Secretly Seducing the Third Female Lead Behind the System’s Back - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Jiang Yisheng Goes Missing

Bai Chu let out a cold laugh and leaned back in her chair, looking at him with disdain. “So whose side are you on?”

Zhang Qiming placed his hands together on the desk. “That’s not something you have the right to ask.”

“Lapdog.”

“What did you say?” Zhang Qiming looked startled, thinking he must have misheard.

“I said, you’re a lapdog,” Bai Chu repeated calmly.

She spoke insults in the most indifferent tone, as if someone like him didn’t even deserve to provoke her emotions.

Zhang Qiming clicked his tongue against the inside of his cheek, gave a cold snort, and nodded. “Say whatever you want. You’re leaving Renyuan soon anyway—curse all you like while you still can.”

“Last night’s incident—was that your doing?” Bai Chu looked down at him condescendingly.

“Last night? Wasn’t it just a company-arranged meeting for a potential partnership? What’s there to arrange?” Zhang Qiming played dumb, pretending not to understand.

“Partnership?” Bai Chu tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “So now that I didn’t close that deal, are you disappointed?”

“I don’t get what you mean, President Bai.” Zhang Qiming continued his act.

“Speaking of which, I should thank you,” Bai Chu smirked. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known the company held me in such ‘high regard.’”

Zhang Qiming shrugged indifferently.

He reached for his cigarette pack, holding a lighter in his right hand and slowly flicking the gear.

As soon as the flame flared up, he deliberately brought the lighter close to Bai Chu’s face. Her pupils shrank sharply, and she instinctively flinched away. For the first time, a crack appeared in her calm expression—one that revealed fear.

Zhang Qiming raised his eyebrows, amused. “Didn’t expect to see fear on your face. Looks like our last encounter at this company wasn’t a complete waste.”

Bai Chu stood up and looked down at him. “Don’t worry—we’ll definitely meet again.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Zhang Qiming exhaled a stream of smoke, his gaze filled with the same mockery and curiosity as the woman from last night.

Bai Chu felt sick to her stomach and strode out of the office.

Lü Mu had been waiting by the door and immediately followed her.

“You’re really set on leaving with me?” Bai Chu asked one last time.

“Absolutely,” Lü Mu replied firmly, her loyal gaze steady and serious.

Looking into her eyes, Bai Chu gave a decisive nod.

On the way back to the office, Bai Chu replayed Zhang Qiming’s actions in her mind.

He had deliberately waved the lighter in front of her face—clearly he knew something about her past.

Had he always known? Or did the woman from last night tell him?

Bai Chu was suspicious. That woman clearly had connections related to her father, and her words from the night before still echoed in her mind.

Originally, Bai Chu hadn’t even planned to write a resignation letter. But she knew if she took the labor arbitration route, these people would just drag things out. She didn’t want to waste any more time. The sooner she severed ties with this company, the better.

While Lü Mu helped her pack, Bai Chu sat down to write her resignation letter—a long and thoroughly detailed one.

A resignation letter she could write. A handover? They could dream.

She sent the letter to HR, then walked straight out of the office with Lü Mu, boxes in hand.

As soon as the letter was sent, the whole company knew.

As she passed through the employee workspace, everyone was whispering behind her back.

All eyes were on Bai Chu, but no one dared say goodbye.

If someone like her, a core member, could end up like this, no one else dared get involved. Everyone kept their heads down.

Bai Chu didn’t care about fake farewells anyway. She kept her gaze forward, unfazed by anyone’s looks.

“President Bai,” a voice suddenly called from behind.

Bai Chu turned with her box in hand.

It was Zhang Qiming, walking over slowly with his hands in his pockets, smiling smugly. “Leaving like this—isn’t it a bit irresponsible? Not planning to hand over your work?”

Bai Chu looked up at him, knowing he was trying to humiliate her in front of everyone.

“President Zhang, you really are good at playing dumb,” she said. “You’ve known all about my responsibilities for ages, haven’t you? Didn’t you start shifting them away from me months ago?”

Now that she had resigned, Bai Chu wasn’t afraid to tear off the mask right in front of everyone.

“Don’t you feel ashamed for not being able to keep your own job?” Zhang Qiming raised his voice, making sure the entire office could hear.

The area fell silent, but every ear was listening.

“And you don’t feel ashamed being someone else’s lapdog?” Bai Chu’s voice was calm but clear—everyone heard it loud and clear.

“Renyuan is in debt, and you want me to fix it. If I succeed, you and your master get to take the credit. If I fail, you’ll throw the blame on me so you both walk away clean.”

“I think you’re not much of a human—but you sure know how to be a dog,” Bai Chu said bluntly.

“You—” Zhang Qiming clenched his jaw, eyes burning with rage.

But Bai Chu’s expression was still cold, looking at him with disdain.

With a sneer, she turned and walked away with Lü Mu.

They reached the first floor just as someone called out.

“President Bai!”

Xie Xin ran over, panting and flustered.

She still had her Yujiang Company training badge on—it was clear she’d rushed over in a hurry.

“What happened? I heard you resigned—why so suddenly?” she asked with concern and sadness in her eyes.

Bai Chu didn’t want to say much. Xie Xin was still young. She didn’t want to drag her into the mess. The girl had a bright future ahead and didn’t need to be worn down by workplace politics so soon.

So she half-joked, “I just feel like Renyuan isn’t the right place for me anymore. Time to move on.”

“Huh?” Xie Xin frowned, still confused.

Bai Chu smiled gently and patted her on the shoulder, walking with her toward the exit. “Shouldn’t you be in class right now? Did you take time off to come here?”

“I did.” Xie Xin’s voice was low.

Bai Chu didn’t expect her to be the only one in the whole company to see her off.

“If you’re ever unhappy at Renyuan, come find me,” Bai Chu said, glancing at her.

Xie Xin pursed her lips and nodded.

“Come on, I’m heading to Yujiang anyway. I’ll drop you off,” Bai Chu offered.

Lü Mu drove while Bai Chu and Xie Xin sat in the back. Along the way, Bai Chu shared her years of work experience.

Xie Xin listened intently. President Bai had never talked to her this much before. Would this first time also be the last?

Thinking of saying goodbye made her tear up. She only remembered about half of what Bai Chu said. By the time they arrived at Yujiang’s building, two tears slid silently down her cheeks.

Bai Chu handed her a tissue and smiled at the bright, sincere young woman beside her.

They walked upstairs together. It was just about lunchtime—perfect to grab a meal with Jiang Yisheng.

Bai Chu sent her a WeChat message and waited at her training desk.

Five minutes passed, but Jiang Yisheng didn’t reply.

Bai Chu frowned slightly. Was she busy?

She put her phone aside and started tidying her desk.

Now that she’d left Renyuan, she couldn’t stay at Yujiang under the title of a Renyuan employee.

The training had been worthwhile—at least it was almost over. She hadn’t missed much.

After she finished tidying up, there was still no response from Jiang Yisheng.

Forty minutes had passed.

Bai Chu was getting worried. Even when busy, Jiang Yisheng usually replied right away.

She hesitated, then made a call.

“The number you dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later.”

The robotic message sent a jolt through her.

She couldn’t sit still anymore and headed upstairs to Jiang Yisheng’s office.

As the elevator doors opened, she ran into Yu Mushan and Zhang Tao.

“Director Yu,” Bai Chu greeted politely without slowing down.

Yu Mushan beamed. “Ah, Xiaobai! Here to see Shengsheng?”

“I called her, but she didn’t answer. I thought I’d come check,” Bai Chu explained with a frown.

“President Jiang finished some work this morning, said she was tired, and went to nap in the lounge. It’s been hours now,” Zhang Tao added after checking the time.

A pang of guilt hit Bai Chu—Jiang Yisheng probably hadn’t slept well because she’d been taking care of her.

“This girl…” Yu Mushan sighed and led the way. “Let’s go check on her together.”

When they got to the office, Jiang Yisheng wasn’t at her desk.

Yu Mushan knocked gently on the bedroom door. “Shengsheng, time to wake up. It’s lunch time.”

No response.

She knocked again.

Still no response.

She turned the doorknob—this girl must be really knocked out to not hear them knocking.

That thought froze in her mind the moment she looked up and saw the empty bed.

Yu Mushan tensed. She flipped on the light. The bed was a mess, and Jiang Yisheng’s phone was lying on it.

“Shengsheng?” she called, searching the room.

Bai Chu and Zhang Tao hurried in.

The three of them searched the whole room—no sign of Jiang Yisheng.

Yu Mushan began to panic. She turned to Zhang Tao. “Search! Have the whole company help find her!”

A sharp pain gripped Bai Chu’s heart. Panic surged through her, but she stayed calm and supported Yu Mushan.

“Auntie, does this office have surveillance cameras?” she asked.

“No—none in the offices. Only in the hallways,” Yu Mushan said, leading her to the security room.

The footage showed Jiang Yisheng entering her office in the morning and never coming back out.

Yu Mushan stared in disbelief.

Her precious daughter—so protected in the outside world—had gone missing inside her own company. It was unthinkable.

Bai Chu stared at the screen, carefully watching every passerby.

Aside from Zhang Tao, only four people had passed by Jiang Yisheng’s office that morning.

Two had clearly just been passing through toward Yu Mushan’s office. One was the head of logistics. The last… was a janitor.