After breaking up with my boyfriend, I made a fortune and rose rapidly in my career.

The phone lit up in his pocket. Chen Ping took it out; the caller ID showed Su Qingwan.

Chen Ping pushed open the door to the small conference room, and the cold air from the corridor rushed in. He answered the phone but didn't speak, waiting for Su Qingwan to speak first.

"Director Chen, I'm investigating Huajing Technology."

Su Qingwan got straight to the point without any preamble.

"In the past three weeks, their senior executives have been frequently visiting several small consulting companies registered in Nanzhou. These companies have no actual business, but their accounts have large turnovers, short funding cycles, and scattered destinations. I went to the business registration system and found several names in the shareholder list that overlap with the offshore affiliated companies of the Provincial Construction Investment Group."

Su Qingwan paused for a moment.

"My intuition tells me that what they want to do goes far beyond just capital."

Chen Ping leaned against the corridor wall and went through the information Su Qingwan had said in his mind.

Su Qingwan's message arrived half a day earlier than expected, indicating she was on the right track, but was still one step short.

"Those consulting firms you mentioned, registered in Nanzhou, where are their actual controllers located?"

The sound of turning pages drifted over, and Su Qingwan paused for a few seconds.

"We haven't uncovered this yet. The business registration information is encountering obstacles due to several nested structures."

"Um."

Chen Ping thought for a moment, carefully choosing his words before speaking.

"Focus on three areas. First, low-market-cap stocks with unusually high turnover rates in the secondary market over the past month, and compare them with their largest shareholders. Second, the registered locations of these shareholders, with a focus on offshore shell companies in Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands. Third, cross-compare the main businesses of these companies with the supply chain of the Chipfire project."

Someone walked over from the other end of the corridor, and Chen Ping lowered his voice.

"If it is found that the upstream raw material suppliers of some of the suppliers are also held by these shell companies, the underlying logic becomes clear."

Su Qingwan quickly understood, repeated the three directions to confirm that they were correct.

"There's one more thing," Su Qingwan paused, then added, "overseas funds."

"Where did you get this direction from?"

"Based on experience." Su Qingwan's answer was direct. "The way capital comes in is too clean, abnormally clean. Domestic compliant institutional funds wouldn't go through this route."

After hearing this answer, Chen Pingfang remained silent for two seconds before speaking.

"Your direction is correct, but the timing of the report depends on what I say."

"I know."

Su Qingwan spoke calmly, without any intention of bargaining.

Before hanging up, she added one more sentence.

"Director Chen, Huajing Technology has a rather detailed understanding of Chipfire's technical roadmap."

The phone was disconnected.

Chen Ping stood in the corridor, pondering those words.

Based on her intuition gleaned from the collision of information, Su Qingwan was close to uncovering the truth behind the technology leak. She didn't know Yu Kai yet, but she would soon find out.

Back in the office, Zhang Chao had already laid out Yu Kai's file on the table.

Chen Ping stood and flipped through the pages without sitting down.

Yu Kai, 26 years old, Master of Optical Engineering, joined the team seven months ago, clean resume, all performance reviews excellent. In the family situation section: his father was diagnosed with liver cancer two years ago, has undergone surgery, and is continuing treatment, with total medical expenses exceeding 800,000 yuan.

Chen Ping stared at the line of numbers for a few seconds, then turned to the next page.

My bank statements for the past three months show that my salary was deposited normally and there were no large unexplained deposits, but there were two small transfers from an education consulting company, amounting to 3,800 and 4,200 respectively.

The timing was precisely one week before and after Yu Kai's two contacts with Huajing Technology personnel.

Zhang Chao pressed his finger on the two records.

"A trial payment, a small amount, is used as a cover; the real conditions may not have been fulfilled yet."

Chen Ping put the bill back where it was, without speaking immediately.

Yu Kai, burdened with 800,000 yuan in family debt and earning a regular technical job salary, was targeted and lured into a trap by someone offering small incentives.

This layout is very well designed.

But those two accounts combined total less than eight thousand, and the core data may not have been handed over yet.

Where is Yu Kai now?

"I just ate dinner at the cafeteria."

Chen Ping draped his coat over his arm.

"I'm going to find him."

The canteen is located on the east side of Building 3. There weren't many people there at this time, with only a few technicians sitting around.

Yu Kai sat alone by the window, half-eaten food on his plate, his phone face down on the table, lost in thought.

Chen Ping held a cup of hot water and sat down opposite Yu Kai.

Yu Kai looked up, paused for a moment, and immediately tried to get up.

"Sit down, don't move."

Chen Ping pushed the glass of water over and, without any preamble, began his first words.

How is your father doing now?

Yu Kai's hand stopped on the table.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke in a low voice.

"I'm still undergoing follow-up treatments. The doctor said the recovery is going well, but... the cost is quite high."

"Um."

Chen Ping didn't pursue the topic further and pushed the cup forward.

"You've been with the crew for seven months, and Lu Yuan speaks very highly of you."

Yu Kai didn't speak, his gaze fixed on the table.

I know you've been having some difficulties lately.

Chen Ping spoke calmly, without asking further questions or drawing any conclusions; he simply left it there quietly.

Yu Kai's shoulders slumped slightly.

"Director Chen..."

No explanation needed.

Chen Ping interrupted Yu Kai, his tone remaining calm, but every word of his next sentence carried weight.

"What those people give you won't solve your father's problem; it will only plunge you into an even deeper predicament."

Yu Kai raised his head for the first time.

His face showed panic and guilt, but even more so, bewilderment after being exposed.

"I... I didn't give out the core data, I just..."

"I understand."

Chen Ping uttered those two words, preventing Yu Kai from continuing.

Someone in the cafeteria got up, and the tableware made a soft clinking sound.

"The center has an internal mutual aid fund for employees in need. It's not a subsidy, but an interest-free loan. You can apply if you meet the requirements."

Yu Kai was stunned.

"Your father's follow-up treatment costs can be covered through this channel to alleviate the immediate financial burden. Director Zhang will contact you about the paperwork tomorrow."

Yu Kai's lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

Chen Ping picked up his cup and stood up.

"From today onwards, there's no need to pay any more attention to their contact."

Chen Ping didn't say anything more and turned to walk towards the cafeteria entrance.

Halfway there, my phone vibrated.

It was a text message from Su Qingwan, containing only two lines.

"Genting Club, three days later, a private dinner. The guest list includes Zhao Xilai, Vice President Lu of Huajing Technology, and several people with overseas identities."

"There was a man named 'Mr. Zhao' who gave a speech via video link that evening."

Chen Ping stared at the text message for a few seconds, then flipped his phone over and held it in his palm.

Zhao Bo.