Volume One, Chapter 16: The Truth Behind the Conspiracy

Tang Yumei took a deep breath, composed herself, and poured wine for both Zhou Yang and herself.

“You must be starving. Let’s eat something first!”

With that, she stood up and began serving Zhou Yang some food.

“Sister Mei, I can serve myself.”

“Why be so formal with me?”

Tang Yumei bent over to serve him, a pearl necklace dangling from her collarbone, swaying just above the table.

In the next moment, a piece of pan-seared foie gras was placed on Zhou Yang’s plate.

“Try it with a drizzle of port wine sauce?”

She ladled some sauce over the foie gras.

“Sister Mei, you’re way too thoughtful!”

Zhou Yang carefully picked up the foie gras and took a bite, then gave a thumbs up. “Delicious.”

“I hired a Michelin five-star chef, of course it’s good!” Tang Yumei said, taking a sip of red wine, leaving a faint lipstick mark on the rim of her glass.

“This Australian M6 steak paired with black truffle is the most flavorful!” Tang Yumei began cutting the steak for Zhou Yang.

The knife glided over the porcelain plate with a soft hiss. She cut a small piece, sprinkled it with sea salt, and fed it to Zhou Yang directly. “Here, try this!”

“Sister Mei, I said I can do it myself!”

“Don’t talk, just eat!”

Tang Yumei fed the steak to Zhou Yang with a fork.

Zhou Yang didn’t hesitate, slurping down the steak and nearly swallowing the fork.

“Mmm, so tender!”

Tang Yumei rested her chin in her hands, her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhou Yang. Hearing him say it was delicious brought her great satisfaction.

“Sister Mei, you should eat too!”

“All right, I’ll try some!” Tang Yumei cut a few pieces for herself and tasted one. “Not bad at all!”

Watching the fork move between Tang Yumei’s lips and teeth stirred a flutter in Zhou Yang’s heart.

That same fork had been used to feed him earlier, and now she used it without any hesitation.

Sister Mei truly didn’t treat me as an outsider!

Amid this intimate atmosphere, Zhou Yang suddenly grew worried.

Because when Xie Feng left, he said he was going to complain to Tang Yumei’s husband.

“Sister Mei, maybe I should move out soon, so your husband doesn’t misunderstand.”

“Why worry about him?” Tang Yumei took a sip of wine. “Zhou Yang, actually my husband works at the same company as you.”

“Ah? Your husband is also at EPS?”

“Yes! He’s the Human Resources Director at EPS, in charge of personnel transfers for the group,” Tang Yumei explained. “He holds a high position and is very busy.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang’s expression turned cold.

“Sister Mei, is his name Xie Yong?”

“Yes, Xie Yong,” Tang Yumei confirmed.

Zhou Yang furrowed his brow.

So it really was him.

Xie Yong, the HR Director who assigned tasks to Xie Hongtao.

In other words, Tang Yumei’s husband, Xie Yong, was the one who ordered Xie Hongtao to seduce his own wife and record compromising videos.

This world was utterly mad.

Zhou Yang hadn’t known about the connection between Xie Yong and Tang Yumei before, so he hadn’t mentioned it to her.

He had planned to investigate at headquarters to understand why Xie Yong was targeting Tang Yumei before deciding whether to inform her.

But now, knowing they were married, it no longer made sense to keep it secret.

“Sister Mei, I have to tell you something. Please don’t be upset,” Zhou Yang said.

“What is it? You’re making it sound so mysterious!” Tang Yumei said softly, resting her chin on her hand and looking at him gently.

“Sister Mei, do you remember before I came to EPS headquarters, I almost quit?”

“Of course I remember!”

“Do you know why I almost left?”

“I asked you back then, but you never told me!” Tang Yumei’s curiosity grew.

Zhou Yang said, “At that time, I secretly received a task from higher-ups… to… get close to you.”

“Oh?” Tang Yumei looked increasingly puzzled. “But you and I got along well already.”

“No, Sister Mei, not in the normal client way,” Zhou Yang hesitated a bit, then said, “They wanted me to develop a romantic relationship with you.”

“Oh my!” Tang Yumei smiled warmly. “Interesting, go on.”

Zhou Yang continued, “Then… to sleep with you… and secretly film the entire thing.”

After saying this, his face flushed red.

Tang Yumei’s delicate brows knit slightly. “So, when you refused, they pressured you to quit, right?”

“Yes,” Zhou Yang nodded.

Tang Yumei said, “Is it that I don’t meet your standards?”

“No, Sister Mei!” Zhou Yang quickly explained. “You’re my client, and you have a family. What they asked me to do would have hurt you.”

Then he pouted, lowering his head. “Besides, I know my own worth. Why would you ever be interested in me?”

Tang Yumei didn’t pursue that topic further. Instead, she asked, “Who are ‘they’? Who gave you this task?”

Zhou Yang replied, “Your husband, Xie Yong.”

“I guessed as much!” Tang Yumei said, unfazed.

She already had her suspicions while asking.

“Sister Mei, I don’t understand. What is your husband trying to do?” Zhou Yang took a sip of wine and grew more talkative.

Tang Yumei smiled faintly. “Xie Yong and I never had feelings for each other. We’ve been married for years but lived apart. The only reason we haven’t divorced is because of the difficulty in dividing our assets.”

“Xie Yong is greedy. He wants all the property. Of course, I won’t give it to him, so he secretly hires people to seduce me, record videos, and create evidence of infidelity during our marriage.”

“With that, if we go to court, the law will favor him, and I’ll be at a disadvantage in property division.”

Zhou Yang slammed the table in anger. “That’s so vicious!”

Tang Yumei smiled resignedly. “That’s nothing. It’s just a small trick. You’re just starting out in society. You’ll meet all sorts of people—many far more cunning than this.”

She raised her glass. “A person has 206 bones, but when clothed, there are a hundred thousand appearances. People are complicated. You’ll have to get used to it.”

Zhou Yang clinked glasses with her and drank in one gulp.

Tang Yumei said, “Thank you for telling me all this. Since Xie Yong is ruthless, don’t blame me for being merciless.”

“Sister Mei, what do you plan to do?” Zhou Yang asked.

“I have a plan that requires your cooperation,” Tang Yumei said.

“Me?” Zhou Yang was astonished. “What can I do?”

“Xie Yong might use you to get close to me. Then I can turn the tables by pretending to sleep with you,” Tang Yumei explained.

“Ah? Sleep with you?” Zhou Yang was stunned.

What kind of trick was this?

As a college student, his mind couldn’t quite wrap around it.

“What ‘ah’?” Tang Yumei tapped Zhou Yang on the head. “It’s acting, understand?”

“Oh!” Zhou Yang nodded, though he felt a little disappointed. Jokingly, he said, “Sister, you’re so good to me, of course I’ll help fully. Even if you really want me to sleep with you, I wouldn’t hesitate!”

“Hahaha, when did you become so smooth-talking?” Tang Yumei laughed, then suddenly looked serious. “Do you really want to sleep with your sister?”