After being dumped by the diva, I was picked up by her arch-enemy.

Shanghai, the headquarters building of Brilliant Entertainment.

9:30 a.m.

Bai Yanqiu was sitting in his office having a video conference.

On the screen were several senior executives from the Beijing branch of the Bai Group, reporting on the company's operations in the fourth quarter. Bai Yanqiu listened for a couple of minutes and felt a headache coming on—since the failed shareholders' meeting, morale within the Bai Group had clearly soured.

Several of his uncles and elders began to be active, showing a tendency to sideline him.

"Mr. Bai, the Beijing branch is experiencing a cash flow problem this month. Do you think we could—"

Before he could finish speaking, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Wang Jianye rushed in, covered in sweat, clutching his phone. He looked utterly terrified.

"President Bai! Something's happened!"

Bai Yanqiu frowned.

"Can't you see I'm in a meeting? What's the rush?"

Wang Jianye walked to his desk and handed his phone screen to Bai Yanqiu.

The screen displays a newly pushed financial news article.

[Breaking News: The Shanghai Economic Crime Investigation Division, in conjunction with the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department's Economic Crime Investigation Division, has officially opened an investigation into Brilliant Entertainment Group for suspected embezzlement, money laundering, and fictitious transactions. It is understood that the police have obtained crucial evidence.]

Bai Yanqiu's pupils contracted sharply.

He snatched the phone and swiped down the screen rapidly.

The news report consisted of only three short paragraphs, without mentioning any further details. But the six words "key evidence has been obtained" were enough to send chills down his spine.

"Abort the meeting."

Bai Yanqiu's voice was hoarse.

Wang Jianye hurriedly turned off the video, and when he turned around, he was already covered in a cold sweat.

"Mr. Bai, the things I left in Pudong... I went to check on them this morning, and the locks have been changed; the place is empty."

Bai Yanqiu suddenly stood up.

The chair was propelled backward by the immense inertia, sliding more than a meter before crashing into the French windows with a dull thud.

"What did you say?"

Wang Jianye's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

"I...I went there at 6:30 this morning, thinking I'd double-check. But when I got there, the locks had been changed, and the place was completely empty."

Bai Yanqiu walked around the desk and grabbed Wang Jianye's tie.

"Those ledgers! I told you to destroy them! Why didn't you destroy them?!"

Wang Jianye's neck was choked red, and he spoke intermittently.

"President Bai...you said last time...that these things are still useful...to control those partner companies...how could I dare to use them on my own..."

Bai Yanqiu loosened his grip and took two steps back.

He himself said that he kept those original ledgers as leverage to blackmail the major partner companies.

The evidence of those suppliers' fraud not only proves that Brilliant Entertainment is laundering money, but also serves as leverage against the companies involved in the scheme.

Bai Yanqiu originally thought that this double-edged sword would never hurt him.

"Who?"

Bai Yanqiu clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

"Who exactly is behind this?"

"Xu Tianxiong? No, he's in real estate, he couldn't possibly have these kinds of intelligence channels..."

"Jiang Yichen?"

The moment the name came to mind, Bai Yanqiu felt a jolt.

He was thinking of something.

On the day of the shareholders' meeting, Jiang Yichen said, "I really don't understand how to play the game in the business world. But I know how to chop off the claws that others extend."

Bai Wanyi.

Wang Jianye was stunned for a moment.

"Bai Wanyi? That lawyer? What's her relationship with us?"

Bai Yanqiu closed his eyes.

Bai Wanyi. The woman who branched off from the Bai family. Her name contains the character "Bai," yet she has absolutely no connection to the Bai family. She rose through the ranks as a lawyer to become the chief partner of a top law firm in Shanghai.

She had a good motive for investigating the Bai family—there were rumors circulating in the circle about how the direct descendants of the Bai family had ostracized the collateral branches back then.

Bai Yanqiu had never paid much attention to her relationship with Jiang Yichen before.

Looking back now, Hou Fei, the sixth junior brother of the Qilin Opera Troupe, had extremely strong investigative abilities. Add to that Bai Wanyi's legal resources.

These two working together are like the two claws of a pair of pliers—one is responsible for finding, and the other for biting.

"Mr. Bai, what do we do now?"

Wang Jianye's voice was choked with sobs.

"How about... we leave the country first? I have a way to cross from Shenzhen to Hong Kong—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

A series of hurried footsteps and arguing sounds came from outside the office.

"You can't go in! Boss Bai is in a meeting!"

The receptionist's sharp voice of protest rang out, followed by a deep and powerful male voice.

"The Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau is executing a search warrant in accordance with the law. Please cooperate."

boom--

The office door was pushed open.

Four plainclothes police officers in dark jackets walked in. The middle-aged man in the lead took out a document stamped with a bright red official seal and showed it to Bai Yanqiu.

"Mr. Bai Yanqiu".

"We are from the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau." "We are summoning you in accordance with the law. Please come with us to cooperate with the investigation."

"At the same time, based on the search warrant issued by the court, we will conduct a full search of the headquarters of Brilliant Entertainment Group."

Bai Yanqiu stared at the red stamp and signature on the search warrant, her mind buzzing.

"I'm going to call my lawyer."

"Okay. But please come with us first."

The police were polite, but there was no room for negotiation.

Bai Yanqiu turned and glanced at Wang Jianye.

Wang Jianye stood in the corner, his face as white as a sheet, his legs trembling violently.

"Mr. Wang Jianye, you are also on the summons list. Let's go together."

Another policeman approached Wang Jianye.

Wang Jianye's knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the sofa.

"I...I'll cooperate...I'll cooperate completely..."

Bai Yanqiu pursed her lips as she looked at his spineless appearance.

It’s over.

People like Wang Jianye will bite someone the moment they get in.

In order to lessen his guilt, he confessed everything he could.

Bai Yanqiu was "invited" out of the office by two police officers, one on each side.

In the corridor, all the employees of Brilliant Entertainment stood frozen in place, watching their boss being taken away.

Someone quietly raised their phone to take a picture.

Someone hurriedly made a phone call.

Many more people had fear and confusion written all over their faces.

The building is about to collapse.

The news spread in less than an hour.

Brilliant Entertainment's stock price immediately plummeted to its daily limit.

The stocks of other listed companies under the Bai Group were also affected, with the largest intraday drop exceeding 15%.

Reporters from various media outlets flocked to the entrance of the Brilliant Entertainment headquarters building.

Long guns and short cannons were set up all over the ground.

The hashtag 【[Bai Yanqiu of Brilliant Entertainment summoned by Economic Investigation Department]】 shot to the top of the trending searches at lightning speed.