A Love Letter from Lhasa 32

Chapter 31: Su Limin Fires the First Arrow

01
Su Limin finally made her move, firing the first cold arrow at Tang Huaimin. Limin obtained the email addresses of Tang Huaimin, his wife, and the senior executives of the Shanghai branch through her younger sister, Tang Mengying. Limin prepared a dossier containing a set of edited erotic photos.

Anne and several senior executives simultaneously received a set of “extremely provocative erotic photos” along with a titillating story titled: “The True Face of the Wolf Tang Huaimin.” The email had no sender signature.

Seeing the photos, Anne analyzed the signs—the slightly opened eyes, flushed face, and blank expression—and deduced that Tang Huaimin must have been drunk and secretly photographed at close range with a phone. Intelligent as she was, Anne instinctively suspected Su Limin, since only she had gone on business trips with Huaimin. Judging by the background in the photos, the shooting likely took place one night at a hotel. Anne carefully recalled that Su Limin had indeed accompanied Huaimin on a business trip to Seattle to meet an animation master.

Anne pondered repeatedly, murmuring to herself: “Who would leak these photos? Was it Su Limin orchestrating this herself, or someone else? If a third party, what’s their motive—extortion, or to pull Tang Huaimin down from his general manager position before he even settled in? If the sender is indeed Su Limin, it makes perfect sense. Huaimin blocked her promotion path, so she strikes while he’s still vulnerable to vent her resentment…”

Quickly, Anne devised a conclusion and response strategy: “Whether it’s Su Limin or someone else, their purpose is to stir a scandal, damaging Tang Huaimin’s reputation. Since the female in the photos isn’t identifiable, why not play along and turn the tables?”

Anne immediately drafted an English open letter and sent it to the senior executives:

"Dear colleagues,
I am Anne, your good friend. You may have just received an anonymous email with a set of provocative photos. I must confess that these photos were taken during my honeymoon with General Manager Tang last year, spontaneously as selfies. Recently, my laptop was hacked, which inadvertently led to their leakage. These are merely ordinary newlywed moments and should not surprise anyone. I apologize for any disruption this may have caused to your work. Please do not over-interpret or spread misinformation.
I have reported this matter to the local police, who will trace the sender via IP. Also, before pregnancy, my figure was fine, and I am now postpartum, working on losing weight.
Your loyal partner, Assistant to the General Manager, Cangyang Anne"

The senior executives quickly received the letter. Except for Emily, the male executives, though still half-doubtful, respected professional boundaries and chose to accept Anne’s explanation.

Emily, with her keen perception, immediately noticed a flaw: the woman in the photos had fair skin and painted nails, which did not match Anne’s naturally conservative style. Of course, Emily didn’t want to expose Anne’s well-intentioned lie, understanding that Anne’s swift action was to protect Huaimin’s reputation.

Anne then accessed both Tang Huaimin’s business and personal inboxes, deleted the malicious email, and blocked the sender’s IP. This incident was handled immediately without Huaimin ever knowing. From that moment, Anne was on high alert against Su Limin in California. Coupled with Tang Mengying, her husband’s ex-girlfriend, Anne instinctively felt she was “attacked from both sides” and needed to respond cautiously.

02
At Disney headquarters in California, the “Greater China Project A3” entered its intense execution phase. The screenwriting department was making minor adjustments to Anne’s script for the upcoming animation screenplay. The animation department was refining character designs based on Tang Huaimin’s model and referencing his location scouting materials to sketch the main scenes.

Meanwhile, CEO Hall received the anonymous email. After a moment’s thought, he called Anne directly, warning: “Watch your husband carefully. Don’t let anyone use this opportunity to stir a scandal and damage the company’s reputation.”

Anne explained everything sincerely and forwarded the earlier open letter to Hall. After reading it, Hall felt somewhat relieved, though he suspected there might be more behind the scenes. He also immediately suspected that Su Limin could be the mastermind, as only she had the motive to send such a “troublemaking erotic letter.”

Hall wrote in his personal notebook: “Su, a black rose with poisonous thorns.”

03
Through online communication with Tang Mengying, Su Limin monitored the Shanghai branch in real-time. She noticed that her “first strike” had little effect, like a bullet splashing into water. Still, she wasn’t discouraged.

“Little sister, I’m not discouraged, and you shouldn’t be either. No matter how fortified his defenses are, we will find a crack and strike!”

“Elder sister, can you just deal with Anne and not involve Huaimin?”

“To catch the big shark, some fish will inevitably get hurt. That’s the nature of it,” Limin replied.

Tang Mengying countered sharply: “If letting Anne go means destroying Huaimin, I’d rather let them be!”

“Don’t worry, little sister. I know how to handle the balance,” Limin reassured her, then instructed: “Act low-key in the company, don’t let Anne suspect anything. Once you have the chance, destroy the trust between them. Got it?”

“I understand. But promise me, don’t ruin Huaimin’s career. I don’t want him to give up on his future.”

“Alright, alright! I really don’t know how much emotional debt you owe this man from a past life!” Limin said impatiently.

04
A week later, Su Limin sent another anonymous email in Chinese to Anne, filled with provocation and threats:

"To Mrs. Anne, General Manager Tang’s Wife:
I assume you’ve already received the provocative photos. I admire your composure!
In the battlefield of love, a woman’s most dangerous opponent is another determined woman. If you don’t want your beloved husband to become a media scandal and be questioned by executives and society, I advise you to step aside and make way for me. I am more capable and can help your husband achieve great success in his career.
Think carefully. If you care for Tang Huaimin, hand him over. Otherwise, you know the consequences. You have ten days to respond. If you don’t, the destructive second strike will follow! I hold many cards you couldn’t imagine.
No need to guess my identity. You are in the light, I am in the shadows."

After reading this, Anne was certain the sender was Su Limin. She tried to clarify the source of any old grievances between herself and Su Limin: “Even if Su Limin liked my husband due to proximity at work, she must have known he was married. Why does she persist? Is it just about blocked promotions, or is there something else? She claims to hold many unexpected cards—does that imply Huaimin once made promises to her?”

Anne shivered at the thought, realizing how dangerous Su Limin was. She also wondered: “Could she have informants inside the company? Who could be her mole? One of the senior executives, or… Tang Mengying? Both women come from Taiwan. I need to investigate carefully. The first step is to ask Huaimin if he has any lingering entanglements with her beyond that one night…”

05
The young couple drove back with their baby to their rented two-story villa near the company.

Tang Huaimin showered while Anne settled the baby and opened her laptop in the bedroom, reviewing the anonymous threat email and the previous intimate photos. She then returned to her study to continue her PhD thesis.

Huaimin, wrapping a large scarf around his shoulders, entered the bedroom to change into pajamas. Unexpectedly, he saw the intimate photo of a woman riding on top of him on the laptop screen. He frowned, muttering: “Damn! I’m screwed!” (Taiwanese slang)

Huaimin nervously opened the file, his heart racing, blood pressure spiking, and face pale. Thunderous thoughts ran through his mind: “Su Limin, your methods are ruthless…”

After some time, he calmed down and made a plan: “I should confess honestly to Anne and ask for her forgiveness.”

He put on pajamas, wrote “I was wrong! Please forgive me, my wife” in red ink on a white tie, tied it to his forehead, and sat by the study desk.

Anne, seeing this apology, pinched his chest and teased: “What are you doing? Learning to perform Peking Opera?”

Huaimin shyly said: “Anne, I’m sorry about that night in Seattle…”

Anne, sternly: “Did anything happen between you and Su Limin?”

Huaimin looked dejected: “I was drunk and don’t remember. She confessed before leaving Lhasa, saying that night in Seattle…”

Anne pressed: “What exactly did she do to you that night? Be honest!”

Huaimin lowered his head bashfully: “She said the next morning she wasn’t on her period, and that I was drunk beyond control. But I don’t know why she changed her mind afterward… and why she secretly took those photos.”

Anne then softened: “I understand why she did it. But you must tell me: after that, did you have any further entanglements with Su Limin?”

Huaimin quickly shook his head: “No, that was it. She asked me to celebrate her birthday and drink that night, but nothing beyond that.”

Anne, skeptical, asked: “Can I trust you now?”

Huaimin knelt, raised his right hand, and swore earnestly: “Please believe me, Anne!”

Anne studied his eyes carefully, then said: “Alright, I believe you. Sit back and listen.”

She explained: “That night in Seattle, I believe Su Limin set you up. She took those photos to keep leverage over you. The funny thing is, she didn’t show her face in the photos to avoid risk.”

Huaimin nervously insisted: “Anne, please believe me, it was completely innocent!”

Anne replied: “Your innocence depends on her conscience. What I care about is whether you had any ongoing entanglements, especially during your Tibet trip.”

Huaimin affirmed: “None. Absolutely none.”

Anne calmed down: “Good. I’ll believe you for now. Su Limin is cunning and malicious. She claims to have many cards in her letter, but I boldly assume she has none left.”

Huaimin worried: “But those photos already circulated to senior executives, right?”

Anne said: “You just realized how ruthless she was? Luckily, I acted immediately to sanitize the situation. Otherwise, it would have spread company-wide.”

After reading Anne’s public letter, Huaimin relaxed and sighed: “Thank goodness you intervened in time, my wife.”

“Don’t get too happy yet,” Anne warned. “The senior executives may still suspect. You must be careful, especially with your first love, Tang Mengying.”

“Mm,” Huaimin nodded, already shaken by Su Limin’s ‘set-up’. He recalled his slip during Tang Mengying’s interview, which might have raised suspicion, but he didn’t dare tell Anne about it yet.