“G-General Manager, in the last quarter alone, for this specific development project, three different names paid down payments using almost identical base prices,” Que Tang said hesitantly, pointing to several names she had circled in red on the spreadsheet.
Halfway through organizing the documents last night, Lan Mi had insisted on driving her home, claiming it was too late. Once they arrived, she used politeness as an excuse to come inside for tea—and drank an entire liter of it before finally agreeing to leave.
When Que Tang arrived at work this morning and entered the office, she stared in bewilderment at the corner where her desk used to be. It was now occupied by the sofa originally kept in the General Manager’s office for receiving guests. Then, she heard Lan Mi calling her into the inner office. Que Tang entered with her guard up, only to see her familiar desk tucked away in the corner of Lan Mi’s private space.
“G-General Manager, why was my desk moved in here…?” Que Tang asked timidly from the doorway.
Lan Mi raised an eyebrow at Que Tang’s nervous expression and replied solemnly, “You are aware that the matter we are currently investigating is highly confidential. You’ve already gathered so much data; to prevent anyone from seeing it and ruining our efforts, I had your desk moved in. From now on, you will work with me here in the General Manager’s office.”
The reasoning was so sound that Que Tang was left speechless.
Suddenly, Lan Mi stood up and walked over to her. She reached past Que Tang with her left hand to close the door, pinning her between the partition and herself. “Besides… don’t you want to be alone with me?” Her lips brushed teasingly against Que Tang’s before she pulled away with a light laugh and returned to her seat.
Que Tang trembled as she wondered: *Am I about to become the lead in some ‘Office.avi’?*
*Would I have to ask for my face to be pixelated? Or wear a mask?* She imagined a video titled *“Shocking! SOD’s Annual Yuri Special! Office Lady Suit Seduction,”* with her stage name, “Sugar-Free,” listed as the lead…
“Que Tang, aren’t you going to open the door? Or would you prefer to keep it closed?” Lan Mi asked with a smile.
Que Tang immediately pulled the door open and returned to her desk to work with a deadpan expression.
So many heart-pounding things had happened that morning that Que Tang remained shaken. She stood before the General Manager’s desk to report, cautious and careful not to overstep a single boundary.
“The lowest transaction price for this development is four million. Based on a minimum down payment of twenty-five percent, it only takes one million to close the deal. Furthermore, there are cases of over-reporting in the Sales Department’s entertainment expenses.” Que Tang presented another report. “This is the Procurement Department’s expense breakdown from the last quarter. Several construction materials highlighted in neon have seen international price increases this year, but the margin should only be between one and two percent. However, after we switched to a new supplier, the price jumped by a full ten percent, yet the Procurement Department passed it without objection.”
Lan Mi took the report, her expression unreadable as she scanned the numbers, making it impossible to guess her true thoughts.
“And these expenses happen to closely match the amounts of several down payments…” After whispering her conclusion, Que Tang tried to shrink into the background like a ghost to reduce her presence.
It was hard to imagine a company having so many "internal ghosts." The most suspicious coincidence was that all of this began in the middle of last year. She instinctively wanted to call out Little Mushroom to ask about the plot, only to remember that the useless cat had gone back to update its "Meow Snack Library v3.2."
*If I don’t beat you to death when you get back, my name isn’t Que!* Que Tang thought viciously.
“I didn’t expect so many rats in this company. To think that when I first took over, I vowed at the board meeting to lead this company to become the best and largest in the construction industry. Yet, I can’t even manage my own subordinates,” Lan Mi said with a self-deprecating laugh.
“General Manager…” Although the female lead was manipulative and potentially sadistic or unhinged, as a woman of integrity and principles, Que Tang couldn’t bear to see her like this. Dropping her timid act, she leaned slightly over the desk and grabbed both of Lan Mi’s hands. Her eyes were filled with determination. “General Manager, don’t worry. I… I will definitely help you!”
But the moment she saw the smile on Lan Mi’s face as she looked up, Que Tang realized… she had been played. Lan Mi was a "rebirth" character; how could she not have known about this? She had dug her own grave and jumped right in!
Que Tang thought that if Little Mushroom were here, it would surely say: *Host, congratulations, your friend "Intelligence" has finally come online, meow~*
Looking into her assistant’s eyes—so clear they seemed to glow—Lan Mi hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should continue her revenge plan. At the very least, her assistant was on her side now, helping her wholeheartedly, wasn't she?
But when she looked down at the documents, the unceasing rage in her heart flared up again. How could she easily forgive those who had ruined her so miserably in her past life?
She lowered her eyes again and said despondently, “But at least ten million has been siphoned from the company. How am I supposed to fill such a gap?”
“General Manager…” Que Tang tried to pull her hands back, only to find them held in a firm grip. “Can you let go first…?” Her lower back was starting to ache from leaning over.
“Didn’t you just say you would help me? You won’t even lend me your hands to give me a little strength?” Lan Mi countered, refusing to let go.
“…” *So that’s what "helping" means?* Que Tang was speechless. “Then… at least let me walk around to your side. My… my back hurts a bit,” she explained awkwardly.
Even Lan Mi, who was usually an expert at hiding her emotions, almost let her facade crumble because of Que Tang’s antics. *How did I not realize my assistant was this cute in my last life?* She barely maintained her dejected look and nodded.
Que Tang took slow, deliberate steps to the General Manager’s side. Just as she was about to reach out, she found herself pulled onto Lan Mi’s lap in the next second, her face buried against Lan Mi’s chest in a tight embrace.
“G-General Manager!” Que Tang cried out, trying to push her away. *Is the female lead really this much of a scoundrel? Starting an ‘Office.avi’ without any emotional foundation?* She hadn't anticipated this at all.
“Don’t move. Just let me hold you for a moment,” Lan Mi said, her voice tinged with a pitiable sense of loss.
“B-but the door isn’t closed.”
“It’s already closed,” the voice muffled against Que Tang’s chest replied.
Startled, Que Tang looked back and saw that the door was indeed shut. *How is that possible? When did that happen? Has the female lead’s "imagination" power materialized to the point where she can move objects telekinetically?*
“Earlier, the sales assistant brought some documents but saw us talking and didn’t come in. I signaled for her to close the door. You were busy looking through the reports, so you didn’t notice,” Lan Mi explained.
“Oh…” Que Tang breathed a sigh of relief.
“Que Tang, you’re the only one I can trust now…” Lan Mi nuzzled against her chest.
“G-General Manager, don’t say that. I’m just doing my duty,” Que Tang replied, trying to ignore the strange sensations.
“Tang… when this is all over, are you willing to be with me?” Lan Mi called her by her given name intimately, dropping a bombshell.
*No!* Que Tang screamed internally, but her mouth said, “General Manager… you still have Young Master Wanqi by your side…” The arms around her waist suddenly tightened.
“Heh, who do you think arranged for these people to be in my company? It was Wanqi Aotian. She might like me, but what she likes more is this company’s earning potential. She approached me from the start to swallow this company and make it part of her conglomerate.” Lan Mi couldn't control the anger in her heart, her voice turning cold. “Right now, I’m only feigning compliance so as not to alert her. There hasn't been any intimate contact between us for a long time. Her touch only makes me feel disgusted.”
Que Tang remained silent for a while before slowly reaching out to hug Lan Mi back. “General Manager, no matter the outcome, I will always stand by your side.” *This mission… the male lead is trash, the female lead is trash, and now even I have to be a scoundrel against my conscience… Why must humans hurt each other…*
“Que Tang, you must never forget your promise,” Lan Mi said, her expression hidden in Que Tang’s embrace.
After clarifying the flow of funds, they drew up a list and began interviewing every potential participant one by one. However, this was all done secretly, without a word leaking out.
As expected, the moment Lan Mi produced the data, the faces of all the senior executives turned pale. she simply told them: either go to jail, or help her deal with Wanqi Aotian. These people immediately expressed their willingness to help Lan Mi.
From beginning to end, Que Tang sat to the side recording everything without saying a word or offering an opinion.
Once everyone on the list had been interviewed, Lan Mi looked at the dazed Que Tang. Thinking she had been frightened by the methods used over the past few days, Lan Mi walked over and gently hugged her. “Tang, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I’m just a bit tired.” She had been working overtime for over a month and was on the verge of collapse. She decided she had to leave on time today and go to bed early.
Lan Mi looked down at the dark circles under Que Tang’s eyes. With a look of tender affection, before Que Tang could react, she kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, and finally her lips. She released her just as Que Tang’s eyes widened in shock. “Tonight… come to my house?” she asked, her eyes full of deep meaning.
“General Manager… didn’t we agree to discuss the matter between us after everything is settled?” Que Tang neither agreed nor refused, speaking softly. *Are you kidding? I’m not selling my chastity to complete a mission. I’m going home early to shower and sleep!*
Lan Mi hadn't expected such a response. After a brief stun, she said gracefully, “You’re right, Tang… You only make me like you more and more, making it harder to let you go…” She pressed Que Tang against her chest in a tight hug, though her face bore a coldness that contradicted her words.
Pressed against Lan Mi’s chest and nearly suffocating, Que Tang thought indignantly: *Is this a special move used to bully flat-chested girls? How cruel!*
And she really missed Little Mushroom. She finally realized how helpless she was without it. Even though it was a lazy, fat, unreliable pit of a cat, at least it could give her updates on the female lead’s various "lack of integrity" stats. Meow.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
小白文 | Xiao Bai Wen | Literally "White/Simple Text"; refers to cliché, easy-to-read, or "brainless" web novels.
内神 | Internal Ghosts | Refers to "moles" or corrupt insiders (usually "内鬼", here "内神" is used similarly).
激!SOD年度百合特摄!办公室OLの西服诱惑 | Shocking! SOD’s Annual Yuri Special! Office Lady Suit Seduction | A parody of Japanese adult video titles (SOD is a real studio).
缺糖 | Que Tang (Sugar-Free) | A pun on the protagonist's name (Que Tang 阙棠 sounds like "Lacking Sugar" 缺糖).
虚与委蛇 | Feigning Compliance | Idiom: to pretend to be friendly/cooperative while being the opposite.
打草惊蛇 | Startle the snake by beating the grass | Idiom: to inadvertently alert an enemy.
鬼畜 | Guichu | Slang for someone who is demonic, sadistic, or perverse.
丧病 | Sangbing | Short for "insane/frenzied" (丧心病狂); often used to describe extreme or "sick" behavior.
