Chapter 45 - 45: You Might Be More Pleasant to the Eyes
“It’s just like this?” On the other end, when Zhou Chi saw her ending the call without hesitation, he was a bit bewildered.
He couldn’t understand the terms she mentioned, like “resort project” and “plot number three,” but his gut feeling told him this young lady was playing tricks. The fish was about to bite the hook, yet she suddenly gave up?
Shen Wan closed the voice-changing software, powered off her phone, and handed him the encrypted SIM card. “Keep it for next time.”
“What if they call back, should I answer?”
“Will they be able to call back?” Shen Wan looked curious. “It’s encrypted, isn’t it?”
“Encryption only hides the middle four digits of the number and the location, but you can still directly call back.”
Shen Wan replied, “Then just turn it off.”
Zhou Chi was left speechless.
“Would you like some water?” She asked.
“Coconut water, thanks.”
Shen Wan went to the kitchen, grabbed two bottles, and returned to the computer. She handed him one and kept the other.
“You’re not being very polite.”
“As your lifesaver, do you really expect me to be polite?”
Zhou Chi choked up.
Shen Wan gestured to him. “If you have time, please gather some information on Hengyi Group for me. Don’t rely on what’s available online.”
“What kind of information do you want?”
“Something more confidential.”
Huh…
Zhou Chi swallowed his saliva, then asked, “Such as?”
Shen Wan sighed, “Perhaps information about Yi Hong’s family relationships, especially specific details about his lovers, or the company’s investment decisions for the second half of the year, especially those multimillion-dollar deals…”
If she remembered correctly, the investment that crushed Yi Hong in her previous life was likely sealed around this time.
And Shen Qian happened to be in Beihai…
She didn’t like making baseless speculations, but she also didn’t believe in coincidences.
“Do you really want to know?” Zhou Chi was puzzled.
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
“Making a computer addict like me do private detective work?!” His eyes widened.
Shen Wan had no intention of making things difficult for him. She simply said, “Gather whatever you can.”
“You should have said that earlier…” She startled him. “But, what exactly do you want to do?” Using voice-changing software and all, making it all mysterious.
“Something big.”
“Something big?”
She glanced deeply at him, and a faint smile bloomed on the young girl’s beautiful face. “Are you sure you want to know?”
Zhou Chi met her smiling gaze and felt a sudden chill in his heart. His actions were quicker than his thoughts as he shook his head vigorously.
“Oh.” Shen Wan’s tone remained indifferent. “But it’s still better for you to know some things.”
“Why?”
“Because it will help you with what you need to do next.”
Shen Wan provided a brief explanation of the competition between the two real estate firms involved in the North Sea No. 3 plot dispute, keeping it as succinct as possible. However, she remained silent about her reasons for assisting Yi Hong in dealing with Shen Qian.
Fortunately, Zhou Chi didn’t press for more information.
However, there was one thing he wanted to clarify.
“Why me?” The teenager’s eyes were pure black, focused, and persistent, encapsulating all his previous doubts in this one question.
Shen Wan contemplated for a moment, “…Probably because you’re easy on the eyes.”
Surprisingly, Zhou Chi believed her, perhaps because he was quite good-looking.
If someone had told him a week ago that he would be cheated on, hit by a car, and allowed a strange girl to come and go from his room at will, Zhou Chi might have called them crazy.
But now, faced with the undeniable reality, he found himself surprisingly accepting and tolerant of certain people and things.
For example, he had broken up with Feng Shuangshuang, and now he was accommodating Shen Wan’s intrusion into his life.
Shen Wan handed him the pack of drinks that she had finished. “Throw this.”
Without hesitation, Zhou Chi took it and tossed it into the trash bin.
“Why aren’t there any tissues around?”
He glanced around and remarked, “I guess I’ve run out of tissues.”
Shen Wan walked straight to the bedside and pulled open the drawer beneath it. She said, “There’s only one left, remember to buy more.”
She took one out, tore open the package, and handed a sheet to Zhou Chi.
“Thank you,” he said, his eyes fixed on the computer screen.
Zhou Chi was indeed living up to his reputation as a computer addict.
Satisfied that things were wrapping up, Shen Wan grabbed her bag, preparing to leave.
Zhou Chi swallowed hard and asked her, “Are you in a hurry?”
“Why?”
“Well, how about…” He scratched his head, “1 treat you to a meal?”
Fifteen minutes later, a small noodle shop in a back alley of Qing Bronze Street.
Shen Wan stopped at the entrance and looked at the sign.
Zhou Chi scratched his head once more. “Recently, this place has been decent. I’m currently out of work and a bit short on cash, so I can only afford to take you to a spot like this. I hope that’s alright with you?”
“I don’t mind.”
The two walked in, and the environment wasn’t great. There was no air conditioning in the scorching summer; only a fan creaked loudly.
“What would you like to eat, ma’am?”
“The specialty here is…” Zhou Chi was about to explain.
Shen Wan interrupted, “Oil-spill dumplings.”
“Huh? You know that?”
“Do I know what?”
“The most famous thing here is the oil-spill dumplings.”
“Is it?” Shen Wan smiled lightly. “Seems like 1 have a good eye.”
After finishing lunch, Shen Wan left Qingtong Street.
Zhou Chi didn’t idle either. He went home, changed his clothes, and went out to look for a job.
No matter what, life continued, and he needed money to survive.
“You have a good appearance; being a waiter should be no problem.”
“A waiter?” Zhou Chi frowned. “What exactly would I be doing?”
“You’ll be responsible for serving drinks inside the venue.”
“What about the salary…”
“Don’t worry about that; we, the Night Paris, never mistreat our employees..”