Chapter 9 — Playing Poor with the Heiress

He sat down and immediately lowered his voice. "Brothers, we have a situation."

"What happened?"

"This morning, Wang De-Fa went to the Head of Administration to inquire about Su Nien’s background and how she was hired."

My hand, holding a pair of chopsticks, froze in mid-air. "He's investigating her?"

"Not a formal investigation, but he is digging. He asked which executive referred her, what channel she entered through, and where she worked before."

"What did the Head of Administration say?"

"He told him it was a routine public recruitment and that there was nothing special about her resume."

Routine public recruitment. Su Nien’s resume certainly wouldn't mention that she was the daughter of Su Yuan-Shan. But with Wang De-Fa’s suspicious nature, he wouldn't stop there.

"There is more," Li Xiang leaned in closer. "I heard Wang De-Fa is reaching out to friends at a headhunting firm. He wants to dig up Su Nien’s real history."

"He certainly moves fast."

"Doesn't he? Don't you think he’s panicked? Before the auditors arrive, he needs to identify who might be the whistleblower."

I stirred the broth in my bowl, saying nothing. A person like Wang De-Fa might be useless when it comes to actual professional skill, but when it comes to corporate political intuition, he has a certain predatory instinct. If he actually discovers Su Nien’s background—that the daughter of Su Yuan-Shan is working under him—what would he do? There are two possibilities. First, he becomes so terrified that he surrenders, promptly returning the misappropriated funds to minimize the damage. Second, he reaches a point of desperation where he bites back, choosing to force Su Nien out first. Given my understanding of him, he is the latter type. He is the kind of man who would want to drag someone else down into the grave with him.

I returned to the office that afternoon and sent a message to Su Nien via social media. "Be careful. Someone is looking into your background."

This time, I didn't use a sticky note because it was too slow. Su Nien replied almost instantly: "I know. It's fine."

"It's fine." The tone was light, but I could sense the confidence beneath the words. She wasn't afraid of Wang De-Fa. It made sense; a princess of a forty-billion-dollar capital conglomerate would hardly fear a mid-level department head. But my fear wasn't about a power struggle; I feared his dirty tactics. A man like Wang De-Fa, when pushed into a corner, is capable of anything. Spreading rumors, libel, fabricating screenshots—in the corporate world, these things are rampant. Su Nien was in the public eye; once her identity was exposed, it could ironically become a liability. They would call her a spy sent by the investors to steal trade secrets. By then, the auditors might not have reached him, but he could have already pushed her out. I had to think of a solution.

At three o'clock, I made a decision. I called my father—not from my "five-thousand-a-month" persona, but from my real number. It connected after two rings.

"What is it?" His voice was as curt as ever.

"The audit—is this your arrangement?"

"Yes."

"Accelerate it. Don't wait until Thursday. Start tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Wang De-Fa is digging into Su Nien. If he has time to react, things could get complicated."

The line was silent for three seconds. "You found out who she is?"

I paused for a second. "She is Su Yuan-Shan’s daughter."

Another three seconds of silence, then my father laughed. "I thought it would take you at least a month to catch on."

"So you knew all along."

"Of course. I had dinner with Old Su last month. He said he wanted his daughter to go out and gain some real-world experience, and I said, 'Perfect, have her come to my company.'"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What would be the point of telling you?"

"..."

"Anyway, the audit is set. It will begin tomorrow. Anything else?"

I wanted to ask if he was currently arranging blind dates for me, but I held my tongue. "No, that's all."

"Then I'm hanging up. Oh, by the way..."

"Yes?"

"How much did that coffee you bought cost?"

"...How did you know?"

"Old Chu told me. You walked three blocks just to buy a specialty hand-poured coffee."

"Is Old Chu that bored?"

"Next time, buy something cheaper. Your salary is only five thousand."

"That salary is one you set for me."

"Exactly. So spend it frugally."

"..." I hung up and took three deep breaths. This father of mine.

On Wednesday morning, the audit team arrived. Four people in sharp suits and leather shoes, carrying leather briefcases, marched straight upstairs. It was a day ahead of schedule. The atmosphere in the marketing department turned tense instantly. Wang De-Fa’s face went ghastly pale. He stood at the door of his office, watching the four of them walk toward the conference room, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. Then, he turned to look at Su Nien.

Su Nien was sitting quietly at her desk, staring at her computer screen, her expression unruffled. A flicker of hatred flashed in Wang De-Fa’s eyes. I saw it. But he didn't dare to act; he knew better than to make a rash move now. With the audit team on the floor, any abnormal behavior could be recorded. At ten in the morning, the team came back down to request documents from the department heads. Wang De-Fa was summoned into the conference room for forty minutes. When he finally emerged, the back of his shirt was soaked with sweat.