Chapter 11: The President and the Massage Chair 11

Not to mention the two men tightly hugging each other in the office, creating a display of their affection for each other. Meanwhile, beside them, Yu Mingcheng’s expression grew increasingly hostile, almost uncontrollably angry.

Pang Yuqing, on the other hand, was filled with shock.

He didn’t know, and had no idea, that Le Yang’s relationship with President Shang had reached this point…

As for the crowd outside the office, too scared to make a sound but secretly watching—though they couldn’t see what was happening inside, they could still hear everything!

Why did President Shang’s first sentence sound so gentle, almost like he was coaxing a baby?

But the second sentence—how terrifying!

Of course, many people’s focus was on the content of President Shang’s words.

Everyone was stunned by the way he said “it’s okay” so gently.

So that’s the nature of their relationship… Le Yang, you’re something! You play the role so well, hiding your true self. Who would have thought that you had a powerful figure backing you up?

And just like that, the situation exploded, and President Shang stormed in, exuding a murderous aura…

“What do you mean by this, President Shang?” The surprise wasn’t only felt by the employees outside.

Yu Mingcheng found his voice in the midst of his anger: “The people from Ruida just came and showed me the evidence of the anonymous complaint against our company, seemingly placing the blame on our employees. I’m already handling this matter, and now you’re here accusing me of wronging my own staff? Ruida is overstepping, don’t you think?”

Knowing that President Shang still believed in him, Tang Bin’s tears stopped automatically.

He lifted his head from President Shang’s chest and looked up at him with teary eyes. His tears had soaked and wrinkled the fabric of Shang’s shirt.

Then, he heard Shang Chengjun partially responding to Yu Mingcheng’s question and partially explaining to him: “I apologize, Mr. Yu, I was on a business trip. I only just landed and learned about this matter. I came here immediately.”

“Our company’s legal team follows the rules strictly. We’re deeply gratified and honored that you, Mr. Yu, are actively addressing this matter,” Shang Chengjun said solemnly, “However, the issue ultimately lies with your employees. I will investigate this thoroughly, ensuring no one is wrongfully accused, and I will not allow the true culprit to frame innocent people.”

There was a certain natural leadership quality in President Shang’s words. He spoke with such authority.

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Pang Yuqing, who was standing behind him and slightly shifted to the side to avoid standing directly in front of him, subtly shivered.

He instinctively glanced outside, but there was nothing there.

President Shang was on the phone.

It sounded like he was calling his secretary to inquire about what was really going on.

This was originally a matter between Yu Mingcheng’s company and his employees, and President Shang should not have interfered. Even if Ruida had suffered huge losses, it should have been Yu Mingcheng’s responsibility to handle the employees and then report back to Ruida.

But President Shang stepped in, doing so in a way that left no room for questioning.

Not only was President Shang managing the situation, but he also sat in Yu Mingcheng’s office with a grand air, as if overseeing everything with supreme authority, showing no intention of leaving until everything was thoroughly investigated.

Even as a partner, the President of a major company, his actions still made Yu Mingcheng feel uncomfortable.

Especially since the President was clearly here for Le Yang… this wasn’t about work, it was obvious he was here to woo someone.

At this moment, Le Yang was no longer as flustered as before. His gaze toward Shang Chengjun was full of reverence, like looking at a bodhisattva saving people from suffering. His devotion was clear… Just watching him like this made Yu Mingcheng resent Shang Chengjun even more.

“Then send me all the documents now,” Shang Chengjun said before hanging up the phone.

Yu Mingcheng, who had been waiting beside him, said, “President Shang, you do multi-million or even billion-dollar deals. Handling a small matter in my small company is a bit… out of place, don’t you think? Rest assured, we’ll investigate this thoroughly. If it truly caused Ruida a loss, I, Yu Mingcheng, will compensate.”

Shang Chengjun waved his hand dismissively while sitting on the sofa, saying, “This isn’t a small matter. Forget about whether Ruida will suffer any losses, this concerns the reputation and face of your company, Mr. Yu. How can you say it’s a small matter?”

Yu Mingcheng smiled stiffly, his expression forced: “That’s still an internal matter for my company. President Shang, you handling this here is… inappropriate.”

His words were clear—an obvious “please leave” order, telling Shang Chengjun not to interfere with his company’s internal affairs.

But despite being young in appearance, Shang Chengjun was cunning and shrewd enough to see through this.

President Shang pretended not to understand, shamelessly replying, “Mr. Yu, what time is it now? Don’t be so distant with me.”

In addition to his shamelessness, Shang Chengjun was also quite reasonable. He could give many reasons why Yu Mingcheng couldn’t just kick him out: “Commercial leaks aren’t common, but unfortunately, I’ve encountered a few. As a result, Ruida has connections with specialized third-party verification agencies. These professionals have already been contacted and are on their way. They might be able to help you as well.”

“Besides, the sooner this is sorted out, the sooner we can all feel at ease. This year, this project is the only one I’m relying on to make a profit. I can’t afford any mistakes. If we don’t figure out what happened, I won’t be able to do anything else today.”

After saying that, Yu Mingcheng was left with no words. After all, this was a major client—one that might require compensation in the future. He couldn’t afford to send them away with harsh words.

Most importantly, Shang Chengjun was someone whose influence even the Yu family couldn’t provoke, let alone his small company.

So the two of them sat there, locking eyes, while the person most affected, Tang Bin, couldn’t leave before the truth of the matter was revealed. He had no choice but to sit on the sofa and wait.

However, since he and President Shang were sitting on the same small sofa, it was just big enough for two men. So, they sat very close together.

In fact, his hand naturally hung down and brushed against the corner of President Shang’s clothing.

Realizing this, Tang Bin secretly pinched the fabric with his two fingers.

He held it tightly, as if feeling Shang Chengjun’s body temperature seeping through the cloth, giving him the courage to sit there without falling apart.

He couldn’t help but think back to when Mr. Yu had tried to push Shang Chengjun out earlier. His heart had nearly stopped, terrified that President Shang might just abandon him.

But he didn’t.

Even though it was a bit shameless for him to stay here, even Tang Bin could hear the sarcasm in Yu Mingcheng’s tone.

But Shang Chengjun didn’t care.

He simply didn’t leave.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but Tang Bin’s palms were so sweaty that they had nearly soaked the corner of Shang Chengjun’s shirt. Just then, a group of people walked into the office.

They were all dressed in suits and ties, and with military precision, they stopped and stood in a row as soon as they saw Shang Chengjun, greeting him in unison.

Shang Chengjun nodded to them and said, “I’ve just sent you the files. Do you all have the details? Then let’s get started.”

The group immediately dispersed, and some approached Tang Bin to ask if they could check his computer and emails.

Knowing they were from President Shang and had no intention of harming him, Tang Bin naturally had no objections. Moreover, he had done nothing wrong, so he wasn’t afraid of an investigation. He led them to his desk without hesitation.

Since Shang Chengjun had mentioned this agency earlier, Yu Mingcheng hadn’t opposed their investigation into him.

However, Pang Yuqing rushed into Yu Mingcheng’s office with a worried expression and said, “Mr. Yu, who are these people?! How can they just check our employees’ computers like this?”

“They were invited by President Shang…”

It was only then that Yu Mingcheng realized it was indeed inappropriate to have an unknown third party thoroughly investigate the matter.

He replied, “President Shang, if an investigation is necessary, it should be done by someone from our side. We don’t know who these people are, and if this involves any user privacy leaks…”

“It won’t,” Shang Chengjun interrupted. “I told you, they’re very professional.”

“But President Shang, don’t you think it’s a bit inappropriate for someone of your status to make such a big deal of bringing people in to search our company’s staff? Even if it’s to find out who leaked the project secrets, you don’t need to go this far. I really have to question your motives. If you don’t stop, I’ll call the police right now.”

In situations like this, no one wanted to call the police before things were resolved and the app was launched, to avoid alerting any culprits.

But Shang Chengjun’s actions that morning had been so unusual that Yu Mingcheng couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

He genuinely reached for the office phone.

However, Shang Chengjun didn’t care whether Yu Mingcheng called the police or not, and bluntly stated, “Of course, I have my reasons for doing all of this.”

As he spoke, his gaze landed on Tang Bin, and he gently patted Tang Bin’s hand, which had been nervously clutching the corner of his shirt, giving it a small squeeze. “I just can’t stand to see good people being mistreated. Besides, Le Yang is my friend.”

Hearing the word “friend,” Tang Bin was stunned and looked up in shock.

He still hunched his shoulders like a small ostrich, ready to bury his head again at any moment, but now he couldn’t care less. His mind was racing with the thoughts: “Friend, friend… President Shang just called us friends!”

Then, meeting President Shang’s focused gaze, he heard Shang Chengjun say:

“Of course, I can’t stand by when my friend is wronged. I must find the real culprit.”

Under such a gaze, Tang Bin’s face instantly turned a bright red, like a tomato.

He quickly lowered his head in embarrassment, but his small fists tightened, and he subconsciously tugged at the corner of the shirt in his hand, as if his actions were entirely automatic.

Beside them, Yu Mingcheng could no longer sit idly by.

He had once liked Le Yang a little, perhaps because he had spent so much time surrounded by beautiful people. He had never encountered someone who was not only good-looking but also so awkward, dense, and clueless about romantic gestures. So, from time to time, he couldn’t help but tease him, although Le Yang was too slow-witted to notice.

But it had only been harmless teasing. Yu Mingcheng was interested in Le Yang, but he wasn’t so infatuated that he couldn’t live without him—after all, there were plenty of beautiful “wildflowers” out there, and Le Yang was straight.

In terms of work, Yu Mingcheng treated Le Yang equally, and because Le Yang was genuinely capable, Yu Mingcheng had been more supportive of him, considering he had been kind to him.

But how has Le Yang completely changed ever since meeting Shang Chengjun?

Not only had Le Yang bypassed his boss and started relying on Shang Chengjun, but now he was even blushing?!

Yu Mingcheng was furious. Just thinking about how Le Yang had been at the company for over a year without showing him this shy side made him feel as if a cooked duck had flown away.

He said, “Le Yang is not just my employee, he’s also my friend. Does President Shang think I don’t trust him, or that I would allow others to wrong him?!”

Shang Chengjun nodded and honestly replied, “At least when I arrived, this was the situation I saw.”

“…”

An invisible war seemed to break out in the office. Yu Mingcheng never imagined that his angry words would become a tool for Shang Chengjun to gain favor with Le Yang!

At this moment, the investigators returned to Yu Mingcheng’s office, followed by Hu Xiaobing.

With his hands in his pockets, Hu Xiaobing, always laid-back, said, “If you’re looking for a traitor, I think I know who it is.”

“Who?!” The tension in the office temporarily lifted as everyone turned to look at him.

“It’s Mr. Pang Yuqing,” Hu Xiaobing said. “He came to me privately and asked about Le Yang’s work progress and details. After learning that some of it was Le Yang’s sole responsibility and involved confidential matters, he asked me to secretly copy that part of the code from Le Yang’s computer for him.”

“You’re talking nonsense! You’re slandering me!” Pang Yuqing, who was also in the office, said, his voice full of agitation. “What have I ever done to you? Why are you accusing me like this? By your logic, are you admitting that you stole the code?!”

Hu Xiaobing replied, “Let’s not talk about that for now. Pang Yuqing, do you know that the USB drive I gave you had a virus? That virus can track the IP of anyone using the files. If you want, I can track it right now to see who used the USB that contained the so-called code.”

The last part of his sentence was directed at the others in the office.

Pang Yuqing raised his chin and said, “What USB? What code? I think you’re out of your mind!”

Hu Xiaobing responded, “You asked me to steal Le Yang’s code for you, so of course I couldn’t just watch my good friend be wronged. I set this up to draw you out and see what you were really trying to do. I didn’t expect… tsk tsk… you actually wanted to insult his character!”

“The data on Mr. Le’s computer shows no signs of a leak, and there are no records of communication with the other company through emails or messaging apps. The code files have never been copied,” the investigator said, announcing the results of their investigation. “However, on another computer, we found some clues.”

Pang Yuqing’s laptop was bought over, and the investigator continued, “As Mr. Hu mentioned, we did trace a virus on this computer.”

From the moment his laptop was brought up, Pang Yuqing’s face turned ashen, but his voice was even more furious than before: “So what if my computer had a virus? How do you know he didn’t plant it to frame me?! If he could steal code, what couldn’t he do?!”

“Even if I could secretly implant a virus into your office computer, I wouldn’t be able to go to Pang Yuqing’s house and install a virus on his home computer.”

“What… what?” Pang Yuqing was completely stunned this time.

The clue provided by Hu Xiaobing was just the beginning. With this clue, the truth was quickly uncovered: there was no case of anyone leaking secrets to Lian Shang at all. It was all Pang Yuqing’s solo act, a self-directed drama.

It was Pang Yuqing who had reported Tang Bin to Ruida using another computer—thanks to the virus, the investigators quickly located that computer, and its IP address was traced back to Pang Yuqing’s home.

Fearing an investigation, Pang Yuqing had been cautious and didn’t use his office computer to send the anonymous letter, instead, he had done it from home.

But no matter how much he had planned, he had never considered that behind his scheming, there was an even bigger plot unfolding.

At this point, Pang Yuqing could no longer conceal the truth. He had originally believed that because the matter involved industry leaks, and Tang Bin was the chief designer and the sole person responsible, there was no way to clean up the mess. If things went wrong, Tang Bin would be immediately discredited and dismissed.

However, he hadn’t anticipated that Hu Xiaobing had kept something back from him.

He hated Tang Bin, and he hated Hu Xiaobing even more for pretending to be on his side and gaining his trust.

Now, with his hair messy and his eyes bloodshot, he shouted frantically in Yu Mingcheng’s office, “Even so, Le Yang still leaked the commercial secrets! Only, you stole them! And you’re a thief too! You’re all responsible! None of you can escape blame! Yes, I was just testing your loyalty and abilities… yes… that’s it…”

Hu Xiaobing gave a dry laugh. “I didn’t steal Le Yang’s code. Le Yang protected it really well. Didn’t these gentlemen just say? There are no traces of code leaks on Le Yang’s computer.”

“No… you’re lying! I’ve seen the design! Those codes are related designs, there’s no mistake…” Pang Yuqing screamed hoarsely.

“The code I gave you was based on the known design I wrote casually. As for the core confidential parts, I don’t know about them, and they weren’t in there,” Hu Xiaobing laughed. “You wanted to do something bad, but when your skills weren’t enough to test the code for problems, don’t blame me.”

When everything was exposed, everyone in the office was stunned by the confrontation between the two.

Yu Mingcheng, unable to believe it and filled with rage, said, “Pang Yuqing, how have I treated you? Tell me! Why are you doing this to me?!”

Pang Yuqing, limp like a ragdoll, collapsed to the floor. Now everything was exposed, and he was fully laid bare under Yu Mingcheng’s disappointed gaze. Ashamed and furious, he could only hastily explain, “No, Mingcheng! I didn’t want to harm you! If I wanted to hurt you, I would have just given the information to Lian Shang! I just… I just wanted to get rid of him…”

Looking back now, Pang Yuqing still couldn’t understand how a foolproof plan had turned into such a mess.

Yu Mingcheng’s face was filled with disappointment, and he no longer wanted to speak. It was Hu Xiaobing who answered the question for him, saying, “Trying to play a game like this? No wonder you’re a failure.”

Meanwhile, Shang Chengjun, having watched the entire drama unfold, suggested, “Since there’s no leak of secrets, let’s call the police.”

“No, no police!” Pang Yuqing almost begged, lying on the floor. “I never intended for things to get this serious. I just didn’t like Le Yang and wanted to get rid of him! President Shang, give me one more chance, please, don’t call the police!”

“This is a matter you can’t plead with me for,” Shang Chengjun said, his gaze cold as he looked down at him, as if he were viewing a pitiful little clown. “The key is what Le Yang wants to do.”

Pang Yuqing lay on the cold office floor, surrounded by mocking voices from his subordinates outside. Above him, Shang Chengjun, Yu Mingcheng, and Hu Xiaobing all stared at him with indifferent expressions, as if looking at a clown. Only one person stood there, his face still as innocent and confused as ever, as if he hadn’t yet understood the situation.

He was always like this.

He would always be like this.

He appeared obedient and innocent, completely unaware of the world around him. To Pang Yuqing’s eyes, this was nothing but a foolish expression.

In a society where people can be so ruthless, how on earth had such a fool managed to survive this long? He was determined to humiliate him, to drive him out!

But why… Why was it that so many people were protecting him?

In the end, Pang Yuqing was escorted away by bodyguards called by Shang Chengjun.

No police were called. Tang Bin had been startled when someone had clung to his legs, crying and begging for mercy, while another person had held onto his feet and wouldn’t let go. Upon seeing this, Shang Chengjun immediately instructed the bodyguards to drag Pang Yuqing away without a word.

As for Tang Bin, he didn’t want to truly harm someone to that extent. He still hadn’t learned how to hate in this world.

So, he begged Shang Chengjun to spare him.

But as for what kind of life Pang Yuqing would face in the future, Tang Bin had no idea.

With that matter concluded, Shang Chengjun had to rush back to the company for a meeting.

His sudden trip was due to an urgent matter, and now that things had been settled on that end, he should have quickly returned to the company to proceed with the next steps. However, the entire morning had been spent on this situation.

Despite this, Shang Chengjun seemed content.

He even planned to reward his female secretary, who had been sharp and responsible, by briefing him on Le Yang’s situation right after he got off the plane, with an extra bonus.

Tang Bin felt a bit embarrassed as he accompanied Shang Chengjun downstairs.

He realized just how much trouble he had caused the other person this time.

Moreover, Shang Chengjun’s collar had been wrinkled by his tears, and the corner of his clothes had been twisted from his grip.

But Shang Chengjun’s attitude remained gentle as always.

He lightly ruffled Tang Bin’s short hair, and before he spoke, his tall frame suddenly swayed slightly.

“President Shang!”

This time, Tang Bin reacted quickly, immediately supporting him.

He had noticed that Shang Chengjun’s voice sounded somewhat nasally earlier, and he reached up to wipe his forehead, surprised. “President Shang, your forehead is so hot!”