Young Master Cao Strikes Back

"Ahem!!"

"Excuse me, did anyone lose something? I found a USB drive at the entrance earlier, but I don’t know who it belongs to."

Cao Cheng posted: "I’ve picked one up before too, and the contents inside were so shocking that it led to many arrests. So this time, I don’t dare open it—I don’t want to offend anyone, like Analyst Liu. I wouldn’t want you to get arrested and blame me for it."

"Out of necessity,"

"I can only ask here—did anyone lose something? If you did, please contact me."

"Also, let me clarify—I haven’t looked at the contents of the USB drive yet, so I don’t know what’s inside. But if no one reaches out within 24 hours, I’ll hand it over to the police. At that point, whatever’s in it and the consequences it brings… well, I can’t guarantee anything."

"So, hurry up and contact me."

"@Galaxy-Liu Jinying, @Shenwan-Wang Youfang, @CITIC-Chen Yu, @Shengjing-Yi Wen…"

Cao Cheng proceeded to tag over forty people.

Most of them were affiliated with institutions—either analysts or general managers.

The message was clear.

The USB drive’s contents were undoubtedly related to these forty-plus individuals.

As for Cao Cheng’s claim that he hadn’t looked at the contents? Impossible.

Last time, a single USB drive had sparked a bloodbath.

A fan recapped:

"Last time, there was an ‘expert’ surnamed Shi, known online as ‘Da Shi Speaks,’ who spread rumors about Cao Cheng’s cosmetics. It was later revealed that this ‘Shi expert’ had taken money from the Japanese and was involved in other espionage cases. His account was banned, and he vanished without a trace—no one’s heard from him since."

"And it all started with a USB drive."

"Back then, Cao Cheng also found one at his doorstep, which turned the tables. Otherwise, the rumors might’ve succeeded."

"So now that Cao Cheng’s found another USB drive, you can imagine what’s inside. And by tagging all these people, his message is obvious."

"Giving them 24 hours is a choice—apologize, take some other action, or flee the country. It’s up to them."

"But…"

"What I’m curious about is—where does Cao Cheng live? How does he keep finding USB drives in the ground?"

"LOL, ‘finding USB drives in the ground.’"

"I want some USB drive seeds too. Dig a hole, bury them, count to five… and wait for a bountiful harvest of USB drives."

"LMAO…"

"Wait, wasn’t it just Analyst Liu who criticized Cao Cheng online? I checked the others he tagged—most never said anything, just reposted Liu’s stuff. Are they really getting dragged into this?"

"‘Dragged into this’? How do you know there’s no evidence in that USB drive?"

"Exactly. When these people attacked Cao Cheng, he didn’t retaliate. Who knows what else is going on behind the scenes?"

"Whatever it is, it’s serious. Otherwise, Cao Cheng wouldn’t have bothered tagging even the small fry."

"Look, look! Several people who reposted Liu’s content have already deleted their posts. And one named Yi Wen posted a public apology, admitting he was misled, regretting the false accusations against Cao Cheng, and offering private compensation."

"Damn…"

"That fast? They folded in minutes?"

"See? This is way bigger than it seems."

"No kidding. A USB drive alone wouldn’t make someone delete posts and apologize. Yi Wen’s a senior bank analyst with a solid reputation in the industry."

"Someone like Yi Wen has connections. If he didn’t even try to leverage them—or if they failed—it means either the scandal is huge, or Cao Cheng’s network is even stronger."

"Top three richest in the world—his connections speak for themselves."

"You actually think the Forbes list shows the real wealthiest people? LOL!"

"LOL? Where’s your superiority coming from? Even if they’re not the absolute richest, they’re still in the top tier. Compared to you, they’re leagues ahead. Do you even have $500 to your name?"

"…"

"Ouch. That hurt (crying)."

Online discussions exploded.

Within an hour, the frenzy peaked, completely burying the earlier rumors. No one even remembered what they were about.

What were they again?

Hard to recall now.

Doesn’t matter.

The current drama is juicy and satisfying.

Even though Cao Cheng said nothing—just posted about a USB drive, dropped vague hints, and tagged forty people—within an hour, nearly half had apologized.

Over thirty Weibo posts were deleted.

Isn’t that proof enough?

Of course,

some doubted the USB drive’s authenticity.

"Could it be a bluff? Since it worked once, maybe he’s using an empty USB to scare them?"

Others didn’t care if it was fake:

"So what if it is? Would you take that gamble? Would they?"

"Exactly. Cao Cheng tagged them—that’s leverage. Would you bet whether his gun’s loaded? What if it is?"

"Put yourself in their shoes—would you risk it? Everyone’s got skeletons, especially in finance. Who’s clean? Would you dare call his bluff?"

"Damn, that’s eye-opening. If someone threatened me with my middle-school secrets… yeah, I’d fold too. Too embarrassing."

"Go on, tell us more about middle school."

"Spill the tea!"

"…"

——

At a securities firm.

Liu Jinying was in a meeting when the door swung open. The chairman’s assistant walked in.

Liu’s expression darkened, but he forced a smile when he saw who it was.

The assistant said, "Director Wu wants to see you in his office."

Liu frowned. "Did something happen?"

"You’ll find out when you get there."

With that, the assistant left.

Liu Jinying was a top analyst at the firm—leading his own team, managing projects and funds with an impressive track record.

Normally, everyone treated him with respect, even the chairman’s assistant.

But today…

Something was off.

Liu told his team to continue without him, then stepped out of the room.

The moment he left, he knew—trouble was coming.

Many passersby, those brushing shoulders with her, and those standing at a distance—colleagues who used to be warm and friendly—now seemed to deliberately or unintentionally avoid meeting Liu Jinying’s gaze. Some even averted their eyes entirely.

Something big must have happened.

Liu Jinying’s heart sank.

On her way to Director Wu’s office, she racked her brain, trying to recall if there had been any issues with her recent projects. Nothing came to mind.

No losses.

In fact, she had even turned a considerable profit.

At most, there might have been some minor rule-bending.

But let’s be honest—in this line of work, who didn’t have a few shady projects under their belt?

How else were you supposed to make money?

You couldn’t expect milk without feeding the cow decent hay.

Certain things were just tacitly understood. As long as there was profit, as long as it wasn’t too egregious, as long as it didn’t blow up in public—most of the time, it was fine.

To put it bluntly, the system of mutual benefit had long been established. Everyone played the game, so why would they single her out?

Unless, of course, it got exposed, blew up, and left no one willing to cover for her.

Besides, some things were common knowledge, but without proof, there was nothing to pin on anyone.

You might know someone was taking dirty money, but where was the evidence? The ledger?

Without that, pointing fingers was useless.

Knock, knock, knock—

She arrived at Director Wu’s office.

One look at his face told her the situation was dire.

"Old Liu."

"Yes, Director Wu."

"Sit."

She sat.

Director Wu narrowed his eyes. "You’ve been with Galaxy ever since you came back from Laos. It’s been quite a few years now."

"Seven and a half, yes."

"That’s a long time. Have you checked the internet today?"

"I was just in a meeting."

"Then take a look."

Director Wu gestured to his assistant, who handed Liu Jinying a laptop.

On the screen was Cao Cheng’s Weibo post.

The staggering number of likes, reposts, and comments made her expression shift slightly.

Then she read the content.

Liu Jinying couldn’t stay seated any longer. She shot to her feet.

"This… this… this…"

Words failed her.

She knew exactly what she had done.

And she had been smart about it—covering her tracks, deleting traces.

If she was going after Cao Cheng, she had to be prepared. So before making a move, she had cleaned up as much as she could.

She thought she’d been thorough. But now, the mention of a USB drive shattered her composure.

No matter how well you thought you’d erased your footprints, doubt always crept in.

Had she missed something? Left a loose end for someone to grab onto?

Especially since among the people Cao Cheng had named, one was from her own unit.

Director Wu took one look at her reaction and knew the problem was serious. If a mere USB drive could rattle her this badly…

His voice was grave. "Go handle it. And as for our little company… we can’t afford to shelter someone of your stature."

Liu Jinying understood. Even if she weathered this storm, her time at Galaxy was over.

And right now? She had no idea what she was even up against.

Who would dare gamble on what was inside that USB drive?

The sheer number of deleted reposts and public apologies spoke volumes.

At the very least, it proved Cao Cheng hadn’t named random people. Every one of them had skeletons in their closet.

The kind that made them too nervous to call his bluff.

Didn’t that confirm the USB had evidence?

If it were empty, how could he have targeted them so precisely?

They were all smart people. Liu Jinying didn’t believe for a second that drive was blank.

A wave of regret washed over her.

But what could she do?

She took the money. She did the job.

There was no backing out now.