Chapter 596: Reflections Over a Meal

Chen Xiao thought that Zhu Nianying might already be dead.

And it was very likely that she was buried within the area of Yang Lake.

His heart was no longer filled with excitement but rather a feeling that was indescribable.

In his subconscious, his rational mind kept telling him that the likelihood of someone missing for six years being alive was very small.

But everyone harbors a sense of luck.

Including Chen Xiao.

Now, the possibility of Zhu Nianying’s death had increased further.

Chen Xiao had to consider a more important question for him.

The question was how to investigate Zhu Nianying’s case while winning his battle with the Qi Family.

Or simply put, how to use the clues he currently suspected or doubted!

Thinking along the way, Chen Xiao couldn’t come up with any particularly good method.

It wasn’t until he saw a restaurant up ahead that he said to Old Gui:

"Old Gui, let’s eat before heading back."

Old Gui glanced and nodded, then parked the car in a spot in front of the restaurant.

Chen Xiao himself didn’t own any fancy car, but Guo Qing, running businesses in Shencheng City and dealing with various engagements, had quite a decent car.

And in this day and age, a luxury car starting at a million signified a considerable amount of spending.

So the restaurant owner, upon seeing it, personally came out to greet them with a smile all over his face:

"Are you two here for a meal?"

Chen Xiao nodded, and the owner was even more delighted: "Please come in, the private room has the air conditioner on!"

"No need for a private room, just some simple home-cooked dishes will do. A vegetable, a stir-fried pork with peppers, and a soup with egg will be fine."

The owner was a bit taken aback upon hearing this: "Just two dishes and one soup?"

"Enough for two people."

Old Gui also smiled and nodded: "That’s indeed plenty, too much would be wasteful."

Seeing the two chatting, the owner was rather speechless.

A vegetable, a stir-fried meat, and an egg soup, how much money could this make?

But since Chen Xiao and Old Gui were already seated, he couldn’t say much.

Yet the expression on his face didn’t seem very pleased.

Nevertheless, the owner warmly brought out the cutlery and tea, afterward, he started to scold the shop owner:

"What’s up with you? Open the door for business; no matter what the guests order, they are all deities of wealth!"

"Driving such nice cars and ordering so few dishes, is that what you call deities of wealth?"

"Husband, your mindset is just wrong. Large clients, small clients, they are all clients! It’s never easy to do business; keep a positive attitude, don’t always think about squeezing the most from someone in one go. If we cook well and serve well, they might think of us when they have engagements next time!"

Their conversation was in a hushed tone.

Old Gui didn’t hear it clearly, but Chen Xiao’s sharp ears caught every word.

He was a bit surprised by the words and outlook of the owner’s wife.

And he felt a sense of appreciation in his heart; this restaurant owner was quite lucky to have a wife just slightly less capable than his own.

While pondering this, suddenly another sentence from the owner’s wife made him remember something.

That sentence was: It’s never easy to do business; keep a positive attitude, don’t always think about squeezing the most from someone in one go!

The owner’s wife was advising the owner that one should not be greedy in business, and to maintain a proper attitude to build a good reputation for the restaurant.

With just a simple sentence, Chen Xiao found himself reflecting.

Exactly.

Greed swallows more than it can chew.

A poor attitude, how can one conduct good business?

Chen Xiao had his own business but it had both a main and side venture.

His side venture was Dragon Cauldron, Dong’an, the smartphone factory to be established in Dongzhou, and the Lobster Base.

And his main business, those familiar with him or who had heard his name knew, he was a detective.

As a detective, his primary task now was to thoroughly investigate the case of Zhu Nianying’s disappearance.

But his attitude had also become skewed.

Because with the appearance of the Qi Family, he gradually wanted to leverage Zhu Nianying’s case to gain enough status for Dragon Cauldron, thereby securing a foothold in Li Hai Group.

Although he didn’t intend to sacrifice anyone’s interest to achieve his own.

But looking at it, what he and Jin Peng were doing wasn’t much different.

Both were utilizing a victim whose fate was uncertain to achieve their aims!

Old Gui sharply sensed Chen Xiao’s emotional heaviness, mistakenly thinking it was the restaurant owner’s words that upset him, so he asked:

"President Chen, shall we switch to another place to eat?"

Chen Xiao looked up: "No, I was just reflecting on some things. Not only should we not switch places, but we also need to eat well and properly thank them!"

Then, Chen Xiao called out to the owner’s wife: "Hello, we need to add more dishes."

The owner’s wife was taken aback, then picked up the menu and walked over with a smile: "Alright, boss, you say... I’ll note it down."

Chen Xiao turned to Old Gui and asked: "Later, we’ll go to the construction site at Yang Lake, how many workers are there?"

"There are a few hundred."

"Lunch is too late, so let’s plan for dinner. We’ll probably be on the site till the evening today. Ma’am, do you handle the takeaway meal orders here?"

Upon hearing this, the owner’s wife’s eyes immediately lit up:

"Yes, of course!"

The takeaway business, with a substantial amount per order, naturally meant considerable profit due to the large quantity.

"Alright, leave me a number. Let’s order 300 first, and I’ll do a headcount at the site, and make up the difference if needed."

The owner’s wife was overjoyed: "Alright, alright, what standard should they be at?"

"Fifteen yuan per meal, with each person getting two bottles of beer. Given the hot weather, it’s best if the beer is all chilled, is that doable?"

"No problem, if there is a problem, we can solve it perfectly ourselves!" The owner’s wife confidently assured.

Old Gui looked at Chen Xiao in astonishment, apparently realizing this was about to treat the construction workers to a meal.

Why did Chen Xiao suddenly think of doing this?

After the owner’s wife noted down, she also curiously asked: "Boss, even though it might not be my place to ask, I am still curious, why did you suddenly order a takeaway from us when the dishes haven’t even been served yet, and you haven’t tasted our restaurant’s cuisine?"

"It’s simple, your conversation with your husband just now reminded me of something, and I am very grateful to you."

Chen Xiao said smiling, without much explanation.

Understanding, the owner’s wife no longer asked and hurried off to arrange things in the kitchen.

Old Gui, puzzled, asked: "President Chen, what did the restaurant owner’s wife just say?"

"In doing things, maintain the right mindset."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

Old Gui scratched his head, still not understanding at all.

But if Lin Xi were here, she would definitely understand what this meant.

However, Chen Xiao didn’t plan to explain much to Old Gui. He had already decided that after this meal, he would no longer consider the matters of Dragon Cauldron and Zhu Nianying’s disappearance together.

He had already facilitated the cooperation between Dragon Cauldron and Li Hai.

He should now focus solely on investigating the case of Zhu Nianying.

No matter what kind of person Zhu Nianying was or whether the case could bring him benefit.

As a detective, all he had to do was investigate the case, that’s all.

As for reputation and fame, when the case comes to light someday,

No matter who solves it, for Chen Xiao, it doesn’t matter; what matters is that the wronged or victimized can have their grievances redressed.