Xiu Mei returned to watching how things unfolded in the conference room when she felt something heavy on her head. She wanted to look up to see what it was but she couldnât with the weight preventing her to do it.
"Donât move." A deep voice murmured. Before she could react, a pair of arms circled around her shoulders from behind pulling her backward. Then the heavy weight on her head disappeared and moved to rest on her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" Her forehead creased in confusion. She thought he was so busy to take a break and now heâs being all affectionate with her. Why so suddenly?
"Nothing. Just recharging." Lu Chen casually replied as he inhaled her scent. Her warmth instantly relaxing the tension in his body.
Xiu Mei clung to one of his arms hugging her.
"You want to take a break? Come on, sit here." Then she patted the empty space beside her.
Lu Chen shook his head.
"Iâm fine hugging you like this."
Xiu Mei sighed in distress as she complained, "but I canât watch Lu Shao catch the Planning Director at this state."
She was leaning back on the couch while the laptop was on the center table. With him hugging her like this, she couldnât go close to the screen to watch it. If it werenât for the airpod in her right ear she was wearing, she might not even hear the contents of the conversation at all.
Then wouldnât all the planning be for naught? And she was having fun too.
"Stop watching." Lu Chen retorted to her complaint. Because Xiu Mei couldnât see his face, she missed the pout that appeared on his face while he was saying that. She didnât even see how the President glared at his other secretary that was showing on her laptop screen.
"But I wanna watch." She replied, trying to go against his pull. She tried to push herself forward but Lu Chen was very firm.
He may be acting really petty just now but hearing Xiu Mei praise another man in front of him suddenly made him very frustrated at that person. And to think he was getting jealous because of his secretary. So childish.
"No." Like a child throwing tantrums, he firmly held her in his arms and hugged her. Xiu Mei struggled within his arms that she didnât even notice that the airpods she was wearing fell out from her right ear already.
"Seriously, I want to watch the Planning Director get caught redhanded ah!" Xiu Mei protested in his arms.
"Why are you being so childish? Come on, donât you have work? Arenât you busy?"
If he doesnât wanna sit beside her then he shouldnât play around like this ah. Itâs not like sheâs not working. How can she miss this opportunity to catch someone redhanded, even if sheâs not the one who was personally doing it?
It was only when she felt that she kicked something with her feet did she pause on her movements. Since she couldnât lean over to see what it was, she slightly moved her feet as if trying to figure out what it was.
Thatâs when she realized that her airpod fell out of her ear.
"Then let me just pick that up! At the very least let me listen!"
If she canât watch then at least let her eavesdrop on the conversation. Even just the audio would be fine right now.
"Just let Lu Shao do the work." Lu Chen uttered, his eyes glued on the video. Even though he couldnât hear the exchange by just watching the video, he can still see the small movements that the Planning Director was doing seeing his agitation.
Once his attention shifted on the screen, he didnât expect an attack from Xiu Mei.
Xiu Mei eventually grew annoyed with his antics. In the end, she bit on his arm hard enough for Lu Chen to be surprised and loosen his hold on her.
And thatâs what happened.
Feeling a sudden pain shot from his arm, his eyes returned on his wife who suddenly bit on his arm. But before he could even look at her, Xiu Mei took the opportunity that he loosened his hug to escape from him.
Without any delay, Xiu Mei almost dived towards the floor to grab the airpod that fell out and almost knelt on the floor so that Lu Chen wouldnât be able to reach her again.
She hastily wore her airpods and almost threw it away again while yelping in pain when a screeching voice resounded in it.
Her eyes darted back to the screen. She saw the Planning Director arrogantly standing up against Lu Shao. He even slammed the table heavily as he continued yelling at him and sometimes pointing at him.
"What are you trying to imply, Mr.Lu Shao!?" The Planning Director exploded in anger. Slamming his hand on the table, he stood up and angrily glared at the secretary in front of him.
He pointed his finger at him as if accusing him. "Youâre just a secretary! How dare you try to accuse me of such things!"
Even though the Planning Director was fuming with rage and spouting nonsense and cursing him, Lu Shao was never shaken in his seat. He simply sat there and stared at him blankly as if he didnât care whatever he was saying.
It was as if he was watching a monkey playing a show in front of him.
Noticing that the person he was scolding didnât look interested and wasnât even paying attention to him, the Planning Director grew livid.
He slammed his hand on the table once again, the sound resounding throughout the small conference room.
"You!!!"
"Mr.Bai." Lu Shao broke his silence. Before the Planning Director could even finish his sentence, he cut him off.
"I havenât even said anything aside from asking you where you got the information from. But seeing that youâre being defensive like this, it seems like you do have something hiding from us causing you to become so wary like this."
"..."
"Which is actually very interesting. I heard there is some rumor going around the company that someone from within is receiving a bribe from other companies to leak some confidential information of Lu Corporation. I wonder, is it this secret that made you so wary and defensive like this?"
"...No, I-!"
"Itâs not? Well, thereâs one thing that weâre very sure youâre keeping from us."
Lu Shao pressed something on his table and pushed it towards the Planning Director so he could see what was on the screen.
It was a still image taken from the video of him entering with Linda Yang in a hotel.
The Planning Director stiffened. H-How did they...?
Lu Shao was thrilled to see his reaction and continued on. He slid his finger on the screen to show the next image. It was a proof of transaction of Linda Yangâs staff paying a media company. It wasnât indicated there what and why they are paying the media company but Lu Shao didnât elaborate it at all.
If the Planning Director was truly innocent, then the first thing he would surely think is what is the reason why they are paying some media company right now.
"I didnât do it!" The Planning Director said in fright as he pushed away the tablet in front of him.
"I wasnât the one who did it!" He said in panic as he tried to defend himself. "I wasnât the one who told it to her! Yes, weâre sleeping together but I never shared any information with her. I only shared it with our competâ"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the Planning Director finally realized the words he was spouting. His movements stopped as his eyes widened. He finally realized that he slipped up by mistake in front of the secretary.
"Mr.Lu Shao, that wasnâtâ I didnâtâ" He tried to explain himself again but Lu Shao didnât even look at him anymore.
Even though he didnât finish his statement, Lu Shao caught on the message. Even though he denied his involvement in the data breach issue, at least there was proof that the Planning Director was indeed the person taking a bribe from other people. He wasnât even expecting it to be this easy.
Gathering his things, Lu Shao stood up from his seat. Before he left, he towered over the Planning Director who was almost groveling on his seat with guilt. He already knows that itâs all over the moment he slipped up.
"Mr.Bai, this conversation will be relayed to the President. As the Presidentâs secretary, we will temporarily suspend you and all the projects youâve been working on as you are now under suspicion for leaking confidential information and taking bribes. You not to undertake any projects starting today nor be involved with anything related to Lu Corporation." Lu Shao coldly declared as he sentenced him to his end.
Without waiting for his response, he left the conference room without looking back.