Whos Behind It

"Her? A fresh graduate, thinking she can handle the core module? Dream on!" A biting voice drifted out of the break room, piercing straight into Liu Yue's ears. This was already the third time today that she'd heard similar comments. It was only her first day at work, yet the company's break room had turned into a gossip hotspot, and she, Liu Yue, was unfortunately the star of today's show. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down, thinking: I've survived in an era overrun by vampires; you think I'm scared of some office clowns? On the outside, Liu Yue had the aura of a fierce and confident woman, but inside, she was still a bit of a soft-hearted girl. Today was her first day at FutureTech. She had thought she could make a great impression at this impressive-sounding company, but as soon as she walked in, she felt the palpable hostility. She was assigned to the company's most important project team, "Interstellar Exploration," tasked with designing the core module. It should have been a good thing—but it quickly became a nightmare. The colleagues around her, especially Zhang Ling, a seasoned office politician, and Wang Qiang, who was a spy for the competitors, were full of malice. They kept tripping her up, both openly and covertly. To make matters worse, tomorrow was the team's first project meeting, where she needed to present her initial proposal—and she had less than twenty-four hours left. Conventional wisdom would suggest that a new employee should stay low-key, get familiar with the environment, and then gradually show their abilities. But not Liu Yue! She decided to take the initiative. She marched straight to Manager Zhao's office, knocked on the door, and then entered. "Manager Zhao, hello, I'm Liu Yue, the new hire. I'd like to discuss the 'Interstellar Exploration' project..." Liu Yue cut straight to the chase, expressing her determination and passion for the project. However, Manager Zhao merely glanced at her, his tone indifferent. "Liu Yue, enthusiasm is good for young people, but you need to keep your feet on the ground and not aim too high." This was far from the response Liu Yue had expected, and she felt a chill run through her. Returning to her desk, Liu Yue tried to prepare for tomorrow's presentation—only to realize... "Where's my data?" "Where's my data?" Liu Yue searched her entire desk, even cleaning out the bottom of her drawers, but she couldn't find the critical project data. A surge of anger rushed through her, and Zhang Ling's fake smile flashed in her mind. "Hah, you want to play dirty with me? Bring it on!" Liu Yue stormed over to Zhang Ling's desk, leaning forward on both hands, staring her down with sharp eyes. "Zhang Ling, did you take my data?" Feigning surprise, Zhang Ling looked up with an innocent expression. "Liu Yue, what do you mean by this? How could I have taken your data? You can't just say things like that!" She even rolled her eyes, acting as though Liu Yue was unreasonable. "Drop the act!" Liu Yue wasn't buying it. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. You're just trying to make me look bad at tomorrow's meeting, right? You think such petty tricks can stop me?" Liu Yue activated her "radar," a unique ability to sense others' emotional fluctuations and judge whether they were lying. In the vampire world, this skill had saved her life more than once—and now it seemed it would come in handy in the corporate world too. Zhang Ling's eyes flickered, and her smile stiffened, but she continued to deny it. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't take your data. Besides, you're the one who misplaced something on your first day. How dare you blame others?" "You..." Liu Yue was about to continue arguing when she felt an unusual surge of energy. That feeling... It was Wang Qiang! He was sneaking towards the conference room, seemingly holding something... Liu Yue narrowed her eyes and thought, "Wang Qiang, so you're the real culprit!" She turned on her heel, leaving Zhang Ling bewildered. "Liu Yue, where are you going? Come back and explain yourself!" Liu Yue pushed open the conference room door. Wang Qiang was standing by the projector, talking animatedly. Well, well—he had the audacity to mess with her! "Wang Qiang, what are you doing?" Liu Yue's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a commanding tone that silenced the entire conference room. All eyes turned to her, including the displeased gaze of Manager Zhao. Wang Qiang was visibly startled, a flicker of panic passing through his eyes before he regained his composure. "Liu Yue? Why are you here? I'm presenting the project progress to Manager Zhao." He said, raising the documents in his hand—the ones Liu Yue had lost! "Presenting progress? More like twisting the truth!" Liu Yue sneered, striding over to Wang Qiang and snatching the files from his hand. "These are my documents. Why do you have them?" Wang Qiang's face changed color. "You're lying! This is my..." "Save it," Liu Yue interrupted. "Do you think I don't know what you're trying to do? You want to use this opportunity to push me out of the project group. Too bad—your plan has backfired!" Opening the documents, Liu Yue pointed at a page. "You just said my proposal was full of flaws and unrealistic. But did you consider that my proposal was based on market research and data analysis, while you purposely took things out of context, misleading Manager Zhao?" She paused, her gaze sweeping across the room. "I know everyone here is an elite and has their own judgment. I don't need to say much. The facts speak for themselves." Taking a deep breath, Liu Yue pulled out another file from her bag. "This is the backup plan I prepared." For the next hour, Liu Yue presented every detail of her backup proposal, speaking with confidence and clarity. Her plan was innovative, yet practical, earning the respect of everyone present. Even Manager Zhao, who had doubted her, now looked at her with approval. After the meeting, Manager Zhao patted Liu Yue's shoulder. "Liu, you did well. I have high hopes for you." Liu Yue smiled slightly. "Thank you, Manager Zhao." As she turned to leave, she caught sight of Wang Qiang sneaking off towards the end of the hallway... Who was he meeting? Wang Qiang slipped into an empty office at the end of the hall, his actions furtive. Alarm bells rang in Liu Yue's head—he was definitely up to no good! She tiptoed towards the door, crouching to listen in. "How did it go?" A low voice came from inside. "Don't worry, Mr. Li, everything is going according to plan," Wang Qiang replied obsequiously. "I already got Liu Yue's data..." Mr. Li? Liu Yue's heart skipped a beat. Why did that name sound so familiar? Wait, Mr. Li... Could it be Li Cheng, the CEO of a rival company? If it was true, then Wang Qiang was a corporate spy? The more she thought about it, the scarier it seemed. This was big! "Good," Li Cheng's voice was dripping with malice. "Once we sabotage this project, we can..." He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Liu Yue cursed inwardly, quickly ducking into a nearby storage room. Peeking through the c***k in the door, she saw Manager Zhao and a few colleagues approaching, seemingly on their way to a meeting. Narrow escape! Liu Yue let out a sigh of relief but was even more puzzled now. What exactly were Wang Qiang and Li Cheng planning? She needed more evidence. Sneaking out of the storage room, she returned to her desk, pretending to work as if nothing had happened. In her mind, she planned: tomorrow, she would check the core project files—maybe there would be some clues... She glanced at the clock—almost time to get off work. The office door opened, and Secretary Zhou walked in, heading straight for Liu Yue. "Liu Yue, Manager Zhao wants to see you in his office," Secretary Zhou said, her tone formal, face expressionless. Liu Yue nodded, standing up to follow Secretary Zhou to Manager Zhao's office. But there was a nagging sense of unease... Could this be another trap set by Wang Qiang? She stopped at Manager Zhao's office door, took a deep breath, and knocked...