Game Theory (Part 1)
Zhang Xiande's last question, seemingly casual, felt to You Jiale like a deadly whirlpool lurking beneath a calm surface. He gasped several times, trying to suppress the jumbled thoughts in his mind. The "Leji Delivery" documents and sketches spread out on the table now looked dusty and worn.
"How much does that old fox actually know?" You Jiale couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
Did his secret visit to the locksmith that night slip through his fingers? Or did Zhang Xiande's incredibly perceptive mind already connect the dots to what was in the hidden wooden box?
He forced himself to calm down and looked around at the little world of "Leji Delivery" that he had built with his own hands.
The busy order taker was answering a phone call, and the delivery driver hadn't even entered or left the yard yet; an aura of separation formed in the air between them.
Could this business plan, into which he had poured so much effort, truly become a bargaining chip in his negotiations with Zhang Xiande? Was that old fox's statement, "Assistant You, if you encounter any problems you can't solve, you can come to me," a well-intentioned reminder, or was he waiting to see him make a fool of himself? Was he waiting for him to honestly confess, or was he setting another trap for him to fall into?
You Jiale thought to herself, "I must have been out of my mind back then. I really thought I'd just transmigrated into a gay novel. I just wanted to stay away from that cannon fodder fate, cling to that guy surnamed Zhang, and live a peaceful life."
Who knew that so many unexpected twists and turns were hidden behind this, things that were never mentioned in the original book.
“But now, even Zhang Xiande might not be able to solve this problem.” You Jiale muttered to herself, looking in the direction of Zhang Xiande’s office with a complicated expression.
He understood that some things couldn't be avoided. He now had to make a choice: continue to cautiously play dumb and secretly try to find a solution on his own, or risk being completely exposed and seek help from Zhang Xiande...
In any case, his first priority is to ensure that "Leji Delivery" can operate smoothly.
This is not only the foundation of his livelihood, but it might also become the only source of strength he can rely on in this turbulent era...
He must now maintain a position where he is still of use to Zhang Xiande, otherwise he might be taken advantage of without even realizing it one day.
With that in mind, You Jiale sat back down in her chair, picked up a list of partner merchants, and forced herself to refocus her attention on the task at hand.
He knew that he had to be even more careful with every step from now on, or he would fall into an abyss of no return if he was not careful.
Over the next few days, You Jiale's mind wasn't solely focused on the "Leji Delivery" business. He began to more carefully recall and observe the places where the original owner of this body had lived, trying to find more clues about "Yu Shanhe" and the underground work. He meticulously searched the original owner's office, the small room where he usually dozed off, and even places that were only briefly mentioned in the original book. In the end, apart from the broken lockbox and the troublesome letters inside, he found almost nothing useful. Those places all seemed quite normal, with no special markings or hidden secrets.
These past few days, You Jiale felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his heart. Even looking at the ledgers of "Leji Delivery" made him dizzy. He scratched his head, worrying about the numbers, and really wanted to smash the abacus beads in Zhang Xiande's face. Just as he was pondering this, Qin Zheng came in and solemnly reported on the recent situation. You Jiale nodded absentmindedly, his mind already wandering to some unknown corner.
A moment later, there was a knock on the office door. It was Secretary Li from Zhang Xiande's side, with a professional smile on her face: "Assistant You, Boss Zhang is looking for you."
You Jiale's heart skipped a beat, as if someone had suddenly grabbed her, but she had to pretend that nothing was wrong and got up to follow Secretary Li to Zhang Xiande's office.
Zhang Xiande remained as composed as ever, sitting steadily behind his large desk, his face showing no emotion whatsoever, and his tone as calm as ever: "How's 'Leji Delivery' doing lately?"
"Everything's going well, according to plan," You Jiale quickly reported, speaking quite fluently. "Orders keep increasing, and the delivery guys are getting more and more skilled. We've also recently finalized partnerships with several new restaurants." He knew that the more details he went into, the less confident he felt.
Yu Jiale, who transmigrated from the modern world, honestly felt that he didn't even have anyone to confide in here. This feeling of isolation and helplessness made him feel like he was losing all motivation to live.
You Jiale flipped through the documents in her hand without even lifting her eyelids, and kept talking: "Boss, look, 'Leji Delivery' is slowly getting on track, right? I'm so busy that my heels are practically kicking the back of my head!"
Zhang Xiande put down his pen, looked at him with interest, and smiled enigmatically: "Really? I thought Assistant You's abilities far exceeded my expectations."
You Jiale sighed dramatically, her tone tinged with laziness: "Boss, that's for sure! It's all just a passing fad. Now that business is booming, we need to find someone more... more flexible to lend a hand! Mr. Qin, whom you arranged before, is certainly capable, but he... how should I put it, he's not my type. I still want to find someone more compatible."
Zhang Xiande's lips curled up slightly. "'Disliked style'... Assistant You's choice of words is always puzzling. Could it be that he's dissatisfied with the people I arranged?"
You Jiale quickly waved her hands, her face full of innocence: "I swear! I'm 200% satisfied with the person you arranged, boss! I just want to find another assistant myself, is that alright?"
Zhang Xiande gave him a meaningful look before slowly saying, "Since Assistant You insists, then so be it."
You Jiale was overjoyed, and his face beamed with a fawning smile: "I knew it, all that pampering you wasn't for nothing." After he said this, Zhang Xiande's eye twitched, probably disgusted by him.
Then Zhang Xiande spoke up, "Come with me out of the city in a little while."
“Okay,” You Jiale readily agreed, but a question began to linger in her mind. Business outside the city didn’t seem to have any direct connection to “Leji Delivery”.
In the afternoon, You Jiale obediently followed Zhang Xiande and left the company.
The car bounced along the uneven road, making my backside feel like it was being torn to pieces.
Ever since that ambiguous test last time, an indescribable atmosphere has been permeating between the two, like the calm before a storm, with a sense of foreboding.
You Jiale secretly glanced at Zhang Xiande, trying to discern something from his face, but she couldn't detect any emotion on it.
Upon arriving at their destination, they found themselves in a somewhat desolate open space, with some abandoned factory buildings faintly visible in the distance. Zhang Xiande got out of the car and calmly surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the terrain and potential layout of the area. He even crouched down to examine the soil carefully, occasionally asking You Jiale questions.
"You mentioned before that the planning and layout of this area may undergo significant changes in the future. What kind of changes do you think these changes will be, and how will they affect the development of the surrounding area?" Zhang Xiande's voice was calm and slow.
His gaze was fixed on the distance, as if waiting for Yu Jiale to draw up a blueprint related to the railway hub.
Yu Jiale's heart felt as if it had been suddenly clenched by an icy hand. The words "major change" sounded like a piercing alarm, striking him like a thunderbolt and forcing him to confront the true intention behind these words—the railway project.
He desperately searched his memory for any clues about the railway plan in the original book, but the original book didn't describe the details of your commute.
He could only steel himself, forcing a stiff expression on his face as if he were struggling to think, and tried his best to keep his voice steady as he said, "I... I was just saying. But the terrain here is open, and it's not too far from the city. If a large project were to be located here, it would be like a boulder thrown into a lake, creating ripples in economic development, and transportation would become much more convenient." He paused, his eyes unconsciously darting to the side. "As for the specific changes..." He swallowed, trying to bluff his way out with vague words, "This... this probably requires assessment by more professional planners; I'm just an amateur."
He subconsciously shifted the blame to so-called "professionals," as if grasping at a straw, trying to cover up his lack of key information and complete ignorance.
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