207: Chapter 205: Delegating Authority 207: Chapter 205: Delegating Authority Qingchun Tea House, situated on the bustling Zhongshan Road, was a relatively large tea house.
Fang Min wasn’t particularly fond of cafes and the like, and since it was already past mealtime, she didn’t want to go to a hotel.
Thus, she opted for a tea house.
The tea house was very quiet, and many people preferred to meet there to discuss matters.
Furthermore, Fang Min quite enjoyed drinking tea.
Ten minutes later, Tangyu parked the car beneath Qingchun Tea House, and from a distance, they saw a man waving towards them.
As soon as the car stopped, the man approached them.
The man matched the description Fang Min had provided of her blind date – around thirty-five or thirty-six, dressed neatly and cleanly.
His hair and beard were well-groomed, and he wore glasses, which lent him a somewhat scholarly and elegant air.
From the outside, this man made a very good first impression.
However, Tangyu didn’t just judge by appearances; he looked deeper.
Some things might appear nice and splendid on the surface but hide evil aspects.
No matter how well the surface concealed it, certain inner qualities would still be revealed.
Of course, ordinary people often failed to notice this, which is why so many were frequently deceived.
The technique of reading people was indeed a mandatory skill within the Ghost Doctor Sect.
Generally, Tangyu could discern a person’s nature, though those who were deeply deceptive took longer to read, while those who were superficial were quickly seen through.
After observing the man for a while, Tangyu saw beneath his seemingly cultured and gentle exterior a hint of malicious intent.
This feeling made Tangyu uneasy; the man was definitely not as he appeared.
“Fang Min, you’ve arrived.
And who might this be?” The man, called Shen Quan, had a flicker of imperceptible light flash in his eyes when he saw Tangyu but greeted them with a benign smile.
“Oh, let me introduce you, Shen Quan.
This is my assistant.
I felt a bit unwell today, so he drove me here.
Weren’t you going to discuss a business collaboration with me?
I’m not great at remembering things, so he can help keep notes,” Fang Min said.
Shen Quan extended his hand with a smile, “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, Mr.
Shen,” Tangyu replied politely.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the trio entered the tea house.
Shen Quan had already reserved a private room.
After ordering tea, they sat down.
Originally a two-person booth, they had asked the waiter to add another seat.
“Fang Min, do you often come here for tea?” Shen Quan asked, intentionally not discussing business.
“Occasionally,” Fang Min replied, indifferent to his avoidance of business matters.
After all, her primary purpose was to have Tangyu help her assess the situation.
She also covertly glanced at Tangyu, giving him a look.
“Haha, it seems you really enjoy tea.
I like it too, but it’s better for ladies to drink less tea.
What kind of tea do you prefer?” Shen Quan asked with a smile.
The two chatted casually about unrelated topics, merely sipping their tea as if idly chatting.
Since there was a third party, Shen Quan was not able to fully relax; he glanced occasionally at Tangyu, a trace of peculiar expression flickering in his eyes.
Tangyu also periodically observed Shen Quan and became increasingly sure that this man was no good.
His constantly flickering lascivious gaze revealed his lecherous nature, and the way he looked at Tangyu even carried a hint of viciousness, indicating that he was not as benign as he appeared.
In short, this man was indeed a wolf in sheep’s clothing, with a facade of brightness concealing a vile and evil heart.
Such a man, Tangyu would definitely not allow him to get close to Sister Min in the future.
As the two talked, Tangyu felt more and more like an outsider.
“Fang Min, your tea’s run out; pour some more,” Shen Quan suddenly said, his gaze toward the teapot in front of Tangyu, yet he made no move to pour himself.
It was clear he intended Tangyu to pour the tea for Fang Min, but Tangyu, discerning his intent, said nothing and stood up to pour it.
As Tangyu stood up, Shen Quan also stood immediately, reaching out to grab the teapot from Tangyu’s hand, “Today, I am the host and you are the guest; let me take care of you.
I’ll pour the tea.”
Although Shen Quan said this, his hand discreetly clung to Tangyu’s, preventing Tangyu from pulling it back.
Tangyu inwardly sneered; this guy surely had no good intentions.
Seeing Shen Quan’s action, Tangyu immediately knew that Shen Quan intended to use the opportunity to spill tea on him in the chaos.
The purpose was clear – to get rid of him.
How could Tangyu let Shen Quan have his way?
During the struggle, Tangyu prevented Shen Quan from succeeding.
Seeing that he couldn’t prevail immediately, Shen Quan increased the force in his hand but continued lightly, “I said I’d do it, there’s no need to be so courteous.”
“No need, Mr.
Shen, please have a seat.
I’m closer to Sister Min; I’ll pour it.
Let me handle the menial task of pouring tea; you sit,” Tangyu said smoothly, increasing his own grip.
Watching the push and pull between the two, Fang Min frowned, perplexed.
Whoosh—
In the midst of their struggle, the lid of the teapot was finally knocked off, and half a pot of tea spilled out, splashing over Shen Quan.
Caught by surprise by this sudden turn of events, he intended to use this tactic to distract Tangyu but didn’t expect it to backfire on himself.
He tried to dodge, but there was simply no way to avoid it completely; he could only try to twist his body aside, but even so, his clothes were immediately soaked by a large splash of tea, with several tea leaves sticking to his shirt.
“Ah, I’m sorry, President Shen, it wasn’t intentional,” Tangyu immediately said.
Having his half body soaked, Shen Quan felt rather uncomfortable.
Fortunately, the tea wasn’t scalding, or he might have suffered burns.
However, hearing Tangyu’s apology and seeing the startled expression on Fang Min’s face, Shen Quan managed to cover up his displeasure, squeezing out a smile and saying, “It’s alright, it’s alright.” Shen Quan then took a paper towel to wipe off some of the liquid, but the area was quite large, and since he was wearing a white shirt, the tea soaked through, naturally showing a tea stain.
“Sorry, why don’t you sit for a while?
I’ll go to the restroom,” Shen Quan said before walking out.
Watching Shen Quan leave in obvious displeasure, Tangyu also let out a slight laugh.
Fang Min, having caught Tangyu’s laugh, slightly furrowed her brows and immediately reacted, “Did you do that on purpose?”
“Yes, Sister Min,” Tangyu simply nodded and added, “But Sister Min, you can’t blame me for this.
Didn’t you notice he was also trying to harm me?
He intended to use this technique to sideline me.
Only, I discovered it and turned it back on him.”
“He wanted to sideline you?
Really?” Fang Min was slightly stunned, her eyes widening, now somewhat unsure.
She just felt that Shen Quan wasn’t the type of person to use such petty tricks.
Tangyu shook his head, Sister Min was clearly deeply misled by Shen Quan: “How could he not?
Sister Min, did you forget I just served you tea once before, and he didn’t compete with me then?
Don’t you remember how I served you tea this time?
He said you were out of tea, and logically if he said that, he should be the one actively pouring, right?
I could reach the teapot easily, and it seems he could too, right?
Moreover, when he spoke just now, didn’t you notice he was looking at me?
And only when I picked up the teapot did he immediately come over to compete with me.
Could all this really be coincidental?”
Hearing this, Fang Min tended to believe it a bit more, and thinking it over, it did indeed seem to be the case.
“He might really have wanted to sideline you.
Such intentions are not entirely blameworthy,” Fang Min said; she was indeed very kind.
Tangyu shook his head; such a kind-hearted and obedient nature was the easiest to be deceived.
That’s why she would listen to her family and be easily fooled.
If it really were up to her to decide on this matter, Tangyu believed the chances of her being won over by Shen Quan were extremely high.
Thinking of Shen Quan, Tangyu felt somewhat displeased.
“Sister Min, do you really think this Shen Quan is reliable?” Tangyu asked.
Fang Min looked at Tangyu and still shook her head, saying, “I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.
He seems reliable, but deep down I still have some concerns.
But then again, it seems there’s nothing explicitly wrong, so let’s leave it at that.”
Often, when people lose the ability to make choices, they go with the flow, and at this moment, Fang Min was also entertaining such thoughts.
“Sister Min, I don’t think this Shen Quan is reliable; I don’t think he is as good as he appears,” Tangyu bluntly said.
Fang Min looked at Tangyu and asked, “Why would you say that?”
“A man’s intuition, and not just intuition.
If I say I have a bit of a knack for judging people, I wonder if you would believe me.
Actually, one can see what a person hides.”
Seeing through people’s hearts?
This sounded rather mystical; Fang Min didn’t wholly disbelieve Tangyu, but relying solely on this claim indeed seemed a bit far-fetched.
“Alright, I’ll be more careful.
No matter how well someone hides, their true nature will eventually show.
I’m not a naive girl; I have my own ability to judge,” Fang Min said.
Tangyu inwardly shook his head; even the most formidable judgment can be deceived by appearances.
He was practiced in the technique of discerning people, which allowed him to see the deepest hidden aspects.
Sister Min not believing his words was something Tangyu had anticipated.
If it were so easy to convince Sister Min, then handling this situation would be far too simple.
After all, he wasn’t someone Min would trust solely based on his words.
“It seems, I still need to unearth some ugly evidence of Shen Quan to fully convince Sister Min,” Tangyu thought to himself, already having some ideas.
Words sometimes carried little weight, but solid evidence would undoubtedly convince her.
Tangyu understood Fang Min’s mindset; she considered Shen Quan decent enough, and with her parent’s strong approval, and daily influencing her thoughts, she harbored the idea of just going with the flow.”
“Tangyu, let’s not resort to such techniques next time; it would be too embarrassing,” Fang Min said.
Tangyu curled his lip, “Alright, I know, Sister Min,” though internally he felt a bit uncomfortable.
To such a cunning person as Shen Quan, merely spilling his tea was already being too courteous.
It wasn’t long before Shen Quan came back, having washed off with water.
Though the tea stains had faded, half of his upper body was still damp.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.
Looks like we shouldn’t drink more tea.
I need to go back to the company and change my shirt.
Fang Min, the new product I launched is in production.
Let me take you to my company to have a look; that way, we can better kick off some collaborations concerning the new products,” Shen Quan said.