章節 199: Chapter 199: Someone Wants to Die
Upon hearing Xia Yu's words, Yan Wenhan was a bit dumbfounded. Is it really a good thing to have a new competitor pop up?
But seeing the intriguing smile on the boss's face, Yan Wenhan felt that there must be something going on.
"Boss, do you have any plans?" Yan Wenhan asked with concern.
"Building a news agency takes time and effort. Even if they spend as much time as we did, they definitely won't be as good as us. And after a while, our news agency will advance even further, leaving the Star Island News Group behind in the dust," Xia Yu said.
"Just have someone check on their progress. We need to expand our business as soon as possible. As long as we secure the market first, even if Hu Xian manages to build a news agency, it won't matter."
"Also, I have a task for you. You need to…"
By the end, Yan Wenhan had already guessed what the boss was planning. While he silently mourned for the Star Island News Group, he was also secretly excited. If this plan succeeded, the strength of the Nine Cauldrons Newspaper Company under his management would definitely increase dramatically. How could he not be excited?
"Don't worry, boss. I won't let you down!" Yan Wenhan stood up straight and vowed.
All his worries disappeared, and now he felt full of energy. He had to seize this opportunity.
"Okay, go!"
Xia Yu nodded with a smile.
After Yan Wenhan left, Xia Yu thought for a moment and couldn't help but smile again, his gaze becoming distant and profound.
…
However, Xia Yu's good mood didn't last long. The phone in his office rang again.
To his surprise, it was the number of Nine Cauldrons Animation Co., Ltd.
Xia Yu frowned slightly, wondering what was going on. He had just come back from there, and the seat was still warm. Now they were calling him again.
Typically, Xia Yu's office phone was not easily given out. Only urgent matters or very close associates would call this number.
If it were about company matters, they would call Yan Wenhan's office, not Xia Yu's. So this call was likely from Ma Tengdong about something important.
"Hello…"
Xia Yu answered the phone, and it was indeed Ma Tengdong's voice.
"What? You wait there. I'll come over immediately!"
Hearing Ma Tengdong's words, Xia Yu's expression turned cold. This matter couldn't be explained over the phone. He ended the call abruptly and stood up again, heading towards the outside.
As he walked, Xia Yu thought to himself that today was truly cursed. Just as there was a problem at the Nine Cauldrons Newspaper Company, there was now an issue at Nine Cauldrons Animation Co., Ltd., forcing him to shuttle back and forth.
But the problem at Nine Cauldrons Animation Co., Ltd. was even more severe than the one at Nine Cauldrons Newspaper Company. However, the exact extent of the severity needed to be understood in person.
"Shining, head to the animation company!"
As soon as he opened the car door, Xia Yu said, then sat down and fastened his seatbelt.
Yan Shining saw Xia Yu's expression and immediately realized something was wrong, so he started the car and drove towards the building of Nine Cauldrons Animation Co., Ltd.
As soon as they arrived, Xia Yu saw Ma Tengdong waiting at the door. Seeing Xia Yu, Ma Tengdong's face was full of shame. Just as he was about to apologize, Xia Yu waved his hand to stop him and nodded, saying, "Let's go inside and talk. Lead the way."
"Okay, boss. Please follow me!"
Swallowing his words, Ma Tengdong nodded and led Xia Yu to a room.
At the door of a room stood two employees, acting as temporary guards. Xia Yu nodded at them and followed Ma Tengdong into the room.
Upon entering, Xia Yu saw several people inside. One of them was Song Quanping, the main artist from the "Dragon Ball" manga studio, standing next to a young man wearing glasses.
On the opposite side of them sat a young man with a horse face, around 20 years old. At this moment, the young man was lowering his head, too scared to look at the furious Song Quanping and others.
Hearing the footsteps, the people inside turned to look. Seeing Xia Yu and Ma Tengdong, Song Quanping and the others immediately greeted them respectfully, "Hello, boss!"
Xia Yu nodded, then looked at the horse-faced young man who had raised his head. As soon as the young man saw Xia Yu, his face turned pale, and he immediately lowered his head, trembling uncontrollably.
This situation made Xia Yu frown.
"Boss, the issue was discovered by Ma Rongcheng and reported to Song Quanping. Song Quanping immediately informed me."
Ma Tengdong briefly explained, then said to the young man named Ma Rongcheng, "Ma Rongcheng, explain to the boss what you discovered."
"Okay, manager!"
Ma Rongcheng complied, then hurriedly said, "Both Zhao Si and I are members of the 'Dragon Ball' studio. I had noticed something off before. Zhao Si often asked many questions and was always the last to leave, writing and drawing in secret. I initially thought he was just dedicated."
"But on my way home yesterday, I remembered I had left something in the office, so I rushed back, hoping Zhao Si would still be there so I could retrieve it."
"But while I was on my way back, I saw Zhao Si waiting with a black bag. Just as I was about to run over and call him, I saw a car stop in front of him. I didn't approach because I saw Zhao Si hand the black bag to someone in the car, and that person was Huang Yulang, the author of 'Dragon Tiger Gate.'"
"I realized Zhao Si's behavior was suspicious, so I didn't meet him and quietly went home. This morning, I immediately reported the situation to the team leader. That's the whole story."
Ma Rongcheng finished speaking and looked at Xia Yu with some apprehension.
"Good."
Xia Yu smiled at him, which eased Ma Rongcheng's anxious heart.
Then Xia Yu's gaze turned to the trembling Zhao Si, who was still lowering his head. A cold light flashed in Xia Yu's eyes, then he looked back at Song Quanping.
"Have you discovered any issues?"
"Boss, after Ma Rongcheng reported to me, I took it seriously. I immediately notified the general manager and had people isolate Zhao Si while starting an investigation. We found that many people reported their documents had been tampered with, but they hadn't paid much attention before. Only Zhao Si knows the specifics of what was affected."
"But it shouldn't be a complete leak. Zhao Si isn't a member of the scriptwriting team and doesn't know everything. Besides, we have taken certain confidentiality measures, splitting the plot and assigning parts to various members. Only we know the sequence, so Zhao Si couldn't have gathered everything."
"Boss, it's my fault and I'm sorry I disappointed you!"
Song Quanping's face showed guilt as he lowered his head.
Xia Yu didn't speak but patted him on the shoulder, signaling him not to think too much about it.
Song Quanping had taken confidentiality measures, but given the large number of people and the lack of complete isolation during creation, there were bound to be leaks. The problem wasn't with him but with Zhao Si.
Seeing Zhao Si's appearance, it was clear he had a guilty conscience, and it was obvious he was at fault without needing to ask further.
Xia Yu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, expressionless, and said, "Look up."
Hearing Xia Yu's words, Zhao Si, with his horse-like face, broke out in a cold sweat but did not dare to raise his head.
Xia Yu frowned again. With this kind of courage and disposition, Zhao Si still tried to be an insider? Huang Yulang must have underestimated Xia Yu.
"Look up!"
Seeing that Xia Yu was about to speak again, Ma Tengdong quickly gave Zhao Si a push and coldly said.
Zhao Si jumped in fright and immediately raised his head. Seeing everyone looking at him, he felt very uncomfortable and didn't dare to meet anyone's eyes.
"Will you confess yourself, or should we investigate?"
Xia Yu looked at Zhao Si with indifferent eyes and spoke in a flat tone.
This emotionless voice made Zhao Si feel scared. He swallowed hard and, with a dry voice, tried to argue, "Boss, I really didn't sell out the company. The person wasn't Huang Yulang but a relative of mine. He asked me to help him draw some blueprints, so I did it in my spare time. Yesterday, I finished and handed them over. I absolutely didn't sell out the company. Boss, I'm innocent."
"It's impossible. I swear I won't make a mistake. That person is definitely Huang Yulang."
Hearing Zhao Si's defense, Ma Rongcheng became anxious and said immediately, his face showing worry, fearing that the leaders wouldn't believe him.
"Hmm, I believe you. Don't worry. Calm down."
Xia Yu smiled at Ma Rongcheng, trying to comfort him.
Xia Yu was perceptive and could see through people's hearts in an instant. Besides, Zhao Si was just an inexperienced young man. Zhao Si clearly had issues, and his arguments were just his final struggles.
Xia Yu's smile faded, and he looked at Zhao Si with a hint
of contemplation, as if speaking to himself, "How do you think the company treats you? It gives you a high salary and even arranges training. The company hasn't wronged you, has it?"
"No, the company treats me very well." Zhao Si answered reflexively.
"Looks like you know the company treats you well."
Xia Yu sighed with a faint smile.
Xia Yu's expression suddenly turned cold, his gaze like a knife as he looked at Zhao Si, raising his voice in a chilling tone, "So why did you betray the company? What benefits did Huang Yulang give you? Speak!"
Zhao Si, who had just calmed down due to Xia Yu's previous attitude, was startled by the sudden change. He was terrified.
"Boss, I didn't… I…"
Zhao Si quickly tried to defend himself, but seeing Xia Yu's sharp gaze, he felt as if he were exposed and had no secrets left. He was extremely scared, and cold sweat poured from his forehead.
"I despise two kinds of people the most. The first is those who betray their own side, and the second is those who are unrepentant!"
"Do you think, with my ability, it's hard to find out something?"
"Oh, by the way, I remember there's a law in Hong Kong specifically targeting industrial espionage. Depending on the value of the stolen business secrets, the sentence can be ten or twenty years. Do you think the value of 'Dragon Ball' is high?"
Xia Yu looked down at him with an emotionless expression.
Xia Yu's demeanor made Zhao Si extremely frightened. Hearing about the possibility of imprisonment, he finally broke down, crying out in desperation, "Boss, I don't want to go to jail. I'll tell you everything. Huang Yulang is my distant cousin. He asked me to apply for a job at the company and wanted me to tell him about the company's situation and secrets. The company has treated me so well, and I didn't want to speak out, but he approached me many times, and I had no choice…"
The people present were not moved by Zhao Si's pitiful appearance. Ma Tengdong and Song Quanping clenched their fists, wishing they could beat Zhao Si.
Zhao Si was indeed an insider, and he was Huang Yulang's cousin, planted from the start. He had been undercover for so long without being discovered.
If Ma Rongcheng hadn't happened to find out this time, who knows how long Zhao Si would have continued to infiltrate, causing even more damage.
But thinking that nearly two months had passed, it was enough time for Zhao Si to uncover a lot. They could only hope that the leaks were not too severe.
"What all did you tell Huang Yulang? How many things did you give him?"
Xia Yu asked with a blank expression.
"I don't know much. I just gave Huang Yulang some characters and a small part of the plot outline for 'Dragon Ball.' Nothing more. Boss, give me another chance. I realize my mistake. Please spare me. I don't want to go to jail. I need to make money to support my parents and my younger siblings. Please give me another chance…"
Zhao Si pleaded tearfully, kneeling down and kowtowing to Xia Yu, which made Xia Yu frown.
Ma Tengdong, seeing Xia Yu's displeasure, immediately pulled Zhao Si away, stopping him from continuing to kowtow.
"If admitting mistakes were effective, why have laws?"
Xia Yu said indifferently.
Those who are pitiful must have something to hate. Xia Yu felt he hadn't treated Zhao Si unfairly, but since Zhao Si had done something wrong, he had to pay the price!
Hearing Xia Yu's words, Zhao Si was completely terrified. He knew he was going to jail and went into a frenzy. He tried to get up and run outside but was quickly restrained by Ma Tengdong.
"Someone, hold him down!"
Ma Tengdong immediately shouted to the outside.
Two guards outside quickly ran in and grabbed Zhao Si.
"Boss, give me another chance. I really know I was wrong. Please, I beg you…"
Even as Zhao Si struggled desperately on the ground, he continued to plead.
The people present remained unmoved, including Ma Rongcheng, who had a look of anger and did not feel sorry for him.
"Tengdong, call the police!"
Xia Yu instructed Ma Tengdong. He had no intention of covering up this incident. Although it would have a negative impact, Xia Yu didn't care.
The most important thing now was to set an example. Xia Yu wanted to let anyone with bad intentions understand the consequences of being an insider. To deter others, he needed to make an example!
As for the potential negative impact, Xia Yu believed Ma Tengdong and the others would handle it well.
Moreover, it might mobilize the employees' emotions, uniting them against external threats, since an insider like Zhao Si damaged not only the company's interests but also everyone's interests.
Realizing that Xia Yu was genuinely not going to let him go, Zhao Si went mad. He shouted angrily:
"You lied to me! You said if I confessed, you'd let me go! You're a bastard! I'll curse you to…"
Seeing him about to curse, Ma Rongcheng quickly walked over and covered Zhao Si's mouth, preventing him from swearing.
The police from Nine Cauldrons Animation Co., Ltd. quickly responded, and soon sent someone to take Zhao Si away.
Watching the police car leave, Xia Yu curled his lips into a cold smile. "Zhao Si? I'd say you're looking for death!"
"Huang Yulang? Heh…"
This chapter was a make-up for the previous one that was overdue. I haven't had time to write, and it was delayed until now. Please forgive me! I didn't want to split the chapters, so I just combined them into one.
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