Lost in thought, Zhou Zuizui was suddenly approached by a man outside the store—the same one from the tavern who had bumped into her.

Zhou Zuizui raised her eyebrows and smiled at him.

“Beautiful boss,” Qiangzi said, looking at her with a lecherous expression. “Brother Bao wants to see you. Come with us?”

Upon hearing this, Qiu Qiu looked at Qiangzi nervously and asked, “What do you want?”

Qiangzi replied, glancing up and down at her, “Nothing much. Just want to ask the beautiful boss some questions.”

“Sure,” Zhou Zuizui agreed.

“How long will it take?” She asked coolly, her gaze indifferent.

Qiangzi was momentarily confused, not fully understanding her meaning.

Zhou Zuizui smirked, raised an eyebrow, and sat back in her chair, looking relaxed. “First, I need you to give me an answer. How long will it take to investigate? If I’m not back by the time you say, I’ll have my staff call the police.”

At her words, Qiangzi looked at Zhou Zuizui with renewed respect.

He gave a sarcastic laugh and provided a timeframe. “One hour.”

“No, that’s too long,” Zhou Zuizui said, looking up at Qiangzi. “Half an hour will be enough for you to gather the information you need.”

Qiangzi calculated for a moment and nodded in agreement. “Alright, let’s go.”

Zhou Zuizui glanced at Qiu Qiu, gave her a signal, and then followed Qiangzi out.

…

On the other side, Shen Nan faced the man across from him, lounging with his legs crossed and leaning casually against his chair. Narrowing his eyes, he demanded, “What’s the meaning of this?”

Brother Bao raised an eyebrow and smiled at Shen Nan. “Mr. Shen, don’t be impatient. Let’s first watch this video. If you have no objections, our boss will meet with you right away to discuss business.”

Shen Nan sneered, watching Zhou Zuizui’s calm demeanor in the surveillance footage. He stood up in anger. “I’m not discussing business anymore!”

Brother Bao signaled to his men to calm Shen Nan down. He patted Shen Nan’s shoulder and spoke reassuringly. “We’re just asking a few questions. After we’re done, we’ll let your wife go. Rest assured, we won’t touch a hair on her head.”

Shen Nan remained furious.

Standing to one side, the young man looked at the woman on the screen with curiosity but calmly added, “Our boss doesn’t need this batch of goods. Since you’re lacking sincerity, we’re leaving.”

The two of them headed for the door without being stopped.

As they reached the entrance, a deep male voice called out from inside, “Mr. Shen.”

Brother Bao and his men stood up quickly and greeted the newcomer. “Mr. Zhen.”

The man named Mr. Zhen waved his hand, holding a cane, dressed simply, and wearing a hat. He appeared refined and was smiling at Shen Nan.

“Sorry for being late, Mr. Shen.”

Shen Nan raised an eyebrow, observing the man who had finally shown his face. He was followed by a dozen or so bodyguards.

Seeing this, Shen Nan felt more assured.

He scoffed, his expression defiant. “So, Mr. Zhen, is this how you conduct business in your world?”

Mr. Zhen was not angered by Shen Nan’s remarks. “Please, sit down, and let’s have a proper discussion.”

Shen Nan squinted, scrutinizing him for a while before reluctantly sitting down to start a serious business discussion.

“You know how much I need. If you can’t provide it within two days, there’s no need to discuss further!” Shen Nan stated bluntly.

Mr. Zhen thought about the amounts Shen Nan requested and hesitated before saying, “The quantity you’re asking for is quite large… It’s difficult for us to provide it in such a short time.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Nan snorted, fiddling with his hair. “In that case, forget it. I’m sure if I raise the price by just ten percent, many people would be willing to negotiate with me.”

“Wait!” Brother Bao spoke up. “Mr. Shen needs the goods urgently. We need time to prepare, right?”

Shen Nan turned his head, looking at the young man. The young man straightened up and glanced at the group. “Three days. If you can’t deliver by then, forget it. Cash on delivery.”

…

After leaving the negotiation room, the young man was still trying to calm his nerves.

Once they were sure no one was following, the young man asked quietly, “Mr. Shen, do you think they’ll deliver as promised?”

“Yes,” Shen Nan replied, pulling out his phone to check. “You go back and inform them of the arrangements. I’ll come by later.”

The young man was puzzled. “Then what are you going to do now, Mr. Shen?”

Shen Nan glanced at him. “Observe people.”

The young man: “…”

He watched his boss’s retreating figure and scratched his head, mumbling, “Observe people? And who was that woman in the video?”

When Shen Nan returned to the tavern, Zhou Zuizui was not downstairs.

He asked Qiu Qiu and learned that she had gone out with someone.

“Where did she go?”

Qiu Qiu hesitated, unsure how to explain. She couldn’t just say that her boss had gone out with a suitor.

Shen Nan narrowed his eyes, tapping the table. His gaze was sharp as he looked at Qiu Qiu. “Aren’t you worried about your sister if you don’t say?”

Qiu Qiu paused and quickly said, “Sister went out with Zhe Ge.”

Hearing the unfamiliar name, Shen Nan paused and looked at her. “Who is that?”

“Our sister’s… suitor,” Qiu Qiu answered, trembling under Shen Nan’s gaze.

Shen Nan sneered, thanked her, and prepared to find the young man.

Just as he reached the door, he saw two people walking side by side in the distance. From their appearance… the man was handsome, and the woman was beautiful—like a golden boy and a jade girl. Most importantly, Zhou Zuizui was smiling, something she hadn’t done before.

Shen Nan crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, watching them with a curious gaze.

As he observed the two chatting and laughing, he squinted and sneered.

Quite intimate.