Chapter 120: The Prying Camera

"Him?" Zhu Wen frowned and said, "Last time, when we mailed those photos, we did it behind his back, as you know. Otherwise, there would be no need to hide from him and discuss this secretly today. If Old Fang finds out I did this, he’ll call me a fool again..."

Gao Jie, feeling confident, laughed. "We can't let him know now, but in a few days, you can talk to him. By then, he will certainly agree with our approach."

Jiang Xiwen was unaware that in another part of the same school, two people were plotting against him.

He was currently typing away at his keyboard. Some features of PS97 were already refined. In a few days, he would be able to package the completed sections into a small software program and mail it to Qiu Bojun. As long as Qiu Bojun saw it, he had every reason to believe that this "father of PS" would call him to discuss the development of PS for Microsoft's future Windows systems.

In Nanshen, Wang Xunfei had been busy developing new features for QQ over the past few days. He had become completely captivated by this small piece of software, frequently coming up with new ideas and adding code based on them.

What Jiang Xiwen hoped for was the disappointment that would follow Wang's current enthusiasm. He knew clearly that no matter what new things Wang Xunfei created, it would require capital to operate. In the current climate, it would be difficult for Wang to find an investor willing to put money into QQ.

Once people have capital, even those who like to take risks become cautious. Therefore, those who could truly see the future potential of QQ were often poor people who lacked the means to invest, such as Lei Jun.

Jiang Xiwen didn't need to know what was happening between Lei Jun and Wang Xunfei; he simply understood human nature. He just needed to wait for the day Wang Xunfei came looking for him. He believed Wang would eventually be unable to sustain it. He only needed to let Wang know at the right moment that he had successfully partnered with the Tianxing Computer School and secured that 1.6 million in assets.

Zhang Yong had been feeling ambitious lately. In a short while, he would be promoted to Executive Vice Mayor. Before then, his mindset was to seek stability rather than merit.

At quitting time, Zhang Yong tidied his desk and prepared to leave when his phone rang.

"This is Zhang Yong. Who is calling?"

"Vice Mayor Zhang, it's Li Changtian from the Second High School. I have something I’d like to discuss with you. At the Zhenxing Teahouse, regarding your daughter, Zhang Ya." The voice on the phone sounded awkward, and after saying this, he couldn't help but cough a few times.

"Oh?" Zhang Yong found it strange that a principal would personally seek him out regarding his daughter. He hummed in acknowledgement and said, "Old Li, whatever it is, can't you just say it over the phone?"

"Cough, cough... I've had a bit of a cold lately, excuse me," Li Changtian replied. "There are some things I need to give you that require you to be here in person. When are you free to meet at the Zhenxing Teahouse?"

"Oh?" Zhang Yong hesitated for a moment before replying, "Very well. I’ll see you at the Zhenxing Teahouse in twenty minutes." His relationship with Li Changtian was usually superficial, but the principal seemed very eager to meet over his daughter's affairs.

Zhang Yong had always cultivated a man-of-the-people image, and since he oversaw the education system, he had no reason to refuse Li Changtian's request right before his promotion.

After Zhang Yong hung up, Li Changtian, who was about to head home, received a call from the Vice Mayor himself.

"Old Li, this is Zhang Yong. Did you also receive photos of Xiao Ya? About ten of them?"

"Oh, Vice Mayor Zhang..." Li Changtian dragged out the syllables. He was thinking. He had received those photos days ago and again around noon today, with even more this time. They were all intimate photos of Zhang Ya and Jiang Xiwen together, though there was nothing overtly inappropriate. Like before, he had burned them.

As for the culprit, he suspected Fang Sixiang, though it seemed unlikely. Fang was a sensible man and had no reason to do such a thing. Even if he did, he wouldn't keep sending the photos to him; it was petty and meaningless.

Now, receiving a call from Zhang Yong, he began to worry. If this had reached the Vice Mayor's ears, perhaps Fang Sixiang was indeed playing some kind of game. But even if the Vice Mayor's daughter were having a puppy-love romance, what was the point of mailing these photos?

The few seconds of hesitation couldn't help Li Changtian piece together the motive.

He could only respond to Zhang Yong, "Yes, that's right. How did you find out, Vice Mayor? It must be some bored individual taking them. I suspect it's a student who has a conflict with Jiang Xiwen and dragged your daughter into it. Don't worry, I won't speak of this..."

He paused intentionally, a piece of political art when speaking to superiors. He didn't know Zhang Yong's intent. If Zhang wanted to investigate the sender, he would let him point the way; if he wanted to handle it quietly, he would follow Zhang's lead.

"How about this: bring the photos to the Zhenxing Teahouse and hand them to me. You don't need to worry about the rest," Zhang Yong said, his voice level. "Rest assured, there is nothing else."

Zhang Yong’s tone made it hard for Li Changtian to guess his intentions, though the final sentence put him slightly at ease. He knew his own personality—he tended to overthink things. He had suffered for it when he was younger, and while he no longer had any competitive drive, he had developed an overly cautious nature.

Following the leader's invitation, he couldn't be slow. Li Changtian left the school, hailed a taxi, and arrived early at the teahouse. After booking a spot, he went back downstairs and waited at a distance.

He didn't wait at the entrance because he knew Zhang Yong likely wanted discretion, but waiting downstairs was a matter of showing proper respect to a superior.

About five minutes later, Zhang Yong's car pulled up to a parking spot near the teahouse, which took Li Changtian by surprise. What was the Vice Mayor playing at? If it were just about the photos, a phone call would have sufficed. Why be so mysterious, and why have a driver drop him off? He couldn't fathom it.

Unable to figure it out, he decided to wait until he saw Zhang Yong. He stepped forward to meet him, hands extended enthusiastically, but his voice remained low. "Vice Mayor Zhang, hello. Please, this way."

Zhang Yong nodded, told his driver to go home, and strode toward the teahouse. Li Changtian, mindful of the details, kept a respectful distance, following Zhang only after he had ascended the stairs.

Reaching the reserved spot in a corner of the teahouse, Li Changtian politely gestured for Zhang Yong to sit. Only after the Vice Mayor was seated did he sit down and say courteously, "Vice Mayor Zhang, here is what you wanted."

He took an envelope from his briefcase and handed it to Zhang Yong.

"What I wanted?" Zhang Yong found the phrasing strange, but he took the envelope and pulled out the photos.

As he took the envelope, neither noticed that in another corner, a camera was capturing their every move.

At a glance, Zhang Yong realized immediately that someone had deliberately angled shots to make Zhang Ya and Jiang Xiwen appear "intimate."

His heart sank. Why did these photos appear right before his promotion to Executive Vice Mayor? Was Li Changtian trying to curry favor? Where did the photos originate? What was the point of mailing them? What were they trying to imply?

A series of questions flooded Zhang Yong’s mind. He was much deeper in his thinking than Li Changtian, but he possessed a psychological resilience the principal lacked: he wouldn't let these questions consume him, or he would never have reached his current position.

"Old Li, why show me these? Xiao Ya and Xiwen are good friends. Is there a problem?" Zhang Yong appeared nonchalant, his inner thoughts never betraying his face—a hallmark of his "Tai Chi" style.

Hearing this, Li Changtian was shocked and suspicious. Zhang Yong had clearly called him here to get these photos; why was he acting as if he didn't know about the matter?

After a few seconds of hesitation, Li Changtian spoke plainly. A photo couldn't implicate too much, and he hadn't taken them, after all.

"Vice Mayor Zhang, didn't you call me this afternoon to come here? You said you knew about the photos and asked me to bring them to you."

"What?" This time, it was Zhang Yong’s turn to be stunned. "Me? I received a call from you before I left work, asking me to meet you here, saying you had something for me—it was all very mysterious!"