Chapter 56: Psychological Warfare in the Confrontation

Anya’s office was small, barely over thirty square meters, yet it already met the standard for middle management at the company. Chen Aijia was not one to be stingy, and for Anya, her most loyal supporter, she spared no effort to provide the best conditions she could offer. Yet compared to Chen Aijia’s spacious office just a wall away, stretching over a hundred square meters, this seemed rather pitiful.

Thinking of such a beautiful young woman having to spend her days confined in such a small room filled Yang Changfeng’s heart with sympathy. What a wonderful person, he thought, and the more he dwelled on it, the more unsettled he felt.

Anya kept her workspace, where she spent nearly half her day, meticulously tidy. Documents were neatly placed in the filing cabinet, organized and labeled, many of the tags freshly attached. Her office supplies were arranged on one side of her desk in a compact, wheeled storage box; paper and pens were sorted according to their function, all in perfect order.

Behind her desk stood a small metal locker with a lock. Anya had mentioned it was for her personal belongings, and that all three little keys could unlock it. Opening the larger compartment, he found clothes inside—mostly office uniforms. Outerwear hung above, several pairs of tights and a few neatly folded undergarments were stacked below. There were also bottles of hand sanitizer, but no mothballs; clearly, her clothes were changed often and Anya would take them home to wash every few days.

A wave of tenderness washed over Yang Changfeng. The little beauty had it far from easy, and her unwavering loyalty to Chen Aijia was, in truth, not something to be blamed.

Let it go, he thought. He would forgive her.

With a hint of mischief, he ruffled the neatly folded undergarments, then found a plastic bag and placed the black skirt suit inside. Opening other compartments, he found various frequently-used medicines: red flower oil, herbal plasters, and some oral painkillers for women’s monthly discomforts. In a small freezer nearby, he discovered ginger and brown sugar.

It seemed unlikely Anya herself enjoyed such comforts; many of these items were probably kept on hand for Chen Aijia. Carrying the skirt suit, Yang Changfeng glanced around the small office with pursed lips before turning to leave. Despite the floor-to-ceiling windows and pleasant environment of the secretary’s office, he still felt an oppressive air.

There was nothing to be done. Not everyone could be Chen Aijia—there was only one Chen Aijia. In fact, Anya was fortunate; on the surface, she was second only to Chen Aijia in the company hierarchy, and most people could only dream of such treatment.

Descending in the elevator, he ran into Wang Hu, who was hurrying back from outside with two bald-headed guards in tow. Wang Hu’s face still bore the marks of a recent beating.

“Oh, Captain Wang, have you been out?”

Wang Hu, naturally, ignored Yang Changfeng. But Yang Changfeng was not the type to let a fellow leader brush him off; he greeted him cheerfully, making no effort to hide the bag containing the skirt suit.

I won’t let you know what’s in here—do you dare to find out?

Wang Hu’s face was icy as he replied, “Captain Yang, you seem quite at leisure.”

“Oh no, I’m terribly busy. I have to study, plan my next move—body and soul, both exhausted, unlike you. You just sit back and collect your pay. The good life, eh?” Yang Changfeng shot a glance at the two bald security guards. They weren’t Wang Hu’s trusted men, just ordinary guards, barely on the fringes of Wang Hu’s clique—lucky if they even got the scraps.

The two men quickly pressed themselves against the wall, terrified of being kicked; if that happened, there’d be nowhere to complain.

Wang Hu’s thick features twitched as he said coldly, “You could enjoy it too, you know. No one’s stopping you.”

“No, no, I believe in one principle: sweat for your own bread. The leader says roll up your sleeves and work hard, not roll up your sleeves and steal someone else’s meal. I’m a law-abiding man, so you and I, Captain Wang, are not on the same path. A pity, really.” Yang Changfeng didn’t mind rattling Wang Hu a bit, and chuckled, “By the way, did you hear about what happened yesterday, Captain Wang?”

Wang Hu, unsure of Yang Changfeng’s meaning, replied, “Of course. Why? Oh, don’t worry, Captain Yang, I’m not related to that bunch of crooks.”

“No, I never suspected you had anything to do with those thugs. Those kids were far too low-rent.” Yang Changfeng leaned against the elevator, repeatedly pressing the open-door button to keep Wang Hu from escaping, his eyes fixed on Wang Hu as if trying to read his thoughts. “I just think our security department should learn from those who have the courage to stand up to criminals—namely, myself. If everyone had that kind of courage, our company’s security would be worry-free.”

A ruthless glint flashed across Wang Hu’s face. Of course he understood Yang Changfeng’s implication.

You people—I know exactly what you’re up to. The only problem is some of you are too cowardly to stand up to me. But things are different now. I’m here, and I’m going to rally these people. Old man, get ready to reap what you’ve sown!

Wang Hu sneered, “That’s a fine idea, but everyone’s circumstances are different. People have families to support. Don’t make things hard for others, Captain Yang.”

“No worries. Those who don’t want to work, I’ll see them out. Originally, I was supposed to visit the Armed Forces Department today to recruit a batch of veterans, but Secretary Xia criticized me. I wouldn’t dream of disrespecting my superiors, so I’ll go tomorrow instead. Captain Wang, care to join me? I’ll request a car from the company—one or two people, same difference. The company wouldn’t trip me up over official business, don’t you think?” Yang Changfeng was not above playing word games.

Wang Hu had implied that others wouldn’t dare side with Yang Changfeng out of fear of his retaliation.

Yang Changfeng responded directly: if the current staff won’t step up, then I’ll build my own team. Don’t worry, the boss won’t stand in my way; she’s willing to spend a little more if needed.

Wang Hu was silent for a long time, squinting at Yang Changfeng. “Can’t we talk this over? After work, at the Riverside Teahouse, let’s sit down.”

Yang Changfeng smacked his lips and smiled, “If it’s not a trap, it’s a feast with hidden daggers. The chances of it being the latter are a hundred percent, I’d say.”

Wang Hu grinned. “Afraid?”

Yang Changfeng stretched lazily, smiling. “At a feast like that, who’s the lead—Liu Bang or Xiang Yu? No Fan Kuai, no Xiang Zhuang, right? No problem. I trust you won’t break my legs, will you?”

Wang Hu’s gaze grew ferocious, his face twisted in a murderous sneer. “Confidence is good, but arrogance isn’t. Times have changed. Violence doesn’t always solve things.”

“Don’t worry. Trap or honeyed words, I promise I’ll return it to you tenfold. The reason’s simple.” Yang Changfeng patted Wang Hu on the shoulder, laughed heartily, and strode away. “You have no idea what I’m really doing, or who I really am.”

Wang Hu hesitated. Was it really wise to set this trap?