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

"Who is this person?"

Lin Zheng sat up abruptly in bed, all sleepiness gone.

"There's a hardware store on the street across from the club, and their security camera captured that person's face."

"I used connections to get it, why don't you come and take a look?"

On the other end of the phone, Li Zhengang's voice carried a hint of smugness.

"Coming right away."

Lin Zheng hung up the phone, quickly washed up and changed his clothes, hailed a taxi and headed straight for Li Zhengang's sand field.

The sand field was already bustling with activity in the early morning, with large trucks coming and going, kicking up clouds of dust.

When Lin Zheng entered the office, Li Zhengang was sitting in front of the computer, a cigarette between his fingers, with a picture frozen on the screen.

"You're here? Have a seat."

Li Zhengang pointed to the sofa, then turned to the computer screen.

"See for yourself."

Lin Zheng leaned closer; the image on the screen was somewhat blurry, but he could make out a person's face.

The man was wearing a black baseball cap, but the cap wasn't pulled down low enough, revealing half of his face.

He has a long, thin face, high cheekbones, and a mole at the corner of his eye.

"Zhou Hailong!"

Lin Zheng recognized him at a glance.

"Yes, it's him."

Li Zhengang exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "At 9:13 last night, he passed by the hardware store and walked towards the club."

"At 9:20, when you entered the room, he was in the hallway."

At 9:25, he left through the back door of the club and got into a black sedan.

"Have you found the license plate number?" Lin Zheng asked.

"Found it."

Li Zhengang pulled up another screenshot.

"The license plate number is Hai A·M3782, and it is registered under the name of Tenghua Group."

Lin Zheng's face turned ashen. He was now almost certain that Zhou Hailong was the one who had set him up.

"Manager Lin, what do you suggest we do?" Li Zhengang asked.

Lin Zheng lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and his gaze turned cold.

"Find Zhou Hailong first and have him explain himself."

"If he dares to play me, I'll show him what it means to regret it."

Li Zhengang thought for a moment and said, "Zhou Hailong should be at the company today. Should I send someone to invite him over?"

Lin Zheng shook his head: "No, there are too many people in the company, and it's easy to alert them."

"Wait for him to get off work, then intercept him on the way."

"Okay, I'll arrange it."

Li Zhengang picked up his phone, dialed a number, and whispered a few instructions.

After hanging up the phone, he looked at Lin Zheng: "At six o'clock in the evening, when he gets off work, he'll be on his way."

"I'll have someone bring him over then, and we'll have a good talk."

Lin Zheng nodded: "Thanks, Boss Li."

"Don't thank me, we're partners now."

"I can only make money if the project progresses smoothly."

The two chatted for a while longer before Lin Zheng got up to say goodbye.

……

At 5 p.m., Lin Zheng arrived at the place arranged by Li Zhengang ahead of schedule.

It was an abandoned warehouse on the east side of town, surrounded by desolation, and rarely passed by.

The warehouse was filled with old machines and scrap metal, and the air was thick with the smell of rust and dust.

Li Zhengang was already there, surrounded by five or six burly men, each with broad shoulders and thick waists, clearly not to be trifled with.

"Manager Lin, he'll be here soon." Li Zhengang handed him a cigarette.

Lin Zheng took it, lit it, and leaned against the wall, smoking slowly.

At 5:40, the iron gate of the warehouse was pushed open, and two burly men carried a person in.

The person being supported is Zhou Hailong.

His hands were tied behind his back, a rag was stuffed in his mouth, his glasses were askew, and there were bruises on his face.

Upon seeing Lin Zheng, his eyes widened, and he made muffled noises as he struggled desperately.

"Relax." Li Zhengang waved his hand.

The big man pushed him to the ground and removed the rag from his mouth.

Zhou Hailong gasped for breath, looked up at Lin Zheng, his eyes filled with fear.

"Manager Lin... what are you doing?"

"What are you doing?"

Lin Zheng squatted down and looked at him coldly.

"Zhou Hailong, how dare you ask me what I'm doing?"

"What happened at the club last night, you arranged it, didn't you?"

Zhou Hailong's expression changed: "I...I don't know what you're talking about."

"have no idea?"

Lin Zheng released his hand, took out his phone from his pocket, opened the surveillance video, and placed it in front of him.

"Is that you?"

Zhou Hailong stared at the screen, his face turning deathly pale.

"Zhou Hailong, I'm giving you one last chance."

"Tell me everything you know."

"otherwise……"

Lin Zheng stood up and glanced at Li Zhengang.

Li Zhengang understood and gave the burly men a wink.

A burly man stepped forward, pulled an iron pipe from his waist, and weighed it in his hand.

Zhou Hailong trembled with fear and hurriedly shouted, "I'll talk, I'll talk!"

"Don't hit me, I'll tell you everything!"

Lin Zheng waved his hand, and the big man stepped aside.

"Speak, tell me everything without missing a single word."

Zhou Hailong collapsed to the ground, his voice trembling: "It's...it's Ma Cuihua."

"She made me do it."

Ma Cuihua?

Lin Zheng was taken aback and said, "Go on, what did she ask you to do?"

"She asked me to give you fake documents, and then she arranged for someone to frame you at the club."

She said that if anything happened to you, those documents would be worthless and she wouldn't have to worry.

"And if something happens to you, the project will be handed over to someone else, and her people will take over."

Lin Zheng took a deep breath: "Those documents, are they fake?"

"Some are true, some are false."

"The transfer records and call recordings are real, but the signed documents are fake."

"Ma Cuihua said that if you use these things to report her, she can turn the tables and accuse you of fabricating evidence and slandering her."

"Not only will you be fired, but you might also go to jail."

Lin Zheng's face turned ashen.

Damn, this woman is ruthless.

"Anything else?" Lin Zheng continued to ask.

"There's...there's more..."

Zhou Hailong swallowed hard and said, "Ma Cuihua told me to keep a close eye on your movements after you get the documents."

"If you report it, notify her immediately so she can prepare in advance."

"If you don't report it, let me think of another way to force you to take action."

Lin Zheng stood up, lit a cigarette, and slowly smoked it.

After a long pause, Lin Zheng finally spoke, "Do you know what the consequences of your actions will be?"

Zhou Hailong trembled and explained, "Manager Lin... I was forced into it."

"Ma Cuihua said that if I didn't listen to her, she would expose my embezzlement of public funds."

"At that time, I will not only lose my job, but I will also go to jail."

"I can't help it, I really can't..."

Lin Zheng looked at him, but there was no sympathy in his eyes.

"You embezzled public funds?"

Zhou Hailong lowered his head: "One million... I lost the bet and couldn't pay it back, so I embezzled company money."

"Ma Cuihua knew about this, and she used it to threaten me and force me to obey her."

Lin Zheng was silent for a moment: "Where is that one million now?"

"I...I lost everything."

As Zhou Hailong spoke, tears streamed down his face.

"Manager Lin, I know I was wrong. Please, forgive me this time."

"I'll do whatever you say, I'll do whatever you ask."

Lin Zheng squatted down and looked at him: "I want real dirt on Ma Cuihua."

"Not those half-true, half-false things, but the real things that will make it impossible for her to recover."

"Do you have it?"

Zhou Hailong hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Yes."

"What?"

"Her bank transfer records with Liu Kaishan, and a video of her meeting with Liu Kaishan in the company's underground parking garage."

"Video? You filmed it?"

"I didn't take the picture; it was taken by Liu Kaishan's men."

"Ma Cuihua doesn't know, but I do."

Where is that video now?

"In my hometown, in an iron box under my bed."

"I originally wanted to keep it for self-defense, in case Ma Cuihua turned against me one day, I could use it to negotiate with her."

Lin Zheng stood up and looked at Li Zhengang: "Boss Li, could you please send someone to accompany him?"

"Take the things back."

Li Zhengang nodded and winked at the big man.

Two burly men stepped forward, lifted Zhou Hailong up, and walked him outside.

"Manager Lin, I've got my things back. Could you please forgive me this once?"

Zhou Hailong turned to look at him, his eyes full of pleading.

Lin Zheng did not answer, and turned to walk out of the warehouse.

……

At 8 p.m., Li Zhengang's men brought the items back.

A USB drive and an envelope.

The USB drive contains a video of Ma Cuihua and Liu Kaishan in the underground parking garage.

The picture is very clear; you can see the two people's faces and hear their conversation.

The envelope contained the transfer records.

The money Ma Cuihua transferred from the company over the years is recorded in detail, totaling at least 20 million yuan.

After Lin Zheng finished reading, he put the things away and lit a cigarette.

"Manager Lin, are these things enough to prevent Ma Cuihua from making a comeback?" Li Zhengang asked.

Lin Zheng exhaled a puff of smoke: "That's enough."

"But how to use it still needs careful consideration."

"Report her directly; she has connections, so she might be able to suppress it."

"We need to find the right opportunity to strike a fatal blow."

Li Zhengang nodded: "So when do you plan to make your move?"

Lin Zheng thought for a moment and said, "This matter can't be rushed; I need to think about it carefully."

"Use Ma Cuihua as leverage to gain the greatest benefit."