Chapter 5 — The 81,000 Yuan Party and the Fall of an Empire

Ly Le immediately took notes quickly.

“President Chu, should we emphasize that reporting to the police this time is not only for ourselves but also to protect the rights of consumers?”

“Very necessary.”

I nodded approvingly.

“We don't just stand up for ourselves.”

“But also for those who may become the next victims.”

“I want everyone to understand that…”

“Even a seemingly small consumer dispute, we can stand to the end.”

“This is not overdoing it.”

“This is the principle.”

After that, I continued to ask the legal department to closely follow the progress of the police investigation. The marketing department quickly planned a communication campaign on the topic "faithfulness". I even asked the design team to recreate last night's experience into a short art video. Post to social networks.

“I want everyone to know…”

“Chu Yen is not the type of person who is easy to bully.”

“Creative Design is not a business that allows others to arbitrarily oppress.”

“What happened this time…”

“Instead of calling it a crisis…”

“Let's just see it as a stage for us to show our values.”

“We must use actions to tell everyone…”

“Justice may come late.”

“But absolutely will not be absent.”

When the meeting ended… The uneasiness on the managers' faces disappeared. Instead, there were fiery eyes and a rising fighting spirit. It's like there's no longer a scandal in front of them. But a real battle is about to begin. It was he who commanded that battle. I know very well. This is just the beginning. The real challenge... Now the official start. 6. Unexpected Clues The speed of police action was faster and more drastic than I thought. Perhaps because the amount of money involved is not small. Perhaps it's because behind this incident there was a coordinated criminal network. Less than twenty-four hours after my official statement was posted. Ngu Long Cac was asked to temporarily suspend business for investigation. Manager Luu, Ly Vi and several people who "contributed to the fun" in the room that day were all detained. The initial charges were suspicion of fraud and property appropriation. The newly released news immediately caused a stir online. Countless netizens praised my decisiveness and the police's extremely fast handling performance. The official account of Creative Design also increased the number of followers rapidly overnight. A few partners who were hesitant to observe also proactively sent their regards. They even expressed their desire for deeper cooperation. There were also many media accounts that started digging up the so-called "old school friendship" between me and Ly Vi. Try to come up with some more sensational "emotional" stories. I completely ignore it. Because right now, I am sitting in the police station, listening to the police report on the latest investigation progress. The older police officer pointed to the photo on the computer screen.

“During the investigation, we discovered a rather interesting situation.”

That's a photo taken from a surveillance camera. Picture is a bit blurry. In the photo, manager Luu of Ngu Long Cac is talking to a man wearing a black jacket. It's just a shadow... But it makes me feel strangely familiar.

“This man, we have verified his identity.”

The policeman explained.

“He is the person in charge of a company called Tinh Ha Investment.”

“That company recently won several large commercial real estate projects east of the city.”

“What a coincidence…”

“Also competing for the same geodetic project with your company.”

I frowned slightly. Tinh Ha Investment. I've heard this name before. In the industry, they are the strongest competitors of Creative Design. Especially in the field of large-scale commercial complex design.

“Why did they meet?”

The police officer pondered for a few seconds.

“According to current investigation…”

“The person in charge of Tinh Ha Investment has a very close personal relationship with manager Liu.”

“In manager Luu's computer, we discovered some encrypted files.”

“Inside is a record of the ‘special service’ process for specific customers.”

“At the same time, there are some ‘special arrangements’ aimed at commercial competitors.”

My heart was shocked. That "class reunion"... Perhaps it was much more complicated than initially imagined.

“Comrade police.”

I looked at him.

“What do you mean by ‘special arrangements’…?”

The policeman's expression became much more serious.

“Miss Chu, we now suspect…”

“Ngu Long Cac is not simply a club with fraudulent behavior.”

“Behind them, there may very well be collusion with some commercial forces.”

“Using this 'trap' method…”

“It's not just to make money.”

“But also the ability to attack competitors or gather confidential commercial information.”

In that moment… I understood everything. Ly Wei's trap that day... Most likely it wasn't simply wanting to extort 81,000 yuan from me. The deeper purpose behind... Perhaps Tinh Ha Dau Tu wants to take advantage of this to make me lose my reputation. Or let the media hype up my "scandal". From there, it affects Creative Design's reputation in the industry. Then take that opportunity to weaken our competitiveness in bidding projects. In the blink of an eye it all made sense. Ly Vi's so-called "old school friendship"...