Ultimatum
You Jiale quickly put on a smile, her tone cautiously probing, afraid of saying something wrong and displeasing this gentleman. "The next step is naturally to follow you wholeheartedly! By the way, you're so busy every day, how come you have time to come here today?" She quickly changed the subject.
Zhang Xiande didn't immediately respond, but instead gave a meaningful "hmm," as if carefully savoring every word You Jiale said. You Jiale felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being stared at by a cold, venomous snake, and a sense of unease spread through his body.
After a moment, Zhang Xiande spoke slowly and deliberately, "What, does Assistant You think I can't come?" His lips curled slightly upwards, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "'Leji Delivery' is now considered a business under the Zhang family. As the boss, shouldn't I come to see them and show some concern for my employees?" As he spoke, he seemingly casually picked up a document from the table, his fingertips lightly tapping the "tracing data sheets" twice. This small gesture, in You Jiale's eyes, was like a silent warning.
You Jiale's heart tightened again, and he waved his hands repeatedly, "Not at all! It's an honor for 'Leji' that the boss could come!" He paused, and his tone became even more obsequious, "It's just that you're usually so busy, I thought... I thought you were directing things remotely, but I didn't expect you to come in person today. It's truly an honor for us!"
Zhang Xiande seemed to enjoy You Jiale's cautious and ingratiating manner. "If Assistant You feels that I am not caring enough about 'Leji', I will make time to come more often in the future."
Upon hearing Zhang Xiande's words, You Jiale's eye muscles twitched involuntarily.
The mocking look in Zhang Xiande's eyes gradually faded, and he leaned forward slightly. "You Jiale," his voice was low and slow, yet carried an undeniable air of authority, "I'm reminding you, you don't have much time left to tell the truth."
To Zhang Xiande, the words "You don't have much time left to tell the truth" sounded like the King of Hell summoning his life.
When Zhang Xiande slowly got up and left, his back view carried a suffocating sense of oppression in his eyes. Only after Zhang Xiande drove away did he feel as if all the bones in his body had been removed, and he collapsed into the chair, feeling weak and powerless all over.
He suddenly remembered that ever since he impulsively pried open that locked, broken wooden box, all sorts of messy questions would pop up from time to time to annoy him, and they never really stopped.
The "operation number," "Li Ji Sauce Shop contact point at Caishikou, South District," and "key number" in the letter were clearly not legitimate. It was obvious that the original "You Jiale" might have been involved in underground activities and might be arrested and punished at any time.
He sprang from his chair, his last shred of hope vanishing, replaced by a restless anxiety, a desperate urge to grasp at any straw. His eyes, as if drawn by an unseen hand, were fixed on the few tattered fragments of the letter he had torn apart. The four characters "Li's Sauce Shop," amidst the tangled web of clues, now shone like the brightest star in the night, glaringly obvious, seemingly pointing him in a vague direction in the darkness, though he didn't know if it was a path to survival.
He desperately wanted to go and see, but he was also afraid that if he went, he would be pushed into an even deeper, bottomless pit, just like when he tried to unlock the door last time.
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