133: Chapter 133 Passing the Knife

May 26, 2025, Monday, cloudy, 17–27 ℃.

At nine o'clock, after Liu Yanran arrived at the office, she opened her computer and began processing company emails. Then, she sent a notification in the Sweet Spring project group chat: "The presentation for the second draft of the Sweet Spring project is at one o'clock this afternoon. At ten o'clock, all attendees should gather downstairs at the company on time to take the car together to Liquan Group. It is now 9:30, so we have half an hour left. Please prepare accordingly."

After sending the message, the team leader, General Manager Zhao Qiming, the presenter Chen Mochi, as well as Liu Li and the other two people who were still in the A3 Conference Room, all packed their things and prepared to leave.

At 9:50, Liu Yanran and General Manager Zhao Qiming arrived early at the business van downstairs to wait.

General Manager Zhao Qiming suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible anxiety: "Director Liu, do you think we can make it to the final round this time?"

Liu Yanran glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and replied with a candid tone: "General Manager Zhao, to be honest, I'm not confident either. After all, the companies participating in the pitch are all very formidable. Today is an 8-to-3 selection, and among them are four large 4A marketing planning companies."

She didn't say anything more, but the implication was clear.

General Manager Zhao Qiming nodded, sighed, and added indifferently: "I hope today goes a bit more smoothly."

As they were speaking, Chen Mochi, Liu Li, and the other two members of the project team arrived.

General Manager Zhao Qiming put away his emotions and greeted everyone: "Let's get on the car."

The group filed in one after another, and the business van slowly drove out of the company parking lot.

Meanwhile, at the Planning Department of a company name.

Qiao Yichen sat at his workstation and glanced at the time—9:55.

Li Yong, Meng Zhi, and Shen Bowen were busy at their respective workstations, the sound of keyboards occasionally clicking; everything was as usual.

He calmly took out the old mobile phone he had prepared in advance from his drawer, turned it on, and logged into a WeChat secondary account he had registered long ago.

He first opened the friend request list and sent friend requests to Vice President Wang Yiming and Director Zhang He respectively. For Vice President Wang Yiming, he wrote "Business Consultation" as the note, while for Director Zhang He, he left it blank—different strategies for different people.

After sending them, he opened his computer again, logged into an anonymous email account he had registered in advance, and sent the pre-edited emails to both of their work email addresses.

The email content was very simple, containing only two pieces of information:

On May 13, Director obtained the core content (strategic direction, creative concept) of Liu Yanran's team's first draft proposal through Li Fan of Liquan Group.

On May 14, Director transferred 300,000 yuan to the account of Li Fan's wife, "Wang Li," with the note "Consultation Fee."

He set encryption and kept the password separately.

After doing all this, Qiao Yichen leaned back in his chair, staring at the mobile screen, his fingers tapping the desk unconsciously.

Actually, he wasn't worried that the two wouldn't receive it. He had already gotten someone to obtain their business cards, which had their contact information on them. Unless it was a last resort, he wouldn't force a phone call, but backup plans were always necessary.

Time ticked by. After about ten minutes or so, the phone vibrated.

Director Zhang He had accepted the friend request.

Immediately after, a message popped up with obvious impatience: "Who are you? Why did you add me?"

Qiao Yichen typed his reply unhurriedly: "Director Zhang He, I sent something to your email that you would be very interested in. The email is encrypted. Take a look first, and let's talk after you've finished."

He sent the password over. Director Zhang He was clearly annoyed by this inexplicable person; the message came back quickly, and the tone was even more aggressive: "What exactly do you want? Beating around the bush—is there anything you can't just say directly?"

Qiao Yichen looked at the screen, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. This straightforward reaction actually showed that this person didn't have much guile. He typed back: "The content of the email is about your direct superior, Li Fan. It won't be too late to ask what I want to do after you've read it."

After sending it, there was no reply from Director Zhang He for a long time. Qiao Yichen thought to himself that he must have gone to check the email.

Just as he was about to switch out, the phone vibrated again—Vice President Wang Yiming had also accepted the friend request.

Vice President Wang Yiming got straight to the point, his tone much calmer than Director Zhang He's: "Which company are you from? What kind of business?"

Qiao Yichen knew that when dealing with an old fox like this, there was no need to put on an act and beat around the bush. He typed directly: "Mr. Wang, I just found an excuse to add you. Mainly, I have some information regarding Li Fan that I'd like to discuss with you."

Vice President Wang Yiming was clearly much more cautious, his message laced with probing: "Li Fan? What kind of cooperation could I have regarding his situation?"

Qiao Yichen didn't answer directly but instead said: "Mr. Wang, I also sent you an encrypted email containing the situation I wanted to talk to you about. Would you like to take a look before making a decision?"

Vice President Wang Yiming replied with a flat tone, devoid of emotion: "Playing games."

Qiao Yichen didn't explain further and waited. Not long after, the phone vibrated again—it was Director Zhang He.

"What do you want by sending me this?"

Qiao Yichen looked at the screen, confident now. He typed: "Li Fan taking bribes—isn't this a perfect opportunity to take him down?"

Director Zhang He was silent for a few seconds, then sent a high-sounding sentence, as if testing his bottom line: "This is an internal matter of our group; what does it have to do with you?"

Qiao Yichen smiled and continued typing, his tone firm: "I know that if Li Fan hadn't been parachuted in two years ago, you, Director Zhang He, would have been promoted to the position of Vice General Manager. But after he arrived, you've been spinning your wheels in this position. Are you willing to accept that?"

This time, Director Zhang He didn't lash back directly, but remained silent for a while before replying, his tone clearly softening: "This is none of your business."

Qiao Yichen looked at this message, the curve of his mouth deepening. He typed: "You've been suppressed for too long; this time, you have an opportunity. And you're not the only one who can't stand Li Fan."

After sending this, he ignored Director Zhang He and switched to Vice President Wang Yiming's dialogue box.

Vice President Wang Yiming's message popped up right at that moment, his tone more serious than before: "What is your purpose in doing this?"

Qiao Yichen typed: "I actually don't know Li Fan."

Vice President Wang Yiming pressed harder: "You don't know him, so why are you going after him? There must be a reason, right?"

Qiao Yichen explained patiently: "I have a grudge against the person from Qichen Company who offered the bribe—Director. So, you understand."

Vice President Wang Yiming was silent for a while, then asked again: "How did you know I don't get along with Li Fan?"

Qiao Yichen smiled and typed: "Your group is large with a big business, and internal competition is fierce. If someone with intent asks around, they'll know about the conflict between you two. Sending this to you is actually quite simple—you eliminate an eyesore on your path to becoming permanent, and I get to eliminate a rival. Everyone gets what they need; isn't that good?"

Vice President Wang Yiming asked again, his tone carrying a final trace of guard: "What if I don't help?"

Qiao Yichen replied very calmly: "Whether you help or not depends on you. This is a perfect opportunity, and if you miss it, it might not come again. It doesn't matter to me; after all, you'll gain more than I will. I just don't like Director."

Vice President Wang Yiming seemed to be thinking; after waiting for a long time, he finally relented: "What do you want me to do?"

Qiao Yichen typed: "You should be able to attend the presentation meeting this afternoon as an observer, right?"

Vice President Wang Yiming replied: "That's no problem; it's already in the schedule."

Qiao Yichen continued: "Then you go and check the planning proposals of both a company name and Qichen Company to see if there are any similarities. If there are, you can spread this information through your channels when the time comes. Once a company name finds out, they will definitely file a complaint. Your group will naturally have to investigate the source of the proposal. As for what follows, just follow the trail."

After reading it, Vice President Wang Yiming was silent for a few seconds and finally replied: "Fine, then I'll take your word for it this time."

Qiao Yichen looked at the screen and slowly exhaled. He leaned back in his chair, stared at the ceiling, and let out a long breath.

The knife had been handed over. Now, it was just a matter of how they would use it.