Chapter 25.1

Song Wei leaned against his shoulder for a moment, regaining her composure, then stepped back.

Her expression returned to normal, showing no trace of her earlier distress. “Thank you. I want to talk to him first.”

“He won’t admit to it,” Chen Jubai said with certainty. Though he hadn’t personally overseen every matter, he knew his subordinates well. Fang Hongshen had worked for years and only reached the level of product manager—not without reason.

Song Wei bit her lip but said nothing.

Chen Jubai’s tone was resolute. “I’ll handle this.”

“But you can’t always handle everything for me.”

“Why not?”

His reply was quick and direct, leaving Song Wei momentarily speechless.

Chen Jubai’s stance was clear. “This is an internal company issue. As the person in charge, it’s my duty to ensure fairness. It has nothing to do with our relationship.”

With that, he turned to leave. Song Wei panicked and grabbed his arm, her mouth opening as if to say something, but no words came. Finally, she asked, “Do you believe me?”

She had only said one sentence—he hadn’t asked for any explanations.

“I believe you.”

When Song Wei returned to the meeting room, the meeting had already adjourned. Yao Miaoxuan was still waiting and hurried over when she saw her. “What’s going on? Isn’t that our proposal? How did it end up with Fang Hongshen?”

Song Wei stared at her, observing the anxiety and panic on her face.

Yao Miaoxuan had few strengths, and her inability to hide things was a major weakness. Her current expression was genuine, but it would appear just as genuine to others.

From start to finish, only the two of them had been involved in this project. It was unlikely she’d been careless enough not to notice someone stealing the proposal. The flaw had to lie with Yao Miaoxuan.

Lowering her voice, Song Wei said, “In Fang Hongshen’s PPT, the timeline for the first phase of the project is set for the end of July. But until Wednesday, our timeline was planned for the end of June. I thought it was too tight, so I changed it to July. I finished the revisions and sent it to you at 10 PM on Wednesday for you to discuss with Changyan the next day.”

“Think carefully—from Wednesday night until now, who have you been in contact with?”

Song Wei’s calm demeanor gradually steadied Yao Miaoxuan’s nerves. After half a minute, her eyes widened. “It was Jiang Xian!”

Song Wei frowned. “What happened?”

“Last night, after you left, I stayed in the office to review the PPT for today. Then Jiang Xian came with another colleague, saying they had just finished work and asked if I wanted to grab a late-night snack. I said no, but Jiang Xian kept persuading me. The other colleague went to get water and said the dispenser was broken, so I went to check…”

As Yao Miaoxuan recounted the events, her eyes reddened. “I didn’t think much of it at the time. I didn’t know…”

Song Wei understood. “Feeling guilty won’t help. Go to admin and request the surveillance footage. Bring it back to me once you have it.”

Realizing she had been used, Yao Miaoxuan’s usual spoiled demeanor vanished. She clutched Song Wei’s sleeve anxiously. “Weiwei… what do we do now? Fang Hongshen—”

“I don’t know yet. Just get the surveillance footage first.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll go right away.”

The situation wasn’t as simple as anticipated. Fang Hongshen refused to admit anything, claiming that similarities in proposals were inevitable and that it all came down to who executed it better.

The surveillance footage only showed Jiang Xian entering the office but didn’t provide a clear view inside. With the office door wide open and the three openly coming and going, it was impossible to define it as “theft.”

There were no copy traces on Yao Miaoxuan’s computer, and Jiang Xian and Fang Hongshen’s computers were spotless. They had covered their tracks perfectly.

In the 22nd-floor executive conference room, the atmosphere was tense, with neither side backing down.

Fang Hongshen smirked confidently. “President Chen, Manager Song causing such a commotion is an insult to my character. I’ve also heard she often exploits employees. Do you really want to keep someone like her?”

Chen Jubai’s voice was calm. “The matter hasn’t been resolved yet. If you’ve been wronged, we’ll make it right.”

Believing he had the upper hand, Fang Hongshen crossed his legs leisurely.

Song Wei glanced at the composed man seated at the desk. His steady demeanor gradually reassured her.

Though she hadn’t found a solution yet, no crime was perfect. There had to be a detail they had overlooked.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Upon being granted entry, Shan Kaicheng walked in.

He scanned the room and snorted disdainfully when his gaze landed on Fang Hongshen. Then he addressed Chen Jubai, “President Chen, I can testify for Song Wei.”

Fang Hongshen was caught off guard and shot to his feet. “Manager Shan!”

Shan Kaicheng, a top-notch technician, was practically untouchable in the company. He approached Chen Jubai and tossed him a phone. “President Chen, this is my phone. It contains all my conversations with Song Wei and Xiao Qin from Department Two during the early stages of the project. It should prove that the content Fang Hongshen presented today came from Song Wei. Some details weren’t even considered by Department Two. If that’s not enough, there’s more on my computer.”

Fang Hongshen pointed at him, yelling, “We’re still in the early stages! Who even discussed specifics with you?”

Shan Kaicheng shrugged. “Manager Song did. Unfortunately for you, those details just happened to appear in your presentation.”

Fang Hongshen snapped, “Shan Kaicheng! You’re always hanging around Song Wei. Who knows what kind of relationship you two have? Your words are worthless!”

“Enjoy the fruits of your labor, Fang Hongshen,” Shan Kaicheng retorted before leaving.

Chen Jubai reviewed the chat records on Shan Kaicheng’s phone and handed it to Zhuo Wan without a word. “Manager Fang’s dismissal according to company policy,” he instructed.

Panic set in for Fang Hongshen. “President Chen, you can’t do this!”

Chen Jubai stood to leave. Fang Hongshen shouted after him, “How is that evidence? If Guangnian fires me, I’ll file for labor arbitration!”

Half-turning, Chen Jubai’s gaze was sharp. “Go ahead.”

…

When Song Wei returned to the seventh floor, Ji Yao and a group of others who had heard about the incident surrounded her, bombarding her with questions. Song Wei brushed them off, saying, “Wait for the company’s announcement.”

After dealing with the crowd, she entered her office to find Yao Miaoxuan waiting at the door, hands tightly clenched, eyes red. “Weiwei…”

Song Wei felt a bit tired and ignored her, walking straight ahead.

Yao Miaoxuan followed her to the desk, lowering her head and speaking in a choked voice, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”

Song Wei took a sip of water and sighed deeply. “It is your fault. Miaoxuan, I’ve given you plenty of chances, but no one will keep giving chances forever. This incident is a lesson for both of us. I’ll talk to HR about your reassignment later. Be prepared.”

Yao Miaoxuan bit her lip, tears brimming, her clenched hands turning red.

She stood quietly, not saying a word for several minutes. Finally, in a hoarse voice, she spoke, “Sister Wei, I don’t want to leave. I promise I won’t interact with them anymore. Please give me one last chance. If you’re worried about the navigation project, I’d like to join Ji Yao’s team instead.”

Song Wei looked up at her. Over the past few months, Yao Miaoxuan had made some progress, but she was still far from competent. If she had no support today, she wouldn’t survive in the company. The one dismissed might not have been Fang Hongshen—it could have been her.

The girl before her, with reddened eyes, no longer displayed the arrogance she had when they first met. She was now filled with panic and regret after making a mistake.

Song Wei thought back to herself at 22—hiding alone to cry after making a work error, consumed by fear and despair, feeling like her future was bleak. Back then, no one helped her; she had endured it all alone.

She sighed again, softening. “You can join Ji Yao’s team. This is your last chance.”

Yao Miaoxuan nodded earnestly, bending slightly in gratitude. “Thank you, Sister Wei.”

By the end of the day, the company issued an internal email announcing Fang Hongshen’s dismissal and disciplinary actions for the entire Team A of Department Two.

Various smaller group chats buzzed with activity. Surprisingly, most people seemed thrilled, calling it “justice served.”

Song Wei watched the constant stream of messages, unsure how to respond.

She hadn’t been entirely confident about defeating Fang Hongshen. But now, with this incident, the navigation project from Changyan naturally fell into her hands—effortless victory.

After composing herself, Song Wei asked Chen Jubai if there were any other repercussions. He reassured her that Fang Hongshen’s influence wasn’t significant, and with the non-compete agreement in place, there was little he could do.

Feeling relieved, Song Wei messaged Shan Kaicheng to thank him for his help today, saying she owed him a meal.

Shan Kaicheng didn’t hold back, and they arranged to eat after work.

At six o’clock, Chen Jubai asked if she was leaving.

Song Wei: [I have plans. You go ahead.]

Chen Jubai: [Do you want me to wait for you?]

Song Wei: [No need.]

At 6:30, Song Wei waited downstairs. Shan Kaicheng arrived fashionably late. “Let’s find somewhere nearby to eat. I still have to work overtime after.”

Song Wei smiled. “Sure, no problem.”

After ordering, Song Wei thanked him. “Senior, thank you so much for helping today.”

Shan Kaicheng raised an eyebrow. “Making a trip in exchange for dinner—seems worth it.”

He had been swamped with tech development work and hadn’t known what was going on until Chen Jubai contacted him directly, asking for his recent chat records. Only after asking around did he realize that Fang Hongshen was up to his dirty tricks again.

He had always hated working with Fang’s team. Their work was chaotic, and mistakes were often blamed on others. Management turned a blind eye, leaving the lower-level employees to suffer.

Curious, he asked, “Song Wei, how did you have the guts to go up against him?”

Song Wei replied calmly, “Because it’s mine. Why wouldn’t I?”

Shan Kaicheng nodded, impressed. “You’ve got guts. And you even got Mr. Chen involved.”

“…I told him that if the company couldn’t handle it internally, I’d report it to the authorities.”

Shan Kaicheng was stunned for a moment before breaking into a laugh. “You’re really bold.”

Usually indifferent and dismissive of others, Shan Kaicheng now smiled for the first time. Song Wei, noticing this, remarked, “Senior, you look great when you smile. Don’t be so stern all the time.”

His smile stiffened slightly, and he gave her a deep look before regaining his composed demeanor. “Wait until you’re working overtime every day. Then we’ll see if you can still smile.”

Song Wei teased, “Our company doesn’t promote a culture of overtime. Your department seems to leave on time most days.”

“They’re them. I’m me.”

“Ah, so Manager Shan is a perfectionist. Impressive—your future is limitless.”