Song Zhi’s pupils contracted, but he said nothing further.

Meng Suihuan, being a decisive and action-oriented person, didn’t like delays when she had a suspicion in mind. She immediately called for a team meeting, gathering everyone together.

“Boss, is there a new task?” Lao Zhou, as usual, was brimming with enthusiasm and energy, no matter the situation.

Meng Suihuan responded with a nonchalant “Mm” before explaining the situation in a calm but firm tone.

“Our concept for the upscale residential area in Donghu Huayuan has been used by someone else, and they’ve been heavily promoting it.”

Her words hit like a thunderclap on a clear day, exploding in everyone’s minds.

Hearing the news, Lao Zhou slammed his hand on the table in anger. “Which bastard had the audacity to steal our company’s plan?! They better hope I don’t find out, or I’ll teach them a lesson they’ll never forget!”

The others’ faces showed subtle but varied reactions upon hearing this. Though not as emotional as Lao Zhou, the room’s atmosphere became noticeably tense.

Meng Suihuan glanced at them briefly, paying no particular attention to their reactions. Then, she dropped an even bigger bombshell.

“After the incident, I conducted an investigation with Boss Song. Based on our findings, we’ve determined that someone from within our team leaked this information.”

“And that person is still among us.”

When she said the first statement, people’s reactions were restrained. After all, overlapping concepts in the industry weren’t uncommon. Most plans they’d worked on before were similar to others in some way.

But her follow-up statement detonated like a bomb, breaking the calm surface of the team’s composure and sending ripples of unease through the group.

The idea that someone had deliberately leaked the information—and that the culprit was in their midst—struck a nerve. This was no longer an abstract issue; it was personal.

The air grew thick with tension. No one wanted to be accused of betrayal, yet everyone was eager to find out who the traitor was. Anxiety spread like wildfire, exactly the reaction Meng Suihuan intended.

Her gaze swept across the room, lingering on each person in turn. The deliberate, slow motion of her eyes added to the oppressive atmosphere, building the tension to its breaking point.

Every person felt the weight of her scrutiny, as if their hearts were being squeezed. They were desperate for the ordeal to end but could do nothing but endure her icy stare.

Finally, after two minutes, someone cracked under the pressure.

“Boss, since you’ve already investigated, you must have evidence! Just show us! Stop beating around the bush—I’m suffocating under your stare!”

Meng Suihuan’s gaze snapped sharply to him, locking on with precision.

“You.”

The man was startled, his expression shifting from disbelief to panic as he shot to his feet. He looked as if he wanted to rush forward to defend himself.

“Boss, what do you mean by that? You know me, don’t you? How could you think it’s me? I swear it’s not!”

Seeing this, Lao Zhou and a few others couldn’t stay silent anymore and quickly jumped to the man’s defense.

“Boss, we all know what kind of person Lao He^[1]Lao means Old in chinese thats why you can see Lao in almost every name, attach to them, Lao or Old means, they are almost a master of their craft, or expert. And this is not the Lao He in the … Continue reading is. He’s been with us for so many projects—I’d stake my reputation on it! If it were anyone, it wouldn’t be him!”

“Exactly, Boss! There has to be some misunderstanding!”

Someone else chimed in, turning to Lao Zhou. “Wait, Old Zhou, what are you saying? Are you implying it’s you instead?”

“Get lost!”

“…”

The entire scene was chaotic.

Meng Suihuan didn’t intervene immediately. Instead, she kept her gaze fixed on a certain direction before finally raising her hand and pointing.

“The one who leaked the information was you.”

Everyone was stunned by this unexpected twist, especially Lao He and Lao Zhou, who had been at the center of the storm moments ago. They turned to look in the direction Meng Suihuan pointed.

“Sun He.” Song Zhi said, pursing his lips, with a look of hurt in his eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Did you do this?”

Sun He immediately panicked. “Song Ge, it wasn’t me. Everyone knows I have a grudge with Zhao Shenglun. How could I betray the company for him?”

“It’s definitely a setup to frame me!”

After saying this to Song Zhi, Sun He immediately turned the accusation toward Meng Suihuan.

“I’ve been in this company for two and a half years, through thick and thin. I could never betray it! I think you’re the one who wants to take over this project, so you’ve used tricks to try to push us old-timers out!”

Meng Suihuan’s expression remained unchanged as she slowly explained, “You say it wasn’t you, but your actions gave you away.”

“I’ve been observing all of you from the beginning.”

“Undeniably, you hid it well and were sensitive enough, so at first, I didn’t suspect you. But once I pointed the finger at Old He and you saw I was mistaken, you immediately relaxed, even watching this whole drama unfold with a smug look on your face.”

“Is this how you’re going to frame me? What you just said was only because I can’t stand your arrogant attitude. Watching you guys turn on each other was a bit amusing to me!”

Lao Zhou chuckled. “Turning on each other?”

“Then I guess I’ll disappoint you. Both Lao He and I were pretending!”

Lao He also joined in, “Yes! It was all to expose your little trick!”

“You—”

Upon hearing this, Sun He was almost driven mad. He never expected the dog-eat-dog situation to be a setup! Everything had been planned out in advance by them. He looked at Meng Suihuan with deep sarcasm in his eyes.

“You really are something, setting such a big trap just to frame me.”

Meng Suihuan was helpless. How could he not realize his mistake? She had no choice but to continue playing the “good guy” and gave him a few kind words of advice.

“You’re right, I did use some small tactics, but it was just to confirm my suspicions. I didn’t expect you to crack so easily. I just had to say a few things, and you immediately spilled everything.”

“To be honest, I still don’t understand how you, with your intelligence, could have the courage to act under my nose.”

Sun He froze when he heard this. Self-destruct? Had he just exposed himself?

No, this woman was too calculating—this might have been part of her plan. He quickly recovered, mocking her, “You really think I’m an idiot? You think you can scare me with this?”

Normally, Song Zhi might have been moved, but now, he couldn’t take it anymore. Clenching his fist, he loudly reprimanded, “Enough!”

“Sun He!”

“We never said Zhao Shenglun stole our project. How did you know about that?”

Yes. From the beginning until now, they hadn’t mentioned Zhao Shenglun. But Sun He had been adamant that he and Zhao Shenglun were enemies and couldn’t possibly betray the company for him.

It didn’t register at first, but now, looking back, wasn’t this a self-exposure?

Everyone’s gaze shifted toward Sun He, especially the remaining members from Song Zhi’s side. They were not just shocked and angry but confused as well.

As Sun He himself had said, he was a senior in the company. From the decision to start this project to its eventual suspension, he had worked alongside Song Zhi, struggling through it all. But this person had chosen to betray them? It was almost unbelievable.

Sun He, realizing what had just happened, finally understood. Meng Suihuan wasn’t trying to scare him—he had indeed let something slip. But even if he had, what could they do? The worst that could happen was being kicked out of the company.

This company was a mess anyway, and he didn’t want to stay in it.

Thinking this, Sun He stopped pretending and decided to throw caution to the wind.

“It was me. What are you going to do about it?”

“Song Zhi, the brothers are still willing to follow you because they want to restart this project, but you—look at you, dazzled by this woman, handing the project over to someone else?”

“…”

“You were the one who was unjust, so don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Song Zhi didn’t expect Sun He to have so much pent-up frustration. The anger and resentment were clearly boiling over.

“Sun He, if you have complaints, bring them to me. But why did you leak our plan to Zhao Shenglun?”

Mentioning Zhao Shenglun made Song Zhi tremble with rage, his voice hoarse with emotion.

He had been under more pressure than anyone else these days. He’d finally had a chance to restart the project, but it was slipping away again. He really had been blind, suffering betrayal from his own brothers time and again. It was laughable.

Sun He didn’t understand what was going on inside Song Zhi’s head and remained impatient.

“What’s wrong with Zhao Shenglun? Sure, he made some mistakes in the past, but he knows he was wrong and wants to make amends. Unlike you, letting this woman meddle with the project!”

Meng Suihuan: “…”

This person is already stupid, but he insists on repeatedly showcasing his diminished intelligence. Meng Suihuan couldn’t watch it any longer and directly shattered his delusions, forcing him to recognize the harshness of the world.

“You really are hopelessly stupid. The other party is transferring company funds, and you say it’s just a minor mistake. Why are you so naïve? And when they say they want to make amends, they’re actually trying to use you to steal company secrets. And you not only believe them, but you also treat them like some kind of saint who’s here to save everyone.”

“With your intelligence, you still dare to look down on women? If I were you, I’d find a block of tofu and smash my head into it. You wouldn’t even have the face to see anyone!”

Pffft.

Lao Zhou and the others couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. Though they knew their boss was tough when it came to confronting people, they never got tired of experiencing it. There was no helping it—the boss had quite a vocabulary.

Originally, Song Zhi had been wallowing in self-pity, but the next moment, he was stunned by Meng Suihuan’s series of sharp words. After all, in his eyes, Meng Suihuan was an elegant, intellectual woman. He never expected her to be so blunt and rough when insulting someone!

But it was precisely this outburst that woke him up.

This whole issue had been instigated by Zhao Shenglun, and his actions were designed to make Song Zhi uncomfortable and suppress him. If Song Zhi continued to wallow in self-pity, wouldn’t he just be playing into the other party’s hands? What he needed to do now was solve the problem at hand and think about how to fix things.

After a while, Meng Suihuan stopped scolding and handed the matter over to Song Zhi.

“This person is from your company. You handle it. Don’t stay here and ruin my mood.”

“But let me give you a reminder: mercy toward the enemy is cruelty toward yourself.”

Song Zhi nodded, his expression unchanged, but his voice had become much colder than before.

“Sun He, from today on, our brotherhood is completely over. You are no longer a member of the team.”

In the past, Song Zhi might have just kicked him out of the company, but thinking of Meng Suihuan’s earlier advice, he added two more sentences.

“As for the plan… I’ll report it to the police. You’d better take care of yourself.”

After saying that, Song Zhi clenched his fists, exhaling deeply, and looked at Meng Suihuan.

“Boss Meng, I admit my management was inappropriate, and I take full responsibility for the losses caused. As for the plan, I will come up with a new one.”

Meng Suihuan nodded in satisfaction. Song Zhi was a man of loyalty and responsibility. No wonder, despite his company going bankrupt, so many people were still willing to follow him. However, sometimes, people can’t be overly loyal, especially businessmen like him. Otherwise, they’ll just stay in place and never move forward.

But she didn’t say this outright—he had to figure it out on his own.

“Xiao Song, the issue with the plan isn’t as serious as you think. You don’t need to come up with a new one. We’ll just use the original plan. And let Zhao Shenglun know that the same plan, in different hands, can have very different results.”

“But, if someone takes my things, it won’t end like this. I’ll make sure he knows the consequences of messing with the wrong person.”

Song Zhi and the others just felt that Meng Suihuan’s tone was a bit cold, and her presence was overpowering. But those who knew their boss’s nature, like Zhao Chen and Lao Zhou, had already silently mourned for Zhao Shenglun.

Why mess with anyone, but go and provoke their boss? Song Ming was the perfect warning! Just thinking about it sent a shiver down their spines.