I shook my head. “There isn’t a future with Jiàn. She’s built her company with lies and stolen intellectual property. She won’t be able to sustain this pace forever, and I’m going to take her down. You need to get out. Take the money I offered you—there’s more where that came from, a lot more. And when the time comes, I’ll make sure you land on your feet. But you have to help me. I need to know exactly what’s going on with the production and what’s happening next.”
We stared at each other for a beat.
“She’s not the savior you think she is.”
Biyu frowned. “Why should I trust you?”
“You don’t have to trust me. You just have to choose my money over hers, and I’m offering more. Can you do that?” I held my breath, hoping that this was actually going to pay off.
After a minute, Biyu sighed. “I don’t feel good about it, but yes, I can do that.”
“I don’t feel good about it, either, but still—great. I’m glad to hear it. Now please tell me where Li Na’s at with the sensor.”
* * *
Biyu and I stayed in frequent contact. I made sure that Leo monitored all her accounts for signs of spying or hacking, but things appeared calm.
She remained undetected. I’d chosen our source wisely—her position within Jiàn was entry-level, and it kept her in a different ecosphere than Li Na. Thank God.
Leo also confirmed that the reverse-hack of the Protocol files had taken effect—the specs had subtly been rewritten. The therapy would appear to be intact, but it wouldn’t function the same as the one tested here in Silicon Valley—and it wouldn’t work. But the push through the Chinese regulatory approval process wouldn’t flag the issue: they weren’t taking the time to fully conduct clinical trials, relying instead on the successful American trial results. They were fast-tracking the therapy without double-checking that the Chinese version perfectly emulated the American results.
People could get sick from this therapy. And as much as I wanted to ruin Li Na, I couldn’t let it go that far—I had to stop the therapy before it went to market.
I had a similar issue with the sensor. On a fast-track through the approval process, it wouldn’t be subjected to extensive clinical trials. The Chinese government was again relying on the pending approvals of the American government.
The pending approvals which were fakes.
I had to stop the sensor before it went to market. Its false positives would mislead patients and potentially harm them. But the timing had to be perfect. In order to maximize her shame, I needed Li Na to get as far as a formal announcement before I broke the news of the stolen and defective technology.
That wasn’t my only logistical concern. I needed proof. I needed more than just a story.
On an atypical night, we were all home from work at a decent hour. Gabe had started a fire in the fire pit, and we were outdoors enjoying the cool weather and the stars. I caught Gabe, Lauren, and Wes up on the latest developments in my scheme, including all the news outlets I’d lined up to run the story as soon as The Wall Street Journal broke the story.
“So…it’s working out?” Gabe stoked the fire, watching the sparks fly.
“So far, so good.” But I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were running too smoothly, that the calm surrounding the situation was about to morph into a storm that would blow up directly in my face.
“You’re being too humble.” Lauren beamed at me. “You’ve done an amazing job coordinating this whole thing. Li Na’s done exactly what you thought she would—grab for the brass ring without being meticulous about the results. That’s basically her trademark move.”
“I know…but Biyu sees a different side to her. We know she’s a murderer and a thief, but her employees are loyal to her. Biyu said Li Na was devoted to her employees, that she took them out for a special dinner to say thank you for all the hours they’ve been putting in.”
Gabe turned from the fire. “Listen—I’m sure she inspires others. She’s impressive, and God knows she’s committed to her company. But what she’s doing isn’t sustainable. Jiàn’s only legitimately produced products are fish food in a sea of sharks, and she knows it. She can’t build an empire on what she’s accomplished, and she can’t sustain an empire if all she’s truly excellent at is identifying megahit technology and misappropriating it. She’s going to run out of road with this eventually. Don’t doubt yourself—it might as well be now, and it might as well be us who take her down. Because otherwise, more people are going to get hurt.”
He grinned at me. “By the way, do you want some Chardonnay? It’s organic and locally sourced, just for you.”
“Um, no thanks.”
The three of them blinked at me. I rarely said no to a glass of wine after work.
“My stomach’s been sort of a mess lately,” I admitted. “Stress.”
Wes shook his head. “You need to take it easy, baby. I’m making you take a vacation after this.”
I laughed softly. “I’ll settle for sleeping in on a Saturday.”
“I can arrange that.” Wes grinned, looking pleased with himself. “Do you want to get going to bed?”
I yawned.