Double evil in the business district

The night was deep, the inky sky devoid of a single star. Xiao Yue tiptoed through the corridor of Lin Xiao's villa, her heartbeat distinct in the stillness.

Lin Xiao's study was large, filled with books and documents. Xiao Yue didn't dare turn on the light, relying on the dim light from the window as she groped her way forward. She carefully flipped through every document and book, hoping to find more clues. As time ticked by, beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

At the same time, in the top-floor office of Shen Enterprise, Shen Ting was listening to the roar on the other end of the phone with a frown on his face.

"Shen Ting, you've gone too far! We at Xiao Enterprise have no grudge against you, so why are you trying to kill us?" Director Song's voice was filled with anger and helplessness. "If you don't stop suppressing our economy, we will take legal action!"

Shen Ting rubbed his brows and said in a cold tone, "Director Song, I didn't initiate this matter. Your company has misappropriated Shen's funds, and the evidence is irrefutable. I must protect the interests of Shen's."

"Evidence? Those are all forged!" Director Song's voice rose eight degrees. "Our Xiao Enterprise has always been aboveboard. How could we do such a thing? Someone must be framing us!"

Shen Ting was silent for a moment, his tone carrying a barely perceptible trace of fatigue. "Director Song, I hope you can calm down. I will re-investigate this matter. If there really is a misunderstanding, I will definitely give Xiao Corporation a reasonable explanation."

After hanging up, Shen Ting threw his phone on the table in frustration. The Xiao Enterprise crisis had left him feeling overwhelmed, and even more distraught was Xiao Yue's misunderstanding of him. He had clearly been trying to protect her, but instead, she viewed him as an enemy.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yue found a hidden folder in Lin Xiao's study. She carefully opened it, revealing photos and documents. The photos showed Lin Xiao and a strange man behaving intimately, while the documents contained internal secrets of the Xiao Corporation. Xiao Yue's heart sank as she finally understood everything. Lin Xiao had teamed up with this man to steal the Xiao Corporation's secrets and pin the blame on the Xiao family!

She quickly took pictures of the photos and documents and put the folder back in its place. She had to hand the evidence over to the police as soon as possible to clear the Xiao family's name.

Just then, she heard footsteps outside the door. Xiao Yue's heart suddenly jumped into her throat, and she quickly hid under the desk, holding her breath.

The door was pushed open and Lin Xiao walked in. She didn't seem to notice Xiao Yue and walked straight to the safe, opened it, and checked the contents. After confirming that the USB drive was still there, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave the study.

Xiao Yue waited until Lin Xiao left before crawling out from under the desk. He tried to open the safe with the password he had seen and took out the USB drive.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a deep breath. She knew the real battle had just begun. She had to be careful and cautious in order to finally reveal the truth and protect herself and her family.

Just as she was about to leave the study, she suddenly heard the sound of a door opening downstairs. Her heart tightened and she quickly hid under the desk.

"Why are you back so late?" A man's voice sounded with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Something delayed me." Lin Xiao's voice sounded a little tired.

"How's it going?" the man continued.

"Don't worry, everything went smoothly." Lin Xiao replied, "I've already got the USB drive back. That stupid woman Xiao Yue didn't even know about it..."

Xiao Yue, hiding under the desk, clenched her fists. There really was something fishy about Lin Xiao and this man! The USB drive they were talking about must be the one she had! It seemed the contents of this USB drive were crucial. Every word Lin Xiao said was like a needle, pricking Xiao Yue's nerves and making her even more determined to find out the truth.

The conversation downstairs continued. The man seemed very interested in Xiao Yue's affairs and pressed for details: "Is Xiao Yue really as stupid as you say? Has she never suspected anything?"

"What could she possibly doubt?" Lin Xiao's tone was filled with disdain. "She's like a stray dog ​​right now, busy begging for help everywhere. She has no time to doubt me at all."

"That's better," the man chuckled. "Don't forget, we're all in the same boat now. If she finds out, none of us can escape."

Lin Xiao lowered his voice: "I know, you don't need to remind me."

The conversation downstairs gradually died down, but Xiao Yue's heart remained restless for a long time. She carefully crawled out from under the desk, gently closed the study door, and quickly left Lin Xiao's villa.

The night breeze brushed against her cheeks, bringing a slight chill. She clutched the USB drive tightly in her hand, her heart filled with both hope and anxiety. Hope, she had finally found the crucial evidence to prove her innocence; anxiety, she knew this was only the beginning; the real enemy was still lurking in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

She immediately drove back to her apartment and eagerly inserted the USB drive into her computer. Inside was an encrypted folder that required a password to open. Xiao Yue tried several common passwords, but none worked. Anxiously biting her lip, she tried to recall everything about Lin Xiao, hoping to find a clue.

Suddenly, she remembered a painting hanging in Lin Xiao's study: a field of sunflowers with a towering oak tree in the center. Lin Xiao had once said her favorite number was the oak tree's age. Xiao Yue immediately searched online for information on the oak tree and discovered it was 123 years old. Deciding to give it a try, she entered "123" as her password.

The folder is open!

Inside were documents and recordings, chronicling how Lin Xiao and that man had orchestrated their scheme to frame the Xiao family. Xiao Yue carefully pored over each document and listened to each recording, a mixture of anger and sorrow swirling within her. She finally understood: she and her family had been kept in the dark, manipulated by Lin Xiao and that man.

This evidence is enough to prove that Xiao's enterprise was framed and clear her of suspicion of embezzlement of public funds, but it is only the tip of the iceberg of the entire conspiracy. Who is the real mastermind behind the scenes? What is their purpose? These questions still bother Xiao Yue.

She copied all the files and recordings from the USB drive and returned it to its original location. She knew it wasn't the right time to make this evidence public. She needed more evidence to fully uncover the conspiracy and bring the mastermind to justice.

Xiao Yue felt dizzy from exhaustion and tension, but she knew she couldn't fall. She still had a lot to do, a lot of truths to uncover. She took a deep breath, picked up her phone, and dialed a number...

"Hello, Lawyer Zhang? I have some important evidence to give you..."

Meanwhile, at Shen's corporate headquarters, Secretary He was standing in the tea room, speaking mysteriously to several colleagues, "Have you heard? Xiao's company is going to sue our CEO, Shen!"

Secretary He lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "I heard that the Xiao Group is determined to sue our President Shen this time, saying that President Shen and Lin Xiao set up a trap to frame them. Tsk tsk, if this is true, President Shen will..." She deliberately prolonged the last syllable, with a look of regret on her face, but she was secretly happy in her heart.

"Is this true? Xiao Corporation is struggling to protect itself now, and they still have the energy to sue our President Shen?" A young employee expressed doubt.

"It's absolutely true!" Secretary He vowed. "A friend of mine works at a law firm and saw the litigation materials submitted by Xiao with his own eyes."

This news spread like a bomb, spreading rapidly within Shen's company, causing anxiety and discussion among employees. Some employees who were already skeptical about the Xiao partnership took this opportunity to fan the flames, and for a time, panic broke out within the company.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yue sorted through the files and recordings on the USB drive. The conversations between Lin Xiao and the man clearly documented how they had tampered with data, forged documents, and gradually driven Xiao's enterprise into ruin. As she sorted through them, Xiao Yue recalled every moment she had spent with Shen Ting. His former tenderness and trust had now turned to cold suspicion and distance. The thought of this pierced her heart.

Time ticked by, and the sky outside the window gradually brightened. Xiao Yue finally finished compiling all the evidence. She rubbed her sore eyes and leaned back in her chair wearily. This evidence was enough to prove Xiao Enterprises' innocence and clear her of suspicion, but she knew it wasn't enough. The true mastermind had yet to surface, and their motives remained a mystery.

She carefully looked through each document again, and suddenly, an inconspicuous email caught her attention. This email was sent by Secretary He to Lin Xiao. The content of the email seemed ordinary, just some work reports, but Xiao Yue keenly sensed the hidden anomaly.

The email mentioned a person codenamed "X," who seemed to be the key figure in the entire conspiracy. Xiao Yue immediately searched for traces of "X" in other documents, and sure enough, she found several clues that all pointed to Secretary He.

Could it be that Secretary He and Lin Xiao were in cahoots? This thought flashed through Xiao Yue's mind, and she felt a chill down her spine. If that was true, then the whole conspiracy was even more complicated than she had imagined.

She continued to dig deeper and discovered that there was a large amount of financial transactions between Secretary He and Lin Xiao, and the source of these funds was unknown. Xiao Yue realized that she had touched the core of the truth, but there were still some key links missing, and she had to find the remaining evidence as soon as possible.

Just then, her phone rang. It was Lawyer Zhang. "Ms. Xiao, I've reviewed the evidence you provided. It's very important, but..." Lawyer Zhang's voice hesitated. "However, Shen's Enterprise just announced that it will terminate its cooperation with Xiao's, and..."

"And what?" Xiao Yue's heart sank suddenly.

"Also, Shen's Enterprise wants to sue Xiao's Enterprise..." The voice on the other end of the phone stopped abruptly, leaving only a busy tone.

Xiao Yue held the phone, her face pale. She knew that she had to find complete evidence before Shen Ting and Xiao's company completely broke off, otherwise...

She looked up at the window. The first ray of sunlight at dawn shone into the room, but it could not dispel the haze in her heart.

Lawyer Zhang's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in her ears. She knew that time was running out, and she had to find evidence as soon as possible to completely clear Xiao's enterprise of suspicion, and also make Shen Ting believe her.

She quickly contacted the private detective who had helped with the investigation and said urgently, "I need you to help me check Secretary He's recent capital flows, especially the transaction records between her and Lin Xiao. The more detailed the better!"

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Yue carefully looked through the documents in her hand, trying to find a breakthrough from the clues. She noticed that in the emails between Secretary He and Lin Xiao, the name of a private club - "Ye Lanshan" - was mentioned many times.

This club was extremely secretive, and it was said that only a few high-ranking individuals could enter. Xiao Yue's mind moved, thinking that perhaps that was where they conducted their secret transactions, and perhaps it also contained more crucial evidence.

She immediately decided to go to Yelanshan to find out for herself. After changing into a nondescript black suit, Xiao Yue put on a baseball cap and a mask that covered most of her face, and quietly left the apartment.

The "Ye Lan Shan" club, located on the outskirts of the city, was a quiet and heavily guarded place. Xiao Yue had to go through a lot of trouble to find a way in. The club was incredibly luxurious, with elegantly dressed people, clinking glasses, and an air of decadence and extravagance permeating the air.

Xiao Yue carefully observed her surroundings, searching for any suspicious clues. Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure—Secretary He. Secretary He was sitting in a corner, talking in low voices with a man in a suit, looking furtive. Xiao Yue quietly approached, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"...Have you completed everything X instructed you to do?" The man's voice was low and hoarse.

"It's all done. All the evidence has been destroyed. There's absolutely no way Shen Ting will be able to trace it back to us." Secretary He's voice was tinged with pride.

"Very good." The man nodded with satisfaction. "As long as Shen Ting and the Xiao family completely break off relations, our plan will be halfway successful."

Xiao Yue's heart trembled. She had finally found the key person—"X." She took out her phone and quietly recorded their conversation. Just then, the man seemed to notice something and suddenly turned to look in Xiao Yue's direction. Xiao Yue was startled and immediately turned away.

"Stop!" the man shouted, and several black-clad bodyguards immediately chased Xiao Yue. Xiao Yue ran away, hiding everywhere in the club. She knew that if they caught her, the consequences would be disastrous.

After a thrilling chase, Xiao Yue finally escaped the "Yelanshan" club. Panting, she hid behind a large tree, her heart pounding. She knew she had enough evidence to prove Xiao's innocence and expose Secretary He and Lin Xiao's conspiracy.

The next day, Xiao Yue handed all the evidence to Attorney Zhang and recounted her experience at the Yelanshan Club in detail. After listening, Attorney Zhang said solemnly, "Ms. Xiao, this evidence is very important and sufficient to overturn Shen's accusations, but..."

"But what?" Xiao Yue asked anxiously.

"However, Shen Ting's attitude is very firm. He seems to have determined that Xiao Enterprise is the culprit. I'm afraid..."

Just then, Xiao Yue's phone rang. It was a call from the company, asking her to come back immediately because they had something important to announce. Xiao Yue felt a little uneasy and hurried back to the company. As soon as she entered the office, she saw a group of colleagues gathered together, whispering.

"Xiao Yue, you're finally back!" A colleague saw her and immediately came over, saying with a complicated expression, "Mr. Shen... Mr. Shen is here..."

Before Xiao Yue could react, she saw Shen Ting appear in front of her, holding a large bouquet of flowers... He looked at her affectionately, and the colleagues around him cast surprised glances at him, but Xiao Yue turned away expressionlessly, leaving Shen Ting and everyone else standing there...

"Xiao Yue..."