Chapter Five : The First Trap.
1159 Words
Three days later, the business world was still buzzing about Liang Wei’s sudden marriage.
The headlines had refused to die down. Some called it a strategic alliance. Others called it a mystery. A few even claimed it was a distraction from WeiTech Group’s upcoming global expansion deal.
But inside WeiTech Group’s towering headquarters, life had already snapped back into its usual rhythm fast, precise, and ruthless.
Zhang Mei sat in Liang Wei’s private office, surrounded by neatly stacked documents and glowing screens. The city skyline stretched behind her like a silent witness. Her fingers flipped through pages of financial reports with calm precision.
Minutes passed.
Then she stopped.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
She closed the file with a soft thud.
“This acquisition proposal is a trap.”
Liang Wei, seated across from her, looked up immediately. His expression didn’t change much, but his focus sharpened.
“Explain,” he said simply.
Zhang Mei tapped the document once.
“The supplier contract here looks beneficial on paper low cost, stable supply chain, long-term partnership incentives.” She slid the page forward. “But the control clauses buried in section 17 give Wang Corporation indirect leverage over your production pipeline.”
Huo Zhen, standing near the window, straightened.
“Let me see that.”
He read quickly. His brows slowly tightened.
“Damn… she’s right.”
Zhang Mei continued calmly. “If WeiTech signs this, within eighteen months Wang Corporation won’t just be a supplier. They’ll control your output timing, pricing pressure points, and even your export approvals.”
Silence fell.
Even the air in the room seemed heavier.
Liang Wei leaned back slightly, studying her not the document.
“You noticed all that in five minutes?”
Zhang Mei shrugged, as if it was nothing.
“My family ran a shipping empire. We survived by spotting traps before they were set.”
A faint smirk appeared on Liang Wei’s lips.
Interesting.
Maybe this marriage wasn’t just convenient.
Maybe it was… profitable.
But the moment of calm didn’t last.
The office door suddenly slammed open.
An assistant rushed in, breathless and pale.
“CEO Liang!”
Liang Wei’s expression darkened instantly. “What is it?”
The assistant hesitated, swallowing hard.
“Something happened online.”
Zhang Mei lifted her gaze slowly.
“What kind of something?”
The assistant stepped forward and placed a tablet on the desk.
The screen lit up immediately.
And everything shifted.
A bold, aggressive headline dominated the display:
“CEO Liang’s New Wife Involved in Old Financial Scandal.”
Below it were photos.
Archived documents.
Old records pulled out of context.
And worse fabricated claims stitched together with just enough truth to look believable.
Within minutes, it had already spread across major platforms.
Trending.
Exploding.
Unstoppable.
Huo Zhen cursed under his breath.
“This is a smear campaign!”
Zhang Mei said nothing at first.
But something in her expression changed.
The calm in her eyes dimmed not into fear, but into something colder.
Recognition.
Her past.
Her name that had once been erased.
The Zhang family scandal.
The accusations that had forced her out.
She had rebuilt herself from nothing.
And now someone was dragging her back into the dirt.
Liang Wei’s voice dropped.
Cold.
Controlled.
“Wang Xiao.”
Just two words.
But they carried weight.
Zhang Mei slowly turned toward him.
“So it begins,” she said quietly.
Liang Wei stood.
The atmosphere in the room changed instantly like pressure dropping before a storm. Even Huo Zhen stepped back slightly.
Liang Wei picked up the tablet and scanned it once.
Then he smiled.
It wasn’t warm.
It wasn’t friendly.
It was dangerous.
“I was getting bored,” he said.
Zhang Mei looked at him. “You think this is him testing us?”
Liang Wei’s eyes didn’t leave the screen. “No.”
He set the tablet down carefully.
“This is him announcing war.”
Huo Zhen exhaled sharply. “We can counter it. We’ll push a denial statement, freeze the rumor spread, trace the IP origin”
“Too slow,” Liang Wei interrupted.
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, hands in his pockets.
Outside, the city moved like nothing was wrong. Cars. Lights. People living unaware that a digital war had already begun.
Liang Wei’s voice turned quieter.
“Wang Xiao doesn’t fight for headlines. He fights for collapse.”
Zhang Mei’s eyes narrowed. “Then what do we do?”
Liang Wei turned slightly.
And for the first time, Zhang Mei saw it clearly
This wasn’t just a CEO.
This was a man who had destroyed enemies before.
“We don’t defend,” he said. “We erase the battlefield.”
Huo Zhen blinked. “You mean”
Liang Wei raised a hand.
“Call the cyber division. Lock WeiTech’s internal networks. I want full trace activation on every external leak source in ten minutes.”
He looked at Zhang Mei.
“And prepare a counter-file.”
Zhang Mei frowned slightly. “Counter-file?”
Liang Wei stepped closer.
“Every lie has a backbone of truth. We find his. We break it publicly.”
A pause.
Then Zhang Mei nodded once.
“Understood.”
But just as they moved into action, the assistant spoke again, voice shaking.
“CEO… there’s more.”
Liang Wei didn’t turn. “Speak.”
“The scandal post… it’s not just trending.”
He swallowed.
“It’s being amplified by verified media partners. Someone bought exposure at national level.”
Silence hit the room again.
Huo Zhen’s face darkened.
“That’s not just Wang Xiao. That’s funding.”
Zhang Mei’s eyes sharpened.
“So he’s not acting alone.”
Liang Wei’s expression didn’t change.
But something colder settled in his gaze.
“No,” he said slowly.
“He never was.”
A notification pinged across multiple screens in the room.
Then another.
And another.
Until the entire wall display lit up red.
Incoming attacks.
Data breaches.
Supply chain disruptions.
Stock fluctuations.
All at once.
A coordinated strike.
Zhang Mei stepped closer to the screen.
“This isn’t a smear anymore,” she said.
“This is a full destabilization plan.”
Liang Wei nodded slightly.
“Yes.”
He turned toward his team.
“And it just means one thing.”
A pause.
Then his voice dropped like a blade.
“They’re trying to see how WeiTech bleeds.”
Outside, thunder rolled faintly in the distance.
Inside the office, Liang Wei finally unbuttoned his cufflinks.
Not because he was panicking.
But because he was preparing.
Zhang Mei watched him carefully.
“You’re enjoying this,” she said.
Liang Wei glanced at her.
A faint smile returned.
“You have no idea.”
And in that moment
somewhere far away
Wang Xiao watched the chaos unfold on his own screen.
He leaned back slowly.
Smiling.
“Good,” he murmured.
“Now let’s see how long the empire lasts.”
- Writer
