"Did you get any news about that guy named Huang?" Du Fei asked before Gongcheng Bin could speak.
Gongcheng Bin looked at Du Fei in surprise. "Yo, Du Fei, when did you become my mind-reader? I haven't even opened my mouth yet, and you already know what I'm going to say?"
Gongcheng Bin had called Du Fei out today precisely to discuss the matter of Shao Junjie's partner, but he hadn't expected Du Fei to guess his intentions before he could even utter a word.
"Your taste is too heavy, I don't want to be contaminated. Let's get to the point quickly." Du Fei put on a look of disdain.
Gongcheng Bin pointed at Du Fei with his finger, feigning a look of gritted teeth.
Then he said, "At first, I hired two different groups of people to investigate Huang Peter's background, but the results were all the same. Huang Peter's background was very clean, without any issues."
"Clean background, no issues, then how can you say this guy has problems?" Du Fei retorted.
Gongcheng Bin chuckled. "Du Fei, you haven't been in business, so you might not understand people like us. Although doing business requires adhering to laws and regulations, for the sake of a company's profitability, most, or rather, the vast majority of companies will use various methods to legally avoid taxes. So, this Huang fellow told Ah Jie that he's done many businesses over the years, so how could there be absolutely no issues?"
"Besides, one of the groups I hired operates in the gray areas. They occasionally help people create fake identities. They told me that this Huang fellow has a ninety to eighty percent chance of being problematic."
"Also, earlier I pretended to propose to Ah Jie that I wanted to invest in their jewelry business and asked him to get Huang's opinion. He flatly refused."
"In this day and age, no business is one hundred percent profitable. Anyone willing to put money in and share the risk should be overjoyed. Yet, he refused without even thinking. Isn't that a problem?"
"It's just that I know he's problematic, but I don't know how to tell Ah Jie, which is driving me crazy." Gongcheng Bin finished, clenching his right fist and gently hitting his open left palm.
Shao Junjie was one of his few good friends, and Gongcheng Bin didn't want him to be deceived by anyone. However, he also understood that while Shao Junjie appeared polite and good-natured on the surface, he was stubbornly persistent deep down. Now that he had determined Huang Peter was not problematic and had started cooperating with him, it meant Shao Junjie trusted him implicitly. If Gongcheng Bin were to rashly accuse Huang Peter of being a fraud, Shao Junjie might turn against him before Huang Peter was even exposed, and might even call Huang Peter to confront Gongcheng Bin.
What kind of method could be devised to help Shao Junjie? For a moment, Gongcheng Bin's head began to ache from thinking.
"Actually, the method is very simple." Du Fei spoke just as Gongcheng Bin was scratching his head, about to mess up his hair.
Gongcheng Bin lowered his hand from his head, his eyes fixed on Du Fei. "Really? Du Fei, you really have a way?"
However, Du Fei remained unresponsive at this moment. Gongcheng Bin immediately refilled Du Fei's cup and, with a beaming smile, presented it to him. Du Fei took the cup, took a small sip, and placed it on the table. "Actually, the method is very simple. When the time comes, you just do as I say..."
Gongcheng Bin grew more astonished the more he listened. By the time Du Fei finished, his eyes were wide as saucers. "Damn it, Du Fei, are you kidding me? This actually works?"
Du Fei replied, "Of course it works. When have I ever lied to you?"
Gongcheng Bin scratched the back of his head. After a moment's thought, he realized that in all their time knowing each other, Du Fei had never bragged or said anything he couldn't do. However, what he had just said was so incredible that Gongcheng Bin found it hard to accept.
"Well, Du Fei, you haven't lied to me, but what you just said sounds like something out of a movie. Besides, if it's really as you say, why didn't you mention it at the beginning?" Gongcheng Bin suddenly remembered that it was Du Fei who had initially told him to investigate Huang Peter.
Du Fei couldn't help but roll his eyes at Gongcheng Bin. "Look here, Young Master Gong, why are you being such an idiot now? At first, I only heard that he knew that person. I didn't know the full story. And what if I was wrong? Wouldn't that be embarrassing? Now that you've almost confirmed that guy has ill intentions, my item can naturally be put to use."
"I'll make this clear beforehand. You don't need to doubt the authenticity of the item, but the decision to use it is yours."
Gongcheng Bin's expression turned resolute. "As long as your item is legitimate, it must be used. If anything goes wrong then, I'll personally apologize and make amends!"
With Gongcheng Bin's assurance, Du Fei nodded and then discussed the specific details with him.
...
"Brother Huang, this restaurant today was recommended by a good friend of mine. This is the most characteristic Sichuan cuisine in Rongcheng, with all the flavors of spicy, fresh, and fragrant." Shao Junjie led Huang Peter to the entrance of a restaurant called Chuan Wazi.
Shao Junjie then told Huang Peter that even though Chuan Wazi was decorated ordinarily and the shop was not large, it was rumored to have been open for over thirty years, spanning two generations. The current owner was the son of the first generation owner of Chuan Wazi, and his culinary skills were personally taught by his father, truly inheriting the legacy.
As they chatted, the two walked inside.
"Mmm, it's quite good. Just smelling the aroma is already very promising." Besides his interest in money, Huang Peter's greatest hobby was tasting local delicacies. Since arriving in Rongcheng, he had eaten various street snacks and dined in high-end restaurants, but most of them felt no different from places elsewhere. When he casually mentioned to Shao Junjie during a conversation that he wanted to try the most characteristic restaurants in Rongcheng, Shao Junjie led him to this Chuan Wazi two days later.
When they first got out of the car, Huang Peter thought the restaurant was too ordinary, even simple. But since Shao Junjie praised it so highly, he decided to try it out. To his surprise, as soon as he walked in, the aroma of the dishes rushed towards him, immediately making his appetite surge.
Seeing Huang Peter's reaction, Shao Junjie hurried to the counter inside to inform them that he had a reservation. After giving the reservation number, a waitress led them to a small table by the window. With a quick wipe of a rag, the waitress set down two sets of disposable cutlery and left on her own. Huang Peter was somewhat surprised by the waitress's perfunctory service, not even asking what they wanted to eat. Shao Junjie then explained to Huang Peter that Chuan Wazi was extremely busy during meal times. If he hadn't reserved a table in advance, they wouldn't even have had a place to sit if they had arrived any later. As for the waitress's attitude, it wasn't because she was being dismissive; it was because everyone at Chuan Wazi, from the chefs to the waitresses and the cashier, were family members of the owner. With limited staff, each person performed multiple roles, so they didn't have much free time to wait for customers to slowly order. Besides, if you dined at Chuan Wazi and didn't order quickly, you were just asking for trouble. Because the restaurant was packed, if you ordered late, you would just have to wait hungrily.