Chapter 165: Terror Unbound

After finishing the usual morning exercises, Xia Yu was invited by An Tiansheng to stay for lunch. At the dining table, he saw Xu Youxiang again.

Xu Youxiang quietly waved at him.

Smiling in response, Xia Yu mused that the body he had taken over, which had initially earned him scoldings upon his arrival, was now being treated quite well after the initial shock wore off.

“This is Xu Youxiang, Yaoyao’s friend,” An Tiansheng introduced, assuming Xia Yu didn’t know her. “She’s a genius in internet technology, and I’ve always wanted to bring her into my company.”

His words were meant both for Xia Yu and Xu Youxiang.

At this moment, if Xu Youxiang had nodded in agreement, she could have joined An Tiansheng’s company with a promising future ahead.

But Xu Youxiang brushed it off.

An Tiansheng showed some disappointment on his face. Regular programmers were easy to find, but an internet expert at the top of her field was rare.

Privately, An Tiansheng had asked the female programmer sent by Yu Liang’s faction about Xu Youxiang, and received nothing but praise in return. If it weren’t for the outdated practice of adopting a daughter, he would have even used that method to bind Xu Youxiang closer.

“Do you have any interest in further studies? I can help you contact the best professors,” An Tiansheng tried another approach to recruit Xu Youxiang.

“I’ll think about it. Thank you, Uncle An,” she replied. Normally, she would have eagerly accepted, but her disability made her instinctively reluctant to leave the house, let alone go to a bustling campus.

“Let me know whenever you decide.”

After finishing the conversation with Xu Youxiang, An Tiansheng finished lunch and took Xia Yu to his company.

Looking at the building before him, Xia Yu saw an eight-story structure that was unremarkable in height but stretched hundreds of meters in length, an intimidating sight.

The entire building was part of An Tiansheng’s empire.

Inside the building, An Tiansheng didn’t take Xia Yu to the regular employees but straight to the conference room. Unlike in small companies, within his group, even the most ambitious regular employees couldn’t stir up any real trouble.

In the conference room, An Tiansheng’s secretary was already waiting.

“Chairman, the managers are on their way,” the secretary said. “Should I remind them again?”

“No need,” An Tiansheng said, sitting at one end of the oval table and motioning for Xia Yu to sit beside him.

Xia Yu watched the clock. As it approached two o’clock, a group of people entered the room one by one.

By 1:55 PM, everyone had arrived. They glanced curiously at Xia Yu sitting next to An Tiansheng but maintained a composed expression.

An Tiansheng tapped the table to begin the meeting: “I’ve called you all here today mainly to inform you that I will be conducting a company-wide investigation. There’s no need to worry; everything will continue as usual.”

This statement caused a subtle shift in the managers’ expressions, though no real commotion.

“This investigation will be led by Mr. Xia,” An Tiansheng announced, looking at Xia Yu, who stood up to confirm it was indeed about him.

“Why don’t you all get to know each other,” An Tiansheng continued.

Xia Yu then started from the first person on the left, shaking hands with each one and receiving their business cards.

After completing the round, An Tiansheng added a few polite remarks and dismissed the meeting.

Back in his office, An Tiansheng poured a cup of tea for Xia Yu and asked, “So, what do you think?”

From the thick stack of business cards in his hand, Xia Yu pulled out five. “These five have issues.”

“Five people already!” An Tiansheng’s expression turned serious.

“They might not necessarily be enemies. They could just have some small secrets they don’t want uncovered,” Xia Yu explained.

“Hmm, thanks for your hard work. Come on, let’s go have some fun. This building isn’t just for work,” An Tiansheng said, handing the five cards to his secretary and leading Xia Yu to the entertainment area.

At five in the afternoon, as Xia Yu was preparing to leave, An Tiansheng received a call from his secretary.

After hanging up, he smiled at Xia Yu and said, “Out of the five, one is in a romantic relationship with a subordinate, one often leaves work early, two have taken small kickbacks, and one is still under investigation—it seems they’re planning to switch jobs.”

Except for the one planning to leave, none of the issues were particularly serious.

“The one planning to leave is in charge of a rather critical project,” An Tiansheng said, narrowing his eyes.

In a capitalist society, everyone is just a cog in the machine. Replacing one cog with another is easy enough. But the person leaving knows a lot, and finding a suitable replacement would take some time.

“Thanks again for your help today. If anything comes up, feel free to call me,” An Tiansheng offered.

“I’m working on a software project, and I might need your help, Uncle An,” Xia Yu didn’t refuse. The two had always been engaged in an equal exchange.

“A software project? I have quite a few available programmers under me. Would you like any assistance?” An Tiansheng asked.

“No thanks. It’s just a small project for fun; I can handle it myself. It’s just that some things afterward might be a bit complicated, and I’ll need your guidance, Uncle An.”

Xia Yu politely declined An Tiansheng’s offer. There were no truly “available” programmers—those who weren’t working overtime were probably just not busy at the moment.

“Alright.” An Tiansheng called for his driver and had him take Xia Yu home.

Then, An Tiansheng dialed the call to Manager Cao, the one planning to leave.

…

Back at home, after finishing work, Manager Cao lay on the sofa in the living room, thinking.

An Tiansheng suddenly launching an investigation—no one knew why. He needed to finalize his plans to leave the company soon. The offer from the other company was still a bit low. If he waited two more days, regardless of the offer, he would accept it.

He was confident that in just two days, the investigation wouldn’t reach him yet. After all, the group had so many companies, and each company had so many executives. He was just a minor figure barely qualified to attend these meetings.

He even asked around again and felt more at ease after hearing that Mr. Xia had spent the whole afternoon playing with An Tiansheng.

It didn’t seem like a serious investigation. An Tiansheng also appeared indifferent. In this case, the investigation might end without ever reaching him.

Could he really be investigating while playing around?

Manager Cao laughed.

At this moment, his phone rang—it was a call from An Tiansheng.

“What conditions did that company offer you?”

The voice from the phone made Manager Cao’s limbs go cold.

Just one afternoon, and they had already traced it back to him?

Swallowing hard, Manager Cao knew he had no hope left.

Capital seeks profit, so after he left, the company wouldn’t waste resources seeking revenge. But before he had officially left, a small warning would be enough to make the other company abandon their recruitment plans. Recruiting him at this point would be tantamount to declaring war.

“Please, Mr. An, give me one more chance,” Manager Cao said nervously.

If the other company rejected him and he was fired, he would never find a better job again.

“Just do your job well,” An Tiansheng said. He had no intention of firing him but planned to use him as a warning example to others in the company who had similar thoughts.

After repeatedly thanking him, Manager Cao hung up the phone.

He collapsed onto the sofa, his mind replaying the image of the young man who had shaken his hand.

Mr. Xia—truly terrifying.

The feared Mr. Xia, who was on his mind, was now inside the body of a black cat, pondering how to sneak into An Siyao’s villa.