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

On Thursday morning, Chen Geng had just arrived at the company and hadn't even had time to deal with his work when a major announcement popped up on the group's internal OA system: "Announcement on the Investigation of the 'Longwan International' Project and the Handling of Related Personnel."

The report was lengthy, but its core conclusion was:

After an in-depth investigation by the Group's Supervision Department and an external joint investigation team, it was confirmed that there were management oversights in some building material procurement processes at the "Longwan International" project, but no subjective intent or transfer of benefits was found in Liang Dan, the vice president of the real estate company.

The relevant management responsibilities have been assumed by the project team.

Meanwhile, the investigation found that Marketing Director Zhou Peng had engaged in improper conduct during the initial tip-off process, including irregularities in the investigation procedures and reporting to higher-level authorities without authorization. However, his initial motivation for the tip-off stemmed from his concern for the quality of the project.

After investigation, it was decided that Liang Dan would not be held responsible and would be reinstated to her original position; Zhou Peng would receive a group-wide reprimand and have his quarterly bonus withheld.

To describe it lightly, to raise it high, and to put it down gently.

Zhou Peng's "report" was changed to "procedural impropriety out of concern," without even mentioning the word "framing."

Although Liang Dan was reinstated, she was clearly disgusted, while Zhou Peng was almost unharmed!

Chen Geng was furious and immediately dialed Liang Dan's number.

When the call connected, Liang Dan sounded somewhat tired, but remained calm: "Chen Geng? You saw the report?"

"President Liang, what kind of handling is this? You're just letting Zhou Peng off like this? That was blatant slander!"

Chen Geng suppressed his anger.

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a barely audible sigh from Liang Dan:

"The power struggle at the board meeting is not a black-and-white matter. Lu Shiming tried his best to protect Zhou Peng, taking a lot of responsibility upon himself, saying that some of Zhou Peng's actions were done with his tacit approval or even instruction, with the aim of 'cutting the Gordian knot' and eliminating potential risks."

"Independent director Lu Shiming? Why is he so determined to protect Zhou Peng?"

"That's the young master of the Lu family. He's involved in the Luohu District shantytown redevelopment project, so tell me, doesn't his word carry weight?"

Unexpectedly, the intelligence was confirmed here!

Chen Geng said urgently, "Just because he can bring in projects, does that give you the right to distort the truth?"

"It's not just about projects," Liang Dan said in a low voice. "The old chairman, Li Pengcheng, is about to retire, and the two director positions he took with him will be vacated. Right now, there are quite a few voices in the board supporting Lu Shiming."

"That shantytown renovation project was paved by Lu Jingxiang himself for his nephew, and it's Hanfeng's biggest hope for performance in the next few years. At this critical juncture, no one is willing to fall out with the rising star Lu Shiming for the sake of Zhou Peng. Everyone is waiting to see how things will turn after the new president takes office."

"The new president? Mu Xueke?" Chen Geng recalled the previous appointment information.

"Yes, she'll be taking office next week. She's been parachuted in from Longhan in the capital, and her background is unfathomable. Right now, nobody knows what her attitude will be towards Lu Shiming—whether it's cooperation, checks and balances, or... So, protecting oneself is the choice for most people."

"The fact that I, the 'victim,' was able to get back to my position is already the result of some people secretly balancing things out. Now is not the time to completely bring down Zhou Peng." Liang Dan's analysis was calm and realistic, with a hint of resentment.

Chen Geng understood.

Lu Shiming has built a powerful force within Hanfeng by leveraging his family's influence and key projects.

Zhou Peng was nothing more than a lackey who depended on him; one should consider the owner before beating a dog.

Zhou Peng is safe until the new president's stance becomes clear.

"Lu Shiming..." Chen Geng chewed on the name, a cold anger rising from the bottom of his heart.

He remembered Su Qingqing flaunting her status as "Young Master Lu" in the mall, and the harsh words his mother had relayed.

So that's how it is! Zhou Peng is the dog in front of the camera, Lu Shiming is the master behind the scenes, and Su Qingqing... probably dared to humiliate me and my mother so brazenly because she climbed up this high branch!

On the list of those to be retaliated against, the vague image of "Young Master Lu" instantly became clear.

Su Qingqing, Zhou Peng, Lu Shiming—not one of them can be missing.

"I understand, Mr. Liang. Take care. There's plenty of time for Zhou Peng's matter in the future," Chen Geng said in a deep voice.

"Yeah, be careful yourself. You're the CTO now, and you're in charge of projects for Starry Sky Media. The bigger the position, the more attention it attracts. Zhou Peng got his comeuppance this time, and knowing his personality, he won't let it go easily. Especially..."

Liang Dan paused, "I heard that your ex-wife, Su Qingqing, is now with Lu Shiming, apparently because Zhou Peng 'recommended' her. There's probably more to it than that."

Chen Geng's eyes turned cold: "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Liang. I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Geng sat at his workstation, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously.

Lu Shiming... the Lu family... it turns out that without realizing it, I have already stood on the opposite side of such a behemoth, even though I may only be a small pawn on the edge of their sight at present.

In the afternoon, because the "Starry Sky Media" project involves venue coordination with the real estate sector, some promotional activities are planned to be held in commercial real estate under Hanfeng, requiring a cross-departmental coordination meeting.

The meeting was to be held in a small conference room at the real estate company.

Chen Geng, accompanied by Wei Songqi who had prepared a preliminary framework, arrived at the real estate company ten minutes early.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I saw Zhou Peng, with a protruding belly, walking towards me from the other end of the corridor, chatting and laughing with a few people.

The woman beside him, walking closely behind, dressed in a tight-fitting business suit and with exquisite makeup, was none other than Su Qingqing.

Su Qingqing also saw Chen Geng, and the smile on her face instantly froze, then transformed into a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and a hint of undisguised, pretentious superiority based on the status quo.

She subconsciously straightened her chest and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Zhou Peng also saw Chen Geng, and a sinister glint and undisguised mockery flashed in his small eyes.

He had just been "gently put down" that morning and was holding back his anger. Now, seeing his "enemy" Chen Geng, especially thinking about how this kid had almost caused him to fall into a ditch and was about to be promoted to be on par with him, both old and new grudges surged into his heart.

"Hey, isn't this Chen Geng, our GG company's rising star? Oh wait, I think I should call you Director Chen now?"

Zhou Peng stopped, a forced smile on his face. His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor, "What, you've come to our real estate company to give us some pointers?"

Wei Songqi's expression changed, and he wanted to say something, but Chen Geng stopped him with a look.

Chen Geng remained calm, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Peng's greasy face before landing on Su Qingqing, whose eyes were darting around. He lingered there for half a second before looking away, as if he were just looking at two insignificant strangers.

He nodded slightly to Zhou Peng: "Director Zhou, let's start the meeting."

After saying that, he led Wei Songqi straight toward the conference room, leaving Zhou Peng and Su Qingqing standing there.

This disregard hurt Zhou Peng more than any verbal rebuttal. He felt like he had punched cotton, and was also stung by something in the other person's calm eyes.