"How did you know... Oh, Big Brother-in-law told you, didn't he?"
Qin Chuan asked half a sentence, then immediately reacted.
"Your mouth is being naughty again. If you keep this up, I really won't talk to you!"
Yang Zimo chided him a little, but her tone sounded like a girlfriend complaining to her boyfriend.
"Don't say that, my Ms. Yang is the cutest and kindest. How could she bear to do something so wicked!"
"Qin Chuan, you're rushing off in such a hurry. Isn't the business in Shicheng important?"
Yang Zimo was a little afraid that the voice on the other end of the phone would say more nonsense, so she changed the subject.
"Alas, it's a long story!"
Qin Chuan sighed, "It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but something unexpected happened today. My partner was framed and is now in deep trouble. I'm afraid I'll have to stay here to help for a while."
"How could this happen..."
Yang Zimo was very surprised to hear this.
Qin Chuan briefly recounted Ye Meiyun's predicament. Yang Zimo didn't know what to do, and in the end, she could only tell Qin Chuan to be careful when he was out alone.
During their long phone call, it was already past four o'clock before they knew it. Qin Chuan had even forgotten to check the stock market. It wasn't until the men and women in the trading hall began to disperse that he snapped back to reality.
He glanced at the market and found that it had only fallen by 0.2%, a fluctuation that was almost negligible.
His brother-in-law also called, telling him about the day's market. After a chat, they ended their call.
That night, Qin Chuan sat at a roadside stall, drinking beer and eating various seafood snacks. A cool evening breeze blew, lifting the corners of his clothes and stirring his thoughts.
Alone, in a city, eating with just one pair of chopsticks, lonely in a foreign land.
This kind of life scene was incredibly ordinary. Not too long ago, in his previous life, he had forged his own path step by step.
He hadn't expected that in this life, he would still be unable to escape a similar fate.
It seemed that some things were indeed predestined by heaven.
"Boss, another plate... Hmm?"
Just as Qin Chuan was about to ask the boss to add another order of crayfish, his gaze suddenly met that of two people. Both parties showed expressions of surprise, as if they had never expected to meet each other here.
"Section Chief Xu, Engineer Li, what a coincidence!"
Qin Chuan stood up and greeted them.
The two people he bumped into were Section Chief Xu and Engineer Li. They also seemed to be at this roadside stall for seafood. In the vast Shicheng city, the three of them had met by chance.
"Boss Qin!"
Section Chief Xu and Engineer Li were also very surprised. Especially when they noticed the pile of crayfish shells on Qin Chuan's table, they knew it was truly a coincidence.
They didn't have Qin Chuan's contact information. Their coming to this seafood stall tonight was also a spur-of-the-moment decision. After all, they had encountered such frustrating things today.
"An unexpected meeting is better than a planned one. If you don't mind the messiness here, shall we share a table?"
Qin Chuan said with a smile.
"Of course, no problem!"
"It's also a kind of fate to meet Boss Qin here!"
Section Chief Xu and Engineer Li walked over and sat on either side of Qin Chuan.
"Boss, bring us whatever good seafood you have. And another pitcher of beer!"
Qin Chuan called out to the boss and then took out cigarettes from the table, offering one to Section Chief Xu and Engineer Li. The three of them began to smoke.
Soon, various delicious seafood snacks were served, along with a pitcher of beer.
"Boss Qin, are you alone?"
Engineer Li asked.
"Yes, I'm very unfamiliar with Shicheng. Besides Sister Yun, the only people I know are you two!"
"I didn't expect us to run into each other so coincidentally. It really is fate!"
Qin Chuan said with a smile.
"It's really quite a coincidence. Come, let's toast to our fate!"
Section Chief Xu raised his glass.
"Cheers!"
"Bottoms up!"
After several rounds of beer, the initial distance between them gradually disappeared, and the atmosphere became more harmonious.
"Qin Chuan, aren't you with General Manager Ye? Where is General Manager Ye?"
Section Chief Xu asked.
"General Manager Ye went home to see the children."
"Section Chief Xu, Engineer Li, I already know what happened at your electronics factory today. In a way, I am also responsible for this matter."
Qin Chuan raised his glass, "If it weren't for me suggesting this project haphazardly, you two wouldn't have been implicated... I must apologize to you with this drink!"
"Boss Qin, what are you saying!"
Seeing Qin Chuan propose a toast, Section Chief Xu became anxious. "This matter has nothing to do with you at all. In fact, you are also a victim!"
"Because of this incident, the electronic locker project will obviously be put on hold!"
The quiet and honest Engineer Li also said, "We are not unreasonable people!"
"If we're talking about responsibility for this matter, Xue Wenbo that bastard is seventy percent, Ye Meiyun is twenty percent, and among the remaining ten percent, Section Chief Xu and I each take five percent!"
"Boss Qin, you have absolutely no responsibility!"
Engineer Li's voice was low. "This was all Xue Wenbo's conspiracy. He had long coveted the shares in General Manager Ye's hands!"
"He deliberately set a trap to lure Ye Zong, a woman with little experience, into it."
"And we were too careless. We knew that operating another business privately was a serious violation of the electronics factory rules, but in the end, like Ye Zong, we believed Xue Wenbo and rushed in without thinking, completely failing to fulfill our duty to warn. This led to the current outcome..."
The atmosphere then became heavy and oppressive. All three of them drank in silence.
"Is there no other way now besides General Manager Ye resigning and selling her shares?"
Qin Chuan couldn't help but ask.
Section Chief Xu shook his head bitterly, "No. Xue Wenbo is cunning and treacherous. He wants to monopolize the entire electronics factory. Everyone, from top to bottom, has already been bribed by him."
As for Engineer Li, he drank his beer in silence, his face flushed.
"So, have you been fired now?"
Finally, Qin Chuan asked again.
This time, it was Engineer Li's turn to answer, "Pretty much. Although the company hasn't issued an official document, they just said it's suspension. But everyone knows it's only a matter of time."
After he finished speaking, a hint of bitterness appeared on Engineer Li's face.
He was in his fifties, and had worked diligently at Zigang Electronics Factory for most of his life. His entire life's effort had been poured into the factory. He thought he could retire with peace of mind, but he never expected to encounter such a thing.
If he were to be fired because of this, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow. He hadn't even dared to tell his family yet.
"With all this happening, I haven't even dared to tell my wife! Let alone my parents!"
At this moment, Section Chief Xu slammed his glass on the table after taking a drink, his face red, tears welling up in his eyes.
Qin Chuan looked at Section Chief Xu's appearance. He looked at most in his early forties. This age was precisely the most anxious period for a man.
He was the typical pillar of his family, with elderly parents above and young children below. Once his career experienced any fluctuation, the ripple effect would be terrifying.