Chapter 81 The location Xia Renyao arranged was...
Xia Renyao arranged to meet at the coffee shop downstairs from the conference room.
As Jiang Miaomiao and Han Cuo walked side by side, Han Cuo suddenly asked suspiciously, "I heard you got into a fight with Xia Renyao a couple of days ago? And you got badly beaten?"
Jiang Miaomiao rolled her eyes: "I didn't have a chance to beat him badly, but I really want to cripple you now. Want to find a place to try?"
Han Cuo slowly straightened his tie and said with a slight smile, "I'm a refined person, I don't resort to violence."
Unlike Jiang Miaomiao and Xia Renyao, he didn't need to suffer in his childhood, develop thick skin, and hone his skills through repeated falls and beatings.
He was the sole heir of the Han family, extremely wealthy and pampered, and could be easily beaten up by hired people.
...
The coffee shop Xia Renyao booked was completely empty, even the bar was deserted, clearly indicating that he had booked the entire coffee shop with his deep pockets.
He swung his long legs and sat at the table in the very center of the room.
They ordered three coffees, leisurely setting up a trap for the intruder.
Jiang Miaomiao sighed, "They don't seem to have good intentions."
Han Cuo chuckled softly, "Finally, I see you're scared. I'm so relieved."
Jiang Miaomiao: "..."
Jiang Miaomiao: "Han, you scoundrel, we're in the same boat now."
Han Cuo shrugged indifferently: "Then why don't you be a little more polite to me? Be careful, the boat of the social event might capsize at any moment."
Jiang Miaomiao said, word by word: "Han, you, big, scoundrel!"
Ugh, Han Cuo doesn't want to talk to her for now.
The two calmly took their seats.
Jiang Miaomiao picked up the cup of coffee in front of her without ceremony, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow: "Xia Renyao, you've already investigated me thoroughly."
...She was afraid of insomnia and never drank coffee, but there was one exception: the night she beat Jiang Bainian and the others into the hospital. It was too late for her to go home to rest, so she slept in Yan Yousui's office. She woke up thirsty and took a sip of the hot coffee Yan Yousui was drinking, which was the coconut velvet latte in front of her.
Even the smallest things that she had to think to remember, Xia Renyao was able to investigate clearly, which shows how terrifying he was.
“After all, knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle,” Xia Renyao replied, then looked at Han Cuo with a slight narrowing in his eyes: “Han Cuo, we’ve finally met.”
Han Cuo frowned upon hearing this: "Judging from your tone, you seem to be looking forward to meeting me? But I've never heard of you having a different sexual orientation."
Xia Renyao frowned deeply: "I've never heard of you being sick!"
"That sounds familiar," Jiang Miaomiao glanced at Han Cuo, as if it were spoken by her.
Han Cuo smiled: "It's not your original work, so what's wrong with borrowing it?"
Xia Renyao's gaze immediately darted between the two: "You two look quite compatible, why don't you get together?"
Jiang Miaomiao smiled and said, "You two are a better match than me, even your genders are the same."
Han Cuo covered his forehead: "Ah, I'm afraid of his sexual orientation again."
"Shut up!" Xia Renyao, unable to bear their teasing any longer, turned cold and aggressive: "Han Cuo, Jiang Si shouldn't be your woman, right?"
Han Cuo said leisurely, "So what if it is? So what if it isn't?"
He likes to deceive people with ambiguity. So what if he's a jerk? That's why he's so smug.
Xia Renyao said, "Name your terms. This is my woman."
"Ugh." A fake retching sound suddenly rang out from the side; it was Jiang Miaomiao.
She met their gazes with a forced smile: "No wonder you didn't call Jiang Si over. Xia Renyao, you keep talking about 'my woman,' even a nauseating drama isn't as slick as you! Please watch your mouth, she's my aunt, she has nothing to do with you, and she's not anyone you're talking about."
Han Cuo nodded in satisfaction: Jiang Miaomiao's rebukes are ruthless and impartial!
Xia Renyao clenched his fists secretly. I'll put up with you for now!
He reluctantly replied, "For Jiang Si's sake, I'll treat you as my niece."
Jiang Miaomiao said disdainfully, "...You took advantage of me and you're acting all reluctant?"
Xia Renyao gritted his teeth: "I hurt her before because I did something wrong, so now I am willing to make amends and offer a marriage between the Xia and Jiang families as the highest compensation. Since you are her niece, you should sincerely think about her lifelong happiness."
Xia Renyao said quite sincerely, "Isn't this what you women all want?"
Heh, heh, heh.
She couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh three times. "Then I understand. Xia Renyao, I'm sure there's nothing more we can talk about."
He frowned: "Why?"
Jiang Miaomiao said, "Because we have different principles, we cannot work together! However, how you and Jiang Si deal with your past grievances is your business and has nothing to do with me, but you encouraged Song Xiyan to take action against Yan Yousui..."
Xia Renyao curled his lips in disdain: "Is that all? If the man you choose can't even handle Song Xiyan, then you might as well not have him."
"If you don't mind, add me on the list," Han Cuo said, reaching out his hand.
He wasn't acting out of conscience to help Jiang Miaomiao; he simply wanted to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.
Xia Renyao sneered, grinding his teeth: "You don't know what's good for you. We'll see." With that, he angrily turned and left.
Jiang Miaomiao suddenly said, "Wait a minute."
Xia Renyao thought she had changed her mind and was about to turn around when a shout came from behind: "Xia Renyao, have you paid for the entire venue?"
He immediately turned and walked away without looking back.
Jiang Miaomiao then raised her glass to Han Cuo and said, "It's good that someone is paying the bill. I'll pack some up and treat the whole company to afternoon tea later."
Han Cuo nodded with even greater satisfaction, because Jiang Miaomiao's act of taking advantage of Xia Renyao's money was exactly the same despicable act as taking his money before! It was too fair.
***
After finishing her coffee, Jiang Miaomiao parted ways with Han Cuo and returned to the office with a truckload of coffee to distribute.
Jiang Si was still in the conference room.
She idly fiddled with her phone. "Niece, what did Xia Renyao say to you?"
"I've noticed he's a lot like my ex-boyfriend," Jiang Miaomiao sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "The same self-righteousness, the same terminal case of male chauvinism, incurable!"
Jiang Si asked in surprise, "You didn't even consider pushing me into an arranged marriage?"
Jiang Miaomiao glanced at it only a few times before grabbing the car keys from the table and quickly leaving.
Jiang Si waved goodbye and said, "Looks like you're full of anger, so I don't need to invite you to dinner tonight."
...
As she drove, Jiang Miaomiao tried her best to imagine the good in Xie Liang. "Xie Liang isn't a bad person. He only fell for Hao Luwei's tricks because he was too naive." She wanted to avoid wanting to strangle him when they met later!
...
At this moment, Xie Liang was working overtime miserably at the company.
When Jiang Miaomiao arrived, he was still squatting on the ground taking inventory of the goods.
Looking around, it was desolate and bleak.
She asked suspiciously, "It's not time to leave work yet, where are all your employees?"
"Ah, Goddess, you've arrived?" Xie Liang looked up at the voice above him, surprised and then puzzled: "Oh, where are my employees?"
Does your company not have a clock-in/clock-out attendance system?
Yes, there is.
"Is there attendance data on your work computer?"
"Yes."
“Alright, I’ll check your employees.” Jiang Miaomiao strode toward his office.
There is only one computer in the room.
Almost all the employees arrive late and leave early.
Oh no, except that the boss, Xie Liang, is always there early and leaves late, perfectly embodying the term "corporate slave."
But most of these employees' surnames are Xie...
She looked up at Xie Liang, who was following closely behind her as she entered, and asked, "The employees you hired aren't all your great-uncles, aunts, uncles, or cousins, are they?"
Xie Liang nodded: "We couldn't support them when they started their businesses before because they didn't have Hong Kong residency permits. Now that they've returned to the mainland, it's better to hire them than employees; it's a win-win situation."
Jiang Miaomiao nodded: "I understand. But if you're hiring them and incur losses, I can bear it as your friend, but it's not appropriate to let other partners foot the bill. Financial losses are a small matter, but the damage to our reputation is a big deal. Xie Liang, shouldn't you handle this strictly by business?"
"What do you mean by 'handling official business'?" Xie Liang clearly hadn't realized the seriousness of the problem.
"It can't be that bad. They only slack off occasionally, but overall they're still doing well." Xie Liang poked his finger, feeling wronged and helpless. "Besides, they're all neighbors from the same village, and I still have to go back to my hometown for the New Year. I'll discipline them properly later."
"If you could manage it, this situation wouldn't have lasted for more than three months. In the startup phase, the result is the most important. But a good result requires a good cause. You've lost control of the process now. If you ruin your reputation, you'll lose customers, and the company will be in serious trouble."
After much hesitation, Xie Liang finally said, "Never mind."
Jiang Miaomiao gazed intently at him.
Well, good words can't persuade a damned ghost, so she could only say goodbye.
Not long after leaving Xie Liang's company, Ren Ziwei suddenly called: "Brother Miao, did you just come from Xie Liang's company?"
"Um."
"Hey, then I'll give you a ride."
A Maserati suddenly stopped on the side of the road.
The car window rolled down, and there stood Ren Ziwei. He tossed his freshly permed hair obsequiously and shouted, "Get in!"
If Jiang Miaomiao was on her way to find Xie Liang, then it's no wonder they didn't recognize each other when they met!
As Jiang Miaomiao sat in the passenger seat and was fastening her belt, she suddenly heard Ren Ziwei say, "Miao-ye, you never do anything without a profit motive. You wouldn't happen to be here to invest in Xie Liang's company, would you? It seems you have the same foresight as me! You see that Xie Liang's company has a bright future!"
She paused, a half-smile playing on her lips, and said, "Why haven't I heard you mention investing in Xie Liang's company?"
"If he could follow the development model of Hong Kong, perhaps I could be optimistic. But now..."
"Now what?" Don't leave things unsaid!
"His company now even hires people from his hometown for finance, don't you think?"
"Depend on!"
The Maserati came to an abrupt stop, and Ren Ziwei violently backed up and reversed rapidly.
He yelled, "You watch the car for me while I go find him and withdraw my investment! Has this guy lost his mind? Even husband-and-wife companies go bankrupt 100% of the time, and his company is a makeshift operation with relatives all lumped together?!"
Jiang Miaomiao tilted her head and watched them leave.
Fine, let Ren Ziwei cause trouble for Xie Liang. If it can make Xie Liang realize his mistake, that would be best. Of course, if it doesn't work out, then it's not a good idea.
***
Since the negotiations with Xia Renyao broke down.
The next day, Jiang Miaomiao's online store started having problems.
There was trouble during the day.
Someone vandalized the shop at night.
Big and small things are piling up, as if they're afraid they won't know it's all Xia Renyao's doing!
Jiang Miaomiao sat in her office, staring at the surveillance videos of various accidents that had inexplicably short-circuited before they even happened.
Ren Ziwei, standing nearby, shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Hey Chen Shi'an, haven't you caught a single one of those troublemakers? Your family's in security! Aren't you ashamed?"
Chen Ziang, who was in charge of the security details, explained: "They are all scoundrels who do things for money. They have been arrested, but the mastermind behind them cannot be revealed."
Ren Ziwei roared, "Then what do you suggest we do? We can't catch the mastermind, but we won't catch the underlings? Are we just going to let ourselves be bullied like this?"
"..." Chen Shi'an was speechless, and shouted: "Ren Ziwei, who the hell gave you the courage to act like a bully? Since I'm in charge of security for the businesses in this area, you can just watch me make the arrangements."
After saying that, he turned to look at the thugs who were being held captive by the bodyguards.
These thugs sneered: So what if we get caught? If they dare to touch us, we'll scream for help, act like scoundrels, or lie on the ground pretending to be dead. Let's see what these well-dressed, stupid rich kids can do! At worst, they'll be locked up in the police station for a few days, and when they get out, they'll continue smashing up shops.
Chen Shi'an naturally saw through their arrogance and fearlessness.
In the security industry, how can you navigate between the legitimate and criminal worlds without some tricks up your sleeve?
The group of thugs were stunned for a moment. "What do you mean?"
Chen Shi'an ordered his men to search their bodies and find various items, including several ID cards. He compared the photos on the ID cards with those of the thugs, slowly reading out the addresses. Even the most naive person would know that he intended to target his relatives and friends.
"The underworld says you shouldn't bring trouble upon your family! Don't you have any sense of honor?"
"We started this whole thing. If you want revenge, target us. What business is it of anyone else's?"
"Rich people really have no conscience!"
The group of people, who were being restrained by the bodyguards, kept talking incessantly.
...
Before the walkie-talkie even hung up, Ren Ziwei heard Chen Shi'an's final, sinister, and ultimate boss-like words, leaving him speechless with shock: "W-w-w, did I mishear, or has his soul been possessed?"
Jiang Miaomiao replied, "Although Chen Shi'an is just Han Cuo's subordinate, he is still an ace in the hole when he plays on his own!"
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