Chapter 2046: Are You Going to Sue Me?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xiao Chu stopped in her tracks, furious.
“You…”
Gao Ming shrank back, tears streaming down his face.
“My son and wife are in his hands. CEO Li, I can’t kill them… I’m just an office worker. I’m willing to sacrifice myself for the company, but I can’t sacrifice my wife and child for the company… I feel wronged too. Why must it be me…”
Li Tingshen was silent for a long time. Xiao Chu carefully observed his expression, but it was calm and collected.
!!
“If you remake it, how long will it take?”
Gao Ming shrunk his neck and thought for a while. “It will take at least two months to complete the project.”
Li Tingshen closed his eyes.
The wedding next month…
It was too late.
“Go find Qin Hao and see if he has a backup.”
Gao Ming hurriedly nodded. “Yes, yes, yes! He might have a backup. We have to find him quickly before he leaks our program…”
Xiao Chu shuddered and ran out immediately.
*
Li Tingshen waited in the office for Xiao Chu’s reply the entire night.
Qin Hao had become her only hope.
At school, Ye Qingqiu had already woken up a few times. She couldn’t sleep well.
She thought that everything was a dream, but when she woke up and saw the two busy figures beside her, she felt suffocated.
It was almost a physiological reaction. Panic and helplessness surged in her heart, and then tears welled up in her eyes.
After sleeping and waking up a few times, she cried silently a few times.
At the thought of how Li Tingshen had spent so much money and effort over the past two years, everything had gone to waste…
She couldn’t imagine his expression at that moment.
Disappointed?
Regret?
Defeated?
Unable to recover?
Either way, she didn’t want to see it.
Just thinking about it made her heart ache.
Even if he blamed her in the end and refused to marry her, she didn’t want to see his expression at that time.
Ye Ze had been guarding her. Seeing her like this, his heart ached.
It was dawn when he went out to buy breakfast.
She gave two copies to Xu Wenxuan and the senior.
The remaining portion was placed in front of Ye Qingqiu.
The breakfast in the school cafeteria was nothing special.
Ye Ze bought buns and porridge.
Xu Wenxuan and his senior had been busy the entire night, so they didn’t stand on ceremony. They ate a bun each and their eyes didn’t leave the computer screen.
The entire activity room was filled with the smell of buns.
Ye Qingqiu woke up again. Ye Ze pushed the bag towards her and said, “Have some breakfast first.”
Ye Qingqiu’s vision blurred as she surveyed her surroundings. She looked at the bag in front of her and sniffed. Her expression suddenly changed and she retched. She covered her mouth and ran out of the activity room.
Ye Ze hurriedly followed.
Ye Qingqiu leaned against the wall outside the activity room and retched for a long time.
In the end, she even cried, but she didn’t vomit much.
Ye Ze hurriedly pa.s.sed the water to her. Ye Qingqiu took it and rinsed her mouth. She drank a few mouthfuls without a care before she suppressed the churning discomfort in her stomach.
Seeing that she had stabilized, Ye Ze picked up the clothes that she had dropped halfway and draped them over her. He whispered, “I’ll send you to the hospital.”
Ye Qingqiu shook her head and said, “I’m fine. I probably didn’t sleep well last night.”
She walked to the flowerbed and sat down. She adjusted Ye Ze’s suit and sniffed.
“I don’t want to smell the scent inside. Help me ask, how’s the progress? Can you do it?”
Her face was pale and her lips were pale. She looked sickly and even her voice was weak.
Ye Ze glanced at her worriedly before turning to enter the house.
He asked Xu Wenxuan about the situation.
After a busy night, Xu Wenxuan couldn’t hide his exhaustion.
“It shouldn’t be a problem. We’ve been trying to connect and modify it. We can’t give a definite answer as to how long it will take. We can only say that it’s as soon as possible. Don’t make her anxious. Tell her that it can definitely be done and ask her to wait.”
Ye Ze nodded. “Thank you.”
She went out to report to Ye Qingqiu.
Although she had promised a certain amount, no answer meant anything to her if she didn’t successfully decode it.
She looked up at the bright sky and bit her lip worriedly.
“Brother Ye Ze, what do you think will happen if Li Tingshen finds out that the program is gone?”
Ye Ze was silent for a while. “Nothing will happen. Although he’s not old, he’s mature enough. Even if he encounters such a situation or fails in something, he won’t do anything irrational.”
Ye Qingqiu’s eyes were swollen and red.
“But he spent two years preparing this…”
Ye Ze couldn’t bear to see her expression. He lowered his eyes and said, “Everyone has to experience failure.”
“But I want his life to go smoothly. I don’t want him to experience failure, and it’s because of me…”
The difference between self-blame and reality was too great. Ye Qingqiu’s heart ached when she thought about it.
She lowered her head and tears fell by her feet, one after another.
Ye Ze walked over and caressed the top of her head.
“Things can’t run away from the USB drive. It’s only a matter of time before they crack the program. You really don’t have to worry so much. If you explain it to him clearly, he’ll definitely understand you. Besides, you’re doing this for his own good. Even if you didn’t find it, it didn’t leak. These programs were written by someone. It’s only a matter of time before they write it again.”
Ye Qingqiu gradually calmed down. Ye Ze’s a.n.a.lysis was comforting, but it seemed to be the truth.
Ye Qingqiu looked up and asked, “What time is it now?”
“Seven o’clock. What you have to do now is to get a good sleep before thinking of going to the company to explain to him.”
“But he’ll be anxious if he finds out. I can’t sleep…”
“There are still two hours before work starts.”
Ye Ze pressed her down. “You can sleep for two hours before going to the company.”
“I’ve booked a room for you at the hotel next door. Go and get some sleep.”
Ye Qingqiu was indeed feeling terrible now. Ye Ze’s att.i.tude was obviously a little tough this time, so she could only go and rest.
*
Yesterday, Lian Lili came to visit Liang Xuer. Liang Xuer said that she wanted to bring her around the film studio tonight, so she stayed at a hotel with Liang Xuer.
Early the next morning, the two of them got up and planned to return to the city.
The two of them ordered breakfast and finished it in their room. They packed their things and went downstairs.
However, just as the two of them reached the door, Liang Xuer was pulled back by her arm.
Liang Xuer screamed instinctively, “Xu’er, it’s me.”
A familiar voice sounded anxiously. Liang Xuer came back to her senses and saw that it was Qin?
“You… why…” She glanced at Lian Lili, who was still in shock, and quickly shook off Qin?
“Let go of me!”
Qin? She didn’t let go. She looked around and took out her phone from her pocket.
“Xu’er, I really like you, but I don’t expect you to be with me. This is the last thing I can do for you. I hope you get what you want and I wish you happiness.”
“Also, don’t go to the Li Corporation to look for Li Tingshen before noon. If you have anything to say to him, you can ask him out…”
Liang Xuer was confused. “What are you talking about? Why can’t I go to the Li Corporation… Why should I look for him…”
“Xu’er, I don’t have time. I’ll leave first! You just have to remember my words!”
Qin? She had been paying attention to her surroundings as she spoke. In the end, she interrupted Liang Xuer hurriedly and left with her head lowered.
Lian Lili frowned as she watched from the side. “Who is that person? He’s acting like a fugitive. Why did he give you the phone? Is there anything important inside?”
At this moment, Lian Lili’s chauffeur walked over. After greeting him, Liang Xuer held Lian Lili’s arm and walked down the steps.
“Let’s go to the car and take a look.”
*
Ye Jianyun had finished her breakfast and was taking a walk when she suddenly received a call from Lian Lili.
Lian Lili’s sharp voice almost pierced through their eardrums.
“Ye Jianyun, you’ve really raised a good daughter! My Li family can’t afford to have such a ruthless woman. I think we should forget about this wedding! Cancel it! I, Lian Lili, will never agree to her marrying into my Li family!”
If this woman had criticized him, Ye Jianyun wouldn’t have minded. However, she had belittled his daughter without distinguis.h.i.+ng right from wrong. Ye Jianyun’s anger immediately rose!
“Lian Lili! What’s wrong with you in the morning? How did Qingqiu provoke you to have such a huge opinion of her?!”
Lian Lili snorted coldly. “How did she provoke me? She destroyed the Li Corporation! Tell me, how did she provoke me?!”
“What about her? Is she at home? If she is, let her reach the Li Corporation immediately. We’ll settle scores today!”
After Lian Lili hung up, Liang Xuer said, “Auntie Lian, Qin? She told us not to go to the Li Corporation this morning. Let’s invite her outside.”
“Why can’t we go to the Li Corporation? Since when does he have the final say in the Li family’s territory?”
How could Lian Lili not be angry when the company was about to be gone?
At this moment, her chest was heaving. One could imagine how angry she was.
“I knew she was a scourge, but I had to have such an ill-fated relations.h.i.+p with her. I didn’t get anything from the Ye Corporation, but I got the Li Corporation involved. What a sin!”
“Go to the Li Corporation!” Lian Lili shouted at the driver. Liang Xuer frowned. Seeing Lian Lili’s angry and domineering look, she didn’t dare to speak and could only follow her to the Li Corporation.
*
After being shouted at, Ye Jianyun was hung up again. He was confused and inexplicably angry.
He wanted to call Qingqiu to ask her what was going on, but he looked at the time. If she was sleeping, she shouldn’t be awake yet. He called Ye Ze instead.
But Ye Ze’s phone was switched off.
He frowned instantly.
She immediately called Li Tingshen.
Li Tingshen’s call went through quickly and he sounded exhausted.
“Tingshen, did you quarrel with Qingqiu?”
Li Tingshen paused. “No.”
“Then why did your mother call me just now to cancel the engagement and scold Qingqiu? Are you with Qingqiu?”
“No. Something happened at the company last night and I didn’t go home. I’m still at the company. She was playing with her friends last night.”
“Oh, that’s good. I can’t contact her. Try me. By the way, your mother seemed to have said that something happened at the company. What happened?”
Li Tingshen pursed his lips. “I’ll contact Qingqiu now.”
“Oh, okay.”
Ye Jianyun was very pa.s.sive and Li Tingshen didn’t say anything about the company. Something must have happened.
Recalling the hysteria on Lian Lili’s phone just now, he was worried and called Uncle Ye to the Li Corporation.
*
Ye Qingqiu didn’t have the mood to sleep. No matter how uncomfortable she felt, she couldn’t close her eyes completely. In the end, she only went to the bathroom to take a shower and put on clean clothes before leaving.
Ye Ze had been guarding the door. Seeing her like this, he took a deep breath helplessly.
“Are we going to the Li Corporation?”
Ye Qingqiu nodded.
“Do you want to have breakfast first?”
Ye Qingqiu shook her head again.
Ye Ze decided not to force her.
He brought her straight to the Li Corporation.
Then, she saw the tired Xiao Chu at the entrance of the company.
Ye Qingqiu thought that after such a huge incident, Li Tingshen would definitely be at the company even on weekends.
Everyone thought the same. Common sense.
“Special a.s.sistant Xiao, is Li Tingshen in the office?”
Xiao Chu looked up and stared at her for a while. Her expression was filled with unfamiliar anger and sarcasm.
“In the engineering department.”
Xiao Chu’s expression and short reply made Ye Qingqiu’s heart skip a beat.
Pursing her lips, she said with a dark expression, “I’ll go up to look for him.”
This time, Ye Ze followed behind Ye Qingqiu and accompanied her upstairs.
The company was empty on weekends.
Ye Qingqiu instructed Ye Ze to wait for her at the door. She pushed open the door and the three people in the room looked at her.
Lian Lili and Liang Xuer stood in front of Li Tingshen and seemed to be saying something to him.
Gao Ming’s desk was in a mess. The computer and monitor were separated and lying on the floor.
She looked at Li Tingshen immediately, her bloodshot eyes filled with coldness and ruthlessness.
“Did you sleep well last night?” he asked in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
Ye Qingqiu tightened her grip on the door. After two seconds of silence, she mustered her courage and said, “Li Tingshen, I didn’t go home last night. I’ll come home tonight…”
“Did you not go home because you spent the night with Luoluo?”
Li Tingshen’s gaze was fixed on her, but every question seemed to be avoiding something.
She bit her lip and shook her head. “No.”
Li Tingshen’s eyes darkened and he retracted his gaze. “If you didn’t cheat on me with other men, that’s fine. I’m very busy now. Get out.”
Ye Qingqiu glanced at the mess in the office and opened her mouth. Just as she was about to say something, Lian Lili’s sharp voice sounded.
“No problem. Get out? Tingshen, did you not hear what we just told you or are you pretending to be deaf?”
“She deliberately lost the project you’ve been preparing for two years! Can’t this prove everything? The confidential data is gone and the computer is useless! Everything you’ve done has gone to waste. The Li Corporation is going to die because of her! It’s all because of this vicious woman…”
Ye Qingqiu’s eyebrows twitched and she turned to look at Liang Xuer, who was looking at her sarcastically.
“How did you know?”
Lian Lili gritted her teeth in anger and pointed at her with red eyes.
“Listen, listen! She has already admitted it, but you still don’t believe her?”
Ye Qingqiu took two steps closer to Liang Xuer, her gaze sharp.
“Let me ask you, how do you know that the data has been cleared?!”
With a crisp sound, Ye Qingqiu’s face was slapped by Lian Lili.
Li Tingshen’s eyes widened and he stood up abruptly.
Ye Ze had already heard the commotion. He barged in and s.h.i.+elded Ye Qingqiu behind him.
Lian Lili was furious and could not be affected by anyone. She glared at Ye Qingqiu and said sharply,
“What right do you have to be so aggressive to Xu’er now? You’re still acting so high and mighty after doing that. How shameless!”
Ye Ze’s face was cold. “Madam Lian, we haven’t figured out what happened. Please calm down.”
“You haven’t figured it out? Ha, what do you mean by that?”
She sneered and took out the phone from her bag.
After pressing something, she was thrown onto the table in front of Li Tingshen.
A voice that everyone was familiar with sounded slowly. One could clearly imagine her expression through her voice—
“Everyone understands that the most important thing to the cold and indifferent Li Tingshen in this world is his mother and the Li Corporation that his father left for him. Everyone knows that I like him. However, even though we’re getting married, he has never said that he loves me. I don’t know when he will leave me, so I think that if I can hold the most important thing to him, he won’t leave me anytime.
“You should know very well that his mother likes Liang Xuer. Even now, she still wants to matchmake him and Liang Xuer. I can’t get her, so I can only have designs on the Li Corporation.”
“I’ve mentioned to him a few times that I want to put the Li Corporation under my name. He didn’t agree and said that if the software development results this time don’t work, the Li Corporation will suffer a loss and it will be easy for me to obtain the Li Corporation. Actually, the Li Corporation pales in comparison to the Ye Corporation. It doesn’t suffer a loss and I don’t care how valuable it is. I only want the Li Corporation.”
“…My goal is to completely destroy the procedures this time. The Li Corporation will be facing a huge loan problem. Then, the Ye Corporation will help to return the money and the Li Corporation will be under my name.”
“… Without surveillance cameras, I can’t find out who it is. He has no reason to suspect me.”
“Young Master Qin, if I want to destroy it, I’ll destroy it completely. I know a little about programming. Take this ordinary USB drive and move these doc.u.ments. I think any engineer here has the ability to retrieve the missing doc.u.ments. What’s the point of doing this?”
“There’s a virus in that USB drive. I specially got someone to prepare it for me today. Once it’s inserted into the computer, the virus inside will automatically shatter everything inside, including the computer’s calculation data. The data will be destroyed and the computer will be sc.r.a.pped.”
…
Qin Hao’s voice was mixed in.
But it was no longer important.
Ye Qingqiu’s already pale face turned completely pale.
She subconsciously looked at Li Tingshen, and he slowly looked at her.
The gloominess in his eyes gradually turned into mockery before he sneered.
“You’re quite capable. Even the computing data on the computer has been wiped out. You’ve destroyed it completely.”
Ye Qingqiu hurriedly shook her head and walked towards him. “It’s not like that, Li Tingshen…”
Li Tingshen suddenly raised his hand and pushed her hand away.
Ye Qingqiu swayed and supported herself against the desk.
“Then what is it?” Li Tingshen looked at her coldly, his dark gaze piercing her nerves inch by inch.
“You’ve indeed mentioned to me more than once that you want to take over the Li Corporation. You’ve also said that you don’t want to destroy the Li Corporation. I thought you were joking. Ye Qingqiu, it’s been so long. Why are you learning such boring things? If I want you to read some company doc.u.ments, you’ll feel as uncomfortable as being skinned alive. However, you’re only interested in those c.u.mbersome programming codes. Why do you go to the engineering department every day when you have time, huh?”
“You’re saying that the sentence in the recording is fake? Perhaps you’re right about one thing. If there are no surveillance cameras, I have no reason to suspect that you did it. But it’s also wrong. In fact, there are no surveillance cameras, only recordings.”
Liang Xuer stood at the side and looked at the crack in the ground not far away. There was a faint mocking smile on her face.
It seemed like even if she didn’t do anything, Ye Qingqiu would be finished.
Ye Qingqiu felt terrible and her head was spinning.
“Li Tingshen, I did say those words in the recording, but they’re not true. I said those words to deceive Qin Jianjia…”
Li Tingshen narrowed his eyes and turned to look at her. He clenched his fists and placed them on the table beside him.
He seemed to be thinking, as if he believed Ye Qingqiu’s words and was looking for a breakthrough for her.
At this moment, Liang Xuer suddenly said, “If you want to lie to Qin Hao, it’s enough for him to handcuff the items into the USB drive and take them away. Why do you have to remind him that he might be found? Don’t you think your words are contradictory?”
Liang Xuer’s words completely overturned Ye Qingqiu’s explanation.
Li Tingshen’s eyes flickered. When he raised his head again, his eyes were dark and cold again.
Ye Qingqiu was about to mention the USB flash drive when she was slapped back by his gaze.
At the same time, four people in uniforms walked in.
Seeing this, Lian Lili hurriedly said, “The Ministry of Justice, right? It’s her. She colluded with others to maliciously destroy the company’s secrets. The losses are huge and the evidence is conclusive. Please take her away immediately! We’ll prepare to sue immediately!”
Li Tingshen frowned slightly and looked at Lian Lili.
Lian Lili handed Qin Hao’s phone to one of them.
Upon hearing the mention of the Ministry of Justice, Ye Qingqiu raised her head abruptly and looked at the tall man beside her in panic.
“Li Tingshen… are you going to sue me? Are you going to sue me?”