The Audi Q7 SUV traveled on the highway back to Rongcheng. Upbeat songs played inside, and Su He hummed along like a happy little bird. Driving, Su He occasionally glanced at Chen He, a relaxed smile on her face.
The morning's events were resolved in an unexpected way. Once the group arrived at the resort's control room and reviewed the surveillance footage, the truth came to light. Xu Guifa hadn't even had time to coordinate his testimony before his trusted confidant was exposed.
However, this confidant was quite honest. Seeing that he had been exposed, he immediately claimed that he had done everything alone. Hu Qing also gritted his teeth and stepped forward to take the blame, saying that he disliked Chen Yang and had secretly taken Shen Tu Fan's phone to bribe a waiter to frame Chen Yang. He took all the responsibility upon himself, completely absolving Shen Tu Fan of any involvement.
Although their testimonies were riddled with errors, Chen Yang didn't push things too far. A light punishment was enough for such clowns; he believed Shen Tu Fan was terrified and wouldn't dare cause any more trouble in front of him.
The two police officers from the Development Zone Police Station didn't dare to act recklessly in front of Brother Dao either. They arrested the waitress and Hu Qing. Because the offense was relatively minor, they were detained for fifteen days according to the Public Security Administration Punishment Law. Everything was handled very quickly; by noon, the two had been transferred to the Pingdan Detention Center.
Although they had narrowly escaped administrative punishment, Brother Dao was not one to tolerate such behavior. How could he not see that Xu Guifa had arranged everything? He immediately announced Xu Guifa's dismissal from Qiankun Group, showing him no mercy. He had even set his sights on Brother Kun's future son-in-law! If such a person remained in charge of the entire resort, wouldn't that create chaos?
A perfectly good field trip ended dismally because of this incident. The once smug Shen Tu Fan was now slinking away, not daring to even lift his head. He had witnessed Hu Qing being sent to the detention center. The usually arrogant Shen Tu Fan was now truly terrified. He hadn't expected Chen Yang to have such power; that Qin Zong, who was on friendly terms with Chen Yang, was enough to crush a nobody like him hundreds of times over!
The calligraphy and painting club ended their field trip early, and Su He didn't take the bus, but instead got into Chen Yang's car to return to Rongcheng. Having been away from home for a whole day, Su He was also worried about her grandmother and hoped to return home soon.
…
As evening fell, the lakeside road was bustling with traffic, and a cool summer breeze blew gently from the lake, making people feel refreshed. Chen Yang pushed open the door of the Flame Pub and went straight inside.
The bar had just opened, and there were very few customers. Zhou Weiqiang was still sitting on the sofa in the rest area, resting with his eyes closed. Chen Yang entered the lounge area. Zhou Weiqiang, with keen eyes, opened them. Seeing Chen Yang, he nodded slightly and pointed to the sofa opposite him, saying,
"Xiao Fang, have a seat!"
He then picked up a cigarette case from the coffee table, took out a Zhonghua cigarette, and tossed it to Chen Yang. Chen Yang caught the cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and said,
"Brother Qiang, I came here today…"
Zhou Weiqiang smiled faintly and said,
"To resign, right?"
Seeing that Zhou Weiqiang had already revealed his purpose, Chen Yang smiled slightly embarrassedly and nodded, saying,
"Yes! I've had a lot of personal matters lately, and I feel it's not good to keep taking leave."
Zhou Weiqiang sighed, staring at Chen Yang, and said,
"To be honest, I wouldn't mind if you took leave every day… but I also know you…" "This kid's definitely got the makings of something big; he's been put to a lowly job in my little bar!"
After saying that, Zhou Weiqiang took out a cigarette. Chen Yang stood up, leaned over, and lit it for Zhou Weiqiang, saying,
"Brother Qiang, please don't say that! Back then, my financial situation was so difficult. If it weren't for you taking me in, I almost wouldn't have made it. And that time I urgently needed money, you lent me six thousand without hesitation. I remember all of that!"
Zhou Weiqiang waved his hand and said,
"Let's not talk about the past! Xiao Fang, with..." "You were so unassuming before, but then you came in handy that time, saving the day by going on stage. That's when I realized you're a real talent—you can sing, you can write, and you handle things so efficiently and effectively! Since you became the manager, I've had so much less to worry about! But from then on, I knew you wouldn't settle for being just an ordinary employee in this little bar. So I knew you'd come back and quit sooner or later! But you're still a good friend, helping me for so long, I still want to thank you!"
Chen Yang opened his mouth, but before he could speak... Zhou Weiqiang waved his hand to stop him, then said,
"This isn't just polite talk. Your brother Qiang is a discerning man, always clear about right and wrong. Xiao Fang, you helped me, so of course I have to thank you! Brother Qiang just hopes that you'll come to the bar more often when you have time, sit down and chat with me. Even though you no longer work at the bar, the doors are always open to you!"
Chen Yang nodded, somewhat moved, and said,
"I understand, Brother Qiang."
Zhou Weiqiang then beckoned, and his follower, Ahua, quickly ran to Zhou Weiqiang's side. Zhou Weiqiang said calmly,
"Ahua, go to the counter and get five thousand yuan. Find a red envelope to put it in!"
"Yes, Brother Qiang!" Ahua nodded in agreement and turned to leave. "Brother Qiang, this won't do!" Chen Yang quickly stood up and waved his hands, saying hastily, "I work here for you, and you pay me a very high salary. I can't take your money."
Zhou Weiqiang glared at him, feigning anger, and said:
"I said it's okay, so it's okay! You've worked at my bar for so long, it's okay for me to express my gratitude when I leave. What's wrong with that? If you consider me a brother, don't say such nonsense!"
Chen Yang could only nod helplessly, suddenly remembering Su He's matter. Feeling even more embarrassed, he hesitated for a moment before finally speaking:
"Brother Qiang, there's also... Su He wants to resign. Her grandmother has Alzheimer's and no one is taking care of her, so she asked me to tell you."
"I've already let go of one of your key talents, do you think I can stop Su He from resigning?" Zhou Weiqiang said with a wry smile. "I understand. I'll have the finance department settle your final wages in a bit."
Waitresses weren't too difficult to hire, so Zhou Weiqiang readily agreed. After chatting for a while, Ahua brought over the red envelope and their wages for the month, which Chen Yang accepted without further hesitation. Zhou Weiqiang glanced at Ning Qiaoqian sitting behind the bar and said to Chen Yang,
"Alright, Xiao Fang, go chat with Xiao Ning for a bit!"
Chen Yang smiled and said,
"Okay! Brother Qiang, I'll go first."
Before Chen Yang even reached the bar, Ning Qiaoqian was already watching him with a half-smile, a beautiful curve to her lips. Chen Yang sat down on the bar stool, unceremoniously picked up Ning Qiaoqian's glass, took a sip of water, and said with a grin,
"Sister Qian, long time no see!"
Ning Qiaoqian snatched the glass from Chen Yang's hand, gently patted his cheek, her beautiful eyes sparkling, and scolded,
"So unhygienic!"
"What! How can Sister Qian's saliva be unhygienic? I used to eat even more than this! I feel like I'm getting more energetic with age!" Chen Yang teased with a mischievous smile. "Get lost!" Ning Qiaoqian rolled her eyes, then placed her hands on the bar counter and leaned towards Chen Yang, asking, "What? Coming to say goodbye?"
Chen Yang rubbed his nose dejectedly and said with a wry smile:
"How come you all seem to know what's going on? Brother Qiang is like this, and you are like this!"
A fleeting hint of disappointment flashed in Ning Qiaoqian's eyes, then she smiled broadly again:
"You're such a lazy bum, it's a miracle Old Zhou didn't fire you. At least you have some sense, knowing to resign voluntarily!"
"Who says? Brother Qiang kept trying to persuade me to stay! He only reluctantly agreed in the end," Chen Yang exclaimed dramatically.
Ning Qiaoqian glanced around the room and asked,
"Su He resigned too, right? You two are really a perfect match..."
Although it seemed casual, there was a hint of sourness in her words. Chen Yang felt a little embarrassed, chuckled, and, remembering what happened in Pingdan, quickly said,
"By the way, Sister Qian, there's something I need your help to cover up!"
He then recounted what had happened on Pingdan Island over the past two days, and said with a wry smile,
"I didn't know I'd run into Brother Dao there, so I had to say this, otherwise your father would find out..." "I know, you'll probably be affected again..."
Ning Qiaoqian said calmly.
"Okay, I understand..."
Seemingly sensing her own low spirits, Ning Qiaoqian forced a smile and looked up, saying,
"You helped me last time! Now that there are some aftereffects, I definitely have to help you resolve them! Otherwise, I'd be too unfair, wouldn't I?"
"No, Sister Qian, actually I..." Chen Yang saw deep disappointment in Ning Qiaoqian's eyes. Thinking of all the little things they'd shared over the past few days, a pang of guilt rose in his heart, and he quickly said.
Ning Qiaoqian waved her hand to interrupt Chen Yang, then picked up the cocktail shaker from the bar and said with a smile,
"Little Yang, today is your big day of resigning, I'm going to treat you properly! I'll make you my best J-tail bar!"
Chen Yang opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, silently nodding. Watching Ning Qiaoqian skillfully mix drinks, Chen Yang suddenly felt a surge of impulse and blurted out:
"Sister Qian...why don't you move in with us?"
With a "thud," Ning Qiaoqian slammed the cocktail shaker on the bar, expertly picked up two glasses, poured the prepared cocktail into them, and looked at Chen Yang with a half-smile, asking:
"Little Yang, are you perhaps trying to kill two birds with one stone?"