you I'd be out shortly? Come to the main entrance to pick me up." After speaking, Mu Jiahe hung up.
Xiao Xun quickly started the car and drove towards the main entrance. "Strange, which lunatic offended her? Truly doesn't know the meaning of death."
When the car reached the location, Secretary Gao opened the car door. After Mu Jiahe got in, she said to Xiao Xun, "Drive."
Xiao Xun nodded at Secretary Gao and saw that Secretary Gao's expression was also very grim.
As the car moved forward, Xiao Xun cautiously asked, "Ms. Mu, should we return to the company first, or go somewhere else?"
"Let's go back to the company!"
Her tone sounded very tired, as if she had something unhappy that had taken a toll on her.
"What happened?"
Xiao Xun finally asked.
Mu Jiahe opened the armrest refrigerator, took nothing out, and closed it again.
"The group company spent many days preparing the bid proposal, and all aspects were handled. The entire budget was approved. However, at the bidding site, another company won the bid."
Seeing Mu Jiahe's angry expression, Xiao Xun asked her, "Which company is it? Perhaps I can help a bit."
Mu Jiahe held up a hand and said stiffly, "Stop. I accept that we didn't win the bid. Don't use your abilities for such a small matter. They are investigating so strictly now. What if they catch you? Forget it!"
Xiao Xun quickly explained, "I don't need hacker technology. I just want to know which company is so capable that they could snatch our bid."
"It's Chenzhi Investment Guarantee Company. They have no strength at all. Who doesn't know they are a bunch of loan sharks? It's truly bizarre that they managed to win the bid."
Xiao Xun thought for a moment, "Isn't this Lingchuan Investment Guarantee Company in the office building not far from our company?"
Mu Jiahe shook her head. "I only know it's within the financial district area, but I don't know the specific location. It's a failure in my work. I didn't expect a 'dark horse' to suddenly appear."
Hearing Mu Jiahe say this, Xiao Xun didn't think much of it.
It was indeed a pity that days of manpower and resources were wasted, but the business world was like a battlefield. Victory and defeat were common occurrences. One couldn't expect all good things to be yours.
Upon returning to the company, Mu Jiahe opened the car door and said to Xiao Xun, "I have another meeting to attend. Figure out your path forward yourself. You can go out for a stroll, but don't wander too far."
Looking at Mu Jiahe's retreating back, Xiao Xun suddenly called out, "Wait."
Mu Jiahe stopped and turned to look at him. "Is there something else?"
Xiao Xun originally had something to say, but upon being asked by Mu Jiahe, he suddenly forgot.
Mu Jiahe smiled. "Then tell me when you remember."
Seeing Mu Jiahe reach the elevator, Xiao Xun got out of the car and shouted, "I remember now! My case has been dismissed, and I am a truly free person now."
Mu Jiahe waved her hand. "Then congratulations, my free man. See you after work."
As the elevator doors slowly closed, Xiao Xun's excited heart also calmed down.
He returned to the car. "So, what should I do next?"
After thinking for a while, he had no idea. He started the car and muttered to himself, "Let's eat first, and I'll think about it in the afternoon..."
Arriving at the long-unvisited cafeteria, Xiao Xun felt as if it were his first time there. He greeted the aunties serving food affectionately, but their response was very cold.
When he was asked to swipe his employee ID, he remembered that he had already resigned.
The cafeteria staff had the most up-to-date gossip. It was already a great courtesy that they didn't mock him; eating there was impossible.
The ordinary employees also avoided the former supervisor as if he were a plague. Within ten meters of where he stood, there was silence.
Xiao Xun sighed, thinking: The world is deteriorating, and people's hearts are not as they used to be!
He had no choice but to find food outside. The area was surrounded by office buildings. Apart from ordering takeout, there were only some more secluded places selling bento boxes.
People who came here to eat were those whose companies did not provide meals. Although they were bento boxes, they were more expensive than freshly stir-fried dishes from general restaurants. Alas, such was the demand.
Where there is demand, there is a market. If you don't eat, you'll starve.
Not every company was as financially powerful as Sheng Di Luoman, a foreign enterprise. After all, it was a prime location, and providing meals was a considerable expense for most small companies.
After a quick meal, as he was leaving, he inadvertently discovered an antique and jade market.
In front of the first shop at the market entrance, a large tent had been set up, and many people were gathered around.
Xiao Xun had nowhere else to go, so with the intention of just browsing, he walked over.
He looked at a pile of stones of various sizes and shapes scattered on the ground.
A group of people were preposterously discussing, claiming that this stone contained jade, and that one would definitely yield emeralds.
There were many people discussing, but no one was buying.
It turned out that this was a stone gambling event. Xiao Xun's parents had always taught him not to indulge in gambling, drinking, or drugs, so he had never touched these things.
Feeling bored, he intended to leave the crowd. Only then did he realize that the people behind him had suddenly increased, making it a bit difficult to get out now.
The surrounding people were chattering about it. Xiao Xun looked at the dense "human wall" around him and thought that he could only wait for the crowd to thin out before finding a way to leave, which was at least a slight relief.
Just then, he noticed that the crowd over there had thinned slightly. He was right in the middle of the crowd and intended to walk over from the less crowded side. Unexpectedly, he tripped and knocked a rough stone to the ground.
A large hand picked up the rough stone and discovered a slight crack on it, unsure if it was there before or if it resulted from the fall.
The owner of this hand grabbed Xiao Xun's wrist. "Still trying to leave? You have to buy this stone."