blueteamnovel Chapter 86 There's a Spy in the Team
Chapter 86 There's a Spy in the Team
Chapter 86 There's a Spy in the Team (3k views, please subscribe)
"New Oriental Postgraduate Entrance Exam Preparation wishes every candidate the best of luck and success in the exam! Good luck!"
After listening to the last cramming session of the New Oriental postgraduate entrance exam preparation class, Geng Zhi's mind was still filled with the key points of the exam. He had already hopped on his bicycle and sped off to Jiaotong University's Science and Technology Park.
At 1:40 PM, outside office 401, Building 1, Jiaotong University Science and Technology Innovation Park.
Li Li, dressed in a sharp business suit and with exquisite makeup, stood at the door, feeling a little conflicted.
She was unsure whether to knock on the door now, using the excuse of arriving early to investigate the office's internal situation, or to remain still.
Li Li felt a lot of pressure during this trip to Shanghai.
The boss, Mu Yan, gave a very clear task: to win over Geng Zhi and the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" team as soon as possible.
The last time she tried to meet with Geng Zhi, it was delayed for two whole days, and she already got a scolding. Later, she heard that Geng Zhi was in contact with Century Family Network, which put her under even more pressure.
Every minute of delay could mean a change in circumstances.
Just as she made up her mind to knock on the door—with a creak, the door was pulled open from the inside.
Yang Mingxia and Du Yujiao came out carrying two basins of fruit to be washed, chatting and laughing, and almost bumped into her.
Du Yujiao reacted quickly, sizing up the formally dressed, capable-looking stranger before her, and politely asked, "Hello, who are you looking for?"
Seeing that there were two girls, Li Li felt a little relieved, thinking it would be easier to get information out of them, so she gave a professional smile and asked, "Hello, is this the office of the 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker'?"
"May I ask who you are?" Du Yujiao did not answer directly, but first confirmed the other party's identity.
Yang Mingxia, who was standing next to her, didn't say anything, but her gaze lingered on Li Li's face for several seconds, and the more she looked, the more familiar she seemed.
Her mind raced, and suddenly a picture popped into her mind: the sign-in table at the first "If You Are the One" event of Lions Club, the figure of the person who impersonated Wang Qinqin and then awkwardly slipped away after being exposed!
That's her!
Last time they impersonated a participant to blend in, this time they've come all the way to the office?
A slight alarm bell rang in Yang Mingxia's mind; she was certain this person was a spy sent by a competitor to gather intelligence. However, she showed no sign of it on her face, simply observing quietly.
"Hello, I'm here to see your General Manager Geng, the straightforward one." Li Li still avoided answering who she was, and directly brought up Geng Zhi.
Upon hearing this, Yang Mingxia understood completely.
Li Haipeng mentioned this morning that he and his boss would be meeting with Li Li, the marketing director of Baihe.com, this afternoon. It seems this person in front of us is the one we're talking about.
"Are you General Manager Li from Baihe.com?" Yang Mingxia greeted him with a warm yet respectful smile.
Li Li was slightly taken aback, not expecting her identity to be exposed so directly. She could only nod and say, "Yes, that's right—I have an appointment with your President Geng and President Li to discuss cooperation."
She still didn't recognize Yang Mingxia as the girl who had signed in at the registration desk.
As she spoke, Li Li took a slight step, intending to walk into the office.
"Mr. Li, the meeting room is downstairs; it'll be quieter there."
Yang Mingxia reacted quickly, and as she spoke, she naturally closed the door she had just opened by half a step, turning to Du Yujiao and gesturing, "Sister Jiao, could you please take General Manager Li to the public conference room on the first floor?"
Du Yujiao was a smart woman. As soon as she saw Yang Mingxia's attitude and actions, she immediately realized that this General Manager Li probably had ulterior motives.
She immediately smiled and stepped aside to lead the way: "Mr. Li, this way please, I'll take you there."
Li Li felt a little annoyed, but she couldn't force her way in, so she could only nod and follow Du Yujiao toward the stairs.
After seeing them off, Yang Mingxia immediately turned around and went back to office 401.
"Brother Peng, Li Li from Baihe.com is here. Sister Jiao took her to the conference room on the first floor." She said to Li Haipeng, who was engrossed in writing an email to the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park Union.
"Oh? You're here so early?" Li Haipeng glanced at the time. "The boss said he's on his way and should be here soon."
"Brother Peng, I think this guy is a bit dishonest." Yang Mingxia was about to elaborate when the office door was pushed open again, and Geng Zhi walked in.
Yang Mingxia then briefly recounted to Geng Zhi and Li Haipeng Li Li's previous impersonation of Wang Qinqin and her attempt to enter the office to investigate earlier that day.
"Oh ho!" Li Haipeng was initially a little surprised. "So President Mu had his eye on us so early? He seems to value us quite a bit!"
His expression immediately darkened: "However, this method of doing things is really unprofessional. Spying, impersonation—very Baihe style."
"Mingxia has done another great service." Geng Zhi gave Yang Mingxia a thumbs up and was about to speak when Du Yujiao pushed the door open and came back.
"Boss," Du Yujiao said, pursing her lips, "I've settled that General Manager Li in the conference room. I just poured her a glass of water, and she's only been sitting down for two minutes when she started trying to get information out of me, asking how many people are in our team and what their qualifications are."
"Oh? Did you tell her, Sister Jiao?" Yang Mingxia asked anxiously.
"I'm such an honest person, if someone asks, how can I not tell them?" Du Yujiao shrugged and spread her hands with a sincere expression.
"Huh?? Sister Jiao, you're so confused! What did you say?" Yang Mingxia exclaimed in surprise, sighing and rubbing her forehead.
"I told her, 'Our Jiaotong University matchmaking service,' right now has less than a hundred full-time employees." Du Yujiao blinked.
"Pfft—" Yang Mingxia was the first to burst out laughing.
Immediately afterwards, Geng Zhi, Li Haipeng, Sun Xiaowen, Shu Beibei, Zhao Jie, Zhang Xinxin and others also burst into laughter.
"Sister Jiao, that's such a wonderful truth," Shu Beibei said with a smile.
After the laughter subsided, Yang Mingxia was still a little puzzled: "But why did she keep trying to find out about our internal situation? Couldn't we just talk about cooperation directly?"
"This just shows that Baihe.com is determined to acquire us, and they've been researching us for a long time," Shu Beibei analyzed.
"Beibei is right." Li Haipeng nodded, then looked at Geng Zhi with a serious expression. "It seems the boss's previous judgment was correct. I now think that Baihe.com is at least 70% willing to acquire us."
"Acquisition? Baihe.com wants to acquire our Jiaotong University matchmaking service?" Shu Beibei subconsciously raised her voice.
Yang Mingxia, Sun Xiaowen, Zhang Xinxin and the others all turned their attention to him. They first looked at Li Haipeng in surprise, and then their gazes fell on Geng Zhi.
Zhang Xinxin, in particular, had a very complicated expression, even with a hint of excitement.
"Capital wants to invest, industry giants want to acquire us," Geng Zhi said, seizing the opportunity to boost morale as he met everyone's gaze. "This only proves one thing: we're good enough, and our value is great enough. Right?"
"Yes!" the crowd shouted in unison, their morale soaring.
Geng Zhi turned to Li Haipeng and made a last-minute decision: "Mr. Li, I've changed my mind. You go see Li Li alone later. Just tell her I have an urgent financing meeting with investors and can't get away."
He paused, then continued, "Also, have her pass on a message to Mu Yan: My name is Geng Zhi (meaning straightforward), and I like to do things directly. I welcome cooperation; but I won't play mind games."
Li Haipeng pondered the weight of those words and asked again, "If she presses for details about which investment institution we're talking to, should I simply brush her off, or—reveal something else?"
After going through several negotiations with Geng Zhi, Li Haipeng gradually grasped the essence of "all's fair in war".
Geng Zhi chuckled, "If she presses you, you can accidentally let slip the name of Zhu Xiaohu from Jinshajiang."
Li Haipeng's eyes lit up: "Understood! Boss, I know what to do. I'll go meet this General Manager Li right now."
The two walked out of office 401 one after the other. In the quiet corridor, Geng Zhi called out to Li Haipeng again.
"President Li, Li Li will definitely use Baihe.com's platform, resources, and experience to pressure you, making grand promises while belittling our space for independent development."
He whispered his advice: "Remember this principle: no matter what price she asks for, you should multiply it by at least ten times. Be firm and don't give in easily."
"Ten times?" Li Haipeng subconsciously took a breath, then nodded emphatically, "Understood, boss."
Geng Zhi quickly added a few negotiation strategies: how to "raise the bar" to establish a psychological advantage, how to "create competition" to imply that we have no shortage of choices, and how to "flex our muscles" to show our unique value.
"Also, you can play the role of a straightforward, somewhat impulsive, and easily angered co-founder. Sometimes this can actually make the other party unable to figure you out."
Li Haipeng's eyes lit up, and he clicked his tongue repeatedly, "Holy crap! Boss, that's brilliant! This combination of moves is definitely going to give her a run for her money!"
Li Haipeng went downstairs full of fighting spirit. Geng Zhi planned to leave via the other staircase and return to the library to continue his final preparations for the exam.
He had just reached the top of the stairs when Shu Beibei caught up from behind, her expression somewhat serious.
"Boss, something's up." She lowered her voice. "Several long-time users just told me that someone from 'Fudan Matchmaker' has somehow added them on QQ and invited them to participate in an event."
Geng Zhi frowned slightly: "Have we leaked the participants' QQ numbers through any public channels?"
"Absolutely not," Shu Beibei affirmed. "Ever since you emphasized user privacy, all participants' contact information has been kept strictly confidential. Only about ten people on our core team have the authority to view it."
Seeing Geng Zhi remain silent, Shu Beibei continued to voice her suspicions: "Also, some of the activity details and creative ideas we discussed internally seemed to have been quickly followed up by 'Fudan Matchmaker'. I initially thought it was a coincidence, or a clash of ideas—but now, considering the leaked QQ number, I feel it's not that simple."
"What's your opinion?" Geng Zhi looked at her.
"I suspect—there might be some problem within our organization," Shu Beibei whispered, analyzing the situation.
"I understand," Geng Zhi said, then fell into a brief silence.
He looked out the window into the hallway through the light and knew that the real undercurrents of business warfare had begun to stir.
Seeing that Geng Zhi remained silent for a long time, Shu Beibei couldn't help but ask, "Boss, what do we do next? Should we conduct an internal investigation?"
Geng Zhi withdrew his gaze, looked at Shu Beibei seriously, and instructed her: "Beibei, what you need to do now is to stay calm."
Do not mention this suspicion to anyone, do not test any colleagues without reason, and do not conduct any private investigations.
He paused, then continued, "Leave this to me. Just pretend you don't know anything, and act as usual."
"Okay, boss! I understand!" Shu Beibei took a deep breath, nodded vigorously, and turned to quickly return to her office.
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