C54

At Nexus International

"Have you heard the news?" Song Xuan asked his son.

Song Liu replied, "Yes father, I have."

Xuan said, "What do you make of this? And what other information do you have on this?"

Song Liu replied, "Nothing. My sources have no other information apart from what is written in the tabloids."

"What I can infer is that I have been blocked by that 'organization' again."

"I've checked Han Xi's background in detail. It is clean and there is nothing strange about it. However, this appointment is sudden. There is something going on but I haven't found anything."

"But one thing is sure that it has something to do with that organization."

Song Liu thought about the past five years. There had been many instances where sudden changes happened in their circle without any reason. Initially, he chalked it all up to coincidences. But later a pattern emerged. It seemed as if there was an invisible hand behind the scenes controlling everything.

Song Liu had the best information network in Cinea. He had many elite hackers, private investigators, and ex-special forces soldiers under his employment. However, he was not able to find any trace of this so-called invisible hand.

He referred to them as 'organization', as he believed that no individual could pull off an operation of this scale.

However, he found some clues about this entity. After investigating for the past five years, he found that this 'organization' had some sort of ties with YLM Enterprise and Zenith. Therefore, he became more interested in any news related to these two corporations. This latest news re-affirmed his inferences about the 'organization'.

However, this was a chance to gather more information about the organization. Han Xi was his cousin. Although he was not close to her, there was no hostility as well. He could develop amicable relations with her and find a way into Zenith with her help.

While he was formulating his plans, he heard his father's voice, "What are you daydreaming about? Your so-called 'organization' is just your conclusion. There is no hard evidence. You better focus on what is real. Investigate if this move will impact our company? And if it does then take suitable countermeasures."

"Father, don't worry, I will handle it. Also, I think I can finally get some tangible evidence on the 'organization'."

After saying so, Liu left the office.

============================================

At MLH-

Bing Xue had just finished assisting an operation. She was going to her office when she got a call from the reception. The receptionist told her that a woman claiming to be her friend was asking for her.

Bing Xue instructed the receptionist to tell the person to wait as she made her way to the reception.

When she reached the reception, she saw a lean and beautiful woman sitting on a chair and reading a fashion magazine. She was wearing a yellow crop top with blue jeans and white sneakers.

Xue looked at her and said, "Ran what are you doing here?"

On hearing Xue's voice, the girl Ran looked up and saw her. She then ran towards Xue and hugged her tightly.

"Xue'er it's really you."

"Bohoooo, I missed you so much….. you are always busy and ignore me…. Bohoooo….."

Qin Ran's fake crying was creating a ruckus and people were looking oddly in their direction.

Bing Xue noticed the strange looks of the crowd. She quickly pushed Ran away from her embrace and said, "Ran don't cause a ruckus here. Let's go to my office, OK."

Qin Ran looked at her and continued, "Bohooo, Xue'er do you not love me anymore...how can you be so heartless…."

The surrounding people had now started whispering. This caused Bing Xue to become cold and stare at Qin Ran.

Qin Ran flinched and thought to herself- 'Did I overdo it?'

She immediately stood straight and greeted her again, "Hello my dear and best friend Bing Xue. How are you doing?"

She then extended her hand for a handshake.

"Pfft...you should have done this in the beginning. Now quietly follow me…" saying so Bing Xue signaled Ran. She then turned and moved towards the elevator.

Qin Ran understood her friend was also putting on a show and was not really angry. She happily followed her and both of them entered the elevator.

When they reached the office, Xue removed her coat and placed it on the sofa. Qin Ran took a seat opposite to her.

"So, my dear friend, how are you? And were you surprised by my arrival?"

Xue replied softly, "I am doing well Ran. Yes, you surprised me but it was a good surprise."

"So, when did you arrive?"

Ran replied, "Today, early morning."

Xue asked, "What about your luggage?"

Ran said, "It's in my hotel room."

Suddenly Xue's voice thundered, "QIN RAN do you want to get beaten up by me? HOTEL…. why the hell did you go to a hotel."

"You should have called me and directly come home."

Ran quickly said, "It's not like that Xue. I just wanted to surprise you. As it was early in the morning, I just decided to check in a hotel temporarily."

"Of course, I will live with you and mooch off you. How can I miss such a beautiful opportunity?"

"HAPPY now."

Xue said, "No, not really. Quickly call the hotel and have them send your luggage to my address."

Ran sighed. Xue had already messaged her address to Ran. Seeing that she had no choice left she called the hotel and asked them to send her luggage to Xue's home.

Ran said, "Satisfied??"

Xue replied, "What satisfied? You should have done this from the beginning."

"Ok, let's talk not talk about such trivial things anymore."

Xue then handed Ran a glass of water and asked, "So, now that you are back, what are your plans?"

Ran took the glass of water and took a huge gulp. She paused for a moment before she spoke, "Of course, the most important is to find a place to live. After that, I will look for a job."

"No need to hurry on finding a house. You can stay at my house for as long as you need. So, take your time." Xue said.

"As for a job. Are you looking for something in particular?"

Qin Ran replied, "Actually I always wanted to work for companies like Nexus International and Wang Industries."

"So, I was thinking of applying to those companies."

"However, my brother Wentian asked me to consider working for YLM Enterprise. However, I am a little hesitant regarding YLM."

Xue's ears perked up when she heard the name 'YLM'. Her mind wandered as she started thinking about Yang Li.

Suddenly she heard a voice.

"Earth to Xue…. Earth to Xue...Xue …wake up… why are you daydreaming girl…."

Xue heard Ran's voice and snapped out of her reverie.

Xue suddenly said, "So, where will you go?"

Ran looked at her suspiciously and said, "Who were you daydreaming about missy?"

Xue averted her gaze and said, "Nothing I'm a little tired. That's all."

She changed the topic and said, "So, why are you hesitant about YLM?"

Ran noticed that she changed the subject but she didn't say anything further.

She said, "You know that my area of expertise is in AI. It's a very niche category. Very few large corporations have a profile suitable for my expertise."

"Currently, Nexus International is the most suitable company for me in Colchis."

"However, the only company which is on par with Nexus is YLM. However, I have a few concerns about the company."

"Firstly, YLM is very mysterious. Nobody knows anything about it. Let alone the owner, even their CEO is mysterious. Their inner workings are unknown. They look shady as hell."

Xue suddenly cried out, "WHAT shady!! Just because they hide it from the public doesn't mean they are shady."

She couldn't help herself. When her best friend maligned her boyfriend's company, she instinctively defended him. It just happened automatically. She was also surprised by her outburst.

Qin Ran was surprised by her friend's response. She said, "OK, chill Xue'er. I was just saying something doesn't add up. Why are you getting so excited?"

"Jeez Xue'er .... Is the owner your boyfriend or something??" she said jokingly.

On hearing her words Xue'er flushed a little.

Qin Ran said, "Nevermind. Secondly, my brother said that he will refer me to YLM as he has a good connection in YLM. However, my brother has never had such powerful connections. You are already aware of our family conditions."

"So, either he is being duped by someone or his connection is not a useful one. Either way, there is something strange about YLM. I don't know. I just do not want to complicate my work life. It is simpler to just work for a company like Nexus. It is the largest in the country and everything is above board."

Xue understood her friend's reasoning. So, she didn't try to convince her to apply to YLM.

She knew that although Ran's assumptions were baseless, from her friend's point of view, her decision was correct. So, she decided not to interfere any further.