Chapter 17

The deal with Jiang Shangbai was now impossible to secure through Su Ying. The only way forward was to bypass her and directly contact her boss, Feng Qing.  

Feng Qing was the founder of Jiang Shangbai Liquor. In his forties, he had previously worked at Moutai, rising to the position of Product General Manager. Later, he established Jiang Shangbai, though the brand had never gained significant traction. Operating in the mid-to-low-end market, the company barely broke even, struggling to stay afloat.  

Lin Koukou returned to her office and called Wang Liang.  

Originally, she had intended to get Feng Qing’s contact details. But Wang Liang nearly panicked at the request. As a regular employee, even if he had the boss’s number, he wouldn’t dare hand it over—doing so would surely get him fired.  

Lin Koukou didn’t press him. Instead, she settled for the next best thing: asking where she might meet Feng Qing.  

After some thought, Wang Liang said, “There’s a Wine Exhibition tomorrow. Our boss might attend, likely for the Internal Conference starting at 10 a.m.”  

After hanging up, Lin Koukou searched online for details about the exhibition. But as she read, her brows furrowed.  

The event was sizable, held at the convention center, inviting renowned liquor merchants nationwide to set up booths. The public could visit, and businesses could negotiate collaborations.  

The outer exhibition was open to all.  

But the Internal Conference…  

Only liquor industry executives or high-level managers could attend, requiring a specialized Invitation Letter.  

She stared at the event page for a long time, leaning back in her chair, unconsciously rubbing the Buddhist bracelet on her right wrist as she pondered.  

Then came two familiar knocks at the door.  

Lin Koukou’s expression instantly darkened. She looked up and, sure enough, saw Pei Shu’s infuriatingly handsome face.  

She didn’t move. “What now?”  

He pushed the door open just a crack, standing in the gap, seemingly in good spirits. “Heard you lost the deal?”  

She wasn’t surprised. If Pei Shu wanted to know, he must’ve asked Yuan Zengxi.  

She said, “Are you happy about it?”  

Pei Shu strolled in, surveying her still-unfinished office as if it were his own territory, then casually took the seat across from her. With a faint smile, he said, “Of course not. I’m just here to check on Consultant Lin. After all, even if this is a Dead Deal—whether it succeeds or fails doesn’t matter—losing it isn’t a big deal. But if it’s lost to Direction…”  

Lin Koukou’s pupils contracted slightly.  

Pei Shu rested his hands on her desk, leaning in to scrutinize her. “Crossroads and Direction are old rivals. Wins and losses happen. But for this to be Consultant Lin’s first battle after her comeback—losing so easily wouldn’t look great, would it?”  

Lin Koukou wasn’t angry. She only said, “Seems I should sew Yuan Zengxi’s mouth shut later.”  

Pei Shu chuckled. “Relax, I mean no harm.”  

She didn’t want to dance around the subject. “You didn’t come just to mock me, did you?”  

“Would I?” Pei Shu arched a brow, his deep gray eyes swirling like turbulent waves. He smiled. “Even if my relationship with Consultant Lin isn’t exactly friendly, I wouldn’t stand by and watch Direction win. The enemy of my enemy can be a temporary ally. I came to ask—is there anything I can do to help?”

Help?

The word “help” coming from Pei Shu’s mouth sounded as bizarre as a fairy tale to Lin Koukou’s ears.

Her first instinct was to refuse.

Yet just as the words were about to leave her lips, a sudden thought crossed her mind.

Lin Koukou studied Pei Shu for a long moment before asking, “Are you serious?”

Pei Shu inexplicably felt there was something off about her gaze.

But after some thought, he replied, “I happen to have free time these days with no pressing cases. Helping you wouldn’t be a loss.”

Fortunately, Sun Kecheng wasn’t present. Had he heard this blatant lie spoken with a straight face, he might have died of anger on the spot.

Upon hearing this, Lin Koukou laughed.

Pretending to consider seriously for a moment, she said, “Alright then. I do have a new proposal that could use Consultant Pei’s assistance.”

Pei Shu was surprised—a new proposal so quickly?

But Lin Koukou showed no intention of explaining further. Instead, she continued, “However, this case was originally my responsibility. Consultant Pei is just helping out. Our working styles are completely different. To prevent future disputes, shouldn’t we Set three rules?”

Pei Shu finally caught on: “So you’re planning to settle personal scores under official pretexts and take this chance to boss me around.”

Lin Koukou smiled. “You’re free to refuse.”

Pei Shu: “…”

This woman was utterly brazen.

Still, as he thought about the cases in his hands, none sparked his interest. In contrast, Lin Koukou seemed quite confident about the Jiang Shangbai case, which piqued his curiosity—

What method would she use?

And now it was up against Direction.

Pei Shu was indeed profit-driven; he wouldn’t spare a glance at cases without financial gain. But if it involved competing against Direction, he’d pay to take part.

Lin Koukou asked, “Made up your mind?”

Pei Shu replied, “What are your conditions?”

Lin Koukou smiled. “Simple. This case is mine, and I lead. For anything related to it, you follow my lead.”

In all his years in the industry, no one had ever dared say this to Pei Shu.

Yet now, she had done it.

The corner of Pei Shu’s eye twitched slightly. After a long pause, he finally said, “Fine. Then I’ll look forward to seeing how Consultant Lin plans to pull this off.”

“Seriously? He actually agreed?”

Zhao Shede sat behind the bar of his own establishment, barely able to believe what he’d just heard from Lin Koukou about the day’s events.

“I remember he’s been opposing you for years, hasn’t he?”

“Yes, so his agreement is quite unbelievable to me too.”

Lin Koukou sat across the bar. After concluding her talk with Pei Shu, she had left work directly and dropped by Zhao Shede’s place. Even now, reflecting on it, she still found Pei Shu a figure worth studying.

“His grudge against Direction runs really deep.”

At the mention of Direction, Zhao Shede couldn’t help sighing. “I really don’t understand how things came to this. Everyone was doing so well, and then the company was sold.”

Lin Koukou merely said, “All the world’s a stage, and all men and women merely players. Nothing strange about it.”

She had just realized it a bit late.

Zhao Shede looked troubled, lifting his gaze to her with hesitation.

Lin Koukou asked, “Something to say?”

Zhao Shede glanced at her cautiously, wavering several times before whispering, “I saw He Chuang today.”

Lin Koukou: “…”

Zhao Shede, afraid she might misunderstand, quickly added, “Don’t worry, he asked about you. I remembered what you said and didn’t tell him you were back.”

Lin Koukou fell silent for a moment, He Chuang’s face surfacing in her mind.

She said slowly, “But you’re not a good actor. He’s always sharp—not so easily fooled. He’s probably already guessed.”

The bar’s lights swayed with the music, occasionally sweeping across Lin Koukou’s face, casting flickering shadows.

Zhao Shede sensed something subtle.

Just like the subtlety when He Chuang had asked her about Lin Koukou earlier.

At this moment, curiosity clawed at her like a cat’s scratch. For some reason, she couldn’t resist asking, “Does he like you?”

Lin Koukou: “…”

She suddenly lifted her gaze to Zhao Shede.

Startled, Zhao Shede shrank back, retreating slightly. “I—I was just asking casually…”

She assumed Lin Koukou wouldn’t want to discuss this.

Unexpectedly, Lin Koukou cut her off: “Probably.”

Zhao Shede froze, then realized she was answering the previous question—

Like.

Probably.

As a headhunter, Lin Koukou dealt with people constantly. She couldn’t possibly be oblivious to the subtle undercurrents between individuals.

Besides, He Chuang hadn’t hidden it well.

But still…

Her voice lowered slightly, calm. “But it’s better if I don’t know.”

Zhao Shede was speechless. “You’ve been pretending not to know?”

Lin Koukou nodded silently.

Zhao Shede couldn’t wrap her head around this logic. “You’ve never addressed it? He never brought it up either?”

Lin Koukou said indifferently, “He used to be my subordinate. I found him useful. If he doesn’t say anything, and I don’t acknowledge it, it’s better for everyone. I’m not particularly interested in relationships right now. If it’s laid bare, we can’t maintain even a superficial professional relationship anymore—he’d probably quit. I’m not stupid enough to cut off my own arm.”

Zhao Shede was at a loss for words.

After a long pause, she finally blurted out, “Lin Koukou, you’re kind of a jerk.”

Lin Koukou wasn’t entirely clear on the definition of “jerk” in this context, but she smiled faintly. “Then I’ll take that.”

She took a sip of her drink.

The atmosphere grew quiet.

Zhao Shede stared at her, shaking her head in disbelief. “You, a headhunter, surrounded by industry elites, executives, and the wealthy all day—some kid likes you, and you don’t respond. Fine. But with so many opportunities out there, how come you’re still single?”

Lin Koukou said matter-of-factly, “I’m devoted to my career.”

Zhao Shede was so exasperated she threw her head back in despair.

Lin Koukou couldn’t help but laugh.

The bar grew livelier as more people arrived, the atmosphere warming up.

Lin Koukou stayed at the counter for a while longer, but remembering she had to work on Jiang Shangbai’s case tomorrow, she decided not to stay too late. Around ten, she got up to leave.

Just before leaving, her gaze landed on the vase in the corner of the bar.

Inside the slender glass bottle were two sprigs of late-blooming cherry blossoms, their deep pink petals nestled among green leaves, exuding a quiet springtime serenity.

Then, unbidden, a sentence flashed through her mind.

“Lin Koukou, the late cherry blossoms are blooming this year.”

Zhao Shede moved to see her out.

But Lin Koukou paused.

Zhao Shede asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Koukou stared at the two late-blooming cherry blossoms for a long time before suddenly saying, “Shede, could you pass a message for me? If you happen to run into He Chuang again, tell him…”

Zhao Shede’s heart skipped a beat.

Lin Koukou paused, then smiled faintly. “Just tell him… I know.”

“Did you spend last night begging under an overpass or something?”

Early in the morning, as the group gathered at the entrance of Crossroads, Pei Shu couldn’t help but frown the moment he saw Lin Koukou approaching.

Lin Koukou hadn’t slept well the previous night, but she certainly didn’t look so exhausted as to be mistaken for someone who’d been begging under a bridge.

This man’s tongue was truly venomous.

She retorted, “No one would mistake you for mute if you kept quiet.”

The Wine Exhibition was set to open at 9 a.m., with the Internal Conference scheduled for 10.

Seeing everyone assembled, Lin Koukou set off immediately.

She and Pei Shu had already reached an understanding, but Yuan Zengxi was unaware. When he saw Pei Shu actually joining them, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. For a long moment, he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

Was this mere three-million-yuan deal really worth Pei Shu’s involvement?

Lin Koukou sat in the front passenger seat, offering no explanation for Pei Shu’s sudden inclusion. Instead, she opened her tablet to review Jiang Shangbai’s relevant information, briefly outlining the day’s plan: “Feng Qing will be attending the Internal Conference at the Wine Exhibition.” Our goal is to secure the deal from him.”

Yuan Zengxi nodded.

But Pei Shu keenly captured a key point: “Internal Conference?” If I recall correctly, such high-profile events require specific credentials. You’d need an Invitation Letter to gain entry, wouldn’t you?”

Lin Koukou noted that this man had an uncanny ability to pinpoint crucial details: “Indeed. No Invitation Letter, no entry.”

Pei Shu asked, “Do you have one?”

If she didn’t, she probably wouldn’t be going today.

Yet, against all expectations, Lin Koukou flashed him a smile: “Of course not.”

Yuan Zengxi: “…”

Pei Shu: “…”

Both men had assumed everything was under control given her composed demeanor. Now, with the exhibition center nearly in sight, she casually revealed she didn’t even possess the necessary invitation?!

Yuan Zengxi was dumbfounded: “Then what do we do?”

The driver pulled over.

Lin Koukou stepped out of the car and turned to Pei Shu, who had also exited. Her smile bloomed like spring flowers, radiating pure innocence: “Don’t worry. We have Consultant Pei with us.”

The moment Pei Shu saw that smile, alarm bells rang in his head: “Me?”

Lin Koukou said, “Didn’t you say yesterday you wanted to help? Now’s your time to shine, Consultant Pei.”

As she spoke, she pointed ahead.

Pei Shu followed her gesture.

Outside the exhibition center, numerous booths and stages were set up. But Lin Koukou was pointing toward the inner venue’s entrance, where a sign stood and several qipao-clad hostesses were registering VIP guests.

A sense of foreboding suddenly washed over him.

Yet Pei Shu still couldn’t believe Lin Koukou would stoop this low: “What do you mean?”

Lin Koukou explained, “We don’t have invitations. See those hostesses? After careful consideration, I’ve concluded you’re the most attractive among us. If you approach those ladies to secure some invitations or get us in, it shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”

Her pointing finger became even more deliberate as she finished speaking—

It was those busy hostesses!

Pei Shu’s eye twitched instantly.

Yuan Zengxi couldn’t help exclaiming, “Selling your looks, this is just like—”

The words slipped out before he realized he shouldn’t have said them, and he quickly covered his mouth.

But it was already too late.

Pei Shu’s face, already devoid of warmth, instantly turned frostier, faintly tinged with green.

He stared fixedly at Lin Koukou, gritting his teeth as he asked, “Are you serious?”