Lu Shuangyue's words made Liu Ergou's brows furrow. Is she truly ignorant, or is this a deliberate cover-up?
Looking at Liu Ergou, Lu Shuangyue spoke again. "Liu Ergou, everything requires evidence these days. You claim Manager Huang is taking kickbacks? Show the proof, and I'll believe you."
Although Liu Ergou had saved Lu Shuangyue, she didn't fully trust him. After all, Manager Huang had worked at Baozhi Hall for many years. He was one of their own, and no such allegations had ever surfaced.
Just as Liu Ergou was about to speak, a knock ca from the office door.
"Co in!"
The mont Lu Shuangyue spoke, a small, shifty-eyed man with a swollen face ca scrambling into the office. It was Manager Huang, and he was a sobbing, wailing ss.
As soon as he entered, his face streaming with snot and tears, he began to cry out, "Boss, you have to stand up for !"
Seeing Manager Huang's miserable state, Lu Shuangyue couldn't help but frown. "What happened? Take your ti and explain."
Manager Huang pointed at Liu Ergou and sobbed, "He ca to deliver his goods, and I inspected them as usual. After confirming there were no issues, I appraised them at 30,000 and was about to complete the purchase. But he thought the money was too little and insisted on 100,000!
"He even told we should split the difference afterward. I realized right away he wanted to cook the books!
"How could I possibly agree to that? You've shown such great kindness, Boss. I could never betray you!
"But I never expected…"
At this point, Manager Huang's sobs grew louder.
"I never expected him to hit !" he cried, pointing to his swollen cheeks with a pitiful expression.
With Manager Huang presenting his own pitiful state as evidence, Lu Shuangyue's gaze toward Liu Ergou turned hostile.
"Liu Ergou, why is your story completely different from Manager Huang's?" she demanded. "What is the aning of this?"
Before Liu Ergou could answer, Manager Huang chid in, "What other aning could there be, Boss? He must have been sent by a competitor! We should call the police and have him arrested!"
With that, Manager Huang pulled out his phone as if to call the police.
However, upon hearing the word "police," Liu Ergou showed no sign of panic. Instead, he remained perfectly calm and composed. This made Lu Shuangyue suspect that there was more to the situation than t the eye.
Sure enough, Liu Ergou spoke calmly, "President Lu, if I rember correctly, there should be a security cara at the entrance of your shop, right? I think you should watch that footage before we discuss this any further."
At his words, Manager Huang's face turned deathly pale. The security cara at the entrance! In all my scheming, how could I have overlooked such a crucial detail? No, I absolutely cannot let the boss see that footage! If she does, it's all over!
Manager Huang scrambled to her desk and cried out, "Boss! You can't believe…"
But before he could finish, Lu Shuangyue fell silent, strode out of the office and down the stairs, and headed straight for the surveillance room to pull up the recording.
As the computer screen showed Manager Huang's arrogant expression during the initial confrontation, the man himself, standing beside her, knew his fate was sealed. Nothing he could say would matter now.
Indeed, after watching the video, Lu Shuangyue's face grew dark. She turned to look at Manager Huang.
But before she could even speak, he dropped to his knees with a THUD.
"I'm sorry, Boss! I was blinded by greed. This young man's herbs were so exceptional that I was overco with avarice! I was wrong, and I'll never do it again. Please give one more chance! I've worked at Baozhi Hall for so many years. Even if I haven't earned rit, I've put in the hard work. Please, let this one slide! I swear I'll never dare to do it again!"
This confession flowed from Manager Huang's lips as smoothly as running water, without the slightest hesitation.
However, his polished plea only made Lu Shuangyue's already grim expression darken further.
"Manager Huang, you delivered that speech so smoothly, without even a single stutter. You must have practiced it many tis," she said with a sigh. "Anything you say now is useless. Pack your things and get out. You're fired. I will be auditing the accounts and thoroughly investigating procurent. If I find even the slightest discrepancy, you can prepare to rot in jail!"
Hearing this, Manager Huang began to panic for real. Casting aside all dignity, he knelt at Lu Shuangyue's feet. "I'm sorry, Boss, I'm truly sorry! I know I was wrong! Please, spare this one ti!"
But no matter what he said, it was too late.
The quick-witted security guard in the room saw what was happening and imdiately stepped forward to drag Manager Huang out. As he was being hauled away, Liu Ergou saw him cast a venomous glare over his shoulder, a look that clearly said, *this isn't over*.
Liu Ergou had little reaction to the glare. It would be strange if he didn't hold a grudge.
After Manager Huang was thrown out, Liu Ergou followed Lu Shuangyue back to the office.
Looking at Liu Ergou, Lu Shuangyue gave a sincere bow. "I'm sorry, Liu Ergou. This was my fault. I was blind and foolishly trusted a scoundrel. I'm sorry."
Liu Ergou couldn't be bothered to argue with her; he was only concerned about the price of his herbs. "President Lu, can you purchase my herbs now?"
His words stunned Lu Shuangyue for a mont, but she then nodded vigorously. "Yes, of course! We'll purchase them for the originally appraised price of 30,000." She paused for a mont before adding, "Also, from now on, whenever you sell herbs to Baozhi Hall, I'm willing to purchase them at twenty percent above the normal price. Please consider it my compensation to you."
Liu Ergou calmly accepted her offer. Content originally cos from N0veI.Fiɾe
Soon, a thick stack of cash was placed in his hands. After taking the money, Liu Ergou turned to leave. He had only taken a few steps when he seed to rember sothing. Spinning around, he said to Lu Shuangyue, "Oh, by the way, a word of warning, President Lu. Your heart condition is very serious. You need to get it treated. If you wait any longer, I'm afraid not even a deity could save you."
With that, Liu Ergou left without a backward glance.
His words sent a jolt of shock through Lu Shuangyue. She opened her mouth to call out to him, but he had already left the office. By the ti she chased him downstairs, his figure had vanished from Baozhi Hall.
A wave of anxiety washed over her. It wasn't that she didn't want to treat her heart condition. She had been to the hospital, but the doctors had all told her it was incurable and that she should simply prepare for the end.
Yet today, in what should have been a fatal encounter, Liu Ergou had miraculously saved her life.
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