Chapter 12
Lin Heng stared at his younger brother, thoroughly captivated by the sheer confidence radiating from him. The fragile, easily agitated boy who used to storm out of rooms was completely gone. In his place sat a calm, calculating strategist.
“What’s the plan, Xiao Mian?” Lin Heng asked, leaning forward, completely treating his brother as an equal partner now.
“The mole has to be someone with access to both the financial bidding metrics and our department’s confidential marketing drive,” Lin Mian explained, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his chin.
“That narrows it down to senior analysts or someone in the executive suite. If we try to audit everyone now, we’ll spook them. Instead, we feed them a piece of poisonous bait.”
Lin Mian leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “We fake a ‘revised emergency blueprint.’ I will personally draft a highly convincing, incredibly aggressive marketing strategy tonight. We will intentionally leak this fake document to a specific, restricted server. Each copy downloaded will have a microscopic digital watermark unique to the user who accesses it.
When Guangshi Real Estate tries to use it against us at the final bidding presentation tomorrow, they will look like absolute fools-and we will know exactly who sold us out.”
Lin Heng’s eyes lit up with profound admiration. He let out a breathless laugh. “Xiao Mian… you are terrifying when you are focused. Let’s do it. I’ll handle the digital watermarking with our IT security chief. You handle the bait.”
By 9:00 PM, the Lin Group headquarters was dark, save for the glass walls of the 15th floor where Lin Mian’s desk was located. He sat alone under the glow of a single desk lamp, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
He wasn’t just writing a fake report; he was crafting a masterpiece of deception. The fake strategy looked brilliant on the surface, but it contained a massive, hidden flaw in the logistical budgeting that would drain a company’s capital within three months if implemented. If Guangshi swallowed this bait, it would ruin them.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over his desk.
Lin Mian blinked, looking up from his dual monitors. Standing there, holding a takeout bag from a Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant, was Lu Chen. He had discarded his tie, his hair slightly messy, looking less like a ruthless billionaire and more like a devoted partner coming to check on his lover.
“You skipped dinner at home,” Lu Chen said, his tone gently scolding as he set the food down. “Your brother told me what happened with the bid. Why didn’t you call me? The Lu Corporation can easily crush Guangshi Real Estate by tomorrow morning if you want.”
Lin Mian smiled, a wave of profound warmth washing over his tired mind. He reached out, grabbing Lu Chen’s hand and pulling the older man closer until Lu Chen was leaning against the edge of the desk.
“I know you can, giant wolf,” Lin Mian teased softly, rubbing his cheek against the back of Lu Chen’s hand. “But this is a test for me. I need to protect my family with my own hands this time. If I always hide behind you, how can I grow?”
Lu Chen’s gaze softened into something incredibly tender, yet burning with an intense possessiveness. He used his free hand to gently cup Lin Mian’s face, his thumb tracing the soft line of his jaw. “You’ve already grown so much, Xiao Mian. Sometimes it terrifies me how quickly you’re changing. I’m proud of you, but… don’t forget to lean on me. My shoulders are broad enough to carry your burdens.”
Lin Mian looked up into those dark, loyal eyes, his heart beating a frantic, joyful rhythm. “I am leaning on you. Just having you stand here makes me feel like I can conquer the world.”
Lu Chen’s breath hitched. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, he leaned down. His lips brushed softly against Lin Mian’s forehead, then down to the tip of his nose, before lingering just a millimeter away from his lips.
“Eat your dinner,” Lu Chen murmured, his voice thick with unexpressed emotion as he forced himself to pull back slightly. “I’ll stay here and guard you until you’re finished.”
The next afternoon, the grand auditorium of the Shanghai Municipal Planning Committee was filled with tension. The air-conditioning hummed loudly as the committee members sat at the head of a massive mahogany U-shaped table.
On the left sat the Lin Group delegation, headed by Master Lin and Lin Heng, with Lin Mian sitting quietly behind them as an assistant. On the right sat the executives of Guangshi Real Estate, led by Director Zhao-a heavy-set, arrogant man who kept smirking in the Lin family’s direction.
“We will now hear the final, revised presentations for the Southern District Commercial Plaza project,” the head committee member announced. “Since Guangshi Real Estate requested to present first, Director Zhao, the floor is yours.”
Director Zhao stood up, buttoning his expensive suit jacket with a theatrical flair. He glanced at Master Lin with a patronizing smile. “Thank you, honorable committee members. Today, Guangshi is proud to present a revolutionary, hyper-aggressive digital marketing layout that will redefine the commercial sector…”
As the projector screen flickered to life, Lin Mian leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs.
There it was. On the screen was the exact fake blueprint Lin Mian had drafted the night before. Every single chart, every single flawed logistical graph, and every single sentence of his brilliant but poisonous strategy was being projected for the entire room to see.
Lin Heng glanced back at Lin Mian, a subtle, victorious smirk playing on his lips. Lin Mian simply offered a tiny, innocent nod in return.
Director Zhao continued to boast, completely oblivious to the fact that he was walking straight into a meat grinder. “With this aggressive budgeting model, we can guarantee a 20% higher return than any proposal our competitors-namely the Lin Group-could ever offer.”
“Is that so, Director Zhao?” Lin Mian’s clear, melodious voice suddenly cut through the room, breaking the solemn atmosphere of the committee.
Director Zhao frowned, glaring at the junior assistant. “Young Master Lin, this is a formal government bidding session. Amateurs should keep their mouths shut.”
“I am merely asking a question,” Lin Mian said smoothly, standing up from his seat. His posture was elegant, his eyes flashing with a dangerous, razor-sharp intelligence that commanded the attention of everyone in the room. He walked over to the podium, pulling a sleek silver flash drive from his pocket and handing it to the IT technician.
“If the committee members would look closely at the bottom right corner of Guangshi’s presentation slides,” Lin Mian directed, his voice echoing with absolute authority. “You will notice an encrypted alphanumeric string embedded in the graphic metadata. Technician, please run the Lin Group’s security decryption key from my drive.”
The technician clicked a few buttons. Suddenly, a bright red box flashed on the main screen, overlaying Director Zhao’s slides. The alphanumeric string transformed into a crystal-clear, unalterable digital signature:
[PROPERTY OF LIN GROUP – UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS BY: MARKETING MANAGER LIU WEI]
A collective gasp echoed through the auditorium.
Director Zhao’s face instantly drained of all color, turning a sickly shade of ash. “What… what is the meaning of this?! This is a frame-up!”
“Manager Liu Wei is a senior staff member at the Lin Group,” Lin Mian stated coldly, turning his gaze to the horrified committee members. “He was arrested by the economic crimes bureau exactly two hours ago after attempting to flee the city with a bank account suddenly enriched by two million yuan. Guangshi Real Estate didn’t design this strategy. They stole it from us through corporate espionage. And unfortunately for them…”
Lin Mian offered Director Zhao a devastatingly beautiful, mocking smile. “…they stole a fake, economically unviable blueprint that I custom-made just for them. If you implement that budget, Director Zhao, Guangshi will file for bankruptcy before the year ends.”
The committee room erupted into absolute chaos. The head committee member slammed his gavel, his face distorted with fury. “Espionage! Disqualified! Guangshi Real Estate is officially barred from government bidding for the next ten years! Security, escort them out!”
As a screaming, hysterical Director Zhao was dragged out of the room alongside his panicked legal team, Master Lin stood up from his seat. His hands were trembling, not from anger, but from sheer, overwhelming pride. He looked at his youngest son, who had just single-handedly saved the family empire from destruction.
Lin Mian turned to his father and brother, flashing a soft, gentle smile. *One major disaster averted,* he thought, breathing a sigh of relief. *The Lin family lives.*
But as he walked out of the auditorium into the main lobby, his phone buzzed. It was a text from an encrypted, unknown international number:
> *”You’ve gotten smart, Xiao Mian. But a sparrow can never truly escape a cage. See you soon.”*>
Lin Mian’s breath hitched, the warmth leaving his body in an instant. The text wasn’t from anyone in Shanghai. He knew that tone. It was the main antagonist of his past life-the ruthless international tycoon who had orchestrated his family’s ultimate ruin from behind the scenes.
Before he could panic, a large, warm hand slipped into his, gripping his fingers with unyielding strength. Lin Mian looked up to see Lu Chen standing there, having waited in the lobby the entire time. Lu Chen saw the pale look on Lin Mian’s face and immediately glanced at his phone screen.
Lu Chen’s eyes darkened into a terrifying, abyssal black, a murderous aura erupting from his body so intensely that the surrounding security guards instinctively stepped back.
“Let them come, Xiao Mian,” Lu Chen whispered, his voice low, feral, and fiercely protective as he pulled Lin Mian tightly against his chest. “This time, whoever tries to touch you will have to step over my corpse first.”
To be continue
