Chapter 323: Commercial Spy (1/2)
Xiaotao unzipped her leather jacket and removed the bobby pins in her hair, draping those beautiful locks over her shoulders. Reining in her usual edginess, she winked, ”We don’t want to startle the man. Watch how it’s done!”
She instructed Dali to wait in the car first since his presence would only complicate the situation. Then, she extended her arm towards me, not saying a word of her plan, though I already understood what she meant.
I hooked my arm around hers and together, we walked up to Mr. Xu. “Hello Uncle Xu!” she greeted, her voice cloying.
”You are...” Mr. Xu narrowed his eyes.
”Uncle Xu have you forgotten me?” pouted Xiaotao. “During my father, Huang Yunhong's, 60th birthday, you visited our home.”
Her words seemed to jog his memory. ”Ah, you’re Mr. Huang's daughter!” he exclaimed. “Are you here with your boyfriend?”
”Yes,” she replied. “We’re out shopping but I didn't expect to bump into you.”
“Haha, what a coincidence!” Mr. Xu waved his hand in the air. “Miss Huang has grown so beautiful I couldn't even recognize you. You can choose whatever you like from the store. I'll let the manager know, it's on me.”
”Uncle Xu, when did you switch industries and open a jewelry store?” Xiaotao feigned curiosity. “Aren’t you still in your original business?”
“Oh, I tried this on a whim. It’s all just for fun. It's nothing compared to your father,” he laughed. “I'm still producing communication equipment. This jewelry store is just part of a diversified investment.”
Xiaotao pretended to be surprised, ”Communication equipment. How’s that industry doing?”
”It’s competitive,” he sighed. “In the past two years, we’ve had competition from Xiaomi, Samsung, and I won’t even bother talking about Apple. The domestic smartphone industry is becoming more and more saturated.”
”But you’re the only producer in Nanjiang City,” she said. “Doesn’t that give you a bigger slice of the pie?”
”Market competition is fierce in Nanjiang City.”
”Oh, do you have competitors here?” asked Xiaotao.
”Actually, I have some personal matters to attend to,” he digressed. “I'll visit your father another day and we can have tea together then. How does that sound?”
Xiaotao smiled and nodded, ”Okay, goodbye Uncle Xu!”
When the man finally left, I asked curiously, ”Do you know him?”
”I have never met him,” she snorted.
”Damn! But you spoke as if you’ve known him forever!”
”The most successful entrepreneurs in Nanjiang City have at least heard the name, even if they aren’t actually acquainted with my dad,” she explained. “But then again, this guy is really tight-lipped.”
”Since they’re all part of the same circle, we should be able to find out!” I added.
”But I’ve never even spoken to your father. Wouldn’t sitting at the same table be really awkward?!”
”To be honest, my dad asked about you a while ago!” Xiaotao smiled enigmatically.
”What did he ask?” I blushed.