Chapter 56 (1/2)

Where Have You Gone, Hubby?

Strong women were still women and they sometimes still need a man to lean on.

In Liu Ying’s eyes, Xia Lei was the man she could lean on.

Xia Lei thought for a bit, “The more you act like this the more unscrupulous they will be. Have you thought about it? They’re just sending a thief now and a threatening SMS. If they lose patience and hurt you and your child, what will you do? Unless you sell the thing they want to them…”

“Over my dead body!”

“Then make a police report,” said Xia Lei.

Liu Ying hesitated but took out her mobile phone in the end, “Yes. I’ll make a police report now.”

At that moment, Lin Bo-Wen walked towards them, shouting from afar, “CEO Liu, I have a friend who wants to get to know you. Would you be willing to meet with him?”

Xia Lei shot Liu Ying a look and she got the hint and put her phone away.

Lin Bo-Wen spoke again, “He’s over there. I’ll take you to him, CEO Liu.”

“What does he do?” Liu Ying didn’t want to go.

Lin Bo-Wen was discerning and he explained, “He’s in the retail business and has supermarket chains and brand shops all over the country. I think it will be advantageous for our company if you get to know him.”

His words were convincing to Liu Ying. She looked at Xia Lei, as if to ask for his opinion.

“Go ahead, Big Sister Liu. You don’t have to mind me,” said Xia Lei.

“Then wait for me. I’ll be back soon.” Liu Ying left him with these words and walked off with Lin Bo-Wen.

The person who wanted to talk to Liu Ying was a chubby middle-aged man in his early forties. He wore a Patek Philippe watch and had a valuable jade necklace around his neck, giving one the impression of a rich and powerful man. When Xia Lei looked over, Lin Bo-Wen left the table and walked towards a young woman.

That young woman looked a little similar to Lin Bo-Wen. She wore a cutout dress and looked sexy and beautiful; a very eye-catching woman.

Xia Lei had a thought, ‘Could that be Lin Bo-Wen’s younger sister, Lin Ya-Ru? What are they talking about?’

Curiosity got the better of him and he focused on Lin Bo-Wen and the young woman, using his lip-reading ability to decipher their conversation.

“Brother, who is that guy who’s following Liu Ying around?” So it was his sister, Lin Ya-Ru after all. She glanced over at Xia Lei.

Xia Lei quickly avoided her eyes, then changed his angle and continued to observe her and Lin Bo-Wen, lip-reading their conversation.

“Just a poor boy. He has a workshop and Liu Ying signed a long-term supplier contract with him,” said Lin Bo-Wen.

“Was it him who got the design plans back?” asked Lin Ya-Ru.

“It was him. We wouldn’t have to be so passive if it weren’t for him,” said Lin Bo-Wen.

Xia Lei was thunderstruck after lip-reading Lin Bo-Wen’s words. There was something suspicious about this Lin Bo-Wen after all!

“He’s already pushing. We have to settle this quick - we can’t fail this time,” said Lin Ya-Ru.

“Don’t worry. A widow and a little boy aren’t going to be our match.” As he spoke, Lin Bo-Wen looked at Liu Ying and the middle-aged man.

Xia Lei looked over too and focused on the corner where that middle-aged man and Liu Ying sat. Liu Ying was sitting with her back towards him and he could not see her face. He could not lip-read her, but the middle-aged man was facing him and he could see his face and read his.

“... CEO Liu, I’m not boasting. If you hand your product to me to sell, large volume retail traffic is no problem based on all the channels available to me. I’ll tell you honestly that I am building shopping centres in Ming-Kun City and Sichuan City to develop the Western market. Your product will be selling well in the Western regions when the time comes…” The middle-aged man boasted, his spittle splattering everywhere.

‘This guy… Nice Moves Sports Equipment Company’s most important product is the automatic surfboard. Can this product sell well in the Western regions? Is the consumer going to surf in the mountains and ravines? This is a mistake. Why hasn’t Big Sister Liu discovered it?’ thought Xia Lei.

The middle-aged man poured Liu Ying a glass of wine, smiling as he said, “CEO Liu, let’s have another toast for our collaboration.”

Xia Lei could not see Liu Ying’s face or hear her voice but he saw her raise her glass. He suddenly thought of something and his left eye moved to the raised glass in Liu Ying’s hand. The wine glass was instantly ‘brought forward’ to his eye and magnified.

The scarlet wine had some light-coloured powder in it that was difficult for the naked eye to see. It was dissolving fast and the undissolved bits settled in the bottom of the glass, forming a thin layer of sediment. Red wine normally had some sediment too but those were purple-red and not an almost-white pale colour. The wine had obviously been spiked.

A drugged woman would not behave normally no matter what one said to her.

Xia Lei walked over with quick steps but Liu Ying downed the glass before he could get to that corner.