After Pan Tao of Cloud Universe got the twenty million from Xinfeng Investment, he didn't run off with the money right away. Instead he put on a show. He rented a whole floor of an office building, found a dozen or so "developers" from who knows where, and had them sit in the office all day tapping out code.

The team leader under Zheng Bin still dropped by every few days to check on them.

Pan Tao welcomed him warmly every time. At first he was nothing but friendly. Later, in passing or not so much in passing, he started sounding them out about whether Xinfeng would be willing to keep funding them once the first tranche ran out. He got a noncommittal answer. Then one day in early August, the entire Shanghai operation of Cloud Universe vanished from the office building. The whole office was empty, as if no one had ever been there, and every phone number was disconnected.

When the team leader broke the news, Zheng Bin was so furious he smashed the keyboard on his desk to pieces.

Zheng Hong, chairman of Xinfeng Investment and Zheng Bin's father, found out soon enough. When he heard his son had put twenty million into a con man, he came storming down from upstairs. He kicked open the door of Zheng Bin's office and tore into him practically in front of the whole company. Then he stripped his son of his position and sent him back to the bottom rung to learn the ropes.

After that, Zheng Bin mostly stopped going to the office. Every night he ran around with Cheng Xiang, Zhang Yunzhi and the rest of those trust-fund kids, hitting nightclubs and bars and letting himself go.

That night, after they'd had their fun.

Zheng Bin held the woman in his arms, blew out a smoke ring and smiled. "So how's the job I set up for you going?"

"Not great."

The woman wore heavy, seductive makeup. She leaned against his chest and pouted her glossy red lips. "I have to run around all day, and I'm…