Chapter 12: World 1 [12]

“Is this your property?” Jing Ke was the first to speak, her gaze shifting to Xue Fan with a hint of confusion.

With everyone watching, Jing Ke asked with genuine sincerity, “As far as I know, Hongfei Mall was completed and operational fifteen years ago. Back then, you would have been nothing more than an elementary school student, correct? How could Hongfei Mall be your property?”

Hearing this, Xue Fan couldn’t help but frown. His eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, brazenly assessed Jing Ke’s figure and appearance.

Upon realizing the speaker possessed a striking figure and face, his frown quickly eased.

While removing his sunglasses and hooking them onto his chest, Xue Fan shot a look at the General Assistant following him, signaling him to speak.

“Half a month ago, President Xue acquired a fifteen percent ownership stake in Hongfei Mall, making him one of the current proprietors,” the General Assistant trailing behind Xue Fan stated with practiced professionalism.

Jing Ke responded with a perfunctory “Oh,” silently filing this new piece of information away in her mind before dismissing Xue Fan and his entourage entirely, categorizing them as irrelevant.

Taking her bank card and shopping bag back from the clerk, Jing Ke looked eagerly at Shang Siyu. “Is there anything else you need to buy?”

A slight smile curved Shang Siyu’s lips as she took Jing Ke’s hand. “The weather’s supposed to get colder soon. We might as well buy some clothes for the changing season.”

“Alright.” Jing Ke nodded, moving to follow Shang Siyu as she stepped away.

“Shang Siyu, seeing an old classmate, and you won’t even say hello?” The ignored Xue Fan couldn’t help but jump out, taking two steps forward to block their path, trapping them inside the shop.

“If my information is correct, New Life Technology still hasn’t found a factory willing to take on your work, has it? If that problem isn’t solved, it’s hard to say if New Life Technology can even continue to exist,” Xue Fan said, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance.

Jing Ke had only finalized the specific investment amount with Shang Siyu in private. Not only had it not been publicly announced, but the news hadn’t even been circulated internally.

So, from Xue Fan’s perspective, Shang Siyu’s New Life Technology was currently being suppressed by Kangxin Group, and he himself would be her savior.

This time, Xue Fan planned to learn from his last lesson. He only intended to give Shang Siyu a little trouble before agreeing to invest, and then make a killing.

“Mr. Xue, weren’t you here to inspect your property?” Jing Ke took half a step forward, moving sideways to shield Shang Siyu.

After sizing up Xue Fan with a frown, Jing Ke’s brow furrowed slightly. She couldn’t understand what had possessed her—before she had developed self-awareness—to choose a person like this for cooperation.

How had someone so fond of bullying others with power, a person of such low character, been selected? Was the selection process of the rules completely random?

Jing Ke: “If so, then you are currently on work time. I don’t advise you to engage in matters unrelated to work at this moment.”

“Of course, if Mr. Xue plans to turn that fifteen percent ownership into one hundred percent, then I retract my previous statement.” Jing Ke’s tone was very calm, and equally cold.

“Until then, I suggest Mr. Xue do what he’s supposed to be doing and not block the shop entrance, affecting business.”

Jing Ke glanced at the clerk standing to the side and the gathering onlookers, continuing, “The shop owner is, to a certain extent, a client of Mr. Xue’s. As the one providing the business premises, Mr. Xue should ensure his client’s interests, not stand here obstructing their shop’s revenue.”

Jing Ke’s pace wasn’t fast, but Xue Fan simply couldn’t find an opening to speak, nor could he think of anything to say in rebuttal.

“Miss, you must be mistaken. Inspecting the property is not President Xue’s job. He uses his personal time to make additional observations and notes on the mall’s situation.”

Seeing Xue Fan rendered speechless, the worldly-wise General Assistant could only take over and start explaining, “President Xue does this precisely to provide better service to the businesses stationed here, offering them more convenience.”

Hearing the assistant’s excuse, Jing Ke offered a polite, fake smile. “Is that so. But if I were a business owner in this mall, I wouldn’t appreciate the mall owner, who costs me profit, blocking my doorway—even if he’s using his so-called personal time.”

“Furthermore, as a consumer shopping in this mall, I feel Mr. Xue and you have already affected our mood. If you don’t disappear from my sight immediately, I might switch to a different mall.”

“Mr. Xue is here as a mall owner. His actions don’t just represent him personally; to some degree, they also impact the image of those holding the other eighty-five percent ownership. I hope you won’t do anything to tarnish the mall’s reputation.”

The General Assistant was choked into silence. The undeniable fact was that his boss was blocking the shop entrance. No matter how eloquently he tried to argue, he couldn’t change that fact.

Realizing this, the General Assistant could only discreetly shoot Xue Fan a look, urging him to move somewhere else to talk—or to block them elsewhere.

Before Xue Fan could get many words out, he was forced to swallow a bellyful of anger. Most importantly, he had nowhere to vent it.

There was no helping it; everything Jing Ke said was true. And she hadn’t hit him or cursed him. Xue Fan wasn’t in a position to do much, so he could only force himself to choke down his displeasure.

Having some business sense, Xue Fan managed to adjust his mood and quickly put on a smiling face. “I was just too excited seeing an old friend. I wanted to exchange a few words. It was an oversight on my part.”

A smiling face defuses anger. With Xue Fan saying this, the onlookers slightly adjusted their opinion of him.

“You know you were wrong?” Jing Ke asked, completely immune to this tactic.

In Jing Ke’s cognitive logic, as long as someone was classified as an enemy, they were a target for attack, whether they cried or laughed.

Suppressing his fury, Xue Fan maintained his smile. “I was in the wrong just now. There’s a cafe downstairs. Shall we go sit down and talk?”

“Since you know you were wrong, then apologize.” Jing Ke looked at Xue Fan calmly, emphasizing, “I don’t know if the other shops need your apology, but as a consumer, I need to hear it.”

Xue Fan’s eyelid twitched. “Miss, what I did just now was unintentional. There’s no need to blow things out of proportion like this.”

“I believe there is.” Jing Ke countered, “Are you unwilling to apologize? If so, I won’t force you.”

Xue Fan felt the urge to flip out, but seeing his General Assistant urgently gesturing at him, he could only maintain his smile.

“I’m very sorry, blocking the door earlier was my fault.” Xue Fan gritted his teeth. If not for the crowd watching, he definitely wouldn’t have swallowed this insult.

Jing Ke nodded with satisfaction, as if praising a teachable child. “To correct a fault once you know it is the greatest of virtues.”

Hearing Jing Ke speak in a tone an elder would use for a junior, Xue Fan couldn’t help but clench his fists tightly, several veins bulging visibly on his forehead.

Shang Siyu, who hadn’t had a chance to speak throughout, struggled to hold back her laughter and instead pulled Jing Ke behind her.

“President Xue, we both have unfinished business. Let’s chat another time.” Shang Siyu tried her best to keep a cool, detached expression, tossed out that sentence, and then pulled Jing Ke away.

It wasn’t until they reached a secluded corner that Shang Siyu couldn’t suppress her laughter any longer, a “pfft” escaping.

“Jing Ke, how do you manage to be so deadpan while roasting someone? Xue Fan was completely tongue-tied.” Shang Siyu laughed as she spoke, doubling over. Her usually cool, sharp features softened into something more gentle.

“I wasn’t roasting him. I was just stating facts. Letting Xue Fan acquire fifteen percent ownership of the mall was a monumental mistake by the mall owners.” Jing Ke said with a serious expression.

“Without even a fifth of the ownership, Xue Fan inspects Hongfei Mall as his own property. Such behavior is excessively flamboyant and vain.”

“Having such a boss around will only lower the class of Hongfei Mall. Over time, it will affect the mall’s customer flow.” There was no trace of jest in Jing Ke’s words; she was genuinely, earnestly analyzing the situation.

Seeing Shang Siyu still laughing, Jing Ke thoughtfully pulled her upright, letting her lean against her, and even considerately patted her back.

“What’s wrong? Was my judgment incorrect?” Jing Ke asked, puzzled. “Why are you still laughing?”

“No, you were absolutely right. Not a single mistake.” Shang Siyu leaned against Jing Ke. The clear sound of another person’s heartbeat reached her ears, causing her own breathing to quicken involuntarily.

After a few seconds composing herself, Shang Siyu straightened up, feigning naturalness as she asked, “Then should we switch to a different mall to shop? To avoid running into anyone who might ruin our mood?”

Jing Ke nodded. “Alright, let’s go to a big supermarket. They sell clothing there too, and we can also restock on groceries.”

–

A large supermarket indeed meant they wouldn’t run into anyone to spoil their mood. However, upon exiting the supermarket, Jing Ke’s and Shang Siyu’s hands were both filled with shopping bags in a variety of colors.

“Looks like we need to buy a car. It’s too inconvenient to go shopping like this without one.” Shang Siyu sighed, pulling out her phone to hail a ride.

Jing Ke thought back. “I have an overseas driver’s license. I just need to submit the relevant documents and pass the subject one test to get a domestic license.”

“I think I have a license too. I took it with my roommate back then. Been sitting unused for years.” Shang Siyu’s memory was also jogged. “Once you get your license exchanged, let’s go buy a car.”

–

Arriving home laden with bags large and small, Jing Ke took charge of putting the new purchases in their proper places, while Shang Siyu tied on an apron and began to cook.

Remembering that their planned large meal had been cancelled because of Xue Fan, Shang Siyu felt she needed to properly compensate Jing Ke. She spent over an hour busying in the kitchen, producing a steaming hot spread of three dishes and a soup.

“Try it, see how it tastes.” Shang Siyu looked at Jing Ke, full of anticipation.

Jing Ke wiped her still-damp hands with a paper towel. Under Shang Siyu’s gaze, she first picked up a piece of braised spare ribs, blew on it, and popped it into her mouth to taste.

She raised a thumbs-up in approval while simultaneously spitting out a perfectly clean bone with no trace of meat left. Her amber eyes seemed to brighten a degree more than usual. “It’s delicious! Even better than the hotpot I ate yesterday!”

“Good, I’m glad you like it. Eat more.” Shang Siyu picked up her chopsticks and placed another rib into Jing Ke’s bowl. Beneath the table, her left hand clenched involuntarily.

Ugh~ Jing Ke looking like this is just way too adorable. I really, really want to pat her head and praise her obedience!