Double evil in the business district

"Manager Li, some important information is missing from my project folder. Do you know what happened?" Xiao Yue tried to sound calm, but her clenched fists revealed her anxiety at the moment.

Manager Li looked up, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes. "The information is missing? Think carefully, maybe you put it somewhere and forgot where you put it?"

"I'm sure the information was originally in the folder, and..." Xiao Yue paused, choosing her words carefully, "When I left the company last night, I seemed to see Secretary Zhao in the office. I wonder if you asked her to touch my computer?"

"Xiao Zhao was working overtime organizing documents last night. How could he possibly have touched your things?" Manager Li said sternly, seeming very dissatisfied with Xiao Yue's suspicion. "Xiao Yue, I thought you were a conscientious and responsible employee. I didn't expect you to be so unprofessional. You lost the documents and you're trying to shirk responsibility?"

Xiao Yue's heart sank. Manager Li's attitude said it all. Not only did he know about this, he even shielded Secretary Zhao's behavior!

She took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in her heart, "Manager Li, I..."

"What do you mean? Go find it quickly! The project progress cannot be delayed!" Manager Li waved his hand impatiently and interrupted Xiao Yue.

Xiao Yue bit her lips tightly, her eyes red, but she could only turn around and leave silently.

She found Secretary Zhao and asked directly, "Secretary Zhao, did you touch my computer last night?"

Secretary Zhao opened his eyes wide in feigned surprise. "Xiao Yue, how could you say that? I was working overtime at my own workstation last night. How could I possibly have touched your computer?"

"But……"

"I know you've been under a lot of pressure lately, but you can't just blindly doubt others." Secretary Zhao looked at Xiao Yue with concern. "Think about it again. Did you accidentally lose it? If you really can't find it, make a new one. Don't delay the project progress."

Make a new one? How easy is that! She had spent countless efforts to compile all that information. How could she possibly start over again in time?

"Secretary Zhao, I..." Xiao Yue wanted to say something else, but was interrupted impatiently by Secretary Zhao.

"Okay, okay, I'm very busy and don't have time to chat with you. You should go find the information quickly, I'll go busy myself first." After Secretary Zhao said this, he turned and left the tea room.

Xiao Yue stood there, feeling cold all over, as if she had fallen into an icy cave. She knew that Secretary Zhao was deliberately targeting her, but she had no way to stop him.

She slumped weakly into her chair, her mind a tangle of confusion. The project data had been lost, and Manager Li and Secretary Zhao had joined forces to suppress it. All of this, like an impenetrable web, trapped her tightly, leaving her breathless and unable to break free...

At this moment, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and Sister Zhang walked in with an ambiguous smile on her face...

Sister Zhang looked around the office and lowered her voice in a mysterious tone, "Hey, have you heard? It seems there's a problem with Xiao Yue's project. All the important information is missing."

Several colleagues immediately gathered around, their eyes gleaming with gossip.

"Is this true? How could the information be missing? Could she have lost it herself?"

"Who knows? I heard Manager Li scolded her." Sister Zhang sighed with feigned regret. "Alas, young people just lack experience. It's really worrying to entrust such an important project to her."

"That's right. I've always felt that she was incompetent. Now, the project is probably going to fail." Another colleague echoed.

The discussions around her pricked Xiao Yue's nerves like needles. She felt like she was stripped naked, exposed to everyone's gaze, with nowhere to hide.

Wang, a colleague, sat at his workstation with a sinister smile on his face. He looked at Xiao Yue's dejected figure, his heart filled with pride.

He had long disliked Xiao Yue. How could a newcomer to the company get such an important project? He was determined to make her look bad during her presentation, to teach her that there are always people who are better than you!

He quietly opened Xiao Yue's draft plan, added some wrong data and content into it, saved it, and closed the file calmly.

Xiao Yue returned to her seat, forced herself to concentrate, and began to reorganize the information. Time was running out, and she had to race against time. She recalled the lost information over and over again, trying to piece it together.

In the office, Xiao Yue's colleagues' attitudes toward her subtly changed. Some colleagues who had previously had a good relationship with her began to distance themselves from her, intentionally or unintentionally. Even the colleague who usually had lunch with her declined today for various reasons.

Xiao Yue felt an unprecedented sense of isolation and helplessness. She knew that the rumors spread by Sister Zhang had begun to ferment, and her colleagues' trust in her was gradually eroding.

She took a deep breath and told herself that she couldn't give up. She had to persevere, for herself and for Xiao's enterprise.

As night fell, Xiao Yue was the only one left in the office. She rubbed her sore eyes and continued to work. Outside the window, the city lights flickered, reflecting her tired face.

Suddenly, Xiao Yue felt dizzy and nearly fell off her chair. She held onto the table and managed to stand, feeling weak and with a splitting headache.

She knew she was tired and sick, but she couldn't rest. Time was running out, and she had to complete the project planning as soon as possible.

She gritted her teeth, endured the discomfort, and continued to work. The sound of the keyboard tapping echoed in the empty office, seeming particularly clear.

After an unknown amount of time, the office door was gently pushed open. A figure appeared at the doorway, his face unclear due to the backlight.

"Still working?" a deep male voice sounded.

Xiao Yue raised his head and saw the person coming. The mouse in his hand slipped down, "Mr. Shen... Mr. Shen..."

Shen Ting looked at Xiao Yue, whose face was pale, and frowned slightly. "Are you sick?"

Xiao Yue forced a smile and said, "It's okay, just a cold." She didn't want to make Shen Ting worry, and she didn't want to delay her work because of illness.

Shen Ting walked over to her and reached out to touch her forehead. "It's so hot! You should go home and rest." His tone was filled with a subtle concern.

"It's really okay, Mr. Shen. The project is about to end, and I have to finish it as soon as possible." Xiao Yue shook her head stubbornly, her eyes fixed firmly on the computer screen. Densely packed words danced in front of her eyes, as if mocking her arrogance.

Shen Ting watched her struggling, feeling a mixture of emotions. He knew the pressure Xiao Yue was facing, and he also knew the importance of this project to Xiao's company. He was silent for a moment, but ultimately didn't force her to leave.

"Okay, then take care of yourself." He turned and left, then stopped at the door. "If you need help, you can always come to me."

Xiao Yue was stunned for a moment, and looking at Shen Ting's back, a warm feeling surged in her heart. She didn't expect that this seemingly cold and ruthless CEO would actually have such a gentle side.

Shortly after Shen Ting left, Manager Li walked in. Seeing Xiao Yue still working overtime, his face immediately darkened. "Xiao Yue, how's the progress of your project?"

Xiao Yue quickly handed him the organized information, "Manager Li, this is the part I have completed so far. There are still some details that need to be improved."

Manager Li flipped through a few pages, his expression growing increasingly grim. "What the hell is this? Full of loopholes, illogical! Is this how you work?" He tossed the documents back onto Xiao Yue's desk, his tone filled with dissatisfaction and blame.

Xiao Yue bit her lip, trying hard to hold back the tears in her eyes. "Manager Li, I..."

"What do you mean by 'I'?! I'm telling you, Xiao Yue, this project is crucial to the company. If you can't complete it on time, you know the consequences!" Manager Li interrupted her mercilessly. "When the time comes, don't blame me for not giving you a chance!"

Manager Li's threat was like a heavy hammer, hitting Xiao Yue's heart hard. She knew that if the project failed, she would not only lose her job, but also cause Xiao's enterprise to suffer huge losses.

She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. "Manager Li, please give me a little more time. I promise to complete the task!"

Manager Li snorted coldly, "Time? You've already wasted enough time! I'll give you three more days. If you still can't submit a qualified plan after three days, you can pack up and leave!"

After Manager Li finished speaking, he turned and left the office, leaving Xiao Yue alone to face the pile of documents and the upcoming deadline.

Xiao Yue slumped in the chair, feeling drained of all her strength. She knew how difficult her current situation was, and how short three days was. But she couldn't give up!

She remembered what Shen Ting had said before he left, "If you need help, you can always come to me." The thought flashed through her mind, but she immediately rejected it. She didn't want to trouble Shen Ting, and she didn't want him to see her in such a state of disgrace.

She rubbed her aching temples and cast her gaze on the computer screen. A minimized folder caught her eye. It was the project data she had backed up earlier, her last hope. She opened the folder, only to find it empty.

A terrifying thought flashed through her mind: The data had been deleted! Who had done it? Why?

Suddenly, she remembered the sneaky look of colleague Wang that day and the flash of malice in his eyes when he looked at her.

"Colleague Wang..." Xiao Yue muttered to herself, a cold glint in her eyes. She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. Fear and anger surged within her, but she knew now was not the time to collapse. She had to find the deleted data quickly; that was her only hope.

Her first thought was to ask the IT department for help to see if it was possible to recover the data. However, the IT department's response was a shocking blow: the data had been completely deleted and could not be recovered.

Xiao Yue's heart sank, as if falling into an icy abyss. Was this really going to fail? No, she wouldn't accept that! She vaguely felt that this wasn't just a technical issue, but more like a deliberate act of sabotage.

She recalled Wang's sneaky behavior and the glint of malice in his eyes when he looked at her. Her intuition told her that Wang must be involved in this matter.

She found Sister Li and told her her suspicions. "Sister Li, do you think that colleague Wang has been acting strange lately?"

Sister Li thought for a moment and said, "He has indeed been very close to Secretary Zhao recently, and they often go in and out of Manager Li's office together."

Secretary Zhao? Xiao Yue's heart trembled. Secretary Zhao was Manager Li's right-hand man, shrewd and capable, but also known for his tough tactics. If colleague Wang and Secretary Zhao were working together, then everything would make sense.

The more Xiao Yue thought about it, the closer she felt to the truth. She decided to start with Wang and try to find out some information indirectly.

"Colleague Wang," Xiao Yue asked casually, "Why did the project information I saved on my computer disappear? Do you know what happened?"

Wang's eyes flickered, and he feigned surprise, saying, "Ah? Your data is gone? I didn't know that. I haven't used your computer recently."

His tone and expression seemed a little unnatural, which made Xiao Yue more confident in her judgment. But she didn't point it out. She just smiled and said, "Really? Then maybe I accidentally deleted it myself."

Colleague Wang was obviously relieved and left after saying a few perfunctory words.

Xiao Yue knew she couldn't get any useful information out of Wang. She had to find another way.

At this moment, she remembered that there were some past project materials kept in the company archives, and she might be able to find some inspiration from them. Although those materials were outdated, they might still contain some clues related to the current project.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yue immediately stood up and went to the archives room. The archives room was located in the basement of the company building. It was dark and damp, and the air was filled with a musty smell.

She pushed open the heavy iron door, and the dim light illuminated the narrow aisle. The towering filing cabinets on both sides were like rows of silent giants, guarding dusty secrets.

Xiao Yue walked slowly down the aisle, carefully examining each file. As time ticked by, the archives room became eerily quiet, with only the sound of her flipping through papers echoing in the empty space.

Suddenly, she heard a slight noise behind her. She turned around suddenly, but saw nothing. She was startled and a sense of foreboding came over her.

At this moment, the iron door of the archive room slammed shut, locking her inside. Xiao Yue slammed the iron door hard and shouted for help, but no one responded... "Is there anyone? Help!"