Chapter 156: Forced Business
Translator: Lonelytree
Early in the morning, Wang Zhimin came to Xiao Lingyu’s place to pick up the supply. After counting the amount, he quickly left.
Not long after Wang Zhimin left, Xiao Lingyu exited the house. She decided to go back to Taoyuan Village that day. However, as she walked out the gate, two very strong men blocked her way. They were tall and muscular, with bare arms and a black skull tattoo on their arms. They looked scary.
Xiao Lingyu’s heart skipped a beat, and then she asked calmly, “Who are you?”
One of the men said, “Miss Xiao, our boss invites you to join him.”
Xiao Lingyu’s delicate brows furrowed, and she asked doubtfully, “Who is your boss?”
“Our boss is the purchasing manager of the Yi Family Hotel, Zhou Hongwei!” A man replied. She clenched her fists but quickly let go. She doubted she could defeat two trained, large men.
It was clear that these men came prepared. One of the men said firmly, “Miss Xiao, we’ve received orders to bring you to the Boss. Please cooperate with us!”
This was a threat. The sun was just coming up, and her house was remote. Even if she shouted for help, no one would come. She took a deep breath and said, “Since Boss Zhou wants to talk business with me, at least let me prepare some documents and files first. Is that okay?”
“Sure!” The man replied. “However, our boss will only talk to Miss Xiao alone. He does not wish for Miss Xiao to bring any company.”
This was coercion. This was how the Yi Family Hotel intercepted Green Source from the Gu Family Hotel! If Xiao Lingyu pulled out her phone, she would be kidnapped by these men immediately.
Xiao Lingyu was speechless. She didn’t care about the way the Yi Family Hotel handled things. How could they wish for good cooperation when they relied on threats and coercion the first time they met?
Xiao Lingyu said, “I understand. I will go take the contracts. Wait here.”
The man warned her sternly, “Miss Xiao, I hope you won’t play any tricks. We have sharp hearing, and we can hear the buzz of a mosquito from ten meters away. Our boss also said he wanted to congratulate Miss Xiao because your little brother has gotten first place again in the county town’s mock exam.”
Xiao Lingyu’s breathing stopped, and anger surged out of her eyes. She told herself to stay calm and not to panic.
Then, she said, “Then, I have to thank Boss Zhou for his concern. He must be generous to care so much about my family.”
Xiao Lingyu turned to enter the house. The two men stood guard at the door. They listened attentively. They wanted to make sure Xiao Lingyu didn’t call anyone. They were confident Xiao Lingyu couldn’t escape. She had no way of asking for help.
However, Xiao Lingyu soon returned. She did carry a folder with her.
The men led her out of the alley, and she saw a black park parked across the road. The men invited her to get in the car.
Xiao Lingyu was brought to a two-story mansion.
“Miss Xiao, please.” The man opened the door for her. Xiao Lingyu got down and looked around. She asked calmly, “Where am I?”
“Miss Xiao has finally arrived! Sorry for not coming out to welcome you earlier!” A young man’s voice came from inside the house. He walked out the door. He was a man in his twenties. He was medium-sized, his skin was a little dark, and his face was full of pockmarks. His hair was fixed with hair gel.
He had beady eyes, and they narrowed slightly. He began with a smile. “Miss Xiao is such a beauty. I thought that the people selling vegetables are all middle-aged women who are dirt-poor.”
Xiao Lingyu asked directly, “Are you Zhou Hongwei, these two’s boss?” She pointed at the two men behind her.
Zhou Hongwei nodded and said, “That’s right, I’m Zhou Hongwei, the purchasing manager of the Yi Family Hotel. Miss Xiao, I’m sure you know why we’ve invited you here. We’re here to talk business.”
Xiao Lingyu said sarcastically, “So, this is how Boss Zhou does business with others. It’s really an eye-opener for me!”
Zhou Hongwei let the insult slid. As long as he achieved the goal, he didn’t mind going low.
Zhou Hongwei smiled, “I’m afraid that Miss Xiao didn’t know the way to come here, so I arranged my men to invite you.”
“Is that your version of an invitation?” Xiao Lingyu didn’t buy it. “You used my little brother to threaten me. Is that how Boss Zhou conducts business? If that’s true, then I’ll be direct. I’m not interested in your business. Can I go back now?”
“…” Zhou Hongwei smiled. “Miss Xiao, please don’t be mad. I was only happy after I found Miss Xiao has such a wonderful little brother. With regards to the business, since I’ve invited you here, naturally, we have to talk business before we can let you go.”
Xiao Lingyu narrowed her eyes and said coldly, “What if I refuse?”
Zhou Hongwei narrowed his eyes, raised his eyebrows, and said with a smile, “Then I’ll have trouble Miss Xiao to stay here for two days as my guest.”
“You want to imprison me?” Xiao Lingyu sneered and said sharply.
“Haha, Miss Xiao, you are funny. Why would you use the word imprison?” Zhou Hongwei smiled sinisterly and said, “Business is about making friends. I just want you to stay with me for a while… as a friend.”
Xiao Lingyu nodded. “Is that how Boss Zhou befriended the manager of Green Source?”
When Zhou Hongwei heard this, the smile on his face immediately fell. He said gloomily, “It seems that Gu Ziye is really good friends with you. He even told you about this.” He looked Xiao Lingyu up and down. He said with a hint, “But perhaps you don’t know that Gu Ziye is only using you.”
“Using me?” Xiao Lingyu was confused. “Why would Boss Zhou say that?”
Zhou Hongwei said with a smile, “Gu Ziye is insidious and cunning. He will do anything to achieve his goal. There was a seafood supplier who once worked with us, but he was stolen by Gu Ziye.”
“And?” Xiao Lingyu asked because that didn’t answer anything. What she understood was, ‘You people are the ones going around stealing people’s suppliers. Where do you find the confidence to frame others?’
“The boss has a daughter around 18. Gu Ziye used all kinds of methods to approach her. When the girl fell for him, he revealed his true face. He had the daughter persuade her father to stop working with us and work with the Gu Family Hotel instead. The boss listened to her daughter, and he stopped working with us. When Gu Ziye achieved his goal, he told the girl that he only saw her as his little sister, and he didn’t love her.”
At this point, Zhou Hongwei sneered and said disdainfully, “Hmph, it was clear that he was only using the girl. The girl was also stupid for believing him. In the end, they really ended up as siblings, and she treated Gu Ziye as her brother. Miss Xiao, don’t you find that funny?”
At this point, Xiao Lingyu finally understood Zhou Hongwei’s intention. He assumed Xiao Lingyu had fallen in love with Gu Ziye, and it was why she was helping him. Zhou Hongwei’s plan was to sow discord between her and Gu Ziye.
Xiao Lingyu shook her head and said, “Boss Zhou, I can’t tell whether the story is funny or not. And I think only the girl involved can say if she was being dumb or not. Am I right?”
Xiao Lingyu had no idea if the story was true or not. She was merely speaking her mind. However, in Zhou Hongwei’s ears, Xiao Lingyu was defending her love for Gu Ziye. It meant that Xiao Lingyu would continue to work with Gu Ziye and not the Yi Family Hotel.
Zhou Hongwei’s face darkened, and his tone was not as polite anymore.
He said straightforwardly, “Miss Xiao, don’t make this hard on yourself! I’m going to have to force you to stay here for two days. We can talk business every day. I am more than willing to talk business with a beautiful woman like Miss Xiao every day.” As he said the last sentence, a hint of lust appeared on his face. He even licked his lips with his tongue.
The intention was clear. He was threatening to rape her.
Xiao Lingyu’s face sank, and she asked sharply, “Boss Zhou, you are not giving me any choice, aren’t you? You will imprison me and then threaten me with my personal safety. Isn’t that too despicable?”
“This is the way of the business world. What’s wrong with that?” Zhou Hongwei said sternly, “Since Miss Zhou doesn’t know the business world’s way, I will have to teach you about it.” Then, he paused for a moment. “However, if Miss Xiao agrees to cooperate with us, I will personally drive you back. Now, Miss Xiao, the choice is yours.”
Just as Zhou Hongwei finished his sentence, the sound of a siren was heard from outside.
Zhou Hongwei and the two men’s expressions changed at the same time.
Zhou Hongwei sternly asked, “You called the police?”
Xiao Lingyu did not deny it. “Yes, I did.”
The two men looked at each other in confusion. They asked, “When did you do that? We would have known if you did!”
With their sharp ears, they would have heard her call the police. Even if she asked someone else to call the police for her through messaging, they would hear it too. Even if the phone were muted, they would hear the keys clicking. But they didn’t hear anything when they were at Xiao Lingyu’s place.
Xiao Lingyu smiled. “Why should I let you know that I was calling the police? To let you stop me?”
In reality, Xiao Lingyu entered the farming space immediately once she returned to her room. The time in the space was slower than outside. One minute outside was equivalent to ten minutes inside. Ten minutes were more than enough for her to come up with the SOS message and mute her phone. Once she exited the space, she sent the text message out. She sent it directly to Gu Ziye. The man should know his competitor best. She told Gu Ziye that two of Zhou Hongwei’s men had invited her to talk business with Boss Zhou. She asked him to call the police.
Xiao Lingyu only took ten seconds to do all that. Therefore, it was impossible for the two men to realize anything had happened. The two had no idea Xiao Lingyu had sought outside help.
When Zhou Hongwei heard that Xiao Lingyu had called the police, he angrily slapped one of the men, “Useless thing, why didn’t you take her phone away from the start?”
“Sorry, Boss!” The two men quickly lowered their heads and admitted their mistake. “We didn’t expect that she would call the police directly!” They glared at Xiao Lingyu fiercely. They had really underestimated Xiao Lingyu.
They thought that she was just a weak woman. However, she had surprised all of them.
After hitting the two men, Zhou Hongwei undid the two buttons on his chest, revealing a scar on his chest. He looked a little scary.
Zhou Hongwei said, “Hehe, Miss Xiao, you have impressed me. To think you have the guts to call the police. Do you think I will be afraid of the police? Let me tell you. Even if the police are here, it’s useless. Do you know why?”
“Why?” Xiao Lingyu asked in puzzlement.
“Because of my background,” Zhou Hongwei said proudly and confidently, “The deputy director of the police station, Zhou Tanxiong, is my uncle. Otherwise, do you think I can be in the business for so long? Haha. When the Green Source’s boss heard the name of my uncle, he softened immediately. He begged me to cooperate with him.
“You see after he cooperated with us, the business of the Yi Family Hotel thrived. It would be a matter of time before the Gu family hotel closes down. Once they go bankrupt, I will have my revenge. This scar on my chest was left by Gu Ziye ten years ago. I will always remember it.
“However, you suddenly appeared to help the Gu Family Hotel and raise them from the dead. In contrast, the business of the Yi Family Hotel when downhill. If this continues, when will the Gu family hotel go bankrupt?
“Miss Xiao, I was sincere to do business with you. Since you’ve refused, you can’t blame us in the future. On account that you are a woman, I want to give you a good price at first. But now…”
Xiao Lingyu frowned when she heard such a direct threat.
At this moment, someone knocked on the door.
“Open the door. We’re the police!”
