Chapter 10

According to the official story, Old Situ died of a sudden heart attack. The day after he died, Little Situ returned to the company, handled some brief affairs, and then went back to his hometown to arrange the funeral. The funeral was simple, and no one from the company was invited. Old Jin had once mentioned that a few people from the company should go to pay their final respects, but Little Situ sternly forbade it, claiming it shouldn’t disrupt the company’s normal operations. Now that I think about it, it was probably because Old Situ’s death wasn’t exactly honorable.

I spent a fortune hiring people to investigate what happened on the day Old Situ died. Soon, they found a woman who had been there. She was heavily made up and spoke with a coy, high-pitched voice. She said, “That day, I was just there to hang out with friends. Da Cheng—that’s your company’s Mr. Lu—said it was eight thousand for anyone who stayed the night. I thought he was some rich second-generation kid, but when I got there, I realized it was just an old geezer.”

I asked, “And then?”

The woman flipped her hair. “Then three girls stayed behind. When Da Cheng went upstairs, he gave the old man a bottle of pills. They were acting all shifty, and I had a bad feeling right then. The old man was that age—to take three or four pills at once? That’s just asking for death.”

I placed a stack of cash in front of her. “Didn’t you record a video? Can you send it to me?”

The woman grinned and stuffed the money into her bag. “Sure, but don’t drag me into this. I don’t want any trouble…”

After she left, I opened the hidden video.

In the footage, Old Situ was flushed red, arms around three girls as he headed upstairs. Lu Cheng called him back, pulled him into the corner of the stairwell, and handed him a small bottle. The audio was noisy, but you could faintly hear Lu Cheng say it was “good stuff.” Old Situ laughed heartily, cursed a bit, unscrewed the cap, and swallowed several pills at once, washing them down with the red wine Lu Cheng handed him. The final frame froze on Lu Cheng’s treacherous, sinister face.

Finally free from the long-standing pressure, I went home, turned the speakers to the max, enjoyed a nice bath, and lay in bed, using a burner phone to send the video to Little Situ. Sleepiness soon took over, and I drifted into a deep slumber.

The day of the general meeting finally arrived. The weather was beautiful; the sun felt pleasant on my skin, and the air was filled with a fresh, clean scent. Lu Cheng had no idea what was coming. He wore a custom-made suit, looking like a high-end gigolo. We walked into the conference room together. Lu Cheng provoked me, “Old Qiang, after this personnel change, who do you think will have a harder time—you or me?”

I said, “Definitely me. You’re young and promising, and Little Situ values you so much. Take care of your brother in the future.”

Lu Cheng thought I was showing weakness and glanced at me with disdain. “Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to ‘take care’ of you.”

You idiot, I laughed wildly in my heart as we pushed open the conference room doors together.

Epilogue

Little Situ’s eyes were red; he looked like he’d been through quite a shock. After everyone was seated, he spoke into the microphone: “Turn on the projector and turn the volume to the max.”

The show was about to begin. I suppressed a laugh and took a sip of tea.

The video I sent Little Situ was played for everyone. It was only a minute long, but Lu Cheng had already turned deathly pale, his body trembling like a sieve. Little Situ gritted his teeth and hurled his teacup at the wall behind Lu Cheng. With a loud crash, the yellow tea stained the wall in a strange pattern. Little Situ pointed at Lu Cheng: “Do you know how this is legally defined? From a corporate standpoint, it’s sexual bribery. From my perspective, it’s murder. I’ve already reported it to the police; they are outside right now. Get out of here! Get out!”

Lu Cheng actually cried, snot and tears streaming down his face. He tried to defend himself out of reflex, but it was too late. Two young police officers in uniform walked in and dragged the limp, shell-shocked Lu Cheng out the door.

The situation was settled. I looked at Old Deng with a triumphant smirk, but Old Deng didn’t look at me; he was busy writing something in his notebook.

Little Situ spoke again: “Keep playing!”

I jerked my head up and saw the second video.

It was from two years ago. I was at a dinner with a client who demanded a 100,000 yuan kickback, and I agreed immediately. Seeing how eager I was, the client felt uneasy and asked, “Boss Qiang, we’re brothers, don’t screw me over. Is this safe?”

I said, “Brother, rest easy. I’ve done this a hundred times. The accounts are squeaky clean; no one will ever find out.”

The client asked, “And your boss doesn’t care?”

I hadn’t noticed anyone filming, and after finishing my drink, I said, “That old bastard only knows how to chase women now; his brain is rotted from it. Who knows how long he’ll live? And that son of his who studied abroad? He’s as green as a scallion. If he takes over, I can play him however I want. Don’t you worry…”

The screen froze.

Little Situ’s gaze was like a blade, as if it were piercing directly into my chest. My mind exploded. I stood up, stammering, “Chairman, I… I was blacked out from the alcohol. I never… I never actually did it…”

Little Situ said every word with icy precision: “This is an economic crime. I will hire someone to audit the accounts from the very beginning. You don’t need to explain to me; explain it to the police.”

My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor, lightheaded and dizzy.

A familiar sigh reached my ears. I looked up, and Old Deng was looking back at me with a calm expression. That old bastard. I finally understood the whole situation: from the very beginning, he had coveted the Vice President position. Knowing that Lu Cheng and I would fight for it, he played both sides. When Lu Cheng had the upper hand, he helped me; when I had the upper hand, he helped Lu Cheng. He let us destroy each other so he could reap the rewards.

That time I was caught gambling at mahjong with clients? That must have been his setup.

The snake in my car? It probably wasn’t Lu Cheng; Old Deng was the one who rode in my car the most during that time.

He made sure I couldn’t recover from Lu Cheng’s suppression, and he definitely pulled strings during my business trip to make Little Situ turn against me.

In the end, he gave me the perfect plan to wipe out Lu Cheng, and he surely gave Lu Cheng the same advice about me.

Old Deng sighed. “Young people should have principles. Some things can be done, some things absolutely cannot. Some things can be said, others shouldn’t even be thought of. Everyone, take note and let this be a lesson.”

I roared and lunged at Old Deng. Damn him, he still had the audacity to act so sanctimonious. But Old Deng didn’t panic; he simply shifted back, and several security guards pinned me to the ground. I struggled with all my might, but a sharp pain shot through my arm, and my limbs were held fast. Gasping for air, I craned my neck and saw the line Old Deng had written in his notebook:

“Raising a subordinate is like raising a hawk: when full, it flies away; when hungry, it bites its master. Once the hawk’s wings are fully grown, kill it!”

(End)