Business Information Identity

Chapter 14: Suit

“A big case?” Zhang Meiling was stunned.

“That's why you cops are only good in hindsight. If no one reports a crime, does it mean no crime has occurred? As a professional, you should be observing and paying attention to everything around you at all times.” Cao Kai said, “Here’s the deal: I won’t do anything illegal like hiring a hacker. Just give me the information on Nie Zuo that you can provide from the police, and I’ll tell you about the big case.”

Zhang Meiling nodded: “I’ll find a way to get the judge’s approval.”

Cao Kai said, “Look into this person named Chen Fan. Does he have any relatives or connections within the city government? There’s been a leak from the city hall.” Leaks from the government leading to huge gains for others—if unintentional, it’s considered dereliction of duty; if intentional, it’s a serious crime. Decisions from the city government greatly impact economic development. For example, building new container terminals can skyrocket land prices nearby. When the government decides on a location for a terminal, a team is formed months in advance to survey the area. Cao Kai doesn’t believe Chen Fan could have predicted this. He wouldn’t bet his career on it. The most likely scenario is that Chen Fan got insider information. Observing one aspect of a person reveals everything about them—this is Cao Kai’s skill.

Zhang Meiling realized, “I’ll contact the Internal Affairs Bureau.” The Internal Affairs Bureau, established by the city government, is an organization that investigates everyone, including the mayor. All members are under thirty years old; once they pass thirty, they leave the bureau and are replaced by younger people. Although they lack experience, these young people feel responsible for the city. With media oversight and a relaxed political atmosphere, the city has had zero scandals for ten consecutive years. (This is not Earth, not Earth, so this story does not take place on Earth.)

……

During the dinner, Mai Yan ignored Chen Fan and Huang Yu’s presence and smiled at Nie Zuo, “Man, don’t want to hang out anymore, huh?”

Nie Zuo quickly replied, “He was too enthusiastic, actively inviting me and even offering a raise… Yan, do you think he’s attracted to me? I have a girlfriend, so I’m selling my skills, not my body.”

“Manager Cao Kai must have heard your evaluation of the interviewers and concluded you were capable, which is why he thinks highly of you.” Mai Yan responded.

Nie Zuo said, a bit embarrassed, “Actually, I heard it from a young HR lady whose phone had a picture of a kitten. She said the three interviewers had left through the back door of the auditorium.”

“Your luck is really something. I’ll take the afternoon off this afternoon. Let’s go buy a work outfit for you. I think you look best in gray and white; this black suit is quite ordinary.” Mai Yan looked at Nie Zuo’s clothes for a moment, then turned to Huang Yu, “What do you think?”

Huang Yu thought for a moment, “Anything works; the black suit is quite handsome too.”

“Mainly, it doesn’t match my clothes. Besides, I don’t like black.” Mai Yan said this while looking at Huang Yu. Only women could read the subtlety in her words. On the surface, she was discussing Nie Zuo’s clothes with Huang Yu, but in reality, she was signaling to Huang Yu that, as friends, the focus should be on Nie Zuo, not Chen Fan.

Huang Yu, being smart, understood Mai Yan’s intention and smoothly started discussing Nie Zuo’s clothes. Nie Zuo felt embarrassed by the conversation, while Chen Fan found it uninteresting.

“Tight-fitting?” Mai Yan glanced at Nie Zuo’s chest and smirked, “He doesn’t wear tight underwear.”

Finally, Manager Chen Fan couldn't sit still any longer. After hastily finishing his meal, he said, 'I still have some things to attend to, please enjoy your meal at your own pace.'

Huang Yu looked at Chen Fan, 'Don't blame me, sister. It's not that I'm not helping you, but the other party is too cunning.'

After everyone nodded in agreement, Chen Fan stuck to his character of a gentleman and paid the bill. Little did he know, he had already stirred up trouble. It wasn't Nie Zuo who caused the trouble; Nie Zuo wouldn't have taken offense at such a trivial matter. Besides, in Nie Zuo's eyes, as outstanding as Mai Yan is, it's not hard to understand that not many boys would pursue her.

（Why can't a woman take all the men who pursue her if several excellent men chase after her? Why can't a man take all the women who like him if several excellent women like him? Is it not offensive to the readers? Scratching his head in thought. ）

……

At nine in the evening, Nie Zuo came home exhausted, wearing a suit. He lay on the sofa, too lazy to move, feeling a mixture of sadness and anger. 'It's just buying a suit, what's the big deal? Why did you have to drag your best friend along? Why did we have to go from stockings to cosmetics, from the South District Pedestrian Street to the West District Commercial Street... Why? This is a question Nie Zuo has asked himself many times, but he has never found an answer. Is he upset with Mai Yan? Not at all; all women are the same. He's just venting as a male fellow.

The phone vibrated with a text message, and Nie Zuo took out his phone, which seemed to be a spam real estate advertisement. After receiving the ad, Nie Zuo swapped cards, entered his password, and dialed the phone, 'Hello!'

'We are collecting your information. Currently, it is only surface-level information: place of birth, place of residence, school of enrollment, time of leaving and returning to the country, tax records, insurance records. Analysis shows that it should be police collecting your information with a judge's authorization.' After a moment's pause, the other person asked, 'Any problems?}'

'No.',

'It's fine. Do you need to find out who is collecting your information?'

'No, I have a guess, but I'm still unclear about the role the police are playing in this matter.' 'Too much talk, too much talk, did you cause trouble again?' Nie Zuo said, 'I want the information of a Chinese or Chinese-descent male named Cao Kai.'

'Is that all you have? Just a name?'

Nie Zuo said, 'Yes, he is someone with some reputation in the field of commercial espionage.'

'Commercial espionage?' The other person's tone was clearly disdainful, and after a moment, he said, 'Alright.'

Nie Zuo hung up the phone, got off the sofa, took a deep breath, stood up, feeling every bone in his body ache. He took a bath, changed into a comfortable pajama, and felt comfortable all over. And at this moment, Cao Kai's information was also sent to Nie Zuo's phone.

Cao Kai: a Chinese American, second-generation immigrant, a high achiever at a famous university. During his university years, his father committed suicide due to financial ruin caused by a friend's betrayal. Later, Cao Kai passed a series of tests and joined the elite espionage organization, the Hunter Squad. After completing a two-year contract, he left the organization to become an independent mercenary corporate spy. Over the next three years, he was arrested twice by the police on charges of commercial crimes, but was twice released without conviction.

The above is the official information; the following is rumors, speculation, and information that is unsubstantiated.

Cao Kai was arrested twice because he offended someone within the Hunter Squad, who then betrayed him. On the first occasion, the Hunter Squad went to great lengths to destroy the evidence, allowing Cao Kai to escape legal punishment. The betrayer was subsequently expelled from the organization. On the second occasion, the victim, the overseas division of Wanlian International's American branch, withdrew the case, and the police were forced to drop the charges. After that, there were no more reports of Cao Kai in the industry.