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墨書 Inktalez
I watched as the woman walked in. She was wearing a long coat that reached her thighs, exuding confidence and elegance, with a hint of sophistication. This woman was the one I had rescued from Zhao Jian!
"Hey! President Liu," Liu Yiyi said as she approached the woman.
President Liu nodded with a smile, saying, "I'm sorry, Liu Zong. It rained in Donghai, and I got stuck in traffic. I... oh, it's you!"
President Liu looked at me, a bit surprised.
I nodded back at her and said, "Hello, Sister Liu."
"You... thank you," Sister Liu replied as she walked over to shake my hand.
It was nothing; it was the least I could do.
Liu Yiyi stood to the side, looking a bit confused. "President Liu, Song Fei, do you two know each other?"
"He saved my life," Sister Liu immediately responded. "So, Liu Zong, what is your relationship with him?"
I quickly interjected, "Alright, alright, let's all sit down. Also, with one being President Liu and the other Liu Zong, I can hardly tell you apart. Since you're in my shop now, we're all friends. Let's introduce ourselves. Sister Liu, you can just call him Yiyi."
The three of us sat down and introduced ourselves. Sister Liu's name was Liu Xin; she was the Executive President of Huiteng Cultural Group.
I turned to Liu Yiyi and recounted what had happened with Zhao Jian.
Liu Yiyi was astonished to hear that Zhao Jian had died and turned into a monster, her mouth agape in disbelief.
Liu Xin and Zhao Jian were friends, and that night the two of them had planned to go out for a late-night snack. I wasn't sure if Liu Xin would end up being eaten while with Zhao Jian, but it was clear that Liu Xin was very grateful to me.
After some casual conversation, the three of us became good friends. Liu Xin and Liu Yiyi were not familiar with each other before; it was their first meeting. However, after my introduction, they quickly warmed up to each other and found themselves chatting comfortably.
Liu Yiyi was beaming with joy, clearly feeling optimistic about this collaboration.
I brewed a pot of tea, and the three of us sat around the table, sipping tea while listening to the sound of rain at night.
Soon enough, we got to the main topic. Liu Yiyi didn't directly bring up the collaboration but instead started with, "Sister Liu, I heard your teahouse has been a bit unsettled lately?"
Liu Xin didn't shy away from the subject; she nodded and sighed. "Two employees have gone missing. The key issue is that their disappearances are quite mysterious—no signs of life or death. I've had my subordinates keep it under wraps, but the staff at the teahouse still know about it. Several have resigned. If this situation isn't resolved, all the money spent on the teahouse will go down the drain."
Liu Yiyi smiled. "Sister Liu, why not let Song Fei help investigate?"
"Is that really possible?" Liu Xin looked at me, her eyes narrowing. "Song Fei, can you help look into this? You can name your price; just let me know if you can do it."
I was about to respond when Liu Yiyi immediately interjected, "Don't worry about the cost, Sister Liu. Song Fei and I are good friends; I'll cover it. So it's settled then—let's have Song Fei investigate this matter."
Liu Xin smiled and nodded in agreement.
I rolled my eyes in frustration as I looked at Liu Yiyi. "Liu Yiyi, you better pay up! I finally found a chance to take advantage of Sister Liu once, and you just blocked me. You owe me compensation."
Liu Xin and Liu Yiyi both burst into laughter. Although Liu Xin was the general manager of Huiteng Cultural Group, the process of accessing funds was quite complicated for her; she had to go through applications and such. This was somewhat different for Liu Yiyi, as she was running a family business, and the branch she managed was her own wholly-owned company, making things much simpler.
This was the difference. Despite Liu Xin's considerable authority, when it came to personal assets, it was no exaggeration to say that Liu Yiyi's wealth could be a hundred times greater than Liu Xin's.
I asked, "Sister Liu, what exactly is going on? Can you fill me in?"
Liu Xin thought for a moment. "That teahouse was my decision to invest in and build. The land there was very cheap at the time. I figured that even if the teahouse didn't make money or lost a little each year, it wouldn't matter because the land in Haidong District had great potential for appreciation. Our company fully acquired that land and then built the teahouse. Initially, the business was doing quite well, but not long after, one of our female employees went missing. We reported it to the police, who conducted a search but found nothing. The surveillance footage clearly showed the employee entering that room, but after searching again, she just vanished. The key issue was that this kind of situation happened twice in a row, which left everyone on edge."
After listening to her, I pondered for a moment and said, "It's raining now, and it's getting late. I'll go check out that teahouse tomorrow."
Liu Xin nodded. "Alright, let's go together tomorrow."
I agreed.
We chatted for over an hour before Liu Xin drove away.
Liu Yiyi squinted at me with an uncontainable smile on her lips.
I crossed my arms and pretended to be terrified. "Yiyi, your smile is quite frightening; it’s like a big wolf looking at a sheep. You can't just mess with me."
Liu Yiyi reached out and tapped my forehead. "Don't get too smug! But hey, Song Fei, this place really seems to be where my fortune gathers. If I strike it rich, I won't forget you. I'll give you several million to invest in this coffee shop of yours. How about that?"
"Several million!" I feigned surprise. "Sure! If that's the case, even being supported by you would be fine!"
Liu Yiyi chuckled softly, her eyes squinting playfully, like a mischievous sprite.
I found myself a bit entranced by her demeanor.
Liu Yiyi glanced at the time and said, "Song Fei, I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning to go to the teahouse."
"You’re going too?" I looked at Liu Yiyi in surprise. "Isn't that a bit dangerous?"
Liu Yiyi smiled. "Do you know what the most brilliant marketing strategy is?"
"What is it?" I asked, intrigued.
Liu Yiyi replied, "It's using personality to market. For example, pharmaceutical salespeople; their most effective tactic isn't offering doctors hefty kickbacks or treating them to spa days, but rather winning their trust through their own character. I suppose I'm doing the same; I want to win Liu Xin's trust with my charm."
"Wow, that's quite cunning," I laughed. "Alright then, come pick me up."
Liu Yiyi nodded and then drove away.
The next morning, I got up and made sure to dress nicely. I felt that my chances with Liu Yiyi were growing, and I had to seize every opportunity to spend time together!
At eight o'clock, Liu Yiyi arrived in her Jaguar to pick me up. We had breakfast together before heading towards Liu Xin's teahouse.
In the distance, I spotted a quaintly decorated teahouse standing proudly. A sign hung above it, reading "Ancient Style Teahouse."
I got off the car with Liu Yiyi and walked towards the tea house. The waiter went to report our arrival, and soon Liu Xin came out, accompanied by a woman in her thirties wearing a light blue Cheongsam. She appeared very gentle and composed.
Liu Xin approached us and introduced, "This is the manager of our tea house, Jiang Min. I might be leaving Donghai City in a few days, so if you need anything, just look for Jiang Min."
We greeted Jiang Min, who seemed quiet and reserved. I wondered how someone like her became the manager of a tea house. However, judging by her attire, she must be quite skilled in tea brewing.
After chatting for a while, Liu Yiyi walked away with Liu Xin, while I followed Jiang Min towards the room where the incident had occurred.
Jiang Min glanced at me with curiosity and said, "Mr. Song, this situation is a bit strange, so please don't be afraid."
I chuckled and replied, "Sister Jiang, you really don't need to worry about that. This is my line of work; of course, I won't be scared."
Jiang Min nodded as we walked. "This tea house hasn't been open for long. About a month ago, an employee entered Room 103 to get some tea utensils and suddenly went missing without a trace. The police came once but found no leads. Then, about a week ago, another female employee also disappeared from this room. This time it caused quite a stir; the staff are all on edge and no one dares to enter this room. Moreover, those who live here have reported hearing the anguished cries of the two missing employees at night... right here."
Jiang Min pointed to a room beside us.
I looked over and reached for the door handle, but it was locked.
"Mr. Song," Jiang Min said, "this room is indeed peculiar, so please don't go inside."
I waved my hand dismissively. "It's fine. Once we solve this problem, you'll all feel safe again."
Jiang Min hesitated for a moment but eventually used her key to unlock the door.
I pushed the door open and walked in. The room looked perfectly normal, well-lit, and devoid of any eerie atmosphere. I frowned slightly and turned to Jiang Min. "Are you sure this is the right room, Sister Jiang?"
"Of course, this is the room," Jiang Min replied.
I stepped further inside and took a look around Room 10. I found nothing unusual; it seemed like it hadn't been cleaned in a while, as a fine layer of dust covered everything.
I shook my head. "This room is fine."
Jiang Min said, "I used to think the same way. The main issue is that this room serves as a storage area, and both male and female staff frequently come in and out. However, no one else has gone missing—only these two individuals. It's quite concerning; just yesterday, I received three resignation letters. Losing even one of the waitstaff I've trained so hard is a loss for the tea house."
I replied, "Then take me to see the surveillance footage from that time. Also, show me the information on those two girls." I was feeling somewhat skeptical; I suspected that there might be something wrong with the two missing girls. After all, the room seemed normal, and even at night, there shouldn't be anything particularly unusual about it.
Jiang Min led me to her office. Inside, she handed me a storage disk. "This contains the surveillance footage from when the two girls went missing. I saved it for you to review."
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