Chapter 188: Every word has a hidden meaning
Compared to these two old foxes, Fang Sheng is still young, even though he is only 45 years old this year.
After hearing the old man's words, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Qin Ce with anticipation.
Qin Ce sat quietly on the sofa, and everyone was waiting for him to speak.
After a while, Qin Ce glanced at Fang Sheng and said, "We must give face to Elder Zheng, but I wonder if it's too late now?"
Fang Sheng's expression changed. "W-What do you mean?"
Qin Ce said, "It's nothing. Since my grandfather has spoken, let's just drop it."
Hearing his words, Fang Sheng's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to say something more, but Qin Ce had already stood up.
"Grandpa, Qiao Xing is sick today, so I'll head back now."
Upon hearing that Qiao Xing was ill, the old man immediately became anxious, "How serious is it?"
"I had a fever last night and went to the hospital for an IV drip. I should feel much better today."
"Oh, then you should go back quickly. If you're sick, you'll have someone to take care of you."
Qin Ce hummed in agreement, nodded to Old Man Zheng, and then turned and walked out.
The two old men inside looked at each other in bewilderment.
Old Zheng chuckled and asked, "What did Xiao Ce mean by that just now?"
Grandpa Qin smiled helplessly, "This kid is very good at hiding his thoughts. Not to mention you, even I didn't know."
That's true. Many times, he, as the grandfather, really doesn't know what his grandson is thinking.
Old Zheng thought for a moment, then stood up as well. "I'm so sorry to have bothered you today, Elder Qin. It's getting late, so I'll come to visit you another day."
"What are you saying? This old man is just lazing around at home all day and is worried that there's no one to talk to. Why don't you have dinner before you leave?"
Old Zheng waved his hand and laughed, "No, no, let's do it next time. I have some things to do when I get back."
"Oh, I see. Then I won't keep you any longer."
"No need, Elder Qin, please take good care of yourself. We'll take our leave now."
Old Zheng turned and walked out. Fang Sheng bowed and said goodbye to Old Master Qin, then followed Old Zheng out.
After coming out, Fang Sheng said gratefully, "Mr. Zheng, thank you so much this time."
Old Zheng didn't even look at him, and continued walking forward on his own. "Don't thank me too soon. That kid said something earlier, so this matter probably won't be so easy to resolve."
Fang Sheng was slightly taken aback. He asked, puzzled, "Why? Didn't he already agree just now?"
"It's just empty talk. You're supposed to be a businessman, yet you can't even understand this much. No wonder you've only managed to get this far."
Fang Sheng didn't dare to refute Old Zheng's words. He nodded humbly, "Old Zheng is right. I was foolish. Please enlighten me, Old Zheng."
Old Zheng walked to his car, turned around and glanced at Fang Sheng.
"What Qin Ce said just now was indeed giving face, but he said it beforehand, which is equivalent to saying that he has already made his move and it may be too late to stop now."
Fang Sheng seemed to understand but not quite, "Stop... how could it be too late?"
"Do you think he really wants to stop?" Old Man Zheng asked rhetorically.
Upon hearing this, Fang Sheng suddenly realized that Qin Ce had no intention of stopping at all.
That remark was merely a preemptive warning to Old Zheng, telling him that while he had been given face, everything that happened afterward could be attributed to what he had done before today.
It's just that it was too late to stop.
After Fang Sheng figured it out, his face turned pale.
He grabbed Old Zheng, trembling, and cried out, "Old Zheng, you have to save me!"
Old Zheng sighed, "Don't worry, since he's willing to give you face, he definitely won't go too far. However, you will definitely suffer some losses, and you'll have to bear them yourself."
"I see... I understand now."
"But thank you very much, Elder Zheng. It has already been a great help to me that you were able to speak to Elder Qin."
Old Zheng said irritably, "What can I say? The only reason I'm sitting here today is because I helped him once thirty years ago."
"Just this once? You wasted it on something like this."
Despite their seemingly friendly conversation, the two don't actually have much of a relationship.
Fang Sheng understood this principle as well. It was the same as when he went to see Old Zheng today. If he wanted to see Old Zheng again in the future, he probably wouldn't even be able to get through the door.
Watching Old Zheng leave in his car, Fang Sheng finally raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
He can be said to have started from scratch, with more than a dozen chain stores across the country. He considers himself to be one of the best among most entrepreneurs.
It wasn't until I met these people at the top of society today that I realized the difference between myself and them.
There's a hidden meaning in every single sentence.
One wrong word can offend someone or cause them to fall into someone else's trap.
As Fang Sheng was thinking, his phone rang, and he quickly picked it up to answer.
"Something's happened to General Manager Fang!"
Fang Sheng's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. "What happened? Explain yourself!"
"Several of our hotels have been reported for things like issuing false invoices and engaging in private transactions. Oh, and there are also safety issues, like incomplete or expired fire safety equipment..."
"Moreover, an investigation has already begun, especially the one involved in the private transaction. I don't know where they got the information that the hotel received illegal funds and used them for hotel operations."
Fang Sheng's legs went weak, and he almost sat down on his butt. Even if the latter few things really had problems, at most they would just have to suspend business for rectification, but the things mentioned earlier could very well lead to jail time!
"are you sure?"
"Yes, people have arrived. Several hotels have had guests, and the investigation is still ongoing."
Fang Sheng wiped the sweat from his forehead. Although he knew Qin Ce would target his hotel, he didn't expect him to go this far.
What kind of deep-seated hatred could there be?
"Don't panic. Contact the hotel managers right away and ask them if these things really happened!"
After all, he runs a chain of hotels, and he can't possibly keep an eye on every single one. If these guys really cause trouble, then he'll be finished.
"Okay, I'll ask."
After hanging up the phone, Fang Sheng shakily returned to his car and lit a cigarette with trembling hands.
He thought of what Old Zheng had said and secretly prayed that Qin Ce wouldn't kill him, at least leave him a way out...
Qin Ce drove back to Tianxiang Shuiyuan and bought some groceries along the way.
Joey was sitting on the sofa eating sunflower seeds when she noticed the groceries he was carrying and said, "CeCe, Xingxing is sick today. Who's going to cook all this food?"
Qin Ce changed his shoes and walked straight to the kitchen. "I'll do it."
"..." Joey thought she had misheard. She stopped eating her sunflower seeds, got up, and followed him into the kitchen.
"Honey, when did you learn to cook? How come Mommy didn't know?"
Qin Ce calmly rolled up his sleeves. "Now."
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