Chapter Twenty-One: Why Me?

Zhou Yi’s fingers trembled. How could this person have witnessed such a private operation? Moreover, he wasn’t even connected to their company’s internal network—could it have been done through QQ? A cascade of questions left Zhou Yi increasingly unsettled the more he thought about it.

He hurriedly tapped at the keyboard to reply.

Zhou Yi: Who are you?

Seductive Fatty: I’m not a good person, but I absolutely won’t harm you, because we share a common enemy. Our goals are just slightly different. So, are you interested in meeting up for a chat?

Staring at the computer, Zhou Yi’s initial panic slowly faded. Although he had no idea who the other party was, Zhou Yi was truly intrigued. The person not only knew everything he was doing here, but also understood his intentions with Wang Shengyu. Clearly, they were highly capable—at least on par with himself when it came to hacking skills.

Moreover, this Seductive Fatty hadn’t tried to stop him, hadn’t called the police, nor warned Wang. Instead, he reached out, which might just be an opportunity.

Having thought it through, Zhou Yi quickly typed another line.

Zhou Yi: Alright, but I want to know what your goal is.

Seductive Fatty: Haha! I like straightforward people. There are many things one person can’t accomplish alone. I can’t trust ordinary folks. I like money, and you want Wang Shengyu’s life. We each get what we want—doesn’t that make everyone happy?

These words dispelled Zhou Yi’s remaining doubts. As long as there was a goal, and it didn’t conflict with his own, that was enough.

Zhou Yi: Where shall we meet?

Seductive Fatty: 137******** This is my number. In two hours, meet me at the parking lot on the northwest side of Phoenix Pool. I’ll call you when you arrive. Don’t stand me up!

Zhou Yi closed the chat window. He hadn’t asked if Seductive Fatty knew his phone number—if he could find out everything else, this would be no trouble.

He raised his hand and dialed his apprentice.

“Bring those three from the office over here. You know where I am. The firewall here needs upgrading, just bring the equipment. Remember, follow the full set from the blue hard drive. Don’t talk unnecessarily. If there are problems, have them come to me. If payment is delayed because of careless chatter, hand in your resignation yourself!”

On the other end, his apprentice howled in protest, but it seemed the boss had warned them already, so there was no more grumbling.

“Master, just wait—we’re ready. Half an hour… No, fifteen minutes and we’ll be there.”

Zhou Yi glanced at the progress bar of the file he’d just exported.

By now, the copying was complete.

He installed the hard drive and began gradually restoring the network—not all at once, as that would have been risky for everyone.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Zhou Yi minimized the live broadcast video from the next office. Without needing to say “come in,” the secretary who had brought him here walked in, balancing a cup of coffee and some fruit and pastries, which she set out one by one.

Zhou Yi understood—this was arranged by Wang Shengyu, trying to get a sense of progress without daring to push him directly. Zhou Yi quickly operated the keyboard, with finance and sales being the first departments to be restored—now completed.

“Mr. Zhou, have some coffee. How’s it going in here?”

Zhou Yi looked up at her.

“You can check with Finance and Sales—some of their problems are already resolved. My equipment is now linked to your system and is fending off attacks. Also, my apprentice is bringing more people and equipment. Please let them up.”

The secretary was delighted and hurried out. Zhou Yi pulled up the surveillance feed.

Sure enough, the secretary’s first stop was to give a report. Glancing at Jiang Yushan in Wang Shengyu’s office, she shot her a glare before repeating Zhou Yi’s message.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go down to greet them. Things are urgent, and it’s late—these folks will have to work overtime. I’ll order food for them, shall I?”

Wang Shengyu was very satisfied.

“Secretary Luo, you’ve handled this well. Make proper arrangements. Tonight will be hard on you, too. They’ll probably need to work through the night—just make sure most things are restored by tomorrow. Has there been any reply from Yangzhou?”

“Not yet, but the chairman has personally asked after it.”

At the mention of this name, Wang Shengyu immediately let go of Jiang Yushan’s hand, his expression growing solemn.

“My father knows? What did he say?”

Secretary Luo replied calmly, “He didn’t come over, just called to ask about the computers. I gave him a brief update. He said your arrangements are good, but as for Yangzhou, he’ll handle it himself.”

Wang Shengyu nodded. If his father wanted to intervene, it would be a major move—no reason to worry.

“Alright, I’ll go. Secretary Luo, you keep an eye on things.”

With that, he took Jiang Yushan by the hand and left. Secretary Luo lingered, biting her lip, fingers digging into her lapel.

Seeing the two leave, Zhou Yi stopped watching the surveillance. He pulled up a map to check nearby cameras around Phoenix Pool but found nothing.

Just then, the door opened again—his apprentice entered with several others, all carrying equipment. Upon seeing Zhou Yi, they broke into smiles.

“Master, everyone’s here. Shall we begin now?”

Zhou Yi nodded, closed the surveillance feed, and exited all interfaces.

“Go ahead. Upgrade the defense system as I instructed—just import the setup. And make sure the protections are in place. Don’t touch this second computer—it’s fending off attacks. I’ll be out for a while and will return later.”

No one objected. They quickly assembled their gear and got to work. Zhou Yi packed a laptop, shouldered his bag, and left the room. In the hallway, he ran into Secretary Luo, who looked surprised.

“Mr. Zhou, are you heading out? I’ve ordered food for your team!”

Zhou Yi nodded.

“They’ll keep working. I need to go back for some files I prepared earlier. I’ll be back later. Could you lend me an access card?”

Secretary Luo immediately handed over her work badge with a smile.

“Take this—it grants access to the twenty-sixth floor. I’ll be inside the company, not going out. Here’s my number—call me if you need anything. Security is on duty twenty-four hours.”

Zhou Yi nodded and accepted the badge—the very thing he needed, as he still wanted to check the internal parking lot.

“Thank you. Please look after them—just some food and drinks will do. This will be an all-nighter.”

Secretary Luo had no objections, even helping Zhou Yi call the elevator. Zhou Yi went straight down, got in his car, and drove to Phoenix Pool.

Night had fallen. Upon arriving at the parking lot, Zhou Yi turned off the engine and all the lights, glancing at his phone—19:10.

There were still over ten minutes until the appointed meeting time.

He didn’t get out of the car, instead carefully observing the surroundings. The fact that this person knew his intentions and suggested this spot meant they were very familiar with the area. The lack of control made Zhou Yi uneasy.

After a while, he received a text message.

Are you here?

It was from Seductive Fatty’s number. As Zhou Yi looked up, the passenger window was tapped. He turned quickly to see a figure leaning against the glass.

He unlocked the doors; the passenger door opened, and a fat man climbed in. As soon as he sat down, the car dipped noticeably on that side.

Zhou Yi scrutinized the man’s face, searching his memory. He was certain they’d never met. The fat man tugged off his hoodie, smiled at Zhou Yi, and raised his hands as he closed the door.

“Don’t bother trying to remember—you’ve never seen me.”

Zhou Yi stared at the man. One cannot judge good or evil by appearances, but this person had already discerned his intentions; he needed to find out why.

“Why did you seek me out? Achieving your goal shouldn’t be difficult, and the more people who know about your actions, the less safe you are, isn’t it?”