The richest man's parents were kidnapped, and his adorable son captivated the entire family.

As she walked through the office area, some of her former colleagues, who had once worked alongside her and stayed up all night writing proposals, lowered their heads and pretended not to see her, while others simply turned around quietly and took a different route.

She walked alone into the staff canteen during lunchtime, her tray containing only a little soup and rice balls, yet she was "automatically" isolated by several empty tables around her. A few meters away, the low laughter of someone whispering in her ear was as clear as a blade.

That smile contained not a single direct accusation, yet it spoke volumes.

She sat motionless at the dining table. Her chopsticks were gripped so tightly that her fingertips turned white. Her eyes were momentarily vacant, yet she forcefully suppressed her emotions. Her face was absolutely calm, with only the slight drooping of her lips betraying her exhaustion.

Team Leader Zhang's "official notice" was posted on her workstation:

"Due to the suspected serious data falsification in the 'Smart Park' project report, this investigation team has decided to launch a comprehensive audit investigation into all projects, contracts, budgets, and processes involved during Xie Yumin's tenure, effective immediately."

"During the investigation, Xie Yumin is prohibited from accessing, downloading, or transmitting any company data. Her actions will be subject to dual scrutiny by company regulations and relevant national laws."

These few hundred words, however, were like an imperial edict, sealing off her career after years of hard work.

The moment she returned to her workstation, an investigator was rummaging through files in her drawer. Seeing her return, he didn't even glance at her, simply saying, "Please cooperate. We're just following orders."

She didn't argue, but slowly sat down and looked at the project data she had personally built, which was now being taken away as "suspicious evidence".

Those stacks of papers, those flashing data, those models and budget sheets she typed out alone late at night... now seemed like her own sharp blade.

She knew that the investigation team wasn't looking for the truth, but rather for a sufficiently "reasonable" logical chain.

One person transformed her from a "highly capable female executive" into "a link in a corrupt control chain."

At that time, all her efforts and persistence will be attributed to "having ulterior motives".

What she once took pride in as "rigor" has been described by them as "cleverness in covering up problems," and what she once thought was "teamwork" has now become "evidence" of "suppressing colleagues."

All of this, layer upon layer, tightly intertwined, like a spider web being woven with great effort, is slowly stripping her away from rationality, dignity, and professional values.

She sat there alone, listening to the mechanical hum of the printer, watching her name appear again and again on the document review list.

Even so, she did not cry.

His tears had dried the moment the investigation team stormed into her office and forcibly opened her drawer.

But she knew she was in an asymmetrical battlefield.

On one side is a massive corporate machine and a powerful opposition alliance with a strong desire for control; on the other side is her, a solitary body being systematically destroyed.

Amidst these fabricated investigation letters, carefully orchestrated interviews, the ever-flowing negative public opinion, and the indifferent gazes of her colleagues, Xie Yumin, once the "youngest female executive at Gu's Group," now appears so... vulnerable.

She was thus pushed to the edge.

Shaky.

But he still has no intention of giving up.

He wanted to use his actions to fight for a chance at survival.

Not long after, he arrived at the old archives on the first basement floor of the Gu Group building, a place rarely visited by anyone.

The room was dimly lit. Xie Yumin was pushing an old cart with "files to be destroyed" on it, her head down. She was wearing an inconspicuous dark blue work uniform, her hat brim pulled down low, and a mask covering most of her face.

She walked steadily, yet each step was marked by extreme vigilance, her ears constantly listening for the faint snoring of the guard behind her.

He was sitting on a high-backed chair by the door, dozing off while holding a thermos, showing no interest in the person who came.

All this pretense is just to gain a moment of undisturbed solitude.

She knew her time was running out. The investigation team could discover her still-activated temporary access at any moment, and this infiltration might be her last chance. She followed the keywords she had previously extracted from an old memo.

"Starry Sea's predecessor partners" allows for quick searching of blocks corresponding to specific years.

She stopped in one of the archive sections.

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she pulled out a file box labeled "Non-Core Cooperation Memorandum, Terminated." The box was unexpectedly heavy, far exceeding its size. This wasn't right. Her expression hardened, and she carefully placed the box on the edge of the cart and opened it.

The surface-level documents are densely packed project meeting minutes, cost accounting, and notices, which are utterly worthless.

She was not fooled. Her fingers traced the bottom of the box, and suddenly her fingertips touched a slightly raised, irregular edge.

Xie Yumin's eyes lit up, and she immediately bent down and silently tore open the hidden corner of the backing paper. With a scattering of dust, a thin stack of folded paper was revealed, its edges yellowed and brittle, as if carrying a long-sealed secret.

She unfolded the top page; the old paper contrasted sharply with the clear handwriting. The title at the top immediately caught her eye:

Xinghai Technology's Draft Framework for Technology Sharing and Equity Swap under the "Deep Blue Plan"

Moreover, it was an unsigned draft.

Xie Yumin's heart suddenly raced. She gripped the paper tightly with both hands, yet dared not exert too much force, lest this fragile clue shatter. She quickly scanned the document's contents, her eyes gradually sharpening, becoming alert, and then filled with horror.

Unexpectedly, Gu's early "Deep Blue" algorithm required him to open up some interfaces to LightInTheBox.

Furthermore, after Gu's company goes public, it must unconditionally grant the founder of Lanting Investment a "golden share".

Fixed proportion, special voting rights, privatization operation.

Her brows furrowed, she could hardly believe it.

What does this mean? It means that Ruolan's father, before the Gu family had even risen to power, was trying to firmly lock down the Gu family's control through this extremely covert and illegal means!

She turned to the last page and saw a line of hastily written but powerfully written handwriting in the notes section:

Brother Gu, this arrangement will ensure that our family interests are deeply intertwined, and that we can jointly control the future.

However, "gold stocks" involve fundamental issues and require extreme caution. We should wait until "deep blue" stocks take shape before discussing them further.

Burn after reading.

Lanting.

The signature at the end, "Lanting", is written in a vigorous and powerful style. Although the ink is slightly blurred, it is still clearly recognizable.

She had seen this handwriting before in a scanned copy of her father's handwriting provided by Ruolan.

It is highly likely that this was written by Ruolan's father himself.

Xie Yumin's fingers froze on the paper, her breathing became rapid, and her chest heaved violently.

This is not an ordinary business proposal, but a bomb buried deep in the heart of the Gu family that has never exploded.