Chapter 42: Evidence Secured

Yu Youchu took the water and took a sip.

"Did you see Bai Bingge just now? He came to ask me if I had any intention of hiring you."

"But as soon as you walked in, he knew where I stood."

Yu Youchu narrowed her eyes. Cui Jing was truly something; she wouldn't refuse Bai Bingge to his face, but instead called her in just to show him, knowing full well that Bai Bingge wouldn't be able to swallow his pride.

"Heartless woman," Yu Youchu remarked.

Cui Jing’s eyes crinkled with amusement. She loved Yu Youchu’s occasional boldness.

"You’re quite clever," Cui Jing said.

"If I join the design department, can I be assigned directly to your team?" Yu Youchu asked, getting straight to the point.

Cui Jing laughed even harder. "Little girl, you’re young but your ambitions are grand. This is an emergency project, which is why I’ve been tasked with doing the work of two people." She pointed to her ID badge. The words "Design Department Director" shone in gold, making Yu Youchu green with envy.

"After you pass your probation, you should start from the bottom. This project was a case of you performing beyond your level; there’s still a lot of foundational work you haven’t learned yet."

Yu Youchu nodded, tearing up. Cui Jing was right. She was still a novice and couldn’t afford to get carried away.

"Then, once I join the design department, where will I be placed?"

"If you’re willing, you can join my team. The managers there are all quite good..."

Yu Youchu’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Then I’ll leave it to you, Sister Jing."

Cui Jing’s eyes crinkled again.

"By the way, I have one more favor to ask. I trust that the brilliant, calm, sophisticated, and generous Sister Jing will surely agree." Yu Youchu put on a sycophantic smile.

"Smooth talker." Cui Jing rolled her eyes at her, though not unkindly. "Go ahead, what is it?"

"It’s nothing major, I just want to borrow your authority to apply a little pressure." Yu Youchu explained her plan to retrieve the surveillance footage to Cui Jing.

Cui Jing chuckled after hearing it and readily agreed. "You really are to my liking. I agree to this; go ahead and do it, but you’ll owe me a favor."

Yu Youchu nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. "Thanks! If possible, can you notify the company to send someone over this afternoon?"

"The scheduled maintenance day is Friday."

Yu Youchu knew it was Friday, but she had a flight to catch right after work that day and couldn't afford any surprises. "Surely with your immense influence, a single phone call could bring them over sooner?" Yu Youchu scratched her head, looking sheepish.

"You really are impatient." Although her tone sounded dismissive, Cui Jing made the call anyway.

Three minutes later, she hung up. "They’ll send someone this afternoon. Whether or not you succeed depends on your own skills. Just remember, don't cause me any other trouble."

"You got it." Yu Youchu stood up. "Then if there's nothing else, I'll head out."

Cui Jing nodded.

Mu Chuan was waiting for Yu Youchu outside Cui Jing’s office. Seeing him there, Yu Youchu assumed Cui Jing had called him. "Did Sister Jing ask you to come over too?"

"No, I was waiting for you." Mu Chuan smiled, his two canine teeth looking cute and well-behaved. "Are we going to check the surveillance?"

Yu Youchu glanced at him. "Yes."

"You're certainly in a hurry. Do you need my help?"

"If you're willing, it would certainly be more persuasive." Yu Youchu, naturally, wouldn't refuse his help.

"How could I stand by when a friend is in trouble? Let’s go, let's eat first. You need energy to get things done."

Yu Youchu followed Mu Chuan into the elevator.

In the afternoon, the technician from the maintenance company arrived at Huasheng on time. To avoid alerting the culprit, Yu Youchu had Mu Chuan handle the reception.

Yu Youchu waited at her desk, anxious, occasionally glancing over to see if Wan Ninghe was still working quietly. This was the best chance to eliminate the threat once and for all.

[How is it going?] Yu Youchu pulled out her phone, ready to go and support Mu Chuan if things went wrong.

But the message was like a stone dropped into the ocean. Mu Chuan didn't reply for a long time.

Yu Youchu held her water cup, pretending to pace casually between the breakroom and her desk. When Cui Jing passed by, she saw her but turned a blind eye, walking quickly past as if she hadn't noticed.

"Yu Youchu, are you that bored?"

Wan Ninghe finally couldn't bear to see Yu Youchu pacing in front of her any longer. Though she hadn't wanted to have any further interaction with her, she spoke up.

Yu Youchu offered a formal smile. "Miss Wan, I’m just stretching my legs in the public area."

Wan Ninghe’s face darkened. The fallout from the previous incident hadn't fully blown over, so she couldn't afford to be at the center of attention and had to swallow her anger. "Then please be mindful not to disturb your colleagues; there are many workstations here."

Yu Youchu targeted her. "I don't think anyone else is disturbed by me. Perhaps Miss Wan is just being too sensitive."

If it were anyone else, Yu Youchu would have felt embarrassed, but with Wan Ninghe, she chose to make her blood boil.

"Yu Youchu, don't push your luck." Wan Ninghe was so angry that veins were popping on her forehead, but she still didn't dare to speak loudly.

Yu Youchu waved her hand. "Fine, I’m the bigger person. I’ll leave this area to you." She turned and walked into the breakroom.

When she checked her phone again, Mu Chuan had replied.

[Everything is taken care of.]

Below the message was a video—the precious footage of Wan Ninghe tampering with her computer, with the time and location perfectly matching.

[However, the person who came wasn't an accomplice of Wan Ninghe. I just tentatively asked if it was possible to recover that day's surveillance, and the technician agreed quite readily. It just took a while to restore the files.]

Yu Youchu’s eyes crinkled with joy, and she forwarded the video to Cui Jing.

Then she replied to Mu Chuan: [Good thing it was just a technician. Thanks to you this time, I’ll treat you to lunch in the cafeteria tomorrow.]

Mu Chuan replied quickly: [No need to thank me, I’m ordering the most expensive set menu tomorrow.]

[I thought you didn't eat oily or salty food?]

[The claypot rice has a set menu, too. You're generous, Boss Yu.]

Yu Youchu took a few deep breaths and opened the surveillance video, trying to soothe her anger by watching it. The monitoring equipment at Huasheng was indeed excellent; after zooming in, one could clearly see exactly what Wan Ninghe was doing on her computer.

After leaving the breakroom, Yu Youchu cast a pitying glance at Wan Ninghe. If she had just worked honestly, given her professional level, she could have succeeded at Huasheng. She was bold, but her mistake was provoking someone like Yu Youchu.

Back at her desk, Yu Youchu realized she had forgotten to report to her new boyfriend. She nimbly pulled out her phone and opened the chat with Pei Jiayin, only to find that there wasn't a single message from him.

A faint sense of disappointment surfaced, and Yu Youchu’s desire to send a message dampened.