Turn the Tide

Turn the Tide

After Xu Kaiyang's father had done everything he could, Kaiyang Real Estate and Dongfang Xingchen had nearly managed to settle the matter quietly.

Wang Yue had also uncovered the truth on his end. After he fell asleep that night, his computer automatically captured dozens of motion-activated surveillance screenshots from around midnight.

Using the screenshots, he found the video footage from that time period. It showed that construction materials had been hauled away from the site and brought back several times. Clearly, the materials had been swapped.

But why were the substandard products also from Kaiyang Building Materials? Wang Yue hacked into Kaiyang Building Materials' warehouse management system and discovered that its defective products were sold to companies with less stringent material requirements. During the days when the materials were swapped, someone had gone to one of those companies and bought a batch of building materials.

Wang Yue eventually used his hacking skills to identify the people who'd bought that batch. They were two general managers from a branch of Dongfang Xingchen.

When he got the final results, he was conflicted. Chen Xiaozheng and Kaiyang Building Materials had teamed up to take the fall.

If he exposed them, it would hurt Dongfang Xingchen, but it would also make an enemy of the company. That wouldn't be a sensible move for Weimei Design at this point.

It would also lift the lid on Kaiyang Building Materials' troubles, which had only just been put to rest. He decided to leave things as they were and see what happened next.

But things didn't always go the way you wanted. Wang Yue had hoped to let Dongfang Xingchen off for now. After all, Kaiyang Building Materials had negotiated with the injured workers and given them ample compensation.

But just a few days later, things suddenly took a turn. The injured workers' families protested outside Dongfang Xingchen's building, accusing the company and Kaiyang Building Materials of colluding to pass off inferior materials as quality goods, and of trying to cover up their crimes with money.

When Wang Yue heard about it, he knew someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes. He had checked the workers' accounts himself and confirmed that Kaiyang Building Materials' compensation was generous. Once workers accepted a private settlement, few would keep pursuing the matter. Faced with the latest turn of events, Wang Yue could only sigh at his own knack for getting dragged into one mess after another.

The handling of the accident took a sharp turn for the worse. Xu Kaiyang's father was soon taken away for questioning, along with two vice presidents from Dongfang Xingchen. Manager Zhou, who had once interviewed Zheng Wei, was also implicated.

Everything had moved so quickly that no one had been able to react in time. Wang Yue couldn't get in touch with Xu Kaiyang, and started to wonder if someone had taken him into custody.

None of this could stump Wang Yue. But when he finally found Xu Kaiyang, the sunny, handsome young master was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a disheveled drunk.

"Old Xu, is it really that bad? Even if there's no turning back, you've still got your friends. Weimei Design is ready to go. You're not going to sit on the sidelines and run away, are you?" Wang Yue mischievously thought he'd let Xu Kaiyang wallow a little longer. Zheng Wei had to see him like this.

"How did you find me?" Xu Kaiyang asked from where he slumped on the sofa in a cheap hotel room.

"Since cameras became affordable for everyone, it's gotten a lot easier for computer experts to find people," Wang Yue said with a grin.

"I know you're good. You don't have to show off in front of me right now." Seeing Wang Yue still smiling, Xu Kaiyang couldn't help feeling irritated.

"If you leave like this, Zheng Wei will end up with someone else." After seeing the text notification on Ruan Wan's phone, Wang Yue got straight to the point.

"What can I do? She wouldn't accept the old me. Why would she want me now?" At the mention of Zheng Wei, Xu Kaiyang crumbled even further.

"Not necessarily. Look at Chen Xiaozheng and Lin Jing. Aren't they both from ordinary working-class families? Maybe that's just the type Zheng Wei likes." Wang Yue teased him on purpose.

"Still, I can't do that. I pursued her to make her happy. I don't want her to suffer alongside me." Xu Kaiyang's voice was desolate.

"That's what you think, not what I want! If your Little Flying Dragon were that kind of person, would you still love me?" Ruan Wan followed behind Zheng Wei, signaling that Zheng Wei wasn't going to play along. She looked helpless, too.

"You—what are you doing here?" Xu Kaiyang looked away, not wanting the woman he loved to see him looking so disheveled.

But the sight of him like this struck Zheng Wei to the heart. This man had looked after her for nearly eight years, always a boy who brought her warmth and sunshine. Seeing him suddenly lose everything, Zheng Wei could no longer hold back. She pulled Xu Kaiyang into her arms.

"You still have me!" Zheng Wei could no longer hold back her tears.

"You don't mind? I can't take care of you the way I used to anymore." Xu Kaiyang wasn't sure.

"I don't mind!" Zheng Wei said, her voice thick with tears.

"You're willing to be my girlfriend?" Xu Kaiyang could hardly believe it.

"Mm. Starting today, you're my boyfriend." Zheng Wei said it through her tears.

At Zheng Wei's answer, Xu Kaiyang burst into tears. He hadn't cried when his family was on the verge of bankruptcy, or when his father was taken away. But now he sobbed like a child.

After watching them embrace for a while, Wang Yue decided they'd had enough and said to Ruan Wan, "That was quite a mouthful of dog food. Should we tell them?"

"Those who have love can live on water. I don't think they need us to," Ruan Wan said with a smile as she watched them. It hadn't been easy, but Xu Kaiyang's long pursuit of love had finally paid off.

"Mm, I think so too. Let's just throw away this evidence," Wang Yue said with a sigh.

"What evidence?" Zheng Wei, who really could be oblivious, asked. Wasn't she supposed to be the one getting embarrassed, while Xu Kaiyang asked what was going on?

"Yeah, what evidence?" Xu Kaiyang came around too.

"Evidence that could turn things around." Wang Yue took a USB drive from his pocket.

Ruan Wan saw Wang Yue acting like a child and didn't notice that the other two were about ready to tear him apart. So she explained to them how he had obtained the evidence.

"So our family's actually in the clear, then?" Xu Kaiyang asked, still finding it hard to believe.

"That's hard to say. The other side provided all kinds of evidence, and you did have some problems. But it probably won't be too serious." Wang Yue wasn't sure; he wasn't familiar with legal procedure.

"I'll ask Lin Jing. He knows about this stuff!" Zheng Wei said instinctively. The room fell silent at once.

Fortunately, she realized what she'd said and quickly corrected herself. "I'll ask a lawyer!"

"You'd better not bring up Lin Jing. Not because your boyfriend's jealous." Wang Yue had barely started speaking when Zheng Wei's face turned red. But what he said next made her go deathly pale.

"The reason things have gotten this bad is that Lin Jing deliberately had his assistant leak a financial report to Chen Xiaozheng. Then, to avoid taking the blame, Chen Xiaozheng encouraged the injured workers' families to make a scene, escalating things to this point." Wang Yue glanced at Zheng Wei, then continued, "One of them was the investor, and the other was the contractor. They couldn't possibly be unaware that Kaiyang Building Materials was the least responsible party here. Yet they both chose to stay silent. Zheng Wei, why do you think they did that?"

"They've both changed." Zheng Wei looked back at Xu Kaiyang before continuing. "And so have I."

"No matter how you change, I'll always be by your side." Xu Kaiyang took the chance to put his arm around his Weiwei again.

"You stink. Go wash up!" Zheng Wei frowned and pushed Xu Kaiyang away.

"Okay!" Xu Kaiyang trotted off to wash up.