CH 26

Of course, Zhou Qingbai knew that Pei You didn’t need protection like a child, and in fact, due to his profession, Pei You probably had more experience in the corporate world than him. But maybe because he had met Liu Xin before, there was always a faint uneasiness lingering in his heart, reminding him from time to time.

It’s strange, Zhou Qingbai thought.

The impression of their last meeting was already quite vague, but in Zhou Qingbai’s memory, Liu Xin was at most someone who indulged in eating, drinking, and having fun, a spoiled rich kid. Though not a serious businessman, he hadn’t crossed any lines that would make Zhou Qingbai wary.

Zhou Qingbai didn’t understand where the vague uneasiness in his heart was coming from, so he thought about it and decided to attribute it to some kind of instinctive premonition.

“Even a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. If he doesn’t cooperate, don’t confront him head-on,” Zhou Qingbai said, “I’ll come to meet you in a while.”

“Okay.” Fortunately, Pei You was understanding and didn’t pay too much attention to Zhou Qingbai’s unusual rambling. He didn’t argue about his ability to handle the situation and simply nodded in agreement, saying, “You focus on your tasks; don’t worry about me. I’ll be at the company.”

Two years ago, Dongjiang Company had moved to a new location, occupying a floor in a twenty-three-story office building in the local business incubation park.

The newly built office building was not fully leased yet. The company signboards on the first floor’s corporate directory were sparse, with about ten labels, and a few of them were already crossed out, indicating that they hadn’t been taken down yet.

Pei You easily found Dongjiang Company’s floor on the corporate directory and politely declined the front desk’s guidance, deciding to find the company’s location himself.

The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor, and as the doors opened, they revealed the company’s entrance directly facing the elevator.

The clean and tidy glass double doors had two frosted strips horizontally pasted on them, displaying the full name of Dongjiang Company. Pei You quickly scanned around and confirmed that he had come to the right place.

He walked out of the elevator, instinctively adjusting his clothes, and transferred his briefcase to his left hand. He approached the company’s entrance, pressed the outside intercom, and a crisp bell sound soon rang from inside the transparent glass doors.

The young girl at the front desk woke up from her drowsiness, a clear expression of confusion appearing on her face when she saw Pei You.

She hesitated and asked, “Hello, are you… here for an interview?”

The last few words trailed off uncertainly, showing her lack of confidence. Pei You, after casually glancing around both sides of the office area, shook his head and replied, “No.”

“I’m looking for your General Manager, Mr. Liu,” Pei You said calmly. “I am a representative of Qingshan Group, the parent company. I’ve come to conduct a financial integration of your company.”

Although he didn’t use sharp terms like “audit” or “inspection,” perhaps due to his naturally cold appearance, the front desk still tensed up.

The girl at the front desk was very young, probably just in her early twenties. Her experience and skills were obviously not enough to handle unexpected situations. She visibly panicked for a moment and nervously said, “Mr. Liu is temporarily not in the office. He’s out, and I need to call him first.”

“That’s fine,” Pei You replied politely. “I’ll wait here.”

The conditions in Dongjiang Company were quite good, with a clean and bright office space. On both sides of the lobby were transitional corridors with several small meeting rooms and guest rooms.

At the end of the left corridor was the common office area. The commotion at the front desk had alarmed the employees working inside, and some of them couldn’t resist the curiosity, starting to poke their heads out from their desks and offices.

After guiding Pei You into an adjacent meeting room, the front desk served him with refreshments and then closed the door to make the call to Liu Xin.

That particular meeting room was probably for internal use, without much privacy. The wall facing the corridor was entirely made of glass, and from inside, Pei You could see the front desk girl’s slightly nervous expression as she made the call.

Pei You withdrew his gaze from outside and felt his phone vibrate slightly in his pocket, indicating a new message.

Due to the “love instruction manual” he had with Zhou Qingbai, Pei You had become sensitive to new message sounds. He took out his phone and saw that it was indeed a new message from Zhou Qingbai.

He placed his briefcase next to the chair, and using the table as a cover, he glanced at the message interface. There, he found Zhou Qingbai had sent a cute cat tilting its head, indicating a questioning expression.

Pei You replied with a question mark, not understanding its meaning. Soon, another image of a crying cat with a similar style appeared in the chat.

“Oh… we have no telepathy at all,” Zhou Qingbai replied, “Someone disappeared from this chat box without reporting their schedule, but I won’t say who.”

Pei You: “…”

With just a short line, it felt like a long voice message to Pei You. He could even imagine Zhou Qingbai’s tone and expression while saying that. Zhou Qingbai must have acted a bit coy, helpless, and sighed, his voice probably lazy and tinged with a hint of suggestion.

Pei You was amused by his own imagination. He pursed his lips, forming a faint smile, and his gaze softened unknowingly.

“I’ve arrived in Dongjiang,” Pei You quickly typed on the keyboard, “But Liu Xin hasn’t arrived yet.”

Satisfied with the response, Zhou Qingbai sent a new expression. The crying cat’s avatar turned into a cheerful, smiling one, and he sent a heart to the other side of the screen.

“I’ve already reached the entrance of his mother’s residential area,” Zhou Qingbai courteously reported back with a photo of the residential complex, “I’m preparing for the undercover operation.”

Pei You’s mind was filled with question marks, wondering how Zhou Qingbai got information so quickly.

He decided to ask, and Zhou Qingbai, squatting at the flowerbed near the entrance of the residential area, typed on his keyboard while holding an ice cream popsicle he had just bought from the supermarket.

“Local companies are bound to be well-known,” Zhou Qingbai said, “and I know Uncle Liu and where he lives, so It wasn’t that difficult. Their old residential area was redeveloped, but the old lady is nostalgic and didn’t want to leave her old neighbors, so she’s still living here, but in a larger house now.”

“Now there’s a group of aunties playing cards in the residential area. I’m planning to go in and inquire about the situation,” Zhou Qingbai said, “I’ll text you later.”

Zhou Qingbai didn’t like dealing with serious matters, but he enjoyed getting involved in miscellaneous affairs. Pei You shook his head with a smile and encouraged him before ending the conversation.

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Pei You picked up his cup and took a sip of tea.

Half an hour later, Liu Xin, the elusive figure, rushed back hurriedly from outside and went straight to the front desk to inquire about the situation.

The front desk pointed him in the direction of the meeting room, and Pei You, who had been observing the lobby from the meeting room, stood up and walked out.

“Hey, I’m really sorry,” Liu Xin said, clearly having been forewarned by the front desk. Even before seeing Pei You, his smile was already in place. He approached Pei You politely and warmly extended his hand, apologizing repeatedly, “I just went out for a business meeting, and it just so happens I’m not here when you arrived.”

Seeing Liu Xin face-to-face now, Pei You couldn’t help but frown.

That man in front of him appeared to be around thirty-eight or thirty-nine years old, with an unpleasant face. His cheekbones protruded, his forehead was narrow, giving him a cunning look. His eyes had dark-circles, cheeks sunken, and he seemed thin to the point of looking gaunt, with the wrist bones jutting out like a thin layer of skin covering the skeleton.

He was slightly hunched, giving off an overall unhealthy impression, but his eyes seemed unusually sharp and excited.

Pei You suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable from the bottom of his heart, as if he vaguely understood why Zhou Qingbai didn’t like this person.

Lowering his eyes slightly, Pei You avoided Liu Xin’s overly enthusiastic gaze and extended his hand for a brief handshake.

“It’s okay,” Pei You said, “I didn’t make an appointment in advance.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary to say. We’re honored to have someone from the headquarters here. It makes our humble company shine,” Liu Xin said with a smile. His gaze swept over Pei You quickly, as if weighing his significance. “By the way, I forgot to ask your name…?”

“You can call me Pei,” Pei You said nonchalantly, pretending not to see Liu Xin’s gaze, “Pei You.”