Chapter 265: Too Soft-hearted
Chapter 265: Chapter 265: Too Soft-hearted
Song Zhigao didn’t know what Shen Lu had gone through yesterday. He was being guarded on the third floor, and Ye Fan wouldn’t reveal any information to him. He was completely in the dark.
"First, tell me what Boss Jin said to you." Shen Lu wasn’t sure how much Song Zhigao knew. She needed to gauge how much he knew before deciding how to proceed with the conversation.
Song Zhigao sighed. At this point, it didn’t matter if he spoke or not.
"About a month ago, my master found me and asked me to do one last thing for him."
"He asked me to get a job at your restaurant, gain your trust, and find out who your supplier is."
Before Master Luo approached Song Zhigao, the two of them hadn’t been in contact for three or four years.
Master Luo had a serious gambling problem. Song Zhigao tried to help him quit, but not only was Master Luo unrepentant, he got even worse.
Always using the excuse, "I’ll quit after this one," he borrowed tens of thousands from him for gambling.
After Song Zhigao discovered his lies, they had a huge fight. Song Zhigao decided to wash his hands of him and let him self-destruct.
"My master said that if I didn’t do this for him, Xiao Zhi would be taken to pay off his debt. He was in the wrong, yes, but Xiao Zhi is innocent. That’s why I agreed to his request and applied for a job at your restaurant."
’So Master Luo was a degenerate gambler.’
Shen Lu had zero sympathy for degenerate gamblers. As for their families, she wasn’t in a position to judge.
"So that night you went out, it was because Boss Jin summoned you?" Shen Lu asked. "Did he give you poison and tell you to put it in the food, trying to cause an incident with the customers and ruin my restaurant?"
Song Zhigao nodded. "That poison is incredibly potent. Anyone who ate it would die instantly."
"Then why did you rush out to save me? Were you afraid that if I died, you’d never be able to find out who my supplier was?"
Song Zhigao gave Shen Lu a long, deep look. "You’re a good person."
Shen Lu froze. She hadn’t expected that answer.
’So because I’m a good person, he couldn’t bear to see me die a horrible death?’
"And if I weren’t a good person? Would you have just stood by and watched me eat the poisoned food?"
Song Zhigao slowly nodded. Yes. If he hadn’t thought Shen Lu was a good person, he would have sacrificed her to save Xiao Zhi without a second thought.
"You can go." An indescribable feeling washed over Shen Lu. She had Ye Fan untie Song Zhigao. "I won’t pursue what you’ve done. But I’m keeping your wages."
Song Zhigao was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected Shen Lu to let him go so easily.
Song Zhigao gathered his belongings. As he walked out the door, a blast of sand and wind hit him in the face, clearing his muddled head considerably.
He had expected Shen Lu to punish him severely, or perhaps turn him over to the police. He never imagined that after just a brief conversation, she would let him walk away completely unscathed.
’Shen Lu... she really is one of the rare good people in this world.’
Song Zhigao glanced back at Little Deer Cuisine. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see Wang Daguo wiping down a table with a smile, while Deng Ying and Xin Yu brought out one finished dish after another.
The two seemed to have hit a point of disagreement and were bickering heatedly.
Xiao Lang held up a small cleaning cloth, hopping and skipping along behind Shen Lu like her little tail.
’Right now, the back kitchen must be swamped...’
It was a warm, harmonious scene. He had once been a part of it. But that was in the past.
Song Zhigao readjusted the bag on his shoulder and trudged away, his figure quickly swallowed by the blowing sand.
Little Bei kicked a loose stone out of his path and turned to Xue Can. "Boss, did Boss Shen really just let him go like that?"
’She’s way too soft-hearted.’
Xue Can shot him a look. "What the hell do you know?"
"Song Zhigao infiltrated Little Deer Cuisine on a mission. Now that he’s failed, and Boss Jin is no saint, he’s definitely going to make Song Zhigao pay."
"Then again, given Boss Jin’s current situation, he probably doesn’t have the time to deal with Song Zhigao. But how many restaurants like Little Deer Cuisine are out there?"
"Song Zhigao will never get a chance to work at a place like Little Deer Cuisine again. That fall from paradise to hell, combined with his guilt toward Shen Lu, will haunt him for the rest of his life, tormenting him day and night."
Little Bei didn’t get it, but he knew better than to ask more questions. He was only concerned with what free food he could scrounge for lunch.
Xue Can smacked him on the back of the head. "You’ll eat whatever you’re given! Stop running your mouth!"
Little Bei clutched the back of his head, crying out, "Boss, you’ve changed! You used to be so nice to me!"
A vein bulged on Xue Can’s forehead. "Mo Bei, if you say one more stupid thing, I’ll sew your mouth shut with my own hands!"
’Good thing Shen Lu isn’t here,’ Xue Can thought. ’If she heard that, she’d definitely get the wrong idea.’
’Winning Shen Lu over is already hard enough. I don’t need to make it even harder for myself for no good reason.’
Mo Bei obediently shut his mouth and made a zipping motion across his lips.
’The boss is vicious right now,’ he thought. ’Better to tuck my tail between my legs and behave.’
...
[Ding! Detected sales: Braised Pork Set 850/850, Kung Pao Chicken Set 750/750, Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Peppers Set 410/410. Total revenue has reached 190,000 yuan, and customer satisfaction is at three stars or higher. Quest complete. Reward: one Lottery Ticket.]
Shen Lu had been worried that the bad weather would mean fewer customers, but unexpectedly, she completed her quest even earlier today than she did yesterday.
’What’s going on? Did Fragrant Sky go out of business or something?’
Gazing at the bustling, endless stream of customers, Shen Lu was lost in thought.
Ma Laosan, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, came in for a meal. He didn’t rush off after eating, instead lingering by the front counter to make small talk with Shen Lu.
"Boss Shen, did you hear? Something huge happened last night!"
Shen Lu swiped a customer’s card and directed them toward Wang Daguo for the lottery draw.
"Oh? What was that?"
"You know Boss Jin, right? The president of the Lower City District Chamber of Commerce! The richest boss in our entire Lower City District! He owns all of the best, most expensive clubs on Gold Street!"
Those were just his legitimate businesses. Boss Jin also had some shady enterprises that couldn’t see the light of day, though Ma Laosan didn’t mention those.
Shen Lu’s expression remained neutral. "Oh, I’ve heard a little about him."
’A little about him? Hardly,’ she thought. ’Just yesterday, he sent men to kidnap the Liu family to try and force my hand. Hah.’
"Yesterday, overnight, everything got turned on its head!" Ma Laosan said, his tone full of drama. "Logically speaking, for Boss Jin to be running those clubs, he must’ve had all his connections squared away. Even if there was a surprise raid, he’d get an advance warning. But not last night! All of Boss Jin’s clubs were shut down, and there was even a murder case!"
Shen Lu eyed him. "So, you’re saying the higher-ups are cracking down on the vice industry?"
Ma Laosan cleared his throat twice. "Some things can’t be done out in the open, but there are always... unwritten rules."
"Oh," Shen Lu replied noncommittally.
"And there’s more." Ma Laosan was in a particularly gossipy mood today, looking like he wouldn’t leave until he’d spilled all the tea. "Boss Jin had this fancy villa, a real classy place. Last night, someone blew it to smithereens. His wife and kid didn’t get out. They’re all dead."