Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Enough!

Wen Yu looked at Pan Xianchen, and Pan Xianchen looked at Wen Yu.

"Come down," he said.

Wen Yu got out of the car and gave the driver's seat to Pan Xianchen. Pan Xianchen got in and first adjusted the seat back a little, so that his legs could stretch out, and then he helped her move the car out. Wen Yu saw that his movements were very experienced, and her car slid out like a loach.

Her car was fine. Wen Yu turned her head and glanced at the innocent Volkswagen.

The car door slammed shut. Pan Xiancheng got out and walked to his car. Wen Yu followed him and said, "Mr. Pan, should we call the insurance company now?"

Pan Xianchen squatted down and observed the damage to the car, then walked to her car and bent down to touch the mark on the front of the car.

"No, it's just a minor injury," Pan Xianchen said. "Fix it yourself."

"Okay. Then we'll both do the repairs. I'll pay for your car's cost when the time comes."

"good."

Wen Yu pursed her lips and said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Pan, today is too..."

It’s too hard to put it into words.

Pan Xianchen glanced at her and said, "It's okay, as long as you're okay."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Wen Yu said, and then asked him, "Are you okay?"

Pan Xianchen didn't say anything, but his expression spoke volumes. Wen Yu couldn't help but glance at the structural column she'd scraped, leaving a shallow dent. Then, her gaze slid back down to that unique spot.

"Still watching?"

Pan Xianchen frowned, suddenly feeling a little hot. He felt a bit painful, but there was nothing he could do.

Wen Yu felt her face flush as she recalled the scene just now. And the conversation they had about being squeezed out was something she couldn't dwell on, as it seemed so inappropriate when she did.

"Go back." Pan Xianchen said.

"Okay, goodbye, Mr. Pan."

Wen Yu got in the car first, and Pan Xianchen's car followed behind her. After leaving the parking lot, they went their separate ways.

Pan Xianchen rolled down the car window, letting the evening breeze glide across his slightly warm face. The car perfume hung in the air-conditioning vents, its faint woody aroma carried to his nostrils by the air conditioning. The phone rang for a long time before he seemed to notice it and slowly answered it.

"What are you doing? Why did you take so long to answer Dad's call?"

"I'm driving."

"Are you ready to pick up Qianqian?"

"..." Pan Xianchen glanced at the time on the dashboard. He forgot that today was the day Yan Qianqian returned home.

No one knows a son better than his father. Pan Qing immediately asked, "Have you forgotten?"

"I just had a car crash."

Pan Qing paused for a second and asked anxiously, "Is it serious? Is anyone injured?"

Pan Xianchen replied: "No one is injured, the car is slightly damaged."

"That's good, don't scare your dad."

"I'll be home in a minute."

"Not picking up Qianqian?" Pan Qing smacked his lips, sensing something. "...You were just trying to change the subject, weren't you? Did you really have a car accident?"

Pan Xianchen: “…”

After hanging up the phone, Pan Qing's words, "You must pick up Qianqian for me! Are you comfortable leaving a little girl at the airport so late?!" were still echoing in the car.

What should I worry about? Pan Xianchen thought. He glanced at the time again and sent a WeChat message to Yan Qianqian: Have you arrived yet?

Qianwan Rich Man: You pig! I haven’t even boarded the plane yet!

Pan Xianchen: Then you can take a taxi back.

Qianwanfuweng: My dad said you would come pick me up? No way, are you standing me up again?

Pan Xianchen: It’s too late. I want to go to bed.

Qianwan millionaire:???

Qianwan Rich Man: Unless you say you are with your girlfriend, if you dare not come to pick me up, I will complain to Uncle Pan!

At three in the morning, Yan Qianqian emerged from the airport. A few taxis dotted the quiet streets, and weary travelers would occasionally load up with suitcases. The slamming of trunks and car doors seemed the only sound in the airport.

Yan Qianqian had returned from a cold place to a hot summer. After standing on the curb for a while, she was sweating profusely. She looked around but couldn't find anyone familiar.

Suddenly, a car drove up from behind and honked at her.

Yan Qianqian was startled and nearly fell as she stepped back. The car window rolled down, revealing Pan Xianchen's face. Yan Qianqian immediately cursed, "What the hell! Honking the horn all of a sudden!" She glanced at Pan Xianchen's Volkswagen and became even more dissatisfied, "What the hell is this? I thought it was some black car."

Pan Xianchen said, "You can sit if you want."

She said she was disgusted, but she still sat down. Yan Qianqian felt that if she continued to be blown by the hot wind, she would definitely melt like an ice cream.

The car was very air-conditioned, making Yan Qianqian feel very comfortable. Only then did she have time to laugh at Pan Xianchen: "I knew you would never find a girlfriend."

"If you do this again, I'll promise your dad."

"……What?"

"Your father wants to bring us together."

Yan Qianqian's eyes widened, and she shouted as if she had heard something out of the ordinary: "You're so much older than me! I don't want it!"

"Then shut up."

“…”

The car was quiet for a few minutes, then the sound of tapping on a phone keyboard rang out. Pan Xianchen took a moment to glance at Yan Qianqian while driving, and he understood: "Who are you saying bad things about me to again?"

"Who said that? It's so funny."

It was past three in the morning, and except for that utterly awful Pan Xianchen, everyone Yan Qianqian knew back home was asleep. So all she could do was rant and rave in her memo: "Old bastard! Old bastard! Old bastard!"

Pan Xianchen only slept for three hours before going to work.

Several city officials were coming to inspect the company, so Yan Zhiwen asked Pan Xianchen to take them to the group's market that afternoon. In the morning, the officials met in the conference room.

With all the bigwigs gathered together, the office downstairs felt more relaxed. Ye Yinuo was secretly watching the concert on her phone. Xiao Zheng, who was standing next to her, clocked in that morning and then disappeared.

Peng Yan came over and knocked on Wen Yu's desk: "Let's go and take a look at the scene."

The Investment Department conducts joint market inspections once or twice a month with several other departments, including the Operations Management Department. The Investment Department focuses on strategic merchants and problem areas. The Operations Management Department, with its extensive market knowledge, oversees daily inspections, primarily as an escort alongside the Investment Department.

Wen Yu's car was in for repairs, so she took a taxi to work. Peng Yan drove to the market, and Wen Yu sat in the passenger seat. But even though Peng Yan was Wen Yu's direct supervisor, she paid no attention to these details; she was a practical person.

When Wen Yu first joined Peng Yan, she always carried a notebook and pen with her when she went on site inspections with Peng Yan. She meticulously recorded every phenomenon and problem she observed during her inspections. Peng Yan reviewed her notebook and found that it was well-written and highlighted the key points.

Seeing she was a promising young talent, Peng Yan offered her some advice: "A notebook and pen are old-fashioned methods, reflecting student thinking. With so many modern technologies, you need to be adept at choosing and utilizing them. Bring a pen with you when you go out, but don't use it; use your phone. Use a laptop during meetings. Typing is definitely faster than writing, and it's easier to delete, edit, and make adjustments."

Later, Wen Yu brought not only the items Peng Yan had suggested, but also a voice recorder. She privately compared the pros and cons of professional voice recorders and cellphone recording. Cellphone recording was ideal for quick memos, and in this day and age, everyone has a cell phone, making it more convenient. Professional voice recorders offer a wide range of options for microphone quality, noise reduction, battery life, and storage capacity. Spending a little more money on a better device was a good deal for Wen Yu.

She uses Sony products. Peng Yan is very satisfied with her proactive thinking and ability to draw inferences from one instance to another.

Wen Yu also felt that Peng Yan's leadership style was a good fit for her. They had to inspect several markets a day, planning their routes, starting at which station, passing through which, and then proceeding to the next, without stopping in between. Wen Yu knew some leaders would slack off during market inspections, using their familiarity with the head of a particular department to go to the head's office for tea, leaving the subordinates alone. However, the work still had to be done by the subordinates, which was inefficient and delayed the end of the work day.

For someone like Peng Yan, working in three markets in one morning is extremely fast.

At noon, Wen Yu and Peng Yan filled their stomachs at Uncle Bao's clay pot rice restaurant as usual. In the afternoon, they continued to explore the market.

Peng Yan parked the car and walked to Gate 12 of the market, where someone was already waiting for them.

"Manager Peng, right?"

"Yes. Are you from...the Security Department?" Peng Yan looked at his work clothes.

"Yes, the leader asked me to show you around."

Peng Yan was dissatisfied, but she didn't say anything. Wen Yu saw her expression and asked for her, "Where are the people from the operations department?"

"I don't know either. No one told me."

“…”

As they spoke, they moved to the atrium. The eight-story market atrium was topped with a glass roof, ensuring ample sunlight for all three sections. Coconut and palm trees were planted at the four corners of the atrium, and hundreds of small national flags were strung together, crisscrossing and hanging overhead.

This market is a foreign-friendly market, one of the city’s important windows for external communication, and also a landmark and important external publicity outlet for the group.

"From the Security Department..." Peng Yan stood under a palm tree, squinting to identify the name tag on the work clothes opposite him.

"Just call me Lao Wang!"

"Okay, Lao Wang," Peng Yan said, "We still have to get someone from the operations department. You don't know the data we need and the situation we need to understand. Without our operations colleagues here, we can't complete our work."

"This..." Old Wang scratched his head and said in embarrassment, "How about I ask for you again?"

"Please." Wen Yu said.

Lao Wang took his cell phone and walked a little further away to make a call.

Peng Yan took a few steps forward, her view expanding. She looked up the escalator, then turned to look at the elevator on the other side. The crowds were surging, and the elevators were almost always full. Then she quickly scanned the shops before her, finally resting her gaze straight ahead.

“That’s why the operations department isn’t here.”

Wen Yu also saw it - the leader in charge of the market was walking with several city leaders and introducing them. The merchants passing by on the route were all veteran actors, all of them were well-dressed, with smiles on their faces, and the scene was prosperous.

Pan Xianchen was also among that group of people.

Lao Wang came back from the call and said, "Manager Peng, the operations department said they're very busy today and can't spare any help..."

Peng Yan smiled and nodded. Old Wang looked over mid-sentence and saw Liao Shihui from the Operations Management Department following behind the group of leaders. Liao Shihui had also spotted Peng Yan and, while the city leaders were pausing in front of a business, he quickly walked over to greet them.

Peng Yan also greeted him: "Manager Liao."

Liao Shihui saw that there were only three of them and asked eagerly, "Why is there no one accompanying Supervisor Peng on the inspection? Well, I could have taken you for a tour, but today--" He looked back with an embarrassed look on his face.

"I understand. The city leaders' inspection is a big deal," said Peng Yan.

Liao Shihui: "I'll let Mengmeng come over. She knows all about the market."

"Thank you."

Liao Shihui turned around with a warm smile, but before he had gone far, his smile faded and he muttered, "What a troublemaker! He always picks good days to come."

Peng Yan whispered to Wen Yu, "Patrolling the market with Liao Shihui is exhausting. It would be best if he could send someone here. Let's make a quick decision and diverge from the city leaders."

Mengmeng came down from the escalator. She led Peng Yan and Wen Yu in another direction. Lao Wang retired after accomplishing his mission, and there were still three people here.

Liao Shihui was a master at selecting people. Mengmeng was young, but she was incredibly familiar with the job. Wen Yu listened to her explanation and took notes on her phone. Before long, they had covered half the market.

Peng Yan looked at Wen Yu inquiringly, and Wen Yu nodded. They planned to withdraw.

"It seems like there's a quarrel over there..." people passing by said, their eyes all looking in that direction.

"What's going on?" Peng Yan asked.

"I'll go take a look."

Mengmeng trotted over, but didn't go too far. She found a nearby merchant and asked. She knew all the merchants there, so she figured it out immediately. Just as she was about to turn back, Peng Yan and Wen Yu approached, one after the other.

Peng Yan said, "The quarrel was too intense. The leadership is coming to inspect today, and it has a very bad impact."

As they walked, Mengmeng told them the information she had learned.

The two merchants A and B were arguing, and they had a long-standing grudge against each other.

Merchant A reported Merchant B for maliciously underselling similar goods, causing losses to Merchant A. Merchant B ignored Merchant A and simply dumped household and kitchen waste in front of Merchant A's storefront. Merchant A went to Merchant B's storefront to demand an explanation, but Merchant B refused to acknowledge the incident. Conveniently, there was no surveillance. Merchant A threatened to join Merchants C, D, E, and F in protest. Merchant B arrogantly replied, "Go ahead and file a complaint!" Furious, Merchant A ran to Merchant B's door and yelled at him.

The signs started after lunch, and the volcano just erupted.

Meng Meng stopped Peng Yan and Wen Yu and said, "Don't go any further. These people are really rude when they quarrel. I'll call the security department."

When AB were arguing, there was a group of people around eating melon seeds. Wen Yu took a look and saw that there were actually two aunts eating melon seeds.

"...It seems like they're talking about the same thing, but that person is deliberately selling it at a lower price..."

"So disgusting? That's going to lead to a fight. As for me, if you don't let me live well, I won't let you live well either!"

"…Is it profitable to sell it so cheaply?"

"The guy selling it cheap seems to be a relative of the boss. Do you think he's making a profit? ... He couldn't get into those shops originally, so he has connections, right?"

"What relatives?"

"Listen, they're arguing—I think it's some boss's mistress."

"Tsk tsk, these people, wearing suits every day, secretly having affairs with mistresses..."

…

The more you talk, the more outrageous it gets.

Wen Yu stood behind the aunt who was eating melon seeds, listening attentively to see if there was anything more outrageous.

"Stop arguing, stop arguing! Everyone in the merchant group has been notified today that the city leaders are coming! Why are you still arguing?"

"We need to make this argument in front of the leaders. We need to hear the voices of ordinary people!"

…

"The leader is here! He's right behind you!"

Dozens of eyes looked back. Meng Meng was startled and waved her hands repeatedly: "Ah? Me? I'm not the leader!"

"If you're not the leader, who is? You patrol here every day. Come over here and give us your opinion! If they're making so much noise, how can we still do business?"

Dozens of people were jostling and pushing each other, and Mengmeng was being snatched away like a piece of fat meat by mad dogs. The auntie who was eating sunflower seeds shouted, "Mengmeng is not a leader, she is just an employee. Mengmeng is here to accompany the leader on an inspection tour today. The leader is here!"

Wen Yu, who was hiding behind her aunt, pricked up her ears: "..."

The person who had been arguing with her also rushed over and grabbed Wen Yu's arm aggressively. Peng Yan stopped him: "You are a grown man, don't touch a little girl."

"Who do you think you are? Are you the leader?"

Peng Yan repeated, "Don't touch me."

"I just want to ask if you are a leader!"

Peng Yan tried to push his hand away, but the man was very strong and pushed Peng Yan away with a push of his arm. Wen Yu was tossed back and forth in his hands like a piece of tattered clothing.

The security team finally arrived, a group of big men surrounding another group of big men, circling and circling, flesh upon flesh, stench upon stench. Wen Yu and Peng Yan were forced to separate, facing a huge wall of flesh. Peng Yan and Meng Meng were anxious outside, while Wen Yu was squeezed into a meat pie inside the wall.

She tilted her face upwards, trying to breathe the air above.

But these men and women piled up like bricks, as if they were determined to completely block her out.

She shouted to the man who was holding her hand, "Let me go, let me go."

No one heard it.

She also doubted whether she had made any sound. Suddenly, all the sounds seemed to fade away and she had tinnitus.

In the chaos, Wen Yu felt someone shouting, "Enough, enough..." Countless shouts of "Enough" were as angry as thunder, rumbling and gathering into a ball from all directions. The dark clouds pressed down and exploded, and the pouring rain was like a waterfall, pouring at people's feet.

“That’s enough!”

Wen Yu shuddered and heard a thunderous and furious rebuke.

The crowd shouted, scattered, and fled. A thin layer of water rippled on the ground.

Wen Yu knelt on the ground and looked up—Pan Xianchen stood not far away, his face as dark as a thundercloud. He held a high-pressure water gun in one hand and extended the other toward her.