Who's going to be the female lead's simp? Aren't the supporting female characters mor

Haicheng Port, late at night.

The salty sea breeze, carrying moisture, swept past thousands of colorful shipping containers.

The massive gantry crane cast a monstrous shadow under the streetlights, as if it were about to devour this silent dock.

The Maybach was parked next to parking space number 17, its headlights still on, illuminating a patch of empty concrete ahead.

Bai Jingyou opened the car door, carrying a stainless steel thermos in his hand. He wasn't wearing a tie, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, giving him a casual and relaxed look.

"Boss, that batch of goods is in the cold storage at the very back." Chen Mo followed behind, holding a portable tablet computer in his arms, his expression solemn. "According to the list given by Elder Jiang, this batch of Bluebirds is actually high-purity special graphite, a strategic material used to manufacture core components for aerospace. The Chu family used to circumvent all regulations by reselling it through offshore companies in Southeast Asia."

Bai Jingyou unscrewed the thermos and took a sip of the health tea that Jiang Mengyao had personally prepared.

[Old Jiang's dowry is indeed a hot potato. This isn't just graphite; it's a noose in the hands of the Shen family. Whoever takes it will have to bear the blame for the Shen family's illegal export.]

"As long as the items are still there, that's fine." Bai Jingyou glanced at the shimmering sea. "Old Jiang withdrew so quickly. By doing me this favor, he can both protect the Jiang family and test my strength. Old fox, none of them are easy to deal with."

Just then, several blinding high beams suddenly lit up from behind without warning.

Three all-black, bulletproof Hongqi cars fanned out from behind the port, the sound of their tires screeching against the ground sounding particularly jarring in the quiet harbor.

The car doors opened simultaneously, and six sharp-looking men in black suits and Bluetooth headsets quickly got out and blocked the entrance.

The last person to emerge was a thin man.

He wore a dark gray cashmere coat, a pair of elegant gold-rimmed glasses, and a simple family crest ring on the index finger of his right hand.

He looked more like a refined scholar, but his eyes, hidden behind his glasses, revealed a coldness and arrogance unique to those in positions of power.

"Shen Qianzhong," Chen Mo whispered in Bai Jingyou's ear, "is the nephew of the head of the Shen family. Any mess that the Shen family doesn't want to see will eventually disappear in his hands."

Bai Jingyou didn't move, still holding the thermos cup, and even slightly raised the cup to the person who came in, as if to greet them.

Shen Qianzhong stopped three steps away from Bai Jingyou, his gaze sweeping over the cold storage behind Bai Jingyou before finally settling on Bai Jingyou's face.

"Young Master Bai, it's so late and you're still not resting. Can Chairman Bai's health handle this?" Shen Qianzhong's voice was gentle, as if he were having a casual chat. "I remember five years ago, you were just a kid who would follow behind that little girl from the Lin family. It seems that the water in Haicheng really does nourish people."

Bai Jingyou smiled, revealing a set of white teeth: "Mr. Shen, you came all the way from Beijing just to catch up with me? Then let's go somewhere else. We just passed a Shaxian snack shop, the food was pretty good, it's on me."

Shen Qianzhong's gaze turned colder.

"Young Master Bai, a smart man doesn't beat around the bush." ​​Shen Qianzhong pulled out a red document stamped with an official seal from his pocket. "This batch of goods involves illegal export and is classified as state-controlled material. Chu Cang has already confessed that all orders, contracts, and financial transactions have been transferred to overseas accounts under the Bai Group's name. I'm here today to help the Bai family correct their mistakes."

He handed the document to Bai Jingyou, his tone calm as if he were delivering a verdict.

"As long as you sign here, acknowledging that this shipment was a misreport due to mismanagement by the Bai Group, and agree to cooperate with the investigation, the Shen family can guarantee that Miss Bai Qing and the Bai Group will not be implicated in any substantial way."

[Is this how things work in the capital? First, they shove the blame onto you, then they act like saviors to make you accept your fate. Once you sign, the Bai family becomes the Shen family's dog, ready to be led away at any time.]

Bai Jingyou didn't even glance at the document; he just stared at the patterns on Shen Qianzhong's ring.

"Mr. Shen, do you know that there is something called time difference in this world?"

Shen Qianzhong frowned slightly: "What do you mean?"

"Chen Mo, show our compliance certificate to Mr. Shen," Bai Jingyou instructed calmly.

Chen Mo opened the tablet and brought up an electronic document with an official watermark.

"Mr. Shen, half an hour ago, before your people blocked the port, the Bai Group had already proactively declared this batch of graphite to customs," Bai Jingyou said slowly. "The reason for the declaration was not export, but strategic repurchase. We discovered that the Chu Group was illegally reselling national strategic materials. As a benchmark enterprise in Haicheng, the Bai Group has an unshirkable responsibility to fund the detention and apply to hand it over to the national reserve."

Shen Qianzhong's composure crumbled instantly. He snatched the tablet computer and stared intently at the application time displayed on it.

It was a full ten minutes earlier than the time he arrived at the port.

These ten minutes are the difference between a death sentence and meritorious service.

"How...how did you know this batch of goods was graphite?" Shen Qianzhong's voice became hoarse.

This top-secret document was known only to the core members of the Shen family and Chu Cang.

"That's not important." Bai Jingyou stepped forward, his gentle aura vanishing instantly, replaced by an overwhelming sense of aggression. "What's important is, Mr. Shen. If those so-called overseas accounts Chu Cang mentioned are accidentally exposed as being registered under the name of some collateral branch of the Shen family... tell me, how should this game be played?"

Shen Qianzhong took a half step back. The black-clad bodyguard behind him wanted to step forward, but he stopped him by raising his hand.

He stared intently at Bai Jingyou, as if he were seeing this man for the first time.

"Bai Jingyou, you're playing with fire." Shen Qianzhong gritted his teeth. "The Shen family's influence in the capital is beyond your imagination."

"I'm a timid person and I hate the heat, so I don't like playing with fire." Bai Jingyou put away his thermos and reverted to his usual affable rich kid self. "I'm just cleaning house for the Shen family. After all, if the Shen family's higher-ups knew that the project you, Shen Qianzhong, were in charge of had such a big blunder, and even almost tarnished the family's reputation... you'd probably be dealt with too."

Shen Qianzhong fell silent.

The sound of the waves became deafening at that moment.

He knew very well that Bai Jingyou must have more cards up his sleeve than he had imagined.

There must be something earth-shattering in that black book.

"Young Master Bai, I've learned my lesson." Shen Qianzhong took a deep breath, pushed up his glasses, and his expression returned to its cold and hard state. "The Bai family has indeed secured its position in Haicheng. But Beijing is vast, and the road ahead is long. We'll see how things unfold."

"No need to see me out." Bai Jingyou waved his hand. "Mr. Shen, remember to drive slowly on your way back. The road conditions in Haicheng are not as stable as Chang'an Avenue in Beijing."

The Hongqi motorcade arrived quickly and left even faster.

Chen Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the taillights disappear into the night, his back already soaked with sweat.

"Boss, did we really declare it to customs?" Chen Mo asked in a low voice.

"Submit my ass." Bai Jingyou sneered, handing the thermos to Chen Mo. "That document was made by Bai Qianqian on the spot. The backdoor program bypassed the official website's verification checkpoints, which can only fool someone like Shen Qianzhong who doesn't understand technology. If he had stayed for five more minutes, or made a phone call to verify, we would have been completely exposed."

Chen Mo was stunned.

[Is the boss... playing with fire?]

"So what do we do now?"

"Go and file the report now." Bai Jingyou's eyes were deep. "Shen Qianzhong has been scared away. He'll deal with those overseas accounts immediately. As long as he makes a move, the traces he leaves behind will be our real evidence. This is called... luring the snake out of its hole."

Bai Jingyou sat back in the back seat of the Maybach, closed his eyes, and rubbed his throbbing temples.

[We've temporarily gotten past the Shen family hurdle, but this piece of fat meat that Old Master Jiang gave us is really too much to handle.]

The phone screen lit up with an anonymous text message:

[Brother, Shen Qianzhong is back in Beijing. I heard he smashed a computer in his car. Well done. However, the old man of the Shen family seems to have developed a strong interest in you.]

The signature is a red lip emoji.

Ye Lingqing.

Bai Jingyou turned off his phone, a helpless, bitter smile playing on his lips.

Looking at the rapidly receding street scene outside the window, Bai Jingyou suddenly felt that compared to these cutthroat business battles, going out for a meal at a Shaxian snack shop was indeed a luxury.

"Chen Mo, book two plane tickets to Beijing for me tomorrow. Also, have Bai Qianqian produce that 'Digital Factory' proposal; I need the most expensive version."

"Boss, what are we going to the capital for?"

"Go deliver the gift." Bai Jingyou stared at the ring on his finger, his tone low and brooding. "It's a waste to just keep the black account left behind by Chu Cang. I'm going to turn it into a grand gift that the entire capital can't refuse."

……

The next morning.

President's Office of Bai's Group.

Bai Qing looked at the already stamped war reserve repurchase agreement on the table, then at her younger brother who was sitting on the sofa comfortably drinking hand-ground coffee, and remained silent for a long time.

"You mean, you used a fake website last night to scare Shen Qianzhong away?" Bai Qing's voice trembled slightly, whether from anger or laughter, it was hard to tell.

"It's not entirely a fake website; at least the background color is real." Bai Jingyou shrugged. "Sister, all's fair in love and war. The Shen family is too arrogant. They're used to others kneeling to receive imperial decrees, but they've forgotten that this is Haicheng, not the capital."

Bai Qing walked up to him, reached out and ruffled his hair, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Jingyou, you've really changed. You've changed so much that even your older sister can't quite see through you anymore."

"Whether things have changed or not, I'll always be your brother." Bai Jingyou held his sister's hand, his smile sincere. "Sister, things in Haicheng are over. Next, I'm going to Beijing to make some progress."

"The capital?" Bai Qing's expression changed drastically. "No! That's the Shen family's stronghold. Going there now is tantamount to walking into a trap!"

"I have a talisman," Bai Jingyou said, shaking the USB drive in his hand. "Besides, Ye Lingqing is waiting for me in Beijing. She said she wants to treat me to drinks."

"That vixen Ye Lingqing?" Bai Qing's brows furrowed. "You believe what she says?"

"I don't trust her, I trust interests." Bai Jingyou stood up, straightened his suit, and said, "Sister, if the Bai family wants to truly establish itself, it's not enough to just dominate Haicheng. What we need to do is become the rule-makers."

Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Jiang Mengyao hurriedly walked in carrying a food box, and her eyes reddened slightly the moment she saw Bai Jingyou.

"Jingyou, are you going to the capital?"

Bai Jingyou was taken aback, then realized that it must have been Chen Mo, that big mouth, or Old Jiang who leaked the information.

"I'm going on a business trip for a few days," Bai Jingyou said gently.

"I'm going too." Jiang Mengyao put down the food box, her tone firm, her eyes revealing an unprecedented stubbornness. "Dad said Beijing is dangerous, and I'm worried about you going alone. Besides, the Jiang family has some old connections in Beijing, so maybe I can help."

Looking at the gentle and tender girl in front of him, Bai Jingyou felt a soft spot in his heart being gently touched.