Chapter Twenty: The Mysterious Stranger

Zhou Yi did not pause. Hugging his large backpack, he turned to leave. The receptionist was momentarily stunned, and the man beside her quickly nudged her.

“Hurry and ask him. If he really has business here, be careful or you’ll get fired. How will you climb the ranks then? You won’t even keep your job!”

That sentence snapped the receptionist out of her daze. She quickly reached out to stop Zhou Yi.

“Sir, please wait a moment. I’ll make a call to confirm!”

Zhou Yi halted. The receptionist swiftly dialed a number, briefly mentioned Zhou Yi’s company, and explained he didn’t have an appointment. She was immediately scolded so harshly that even Zhou Yi, standing several steps away, could hear it clearly.

Once she hung up, the receptionist hurried out from behind the desk, personally took Zhou Yi’s card, and escorted him to a private elevator, her demeanor as warm as if Zhou Yi were her own father.

Zhou Yi merely lowered his eyes as he stepped into the elevator. It sped up to the twenty-sixth floor. As soon as the doors opened, a voluptuous woman stood waiting. Zhou Yi’s gaze fell on her chest.

The nameplate read “Jiang Yushan.” Zhou Yi clutched his backpack closer.

“Excuse me, which office is Mr. Wang in?” he asked.

Jiang Yushan quickly replied with a radiant smile, “Mr. Zhou, please follow me. Mr. Wang has been waiting for you. I apologize for earlier—the receptionist is new and unfamiliar with the company’s operations.”

Zhou Yi shook his head, saying nothing. He followed Jiang Yushan to a spacious office on the east side.

Wang Shengyu, upon seeing Zhou Yi enter, immediately stood up, adjusted his expensive suit, stamped his foot, and greeted him with a smile. Zhou Yi’s eyes were drawn to the flesh-colored bandage on Wang Shengyu’s forehead.

It had been cut to fit his head, as Wang Shengyu’s hair was too short to cover it completely. Noticing Zhou Yi’s gaze, Wang Shengyu laughed and explained, “I wasn’t fully awake this morning and hit my head on the car door frame—didn’t expect it to bleed. Please, Mr. Zhou, have a seat. Have you found out who’s attacking us?”

Zhou Yi nodded. The bandage said it all. He sat, opened his laptop, and turned the screen to Wang Shengyu, revealing a page filled with English symbols and numbers.

“I investigated. All attacks originated here—an American IP address, which frequently communicates with one in Yangzhou. After tracing it, I found the owner is a company called Yangzhou Wanjian Real Estate Development. Are you familiar with them?”

At this, Wang Shengyu slapped his thigh, a ruthless glint flashing across his face before he turned to Zhou Yi.

“If it’s them, that makes sense. Our companies are currently competing for a plot of land; it’s a fierce stage. But our internal network is now completely paralyzed. Can it be restored?”

Zhou Yi nodded.

“It can, but it will take time. The expert they hired is formidable. You’ll need to upgrade your defense system, or if they attack enough times, they’ll break through again.”

Wang Shengyu raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. He seemed to catch another meaning.

“I don’t want to pay your company’s final payment, but I can give you money personally—much more than you’d earn from this project.”

Zhou Yi shook his head, placing a document on the desk.

“Mr. Wang, it’s best to settle the final payment. Your company’s system can’t wait. I’ll be here these next few days, helping you fend off attacks. I’m just a worker—hope you understand.”

Wang Shengyu nodded and beckoned Jiang Yushan over. She swayed over quickly, handing Wang Shengyu a checkbook. Zhou Yi, familiar with such tactics, promptly interjected.

“Mr. Wang, a direct transfer will suffice. Once my boss receives the payment, he’ll call me. Please arrange a room for me to start work—it won’t delay either of us, will it?”

Wang Shengyu paused, looked at Zhou Yi earnestly, then nodded, setting the checkbook aside.

“Alright, use the office next door—there’s a computer connected to the intranet. I’ll have my secretary set it up, and arrange the transfer.”

He stood, patted Jiang Yushan on the shoulder. She shot him a resentful glance before leaving the room.

Moments later, a beautiful secretary arrived and led Zhou Yi to the adjacent office. As they left, Zhou Yi discreetly attached a small device to a plant beside the sofa, taking another glance at Wang Shengyu.

Just now, both when taking the checkbook and patting Jiang Yushan, Wang Shengyu used his left hand. His right arm was slightly bent and held awkwardly in front of him—perhaps it was also injured.

As they were heading out, he overheard Wang Shengyu softly comforting Jiang Yushan.

“Don’t pout, darling. When my hand’s better in a few days, we’ll buy a new car, alright? We won’t keep the repaired one, don’t worry!”

The young secretary leading the way paused, and as she closed the door, shot Jiang Yushan an angry glare. Zhou Yi noticed, but lowered his gaze as if he hadn’t.

Arriving in the next office, Zhou Yi smiled at the secretary.

“Thank you. Was that Mr. Wang’s girlfriend just now? She looks quite young.”

The secretary, still jealous, lost her composure and snorted.

“Girlfriend? Mr. Wang’s actual girlfriend is a celebrity. She’s just a backup for when he’s bored. Anyway, why am I telling you this? If you need anything, just press 1 on the phone. We’ll come right over. The computer on the desk has no password and is connected to the intranet.”

With that, she stormed off. Zhou Yi set down his backpack, arranged his things, put on his Bluetooth headset, and brought up a live feed from Wang Shengyu’s office on his laptop.

Wang Shengyu was seated behind his desk, with Jiang Yushan draped coquettishly across him. She pouted, her beautiful features even more alluring with the gesture.

“Brother Yu, are you alright after hitting that person this morning? I don’t even need the car—I was worried about you. It’s your fault for groping me while driving; you scared me half to death!”

Wang Shengyu patted her, squinting.

“Wasn’t it exciting? You screamed even louder than usual. Any complaints? I’ll send the car for repairs, repaint it, and give it to an employee as a bonus. As for the accident, the car wasn’t registered—how could they trace it? Besides, the road’s under construction and the cameras don’t work. Don’t worry so much. Now be a good girl and take care of me. My hand’s injured—remember, no teeth.”

Zhou Yi clenched his fist.

That conversation made it clear Wang Shengyu knew he’d hit someone, but such a video couldn’t serve as evidence. Silently, Zhou Yi hit the record button and began restoring the internal network.

In truth, this was just a self-destruct program Zhou Yi had installed. Whenever attacked, all computers would crash as soon as the system was accessed. He simply needed to lift the restrictions. There were many companies that owed money—this was his last resort.

For now, he ignored that and logged into the finance and sales systems, copying all data. The progress bar steadily advanced. His phone rang—his boss was calling, the caller ID flashing.

“Boss, did you get the money?”

Even through the phone, his boss’s delight was obvious—he broke into laughter before speaking.

“Ha! Little Zhou, you’re always reliable! The final payment’s in. But they said future fees would be paid after you finish the upgrade. How should we draft the contract?”

Zhou Yi responded, “Just whip up a system upgrade contract for a few hundred thousand—make it sound technical and intimidating, lots of jargon. It’s just to scare them. Tomorrow, I’ll bring my team over for optimization.”

The boss was ecstatic. “Good, good! I’ll transfer you a two-hundred-thousand bonus. Assemble your own team. I won’t keep you from work—carry on!”

The call ended.

A chat box popped up on Zhou Yi’s screen—a stranger named “Alluring Fatty,” who had contacted him via an IT sharing group.

Zhou Yi clicked the message. It was a picture of a clown with a twisted grin, and a line of text below:

“Hey, care to meet up sometime? I have a backup of that video you just recorded. That secretary Jiang… impressive skills, well worth saving!”