At thirty, I started my comeback from the intelligence system.

I touched the voice recorder in the inner pocket; the slight vibration from my fingertips proved that it was still working.

Back in the planning department, before he even sat down, he sensed something was off about the office atmosphere.

Several colleagues huddled together, whispering amongst themselves while staring at their phone screens, their expressions shocked.

"My God! Something terrible has happened at 'Longwan International'!"

"The inspection team arrived this morning and immediately sealed off the construction site!"

"I heard the problem is serious; substandard steel bars were used!"

"President Liang is in big trouble this time..."

Chen Geng immediately turned on his phone.

The local housing and construction department's official WeChat account just released a notice: "This morning, our bureau, in conjunction with multiple departments, conducted a surprise inspection of the 'Hanfeng·Longwan International Community' project. We discovered and sealed some building materials suspected of not meeting national standards. Construction on the project has been suspended and is under further investigation."

Immediately afterwards, an emergency notification popped up in Hanfeng Group's internal OA system: "Emergency Notice Regarding the Joint Inspection of the 'Longwan International' Project," requiring all companies and departments to fully cooperate with the investigation and to take serious measures to deal with public opinion.

Almost simultaneously, the work group erupted in chaos.

"Liang Dan is going to be in trouble this time!"

"I heard the whistleblower's materials were incredibly detailed, even specifying the batch number, warehousing date, and which buildings the substandard steel bars were used in!"

"This must have been done by an insider, right? That's ruthless!"

"Mr. Liang is usually a very capable person, but now..."

Chen Geng stared at the screen, his eyes deep in thought.

The intelligence system said the whistleblower materials were written by Zhou Peng, pointing the finger at Liang Dan.

In retrospect, Zhou Peng's move was both ruthless and precise, directly hitting the Achilles' heel of Liang Dan's helmsmanship in engineering and quality control.

Liang Dan's image immediately flashed into his mind.

In his early forties, he was the vice president of a real estate company, in charge of engineering, cost, and procurement; a powerful figure.

He had dealt with Liang Dan twice before due to a cross-industry promotion project.

She was a very intellectual woman, speaking calmly and logically, with strict attention to detail, but never arrogant.

I remember once when Chen Geng was presenting a proposal, he cited a data error. Liang Dan pointed it out on the spot, her tone calm but firm: "Manager Chen, the source of this data needs to be verified again. We can't present inaccurate information to the market and our clients." Afterwards, she even had her secretary send him the correct data source.

Although she wasn't exactly a beauty, her professional, calm, and well-mannered demeanor left a good impression on Chen Geng.

Such a woman is now being framed by Zhou Peng using such insidious methods... and it's all because of internal strife.

Chen Geng's fingers tapped lightly on the table. He was in dire straits himself, Li Qianqian's "parasitic" trap was right in front of him, and Su Qingqing and Zhou Peng were also eyeing him covetously. Logically speaking, he shouldn't meddle in other people's business.

but……

Hanfeng Group is a Fortune 500 company with a market value of over 100 billion yuan.

Now that Chen Geng has an intelligence network, he can't be content to remain a junior planner at GG Company forever, or just make some quick money.

He needs to climb the corporate ladder, to have his own position and voice within the group, in order to truly protect his mother, achieve upward mobility, and even... in the future, if he has the opportunity, trample those who have wronged him underfoot one by one.

Climbing the ladder requires opportunity, but even more so, connections and support.

Liang Dan, a powerful, capable, and well-connected company executive (it's impossible for someone to become a vice president of a real estate company without connections), could have a very valuable relationship with someone who could lend a helping hand during her most difficult time. The value of such a favor would likely far exceed expectations.

Of course, this is all predicated on Liang Dan being able to pull through. If she is completely defeated by Zhou Peng this time, then all else is out of the question.

"We need to figure out how deep Liang Dan is in this mess. Is it genuine mismanagement and the use of problematic materials? Or was she completely framed by Zhou Peng?" Chen Geng pondered silently. "If it's the latter... perhaps I can actually be of some help."

How can I help? Should I go directly to Liang Dan and say, "I know Zhou Peng reported you"? That would be like revealing that I know information I shouldn't know, which is too dangerous.

Providing clues anonymously? Pointing out that the report might have come from Zhou Peng, giving Liang Dan a direction to defend herself and retaliate? This requires extreme caution; it's necessary to make Liang Dan take the clues seriously, but also to prevent her from tracing their source.

Or... should we start with Zhou Peng? Now that Zhou Peng has successfully reported us, he must be feeling quite smug, and he might reveal a weakness?

A series of thoughts flashed through Chen Geng's mind. He decided to hold back for the time being, observe the situation's development, and gather more information. At the same time, he needed to prioritize dealing with the immediate crisis—Li Qianqian.

"We have made initial contact with Li Qianqian and gained her trust. We must closely monitor her use of 'Star Shine' prepayments and obtain as much substantial evidence as possible."

"We also need to observe the development of the 'Longwan' incident, assess Liang Dan's situation and the possibility of a comeback. We should seize the opportunity to provide clues in a covert manner that 'the whistleblower may be Zhou Peng' to build good relations, but we must pay attention to our own safety."

"That fat bastard Zhou Peng, he dared to cuckold me, I'll never forgive him."

Just then, his personal WeChat account vibrated.

It was a friend request from a stranger. The profile picture was a cute cartoon nurse, and the note read: "Hello Mr. Chen, I am Lin Xiaoxiao, a nurse in the Urology Department of the First Municipal Hospital."

Chen Geng was slightly taken aback.

How did she find her own WeChat account?

Through the contact information left at the hospital?

He thought for a moment and clicked "accept".

Almost instantly, the other party sent a message.

Lin Xiaoxiao: "Mr. Chen, hello! I apologize for bothering you! I am Lin Xiaoxiao, the nurse you saved yesterday. Thank you so much for saving my life yesterday! I found your phone number through the hospital's registration information and also tried searching for your WeChat... I hope I haven't bothered you."

The words were filled with sincere gratitude and a touch of caution.

Chen Geng thought for a moment and replied, "Nurse Lin, you're too kind. It was nothing. I'm just glad you're alright."

Lin Xiaoxiao: "It was nothing for you, but it was a lifesaver for me! Mr. Chen, I know this might be abrupt, but I wonder when you'd be free? I'd like to thank you in person, have a chat, and perhaps have a simple meal with you, would that be alright?"

Chen Geng hesitated for a moment before replying, "Nurse Lin, you're too kind. There's no need for a meal. However, if you feel there's anything you need to discuss, we can find a quiet place to chat after get off work. I should be available around six o'clock."

Lin Xiaoxiao replied almost instantly: "Okay, okay! Thank you, Mr. Chen! You can choose the location, I'm fine with anything!"

"Let's go to 6:30 then, at that 'Corner Cafe' across from the First Municipal Hospital." Chen Geng chose a place that was close to the hospital, crowded, and relatively safe and open.

"Okay! I'll be there on time! Thank you again!"

Lin Xiaoxiao sent a thank-you emoji.

Putting down his phone, Chen Geng rubbed his temples and looked out the office window at the gloomy sky.

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

He was already prepared to face the torrential rain.