?Chapter 135: 135 Fatal Blow   Chapter 135: 135 Fatal Blow                                   Although they had worked together for several years, Yi Lixing still felt a chill down his spine when he thought about how He Xing was five or six years his junior.


    Yi Lixing unconsciously straightened his back, unable to maintain the previously feigned rxed demeanor.


    He folded his arms across his chest and mustered the courage to look at He Xing, “Manager He, the He Group allocates several million in public rtions fees every year. You’re not going to tell me you’re unaware of this, are you?”


    A chill swept across He Xing’s face, but his tone became very gentle, “The He Group has never relied on such despicable methods as bribery and corruption. Our public rtions budget is high, yes, but it’s all used for normal businessmunications. In the whole industry, we are thergest, but our public rtions budget is the smallest.”


    “I’ve been the Public Rtions Director at the He Group for several years, Manager He. You can’t fool me with that,” Yi Lixing felt a surge of panic, but his expression remained calm, even showing deliberate disdain as he spoke.


    He Xing suddenly stood up, his hand moving like lightning. Before Yi Lixing realized what was happening, He Xing’s hand was already in the outside pocket of Yi Lixing’s suit, and when it came back, it was clutching something resembling a pen between his index and middle fingers.


    Yi Lixing’s face turned ashen, “Give me back the pen.” He reached out to snatch the pen back but He Xing easily dodged his attempt.


    As He Xing leisurely disassembled the pen, he said with a smile, “Director Yi, I haven’t been unfair to you, have I? Your academic qualifications are not outstanding, and your skills aren’t top-notch. Yet, I let you sit in the director’s position in the Public Rtions Department for so many years. And you? You’ve sold the He Group’s tender documents several times. All I did was dismiss you, but here you are with a recording pen trying to entrap me. You really are a good dog I’ve raised.”


    “What did you say?” Yi Lixing was furious, standing up abruptly with his chest heaving dramatically. It was clear he was in a bad mood, even on the verge ofshing out.


    Suddenly, the voice from the pen emerged, precisely recapping the conversation between He Xing and Yi Lixing they just had.


    Yi Lixing’s face turned from pale to red, and his imposing presence sharply declined. ring at He Xing, it looked as if mes might burst from his eyes.


    He Xing hit the pause button, capped the pen, and, in a conciliatory manner, slid the recording pen into his own pocket, “Director Yi, I find this recorder quite ingenious. Why don’t you give it to me as a gift?”


    “If Manager He fancies it, of course, I have no reason to refuse.” Yi Lixing said through clenched teeth, as if he wanted to shatter them.


    The smile on He Xing’s face grew stronger as he elegantly took a sip of his coffee, “Director Yi, I have two things I’d like you to pass on to Young Master Yang. Would that be convenient for you?”


    At these words, Yi Lixing was stunned into a ridiculous,ical open-mouthed expression. It took him a good while to speak again, but when he did, he asked in a silly tone, “How… how did you find out?”


    “Is it that difficult?” He Xing spread his hands in resignation. “I just had someone follow you for two days, and everything came to light.”


    As soon as there was a problem with the He Group’s project, He Xing immediately suspected sabotage and discreetly arranged for an investigation. Eventually, the target focused on Yi Lixing, who had left thepany a few months earlier.


    The subsequent investigation was straightforward, just a matter of following the trail.


    Yi Lixing’splexion was beyond pale, utterly bloodless. For a moment, his eyes flickered with hesitation, conflict, fierceness, desperation, and then all transformed into pleading, “Manager He, it was a moment of foolishness. Please, a great man doesn’t dwell on the past. Forgive me this once.”


    At this point, Yi Lixing bore no resemnce to the arrogant man who had arrived earlier. From the look of him now, he would agree to kneel on the ground if only He Xing would let him off the hook.


    Disappointment was unmistakable on He Xing’s face. He slowly shook his head, “Even if I, as your master, am benevolent, I wouldn’t like a dog that bites me time and again. Letting you resign was thest chance I gave you. From this moment on, our colleague rtionship is over. Take care of yourself.”


    Having said this, he didn’t linger and left straightaway with his briefcase.


    Liang Tao had been standing at the entrance of the Cafe the entire time. Seeing He Xinge out, he hurriedly took the briefcase with both hands. Both men were around 1.8 meters tall, yet Liang Tao seemed dwarfed in front of He Xing.


    On the way back, Liang Tao drove while He Xing sat in the back seat,posing an email.


    When the car arrived at the He Group, He Xing had just finished drafting the email. He pressed the send button, “Have legal prioritize checking the email I sent for any legal loopholes. If there aren’t any, instruct the Public Rtions Department to send out the email.”


    Liang Tao affirmed with a nod, not daring to say another word.


    He certainly knew the content of the email He Xing mentioned, and he was also well aware that He Xing’s meeting with Yi Lixing that day was a stratagem. That was precisely why he felt more terrified—his back was soaked in cold sweat, and had he not retained a sliver of rationality, he likely wouldn’t have been able to keep the car steady.


    Yi Lixing used to be the Public Rtions Manager, the best at wheeling and dealing within the He Group. He had been very kind to Liang Tao, even more so than to the average manager or director. Because of his kindness, Liang Tao would asionally chat with Yi Lixing.


    Of course, it was always Yi Lixing who initiated the conversations with Liang Tao, who was too shy to refuse.


    Previously, Liang Tao didn’t think much of it. But that day, as he stood outside the Cafe waiting for He Xing, he finally understood some questions he’d never considered before—why Yi Lixing was so kind to him, specifically because he was He Xing’s Assistant, the only assistant.


    Moreover, ever since Yi Lixing left thepany, he always managed to casually bring up questions rted to He Xing in their conversations. Fortunately, Liang Tao genuinely had no sure insight into his unpredictable leader, so each time they touched upon the topic of He Xing, their conversation ended.


    With this realization, Liang Tao didn’t dare dy further. He blocked all of Yi Lixing’s contact information. Not only that, but he also deleted the contact information of all the people who hadpleted their departure procedures from his phone.


    After doing this, he felt much relieved and was finally able to arrange the tasks He Xing had assigned without any mental burden.


    Nobody in the entire group dared to take He Xing’s assignments lightly. Within less than half an hour, the legal department revised the draft, the Public Rtions Department polished it, and finally, the email that caused a small stir in A City’s business circles was sent out.


    This was Yi Lixing’s judgment, and his sentence. It would follow him for the rest of his life.