Chapter 45 Chapter 45 It’s indeed... a coincidence.

Ji Qian found out the time when Chi Zhengbing bought the ticket to City S.

The order was placed on the morning of the second day after Chi Ke met Xu Pei.

That night he felt that there was something wrong with the way Xu Pei looked at him. It wasn't like he was looking at his son's colleague, but more like he was looking at an old acquaintance whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and with whom he had not had a very good relationship.

Sure enough, following this line of inquiry, he found something very clever:

Xu Pei is among the customers in every entertainment venue that Chi Zhengbing frequents.

Chi Zhengbing and Xu Pei must know each other, and their relationship is more than just acquaintance. She must have some understanding of Chi Zhengbing's debt situation, and it is even possible that Chi Zhengbing's debt involves her interests.

Everyone in Yanping who knew the family knew that Chi Zhengbing's family relationships were not harmonious, the couple often quarreled, and the father and son seemed to have a grudge against each other.

As Xu Pei was from Yanping and knew Chi Zhengbing, it was impossible for him not to know about the situation.

Xu Pei knew the situation and "kindly" told Chi Zhengbing the information about "Chi Ke". Either Xu Pei had a friendship or other relationship with Chi Zhengbing, or Xu Pei had some plans for Chi Zhengbing.

Xu Pei, who is over 40, looks only in her 30s. Her looks are one of the best in Yanping. Every boyfriend of hers is either rich, handsome or talented. Such people are unlikely to be attracted to Chi Zhengbing, so Chi Ke prefers the latter.

"Does Chi Zhengbing owe you money?" Chi Ke thought so and asked.

Xu Pei said nothing and just smoked. She soon finished her cigarette and reached into her pocket for another one.

Chi Ke hated the smell of cigarettes and was not going to tolerate her next behavior: "Ms. Xu, is it convenient for me to treat you to a meal?"

Xu Pei looked at him and sighed: "You know everything."

"It's just speculation. I haven't checked many of them yet, so I'm not sure yet." If you ignore the sense of oppression from him blocking the exit, Chi Ke's attitude can be considered polite. "I don't have much time. It would be best if you are willing to talk to me. Of course, it's okay if you don't want to."

Xu Pei smiled and said, "Do I have any choice?"

Chi Ke said very gentlemanly that she could choose the place to eat.

Xu Pei didn't bother to be polite and made an appointment to eat at a Western restaurant on the top floor of a nearby shopping mall.

Chi Ke went to this restaurant with Ji Qian last month. It was expensive and the food was unpalatable.

But he did not raise any objection, since the purpose of this trip was not to eat anyway.

The woman was very skilled in taking the order and chatted happily with the waiter, occasionally speaking a few words in English.

It has nothing to do with the sickly, quiet and gentle image described in the original book.

Chi Ke calmly poured himself a cup of black tea. He was already very used to the "ooc" of these characters.

Or maybe the original author's description is ooc, and they themselves are people with such personalities.

After ordering, Xu Pei looked at Chi Ke: "How much do you know? What else do you want to know?"

"Everything." Chi Ke pushed a cup of tea over. "I hope you can tell me the whole story."

Xu Pei wanted to act relaxed, but being stared at by a man, she couldn't straighten her back. She leaned back in the chair, half hunched, and tightly grasped the towel hanging on the dining table: "Why?"

"The evidence I have is enough to prove that you are operating illegally, illegally absorbing public deposits, and committing fund-raising fraud." Chi Ke stopped trying to argue with her. "These are relatively aboveboard methods. Do you want to hear the others?"

The more Xu Pei listened, the paler her face became. Finally, she snorted with disdain: "Don't scare me with the law. I am not as educated as you who have been to college, but I am not a country woman who knows nothing."

Rural women...

Chi Ke made a "tsk" sound.

How disrespectful.

"Not going to school is actually not that scary," he smiled. "It's scarier to think you know everything when you don't know anything."

Xu Pei's hands trembled, and the wine spilled all over the table: "You!"

"You can refuse to answer." Chi Ke handed over the tissue, "You can also experience the consequences of refusing."

He wasn't bluffing, nor was he joking.

As long as he wanted, it would be no problem to send Xu Pei to jail for five or six years. However, he still needed to get some information from Xu Pei. If he really sent him in, it would also be troublesome for Xu Lemian and Leng Yunting. He did not have the energy to divide it among these people for the time being.

Xu Pei wanted to smoke, but she had not forgotten that this was a restaurant, so she pushed away the teacup, picked up the wine, and muttered to herself sarcastically: "Chi Zhengbing is a waste, but his son is promising."

Chi Ke knew that she had compromised.

No matter how big the matter is, when told as a story by someone else, it will seem understated.

Xu Pei said that she didn't have much contact with Chi Zhengbing and they didn't have much of a friendship.

This is not a lie.

Xu Pei was born and raised in Yanping. He stopped going to school after graduating from junior high school and was determined to work outside.

But the year she graduated, her mother was in a car accident and her father left and never came back. She was alone in a foreign place without the financial support from her family and soon couldn't make ends meet. She had no choice but to return to Yanping and work as a handyman in a pub, while learning to dance with her master.

The pub's guests come from all over the country, some are so poor that they go out to beg for food after drinking, and some are small business owners.

When Xu Pei was seventeen, she met a young rich second-generation man. The talented man and beautiful woman soon fell in love. When the boy left, he took her with him. They rented a house to live in. Xu Pei thought that was the beginning of a happy life.

However, their relationship was soon discovered by the boy's family. He was cut off from living expenses and soon could not hold on any longer. One day, he told Xu Pei that he was going out to work and never came back. Xu Pei could not contact him no matter what. He lived there until his lease expired and he returned to Yanping sadly.

Since then, Xu Pei no longer had any expectations of men.

"I've been in love many times, but I got tired of it and found a way to get pregnant. I thought I could settle down with a child, but the man turned out to be a married man. He left right after Mianmian was born. I knew nothing about him and didn't know where to find him," Xu Pei said. "But he was a really nice guy. He left me a bunch of jewelry and bags, as well as a large sum of cash, which is enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life."

Chi Ke said without any emotion: "But you went to gamble."

"Yes, I went to gamble." Xu Pei admitted readily, and laughed for a while, "It was also thanks to my gambling that I got to know the boss there. He offered me a job. Guess what it was?"

Chi Ke hit the nail on the head: "Did you cheat Chi Zhengbing out of his money?"

"You can't say that. I didn't lie to him or take him to gamble. I was forced to do things for others." The dishes were served one after another. Xu Pei took two bites of the dishes before realizing that no one cut her steak. She picked up the knife and fork awkwardly. "My boss asked me to introduce him to a few projects and projects. He himself fell in love with stock trading. Your father is laughed at by his friends every day. He wants to get rich so badly. What can I do? My job is to introduce these to him. Whether he invests or not, and how much he invests, has nothing to do with me. Mr. Chi, you have been doing well here for so long that you have forgotten the lives of ordinary people, right?"

Chi Ke raised the corner of his lips: "So, you are also a victim?"

Xu Pei cut the steak awkwardly: "If I were luckier, I wouldn't have to do these things."

Chi Ke understood how Xu Lemian developed the character of always thinking that the whole world was against him.

"How much commission can Chi Zhengbing give you with that money?" He stopped talking nonsense.

The knife and fork made a harsh friction sound on the plate. Xu Pei was a little flustered, and his eyes were full of confusion: "What do you mean?"

"I've made myself clear enough."

Without commissions, why would employees work so hard? Chi Ke has been an entrepreneur and boss for many years, and he knows too well what keeps employees like Xu Pei motivated.

"Otherwise, let me explain it more clearly." Chi Ke took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. "Four years ago, Chi Zhengbing was the most demanding of money. I transferred more than 900,000 yuan to him over and over again. He didn't spend much at first, but suddenly spent it all at once in September. The next day, there was an extra 70,000 yuan in your account. There were no less than 20 transactions between the remittance account and his remittance account."

"You said you were a gambler and you had no choice but to work for your boss to pay off your debts. In fact, you did go to the casino, but you only lost more than 100,000 yuan. All your money was gone because you spent a lot of money on cosmetic surgery, but it failed. Later, you kept repairing it and investing in it-"

"Shut up!" Xu Pei's voice suddenly became sharp.

Many people around cast their eyes over, but Chi Ke remained calm. She blushed and lowered her voice, "... Did you leave the private room just to embarrass me?"

She had almost forgotten those things and clearly didn't want to recall the past, so why force her to remember? !

Chi Ke really hadn't thought of this. He wouldn't embarrass a lady in such an indecent way. This restaurant was chosen by Xu Pei himself and there were no private rooms at all.

"Calm down." Chi Ke actually chose a corner seat on purpose. Not many people looked over, and those who did turned their heads away quickly. "I'm not saying this to provoke you. Medical beauty is not something shameful or taboo. I just want to tell Ms. Xu that I know a lot, and it's best not to lie or hide anything."

Xu Pei opened his mouth, then sat back helplessly, with marks left on his palms by the beautiful manicure.

Yes, she did hide something, but does that matter? Isn't the result like this?

She admitted that she had a purpose in going with the rich second generation, and that she was intentional when the other party's parents found out about their relationship, but she just wanted to get married, was that wrong? Who could have known that the old couple would be so cruel? They actually cut off their living expenses!

She admitted that she had known for a long time that Xu Lemian's father was married, but the man said that there was no real love between them anymore, so what was the point of having this wife?

Including Chi Zhengbing, whether she did it intentionally or was forced, wouldn't it change the fact that Chi Zhengbing is now like this? Is there any point in forcing him to question the past?

"What do you want?" She was really driven crazy. Although Chi Ke was polite, he was mentally tormented just by sitting there!

Xu Pei asked anxiously: "I can swear that I will never contact your father again! What else do you want?"

Chi Ke didn’t care whether they contacted each other or not. Chi Zhengbing wouldn’t be able to stay alive for long anyway.

He came this time in order to find out the truth of that year. Originally he just wanted to know about Chi Zhengbing and him, but now he has another question.

"Did Xu Lemian know me before?"

Xu Pei immediately shook his head: "I don't know him."

Chi Ke smiled and said, "You don't know me? Then why did you suddenly tell him about my family situation?"

Xu Lemian had no idea that "Chi Ke" was a fellow villager before.

The fact that he suddenly asked him this question today must be because he heard something from Xu Pei. Xu Lemian's attitude was also not right. It had changed from dependence and trust to vigilance, and there was even a hint of barely perceptible envy.

"I really don't know him! If you don't believe me, you can go and ask." Xu Pei almost raised four fingers to swear.

Chi Ke didn't say whether he believed it or not. He stared at her for a while, then stood up calmly: "That's it for now. I've already bought the bill, please enjoy it."

The rich food on the table was hardly touched. Xu Pei watched him leave, his gums almost broken. In the end, he did not have the courage to ask, "Will you call the police to report me?"

She ate two bites in silence, then suddenly pounded the table in anger.

"Ma'am, is there anything I can help you with?" the waiter asked worriedly.

"It's okay," Xu Pei clenched his fist, "Please help me..."

Two tables of guests were leaving nearby. Although they walked past her without even glancing at her, Xu Pei always felt that they were looking at her as they left.

What are you looking at? Is there anything good to see?

She swallowed the word "pack", said "nothing", picked up the bag and left with her head held high.

After returning home, Xu Lemian ran out of the bedroom: "Mom, why did you take so long to go to the supermarket? I was waiting for you to eat!"

Xu Pei sat down on the sofa exhaustedly and lit a cigarette: "What did you say to Chi Ke today?"

Xu Lemian's expression froze. "Nothing. I wanted to catch up with him, but he didn't seem to want to talk to me, and didn't want to talk about his hometown."

"You are as stupid as a pig!" Xu Pei looked at him with dismay, "He is successful in his career now, why would he be willing to mention Yan Ping's dark history? Tsk, I don't know how he climbed up to this position."

Xu Lemian's eyes turned red with grievance: "Mom, Chi Zhu is not that kind of person."

Xu Pei sneered: "You know better than me what you are thinking."

Xu Lemian frowned: "Mom, what do you mean?"

"Forget it, let's not talk about this." Xu Pei said, "Who is your rich partner?"

Xu Lemian was shocked: "I didn't--"

"Don't pretend with me. Without anyone to support you, how could you suddenly debut this year? Even if you are lucky, the little money you have earned in the past few months can afford this apartment?" Xu Pei exposed him mercilessly, "Who is it? Your boss? Or someone else?"

Xu Lemian had no choice but to admit with a blushing face: "He is the boss of our company."

"Leng Er? Not bad." Xu Pei put out his cigarette, and when he thought of Chi Ke, he felt a little scared, and warned, "You must follow him carefully."

Chi Ke is much more than just a special assistant.

Xu Lemian was with Leng Er, and Leng Er could still protect them. If they broke up...

Xu Peizhen couldn't imagine how anxious he would be in the days ahead.

"Also," she repeatedly reminded him, "Spend more time with Chi Ke these days and make sure you find out if he still remembers what happened back then."

…

"Ask your private detective to check whether I had any contact with Xu Lemian during those years in Yanping. It's very likely that their family knew me unilaterally, so it might be difficult to investigate."

Chi Ke leaned against the car door and talked on the phone with Ji Qian.

Ji Qian comforted him, "It's okay, give it a try, I'll negotiate, you don't have to worry."

"Yeah." Chi Ke glanced at his watch, "If everything is fine..."

"Would you like to have dinner together tonight?" Ji Qian asked.

"I have an appointment with someone tonight." Chi Ke said, "The hacker you recommended."

Ji Qian sighed: "Which one?"

Chi Ke: “BB.”

Ji Qian: “Who?”

Chi Ke spent a long time selecting from the names recommended by Ji Qian, and communicated with them all. Finally, he picked out the one who was also in the same city and felt most comfortable chatting with for further cooperation discussions. The online name was [ByteBite]. Chi Ke wanted to be lazy and save time, so he just called him "BB".

In fact, "2B" is smoother and more catchy, but a little disrespectful, so he was more polite and chose "BB".

To be honest, Chi Ke was a little uneasy before the contact.

When he started a company in his previous life, he inevitably came into contact with some computer experts, but this is not Earth after all, and there are still some subtle differences in the worldview. The people he knew before were all serious people who were willing to show up and had a job. What if the "hackers" in this world are really illegal elements who are setting up some kind of cyber empire?

Fortunately, after getting in touch with her, he realized that he was worrying too much.

Chi Ke offered a good price, and the other party expressed his happiness in meeting him, even wanting to sign a contract. He was very law-abiding, so they arranged to meet tonight.

This time, there are not just two people meeting. A junior sister will also be brought along to learn how to take orders privately. She is absolutely reliable, and we also have to sign a confidentiality agreement together.

Chi Ke had no objection to hiring two people with the money of one person.

Everything had to be discussed in detail after they met in person. The three did not reveal their true identities in advance and met in a high-end room in a private restaurant.

A lot of things happened today, but Chi Ke remained calm because most things were within his expectations and control.

Until six o'clock in the evening.

Chi Ke arrived at the restaurant on time and met two acquaintances.

"Assistant Chi, you're here to eat too? What a coincidence." Su Jinmian smiled, but her hand holding the Hermès bag was a little nervous.

The prices in this restaurant are very high, and because it is very confidential, reservations are basically required, and very few people come here just to "eat".

At this time, there was no one at the door and the box was very quiet.

"Coincidence." Chi Ke curled his lips and looked at Li Xiuming behind him. He had a bad feeling, "Which box... are you two in?"

Su Jinmian and Li Xiuming looked at each other: "Ink black and elegant white."

Chi Ke: “.”

Chi Ke adjusted his glasses with mixed feelings: "Indeed...it's a coincidence."