Chapter 16: Warm Milk

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Shi Ran originally thought the meeting materials wouldn’t be much, and she could finish processing them in just a few hours. That was why she readily agreed. But when she saw the dense stack of documents and the various different demands, she felt like the sky was falling. Unfortunately, since she had already promised Secretary Su, she could only grit her teeth and get to work.

“Zuo Jiaqi?” While organizing the files, Shi Ran noticed the name Zuo Jiaqi. Not only that, there were other members of the Zuo family mentioned as well. This seemed to be related to them.

“Zuo Jiaqi tampered with the brakes on the CEO of Zhongcheng Group’s car during the acquisition attempt, causing brake failure and a car accident?” Shi Ran read the information in disbelief. She had seen the news about the Zhongcheng Group CEO’s accident before. The investigation concluded that it was due to brake aging and failure. But here it said it was Zuo Jiaqi’s doing. Was this a false accusation or did they have evidence?

Shi Ran continued to examine the other Zuo family members’ information and found their methods were all unscrupulous. It wasn’t until she opened a new file that she understood the root of the matter: it was a dispute over inheritance.

“This kind of content definitely won’t appear in the meeting.” Shi Ran was not foolish; she realized Secretary Su had slipped in some personal agenda with the materials. Secretary Su wouldn’t dare do this on her own—most likely she was acting on Zuo Yelin’s orders.

“Trying to change my impression of Zuo Jiaqi with this?” Shi Ran sneered, thinking the tactic was rather childish and unlike Zuo Yelin’s style. That man was always cautious and strategic; he wouldn’t make such a reckless move.

“Could it be that Secretary Su sent the wrong files?” Shi Ran entertained this bold thought. But could the usually steady Secretary Su really make such a low-level mistake? Maybe she should test the waters during the evening banquet and see Zuo Jiaqi’s reaction?

Shi Ran hesitated. She couldn’t judge the authenticity of these files and couldn’t directly ask Zuo Jiaqi. If these were genuinely Zuo Jiaqi’s actions, exposing it could bring her trouble. But if she didn’t find a way to verify the truth, should she trust the contents at all?

Deep in thought, Shi Ran took out her phone and called Secretary Su. “Secretary Su, did you send me the wrong files?”

“Assistant Shi, which computer are you using?” Secretary Su asked an odd question.

Shi Ran looked at the computer on the desk and the room’s layout, firmly believing this was the study. She had checked—there was only one computer here.

“The study computer,” she replied, carefully choosing her words.

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“Assistant Shi, which floor are you on now?” Secretary Su asked again.

“The study on the third floor,” Shi Ran answered clearly. The smart home system’s guidance had led her here. If it was wrong, then the system was unreliable.

“Assistant Shi, the files are on the computer in the study on the first floor. The third floor is Chairman Zuo’s office area,” Secretary Su said calmly.

Shi Ran’s heart jolted; it felt like the sky was collapsing. Secretary Su’s information was like a deep water bomb, completely blowing her mind. All her previous assumptions were wrong.

“No, Secretary Su, why would the eldest master’s computer password be my birthday?” Shi Ran sensed something was off and realized the truth.

There was silence on the other end.

“Assistant Shi, don’t ask questions you shouldn’t ask,” came a cold warning after a moment.

Before Shi Ran could respond, the call was abruptly ended.

Shi Ran closed the computer and pretended nothing had happened as she returned to the first floor. Sure enough, she found the study. It was much smaller than the one on the third floor, but the computer was no different.

Shi Ran entered her birthday to unlock it and saw the new meeting materials on the screen. Compared to the endless files before, these were much shorter.

She opened the document with Secretary Su’s requirements. After reading them clearly, she started searching through the subsequent files. The request was to match text with images, find related materials, and enable clickable images that linked to the documents.

Though there were quite a few files, Shi Ran completed the task. After checking and confirming no issues, she packaged the files and sent them to Secretary Su’s email.

Glancing at the time, it was 7:07 p.m.—about an hour and a half before the agreed meeting time. She could just make it.

She tidied up, changed clothes, applied light makeup, unlocked the door, and stepped out.

Based on previous experience, she ordered rides from different platforms simultaneously this time.

After over ten minutes, a car responded and shortly after, a call came through.

“Cancel the order, ma’am,” the driver said firmly.

Shi Ran was stunned for a moment but seeing the resolute tone, she canceled the order.

While waiting for other rides, a black car pulled up in front of her.

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Shi Ran felt a chill run down her spine. Seeing a black car triggered an instinctive reaction.

“Where to, beautiful? I’ll give you a ride,” the window rolled down, revealing a flashy young man who didn’t look trustworthy.

“No thanks, I’m waiting for someone,” Shi Ran refused for safety despite wanting to get there quickly.

“Beautiful, it’s impossible to get a ride here,” the young man warned.

“Why?” The words slipped out before she realized how foolish she sounded—she was basically confessing her unfamiliarity with the area.

“The security here is tight; ordinary vehicles can’t get in,” he explained.

“No wonder I couldn’t get a ride; that must be why drivers kept canceling,” she thought.

“Where are you headed? I can take you part of the way,” he offered again.

“Just to the exit, please,” Shi Ran replied cautiously.

“Get in,” he insisted.

Shi Ran opened the rear door and was about to get in when he complained, “Beautiful, sitting in the back is disrespectful.”

After hesitating, Shi Ran switched to the front passenger seat.

Nervously sitting beside him, she rolled down the window to feel the cool night air.

“Want a candy, beautiful?” The man took a couple of candies from a gum container and held them out.

“No, thank you,” Shi Ran remained wary. She wouldn’t eat anything offered by him. His lewd demeanor made her uneasy; if she hadn’t been unable to get a ride, she wouldn’t have had to compromise.

“Don’t be nervous, I’m not a bad guy,” he smiled.

Shi Ran said nothing.

The man started the car.

“Mind if I turn on the AC?” he asked while chewing gum.

“I want to enjoy the night view,” Shi Ran gave an excuse, unwilling to let him close the window in case he had some trick.

“Have you ever heard this saying?” he asked.

“What saying?” Shi Ran felt her eyelids growing heavy, struggling to stay awake.

“Once you get in my car, you lose control,” she heard his wicked laugh just before losing consciousness.