Please, mature women, have some self-respect. I just want a raise and a promotion.

Liu Xueyi turned to face Lin Zheng, her professional short black skirt taut over her hips. She raised her hand and removed the hairpin from her updo, letting her long, black hair fall down and cascade over her shoulders.

Lin Zheng's gaze followed her curves downwards.

"You just said you'd give me the materials at cost price. Do you still stand by that promise?"

"count."

"But first, you have to let me confirm whether you can be as good as you were last night."

Lin Zheng didn't say anything more. He grabbed Liu Xueyi's waist and lifted her onto the desk.

The black business skirt slid up her thighs, and the white stockings stretched taut in the sunlight.

Liu Xueyi reached out and unbuttoned his shirt. When her fingertips touched the skin of his chest, she let out a satisfied sigh.

Lin Zheng lowered his head and kissed Liu Xueyi's neck, asking, "How's the soundproofing in this office?"

"The secretary is outside, but the door is locked."

Liu Xueyi's hand slid down, touched his belt buckle, and skillfully unbuckled it.

"You just come, ignore her."

After she finished speaking, she pulled Lin Zheng towards her.

The documents on the desk were swept aside, the pen holder was overturned, and the fountain pen rolled onto the carpet with a dull thud.

Liu Xueyi tilted her head back, her hands supporting her on the edge of the table, her legs wrapped in white silk stockings wrapped around Lin Zheng's waist.

"You just said you'd be in charge of Zhou Haimin's side, but what about the specific scheduling of material supply?"

Liu Xueyi bit her lip, and it took her a while to catch her breath.

"Cheng Yuan Tufang has stored at least three months' worth of sand and gravel in its warehouse in Dianhai Town. I've spoken to the warehouse manager and arranged for it to be transferred to you first. Zhou Haimin's approval will be provided later."

"Won't he investigate?"

"The investigation will target me, not you."

"My husband's side...you saw him yesterday, what kind of person is he?"

Speaking of it.

Liu Xueyi slowed down her movements.

Lin Zheng asked, "Are you worried he'll cause you trouble?"

Liu Xueyi shook her head. "He wouldn't dare cause me any trouble. I'm his wife in name only. None of his affairs could have happened without me."

"Without me, he can't even get access to his suppliers."

"But he can cause trouble for the people around you," Lin Zheng said.

Liu Xueyi sat up, pulled down her skirt, but didn't rush to fasten the buttons.

She leaned back in her chair, looked out at the street, and remained silent for a while before saying, "You're right, he will definitely cause you trouble."

"Last night was just the beginning. Now that Liu Kaishan has already used him as a tool, he won't stop easily."

"so?"

"Therefore, we must let the knife dull on its own."

Lin Zheng asked, "Do you have a solution?"

Liu Xueyi picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and said, "I have a few things I can do to him, enough to get him locked up for a few years."

"I didn't do anything before because it wouldn't benefit me. If he goes to jail, his gang will have to find someone to manage them, which is a huge hassle."

"And now?"

"Now..."

Liu Xueyi put down her water glass and turned to look at Lin Zheng.

"Things are different now. If someone uses it as a knife to cut you, then keeping that knife is just a menace; it's better to dismantle it."

Lin Zheng didn't speak. Liu Xueyi's decision came too quickly, so quickly that it surprised him.

She was just saying that Zhang Tianhu was her shield, but in the blink of an eye she's going to send him to jail. The turning point in this is definitely not because of Lin Zheng.

Lin Zheng thought for a moment, then asked, "Have you been wanting to take action against him for a while, but just needed a pretext?"

Liu Xueyi smiled and nodded, saying, "Lin Zheng, you're much smarter than him."

"I've been married to him for twelve years, and he's been having affairs with five women, one of whom was my former secretary."

"I know all this, but I haven't touched him because he's useful. He can keep order in the underworld, and he can handle any trouble I encounter in business. But things are different now."

She turned around, her gaze carrying a calmness that Lin Zheng had never seen before.

"Liu Kaishan is setting a trap to use him as a weapon. If I don't get rid of him, I'll be the first to fall."

Lin Zheng stubbed out his cigarette: "So, how do you plan to get him in?"

Liu Xueyi walked back behind her desk, took out a folder from the drawer, and opened it.

Tucked inside was a photo of a woman and a man being intimate in a car. The man's face was blurred, making it impossible to identify him, but the woman's face was clearly visible—it was Liu Xueyi herself.

Lin Zheng was taken aback: "You used your own photo to report him?"

"This photo was taken a few years ago. He had someone follow me and take the picture to frame another rival. It was never used, but the negative ended up in my hands."

"What I want is evidence that he instructed someone to follow and secretly film his wife, along with a record of his illegal possession of a firearm."

"These two things combined are enough to keep him in jail for three to five years."

She closed the folder and pushed it in front of Lin Zheng: "You hand this over to the district office for me. If I hand it over myself, his cronies outside will come after me. It's different if you hand it over; you have no grudge against him, so it's fine if you hand it over."

Lin Zheng looked at the folder but didn't immediately pick it up.

He wondered if Liu Xueyi was genuinely helping him, or if she was using him to clean up her own troubles.

But whatever the reason, this outcome is in his favor.

With Zhang Tianhu gone, Liu Kaishan lost a handy knife.

"Okay, I'll hand it over."

Lin Zheng put the folder into his briefcase and zipped it up.

"When can you get me the materials?"

Liu Xueyi picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number: "Old Chen, bring the sand and gravel inventory list from the Dianhai Town warehouse to my office."

"Also, inform the transportation department that starting tomorrow, materials for the Zhuangdong Village Nanshan project will be shipped first, and the original price will be used for settlement."

After hanging up the phone, she took a pen, signed a delivery slip, and handed it to Lin Zheng.

"The first batch of sand and gravel will be delivered to your construction site at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

"We'll send out a batch every day for the next three days; that should be enough for you for half a month."

Lin Zheng took it and glanced at it. It was stamped with Cheng Yuan Tu Fang's official seal, and Liu Xueyi's name was in the signature column.

"What about in two weeks?"

"If you finalize Zhou Haimin's son's admission to Tenghua within half a month, I'll have leverage to negotiate the price. At that point, I'll give you not just the original price, but even the cost price."

"make a deal."

Lin Zheng put away the delivery slip and turned to walk towards the door.

He took two steps and then stopped, turning back to look at Liu Xueyi.

"I'll submit your husband's application tomorrow. Be careful these next few days."

Liu Xueyi leaned back in her chair and waved to Lin Zheng.

"You don't need to worry about him. He's going on a long trip this afternoon and won't be back for three days."

"These three days are enough to get a lot done."

Lin Zheng didn't say anything more, opened the door and went out.

After leaving Liu Xueyi's office, Lin Zheng hailed a taxi and gave her the address of Zhuangdong Village Committee.