132: 132. Industrial Espionage

Watching Chu Man enter a temporary office and begin to meticulously organize documents, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.

Lu Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he immediately activated his Dream Invasion ability.

In an instant, a fragment of an unfamiliar memory flooded his mind.

The scene of the laboratory corridor before him began to distort, replaced by a luxurious office filled with Southeast Asian flair.

Behind the desk sat a woman with a cold expression. Lu Feng had seen this woman in Director Yu Tianxiong's dream... his ex-wife, Li Wanrong.

Li Wanrong pushed a stack of documents across the table, her voice icy: "With your abilities and resume, stealing the business secrets of such a nascent company... it shouldn't be difficult, should it?"

From the perspective, Chu Man reached out, picked up the documents, and began to flip through them. The documents contained a brief introduction to Tingfeng Capital, but more conspicuous were several photos of Director Yu Tianxiong attending recent events, where he looked spirited and ambitious.

"Tingfeng Capital? Never heard of it. What kind of secrets do you want?" Chu Man asked, her tone carrying a professional assessment.

Li Wanrong leaned forward, lowering her voice: "I want to know if Director Yu Tianxiong has anyone else behind him! Also, all the core technologies and planning documents for their company in real estate, especially the energy sector! Name your price!"

From the perspective, Chu Man pondered for a moment, then chuckled softly: "Although it's a small company, my price isn't cheap. One price, ten million. Three tenths deposit upfront."

Li Wanrong barely hesitated: "Alright. But there's one more thing... After it's done, find a way to trick Director Yu Tianxiong into coming to the Golden Triangle. As long as he steps foot on this land, I'll give you an additional five million!"

Chu Man's eyes visibly lit up. She picked up Director Yu Tianxiong's photo and looked at it carefully a few more times, a confident, even slightly predatory smile curling at the corners of her mouth: "No problem, wait for my good news."

In the dream sequence, Chu Man rose and pushed open the heavy solid wood door... the scene shattered with a crash.

Lu Feng turned to look at Director Yu Tianxiong beside him with a meaningful gaze, smiling silently.

When Director Yu Tianxiong saw Lu Feng's expression, his heart immediately tightened. He knew that Lu Feng never made empty gestures, so he whispered: "Sir, do you mean..."

Lu Feng patted his shoulder, sighing: "Your ex-wife has set her sights on you, and... she's moved quite fast, extending her reach into the company already."

A fierce glint flashed in Director Yu Tianxiong's eyes, his breathing quickened, and he looked sharply at Chu Man, who had just woken up in the office, his hatred and vigilance reaching their peak.

Although he had expected it, when it was truly confirmed, the anger accumulated over many years was still difficult to completely suppress.

"Sir, I..."

"Relax, your target is Li Wanrong, not this commercial spy. Don't get it wrong," Lu Feng reminded him.

"I know," Director Yu Tianxiong took a deep breath, calming himself.

Lu Feng stroked his chin, a playful, cat-and-mouse smile on his face: "Since she's come all this way, meticulously planning, and with a 'mission,' we can't let her return empty-handed, can we? We should help her out properly."

Director Yu Tianxiong immediately understood: "How does sir wish to proceed?"

"It can be done this way..."

Lu Feng lowered his voice as he spoke, and Director Yu Tianxiong's eyes grew brighter and brighter... "Huh? How did I fall asleep?"

Inside the office, Chu Man looked up, rubbed her temples with some confusion, and cautiously scanned her surroundings, finding nothing unusual.

She then let out a sigh of relief, secretly laughing at herself for being too nervous.

She picked up her phone nearby and secretly took photos of these documents. Although they didn't involve important content, it was her professional habit to collect as much as possible first, then filter out valuable information later.

After quickly finishing, Chu Man stood up, tidied her dress, ensured her appearance was perfect, and then pushed open the door.

As soon as she stepped out, she almost bumped into Director Yu Tianxiong, who was standing outside the door, startling her heart to pound!

But her strong psychological resilience allowed her to instantly compose her expression, revealing a perfectly appropriate smile, tinged with a bit of surprise and apology: "Director... President Yu? You haven't left yet?"

Director Yu Tianxiong's expression was calm, showing no emotion: "Yes, I'm waiting for you to return to the company together."

"Yes! I'll prepare the car immediately!"

Chu Man responded at once, secretly delighted. Did this mean the boss was starting to trust her?

As if casually mentioning it, Director Yu Tianxiong added: "Oh, by the way, you've performed well these past few days. After returning to the company, go directly to HR to sign the formal contract. No need for a probation period."

Chu Man's eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and she said seductively: "Thank you for the promotion, President Yu~! I will definitely work harder and not let down your trust!"

She was also secretly pleased, thinking that the start was very smooth, and she had already infiltrated the target. Next, she only needed to find an opportunity to access core projects... Also... she looked at her voluptuous body, wondering how long this stern boss could resist... Director Yu Tianxiong looked at Chu Man's retreating figure, his heart undisturbed.

The female secretary, who thought she was well-hidden, didn't know that she was already under the hunter's gaze... Soon, an encrypted message was sent through a secret channel:

【Successfully onboarded as target's secretary, gaining initial trust. Currently attempting to access their energy sector project, "Tingfeng Energy," reportedly developing a new type of battery technology. Specific details and authenticity require further investigation. Target individual Yu Tianxiong has average vigilance, no obvious external support detected behind him yet.】

Golden Triangle, Gaoping City, inside a high-end private club's banquet hall.

Li Fang put down his phone, a satisfied smile on his face, and raised his glass to a middle-aged man beside him: "Director Han, Li is deeply honored to achieve this cooperation with an industry giant like Jully Energy! Come, I toast you!"

Han Mingli, the vice president of China's Jully Energy Group, smiled and raised his glass in return: "Mr. Li is too kind. The Golden Triangle is connected to us by land and sea, with deep historical ties. Tengfei Mining is also the largest local mining giant, ensuring our stable supply of raw materials. It is our honor at Jully Energy. I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"

Glasses clinked, and the atmosphere seemed harmonious.

After three rounds of drinks, Li Fang mentioned, as if casually:

"Oh, Director Han, I recently heard a rumor, and I don't know if it's true or false. I heard there's a company in Xia State, something like... Tingfeng Energy, that's also investing heavily in the research and development of a new type of solid-state battery? Has Director Han heard of this company?"

Han Mingli thought for a moment, then shook his head with a scoff: "Tingfeng Energy? Never heard of it. Probably another small workshop that doesn't know its place, trying to create a gimmick to trick venture capitalists? This kind of thing, there are at least eighty if not a hundred every year in China, they don't amount to anything."

"This time it's not a small workshop; the other party is reportedly collaborating with Jiangcheng University, investing several hundred million, determined to succeed. Director Han might want to keep an eye on it."

Han Mingli frowned slightly. Although he didn't quite believe it, out of a businessman's caution, he still instructed his assistant beside him: "Jot down this name. Have the marketing department look into the situation later."

"Yes, Director Han."

Li Fang took a sip of wine, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes.

His reach couldn't extend that far, but getting these industry giants to hassle Director Yu Tianxiong was undoubtedly a labor-saving and insidious good method.

"Come, come, let's continue drinking!"

Li Fang made his point and achieved his goal, so he didn't continue speaking... Late at night, Lu Feng lay in bed, thinking about the Li Family's affairs.

"This is truly my first time encountering this level of commercial warfare. The tactics are dirty enough to make people paranoid, seeing everyone as a spy," he chuckled, exasperated.

However, since the other party started as a mining company... Lu Feng felt that perhaps he could start from this field and prepare a return gift for them.

Lu Feng closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the vast dream space, and directly activated Dream Link.

This time, his target was no longer specific individuals, but he began a large-scale search, browsing dream fragments of practitioners related to domestic mining giants, international mineral exploration, and resource assessment.

This kind of large-scale retrieval was very time-consuming and energy-intensive, and Lu Feng had only tried it once before.

His purpose wasn't to steal specific commercial secrets, but to capture some undisclosed minefield information within the industry.

After all, information asymmetry could not only be used to make money, but also to... dig pits.

After a night of searching and piecing together, like finding a needle in a haystack, a mine site named "Jialan" gradually became clear in his consciousness.

This was a large rare metal ore belt located in an Fei Country in the south, and preliminary exploration data showed its immense potential, enough to make any mining company drool.

However, Lu Feng still pieced together some key information from these fragmented dreams.

The local king was now seriously ill, the situation was unstable, the army was stirring, and additionally, the geographical location was somewhat controversial... Each issue was like a ticking time bomb, so everyone was currently holding back, waiting for the political situation to become clear. No one dared to step on this huge landmine during such a sensitive period.

This information was core confidential data that major companies had spent huge sums on political risk assessments, and would never be publicly disclosed.

However, for Lu Feng, this was simply a perfect... trap.

After waking up at dawn, Lu Feng immediately called Director Yu Tianxiong, chuckling: "Old Yu, now it's your time to shine..."

...The next day, Tingfeng Capital office.

Chu Man excitedly came to complete her onboarding procedures, officially becoming Director Yu Tianxiong's secretary.

She was already beautiful, and today she had dressed up to be even more stunning, instantly attracting the attention of many single male colleagues in the office.

"Tsk tsk, the new secretary is really pretty..."

"Don't look, she must have been personally hired by President Yu, we don't stand a chance."

"President Yu is a workaholic, maybe he only values ability? Then do we have a chance...?"

Lin Shaohui, seeing Chu Man join, actually felt relieved.

He could finally shed some of his secretarial duties and fully dedicate himself to the shantytown renovation project, which was being coordinated with Xu's Group.

"Brother Lin."

Chu Man, holding a notebook, walked smilingly to Lin Shaohui's cubicle and asked: "I'm new here, and many things are still unfamiliar. You've been with President Yu the longest, could you please tell me about his work habits and some preferences? I'm afraid of doing something wrong."

Lin Shaohui was a straightforward person. Seeing his new colleague humbly asking for advice, he didn't hold back and simply explained some of Director Yu Tianxiong's work habits, common preferences, and details to pay attention to.

"President Yu is very meticulous, but he's actually very good to his subordinates. You'll definitely learn a lot by his side, so keep up the good work," Lin Shaohui encouraged.

"I will!"

Chu Man nodded vigorously, then showed a curious and admiring expression: "But Brother Lin, President Yu is truly amazing! I've looked at some of the company's public information and found that every investment decision Tingfeng Capital has made so far has been terrifyingly accurate! Never wrong! How does President Yu do it?"

Lin Shaohui smiled, his tone filled with genuine admiration: "President Yu's business acumen and decision-making ability are indeed the strongest I've ever seen. What he decides on, there's basically no problem."

As he said this, Lu Feng's image flashed subconsciously in his mind, but he knew his limits and didn't reveal a single word.

Chu Man's eyes sparkled, and she gave a thumbs-up: "As expected of President Yu!"

However, she sneered inwardly, having made a preliminary assessment of these naive colleagues.

Stupid, lacking the most basic vigilance. This startup company indeed had no sense of precaution.

Back at her desk, Chu Man logged into the company's intranet using her account, intending to browse deeper files, but found that her permissions were insufficient, and she couldn't access the core project area.

This was within her expectations.

Chu Man thought for a moment, then got up and walked towards Director Yu Tianxiong's office, preparing to find an opportunity under the pretense of delivering documents or asking for instructions.

Just as she was about to reach the door, she noticed that the office door was not completely closed, leaving a gap, and Director Yu Tianxiong's voice clearly came from inside, his tone seeming somewhat urgent and... excited?

Chu Man immediately lightened her steps, held her breath, and listened attentively.

"...Yes! It's that rare metal mine site code-named 'Jialan'! Absolutely no problem, I'm very optimistic about it!"

"...That Australian company pulled out because of a strategic adjustment at their headquarters, they were forced to withdraw... Now is a godsend opportunity, the mineral rights holder is in a hurry, and there's a lot of price flexibility. I think if we secure it, it will definitely be a huge profit!"

Director Yu Tianxiong's voice paused, seemingly listening to the other party speak, then he lowered his voice, which became even more alluring:

"I know... the old king is almost gone, and the situation is a bit volatile... But precisely because of this, we have the opportunity to lock in the contract at the current low price! Once the new government takes power and the situation stabilizes, the price will at least multiply several times... Hmm... there are definitely risks, but fortune favors the bold... This deal is worth gambling on!"

Hearing this, Chu Man's heart almost leaped out of her chest!

Jialan mine site!! Low-price acquisition! Fortune favors the bold! These keywords constantly echoed in her mind!

Just then, the call seemed to have ended, and footsteps were heard in the office.

Chu Man reacted quickly, immediately retreated a few steps, pretending to have just walked by, her expression natural.

The office door was pulled open, and Director Yu Tianxiong walked out, tidying his cuffs, his brows slightly furrowed, seemingly still pondering the call he had just received.

"President Yu," Chu Man immediately greeted respectfully.

Director Yu Tianxiong seemed to just notice her, and casually said, "Hmm, go get me a cup of coffee, make it strong."

After speaking, he walked towards the restroom.

"Yes, President Yu!" Chu Man responded, ecstatic!

The opportunity had arrived!