"Li Xuan, Bo Yuan. What's going on? Aren't the updates of "Void Island" ours?" Chu Tianheng received the call and hurried back.
"What's going on? I was just about to ask what's going on!" Qi Boyuan was upset at the moment, his chest heaving, "Where's that bastard Wang Tian? How dare he do that!"
"I didn't find it. I just received a letter of resignation..."
"Let him resign and go to jail!" Qi Boyuan cursed, "If he leaks trade secrets, I will sue him to death! He is an ungrateful person!"
Wang Tian had always been under Chu Tianheng's command. Chu Tianheng was a man who valued talent. He felt that although Wang Tian was a little eager for quick success, he was actually talented, but he was too impetuous. He also knew that Wang Tian was dissatisfied with Li Xuan because he had been punished several times, but in his heart, he was unwilling to believe that he would do such a thing. It was too sudden: "The update was related to him, maybe he was confused for a while. But there is no evidence that he leaked commercial secrets..."
"Say it again?" Qi Boyuan could no longer bear it. "The facts are right in front of you, and you're still speaking for him? Senior, you've been a good person for so long that you can't tell right from wrong!"
Chu Tianheng said anxiously: "I didn't speak for him, I just said that I wanted to make things clear. I didn't give him the updated information later. How could Wang Tian leak it out?"
"That's strange. According to what you said, there are only three of us in the entire company who have such complete updated information. So I leaked it, right? Or did Li Xuan lose his mind and give it away?"
"No." Chu Tianheng was interrupted by him, "Bo Yuan, don't be anxious..."
"My senior! How could I not be anxious about such a big thing? I can't be anxious anymore! Some people in the backstage are asking for a refund! No one will give him a refund!"
"Stop arguing, both of you." Li Xuan looked barely calm, but he was clearly forcing himself to endure. "Are you in a vegetable market? Senior, didn't you give Wang Tian the updated information?"
"Absolutely not." Chu Tianheng almost swore, "I know how important those things are. If a version update is needed and which part is involved, I will give the corresponding program and plan to the project team to let them improve it. It's impossible to give them all."
“Where is the information?”
"It's encrypted in my computer. I carry it with me, and Wang Tian has definitely never touched it." Chu Tianheng said immediately, thinking for a moment, "And the solid-state drive that you transferred the data to me at that time, is kept as a backup."
"I have that too." Qi Boyuan said, turned around and went to the office to get it, and Chu Tianheng followed him.
The employees in the hall were all watching what was happening in the office, and they all looked over when they passed by.
"Do your thing." Qi Boyuan said angrily, closing the door and handing the mobile hard drive to Li Xuan.
"My thing." Chu Tianheng also came back.
"Is this what I gave you back then?" Li Xuan reached out to take it.
"No… isn't it?"
They are all the same model. Qi Boyuan compared it with his own and didn't see anything wrong with it.
Li Xuan plugged it into the computer interface without saying a word, but the reading failed.
"Broken?" Chu Tianheng was a little anxious. He didn't care about anything else for the moment and quickly took the computer to recover the data.
"No need, the data was destroyed." Li Xuan pulled it out directly, "This is not the one I originally gave you."
"no?!"
"No, it's too new."
Li Xuan supported himself on the table with both hands, his mind was buzzing and confused, but also exceptionally clear.
Someone took away Chu Tianheng's backup hard drive. He installed a single-chip microcomputer in the hard drive, and the copy records would be saved. Therefore, the other party did not restore the hard drive after copying it, and replaced it with the same model, deliberately destroying the data in it. It is also possible that there was no information stored in it at all.
Originally it was just a spare hard drive, Chu Tianheng would not open it for ten days or half a month. If it hadn't been for what happened today, even if he found that the data was lost and could not be recovered, it would be difficult to think about it...
"Wang Tian took it away?" Qi Boyuan widened his eyes.
Chu Tianheng still didn't want to believe it for a while, but he remembered many details, such as the mobile hard drive that Li Xuan gave him was dropped and had a very small strip of paint peeling off... Now this is gone...
"Senior." Qi Boyuan called him, "Does Wang Tian know about this backup?"
Chu Tianheng was not sure, maybe he had seen it... He didn't remember, so he could only say: "I always put it in the bottom drawer of my desk, and the drawer is usually locked."
Not only is the drawer locked, but it is also difficult to do anything in broad daylight when there are people coming and going in the company. If it is at night, the company door is locked, and Chu Tianheng cannot enter the office without an access card...
"Contact the property management to adjust the surveillance camera at the entrance of the company... It took them at least a month to change the art resources to create this weird thing, so let's adjust it based on the time 20 days ago."
Li Xuan spoke, and Qi Boyuan nodded. Chu Tianheng also knew that this matter was probably his fault, and he was almost drowned by guilt: "Li Xuan..."
Li Xuan raised his hand: "Let me be quiet for a while."
An ant on the hot pot can at least jump a little. Chu Tianheng didn't dare to disturb him. He sat there stiffly, feeling that he was now even worse than an ant.
Fortunately, Qi Boyuan came back soon, his face was red with anger, probably because he had an argument with someone: "No. 1 and No. 2 said that because the monitoring system was under maintenance, all the records were gone... What the hell, it must be a thief. It's hard to prevent thieves at home even if you guard against them day and night! Senior, that, I'm not talking about you..."
Chu Tianheng couldn't help but smile bitterly: "You might as well talk about me."
"What should I do now? I'll collect the evidence and call the police." Qi Boyuan said self-deprecatingly, "After the last incident, I don't have to go to the police station twice. Wang Tian is really capable..."
Chu Tianheng murmured: "But how did he get it? There are so many layers of locks..."
"Maybe it wasn't at night, but maybe it was stolen during the day when no one was paying attention." Qi Boyuan said.
"Senior." Li Xuan suddenly remembered something else. His eyes slid across the green plants on the windowsill. "Last time, I asked Qi Boyuan to remind you not to give the cleaning lady a card to let her into the office when we are not around... Did you give it to her later?"
Chu Tianheng's face turned pale: "I haven't used her card to open the door of either of your offices. I... I gave a spare access card to Auntie and never got it back. She came early in the morning, so it's more convenient for her to clean... Auntie also has the key to the front door..."
"I'll go call my aunt." Qi Boyuan said immediately.
Chu Tianheng looked at his hurried back: "But my drawer..."
"That's easy. I can open it with a thin wire."
Li Xuan didn't even want to say anything, but this subconscious sentence suddenly reminded him.
Of course he could open it, and Wang Tian might know where the things were, but did he have the ability to do so? Li Mingge didn't even know Wang Tian, so how did he get in touch with him
"Xiao Qi, what's wrong?"
When the aunt came in, she was holding a rag in her hand. She was old and could barely read. She didn't know what had happened, but she felt the atmosphere was tense. She was more familiar with Chu Tianheng, so she unconsciously leaned over a little: "Tianheng..."
"Auntie, it's okay, I just asked." Chu Tianheng felt heavy in his heart and asked gently, "Do you still have the access card to my office?"
"Yes." Auntie said quickly, taking it out from her apron pocket. "I brought it with me. I went in to clean this morning. What's wrong? Is there anything missing?"
"Have you ever given the card to anyone else?" Li Xuan asked.
"No, no." Auntie was a little afraid of him and shrank back.
"Think about it carefully." Li Xuan leaned forward slightly, "Has anyone ever borrowed it from you? Has it ever been lost? Or has anyone ever kept it for you..."
"Lost..." Auntie thought for a while, then suddenly remembered something and stammered, "I..."
"Just tell me whatever comes to your mind. I won't bother you if it's not your problem."
"It happened quite a while ago, and it wasn't lost. Xiao Zhao came to see me and treated me to a meal, and left it in the store. Xiao Zhao delivered it to me early the next morning..."
"Xiao Zhao?!" This surname was like a thunderbolt that hit Qi Boyuan's nerves squarely. Li Xuanshang didn't say anything. He stood up from the sofa suddenly and asked, "Which Zhao? Zhao Jizhe?"
Auntie was frightened by this scene: "Yes, that's right, as for the rest, I really don't remember losing it..."
"When did it happen?" Li Xuan raised his eyes.
"It's been a long time... At the end of last month, yes, the end of the month, that was the day when the salary was paid..."
Li Xuan stroked the calluses on his fingertips. Ten days ago, he went to a mental hospital. He did not see Zhao Jizhe that day. The doctor said that he was receiving treatment and he also had a meeting, so he came back.
"Are you sure?"
“Yes, really. I’ll call Xiao Zhao. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him…” The aunt took out her cell phone tremblingly, and the moment the call was connected, Li Xuan took it away.
"Hello, Auntie..."
"Where are you?" Li Xuan asked coldly when he heard the familiar voice.
Zhao Jizhe on the other end seemed to take a breath of cold air, and then the call was hung up.
The busy tone at this moment is a clearer expression than any language.
Tie all the clues together.
Zhao Jizhe and Li Mingge.
Li Xuan suddenly found it very funny and actually laughed out loud.
It's like an absurd pantomime. The lame foreshadowing seven years ago has come true today.
"Li Xuan..." Chu Tianheng thought he was so angry that he went crazy.
"Auntie, leave the card here and you can go out." Li Xuan waved his hand and the aunt left in a hurry.
"I told you this is a disaster!" Qi Boyuan's face turned red with anger, he was shaking, his glasses kept sliding down and then pushed up again, "I'm going to call the police right now..."
He rushed to the door while speaking in a hurry, but suddenly he heard Li Xuan calling him from behind. After a very short silence, he said in a cold tone that was hard to describe: "Just say that Wang Tian caused the plagiarism."
"What do you mean?" Qi Boyuan stopped abruptly and turned around, "Zhao Jizhe stole the company's trade secrets?!"
"Do you have any evidence?"
"Do I have evidence?! You've already sorted out everything, and you ask me if I have evidence?!"
"Neither do I." Li Xuan said calmly.
This is true and also not true.
Wang Tian has the chat records between him and the artist as proof, and Zhao Jizhe did make the deduction here... But what kind of excuse is that
"The police will find evidence!" Qi Boyuan stepped forward and looked directly into Li Xuan's eyes, incredulous. "Regardless of whether they can find it or not, and what the result is... Even if it takes ten days, half a month or even longer to get the result, even if the loss is inevitable, he has to pay the price! What do you mean now? Are you going to let him go?"
Li Xuan lowered his eyes. The calmer his expression, the angrier Qi Boyuan became: "Speak!"
"Bo Yuan..." Chu Tianheng was embarrassed and wanted to persuade him, but he also had an unshirkable responsibility in this matter, and he didn't have much to say. "Li Xuan may have his considerations..."
"What could he be considering?!" Qi Boyuan turned his gun around, "Anything? Tell me!"
Li Xuan looked at his angry expression and said lightly: "Just do as I say. This is the end of it."
Qi Boyuan sneered: "Oh, your consideration is to protect this lunatic?"
Li Xuan's voice was like broken ice in the cold wind: "He is already a dead man in my eyes, why should I care about him?"
The two people were very close to each other. He saw Li Xuan's dark eyes when he said this, reflecting the equally dark snow outside the window, but there was no anger, and it even looked more like relief.
A chill crept up his spine silently, and a possibility that he had never thought of suddenly appeared in Qi Boyuan's mind.
"Bo Yuan, calm down..." This strange silence made Chu Tianheng very uneasy.
"Senior, please go out first." Qi Boyuan's Adam's apple moved, but he still looked at Li Xuan's face, "Li Xuan and I have something to say in private."
Seeing this tense situation, Chu Tianheng was afraid that they would start fighting: "I..."
"It's okay, senior." Li Xuan said, "Go and check if the changes have been made. If they have been made, put them online as soon as possible."
The snow fell heavier and heavier, the heating seemed to be ineffective, and the silence seemed to have become something concrete, making Qi Boyuan feel breathless.
"It's over?" He could only speak to interrupt. "What do you mean it's over? The end of what?"
"Li Xuan, do you always think I'm stupid?" Qi Boyuan pointed at himself and nodded, "Yes, I am stupid... Why did you allow that psychopath to come to the company? Can't you see that he is a disaster? So many things don't make sense, but I have never doubted you! Never!"
He pointed at Li Xuan with his finger shaking unconsciously: "When you were as lonely as a ghost, I was your shadow. Now you still treat me as a fool? Today I finally figured it out. You did it on purpose, Li Xuan, you did it all on purpose! You wanted him to do bad things from the beginning! You knew he would do bad things, so you let him do it! To do bad things for you and for him!"
"Why? Tell me why?" Qi Boyuan roared like an explosion, stepped forward and grabbed Li Xuan's collar, questioning, "Why? Do you owe him a debt and want to atone for it? Did he ruin your business, so you think you are even and you can stop caring about him. Is this what you mean by the end? Nonsense! If you really don't care about him, you should let me sue him now!"
He pressed too hard on the corner of the table, and the not-so-sharp rounded corner caused a dull pain. Qi Boyuan's angry breath sprayed on his face. Li Xuan raised his eyes and smiled indifferently: "Anything else? Go on."
After knowing each other for three years, Qi Boyuan felt that he had completely understood his harshness at this moment. When he made this outrageous guess, he actually wanted to be refuted, but Li Xuan didn't even bother to lie to him. He had his own set of rules and would not let others judge whether he was right or wrong.
"Are you crazy?" Qi Boyuan let go of his hand and looked at Li Xuan, "Does it make sense?"
"Whether it makes sense or not, I have the right to decide."
"Yes, yes." Qi Boyuan could no longer bear it. "You have the right to decide. Your decision is that the company is something you can sacrifice, right? When he involved Sheng Min, you felt the pain and drove him away. After all, that is your sweetheart and you can't touch her! Now, after all the twists and turns, the disaster has finally come to the company. Are you still very proud? You feel very comfortable, right?"
Qi Boyuan was so angry that the whites of his eyes turned red, and he was relying on this anger to keep confronting him.
This was not entirely Li Xuan's original intention, but it was also difficult for him to deny it at the moment.
What is the South Wall
From the moment he agreed to let Zhao Jizhe come, he had also thought about this question.
No results.
It's himself, the company, and everything he doesn't care about except Sheng Min.
There was no point, of course not, Li Xuan knew this better than anyone. But Zhao Jizhe was a madman, and he had been mad for too long, making the whole thing paranoid.
That day in the hospital, Li Xuan really wanted to kill him for a moment, but he couldn't kill him, nor could he drive him away. He was the sequelae of the orphanage's dirty past, and he followed him like a shadow.
The evil consequences were sown many years ago, and it was not Li Xuan who pushed down the first domino, so he could not support it and could only allow all to collapse.
It was so bad that Zhao Jizhe had no excuse or place to stay.
Admittedly, this was never the best solution, but it was a meaningless and even self-destructive decision that made him so tired and disgusted that he would rather perish together with his enemies.
Li Xuan moved his lips slightly, but Qi Boyuan couldn't hear anything at the moment and stopped him firmly.
In fact, Li Xuan had nothing to say.
Or an excuse
He wasn't that cold.
The bomb had to explode wherever it was, and he was waiting for it to explode soon. Putting it within sight was one of the few options among all the worst options.
He was prepared to suffer losses to the company, but he also thought about controlling the impact. However, once he started, he could not control every link.
What is undeniable is that today's outcome is indeed one of the worst results expected.
Moreover, no matter who you ask, this sacrifice must be unnecessary.
After all, it was still a mental illness. Zhao Jizhe's mental illness, could it be gone if Li Xuan didn't allow him to admit it? Who could he tell about his mental illness
Now that the south wall has been broken, it is impossible to judge whether the burning of Lan Ai and Ai is the end, because there is no standard.
Yes or no is just a matter of thought.
So what Qi Boyuan said was right. There was nothing wrong with being angry, and there was nothing wrong with scolding him for getting what he wanted. He did choose to treat the company as something expendable.
"Don't explain, don't tell me the reason, I don't deserve to know and I really don't want to know." Qi Boyuan was also tired of venting, and shook his head in boredom, "It doesn't matter what's wrong with you, you want to use my hard work to fill it. I won't agree. Even if you kill his entire family, you can pay with your life! Don't drag me to be buried with you!"
After saying this, Li Xuan's expression finally showed a slight change: "Are you serious?"
"Yes." Qi Boyuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand in a gesture of surrender. "You are a genius, I still admit it now, but I don't want to live in fear for even a day. If you take down the game today, will you shut down the company tomorrow? The day after tomorrow, we will all die together. You are too stubborn, Li Xuan. Do you think everyone has to put up with you? I won't keep you company."
Li Xuan stared at him for a few seconds, and this time the person who remained silent became Qi Boyuan.
In fact, Qi Boyuan knew very well that the root cause of the problems the company was facing now was not Zhao Jizhe. He was just an insignificant booster who could be completely replaced. It was Li Mingge who wanted to force Li Xuan. If this way was blocked, he would find another way, if not today then tomorrow.
Zhao Jizhe is just a representative of the troubles that Li Xuan faces, but Qi Boyuan can't swallow this.
Li Xuan felt that he could understand. He knew Qi Boyuan, just as Qi Boyuan knew him. So he couldn't do much to persuade him to stay. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and smoked one before asking, "Do you want to break up?"
"Yes." Qi Boyuan turned his head to the side.
Li Xuan put out the cigarette butt on the can and said "OK" after a long time.
"You have shares in the company. Since we are going to disband, I will give you the money later..."
"No need. You've never treated me unfairly in terms of money. You've never asked me to pay back the money I borrowed from you. There's no boss more generous than you. That's enough." After a while, Qi Boyuan laughed mockingly, "If you think there's still more, just consider it a gift from me. Buy some wreaths and paper money and fold two gold ingots and bury the company tomorrow. After all, it was you who stayed up all night and typed out line after line of code. If you don't feel bad, give it a dignified burial."
He opened the door and went out, probably to his office to pack up, because soon outside the door, the employees' frightened voices began to ask questions. They didn't dare to address each other as usual, and everyone was very respectful: "Boss Qi, what are you doing..."
From the sound, it was Chu Tianheng who went in to persuade him. It was hard to hear clearly because they were two doors apart, but he definitely failed to persuade him, because he rushed in again to find Li Xuan: "Why did you get to the point of leaving? Li Xuan..."
Li Xuan looked at the ceiling without saying anything. Qi Boyuan had packed up his cardboard box and placed his office card on the table in the reception area of the lobby.
In just one day, the employees in this room saw their game being taken off the shelves, secrets being leaked, and then the plot fast-forwarded to the second-in-command leaving. All of them were stunned and looked at Qi Boyuan like cabbages hit by frost.
But the latter did not make any explanation. He just looked at the Yuanyi logo on the wall for a few seconds and left happily without saying a word.
Those who stayed behind looked at each other in bewilderment, with only the buzzing sound of the computer host running filling the air.
I didn’t know what to do for a moment. The documents or programming interfaces on the screens were still lit, but with what happened to "Void Island", the original update content could no longer be completed.
He could only ask the artists who had just entered to ask about the situation, or keep snooping into Li Xuan's office.
But the door was quickly closed, and it turned out to be Chu Tianheng - that door seemed to be Pandora's box. Every time it was opened and closed today, different bad news was released.
"Is Tomonahara coming back?"
"What did he tell you?" Li Xuan asked softly.
"Just say it's boring and you don't want to do it anymore." Chu Tianheng tried to persuade him for a long time, but every time he said it, he was blocked. It was not easy to tell Li Xuan. "I asked him what his plans were going to be, and he said he hadn't thought about it yet. Maybe he would go out to study before the application season is over."
This is very much like Qi Boyuan's style. Li Xuan hummed indifferently, took a bottle of soda water, took a sip, then remembered that this box was bought by Qi Boyuan, so he put it down again.
“Have you finished revising and put it online?”
Chu Tianheng originally wanted to say that if Li Xuan said a few soft words and persuaded Qi Boyuan, he might change his mind, but he didn't expect Li Xuan to change the subject so quickly. He was stunned: "It's all taken care of."
"Okay, senior, you should go out first."
Li Xuan's emotions and voice were too calm to the point of being impeccable, which made Chu Tianheng feel a little uneasy.
"Anything else?" Li Xuan asked.
Chu Tianheng hesitated for a moment: "Li Xuan, I..."
"You want to leave too?" Li Xuan raised his eyes slightly.
Chu Tianheng pursed his lips and said, "It was the people I led who had the problem. The plan and the code were also lost from me. I have an unshirkable responsibility. If I had listened to you and fired Wang Tian earlier, or if I had been more careful when Bo Yuan reminded me at that time, it wouldn't have turned into the current situation... I have worked for so many years and I have some savings, which is my compensation..."
He took out a card, and Li Xuan raised his hand to stop him: "Senior. If you want to find a better way out because of the current situation of the company, I won't keep you."
"Of course not!" Chu Tianheng denied it flatly, but couldn't help but smile bitterly, "You said that these things are inseparable from me, and it makes sense that I am the traitor."
"Employ people with confidence, and don't employ them if you don't trust them. I know your character very well." Li Xuan said calmly, "There is nothing you need to be responsible for. If there is no Wang Tian, there will be someone else. If the things don't leak out from you, they will find other ways."
He raised his head and actually smiled: "This incident was directed at me, and the rest of you, including you, are all innocent. Don't worry too much, I won't hold you responsible, there won't be a next time. If you don't want to leave for other reasons, then you should continue to do what you should do. Once Qi Boyuan leaves, I won't be able to find anyone to take over his work for the time being. I will take on part of it myself, and I'll have to ask you to take care of the rest."
"That's what should happen. I'll take care of it."
Li Xuan lowered his eyes again and thought for a while: "This time it's a little troublesome. If any employee wants to resign, there is no need to force them to stay. Just pay their salary, issue a resignation certificate and let them go. For those who are willing to stay, this month's salary will still be paid."
"Okay." Chu Tianheng agreed.
"Nothing else." Li Xuan looked at his watch. It was almost two o'clock. "I'm afraid that everyone will be distracted from work today."
"Some of the work on hand now is temporarily..."
"I know." Li Xuan looked calm. "Let's leave work early today. It's pointless to spend the whole afternoon here. Come back tomorrow as usual. I've figured out the follow-up work and the update of One Corner tonight. Let's have a short meeting tomorrow."
"I'll go to the police station later about Wang Tian's matter." Chu Tianheng said carefully, "Just talking about him, right?"
Li Xuan nodded: "Yes. Senior, I want to be alone for a while. When you are done, you can go home directly without coming in to tell me."
After a brief commotion outside the door, it gradually quieted down. There was no light on in the house. The snow was falling harder and harder, and the day was like night. Only the light from the hall shone through the crack in the door, and then the faint light dimmed, and everyone left.
Li Xuan stretched his numb legs, sat back in front of the computer, and finished writing the program.
The long-lost feeling of fatigue slowly came over him, like being wrapped in wet cotton wool, heavy and hard to breathe. His stomachache had made him numb after a long time, so he drank half a cup of warm water and fell asleep while leaning against the chair.
In his dream, he saw the fire of that night again. The blazing flames seemed to break through the sky and spread over the dry grass. When the flames were about to lick his ankles and pull him into the ashes, a cloud passed by and rain fell.
Li Xuan opened his eyes and saw Sheng Min's clear eyes.
Without asking why he was here, he just slowly tightened his grip on Sheng Min's hand until their fingers were intertwined, confirming that this wasn't another dream: "How long have you been here?"
"Just arrived." Sheng Min said softly.
He hummed, and put his other hand around Sheng Min's waist, leaning over and burying his head in his abdomen, extremely attached and yet rare in his vulnerability.
Sheng Min looked at the whorl of hair on his head, touched his temples, and let Li Xuan hug him for a long time: "Go home?"
Li Xuan's voice was a little hoarse: "You drive, I want to sleep for a while."
"good."
"I want to drink raw fish porridge."
"I'll go home and cook for you."
"Sheng Min." He called his name again.
"Um?"
Li Xuan looked at him, smiled, and said very softly and slowly: "Before you came, I missed you very much."
"I miss you too." Sheng Min answered him gently, holding his face with one hand, bending down slightly, and kissing him.