Chapter 4

The meeting contents had been leaked!

Wenren Yan frowned slightly and calmly swept his gaze across the meeting room, where shareholders and senior executives were also wiping away tears. He did not know who had leaked the meeting contents to the employees, nor could he be bothered to pursue it.

"Since no one can accept my proposal, we might as well all take some time to cool down." Wenren Yan nodded to the shareholders in the meeting room. "I'll leave everyone ample time to think it over. Remember to give me your answer before the bank's repayment deadline. We'll end things here for today. I have other matters to attend to. Goodbye."

With that, Wenren Yan rose directly to his feet and strode out, passing the dumbfounded shareholders and executives as well as the at-a-loss veteran employees.

"Boss—" Steven, who had nearly failed to react in time, hurried after him. While the two were driving away from Wenren Heavy Industry, Wenren Yan received a call from Zhao Zhao.

"A-Yan," Zhao Zhao's voice on the other end was unusually grave. Beneath its heaviness was a trace of anger. "I unexpectedly found a listening device in Yan Feng Capital's newly renovated office building."

After a pause, Zhao Zhao added, "More precisely, I found surveillance equipment in the ceiling of the office that belongs to you."

"..." Wenren Yan gave the driver an address, switched the phone to his other hand, and replied without any emotion, "We'll talk when we meet."

Author's note:

New story's up, so desolate, sob sob~~

Chapter 4

When Wenren Yan and Steven entered Gluttony Pavilion, it was exactly eleven in the morning. The wall clock chimed the hour, while the macaw tethered by the entrance flapped its wings and hopped about restlessly, chirping, "Welcome! May you prosper!"

Steven waved at the parrot and smiled at the server behind the counter. "Your greeter is certainly distinctive. Training a parrot to be this well-behaved must have taken quite some effort, huh?"

The young cashier smiled as well and said with unmistakable pride, "Our boss specially hired a bird trainer to train it. It's very smart."

Steven nodded. Listening to the English song drifting from the main hall, he teased, "Looks like your Gluttony Pavilion not only knows how to have fun, but is also quite fashionable. You're even playing English songs."

It was an antique-style Chinese restaurant. Instead of hiring musicians to play the guzheng or pipa, they played upbeat English music in the hall. That was certainly unconventional.

The young cashier covered her smile with her lips, but before she could say anything, Wenren Yan added, "It's Ao Qingyuan's 'Eighteen.'"

The cashier nodded and continued, "Our big boss especially likes Ao Qingyuan. Every Gluttony Pavilion branch in the country plays Ao Qingyuan's songs every day. And we bought the broadcast rights."

Steven raised a brow. "My boss also especially likes Ao Qingyuan. Looks like bosses all share the same taste."

As he spoke, he gave the cashier a room number. A hostess immediately led the two of them to a private room on the top floor.

In the elevator, Wenren Yan glanced at Steven, who kept checking himself in the elevator doors, and said blandly, "Not especially."

Steven froze for a moment before realizing that Wenren Yan was clarifying the teasing remark he had made to the cashier. Looking at his smiling reflection in the elevator door, Steven quickly restrained the corners of his mouth from rising. He was roaring with laughter inside, but his expression remained solemn as he admitted his mistake. "Sorry. I shouldn't have added the word 'especially' without authorization."

Wenren Yan gave a quiet "Mm" and said evenly, "Those of us who trade in finance must be rigorous in our attitudes."

"Yes." Steven nodded. Fortunately, the elevator dinged as it arrived. If he had to wait any longer, he would not have been able to hold it in.

By the time Wenren Yan and Steven pushed open the door to the private room, Zhao Zhao had already been waiting for quite a while. Various renovation blueprints and information on the renovation company were spread across the large round table. More than half the pot of Biluochun tea had been drunk. Seeing Zhao Zhao fidgeting anxiously in his seat, Steven continued to tease him. "Do you need to use the restroom first? You look pretty urgent."

Zhao Zhao rolled his eyes at Steven and impatiently reported to Wenren Yan, "This morning, while I was leading everyone in organizing the office area, I unexpectedly discovered that someone had installed surveillance equipment in your office. Afterward, I conducted another inspection and found that not only your office, but the offices of every investment manager, as well as the investment department and trading department work areas, had all been fitted with surveillance devices. I was afraid of alerting them, so I didn't tell anyone else. I also didn't have anyone remove the equipment."

"Good work." Wenren Yan nodded and habitually took the seat at the head of the table. Casually flipping through the renovation blueprints and personnel files from the renovation company, he asked, "Did you find any leads?"

Zhao Zhao's father had been a retired special forces soldier. Although he had died early, in Zhao Zhao's heart, his father had always been a great hero. So when Zhao Zhao was young, his dream had been to enroll in a military academy and become an outstanding soldier. Although that dream had not come true, Zhao Zhao's interest in reconnaissance and counter-surveillance had never waned. Since Yan Feng Capital was established, Zhao Zhao had not only managed the investment department, but also taken on Yan Feng Capital's security work. At the Manhattan headquarters, he had previously uncovered several corporate spies stealing trade secrets or planting surveillance devices. But this was the first time he had encountered someone this brazen in China—installing surveillance devices throughout the investment department, trading department, and senior executives' offices during the renovation itself.

"For such a large-scale installation of surveillance equipment, they must have bribed the renovation team," Zhao Zhao said. "I've already had the renovation company send over the roster for this renovation crew. I plan to investigate them one by one. At the very least, I need to find the person behind it."

Steven sneered. "Poaching people and planting bugs are all low-class tactics."

Steven looked at Zhao Zhao and asked, "The ones who called you were probably them too, right?"

Zhao Zhao looked somewhat uncomfortable. Looking at Wenren Yan, he explained, "Unfortunately, they were very cautious. They used a voice changer when they called me. The calls were also anonymous, with no number displayed. It was my fault for being too anxious—I rejected them outright over the phone. If they call again next time, I'll find a way to draw out information about them."