Chapter 117 Either Don't Do It, or Do It Thoroughly

"CEO Liu, everything is ready; we just need the final push."

This was the message Liu Ruyan received on her phone. As for the sender, it was naturally self-evident—it was Wang Min, the one Zhao Mingyuan had arranged for her, who had previously studied at the Tilanqiao Accounting Institute.

"What's the situation? You're smiling so happily, like you've just eaten bee honey."

Seeing the joy on Liu Ruyan's face, Chen Yan suddenly leaned in and spoke with a mischievous look.

Startled, Liu Ruyan gave a sudden jolt and then quickly tucked her phone away.

"Pah... A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory."

Immediately after, Liu Ruyan spat out the insult harshly.

"Hehe, you dare call me a dog!!!"

"Legally speaking, we are husband and wife. If I'm a dog, then what are you?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan suddenly got fired up.

"Dog man, so now you admit we're in a marital relationship?"

Liu Ruyan gave Chen Yan a fierce eye-roll and spoke with a look of disdain.

"Ah... this... well..."

Chen Yan was instantly embarrassed. He hadn't expected that a slip of the tongue would result in him shooting himself in the foot.

"Hmph, can't argue back now, can you?"

"I'm no good at writing, but you're no good at bickering."

"You're weak; you need to practice more."

It was rare to see Chen Yan at a loss for words, and Liu Ruyan's rosy, cherry-like lips curled up high in triumph.

Ding—

While they were talking, the elevator reached the third floor. The moment the doors opened, the smug expression on Liu Ruyan's face vanished completely within a tenth of a second.

She transformed back into the ice-cold CEO Liu. Taking Chen Yan's arm, she walked out of the elevator with a composed stride.

Chen Yan glanced down at his arm being held, then at the woman beside him who changed her face faster than flipping a page. He silently mused to himself: If this woman went into Sichuan Opera, no one else would stand a chance at the art of face-changing.

The double wooden doors of the Wanghu Hall were slightly ajar, with faint voices and the scent of tea drifting through the crack. Seeing Liu Ruyan approach, the waiter standing at the door immediately pushed it open.

"CEO Liu has arrived—"

The moment the doors swung wide, everyone inside stood up.

Chen Yan's gaze quickly swept across the room. About a dozen people sat on either side of a long mahogany conference table, dressed in suits and ties that were meticulously tied. Near the window, several middle-aged men who had been whispering to each other immediately dispersed upon hearing the door. Folders and steaming teacups were spread across the table, creating a scene of a harmonious and orderly business meeting.

But Chen Yan could see clearly what lay beneath this picture. Their smiles were too standard—so standard they looked as if they had been measured with a ruler.

Their gazes lingered on Liu Ruyan before sliding toward him in unison, like precise scanners trying to read every piece of useful information from his person.

"Directors, sorry to keep you waiting."

Liu Ruyan's voice was cold and piercing, sending a slight echo through the conference room. Ignoring the scrutinizing gazes, she walked straight to the head of the table and performed an action that made everyone present freeze for a moment.

She personally pulled out the chair next to the head seat and made a "please sit" gesture to Chen Yan.

Chen Yan sat down.

The seat next to the head of the table held significance in any boardroom. It was the seat of the second-in-command, a place reserved for the person the CEO trusted most. With this gesture, Liu Ruyan had already declared his weight to everyone before the meeting even officially began.

"Cousin, long time no see."

A gentle male voice came from the other end of the conference table.

Chen Yan followed the sound and finally saw Liu Haoran.

Oho, it's been a few days, and he’s certainly looking the part of a gentleman now.

Looking closely, his features did bear some resemblance to Liu Ruyan's, especially around the eyes, but their temperaments were worlds apart. Liu Ruyan was as cold as an unsheathed blade, while Liu Haoran was as gentle as a piece of jade polished repeatedly by a stream.

But his eyes betrayed him.

Those eyes were smiling, but the smile didn't reach the bottom. Deep within them was something sharp, guarded, and calculating—like hidden reefs beneath the water's surface. If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't see them, but once hit, they would tear through the hull of a ship.

"Haoran, we just saw each other at the family dinner last week. It's hardly been a long time." Liu Ruyan sat down at the head of the table, her tone flat as if she were discussing an insignificant matter. As she spoke, she opened the folder in front of her, her gaze scanning the documents without even looking up.

Liu Haoran's smile didn't falter, but Chen Yan noticed his fingers tap the table twice. It was a subtle movement to adjust his emotions, one he probably wasn't even aware of himself.

"Cousin is right." Liu Haoran nodded with a smile, his gaze naturally turning to Chen Yan. "This must be my brother-in-law? I haven't had the chance to congratulate you on your marriage, Cousin. Brother-in-law looks dignified; one can tell at a glance he is no ordinary man."

He said the word "brother-in-law" very naturally, as if he had been saying it for years.

"Chen Yan." Chen Yan introduced himself briefly with a slight nod, not saying much else.

He knew his role. Today, he wasn't the protagonist; he was Liu Ruyan's stabilizing force. He didn't need to offer opinions or showcase his abilities; he just needed to sit there and let everyone see—someone was standing behind Liu Ruyan.

"Chen Yan." Liu Haoran repeated the name as if savoring it, then smiled. "A good name. The short drama 'The Empress' was your work, Mr. Chen? It was indeed very innovative."

Chen Yan's heart tightened slightly.

On the surface, Liu Haoran was praising him, but in reality, he was telling everyone—I've investigated this man, and I know his background.

"I only provided the ideas and the subject matter," Chen Yan replied calmly. "The operations were handled by Ruyan's team."

"That just goes to show Cousin has good taste." Liu Haoran picked up his teacup and took a sip, his gaze shifting from Chen Yan back to Liu Ruyan. "Cousin, this board meeting was supposed to happen last week, but you kept pushing it back. Now that Mr. Chen is here too, it's perfect. Some things might be more appropriate to discuss in front of family."

"Family?" Liu Ruyan finally lifted her eyelids, a faint curve appearing at the corner of her mouth. "Haoran, this is a board meeting, not a family dinner. The directors present are shareholder representatives of the Liu Corporation, not random aunts and uncles. If you have something to say, just say it. No need for a preamble."

Her words were neither heavy nor light, but every word carried a sting.

Chen Yan saw Director Zhou, sitting opposite them, take a sip of tea. The movement was too fast, clearly an attempt to mask his expression.

"Fine, then I'll be blunt." Liu Haoran's smile vanished as he opened a document in front of him. "Our Liu Corporation's finances seem to be a bit off lately..."

As he spoke, he pushed a report to the center of the conference table.

As soon as he said this, the air in the conference room began to thicken.

Several directors started flipping through their documents, some exchanged glances, and one white-haired elderly director took off his glasses to wipe them before putting them back on. His gaze moved back and forth between Liu Ruyan and Liu Haoran like he was watching a bloodless tennis match.

"And?" Liu Ruyan leaned back in her chair, her hands crossed on the table, her posture as relaxed as if she were listening to a subordinate's report. "Haoran, what do you have to say?"

"It's not much." Liu Haoran smiled modestly, but the hidden motive behind that modesty was plain for all to see. "I just feel that everyone works so hard for the sake of money, don't they? So, it's better to keep things transparent."

Here it comes, Chen Yan thought to himself.

This was the main act of today's play—using the financial reports to cause trouble.

No matter which way you turned, it was a trap set by Liu Haoran.

Liu Ruyan didn't answer immediately. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then set it down. The bottom of the cup made a crisp sound as it hit the porcelain saucer. That sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet conference room, like a signal.

"Haoran, you have a point." She spoke, her tone unexpectedly gentle. "Regarding the finances, that is indeed the case."

Liu Haoran's eyes lit up for a moment, but he quickly suppressed it.

"However—" Liu Ruyan's tone shifted, and the temperature in her voice dropped abruptly. "Before we discuss how the finances should be handled, I want to resolve another matter first."

She opened the folder in front of her, pulled out a stack of documents, stood up, and pushed the stack to the center of the conference table.

"I hope that Liu Haoran—yes, you, my dear cousin—I hope you can explain to me what exactly you were doing in the group's finance department in the middle of the night, instead of partying at some fashion model's house, and what exactly you were planting there?!"

The moment Liu Ruyan spoke, the temperature in the conference room seemed to drop ten degrees instantly.

Liu Haoran's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air. The movement was brief—so brief that most people wouldn't have noticed. But Chen Yan noticed—the tea in the cup rippled, nearly splashing out.

"Cousin, I don't quite understand what you're talking about." Liu Haoran set down his teacup, that gentle-as-jade smile returning to his face. "What do you mean, going to the finance department in the middle of the night? I've been busy with the hotel sector lately; I've barely even been to the group headquarters building."

"Is that so?" Liu Ruyan flipped through the documents, pulled out a photo, and pushed it to the center of the table. "Then who is the person in this photo? Your twin brother?"

The photo slid across the table and stopped right in front of Liu Haoran.

It was a surveillance screenshot. Although it was taken at night, the image quality was fairly clear. A man in a dark jacket was leaning over in front of a filing cabinet in the finance department, holding a kraft paper bag. The light from the emergency lamps in the hallway hit his profile, showing his features clearly.

It was Liu Haoran.

Liu Haoran stared at the photo, and the smile on his face dimmed bit by bit, like a candle being blown out by the wind.

"The surveillance system was just upgraded last week; you didn't know, did you?" Liu Ruyan's voice was steady, as if she were chatting with an old friend. "You were familiar with the old system and could avoid all the cameras with your eyes closed. So, I specifically had a new system installed. The number and positions of the cameras are different from before. I didn't expect to run into this situation."

The conference room was so quiet that the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock could be heard. Tick, tick, tick—each sound like a countdown for something.

"Wednesday, 1:47 AM." Liu Ruyan continued, her fingers tapping the photo twice. "At this time, there was no one in the group building except for the night security guards. What reason did you have for entering the building? Explain yourself."

Liu Haoran's jaw muscles tightened.

"I went to retrieve a document," he said, his voice still relatively steady, but it was a forced steadiness. The underlying tension was starting to leak out. "A procurement contract for the hotel sector that was needed early the next morning."

"Do you need to bring this to retrieve a document?"

Liu Ruyan pulled another photo from the folder and pushed it next to the first one.

The photo showed a black rectangular device, about the size of a palm, with several LED indicator lights. The kraft paper bag in Liu Haoran's hand was partially open, and the corner of the device peeked out from the opening, reflecting a bit of metallic glint under the emergency lights.

"A signal jammer." Liu Ruyan provided the answer for everyone. "Model HT-600, capable of blocking all wireless signals within a twenty-meter radius. The finance department's surveillance system uses independent WiFi transmission, not wired. You were clever, knowing that if you jammed the signal, the cameras wouldn't record you. But what you didn't know was that the new system automatically switches to local storage mode the moment you jam the wireless signal."

She flipped to the next page of the document—a technical appraisal report.

"You jammed the wireless signal for thirty-seven minutes. During those thirty-seven minutes, the local storage recorded everything clearly. Which cabinets you rummaged through, which documents you took—every single frame is there."

Liu Haoran's face went completely pale.

Meanwhile, the other people in the conference room were instantly breaking into a cold sweat. This woman, who seemed physically delicate, was actually so patient and calculating.

Either don't do it, or do it completely.

At this moment, everyone already knew Liu Haoran's fate. At best, he would surrender his decision-making power and leave, quietly collecting his monthly dividends. At worst, he would be going away to 'step on a sewing machine' in prison.

"Well? My dear cousin, are you interested in having a chat?"

"Coincidentally, our uncles and elders are probably a bit tired and need to have some tea and snacks."

Liu Ruyan, who had clearly taken control of the situation, still had a smile on her face. However, every word she spoke made Liu Haoran—who had previously been certain of victory—break into a torrential sweat, his entire body beginning to tremble violently.

"Well?"

"Should we let our uncles and elders go outside to rest for a bit first?"

Liu Ruyan said with a playful look.

However, Liu Haoran did not answer.

He still tried to maintain silence as a form of resistance, but this was destined to be a futile effort.

"Uncles and elders, please go outside and take a short rest. Haoran and I have a few words to say as family."

Seeing that the other party was refusing the courtesy she offered, Liu Ruyan had no choice but to take the initiative...