The person on the other end of the line dared not hide the truth and told him everything. “Initially, everything was fine. However, I don’t know why Mrs. President suddenly went back on her words. She even exposed me and said that I’m not the owner of the outlet. She insisted on meeting the actual shop owner before signing the contract. Otherwise, she was going to refuse the offer.”
Xia Zhetao felt as if he had been struck by lightning upon hearing his words. He felt like he was about to faint. “Y-Y-You… Did you mean that Mrs. President has discovered your act? Darn it! How did she find out that you’re not the actual outlet owner? Did you tell her about who the boss is? Did you admit it yourself? You really are…”
The person on the other end of the line said while aggrieved, “I didn’t reveal anything. Ms. Zhao is the one who had speculated about everything. She said she would leave if I refuse to admit it. Out of desperation, I…”
“You…” Xia Zhetao wanted to beat up the person on the other end of the line through the phone. Suddenly, he felt chills behind his back. The familiar icy presence had caused his entire body to tremble. He turned his head around stiffly and looked behind.
“Mr. P-P-President… Why are you…” Xia Zhetao cried out bitterly inside his heart, ‘God, spare me!’ when he saw his superior, who was not supposed to appear behind him.
“Who are you talking to?”
“I… He… About…” Xia Zhetao looked away and was thinking about what to say in order to gain mercy from his superior and flee from the situation.
Unfortunately, before he could think of an excuse, Mu Tingfeng had already seen him through. He blurted out in a deep voice, “Speak the truth.”
Xia Zhetao shivered when he sensed the hint of menace and coldness in Mu Tingfeng’s words. He drew in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and screamed without caring much less about others, “Mr. President, it looks like Mrs. President has already found out the truth about the shop. She said she doesn’t want the shop if you refuse to see her on your own!”
Right after Xia Zhetao finished shouting, there was no response inside the office. Out of curiosity, Xia Zhetao could not help but slowly open his eyes to observe Mu Tingfeng’s expression through the gap.
It would have been better had he not watched. The moment he did, he nearly peed his pants. ‘Mommy! Save me! Mr. President looks as if he wants to devour me alive!’
Zhao Youlin waited for a long time inside the lounge. She rapped the desk with her long, slender fingers, which gave out rhythmic echoes.
Her expression was as calm as water. Her eyes looked still. No one knew what she was thinking in her mind.
Mr. Li sat opposite Zhao Youlin. His heart clenched. Just when he thought he was on the way to destruction in the middle of silence, hasty footsteps were heard from outside.
Mr. Li immediately jerked up and left her a single line. “I’ll open the door.” After that, he ran over and took the initiative to open the lounge door.
The next second, two familiar figures walked in from outside.
Zhao Youlin did not look surprised when she saw the two people. It was as if she had already expected them. “So, you two are the ones.”
Xia Zhetao smiled embarrassedly. He hid behind Mu Tingfeng and gave an angry look at Mr. Li, the main culprit who had exposed them.
The corners of Mr. Li’s lips twitched. He looked helpless. After all, he also did not hope things would end up like this. All he could blame things on was the fact that Ms. Zhao was too smart, and he lacked the ability to handle her.
Mu Tingfeng and Zhao Youlin locked gazes for a while before he said, “You two, go out now.”
Xia Zhetao and Mr. Li exchanged glances. They were overjoyed. They turned around and fled. Before they left, they specially closed the lounge door.
Right after Xia Zhetao and Mr. Li left, the lounge was only left with Zhao Youlin and Mu Tingfeng. Mu Tingfeng hesitated for a while before he walked over and sat opposite Zhao Youlin, the same seat that Mr. Li had taken a while ago.
“When did you find out?” Mu Tingfeng started the conversation first as he stared at Zhao Youlin.
“Initially, I only suspected him. After I discovered too many coincidental points, my suspicions turned out to be true.”
“Suspicious?”
Zhao Youlin chuckled. “Where on Earth is there such a coincidence whereby you would be fed as soon as you feel hungry? The moment I mentioned I needed to rent an outlet, the next thing I knew, someone was interested in renting out his outlet. On top of that, the person who is renting out his outlet is right next to my shop!”
“Only this?”
“Of course not. I was curious when An Qi told me that the shop owner next to my shop wants to rent out his outlet. However, after I talked to the person whom you have appointed to sign the contract with me, I was convinced that something was fishy.”
Mu Tingfeng quirked one of his eyebrows and asked curiously, “Which was the part where he exposed himself?”
Zhao Youlin did not hide it from him. She snorted, “First, he said he’s a married man with children. The reason he wants to rent out his outlet is because of his daughter, who is going to attend a primary school far away from this area. As such, it’s very inconvenient for him. However, he wears his ring on his index finger and doesn’t look like a married man. If it’s truly about his daughter’s schooling issue, and if I remembered correctly, local people could make decisions on the choice of school on their own. Since his daughter is studying locally, then his daughter is most likely a local child. With that, his reason is invalid.”
Right after Zhao Youlin spoke, the two people who had overheard their conversation outside unwittingly cast a glance at the ring that had exposed Mr. Li. The corners of their lips twitched.
Zhao Youlin stared at the man, whose face had gradually darkened, and said faintly, “Of course, this is still not the main point. Mr. Li’s greatest loophole, or to be precise, it’s not Mr. Li’s loophole, it’s the loophole of the person who had prepared the contract for Mr. Li.”
“What?”
Zhao Youlin rolled her eyes. “Will an average man print both parties’ full names on the contract? Fine. Even if they do, this is the first time Mr. Li and I have met each other. Before this, I had never contacted him. How did he know my full name? Unless… he has investigated me prior to this, or someone he knows is aware of all my details. In addition, both parties’ names are fully printed on the contract, so much so that he could not wait to rent the outlet out to me.”
As the saying went, having a stupid teammate was something that a team feared the most. The huge text of [Zhao Youlin] was imprinted on the contract. It was difficult for her not to notice it.
Upon hearing this, Xia Zhetao, who had been overhearing their conversation, wanted to cry. He could not help but bang his stupid brain against the pillar, giving out a loud banging sound.
Unbeknownst to Xia Zhetao, Zhao Youlin and Mu Tingfeng could hear the sound outside very clearly.
Mu Tingfeng’s face turned black. He faked a cough with a hint of anger to stop Xia Zhetao from torturing himself.
For a moment, Xia Zhetao was dumbfounded. By the time he snapped out of his daze, he had grown increasingly bitter. He tugged at Mr. Li’s arm and quickly fled.
Xia Zhetao predicted that his superior would settle the account with him when they went back to office. ‘Sob… I might have to eat dirt next month!’
Mu Tingfeng’s complexion turned slightly better when the sound of footsteps outside gradually faded.. He then returned his attention to Zhao Youlin and continued to ask, “Then, how did you guess it was me?”
