Everyone remained calm.
Yan Xia said, "You know who the mole in the company is."
The man trembled violently, his mind racing as if thinking of a way to deal with the situation.
Yan Xia leaned down slowly, looking into his eyes. "You're on Yang Fan's side. If I have enough evidence to prove he's the mole, what do you think your fate will be?"
A person who knows too much, when their backer falls, either retreats unscathed, is scapegoated, or ends up on a dead end.
"Supervisor Lu... I really don't know what you're talking about. I know nothing, and I can't help you with anything..." Although trembling like a sieve and burying his head extremely low, he still refused to give in.
Yan Xia held a stack of chips in her hand, playing with them slowly. "Are you determined not to leave any way out for yourself?"
She preferred not to use violent means when dealing with people. If inducement could solve the problem, there was no need to resort to force.
"If you testify for me and prove that Manager Yang is the mole, I'll most likely be promoted to the project department manager. Then I'll promote you to supervisor."
The man's expression wavered for a moment. To be honest, anyone with a bit of sense could tell who was more reliable between Lu Sheng and Yang Fan, and whose backer was more powerful.
Yan Xia continued, "Manager Yang can't protect you for long. As long as you don't have other ideas, I can protect you."
The man still hesitated, seemingly unable to make up his mind.
With a snap, Yan Xia threw all the chips on the ground.
"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit."
"It seems you can't make up your mind." Lu Qianzhou's expression was cold. He had been sitting on the sofa with his arms outstretched, protecting Yan Xia in his embrace. He smiled and said, "Since you're not willing to talk, how about we cut out your tongue first?"
The man's face turned pale. "No, no, no... Supervisor Lu, please plead for me. I really know nothing..."
Lu Sheng might just be playing around, but Fang Jiangyi was different. He really dared to do it, and even if he did, there would be plenty of people willing to take the blame for him.
Lu Qianzhou scoffed.
The next second, the thugs beside him immediately stepped forward, forcing the man to lie on the ground with his mouth open. Someone took out a knife and pretended to pull out his tongue and cut it off.
The man went crazy with fear, screaming and struggling hysterically.
Yan Xia frowned. She knew Lu Qianzhou really could do it.
"Help, help... Supervisor Lu, it's not my fault..."
His tongue was firmly grasped, and the blade glistened with a cold light. The thugs seemed to be deliberately scaring him, rubbing the knife against his tongue again and again without actually cutting. The coldness penetrated his heart, and there was a slight stabbing pain on his tongue with a taste of blood.
The scene was so horrible that Yan Xia couldn't help but speak.
"Third brother, we..."
"Don't say anything I don't want to hear."
Lu Qianzhou suddenly sat up straight, and his arm naturally landed on her shoulder, as if hugging her in his arms. In fact, it was to make her watch the scene in front of her without missing a single frame.
The warm breath from his mouth hit her ear. His eyes seemed to be frozen with a bottomless glacier. At that moment, Lu Qianzhou was someone Yan Xia had never seen before. This was the first time she deeply realized that Lu Qianzhou was like a bottomless glacier, seemingly harmless but actually poisonous.
He was clearly smiling, but his voice was completely devoid of warmth. "My sister can't be easily bullied. I'll take care of everything for you."
Seeing the red blood start to drip from his tongue, the man finally broke down. Struggling, he spit out a few indistinct words. "I'll talk. I'll tell you everything..."
Yan Xia felt a chill in her heart. "Third brother, stop!"
Lu Qianzhou waved his hand, and the thugs stopped.
He looked at the blood - covered man with interest and smiled. "Follow Lu Sheng well. If it weren't for her pleading for you just now, you would have lost your tongue."
The man lay on the ground, gasping for breath. Tears and blood smeared his face.
A cold sweat broke out on Yan Xia's body.
"Tell me. How did Manager Yang secretly leak the project plan? What do you know?"
The man was pulled up by the thugs and knelt on the ground. Enduring the pain of the wound on his tongue, he said in a slurred voice, "I don't know exactly how Manager Yang did it. He just told me to hide the news that the project was hijacked from everyone first, then leak it to several directors. And then, we should shift all the blame to you together... He said that as long as I helped him drive you away, he would let me take your position..."
Yan Xia sneered. "I really didn't expect my position to be so popular."
"Supervisor Lu, I was wrong... I was really wrong. I'll help you expose him. I'm willing to do anything you ask..."
Yan Xia lowered her eyes. "Go and bandage your wound first. Don't show up for the next few days. I'll tell you what to do later."
She turned to look at Lu Qianzhou's expressionless face. He seemed really angry. He had been fine when they came in. What made him so angry all of a sudden? Did she anger him?
Yan Xia only felt a buzzing in her ears. Her cheeks and palms were covered with a dense layer of sweat.
Since they started cooperating, Lu Qianzhou had never really intimidated Yan Xia. So today's show, she was not only the controller but also an actor. Lu Qianzhou did this to warn her.
Originally, she didn't want to have more contact with Lu Qianzhou, but unexpectedly, he got in the same car with her and went back together.
Yan Xia remained silent all the way. Lu Qianzhou acted as if there was no one else around and dealt with his official business. After leaving the underground casino, he returned to his gentle and elegant self in public. His cruel look was like a wisp of wind on the sea, disappearing in an instant, making people wonder if they had seen it wrong.
Wen Liang asked Lu Qianzhou what to have for dinner in front so that he could inform the maid at home in advance.
Lu Qianzhou suddenly said, "What else can you cook besides Western food?"
It took Yan Xia a few seconds to realize that Lu Qianzhou was asking her. She thought for a while.
"As long as I have the recipe, I should be able to cook most dishes that are not too complicated."
Lu Qianzhou looked straight ahead. "You'll cook dinner."
Yan Xia's eyes widened. What did Lu Qianzhou mean? Weren't they just in a cooperative relationship? Now he was treating her like a maid.
Moreover, wasn't the food cooked by the chef at home to his taste?
When they got home, Yan Xia started to prepare dinner. Lu Qianzhou sat on the railing of the second - floor living room, drinking tea and dealing with official business. The kitchen door was wide open, and from this angle, he could see Yan Xia's busy figure.
He stared blankly at her back, as if recalling something.
For several consecutive days, Lu Qianzhou went home for dinner after work. Yan Xia found that although Lu Qianzhou was cold, he seemed to be very fond of the warm family life. The Lu family was a big and powerful family with many children. His father was like an ancient emperor. It was said that the most heartless was the emperor's family.
Perhaps because he had never enjoyed the warmth of a family, Lu Qianzhou especially enjoyed this kind of co - existence mode.