You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

Jiang Che stared at the name on the screen for a few seconds, then straightened up.

The entire link is now complete.

After Xu Wenbin left the print shop, someone copied the project documents using his still-logged-out account and then handed them over to Wang Lihua.

Based on the budget data inside, Wang Lihua then prepared the whistleblower letter and submitted it to the organizing committee.

"So it was all a setup from beginning to end." Song Mingxuan closed his notebook. "Someone was watching us, waiting for Xu Wenbin to make this kind of basic mistake."

"It's not about waiting," Jiang Che said. "It's about creating opportunities."

"Why do you think Xu Wenbin insisted on going off-campus to have his print business done that day?"

Song Mingxuan was taken aback for a moment, "Because the printer downstairs in the dormitory ran out of paper."

"A printer just happened to be out of paper at the exact time he needed it." Jiang Che looked at Xu Wenbin. "Do you remember what state the printer was in that day?"

Xu Wenbin tried hard to recall, "The cardboard box was empty. I even cursed at the time, thinking I would tell the dormitory manager the next day."

"But only on that one day was the paper empty; on the other days, there was plenty of paper, right?"

Xu Wenbin nodded.

Jiang Che didn't continue speaking.

The chain of evidence is still missing one final link: who exactly sat down at the computer Xu Wenbin used in the printing shop?

This can only be confirmed through monitoring.

Xu Wenbin had already stood up from his chair, put his water glass on the coffee table, pulled his coat off the back of the chair and put it on, and was about to walk out.

"I'm going to the print shop right now to get the surveillance footage."

"Bring Lao Lu along; he knows exactly which time period's footage to adjust."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ziang also stood up, closed his laptop and tucked it under his arm, and walked towards the door one after the other with Xu Wenbin.

Xu Wenbin paused when he reached the entrance hall and turned to look at Jiang Che.

"Old Jiang, I admit fault this time, but I won't let you suffer because of my negligence again."

He finished speaking and, without waiting for a response, opened the door and left.

After the door closed, only Jiang Che, Su Qinghe, and Song Mingxuan remained in the living room.

Song Mingxuan sat in his original spot, twirling the pen between his fingers.

"Old Jiang, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

Jiang Che turned to look at him.

Song Mingxuan put the pen on the table, and the phone on the screen lit up. He reached out and flipped it over, placing it face down on the table.

Someone added me on WeChat yesterday.

"Who?"

"A person claiming to be from a headhunting firm said that an internet company was recruiting interns with great benefits and the possibility of becoming a full-time employee."

Song Mingxuan looked up and said, "After chatting for a few minutes, the other party changed the subject and started asking me what my responsibilities were in the team, how Jiang Che usually assigned tasks, and whether he made all the decisions on his own."

Su Qinghe was tidying up the cups on the coffee table when she heard this and stopped what she was doing.

"What did you reply?" Jiang Che asked.

"No reply." Song Mingxuan turned his phone over, opened the chat history, and handed it to Jiang Che. "But the other party sent a message at the end. Take a look."

Jiang Che took the phone.

The last message on the screen was timestampd at noon today. It was long, politely worded but subtly witty.

The gist is that with Song Mingxuan's abilities, he is fully capable of leading projects independently, and there is no need for him to work behind the scenes in someone else's shadow.

The letter also included a link that led to an internship recruitment page for a mid-sized internet company. The job description closely matched Song Mingxuan's resume.

Jiang Che scrolled up a few pages of the chat history.

The other party's profile picture was a professional photo, and their bio read "XX Talent Consultant." Their WeChat Moments were full of forwarded job postings and industry news, making them look very much like a real headhunter.

"This person was probably sent by Wang Lihua." Jiang Che handed the phone back to Song Mingxuan.

Song Mingxuan nodded. "That's what I guessed too, which is why I haven't answered. But what I don't understand is, why did she contact me?"

"Because you are the one who actually does the most work in this team."

Jiang Che said, "You wrote the plan, you designed the process, and you also did the data processing."

"If you leave, half of the project's execution will collapse."

Song Mingxuan remained silent for a while.

"She's betting that I harbor resentment."

He said this in a very calm tone, as if stating a fact that had nothing to do with him: "I bet you feel like you've given more than you've received, and I bet you feel like you're using us to gild your own reputation."

Jiang Che looked at him without saying a word.

"But she made the wrong bet." Song Mingxuan put his phone back in his pocket. "This project was a decision made by everyone from beginning to end. Every step was discussed in meetings."

"I know better than anyone that you withdrew from the competition; you were protecting us."

He stood up and put his notebook and materials into his bag.

"I'll take screenshots of this person's chat history and back them up, then give them to Lu Ziang as evidence."

"If Wang Lihua is looking for more than just me, then others should also know in advance."

Jiang Che nodded and said, "Okay, but don't alert her yet. Don't reply to or delete her chat messages for now. Keep them and see what other tricks she has up her sleeve."

Song Mingxuan nodded, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and walked toward the door.

He turned back halfway there, took a USB drive out of his pocket, and placed it on the coffee table.

"This is a backup of my defense materials that I've reorganized today. All the files are in here." He glanced at Jiang Che. "I know you withdrew from the competition, but you never know when you might need it?"

"Anyway, you can keep this for now."

After saying that, he left.

After the door closed again, only Jiang Che and Su Qinghe remained in the living room.

Xiaoman had somehow escaped from her cat bed and was squatting under the coffee table, licking her paws.

Su Qinghe leaned wearily on Jiang Che's shoulder. "Wang Lihua's reach is so far-reaching. First she reported me, then she poached people. What will she do next?"

"I don't know, but no matter what she does, it won't change one thing."

"What is it?"

"The budget she received listed 500,000, but we've only spent less than 3,000 so far." Jiang Che pulled Su Qinghe's hand to his lips and touched it. "The hand she was dealt was a losing one from the start."

Su Qinghe turned her head to look at him. Jiang Che's profile was illuminated by the warm light of the living room, and there was a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.

She knew that this expression was the look he had when he already had a plan in mind, but wasn't in a hurry to reveal it.

"So what do you plan to do?"

"wait."

"Wait until Xu Wenbin retrieves the printing shop's surveillance footage, until Wang Lihua continues to make mistakes, and until the school's investigation results are released."

"and then?"

"Then clean it up completely in one go."

Xiaoman crawled out from under the coffee table, leaped onto Su Qinghe's knees, stomped on her legs twice, and then curled up and lay down.

Su Qinghe bent down and stroked its back, and the cat purred softly.

She didn't ask any further questions.

There are some things she doesn't need to know the answer to right now; she only needs to confirm one thing.

Jiang Che is still there, still within her reach, and has not been pushed away by anyone.

Xu Wenbin and Lu Ziang returned a little after 10 p.m.

Xu Wenbin rushed into the living room with a USB drive in his hand and slammed it onto the coffee table.

"Got it!"