Chapter 793 - Betrayal

Chapter 793: Betrayal

When Wang Jiang found out about Wang Dong’s existence, the former was actually very interested.

‘According to our family’s investigations, Wang Dong used to be Su Yang’s trusted aide. When Su Yang first started his business, he was Su Yang’s most important helper.

‘So, Wang Dong’s the entire reason why Su Yang’s company got established in the first place.

‘Based on the investigation report, if it were not for Wang Dong, Su Yang might not have embarked on the path of entrepreneurship at all, let alone his success.

‘In the early stages of entrepreneurship, Wang Dong’s resources also played a huge role in Su Yang’s journey. Based on this, it would be more appropriate to describe the two of them as partners. However… Wang Dong doesn’t have much ambition or confidence, so he took the initiative to give up the request of taking over the shares and opted for a salary instead.

‘This was his first misstep.

‘After that, he rode on Su Yang’s coattails and became the Vice President of an e-commerce company as Su Yang’s spokesperson in the entire company.

‘Initially, he was already above everyone else. However, when Su Yang went head to head with a big shot, he could not resist the temptation and led some employees to betray Su Yang and join the big shot’s company.

‘Actually, it might not be appropriate to say that he had betrayed Su Yang, but that he had left. After all, he had only chosen to leave his job and not betray Su Yang.

‘However, no matter what, the fact that he left Su Yang at that time proved to Su Yang that Wang Dong could no longer enjoy the benefits of Jiadian Group’s growth.

After that, Jiadian Group soared into the skies and became a new tycoon in the country with a market value of 100 billion yuan. Meanwhile, the companies Wang Dong and the others jumped went bankrupt one after another. Because of this, they lost their jobs. Furthermore, because they were lacking in their own abilities, they could not even find a job for a short period of time after the incident.’

At the end of the investigation report, the investigators also wrote about Wang Dong’s current situation, stating that he was a sales manager at a small company.

Compared to before he met Su Yang, Wang Dong was definitely doing a job that’s better than where he started. However, that was far inferior compared to the treatment he received at Su Yang’s company.

Seeing this, Wang Jiang felt that Wang Dong, who was from the core circle, would most likely have information on Su Yang. ‘After he left his job, he hasn’t had any sort of contact with Su Yang. In fact, he seems to have a grudge against Su Yang, which is going to be easy for me to make use of.’

With that thought in mind, Wang Jiang asked his subordinate to send Wang Dong an offer. As long as Wang Dong had Su Yang’s dirt or any sort of related evidence in his hands, Wang Jiang was prepared to pay any price.

However, even after he had his sights on Wang Dong, Wang Jiang did not give up on the other few employees who had left the company and the employee from the management agency, whom he had also asked his subordinate to try to get in touch with them…

…

On the other hand, at a company called Noah Lightings in Shanghai. Wang Dong had just finished his morning’s work. Then, he stretched lazily and then said to the few people beside him with a smile, “What are we having for lunch today? Do you want to order takeout together?”

Compared to before when he was at Jiadian Group, Wang Dong had lost some weight. There were more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, making him look much older. But in contrast, his temperament also seemed to be more stable and easygoing.

Hearing that, his colleagues said, “Sure, Brother Dong. I want to eat braised chicken rice.” “I’ll have a beef bowl.” “I’ll have a Tianjin-style pancake.”

Wang Dong’s face revealed an exaggerated expression. “If you’re all going to order a type of dish per person, we won’t be able to finish eating by the time our lunch break is over. So, let’s come to an agreement and see if there’s a dish everyone’s able to accept.”

Just as he said that, the receptionist walked in and said, “Brother Dong, someone is looking for you.”

“Oh, okay.” Wang Dong agreed and then stood up. As he walked out, he said to his colleagues, “You guys discuss and see what to eat. I’ll come back later.”

“Okay, Brother Dong.”

Accompanied by his colleague’s agreement, Wang Dong left the company and went outside.

Initially, he thought that a client was looking for him, but when he arrived outside, he realized that it was a middle-aged man in a black suit.

Seeing Wang Dong, the middle-aged man stretched out his hand with a smile and said, “Hello, Wang Dong, right?”

Wang Dong hurriedly reached out and shook hands with that person. “Yes. You are?”

The middle-aged man said, “My name is Wang Weicai. I’m from the Wangs of Zhejiang Province. Are you available right now? There’s something I would like to talk to you about.”

‘The Wangs of Zhejiang Province?’

Wang Dong, who barely knew anything about that circle, did not know much about this name. He even silently ridiculed in his heart. ‘Are there really still clans in this era? Could this be a scam?’

However, after carefully sizing him up, Wang Dong discovered that the man in front of him was dressed appropriately. They were all branded, and his every move carried a sense of nobility, so he did not feel like a scammer.

Hence, even though Wang Dong was still hesitant, he still decided to see why this person was looking for him and said, “Yes, I’m free, but, where would you like to go…?”

The middle-aged man said, “Let’s just have lunch nearby. I won’t take up too much of your time.”

Wang Dong nodded. “Alright, please wait a moment while I inform my colleagues.”

The man nodded in agreement.

Not long after, Wang Dong informed his colleagues and then left the company.

The middle-aged man then led Wang Dong downstairs and got into the car. They arrived at a high-end restaurant nearby and sat down.

On the way, Wang Dong’s eyelids kept twitching because after he went downstairs, he saw a black sedan with a red flag parked downstairs and a chauffeur in a suit who was already waiting there.

Although he had been away from the circle for a long time, Wang Dong still understood the rumors about the red flag, which was almost equivalent to a big boss’s car. Those who sat in that car were either rich or noble.

In particular, there were several cars that could not be bought with money. Instead, their backgrounds had to be checked and certified.

Of course, that did not mean that anyone who sat in this brand of cars was a big shot. In comparison, there were more big shots than there were cars.

Moreover… After seeing that car, and then looking at the middle-aged man and the chauffeur’s posture, Wang Dong could almost confirm that the middle-aged man was not “rich”, but “expensive”.

Hence, they got out of the car and sat in a private room in a luxurious restaurant nearby.

Wang Dong looked around uneasily, then looked at the middle-aged man who was ordering. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he still asked, “May I know why you’re looking for me?”

The middle-aged man raised his head with a smile and said, “There’s no hurry. Let’s eat first.”

Wang Dong licked his lips and said a little awkwardly, “Sir, to be honest, I’m actually a timid person. So, I really dare not eat if I don’t know what the price is.”

The middle-aged man smiled and handed the menu to the waiter. “Calm down.”

After the waiter left the room and closed the door, the middle-aged man finally revealed his purpose. “You see, we’ve found out that you used to be the Vice President of Jiadian E-Commerce Company.”

Hearing the middle-aged man’s words, Wang Dong’s gaze flickered a few times. “Are… Are you guys investigating Mr. Su?”

The middle-aged man did not deny it. He said, “We are curious about him, so we need you to provide us with some valuable information.

“I believe that as his right-hand man, it shouldn’t be difficult for you, should it?”

As he said that, the middle-aged man took out a cheque from his pocket and placed it on the table. Then he said, “This is a cheque for 100 thousand yuan. As long as your information is valuable, this will be yours.

“Of course… If your information is much more valuable than this price, we’re able to increase it from 100 thousand yuan to 100 million yuan, or more.”

As he said that, the middle-aged man took out a pen and a cheque book from the inside pocket of his suit. He placed them on the table like he was really about to sign a cheque with a higher amount of money written on it…

Seeing this, Wang Dong’s eyelids twitched again. He looked at the cheque on the table and swallowed his saliva.

At the same time, in several different restaurants and coffee shops in Shanghai, the same strange meals with cheque books and a single cheque of 100 thousand yuan were being conducted as well.

Faced with such a huge amount of money, everyone was faced with a choice…

…

An hour later at Noah Lightings, Wang Dong’s colleagues were all chatting happily when Wang Dong suddenly carried a few plastic bags as he walked in a little despondently.

Seeing Wang Dong, several colleagues greeted him one after another. “Brother Dong, you’re back.”

Wang Dong was startled awake. He squeezed out a smile on his face and agreed. “Oh, yep.” As he spoke, he placed the plastic bag on the table and said, “I’ve brought back some food, so any of you who did not have enough to eat just now can have it.”

After saying that, he ignored his colleagues who were flocking to his table. He sat on the chair alone and stared at the screen in a daze.

The colleague who opened the plastic bag took out the food from the lunch box and said in surprise, “Brother Dong, these are from Taiping’s Gate, aren’t they? I heard that the food there is expensive.”

“He’s right, these smell so good. The dishes alone look expensive.”

However, Wang Dong did not reply to them and continued to daydream.

As the colleagues ate, they looked at Wang Dong’s back strangely. Realizing that something was wrong with Wang Dong, they did not say anything more.

Wang Dong was lost in thought for more than ten minutes. In the end, it was the vibration of his cell phone that woke him up.

Hence, he took out his cell phone from his pocket and looked at it. It was a WeChat notification. He opened it and realized that it was a message from a group that he had not talked to in a long time.

The group’s name was… Resignation Team

This was the WeChat group that the few of them had formed when they left Jiadian Group. Back then, everyone was high-spirited and looked forward to a bright future, feeling that they would definitely soar to greater heights.

However, in just less than half a month, they were beaten all the way down to an abyss.

After that, they tried to make a comeback and gather together, hoping that they would be able to return to Jiadian Group. However, Su Yang rejected them without a second thought.

In fact, Lei Kun, the founder of the group, gave Su Yang a call to scold him, but Su Yang ended up humiliating him instead.

After that, the group was completely dead.

Unexpectedly, it was now brought back to life again…

At that moment, Wang Dong looked at the group message.

‘Did anyone look for you?’

‘Yes. have they looked for you guys too?’

‘Is it the Wangs?’

‘Yes.’

‘…’

A bunch of conversations were all about the Wangs’s visit this time. Wang Dong quietly looked at the group chat and then saw that they were talking about the same thing… information on Jiadian Group.

‘Have you guys decided whether to sell the secret?’

‘Of course. This is 100 thousand yuan we’re talking about. With this money, I can even change my wife’s car.’

‘I’m going to sell it too. With this money, I can return to my hometown to pay for a down payment.’

‘Do you think anyone would refuse?’

‘I don’t think so? Since Su Yang treated us like this, why don’t we just earn some money off of him?’

Wang Dong just watched quietly…

Then, to his surprise, he saw someone talking about him.

‘Do you think Mr. Wang has sold his information already?’

‘I think so.’

‘I envy Mr. Wang. With the secrets he has, he will probably get a few million yuan, won’t he?’

‘I have a feeling he will have more than that. Mr. Wang was Su Yang’s partner after all, so the secrets he has will probably fetch a sky-high price.’

‘I’m so envious.’

Following that, someone in the group tagged Wang Dong, wanting to ask how much he had sold for.

Seeing these conversations, Wang Dong silently turned off his phone.

…

At night, Wang Dong took two subway trains and returned home.

He had moved away from the house that he had rented earlier to a smaller and more isolated place.

This was like witnessing the entire process of how he went from rich to poor.

Fortunately… His girlfriend was still with him during this period.

“You’re back.”

When she heard the door open, his girlfriend walked out of a small kitchen in an apron. Compared to the first time Su Yang saw her, she was more mature and quiet.

The marks left by time were not obvious; in fact, her complexion still looked soft.

The two of them were obviously used to their current lives. Wang Dong helped clean up the small dining table before the two of them started eating in the bedroom.

This was a one-bedroom rental apartment. Other than the kitchen and toilet, everything else was done in the bedroom.

After eating, Wang Dong silently helped his girlfriend clear the dishes.

The two of them had been together for many years. Of course, his girlfriend also noticed Wang Dong’s abnormality. After she packed her things properly, she looked at Wang Dong strangely and asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something on your mind?”

Wang Dong shook his head and did not speak.

After a while, he said, “I’m going out for a smoke.”

His girlfriend looked at him and nodded.

Hence, Wang Dong put on his slippers, took his cigarette and lighter, and left the room. His girlfriend looked at his back worriedly, but she did not know what to say…

…

At the same time, Su Yang made another call at home.

Zhao Licheng’s voice was on the other end of the phone call. “Mr. Su, the broadcasting platform for “Legend of Wu Zetian” has been confirmed. It’s Mango TV.”

Su Yang had heard Han Yi mention it before, so he had expected as much. Then, he asked, “What’s the price?”

Zhao Licheng’s voice was obviously very happy. “The price is very satisfactory. 3.3 million yuan per episode for a total of 82 episodes, which amounts to approximately 270 million yuan.

“We’ve reached breakeven for the production cost of the entire show. In fact, we’re making a lot of profit.

“That’s not all. We’ve also sold out the second broadcasting rights to Sky Blue TV, with each episode priced at 1.85 million yuan. That’s 150 million yuan in total.”

Su Yang’s head spun for a moment before he continued, “So, the episode hasn’t been broadcasted yet, but we’ve already earned over 100 million yuan?”

Zhao Licheng replied, “Yes!

“According to our share, our profit has reached 80 million yuan. Overall, we should be expecting a total profit of no less than 150 million yuan.”

Even though Jiadian Group’s valuation has reached 100 billion yuan, any project that could allow them to earn millions worth of yuan would be considered to be a big project. Hence, Zhao Licheng, who had been leading this project, was very happy.

Su Yang nodded. “I’m very satisfied with this result.”

At this point, Zhao Licheng seemed to have thought of something and said, “Oh right, Mr. Su, because those two TV channels signed a contract with us at a high price, they have made an additional request.”

Su Yang asked, “What kind of request?”

Zhao Licheng said, “During the promotion and broadcasting period, the film crews, actors and related companies cannot have any negative news.”