Wang Can tried to avoid but couldn’t.
“Director Meng, since this project was personally approved by President Zheng, we must cooperate well in the future,” Qian Wei smiled at Meng Chu.
It was clear Qian Wei had become quite courteous after Zheng Qifeng’s word.
He now showed a relentless attitude to make this project succeed.
Even Gu Ting wasn’t angry at him anymore.
Clearly, as long as interests aligned, even big conflicts could be easily resolved.
Meng Chu nodded perfunctorily, but her gaze lingered on Wang Can.
She kept her head lowered, as if shrouded in a shadow.
A few days later, when Meng Chu went to Linjiang Group again, Qian Wei’s assistant had changed.
During a break, Meng Chu casually asked, “Where’s Wang Can?”
Unexpectedly, Qian Wei just smiled, “She resigned. With such a great workplace atmosphere and benefits at Linjiang Group, she just couldn’t hold on. Must be that young people can’t handle pressure these days.”
Meng Chu smiled wryly but said nothing.
After leaving, she couldn’t explain why, but she eventually called Wang Can.
At a coffee shop, Wang Can, dressed simply, looked up at her across the table with confusion in her eyes.
Meng Chu said, “I heard you resigned?”
Wang Can nodded, speaking softly, “I’m preparing to return home. Shanghai really isn’t a fit for me.”
“Is it because of Qian Wei?” Meng Chu asked quietly.
Wang Can suddenly looked up sharply.
In that moment, they both saw clear understanding in each other’s eyes.
“Qian Wei treats everyone like this. It’s normal in the workplace. As long as you follow him properly, there’s a bright future. I…” Wang Can covered her face with her hands, “But I still can’t. I thought I could grit my teeth and endure it.”
“Nonsense,” Meng Chu said sharply.
Looking at her, Meng Chu said, “Don’t listen to his crap. Sure, some men use such exchanges to gain benefits, but what he did to you was workplace harassment.”
Wang Can was surprised that Meng Chu was the first person to say that to her.
“Thank you, Director Meng,” Wang Can said, her voice choking.
Meng Chu saw tears glistening in her eyes and seemed to make a decision.
She took a U Drive from her bag and gently placed it on the table, sliding it toward Wang Can.
“I didn’t give this to you before because I didn’t want you to misunderstand—that I wanted to use you to bring down Qian Wei,” Meng Chu said softly.
Wang Can looked at her, puzzled.
Meng Chu continued, “This is the video evidence from that dinner, when he harassed you outside the restroom.”
“So it was you who caused the commotion that day,” Wang Can suddenly realized.
“Now I’m giving this to you. How you handle it is up to you.”
Meng Chu’s tone was firm yet gentle.
Wang Can looked down at the U Drive in front of her.
The tears that had been held back now fell drop by drop.
“Why are you helping me?” Wang Can asked, voice trembling.
She had already resigned, and the Xingyuan Technology project was still under Qian Wei’s control.
They should have shared common interests.
Wang Can couldn’t understand why Meng Chu was helping her—they had no connection.
Meng Chu looked at her seriously. “I just don’t want your memories of this place to be filled with doubt and pain when you leave. And I don’t want you to blame yourself for this.”
Why was she the one being harassed, not someone else?
Many women instinctively think this when facing workplace harassment.
Or they wonder if there’s some hidden reason behind it.
Wang Can was actually quite fragile, otherwise she wouldn’t have resigned instead of reporting Qian Wei.
She said softly, “Qian Wei always acts very secretly. He often touches me but never says anything that can be used against him. Even our chat logs seem normal.”
So she endured secret, rampant harassment.
Even if she wanted to speak up, she had no evidence.
She originally thought that just keeping her distance would be enough—that she could go back home and forget everything about here.
But she never expected that in the end, it was someone she barely knew—Meng Chu—who helped her.
“You just said that such things are normal in the workplace. They aren’t. At least the rules of this world shouldn’t be like that. At least the rules we face shouldn’t be like that.”
Meng Chu’s voice was calm but full of boundless strength.
–
A few days later, Gu Ting called Meng Chu into his office.
He looked anxious and directly asked, “Have you been informed by Linjiang Group?”
“What?” Meng Chu was confused.
Gu Ting said, “That Qian Wei was reported by his former assistant for workplace harassment. He’s been suspended. You’ve been working with him, but how come you haven’t heard anything?”
Meng Chu’s tone was calm. “Do you think if he were really suspended, he would tell me voluntarily?”
She glanced at Gu Ting, surprised by how well informed he was.
Wang Can had finally reported Qian Wei.
“How could such a thing happen at this critical moment?” Gu Ting was annoyed. “He’s the project leader. If something happens to him, won’t it affect our project?”
Meng Chu remained calm. “I don’t think so. Getting rid of such a parasite might even be good.”
Gu Ting paused, then squinted at her.
He unbuttoned his suit jacket and said quietly, “Meng Chu, tell me honestly. Does this have anything to do with you?”
Meng Chu feigned ignorance. “Why do you think that?”
Gu Ting looked at her deeply. “Since this matter started, your face hasn’t shown any surprise, even a hint. Instead, you look almost relieved. You’re not shocked at all.”
“You’ve dealt with Qian Wei for so long. You think you wouldn’t know what kind of person he is?” Meng Chu scoffed.
She said calmly, “It took Linjiang Group this long to get a complaint and suspend him. I think it’s way overdue.”
“Have you thought about the impact this will have on our project?” Gu Ting frowned.
Meng Chu said, “Qian Wei isn’t important. If he leaves, it’s just a replacement. Zheng Qifeng has approved it. How could one Qian Wei affect our project?”
“So be honest with me: does this have anything to do with you?” Gu Ting stared at her.
Meng Chu didn’t answer.
Gu Ting’s face darkened. “Do you know who’s backing Qian Wei? You think this little trouble is unknown within Linjiang Group? That’s because someone is protecting him.”
“What did you do?” Gu Ting demanded.
At this point, Meng Chu didn’t want to lie.
She looked at Gu Ting. “I gave Wang Can the evidence.”
“Are you crazy?” Gu Ting shouted, his first big outburst toward Meng Chu.
Meng Chu looked at him calmly. “It’s because I’m not crazy that I did this.”
Gu Ting couldn’t believe it. “What good does this do you? Just because you can’t stand Qian Wei?”
“Isn’t that enough? That bastard deserves to be suspended or even fired.”
“Have you considered the company? Do you know if Wang Can exposes you, what your behavior means? You’d be stabbing the partner in the back. For Linjiang Group, this is a scandal. You think exposing this helps?”
Gu Ting was furious. “No! After Qian Wei leaves, who in Linjiang Group would want to take over our project? Who wants to work with someone who can stab partners anytime?”
“If this goes public or spreads online, do you understand the consequences?”
Meng Chu stared at him, unwavering. “So I should just turn a blind eye?”
“Yes, you should. Before you act righteously, think about Xingyuan. Think about the company’s 100+ employees. Think about their families. You know better than anyone how fragile Xingyuan is now. You can’t just do this for your own satisfaction.”
Gu Ting was completely exasperated.
Meng Chu stood stubbornly and finally met Gu Ting’s gaze calmly.
“Gu Ting, look at yourself. Are you still the same Gu Ting I know? We founded Xingyuan to realize our ambitions and dreams. But if all this is built on ignoring injustice, how are we different from those who treated us the same way?”
“If supporting Xingyuan means giving up our conscience and siding with the dirty, I’d rather never have founded Xingyuan.”
That afternoon, the situation suddenly worsened.
Originally, they thought this would stay inside Linjiang Group without much fuss.
But Wang Can’s PDF report on Qian Wei was leaked online.
Her accusations of Qian Wei’s secret, rampant workplace harassment struck a chord with many.
Netizens commented that workplace harassment often hides in small things: suggestive words, slightly intimate touches.
But when reported, women are often accused of making a fuss.
Fortunately, Linjiang Group quickly issued an announcement.
Qian Wei was suspended and an internal investigation launched.
Naturally, all of Qian Wei’s ongoing work was put on hold.
Gu Ting quickly gathered the technical team, urging everyone not to panic and assuring the project wouldn’t be affected.
Linjiang Group would soon assign a new project leader.
Everyone’s expression was gloomy.
They had just prepared to make great progress, but encountered this.
No one wanted the project to be dragged down.
Gu Ting didn’t say anything to Meng Chu during the meeting but looked at her once when dismissing everyone.
As if to say, “Look, this is the result of what you caused.”
After work, Meng Chu didn’t stay late as usual.
She got in her car and headed straight home.
Throughout the drive, she said nothing.
Even the driver, Liu, felt something was wrong with her mood.
After getting off, Meng Chu went upstairs to her empty apartment.
Her once warm home suddenly felt unbearably hollow.
Gu Ting’s words echoed repeatedly in her mind.
Though she knew he was wrong, she still fell into self-doubt.
–
Meanwhile, at the airport, Cheng Jinyu sat in the VIP Lounge.
Wu Shan suddenly approached.
“President Cheng, look at this,” Wu Shan handed him a tablet.
Cheng Jinyu looked down, then said, “Linjiang Group’s Qian Wei?”
Wu Shan replied, “It should be the Qian Wei you asked me to investigate. I also contacted his former female colleagues. They all confirmed his misconduct.”
Cheng Jinyu frowned, then said coldly, “Do you believe they would come forward against that Qian Wei?”
Wu Shan was stunned.
Cheng Jinyu looked at her. “Do you think I’m meddling unnecessarily?”
Wu Shan quickly shook her head.
“There should always be someone doing the right thing,” Cheng Jinyu said firmly.
Just then, his phone on the table rang—it was Meng Chu calling.
“Hello,” Cheng Jinyu answered.
Seeing him take the call, Wu Shan left and returned to her seat.
After a long silence, Cheng Jinyu asked worriedly, “Meng Chu, what’s wrong?”
Meng Chu finally spoke. “Nothing really, just suddenly wanted to talk.”
Cheng Jinyu chuckled softly. “Thank you for thinking of me first.”
Meng Chu seemed affected by his smile but quickly fell silent again.
“If you do something right but it causes a chain reaction with bad consequences…” Her voice sounded strained, as if every word was forced from her throat.
At that moment, the VIP Lounge announcement sounded.
Passengers bound for Chengdu were asked to board immediately.
Meng Chu suddenly realized, “You’re at the airport? Going on a business trip?”
“Mm,” Cheng Jinyu answered, then said, “It’s fine. You can talk to me as much as you want. I have plenty of time.”
“Forget it. No need,” Meng Chu said quietly. “You’re busy. I’m fine.”
Before Cheng Jinyu could say anything, the call ended with a busy tone.
Meng Chu had already hung up.
He looked down at his phone, thinking of what she just said—doing the right thing but triggering unpleasant consequences.
Cheng Jinyu suddenly stood up.
His assistant Yao Zheng looked at him.
“President Cheng, we’re about to board.”
Cheng Jinyu looked at him. “You all fly ahead. Help me reschedule to the earliest flight tomorrow morning.”
Yao Zheng and Wu Shan glanced at him.
It wasn’t just him.
One project team had already flown ahead to Chengdu.
This was a particularly important task; otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent so many personnel.
–
Meng Chu lay on her sofa at home, too lazy even to move her fingers.
The room was pitch dark; she didn’t turn on the lights.
Only a faint light seeped through the window from outside.
Until a knock came at the door.
Meng Chu didn’t get up, thinking it was the neighbor.
So she ignored it, but the knocking persisted.
This time, she was sure someone was knocking at her door.
Though she didn’t expect anyone at this hour, the persistent knocking made her get up and open the door.
When the door opened, the hallway sensor light turned on, illuminating the man standing outside.
Cheng Jinyu appeared suddenly at her doorstep, looking hurried.
Meng Chu was shocked. “Weren’t you at the airport, going on a business trip?”
“Because I have something more important than a business trip to do,” Cheng Jinyu said, looking at her.
At that moment, Meng Chu’s heart softened completely.
She understood why he was here.
Cheng Jinyu’s gaze fell on her as he softly said, “You asked me if doing something right could still bring bad consequences.”
“What I want to tell you is, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
The heavy cloud of frustration in Meng Chu’s heart seemed to open a faint crack.
She could breathe again.
But Cheng Jinyu took a step forward.
In her stunned silence, he gently cupped her face.
He lifted her chin slightly, making her look at him.
“Meng Chu, you simply insisted on something more important than profit.”