"What did you say?" Zhang Fan asked.
"A woman adorns herself for the one she loves." Bai Rou'er's blush became even more pronounced.
Zhang Fan chuckled: "Then I'll have to savor it properly later."
Bai Rou'er blushed and kissed Zhang Fan on the cheek: "Good boy, let me finish my work first."
Zhang Fan: "I heard you looking for someone when I came in. What's going on?"
Bai Rou'er put down the lip gloss and sighed softly: "There's a traitor in the restaurant."
This morning, Bai Rou'er discovered that the salt with the secret recipe was being used up very quickly. After checking the ledger, she found that at least ten pounds of salt had been stolen from the store.
This salt, made with a secret recipe, is different from the others. If employees take it home to cook for themselves, she only fines them a little. But coincidentally, the restaurant next door launched a new dish, and someone who tried it said it tasted similar to that of the Ke Lai Restaurant.
Bai Rou'er then realized that there was a mole in the restaurant, and that the person had to be found and made an example of to deter others, otherwise it would be difficult to manage in the future.
"There are no security cameras in the warehouse, so we don't know who took it." Bai Rou'er frowned, looking worried.
Zhang Fan smiled slightly: "This is simple, come closer."
Bai Rou'er leaned closer, and Zhang Fan whispered a few words in her ear, making Bai Rou'er's eyes grow brighter and brighter.
"You're so smart!"
Not long after, Bai Rou'er convened an emergency meeting.
The busy employees had to stop what they were doing.
Bai Rou'er cleared her throat: "As everyone knows, the restaurant's food has been stolen. This matter concerns the restaurant's survival and everyone's year-end bonus. Mr. Zhang Fan has a clever way to catch the thief."
Zhang Fan pointed to a shelf not far away, which was covered by a piece of cloth with a small gap in the middle, allowing one to put their hand in: "This is my family's secret recipe. It can detect who is lying. As long as you put your hand in, the liar's palm will turn black."
Qingtuo was the first in line. He put his hand into the seam of the cloth, but when he raised his hand, there was nothing there.
Immediately afterwards, the second one went in.
Soon after, everyone put their hands in, and everyone's hands were white; no one's hands turned black.
Chinto: "Was the thief not someone from our store?"
Bai Rou'er: "I installed surveillance cameras at both the front and back doors of the store, so no outsiders have entered."
"We haven't found the thief at all. Isn't this a waste of everyone's time?" someone in the kitchen shouted.
"Yeah, I haven't chopped my vegetables yet, and I'm going to be late. I have to go now."
Zhang Fan said calmly, "The truth will come out soon. Everyone, let me see your hands."
Everyone raised their hands in mid-air, extending their palms towards Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan looked at everyone's palms, and finally stopped in front of the chef who had started the commotion. He said in a soft voice, "I've never seen you before?"
The chef replied, "I'm new here, could you hurry up? I'm very busy."
He had never met Zhang Fan and did not know that he was the one who gave him the secret recipe.
"May I have your name?"
"Gan Heng".
How old are you this year?
"twenty two."
Zhang Fan asked a few more unrelated questions, his speech gradually quickening, and the tense atmosphere made Gan Heng's response speed up as well.
"How much money did you receive for stealing?"
"Three thousand yuan!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the air froze, and he fell silently.
Gan Heng's expression changed, and he tried to cover it up, saying, "I...I misspoke. I didn't take any money. No...I didn't say I stole anything."
His face was filled with panic as he looked at his palm: "This is just ordinary water. My hand didn't turn black at all. You're framing me."
Despite his statement, everyone believed that Gan Heng was the thief.
Zhang Fan sneered and remained silent. Bai Rou'er brought over a bunch of grapes and had Gan Heng hold out his hand. The crushed grapes released their juices into Gan Heng's palm.
Apart from his hands being smeared with grape juice, Gan Heng's palms remained unchanged.
Gan Heng smiled smugly: "See? There's no change at all in my hands. You're just slandering me."
Bai Rou'er smiled slightly and had Qing Tuo reach out and squeeze some grape juice onto it. The area where the juice touched instantly turned black.
Gan Heng shouted, "Qingtuo is the thief!"
Just as Qingtuo was about to retort, he saw Bai Rou'er's grape juice drip onto another person's hand, and that person's hand also turned black.
Gan Heng's expression changed, and he said in disbelief, "How...how could this be?"
Bai Rou'er: "That's water with baking soda. It changes color when mixed with grape juice. You were afraid of being discovered, so you didn't dare put your hand in the water at all."
With the evidence irrefutable, Gan Heng was held captive by Qing Tuo: "Who did you sell the salt with the secret recipe to?"
"I sold some to Phoenix Restaurant, and the rest are still in my dormitory."
Qingtuo quickly led his men to search, and sure enough, they found a large bag of salt in the pile of clutter in his dormitory.
After some estimation, it was clear that not much salt had been sold; the Phoenix Restaurant had already used it all up, and there was no evidence to prove it even if they went looking for it.
The most urgent task is to take Gan Heng to the police station to prevent further losses.
In the office, Bai Rou'er looked at Zhang Fan with admiration. She placed her hand on the table and tilted her head, saying, "Zhang Fan, how come you're so smart? Thank you so much today. If it weren't for you, our store would probably have suffered even greater losses."
Zhang Fan: "What's the background of Phoenix Restaurant?"
Bai Rou'er: "The previous restaurants have all behaved themselves. It's a new one that opened next door, called Phoenix Restaurant. The prices there are very low, which attracts a lot of people to eat there."
Zhang Fan frowned: "Doesn't he plan to make money?"
Bai Rou'er sighed: "I heard that the other party's boss is a rich second generation. His family is very wealthy. He has been losing money in business. Once the competitors can't hold on any longer, they will raise their prices."
Zhang Fan: "No matter how rich you are, your family can't keep burning money forever."
"Fortunately, our restaurant has good food and some loyal customers; other restaurants are in a terrible situation."
Just as Zhang Fan was about to offer some words of comfort, he saw Bai Rou'er looking at him with a determined gaze: "Have I improved?"
Zhang Fan nodded, and Bai Rou'er instantly broke into a big smile: "I feel closer to you this way."
She smiled sweetly, with two shallow dimples on her cheeks. Her eyes, filled with adoration and love, were like those of a bewitching enchantress, making people unconsciously fall for her.
Like rain after a long drought, or a brief separation that feels like a new marriage.
Bai Rou'er's pure face loomed large before Zhang Fan, and a sweet fragrance instantly filled the air. Her delicate, rose-petal-like lips approached, soft and moist, and her slender fingers gently brushed against Zhang Fan's neck before landing on his muscular chest.
Her soft red lips brushed lightly against his earlobe, then traced a path down his sensual chest muscles.
Her slender hands moved with practiced ease, caressing the well-defined eight-pack abs with each stroke like an ignition.
Zhang Fan sat at a low position, enjoying Bai Rou'er's provocations. He listened to the increasingly heavy breathing beside him and Bai Rou'er's eyes gradually becoming hazy, but Zhang Fan remained calm.
"Zhang Fan, please." Bai Rou'er's voice was breathless, each word broken.
Zhang Fan's lips curled into a wicked smile as he leaned in.
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