Chapter 147: Good Lord, Teaming Up to Shear Me Like a Fat Sheep?

Jiang Zhou didn’t say anything more.

He lifted his teacup, took a sip, and began thinking carefully.

Doing business always came with both blessings and troubles.

If you earned more, it meant someone else inevitably earned less.

There was no way to stop others from hating you.

The key was how to turn misfortune into opportunity.

“Xiao Nan’er, I’m in a bad mood right now. Why don’t you dance an otaku dance for me?”

Su Nan gave him a glance. “No. I’m not in the mood today.”

Jiang Zhou blinked. “Why not? There’s no one else here in the office.”

“Boss, girls always have those few days a month.”

“But without your dance, my mood really won’t calm down.”

Su Nan sneered. “If I really did dance, wouldn’t that make you even more restless?!”

Jiang Zhou didn’t argue.

He leaned back on the sofa. “So, am I cursed lately? Nothing I try to do works.”

“Ever thought about this being retribution for being a scumbag?”

“No. Being a scumbag is actually my destiny.”

Su Nan snorted coldly, took off her shoes, curled up beside him, and started dozing off.

She had dragged him out of bed before six o’clock. It was no wonder she could barely keep her eyes open now.

Better to nap than listen to his nonsense.

“Move your feet, they stink!”

“Nonsense! A fairy’s feet don’t stink!”

With a face full of disgust, Jiang Zhou shifted away to give her more space.

Then he turned on the air conditioning and silently stared at the order data on his computer screen.

The truth was, he was a pretty kind person. He really didn’t want to play the villain.

Wouldn’t it be better if everyone got along and made money together?

But some people just wouldn’t give him that chance.

“Xiao Nan’er?”

“Mm?”

“I’m going out for a bit. Watch the place.”

Su Nan hugged a pillow. “Then hurry back. Otherwise, if I fall asleep and everything gets stolen, I won’t even notice.”

Jiang Zhou patted her head. “If everything’s stolen, I’ll just buy it all again. Just don’t let yourself get stolen.”

“Hmph, easy for you to say.”

“Alright, enough whining. Sleep for five minutes, then get back to work.”

“Five minutes? Even the cruelest taskmasters would cry at that! And bring me breakfast too!”

Jiang Zhou chuckled, walked out the door, then glanced back.

Su Nan was already half-asleep.

Helplessly, he went back inside.

He pulled a blanket from the rack and gently draped it over her.

The morning sun wasn’t bad at all, other than being a little cold.

Jiang Zhou drove out of Shangjing University, straight into the morning rush.

The roads into the city center were jammed.

Near the intersections with breakfast shops, traffic was completely paralyzed.

He turned his car, circled into the Second Ring Road, and finally stopped half an hour later.

Stepping out, he stood on the west side of the street.

Right across was the entrance of the Food Supervision Bureau.

At the same time, Du Weiliang, who had just arrived for work, parked his car.

He carried a bag of buns and lit a cigarette before heading in.

But when he turned around, he spotted a familiar figure standing across the road.

“Hm? Jiang Zhou? What are you doing here?”

“Got addicted to the duck neck I had here last time. I wandered around but couldn’t find the stall again. Thought I’d see if I could get some today.”

Du Weiliang frowned, puzzled by this college student.

But he knew for sure that Jiang Zhou wasn’t here for duck neck.

Especially since he mentioned “last time.”

Last time?

Wasn’t that when he detained Jiang Zhou under the pretext of ‘questioning’?

Du Weiliang took a long drag, silent for a while.

“Don’t just stand there. If you’ve got something to say, come in.”

“Thanks, Brother Liang. Sorry to trouble you.”

Jiang Zhou followed him inside, sat down in the lobby, and looked around.

Funny enough, he felt a bit nostalgic.

Ever since starting his business, he hadn’t had a single day of rest.

Only in the Food Supervision Bureau’s interrogation room had he found a moment of peace.

Food, drinks, it was practically paradise.

“So, what are you here for today?”

Jiang Zhou sat across from him. “I want to report serious violations at the Fashion Institute and Normal University cafeterias.”

Du Weiliang gave him a look. “On what grounds? Do you have evidence?”

“I don’t know the details, but you’ll definitely find something if you check.”

“Jiang Zhou, last time we handled things badly. But you can’t just toy with us like this!”

Jiang Zhou opened his phone album. “Recognize this?”

Du Weiliang frowned. “The interrogation room… and that’s Xiao Zhou at the door. Why did you take these?”

“You think dragging me in for questioning and detaining me for three hours wasn’t excessive?”

“You—”

“I was really angry at first. But then I thought, better to value peace. Just don’t think you can bully me just because I’m a student.”

Du Weiliang’s eyelids twitched. “Are you threatening me to do your bidding?”

Jiang Zhou looked innocent. “No, I’m just sharing my photo album.”

“Ha. Showing me this won’t work.”

“Actually, I was going to enter these in the university town photography contest. This series is called The Clock of the Food Supervision Bureau Interrogation Room.”

Du Weiliang’s face darkened. His conscience was pricked.

That three-hour delay was obviously unjustifiable.

Worse, no one had entered the room the whole time.

He had even sent someone to buy duck neck and beer to stall Jiang Zhou.

This was his only time abusing authority.

A small thing, but if exposed online, it could be seen as negligence at best, unlawful detention at worst.

“The Fashion Institute and Normal University, right?”

“Mm. Their cafeterias violated rules. As a conscientious student, I couldn’t ignore it, so I came to report.”

Du Weiliang took a deep breath. “Delete those photos.”

Jiang Zhou was silent for a moment. “If I see them shut down for at least two months, I’ll delete them.”

“No way. Even with violations, the max suspension is seven days!”

“But Brother Liang, aren’t you an expert at delaying? I experienced that first-hand.”

Hit right on the sore spot, Du Weiliang snapped. “Jiang Zhou, don’t push your luck!”

“Forget it then. Bye, Brother Liang.” Jiang Zhou stood, phone in hand.

Grinding his teeth, Du Weiliang finally said, “Fine, I’ll check.”

Jiang Zhou smiled. “Thanks, Brother Liang. Otherwise, I’d have gone to your rooftop to shout grievances.”

“Shameless.”

“Unlawfully detaining me in the name of questioning was shameless. By the way, how much did the Feng family pay you?”

Those words shocked Du Weiliang.

How did Jiang Zhou know the Feng family was behind it?

They’d only ever contacted him by phone, and he was just a pawn.

At that moment, Jiang Zhou’s eyes fell on the bag of buns.

“These look good. Have you tried them?”

“Uh… no.”

“Opened them at least?”

“No. I just took them from the vendor.”

“Oh. Then they’re mine.”

Without another word, Jiang Zhou grabbed the buns and walked out.

After leaving the Bureau, he returned to Ganfanren.

He woke Su Nan, and the two sat side by side eating buns.

“Mmm, what filling is this? Delicious!”

“Seems like three-delicacy. What can I say. Anything from the Food Supervision Bureau is tasty.”

Su Nan’s eyes widened. “Wait, you got detained again? What happened this time?”

Jiang Zhou shoved a bun skin into her mouth. “Eat, and stop running your mouth.”

“Pfft! Your saliva!”

“Not like you’ve never had it before. Why so flustered?”

Her cheeks flushed red. “I don’t want any more. I’ll starve instead.”

Jiang Zhou sighed. “You’re my employee. Why do I have to coax you to eat?”

“When have you ever coaxed me?”

“I coax you more than I ever coaxed Han Rou!”

As soon as he said that, Jiang Zhou’s phone buzzed.

It was Director Jiao from Normal University.

“Hello, Jiang Zhou. I just spoke with the cafeteria manager.”

“Oh? They have a new idea?”

After a pause, Director Jiao said, “This isn’t something to discuss over the phone. Could you come to my office?”

“Sure. I’ll head over now.”

“Good. The cafeteria manager and I will be waiting.”

After hanging up, Jiang Zhou wiped his hands and left.

When he arrived, the protestors had dispersed.

But the main gate was shut tight, leaving only a small pedestrian entrance.

Clearly, the school and the cafeteria had reached an agreement.

So why call him?

Jiang Zhou frowned, but still went inside.

In Director Jiao’s office sat another man. He was chubby, with gold-rimmed glasses.

“Jiang Zhou, come in, sit down.”

Jiang Zhou sat. “Not sure what you need me for, Director?”

Smiling, Director Jiao gestured. “Let me introduce you. This is Manager Liu of Fuyuan Catering. He’s the contractor for both our cafeteria and the Fashion Institute’s.”

“Ah, Jiang Zhou. Such talent at a young age.”

“Manager Liu flatters me. Didn’t expect both those blockading cafeterias belonged to you.”

Director Jiao quickly patted Jiang Zhou’s shoulder. “Manager Liu isn’t a bad person, don’t take it personally.”

“So that makes me the bad one?”

“Not at all. We just want to find a way for everyone to coexist peacefully.”

“Oh? So you already came up with a solution?”

Manager Liu chuckled. “The solution is simple. I just want mutual benefit.”

Jiang Zhou looked intrigued. “Do tell. What does ‘mutual benefit’ mean?”

“As long as you split half your delivery profits with me, I’ll let you operate in the Fashion Institute and Normal University.”