Double evil in the business district

The man slowly turned around, revealing a face that Xiao Yue did not expect - Shen Ting.

"Long time no see, Xiao Yue." Shen Ting's voice was low and no emotion could be heard.

Xiao Yue was stunned. She had never imagined that the person who had texted her to invite her to the hotel was actually Shen Ting. Suddenly, all sorts of speculations raced through her mind: Could it be that Shen Ting and Qian Dui had some secret deal? Was he deliberately setting a trap to frame her?

"You...how come you are here?" Xiao Yue tried hard to suppress the shock in his heart, with a barely perceptible tremor in his tone.

Shen Ting walked up to her and looked at her deeply. "I came here to help you."

"Help me?" Xiao Yue couldn't help but sneer, "What you mean by 'help' is to trick me into coming here?"

"I didn't lie to you. I came here to tell you the real purpose of Qian's opponent." Shen Ting's tone was still calm, as if he was stating an insignificant matter.

He revealed Qian's opponent's true intention. It turned out that Qian's opponent's goal was not just commercial interests, but to obtain Xiao's core technology through this cooperation.

After listening to Shen Ting's explanation, Xiao Yue's doubts gradually dissipated, replaced by a trace of indescribable complex emotions. She didn't know whether to believe Shen Ting's words or continue to doubt him.

After a brief break, the negotiations continued. True to Shen Ting's words, Qian's opponent made some unreasonable demands, pressing harder and harder, attempting to wrest more benefits from Xiao Yue. Xiao Yue felt very difficult; even with Shen Ting's warnings, she found it difficult to withstand Qian's offensive. Manager Sun was also a little anxious, and beads of sweat oozed from his forehead.

Elsewhere, Su Yao invited Shen Ting to his private villa. She had meticulously decorated it with soft lighting, romantic music, their favorite dishes spread on the table, and a faint scent of perfume lingered in the air, reminiscent of their sweet past. Su Yao, dressed in an elegant white dress and with a gentle smile on her face, felt as if time hadn't passed and they were still the enviable couple they once were.

"Ting, do you still remember this place? This is where we had our first date." Su Yao's voice was soft, with a hint of nostalgia.

Shen Ting's eyes swept across every corner of the room, and fragments of memory flashed through his mind. He had to admit that Su Yao's appearance did make him a little shaken.

At the negotiation table, Xiao Yue tried to remain calm, trying to find weaknesses in her opponent's business strategy, but she struggled to find an effective breakthrough. As her opponent pressed on, Xiao Yue felt like a prey trapped in a spider's web, being devoured bit by bit.

"Mr. Xiao, my patience is limited. You'd better make a decision as soon as possible." Qian's opponent's voice was threatening.

Xiao Yue took a deep breath and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a commotion outside. Then, the door to the conference room opened and a familiar figure appeared.

"Sorry, I'm late." Shen Ting's voice was apologetic, but his eyes were firmly fixed on Xiao Yue.

"You..." Xiao Yue just opened her mouth when Shen Ting walked over to her and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

Shen Ting's appearance eased Xiao Yue's already tense nerves, but her doubts only deepened. Why had he suddenly appeared here? What did he mean by "I'll take care of everything"? Was he really planning to help her?

At the negotiation table, Qian's face changed slightly when he saw Shen Ting suddenly appear. He didn't expect Shen Ting to intervene in this matter, and he secretly speculated about Shen Ting's intentions.

"Mr. Shen, this is a collaboration between our Xiao Group and Mr. Qian. It seems to have nothing to do with you, right?" Xiao Yue's tone was calm, with a hint of tentativeness.

Shen Ting smiled slightly, his eyes swept over Qian's opponent, his tone calm but with unquestionable majesty, "Xiao Group is now my Shen Group's partner, their interests are naturally related to mine."

Qian's face darkened. He hadn't expected Shen Ting to be so direct in stating his stance. He had originally thought he could easily secure the deal, but now it seemed things had become complicated.

Shen Ting's arrival undoubtedly gave Xiao Yue a shot in the arm. She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and began to re-examine Qian's opponent's business layout, trying to find the flaws in it.

Meanwhile, in Shen Ting's private villa, Su Yao read the note he left behind—"The company has an urgent matter, I'm leaving first." She felt a mixture of emotions. All her meticulous preparations ultimately couldn't withstand Shen Ting's "urgent matter." She didn't understand why, in Shen Ting's heart, work was always more important than her.

Su Yao walked to the window, looking at the bustling city night view outside the window, her heart filled with loneliness. After she returned to China, she had been trying hard to win back Shen Ting's heart, but she found that Shen Ting's heart seemed to no longer be with her.

At the negotiation table, Xiao Yue keenly spotted a subtle loophole in Qian's rival's business plan. She exchanged a calm glance with Manager Sun and then began her counterattack.

"Mr. Qian, your plan seems perfect, but it actually has a fatal flaw..." Xiao Yue spoke in a calm tone, clearly and logically pointing out the problems in Qian's opponent's plan.

Qian's face changed. He hadn't expected Xiao Yue to see the flaw in his plan. He feigned composure and retorted, "Boss Xiao, I think you might have misunderstood..."

Xiao Yue smiled slightly, then calmly took out a data report and said, "Mr. Qian, I think this data report can prove my point."

Qian's face turned even uglier as he looked at the data report in Xiao Yue's hand. He knew that Xiao Yue had grasped his weakness and that he was likely to lose this negotiation.

Shen Ting sat beside Xiao Yue, watching her confidently and calmly deal with Qian's opponent's challenges, with a flicker of admiration in his eyes. He knew that Xiao Yue was an intelligent and strong woman who would definitely be able to overcome the difficulties before her.

The negotiations lasted a long time, with both sides going back and forth, neither side giving in. Xiao Yue argued her case, and her persistence surprised her opponent Qian, but he still refused to give in.

As night fell, the negotiations still had no results. Qian stood up and said, "Mr. Xiao, let's stop here today. I need some time to think about it."

Xiao Yue nodded and said, "Mr. Qian, please go ahead."

After Qian's opponent left, Shen Ting walked over to Xiao Yue and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."

Xiao Yue smiled slightly and said, "Not bad."

Shen Ting looked at Xiao Yue's exhausted expression, and a trace of heartache welled up in his heart. He reached out and gently stroked Xiao Yue's cheek, saying, "Let's go, I'll take you home."

Xiao Yue nodded and was about to get up when she heard a familiar voice coming from outside the door... "Ting!"

Xiao Yue refused to budge at the negotiation table. With clear logic and conclusive evidence, she pointed out numerous flaws in Qian's proposal and proposed a more feasible cooperation plan. Though surprised, Qian remained steadfast, fully aware of the importance of the deal and Xiao Yue's difficulty. He constantly tested Xiao Yue's limits, trying to find a glimmer of opportunity. The atmosphere in the negotiation room was tense and stagnant, as both sides exchanged sharp words, neither side yielding.

Late at night, the negotiations still had no results. Qian Duibi said he needed time to think things over and left. Xiao Yue forced herself to cheer up and politely saw him off. When Qian Duibi reached the door, he gave Xiao Yue a meaningful look and said, "Mr. Xiao, I hope you can make a wiser choice the next time we meet."

After Qian Duibai left, Xiao Yue rubbed her temples tiredly. Shen Ting walked over to her and asked with concern, "Are you okay?" Xiao Yue forced a smile and said, "I'm fine, just a little tired." Shen Ting looked at her trying to hold on and felt a little distressed. He was about to speak to comfort her when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Su Yao.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally answered the phone. On the other end of the phone, Su Yao's voice was filled with tears, "Ting, where are you? I... I feel so bad..." Shen Ting's heart sank suddenly, "What's wrong? Where are you? I'll come right over."

He hung up the phone and looked at Xiao Yue apologetically. "Sorry, I have something urgent to deal with. You should go back and rest first. I'll ask the driver to take you." Xiao Yue nodded. Although she felt a little uncomfortable, she didn't say anything. She watched Shen Ting hurriedly leave, and an inexplicable uneasiness surged in her heart.

Shen Ting drove to the villa and saw Su Yao sitting on the sofa with tears in her eyes as soon as he entered. He walked quickly to her side and hugged her in his arms, "What's wrong? What happened?" Su Yao hugged him tightly and cried even more sadly, "Ting, I can't live without you, why do you treat me like this?"

Shen Ting listened to Su Yao's crying, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He thought of the good times they had together, and all that Su Yao had done for him, and his heart couldn't help but waver. He didn't push Su Yao away, and let her hold him tightly.

Su Yao raised her head and looked at Shen Ting with tears in her eyes. "Ting, can we start over? I... I really love you." Shen Ting looked at her expectant eyes and struggled in his heart. He had not forgotten Xiao Yue, but he could not push Su Yao away at this moment. He was silent, without saying a word, nor did he explicitly refuse Su Yao's hug.

The atmosphere in the villa was ambiguous and heavy. Meanwhile, Xiao Yue had finished a day of negotiations, exhausted both physically and mentally. She sat alone in the car, watching the rapidly receding street outside the window, her heart filled with confusion. She didn't know what had happened between Shen Ting and Su Yao in the villa, and she felt like she might be losing Shen Ting. The new business negotiations had reached a critical juncture, and she didn't know what to do.

At this moment, her cell phone rang. It was Manager Sun. "Mr. Xiao..." Manager Sun's voice was filled with anxiety.

"Mr. Xiao..." Manager Sun's voice, tinged with anxiety, brought Xiao Yue back to reality from her chaotic thoughts. "Qian's opponent has suddenly changed their negotiation strategy, offering even more stringent conditions. They've also set a deadline of tomorrow morning for a final response, or the cooperation will be terminated."

Xiao Yue took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "I understand. Send me the exact terms via email." After hanging up the phone, Xiao Yue leaned back in her chair, eyes closed. The double pressure weighed on her like a boulder, suffocating her. Shen Ting's ambiguous attitude was like a thorn in her heart, causing a dull pain, and the complications of the negotiations only made matters worse.

She recalled Shen Ting's expression when he left. The anxiety and apology in his tone didn't sound fake, but Su Yao's presence was like a lingering shadow, making her unable to feel at ease. She took out her phone, hesitated for a long time, and finally didn't dial the number. She told herself that the most important thing now was to solve the problem at hand, and that emotional matters could be dealt with later.

Back at the hotel, Xiao Yue opened her email and carefully examined Qian's new proposal. The new terms were indeed harsh, practically squeezing Xiao's profit margins. Accepting them would be a huge loss for the company. Qian's opponent had clearly come prepared, pressing forward, intent on completely breaking Xiao's defenses.

Xiao Yue rubbed her sore eyes and forced herself to focus. She reviewed the proposal over and over again, analyzing every clause, trying to find a glimmer of wiggle room. Time ticked by, and the sky outside the window gradually brightened. Xiao Yue still hadn't found a breakthrough. Anxiety and exhaustion nearly brought her to a breaking point.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered the background check she had conducted on Qian's rival's company. She quickly opened her computer, pulled up the relevant information, and began to study it carefully. Qian's rival's business structure was intricate and seemingly flawless, but Xiao Yue had a feeling something was amiss. She pieced all the information together, repeatedly analyzing it, trying to find the hidden clues.

Suddenly, her eyes stopped at an inconspicuous number. It represented the investment made by a rival company in an overseas project. It looked like any other project, but Xiao Yue, with her keen intuition, sensed a hidden secret. She immediately contacted Manager Sun and asked him to gather more information about the overseas project.

After the call was connected, Manager Sun's voice was still filled with anxiety: "Mr. Xiao, Qian's opponent called again, urging us to respond as soon as possible..." Xiao Yue interrupted him, "Manager Sun, don't worry about them for now. I need you to help me check as soon as possible..." She told Manager Sun the name and relevant information of the overseas project, "I need to know the specific details of this project. The more detailed the better."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Yue stood up and walked to the window, looking at the gradually rising sun and taking a deep breath. An inexplicable premonition came over her, and she felt that she had found a breakthrough.

At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door. Xiao Yue opened the door and saw... Shen Ting standing there. He looked a little haggard, with dark circles under his eyes and a layer of blue stubble on his chin. He looked at Xiao Yue, opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but paused. Finally, he only said one sentence: "Can...can you let me in?"