Chapter 98: An Unexpected Guest

Xiao Jie and Liang Chen were watching TV, waiting for Kong Zhigang to bring Kong Yu over.

But after waiting for a long time, the two of them never arrived. Instead, two unexpected guests showed up.

Quan Zhiwen and his wife, Xu Jin.

As soon as Xu Jin entered, she scanned the two men from head to toe.

There was a sense of disdain and arrogance in her gaze—

The aura of a spoiled rich lady who looked down on everything, as if she completely disdained this small teahouse at No. 42.

She wasted no time in getting straight to the point, speaking in a thick Shaanxi accent: “So, it was you two who set us up, making it impossible for us to return to Xi’an?”

Xiao Jie immediately picked up on her accusatory tone and glanced at the man standing beside her—Quan Zhiwen, the second young master of the Quan family.

He instantly deduced that this woman must be Xu Jin, the eldest daughter of the Xu family.

Even though he had never met Xu Jin before, he had heard about her resemblance to Jing Xi.

But what had happened?

He quickly stood up. “Honored guests, forgive us for not welcoming you properly. I’ll prepare some good tea right away. Please, have a seat!”

Xu Jin, carrying her handbag, sat down on the sofa with an expression of disgust as she glanced at the teapot on the table.

“What a filthy thing. Who would even want to drink from that? Don’t bother. We’ll leave as soon as we finish talking.”

Quan Zhiwen also sat down beside her, gently squeezing her hand to calm her down.

Xiao Jie remained courteous. “Then, would Second Master Quan like some tea? I’ll make sure to serve you the finest.”

Quan Zhiwen smiled. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. We came here today because we have some questions.”

“Oh? What questions?”

Xu Jin wiped her sleeve as if dust had gotten on it and scoffed, “Zhiwen, stop wasting time with them. Just show them the evidence.”

Quan Zhiwen nodded, then took out a kraft paper envelope from his bag and handed it to Xiao Jie.

“I’m quite curious. What exactly did my wife and I do to offend the Long family that they would go to such lengths to set us up? I came to ask in person because I’m worried there might be a misunderstanding.

“You two are trusted aides of the Long family, so I assume this isn’t unfamiliar to you.”

Xiao Jie and Liang Chen exchanged puzzled glances.

Quan Zhiwen was the second son of the Quan family—a family powerful enough to stand against the Longs.

For a man of his status to speak so politely, even lowering himself, was not a good sign for Xiao Jie and Liang Chen.

Quan Zhiwen was meticulous and hard to read.

If they said the wrong thing and offended him, they would be in serious trouble.

Xiao Jie quickly took the kraft paper envelope and examined the photos inside.

The situation was indeed serious.

Several workers had died, and the financial losses were substantial.

But after confirming that they had nothing to do with it, he responded, “There must be some misunderstanding.

“First of all, we didn’t even know the two of you were in Hebei Province. Secondly, Fourth Master never gave us any orders to target you.

“This could not have been done by the Long family.”

“Moreover, you and Fourth Master are close friends with strong ties. What reason would we have to make things difficult for you? There must be some mistake.”

Xu Jin rolled her eyes. “You’d better hope it’s a misunderstanding. But then, how do you explain what happened at the mine? That person specifically said you were behind it!”

Xiao Jie and Liang Chen exchanged another glance before asking, “What exactly happened at the mine that led to the workers’ deaths? The photos don’t explain that.”

Quan Zhiwen observed their expressions.

They genuinely seemed surprised, but he couldn’t be sure if they were just putting on an act.

“Our family has some business here.

“But recently, there have been repeated ‘accidents’ at the mine, costing us a lot of money. Worse still, we couldn’t find the cause of the incidents.

“The safety inspectors determined it was sabotage, but we couldn’t identify the culprit.

“So we assigned someone to keep an eye on things. Eventually, we caught a suspect, and he claimed he was acting under orders from the Long family’s representatives in Hebei.”

He was pointing straight at the Long family.

Quan Zhiwen was practically spelling it out:

Aside from the Long family, who else had business conflicts with them here?

Especially given his wife’s “special relationship” with Long Yue…

However, Quan Zhiwen also suspected that this might be a deliberate attempt to frame the Longs.

During his investigation, he had heard that Long Yue had been in the area for business and had also dealt with a local crime boss.

It was highly likely that the culprits were remnants of that gang seeking revenge.

Xiao Jie and Liang Chen genuinely had no knowledge of this matter.

They didn’t even know that Quan Zhiwen and Xu Jin were in this small town of Beizhen.

“Second Master Quan, there must be a misunderstanding. We truly had nothing to do with this.”

“An accident at the mine? We don’t know much about mining operations. I really think you’re looking for the wrong people.”

“If you really suspect someone is deliberately causing trouble and interfering with production, why not report it to the police? That person claimed the Long family was behind it, but I think they’re lying—I’ve never even seen them before.”

“Besides, we’re in North Town, and the mine is in South Town. Fourth Master only left me and Liang Chen here, along with a few agricultural technicians. There’s no one else. We have our own tasks to handle here, and we don’t have the time to go all the way to South Town just to mess with you two on purpose.”

Xu Jin felt like Xiao Jie was deliberately hiding something.

She stood up and snapped,

“You think just saying it wasn’t you makes it true? Because of this damn mine, I can’t even go home! You expect me to believe this has nothing to do with Long Yue Zhi? I don’t! Whether you did it or not, you’re going to help me. Otherwise, when I get back, I’ll go straight to Long Yue Zhi and make trouble for him!”

Xiao Jie and Liang Chen had heard bits and pieces about the Xu family.

They also knew Xu Jin’s temper.

But how could they admit to something they didn’t do?

Going to Long Yue Zhi?

That…

That wouldn’t end well.

Xiao Jie was at a loss. “Miss Xu, why don’t you just call Fourth Master and ask him? We really had nothing to do with this, so we can’t explain anything. If this misunderstanding affects your relationship with Fourth Master, we’d be in serious trouble!”

As he spoke, Xiao Jie pointed to the phone beside them.

Xu Jin stared at it but didn’t move.

She glanced at Quan Zhiwen.

Quan Zhiwen smiled as if he had suddenly understood something. “Forget it, then. This must just be a misunderstanding.”

Then, he took Xu Jin’s hand. “If there’s nothing else, we won’t bother you any longer.”

They had come abruptly, and now they were leaving just as suddenly.

Xiao Jie and Liang Chen walked them out.

“Second Young Master, Miss Xu, take care!”

Once the car completely disappeared down the street, Liang Chen finally spoke up, looking puzzled. “What’s up with those two? Why’d they come looking for us?”

Xiao Jie shrugged. “How should I know?”

Liang Chen mused, “But… is Second Young Master Quan really that easygoing? He was so polite. Is that really the Quan family’s Second Young Master? He’s nothing like his wife.”

Xiao Jie patted Liang Chen on the shoulder. “I heard from Chen Gang that Quan Zhiwen isn’t favored in the Quan family. He has to tread carefully. His disabled older brother, Quan Zhixiang, is the real center of the Quan family. Unless something unexpected happens, the family’s entire business empire will be under his control. Zhiwen probably won’t get much of anything.”

Liang Chen was confused. “Then why didn’t Miss Xu marry the eldest son of the Quan family instead?”

Xiao Jie looked at him like he was an idiot. “If you were Xu Jin, would you marry a disabled man? Or would you rather marry someone like Quan Zhiwen—a good-looking, refined, healthy man who’s around your age? The Xu family only has two daughters. In the future, everything will belong to Xu Jin. Why would she care about what the Quan family has?”

Liang Chen spread his hands. “Who doesn’t want more money? No matter how healthy Quan Zhiwen is, if he doesn’t get the Quan family’s assets, he’s just a nobody.”

Xiao Jie shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe Miss Xu doesn’t care about money. Maybe she just wants a husband who isn’t disabled.”

That sentence suddenly made something click in Liang Chen’s mind.

“Wait… then back when Fourth Master… could it be for the same reason—”

Xiao Jie made a silencing gesture. “Don’t say nonsense. How Miss Xu chooses is her own business. It has nothing to do with us. We just need to focus on our own work. Anyway, I’ll give Chen Gang a call later to let him know about those two coming to see us and see how we should handle things next.”

Liang Chen nodded.

The two of them waited a little longer, but there was still no sign of Kong Zhigang bringing Kong Yu over.

Only then did they leave.

Tomorrow was Liu Yan’s exam, and Liang Chen still had to pick her up and drop her off.

Xiao Jie said, “Leave the Kong family’s problem to me.”

Liang Chen patted Xiao Jie’s shoulder. “Good man! When I get married, you won’t be left out of my wedding candy!”

Xiao Jie smirked. “Why don’t you make sure she actually wants to marry you first? Besides, it’s not even Liu Chun’s college entrance exam yet! If she gets into a top university, do you think she’ll still consider you?”

Liang Chen glared at him. “Can’t you at least think positively for me?”

Xiao Jie chuckled. “You haven’t even asked if she likes you, and you’re already daydreaming about marriage. I’m just worried you’ll end up empty-handed.”

Liang Chen knew Xiao Jie had a point, but he firmly believed that Liu Chun wasn’t that kind of girl. “I can wait! She’s young, but I have patience! I’ll definitely win her over!”

Xiao Jie shook his head. Love was terrifying.

Then, he picked up the phone and made a call.