Chapter 15: Business

Qin Qing, full and satisfied, didn’t want to stay in the restaurant any longer.

While waiting for the takeout, she secretly opened the System Panel and finally understood what the strange feeling earlier was about.

She had thought the other party was overly enthusiastic at the dinner table today. It turned out that the two foxes, father and son Liang, didn’t believe her fortune-telling claims at all, only seeing her as a suspicious person with unclear motives. Their willingness to cooperate this time was just to probe her further.

Are these two moles who love to dig? So fond of probing.

Thinking so much, she felt tired for them.

Did the father and son forget that both times they did business with her, they were the ones who actively approached her fortune-telling stall first? She was the most innocent one, okay?

This was definitely a case of “pengci” (faking an accident to extort money)!

What made her slightly happy was that she played her cards randomly, ordering dishes not on the menu, and they were delicious, successfully intimidating them. She guessed they would go back and investigate her relationship with that Assistant Chef Yang.

She really wanted to offer a piece of advice.

Don’t investigate, because there’s nothing to find, and it will only confuse the investigators more. Even if they dig up her kindergarten records, she’s not afraid.

Don’t ask, because it’s mysterious metaphysics. You say it’s not? Oh, then show her proof before talking to her.

The group left the restaurant, unaware that among the farewell staff in the lobby was Assistant Chef Yang, who had just changed out of his chef’s uniform.

The waitress who had served in the private room asked her boyfriend, “Do you know her?”

“Never seen her before.” This was definitely one of Little Chef Yang’s great unsolved mysteries. Even his master didn’t know he could make these two dishes, so how did that unfamiliar guest know?

The head chef, upon receiving the request relayed by the waitress, initially thought there was some hidden agenda.

A guest’s request couldn’t be ignored, nor could he really just let his apprentice cook those two humble dishes directly.

Aside from the elaborate plating design, he prepared two sets of dishes: one by his apprentice, who was completely bewildered, and one by himself, just in case.

When his apprentice, both nervous and excited, came down from the stove, he tasted it and found that it indeed had a unique flavor compared to his own. This hint of flavor made the entire dish exude an amazing taste.

He looked at his apprentice with a complex expression, and in his apprentice’s cautiously expectant eyes, he made a decision, telling the food runner, “Serve the kid’s.”

Little Yang, the apprentice, was overjoyed. This was like him, an intern, pretending to be a department manager for a day.

He didn’t know whose eye he had caught. He wanted to go and see, but it wasn’t good to disturb the guests’ meal, so he just secretly peeked at the end. But he himself was puzzled, had he lost his memory?

The executive chef naturally knew about the commotion today, and after tasting it, he decided to add these two dishes to next month’s updated menu. However, the names needed to be changed, and the cooking methods slightly adjusted. The core recipe would still be Little Yang’s, but the ingredients would need to be re-paired. After all, the dishes on the menu were not cheap, and the new dishes couldn’t be too unpresentable.

Little Yang was also promoted one level, becoming a stove chef. And because he contributed to the menu, he would receive a small commission from the revenue of these two dishes.

Later, many diners came looking for the hidden menu based on Qin Qing’s recommendation post, only to find that these two dishes had already officially met the guests. The restaurant and Little Yang also became quite popular in the local dining scene because of this…

But that’s a story for another time.

Let’s talk about the present. The Liang father and son, as Qin Qing had guessed, were investigating her relationship with Little Yang from the restaurant.

The result… naturally, they found absolutely no connection.

Assistant Xiao Wu also brought back another piece of news.

“Mr. Liang, I’ve inquired. Chen Daguang was indeed almost scammed, but fortunately, he stopped in time. The information recorded by the case investigation team is that Chen Daguang, as the victim and reporter, suspected fraud himself and sought police help, without mentioning Ms. Qin. Another victim in this case was scammed out of 20 million yuan. Although the police promptly arrested the fraud group, the money was immediately dispersed once it arrived, and only a portion was recovered.”

“This news has already reached various media outlets and will be released to the public tonight or tomorrow. Chen Daguang and Ms. Qin had no prior connection; it was truly a chance encounter. The same goes for that chef named Yang.”

Xiao Wu was also helpless with this result, making it seem like his work ability was lacking.

Liang Jinguo waved his hand: “Understood, you may leave.”

The anxious Xiao Wu breathed a sigh of relief.

He bumped into the Liang twins on his way out, and they asked him which restaurant he bought yesterday’s fried rice from. After eating it, they told their friends how good it was, but their friends didn’t believe them, so they planned to invite them to the restaurant to eat together.

Xiao Wu said with difficulty, “You might not be able to eat it there; it’s a Hidden Menu item, not on the menu.”

The twin sister gave an OK sign: “Understood, it depends on Dad’s face. I’ll go find Dad and ask him to call them.”

No, this really isn’t about Mr. Liang’s face. Do you think your dad looks like someone who cares about what he eats every day or where to find good food? He wanted to retort, but after a moment of hesitation, he didn’t.

Forget it, let Mr. Liang explain it to the children himself. As an employee, he shouldn’t be the bad guy who undermines his boss for the sake of truth. He’s not worthy.

Stepping out of the Liang family villa, a local news brief popped up on his phone, precisely about the fraud case he had just reported to Mr. Liang.

Qin Qing was also watching the news.

The evening news anchor, with clear and precise pronunciation, reported:

Recently, our city has cracked a major economic fraud case. Three suspects were arrested, two fraud dens were dismantled, 42 accounts were frozen (involving 37.395 million yuan), four properties were seized (valued at over 12 million yuan), and financial products such as wealth management and stocks worth 2.865 million yuan were frozen, totaling 50 million yuan in recovered illicit gains and property.

Currently, the case is still under further investigation.

According to Wuning District public security officers responsible for this case, in this instance, the fraudsters exploited Boss Zhu’s desire to expand his enterprise and seek listing, using the pretext of emerging project trends. They impersonated relevant officials and used false investment projects and tempting benefits to lure Boss Zhu into the scam, causing him significant economic losses.

The police were able to find a suitable entry point for this case because Mr. Chen, a local businessman, did not lose his head when faced with tempting benefits. He maintained full vigilance and sought police assistance, avoiding a property loss of 80 million yuan.

This case also reminds citizens and friends to remain vigilant when engaging in investments or business collaborations, conduct thorough background checks and risk assessments, and not be misled by superficial benefits and false identities. Even if the introducer is a so-called acquaintance.

In fact, in recent years, many high-value fraud cases have started with acquaintances. If citizens and friends encounter anything suspicious, please contact the police for consultation and investigation in a timely manner…

Old Comrade Qin also commented, “Three people scammed 50 million… there are so many rich fools.”

Qin Qing wanted to say, it’s not just 50 million, it was almost over 100 million if she hadn’t intervened.

Ms. Wang interjected, “Other fools at least used to have money. My two don’t even have money, yet they laugh at others for being foolish.” Then she went to wash her hands, stained with watermelon juice.

After her mother entered the bathroom, Old Comrade Qin poked his daughter, who was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed next to Qin Jiamu, and whispered, “Was your mother just scolding us two, father and daughter?”

“Was she?” Qin Qing refused to admit she was one of the two penniless fools. “She might have been talking about you and herself.”

Old Qin stroked his chin: “Really? No way, is your mom that humble now?”

Qin Qing didn’t care; it definitely wouldn’t be her. She was about to receive several million in commission from Liang Jinguo.

Uh… it seemed this couldn’t prove she wasn’t a fool either. After all, in Ms. Wang’s eyes, she was still a freeloader who couldn’t even find a job.

Thinking this, she shuffled back to her room in her slippers, rummaged around, found a slightly crumpled piece of paper in her bag, smoothed it out a few times, and took it out.

Ms. Wang had already come out after washing her hands, looking displeased: “You’re a grown-up, can’t you wear your shoes properly? Still like a child.”

Old Comrade Qin tried to smooth things over: “The child is still young, at home there aren’t so many rules, it’s naturally about being comfortable…” As he was speaking, under Ms. Wang’s glare, he took his feet off the coffee table, put on his slippers, and sat upright on the sofa, speaking to Qin Qing as if addressing a leader, “Well… when you walk, you can lift your feet a bit higher, not for anything else, but you’re prone to falling if you walk like that, aren’t you?”

Qin Qing: “…”

Qin Qing: “Oh.”

Old Comrade Qin was already in trouble himself, yet he was still helping her. What a good father, just without much say.

Father and daughter exchanged glances, feeling a sense of mutual understanding.

What was this? Two fools living a difficult life under Ms. Wang’s authority?

Looking up, she saw Little Mumu, who was walking towards his dog food, suddenly freeze, then quickly change his walking posture, lifting his legs high with each step, eventually walking like a trotting little horse.

Well, this one could understand words too.

Now there were three fools in the house.

Mumu’s stiff and comical movements made Ms. Wang break into laughter, and the whole family found it amusing. Only Mumu, in the midst of the laughter, became even stiffer, almost unable to walk, his four legs looking like they had just been attached.

Old Comrade Qin suppressed his laughter and went to Mumu, stroking his head, his voice especially kind and gentle: “Good Mumu, she’s talking about your sister, not you. Mumu is great.”

“Hey… Dad, why are you dragging me into this? I’m still here.”

Old Qin ignored her completely. “Forget her, let’s go eat. Your sister’s just—yeah, throwing a fit because she’s helpless.”

Qin Qing: “…”

What about the difficult camaraderie of the two fools under Ms. Wang’s control? With Mumu, she was nothing, right?

Qin Qing handed the A4 paper to Ms. Wang and announced, “I found a job. This is the receipt for the school.”

At the top of the A4 paper, in bold black letters, was written: Employment Acceptance Certificate.

At the bottom was a bright red official seal.

Ms. Wang: “Jinsheng International? You found a job at such a big corporation?”

Pfft!

It was the sound of a knife piercing the heart.

Truly a birth mother.

“It has a seal on it, okay! I can lie to you, but the official seal can’t.”

Jinsheng International was Liang Jinguo’s group company. Qin Qing was, of course, lying to her mother; she hadn’t actually started working there. It was just that when she signed the commission agreement that day, she remembered that the school needed an employment receipt, so she casually asked Assistant Xiao Wu to stamp it.

Returning the receipt to Qin Qing, Ms. Wang pressed, “What position did you interview for? Did you sign a contract? Do you have the ‘five insurances and one housing fund’? Let me see the contract.”

Qin Qing: “…”

As expected of Ms. Wang, she’s really hard to fool.