About half an hour later, Zhang Liunian arrived at the entrance of the department store and saw the ravaged entrance. He intended to go inside to see the condition, but was stopped by Team Leader Gu, who was waiting there.
"Boss, you're here."
Manager Gu rushed to Zhang Liunian's front, looking excited, but after saying that, he didn't know what else to say.
It was his responsibility that the department store had trouble again. If the boss wanted to dock his pay, he would accept it, as long as he wasn't fired.
Zhang Liunian didn't speak after hearing this, but with a serious expression, he walked inside. Only after finding that there was no loss inside did he feel relieved.
Seeing that the boss was silent, Manager Gu became even more uneasy. He stepped forward and voluntarily explained, "Boss, Zhu Lao Si is out. As soon as he came out, he had our storefront smashed. I've already arranged for repairs, and it will be done tomorrow."
Zhang Liunian nodded, seemingly not surprised that Zhu Lao Si could handle this matter.
Manager Gu's heart was in his mouth. He continued with his head lowered, "Boss, I know this is my dereliction of duty. If I had discovered it in time, they wouldn't have succeeded. Therefore, I can take full responsibility for this matter."
Zhang Liunian finally looked at Manager Gu properly, "How do you intend to take responsibility?"
"..." Manager Gu choked, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to take responsibility to satisfy the boss and keep his job.
Zhang Liunian didn't interrupt his internal struggle. He strode forward to continue his inspection of the damage. He finally confirmed that only the main entrance was severely damaged, and then he came out to examine it again.
This department store building was somewhat like a fusion of Western and Chinese architecture. The main entrance was made of marble and solid wood, with many magnificent and retro patterns carved on it, giving it a mysterious and beautiful appearance.
Unfortunately, it had now been destroyed by Zhu Lao Si's men, and repairing it would cost quite a bit of money.
Just as he was thinking this, the repair workers arrived. Zhang Liunian went forward to inquire and learned that it would cost ten thousand yuan to fix it.
After understanding the approximate cost, Zhang Liunian proceeded to his office. Manager Gu followed him. When they reached their destination, they both froze.
What was with all the scattered paper everywhere? Had there been a break-in?
Zhang Liunian turned and looked at Manager Gu, asking, "What happened here?"
Manager Gu behind him was also stunned. He didn't know why it was so messy. It was fine in the morning, so how did it get like this in just a short while?
Seeing that he also looked confused, Zhang Liunian went inside and rummaged through the papers. He found that many files had been disturbed, clearly indicating that the perpetrator had a strong objective: to find something important, perhaps a contract, or... evidence?
Could it be that Zhu Lao Si's smashing of the door was just a diversion, aimed at checking if he had left any evidence of his crimes?
If that were the case, they would surely be disappointed, because last year, to be on the safe side, he had not only kept a copy of the evidence but also stored it in an extremely secure place.
That place was within the walls of his office.
However, with people present now, it wasn't convenient to check. After Manager Gu left, he could see if it was still there.
"Boss, I don't know how this happened. I even cleaned here this morning, and there was nothing," Manager Gu's forehead began to sweat. First the storefront, then the office. It seemed his job was in jeopardy.
"Manager Gu, I thought I could rely on you as the manager of the department store, but you've made such a major mistake at the beginning of the year. You've disappointed me. You should let Xiao Zhou take over this managerial position. From now on, you will be Xiao Zhou's assistant, helping him manage all affairs of the provincial department store. Do you understand?"
Zhang Liunian had not intended to replace Manager Gu, but his performance made him uneasy, so he had to promote Xiao Zhou.
Xiao Zhou was, after all, the son of Gao Lijie. No one would make things difficult for him, and his looks alone would help him manage the department store well in the provincial capital.
Manager Gu, hearing that the boss had demoted him to assistant manager, felt a bit disappointed but was grateful that he hadn't lost his job.
Although "assistant" didn't sound very good, like a gofer, it was still a job.
"Understood," Manager Gu replied with his head bowed, not daring to have any other thoughts.
Zhang Liunian nodded and asked him to call people to clean up. After he left, Zhang Liunian touched the place where he had hidden the evidence. Upon seeing that the evidence was intact, he immediately smiled.
"If I can't do it once, I can send it a second or third time, to multiple locations. I really don't believe Zhu Lao Si has the ability to eliminate all the evidence I've sent out," Zhang Liunian muttered to himself, putting the evidence into his pocket.
At the same time, on the other side, Zhu Lao Si also saw the men he had sent out.
"You didn't find it?" Zhu Lao Si looked at the two dejected master thieves with dissatisfaction.
The two master thieves below exchanged glances and both shook their heads, indicating they hadn't.
"Didn't you say there's nothing you can't steal? That thing is in his office. How could you not find it?" Zhu Lao Si was truly anxious because he knew his opportunities were limited.
After Zhang Liunian returned, he had almost no chance. Because once Zhang Liunian discovered that Zhu Lao Si was looking for the evidence, he would hide it well, making it extremely difficult to find out the location again.
Furthermore, Zhang Liunian himself was very good at fighting. If they encountered him, they wouldn't have much of a chance.
"We searched his office thoroughly, and it was indeed not there," one of the master thieves explained their failure.
Zhu Lao Si impatiently interrupted, "That's an excuse. You claim to be master thieves, but you're nothing of the sort. What use are you if you can't even steal a document?"
"We are master thieves, not detectives. You yourself couldn't figure out where he hid the documents, so don't blame us." The other master thief felt that they shouldn't be blamed for this. It was Zhu Lao Si who hadn't figured out the hiding place for the documents; otherwise, they would have succeeded long ago.
Zhu Lao Si's words ignited his anger. He stood up abruptly and pointed at him, "If it weren't for the widespread rumors that you are master thieves, capable of stealing anything, why would I spend a large sum of money to hire you? It's not just that you couldn't steal it, but you're blaming us for inaccurate information. Aren't you afraid of ruining your reputation?"
"..."
Zhu Lao Si's words made the master thief duo lose face. This was their first failed mission, and they lacked experience and didn't know what to say.
Seeing their silence, Zhu Lao Si snorted and continued, "Now there's no chance. When I find an opportunity, you can try again. If you can't, you will compensate according to the contract."
They had also signed contracts, and master thieves had to pay compensation if they failed.
The master thieves naturally didn't want to pay, and they promised that they would definitely steal the document next time.
However, soon after, Zhu Lao Si heard the news that Zhang Liunian had taken the document to make ten copies. That document was the evidence of his crimes.