Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Most of Xinglan’s conference rooms were named after marine animals.

The Blue Whale Conference Room was tucked away at the very end of the eighteenth floor and was usually reserved for senior management.

The first time I heard the name was on my first day at the company.

HR told me not to wander onto the eighteenth floor, especially not into Blue Whale. Board materials were kept inside.

Back then, I nodded like the most obedient little employee alive.

I really had been obedient then.

Now I just wanted to go back and slap my first-day self awake.

I told Song Wantang what had happened in the archives room.

She replied, “There’s a meeting in Blue Whale at three this afternoon.”

“Whose meeting?”

“Lu Chengzhou, Zhao Mingyuan, and Chen Lu.”

I stared at those three names.

They were exactly the three people she had circled in red.

Then Song Wantang sent another message.

“Go deliver coffee.”

I replied, “Won’t that be too obvious?”

She said, “Obvious is the point.”

At 2:50 p.m., I carried three cups of coffee up to the eighteenth floor.

The whole way there, I felt like I was carrying three bombs.

The door to the Blue Whale Conference Room wasn’t fully closed.

Zhao Mingyuan’s voice drifted out from inside.

“She must have touched that thing yesterday.”

Chen Lu gave a cold laugh.

“So what if she did? She might not even know where Blue Whale is.”

Lu Chengzhou’s voice was lower.

“Don’t underestimate her.”

I stood outside the door, my spine going rigid.

My palms instantly grew damp.

I was just about to knock when the sound of a chair scraping across the floor suddenly came from inside.

Zhao Mingyuan said, “If you ask me, just make her get out.”

Chen Lu said, “Keep a close eye on the hospital.”

The moment those words came out, the tray in my hands wobbled.

The cups clinked softly together.

Inside, everything went silent.

The next second, the door was pulled open from within.

Zhao Mingyuan stood in the doorway. When he saw me, he smiled.

“Xu Mian?”

He reached out to take the tray.

“How long have you been standing there?”

I did my best to look like I’d been startled.

“I just got here.”

Chen Lu was sitting by the conference table, her nails a glaring shade of red.

She looked me up and down.

“CEO Song really knows how to put people to use these days.”

Lu Chengzhou sat at the head of the table, his expression betraying nothing unusual.

He even asked me gently, “Did you rest well yesterday?”

I said, “Pretty well.”

“That’s good.”

He nodded.

“About what happened in the group chat, you’ve been wronged.”

I set the coffee down in front of him.

“CEO Lu, has HR found out who posted the photo?”

The conference room went quiet for an instant.

Zhao Mingyuan answered for him with a smile.

“Young people shouldn’t be so serious about everything. It’s the workplace. Misunderstandings happen.”

I looked at him.

“Is that what you told Lin Yuan back then too, President Zhao?”

The smile froze on Zhao Mingyuan’s face.

The cup in Chen Lu’s hand paused as well.

Only Lu Chengzhou lifted his eyes to me.

For the first time, his gaze turned cold.

“Xu Mian, do you know what you’re saying?”

I said, “I do.”

“I’m asking why the company isn’t investigating the person spreading rumors.”

The sound of high heels came from outside the door.

Song Wantang pushed the door open and walked in.

Behind her were two people: the HR director and someone from Legal.

She glanced at the coffee on the table.

“Then we’ll investigate it right now.”

Zhao Mingyuan’s expression darkened.

“CEO Song, it’s such a minor thing. There’s no need to make a federal case out of it, is there?”

Song Wantang ignored him.

She tossed a printed chat log onto the table.

“The photo was posted to the gossip group by Xu Jia from the Marketing Department.”

“The original image came from Zhao Mingyuan’s phone.”

“Care to explain, President Zhao?”

Zhao Mingyuan opened his mouth.

Chen Lu immediately said, “President Zhao may have just taken it by accident.”

Song Wantang looked at her.

“Don’t be in such a hurry, Director Chen.”

She took out a second document.

“I’ve also found Baiqiao Culture’s transaction records.”

This time, Chen Lu’s face went completely pale.

Lu Chengzhou stood up.

“Wantang.”

Song Wantang didn’t even look at him.

She only looked at Chen Lu.

“On July 9, 2021, in the Blue Whale Conference Room, what exactly did Lin Yuan see?”

Chen Lu’s lips moved.

No sound came out.

Zhao Mingyuan suddenly laughed.

“CEO Song, who are you trying to scare with all this?”

He leaned back in his chair.

“If you really had evidence, you would have called the police long ago.”

Song Wantang smiled too.

“That’s right.”

She said, “That’s why I didn’t come here today to scare you.”

She turned to me.

“Xu Mian, call the police.”

I took out my phone.

Just before I pressed the number, Lu Chengzhou suddenly spoke.

“Lin Yuan’s child is mine.”