Intimate Trial Chapter 23

Chapter 23

After that night of absurd bar games, Silin’s life was forced into another higher-speed, higher-pressure track.

The cold and hot kiss on the lips was like a wound that could not be healed, or a chip that was forcibly implanted. Day and night, it reminded her of the complex boundary between her and Ye Chang that was both close at hand and out of reach, full of dangerous temptations and cold and biting.She no longer tried to interpret Ye Chang’s behavior, whether it was the “temperature” late at night, the kiss in the game, or the phrase “there is someone I like”.She packed up all the turbulent emotions, along with the remaining tremors and shame of that night, and locked them in the darkest corner of her heart, with seals named “work” and “revenge” on the outside.

And Ye Chang seems to have completely returned to his impeccable boss role.After that night, her attitude towards Shen Shenlin did not change at all. She was still strict and picky. When she handed down tasks, she was concise and concise, and her eyes were as sharp as usual, as if everything that happened in the bar was really just a nightmare that no need to worry about.However, the nature of the work she gave to Silin quietly changed.

It’s no longer just market analysis, report writing, and schedule coordination.

Shen Shenlin began to come into contact with things that really touched the lifeblood of Ye’s family.

A top-secret project proposal for the research and development of new biomaterials required her to conduct an initial risk assessment and patent barrier analysis – this was a strategic project that Ye Chang quietly launched after whispering to the silver-haired old man at the auction.

A set of complex documents involving cross-border capital flows and tax structures required her to sort out compliance nodes and simulate stress tests – this was obviously related to Ye Chang’s more far-reaching layout, and perhaps related to the forces behind Zhao Qiming’s overthrow.

Ye Chang even asked her to record an extremely confidential video conference. The participants were several faces who had never appeared in Ye’s public information. The discussion was about the possibility of acquiring a state-owned energy company that was on the verge of bankruptcy in a small Eastern European country.After the meeting, Ye Chang handed over all subsequent contacts and preliminary due diligence tasks to her.

These plans and information are like heavy and cold shackles, and they are also the ladder leading to the core of power.Silin was like walking on the tip of a knife, every step required a huge amount of effort.She must mobilize all her professional abilities to ensure that what she hands over is error-free, and to maintain the appearance of a “capable person” under the gaze of Ye Chang’s eyes that seem to be able to see through everything.

This was originally the most critical step in her revenge plan of sneaking into the Ye family, hiding in hiding, and approaching the center of power step by step. It was the “result” she dreamed of.But when those folders marked “top secret” were actually placed in front of her through Ye Chang’s instruction, Shen Shenlin felt an unprecedented heaviness and…panic.

Not worried about exposure.Ye Chang’s trust in her “working ability” seems to be growing day by day, and the level of confidentiality of the tasks delivered has increased, ranging from regional market strategies, to pre-research reports involving the group’s technology layout in the next three years, and now…the detailed assessment and operation plan for the acquisition of an emerging biotechnology company in front of her.

This company called “Ruixin Bio” is not large in scale, but it holds several key patented technologies on nerve repair and regeneration, and has huge potential.The plan shows that Ye has been secretly planning for a long time and is about to launch a carefully planned acquisition. The method… is far from fair and full of squeeze, inducement and precise sniping that are common in the capital market.Once successful, the founder team of Ruixin Biotech will be completely marginalized and the core technology will be completely integrated into Ye’s territory.

Shen Silin read word by word, her fingertips felt cold.She saw the ruthless cost-benefit analysis in the plan, the prediction and countermeasures of possible reactions from competitors, including Ruixin Biotech’s original partners, and the detailed steps to ensure a “smooth transition” after the acquisition, that is, to cleanse the original management.

Every link is rigorous and thoughtful, reflecting Ye Chang’s consistent calm and strong style.This is also a “battle plan” that is enough to make waves in the capital market and even determine the life or death of an ideal start-up company.

And she is now one of the people handling this plan.Ye Chang asked her to conduct a second evaluation of the risk part of the plan within a week, taking into account recent market dynamics, and put forward optimization suggestions.

Once upon a time, she was looking forward to this kind of opportunity – to come into contact with the most core secrets of the Ye family that most likely contained the “Gate of Life”, and to find the possibility of killing with one strike.But when the opportunity came in this way, carrying the bloody smell of capital and Ye Chang’s unreserved “trust”, she felt a strong nausea.

This is not just a business document.It is like a mirror, reflecting the operating rules of the world represented by Ye Chang: precision, efficiency, coldness, and the law of the jungle.Had her father ever faced a similarly carefully woven web?

What made her even more uneasy was Ye Chang’s attitude when delivering the task.

It was in the president’s office, with the afternoon sun shining slantingly.Ye Chang pushed the folder in front of her with a calm look: “Take a look at Ruixin’s case. The focus is on the risks of technology integration and the possibility of backlash from market public opinion. Your perspective is relatively new, and you may be able to make different discoveries.”

Her tone was normal, as if she was just explaining another important task.But when Shen Silin reached out to pick it up, Ye Chang’s fingertips seemed to accidentally touch the back of her hand.

Instantly separate.

Cool and gentle.

But Shen Shenlin shrank as if she was electrocuted, and almost dropped the folder.

Ye Chang raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly and retracted his hand. His eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses stayed for a moment on her instantly blushing ears and forcedly calm face. There seemed to be a very faint arc of unknown meaning flashing through the corners of her mouth.

“Nervous?” Ye Chang asked, with no emotion in his voice.

“No.” Shen Shenlin immediately denied it and hugged the folder tightly, “It’s just… I didn’t expect to come into contact with such core content.”

“When you have the ability, you will naturally come into contact with it.” Ye Chang said calmly, turning and walking towards the floor-to-ceiling window, “I trust your judgment, Shen Shenlin. Don’t let me down.”

Don’t let me down.

This sentence is like a shackle, but also like… some kind of twisted recognition.

Walking out of the office, Shen Silin’s back was soaked with cold sweat.The touch of the fingertips and the trembling feeling caused by the cold kiss in the bar overlapped strangely, making her heart palpitate.

She couldn’t tell whether Ye Chang’s “trust” truly recognized her ability, or was it another layer of deeper temptation?Or… some kind of “giving” that she couldn’t understand, based on a cold desire for control?

Returning to her work station, facing the encrypted documents on the computer screen, Shen Shenlin fell into an unprecedented struggle.

According to “Insomnia”‘s instructions, she should make full use of this trust, explore loopholes in the plan, and even… secretly deliver key information to sabotage the acquisition and attack Ye’s family.

This is an excellent opportunity.

But…

Her eyes fell on the analysis of the background of the founding team of Ruixin Biotech in the plan.It was a team composed of several returned scientists, with ideals and solid technology, but obviously not good at capital games.The plan estimated the countermeasures they might take, and provided ruthless response plans one by one.

Shen Shenlin seemed to see the figure of her father back then, struggling desperately in the face of a larger and more ruthless capital machine, and finally collapsed.

A kind of sadness about things hurting their own kind, mixed with the coldness towards Ye Chang’s cruel methods, filled his heart.

What was even more frightening was that she found herself trying to understand Ye Chang’s decision-making logic.From a purely commercial perspective, this acquisition plan is textbook-level precision and efficiency.As the helmsman of the group, Ye Chang seeks the best interests of the Ye family, which seems… understandable?

The thought horrified her.

She actually started to make excuses for Ye Chang?

Was it that kiss that disturbed her mind?Or is it that the strength and calmness that Ye Chang shows day after day, as well as the occasional and heart-stopping “special treatment” that is revealed, are subtly eroding the foundation of her hatred?

The warning of “insomnia” echoed in my ears: “Remember, it is not Ye Chang that you are attracted to, but the phantom in your imagination that ‘will be good to you’.”

But what if that “phantom” is becoming concrete little by little and overlaps with the real Ye Chang – the powerful, complex, cold Ye Chang who occasionally leaks strange temperatures?

Shen Shenlin pinched her thigh hard, and the pain made her wake up a little.

No, cannot be shaken.

The case of Ruixin Biotech is an opportunity and a touchstone.

She must make a choice.

Are you following “Insomnia’s” plan and waiting for an opportunity to sabotage it?Or… stay put for the time being, or even “help” Ye Chang perfect this plan in exchange for deeper and more fatal trust?

Or, deep down in her heart, is she vaguely looking forward to finding some way without violating the general direction of revenge, at least… to make the ending of Ruixin Creatures less tragic?As if that could provide some illusory solace for his family’s past?

The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the lights in the office area came on one after another.

Silin stared at the dense text and data on the screen, her eyes struggling, and finally, bit by bit, they settled into a light that was a mixture of pain, determination and cold calculation.

She moved her mouse and clicked on the encrypted communication software.

I sent a brief message to “Insomnia”:

“We have been exposed to the entire ‘Ruixin’ case. Is it as planned?”

Send.

Silin stared at the reply from “Insomnia” on the screen. The words were like a poisoned ice pick, piercing her eyes:

“According to the original plan, this plan could bring devastating losses to the Ye family.”

A devastating loss.

Five words, lying lightly in the dialog box, weigh more than a thousand pounds.It no longer points to a simple business setback, but a heavy blow that may cause Ye’s injuries or even shake his foundation.This is one of the ultimate goals she has been pursuing to sneak into Ye’s family and endure it till now.

His heart hit his ribs violently in his chest, causing a suffocating pain.Not excitement, not the pleasure of being about to succeed, but a more complex, almost fearful tremor.She seemed to be able to see how this plan that she had handled and possibly “optimized” by herself could turn into an ingenious trap that would detonate at a critical moment, opening a ferocious hole in Ye Chang’s carefully constructed business empire.

What will happen to Ye Chang?What kind of expression will that woman who is always calm and self-possessed, as if she has everything under control, face a sudden “destructive loss” that comes from within?Is it anger?In disbelief?Or…still looking at the ruins calmly with those bottomless eyes, and then start a more ruthless reconstruction?

Shen Shenlin closed her eyes suddenly, pinching her fingertips deeply into her palms, trying to use the pain to dispel the untimely figure that appeared in her mind – Ye Chang’s focused and almost cold eyes behind the lenses when he leaned over to kiss her in the bar box; Ye Chang’s seemingly invisible touch on his fingertips when he pushed the folder to her in the office; and the pair of off-white slippers placed at her feet earlier in the morning in Madrid…

No.

She shook her head vigorously, crushing the pieces.

That’s an illusion.It’s a trap.It is Ye Chang’s method of controlling people’s hearts.As “Insomnia” says, it’s “emotional domestication,” the poison that makes her disintegrate from within.

She opened her eyes again and looked at the “Ruixin Biotechnology” acquisition plan that was open on the screen.The cold words, rigorous data, and interlocking strategies were no longer just business documents in her eyes, but a dense network waiting for her to fill in fatal loopholes.

“As planned…” she repeated in a low voice, her voice dry.

What’s the plan?Is it to find a key node in the plan that seems small but actually affects the whole body, and make modifications that appear to be “optimizing” but are actually “weakening” or “misleading”?Or create an imperceptible delay or deviation in the key link of information transmission?Or was a potentially significant threat “inadvertently” overlooked or underestimated during the risk assessment?

Every possibility requires her to have an extremely deep understanding of the plan itself, Ye’s operating procedures, and even Ye Chang’s thinking habits.As she had thought before, she had to be the one who knew the details of the “Code” best.

Shen Shenlin took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.She closed the dialog box related to “Insomnia”, cleared all irrelevant thoughts, and put all her energy back into the file in front of her.

Line by line, page by page.

She is no longer just an assistant performing tasks, but more like a lurking assassin, calmly dissecting the target’s defense system under the bright light, looking for the most vulnerable and fatal point where a single strike will kill.

Time flows in silence.The lights of the city outside the window gradually went out, and only the lamp in front of her desk cast a lonely and focused halo.

Her face became paler and paler, but her eyes became brighter and brighter, a light that was a mixture of high tension, cold calculation, and an almost self-destructive determination.

She found several possible entry points.One of them is that there is a very hidden “window period” risk regarding the connection between compliance and timeliness of cross-border transfers of acquisition funds.If there is an “accident” during this window period, such as an “unexpected” delay in relevant approvals, or a “glitch” in the cooperative bank’s system, it will be enough to disrupt the entire acquisition rhythm and even trigger a chain reaction, resulting in huge sunk costs in the early investment and possibly triggering penalty clauses in the gambling agreement.

The other is about the clarity of ownership of several core patents of Ruixin Biotech.Based on the existing due diligence report, the plan believes that the ownership is clear.However, based on research on legal dispute cases in similar technical fields, Shen Si Lin discovered that the overseas joint developer of one of the key patents has a complex background and poses potential claims risks.If she can “guide” Ye Chang’s team to “ignore” or “downplay” this risk in the seemingly rigorous supplementary investigation, once the acquisition is completed and the other party initiates a lawsuit, it will not only be a compensation issue, but also likely to shake the foundation of the acquisition, and even trigger regulatory attention and a storm of public opinion.

Every “optimization” suggestion needs to be carefully packaged. It seems to be a “prudent” move made based on Ye’s interests to avoid risks and improve the success rate.She must be more “loyal to her duties” and more “thoughtful” than any of Ye Chang’s professional consultants.

How ironic and difficult this is.

When she typed the first line of seemingly harmless “risk warning” in the document, her fingertips were cold and trembling slightly.

This is more than just changing a few words on a document.This is paving a path that may lead to Ye Chang’s failure or even… more unpredictable consequences.

The touch of that kiss came again at an inappropriate time.

She stopped her fingers abruptly, her stomach churning.

“Don’t let me down.”

Ye Chang’s words echoed in his ears like a ghost.

Shen Shenlin bit her lower lip hard until she tasted a hint of blood.

The pain woke her up.

She stared at the line of words she had just typed on the screen, her eyes gradually becoming hollow, and gradually regaining a deeper chill.

Then she deleted the line.

Start tapping again.

This time, her fingers were much steadier, and her eyes had completely calmed down, leaving only an almost inhuman, cold concentration.

She is weaving a web.

A web with professionalism, loyalty, and even “excessive dedication” as its threads and that “cutting-edge” plan as its skeleton may eventually drag Ye Chang and herself into the abyss.

The night is so deep that you can’t see the bottom.

The light in the study became the only island burning with cold flames in this deep sea.