After wandering around the third floor of the wholesale market for over an hour and noticing it was almost noon, Chen Xiao said, “Let’s grab something to eat first.”

As they stepped out of the wholesale food market, a wave of heat hit them. Lu Nan helplessly suggested, “Brother Xiao… how about we just grab a quick bite at the fast-food place on the first floor?” 

Chen Xiao originally wanted to treat Lu Nan to something better—after all, she had done most of the work just now. But seeing her frown the moment she stepped into the sun, he couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m treating you, and you only want fast food?” 

Lu Nan had already stepped back inside the entrance. “If you insist on treating me to something expensive, that’s fine too—let’s take a taxi then?” The implication was clear: if he was done with his business here, she was ready to leave anytime. 

Chen Xiao was at a loss for words and shook his head helplessly. “Looks like I’ll have to owe you the expensive meal for now… you’ll still need to help me this afternoon.” 

Lu Nan had already anticipated this, which was why she had suggested having a quick lunch nearby. 

To be fair, the self-service fast food restaurant they casually chose is quite average. It’s probably because the area around the market mainly serves small truck drivers and workers, so most of the dishes are heavy on oil and salt. 

Lu Nan reluctantly picked a plate of boiled chicken and a serving of steamed egg, while Chen Xiao also had trouble choosing from the greasy options. In the end, he settled on sauerkraut fish and stir-fried vegetables. 

Let’s just say, aside from the steamed egg, the other three dishes were disappointing. 

Lu Nan considered herself not a picky eater, but she felt the boiled chicken was too salty for a proper meal. 

After a few bites, Chen Xiao put down his chopsticks and sighed. “Forget it, let’s just take a taxi and go eat somewhere else.” 

“Don’t bother, I’ll just dip the food in a cup of water,” Lu Nan replied. 

“Plain water to dip the food?” Chen Xiao gave her a look of ‘can this still be eaten?’ 

Lu Nan blinked. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.” 

She stood up and got two cups of water, handing one to Chen Xiao. “You don’t have to dip, just drink some water. Let’s wrap it up quickly in the afternoon.” 

Every time Chen Xiao thought he knew Lu Nan well, he’d discover a different side to her. 

For example, her actions today were very much like those of an experienced saleswoman who knew how to make do with the situation. 

Just after finishing their lunch, someone greeted them. 

“Hey? You two were just having lunch now? Did you go through all the stalls on the third floor?” The person greeting them was the owner of the store at the top of the main passage. 

Chen Xiao smiled at him. “Boss, why are you down here buying fast food? What about your store?” 

“Oh, a new batch of liquor just arrived, and the unloading workers just brought it to the storage room on the first floor. At this hour, I’ll buy them some food. It’s lunchtime upstairs, so it’s fine to close the door for a bit.” The store owner was holding two bags of take-out food. “You can keep looking around, but like I said, if you want to buy Yuan Chuan’s Harmony, everyone in the market knows you should come to me. If it weren’t for being a local, I wouldn’t have offered you such a low price.” 

Chen Xiao glanced at Lu Nan. 

Lu Nan, looking a bit frustrated, said, “This food is too bad, I’m not eating it! I’ve been walking all morning, and my feet are sore. I might as well buy it from this boss.” She turned to the shop owner and asked, “Is your warehouse nearby?” 

The shop owner nodded. “The row of rooms behind the first floor are all rented as warehouses for convenience.” 

“That’s where the drinks are stored, right? Can you take us to take a look?” Chen Xiao asked. 

The shop owner smiled, “No problem, follow me.” 

He led the way, and as they walked, Lu Nan quickly typed a message to Chen Xiao: “You must have a budget for this investigation, right?” 

Chen Xiao nodded firmly, signaling Lu Nan to go ahead and do what she wanted. 

At the entrance of the warehouses, a small delivery truck had just finished unloading, and the driver was checking the delivery note with a middle-aged woman. 

When the middle-aged woman saw her husband returning with people, she wasn’t surprised—some customers liked to pick goods from the warehouse. 

Chen Xiao and Lu Nan entered the warehouse, where the newly arrived Harmony drinks were stacked by the door. However, the QR codes on the outer boxes had been smudged, so they couldn’t be scanned. 

Lu Nan turned to Chen Xiao and said, “I’ll just take two bottles for my dad to try, so he doesn’t say we young people don’t know how to buy things.” If they bought now, it would be the Harmony liquor that had just arrived in the warehouse. 

Chen Xiao nodded. 

“Older generations are always concerned about things,” the shop owner added. “It’s fine if you want to try two bottles.” 

“That’s fine. If my dad likes them, I’ll order more, and you can refund the price difference for these two bottles later, okay?” Lu Nan was as meticulous as a regular bulk buyer. 

The shop owner readily agreed. “Sure, no problem.” 

“Then, boss, please make a receipt so I can get the price difference refunded next time,” Lu Nan replied, negotiating just like a regular customer buying liquor. 

The shop owner shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter if I make a receipt or not. You’re so meticulous, little lady… I’ll definitely remember you. When you come next time to pick up the goods, I’ll refund you the difference.” 

Lu Nan shook her head. “It’s too troublesome to go over next time; I’ll probably have him come by himself.” She motioned toward Chen Xiao with her chin. 

The shop owner had no choice but to say, “We only have paper receipts here; electronic ones are available upstairs.” 

“Paper receipts are fine; it’s just proof of purchase.” Lu Nan wasn’t too stubborn. With her saying this, the shop owner was happy to avoid some extra work. 

While the shop owner prepared the receipt and retrieved the drinks, Lu Nan stepped outside to chat with the shop owner’s wife. They spoke in their dialect, and after a while, the shop owner’s wife came back with two packs of cigarettes. “These two types of cigarettes are often used for celebrations. Our prices for goods are quite reasonable.” 

When the receipt was ready, Lu Nan glanced at Chen Xiao. “Why are you looking at me? Pay! Take the stuff!” 

Chen Xiao rubbed his nose and followed her instructions. 

Before they left, the shop owner’s gaze at Chen Xiao was mostly filled with sympathy: Although your wife is polite (and good-looking), and your family seems wealthy (thanks to the demolition), her temper is really bad. 

After leaving the warehouse, they exchanged a glance and silently agreed that there was no need to keep shopping that afternoon. 

While waiting for the taxi, Chen Xiao asked, “What did you take a picture of with your phone when the shopkeeper’s wife gave you the cigarettes earlier?” 

Lu Nan hadn’t expected Chen Xiao to notice her action, so she smiled mysteriously. “Good stuff. But I’ll tell you once we leave this place. It’s a small possibility, but doesn’t the TV always show this kind of thing? Walls have ears.” 

“Alright, where to?” 

“Somewhere cool and convenient for a chat. Also, I’m really hungry,” Lu Nan rubbed her stomach. 

Chen Xiao suggested, “There’s a Pizza Hut nearby, would that work?”

It was clear he had been keeping an eye on the local market for a while. 

Lu Nan cheered, “Perfect!”

After getting in the taxi, Lu Nan immediately clasped her hands together and said to Chen Xiao, who was in the passenger seat, “Brother Xiao, everything I said and did just now was for work (you know what I mean), I really wasn’t trying to be bold…” 

“I understand, and I wasn’t blaming you. On the contrary, I should thank you,” Chen Xiao replied. 

While waiting at the red light, the taxi driver glanced at the strange couple and kindly spoke up, “It’s normal for couples to argue. As a man, you should be more understanding and not speak in such a sarcastic manner.” 

Chen Xiao, sitting in the passenger seat: Me? Sarcastic? 

He understood the frustration of wanting to explain but not knowing how to start, and could only smile wryly, “You’re right, Mr. driver.” 

Lu Nan, sitting in the back, even considered whistling (but restrained herself). 

… 

It was around 2 p.m, and the restaurant wasn’t crowded. They picked a window seat, and there was no one within five meters, so they could talk without worry. 

“Take your time, let’s order some food first,” Chen Xiao said apologetically. “I saw that you didn’t eat well at lunch, so don’t be polite.” 

Lu Nan ordered a plate of lasagna with meat sauce, a serving of escargot baked in red wine, and a glass of milk, then closed the menu. 

Chen Xiao ordered a pizza and an iced coffee. He might have thought Lu Nan didn’t order enough, so he added a platter of appetizers. 

The appetizer platter came quickly, and Lu Nan ate some to fill her stomach. Then she explained to Chen Xiao, “I took the photos at the warehouse, it’s the logistics slip from the stall we visited today.” 

As soon as Lu Nan finished speaking, Chen Xiao’s eyes lit up. The gains from this trip were unexpected, not only had they identified a stall that was confirmed to be selling at low prices and possibly reselling goods, but now they also had a lead on the source of the suspected smuggled goods. 

Chen Xiao couldn’t help but raise his glass, “Lu Nan, I really owe you one today.” 

Lu Nan clinked her milk cup with Chen Xiao’s coffee cup, making a crisp sound. “I’ll send you the photos now. I believe that based on this lead, you’ll be able to find the information regarding the task that Director Tong assigned to you.” 

Chen Xiao had already thanked Lu Nan more than once today, but he still said, “I’ll remember this favor, and when the time comes, I’ll make sure to give you credit.” 

Lu Nan smiled, “I’m not hoping for a promotion or raise, no need for favors or credits. Brother Xiao, just do what you think is best. If you really feel I helped, a material reward would be fine.” This was her sincere, unfiltered opinion. 

After Lu Nan said that, both of them were stunned for a moment. 

Lu Nan felt that she had gone a bit too far, losing her guard and sense of propriety. She awkwardly smiled. “I was just joking.” 

Was it really a joke? Or was she still bothered by that issue? No wonder, that event had certainly been unfair to her.” 

As for Chen Xiao, he thought about that ridiculous buyout fee, and he felt a bit uncomfortable. 

Because Lu Nan had unintentionally killed the conversation, the second half of the afternoon tea became a bit dull and uninteresting. 

After finishing, Lu Nan politely said, “Brother Xiao, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now?” 

Chen Xiao checked his watch and said to Lu Nan, “Are you going back to the dorm? It’s on the way, let’s share a taxi.” 

“Oh, no need, I have something else to do. See you, Brother Xiao.” 

… 

The next day, during the morning meeting, when Lu Nan reported on yesterday’s work, she, of course, left out the ‘investigation’ with Chen Xiao. 

Chen Xiao sat across from her, listening as she confidently and clearly summarized the previous day’s work. He couldn’t quite describe his feelings, and he even wondered for a moment: Was Lu Nan’s work report always this vague? But every day when she spoke, it made her seem like she had a full and meaningful workload, with at least 4-5 hours of work. 

Then, thinking back to her quick thinking at the wholesale food market yesterday, Chen Xiao actually found himself drifting off during the meeting. He thought of a line from a martial arts drama where the male protagonist’s mother advised her son: 

The more beautiful a woman is, the more she knows how to deceive. 

Suddenly realizing how absurd his thoughts were, Chen Xiao awkwardly cleared his throat, causing the meeting room to fall silent for a moment. 

Manager Wang asked, “Manager Chen, do you have any instructions for Lu Nan’s work plan for today?” 

It turned out that right as he cleared his throat, Lu Nan had just finished discussing her work plan for the day. 

“Oh, today I need to go to Feixiang, and Lu Nan will be coming with me,” Chen Xiao responded quickly. 

Manager Wang probably guessed it was about the grand event, but since Chen Xiao hadn’t revealed it, he wouldn’t leak it at the office either. 

After the meeting, Lu Nan followed Chen Xiao out. 

Dong Hui shot Zhou Lei a disapproving look across the table, and Zhou Lei gave her a comforting smile in return. 

… 

Once in the elevator, Lu Nan asked, “Brother Xiao, are you going to talk to Mr. Yang about the grand event today?” 

“Yes, that’s right,” Chen Xiao nodded, but he seemed a bit distracted. 

Noticing this, Lu Nan didn’t continue the small talk and silently waited for the taxi. 

Seeing Lu Nan like this, Chen Xiao wanted to say something, and after hesitating, he asked, “Aren’t you curious about the results of my investigation yesterday?” 

She’s not curious at all. 

Realizing that continuing this topic would only kill the conversation, Lu Nan straightened up and said, with a sincere expression, “Brother Xiao, matters of this level aren’t something I should be involved in or focus on. It wouldn’t be good if I disrupted your plan.” 

Though her face was full of sincerity, Chen Xiao strangely felt that beneath it, there was a hint of impatience. 

Chen Xiao felt a bit wronged; just yesterday, they had been great partners. Today, she had distanced herself completely from the matter. 

He really wanted to fix things, or maybe just get to know Lu Nan more—no particular reason, he just felt like it. 

Of course, Chen Xiao tried to convince himself: Because I really owe Lu Nan for the video materials. She has already been involved in this matter, so she has the right to know. The most important thing is that once it’s done, I can thank her and help her get the reward she deserves from Uncle Tong. 

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