Xiao Xun called out softly, and Mu Jiahe turned to look at him as if waking from a dream, "You're back?"
He nodded, "What were you thinking about? So lost in thought."
"Nothing, is the coast alright?"
Xiao Xun patted his belly, "Ha! That Deep Sea Legion, they're practically a seafood buffet. Ever since they appeared, the Phoenix Army's food problems have been completely solved. We eat seafood every day; I'm practically getting gout."
While he said it as a joke, Mu Jiahe showed no inclination to laugh. Instead, she looked determined.
Xiao Xun sat beside her, "If you have something on your mind, just tell me! Don't keep it bottled up."
Mu Jiahe shook her head, "It's nothing. That idiot Sang Qiu couldn't hold the line and let the Undead Army and the Scourge through. Kel'thuzad is surrounded. Regardless of whether they can break the siege, their territory is lost, and the casualties are especially heavy."
Xiao Xun comforted her, "It's okay. It won't be long before we reclaim the lost lands."
"That's not the most important thing. The important thing is that the Frostwolf Tribe took advantage of the Scourge invasion to infiltrate our territory with their troops, even claiming to help us drive out the invaders."
Xiao Xun was furious, "Isn't that looting in the chaos? I will definitely find a way to deal with this."
Mu Jiahe threw herself into Xiao Xun's arms and cried without restraint, "I'm so tired! I feel like I can't hold on any longer."
Xiao Xun said nothing at that moment, merely patting her back gently, trying to offer some comfort.
When time was up, the two returned to their original time. Xiao Xun made some food for Mu Jiahe.
While cooking, Xiao Xun remembered that Yun Mei was no longer there. He sighed and brought the food out.
"By the way, didn't you hire a private detective earlier? Any news?"
Mu Jiahe looked at Xiao Xun with a strange expression.
Xiao Xun looked at Mu Jiahe curiously, "What's wrong?"
Mu Jiahe said slowly, "That private detective is dead. His cause of death was the same as Yun Mei's, hypovolemic shock."
Xiao Xun was shocked, "How could that happen?"
Mu Jiahe shook her head, "I don't know. It seems this is going to be difficult."
Xiao Xun intended to investigate the matter himself, but he was too busy and had to put it aside for the time being.
After eating, he called his cousin Liu Shijia. The first call didn't go through, but the second one was answered.
"Tianqi, why are you calling me so early?"
Xiao Xun glanced at his watch, "Sis, it's past nine o'clock, still early? Where are you right now?"
A lazy voice came from the other end, "At work! No day off today either."
"You're not still at the same company, are you?"
"No. What's the matter?"
"There is something. Do you want to come out, or should I find you?"
There was a moment of silence from the other end, "I'll send you an address, come over later."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Liu Shijia soon shared her location.
Xiao Xun said goodbye to Mu Jiahe and drove towards the location.
The place was only a street away from the headquarters of St. Roman. It was a large commercial office building, housing hundreds of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Xiao Xun parked his car and called Liu Shijia. Liu Shijia hung up directly.
A moment later, she sent a message, asking him to wait for her at the coffee shop next to the building.
As soon as Xiao Xun ordered a coffee, Liu Shijia, dressed in a white down jacket, pushed the door open. She ordered a sandwich and a cup of black coffee without sugar.
She took off her down jacket and placed it aside, then sat opposite Xiao Xun, crossing her legs.
Looking at Liu Shijia's faint dark circles, it was evident that she hadn't slept well.
"How is it? Starting a business isn't easy!"
Liu Shijia yawned, "Don't say useless things. What's so urgent that you're looking for me? I don't have any money to lend you right now."
"I know, I'm not in a hurry for the money. But if you want to start a business, can't you choose a different location? The Gu family could crush you with a little effort here."
"You don't need to worry about that. If you came to me for this, you can go back. We have our own plans. Don't worry, every cent of your money will be repaid."
With that, Liu Shijia got up to leave, but unexpectedly, Gu Yingxiong appeared before them, holding a sandwich and a cup of black coffee without sugar.
"What are you siblings chatting about? So lively."
Xiao Xun looked at Gu Yingxiong. His dark circles were even more pronounced than Liu Shijia's, and his hair was messy. He no longer looked like the refined young gentleman he once was, more like a small shop owner at a delivery point.
"Actually, my purpose in coming here is to find an excellent management talent for my hometown. Our hometown is building an ecological tourism resort, a great poverty alleviation project, but there's no one knowledgeable about management. So, I immediately thought of you, Master Gu. With your large family business and a degree from a prestigious university, this shouldn't be difficult for you! It's also a chance to visit home, which is better than struggling here to barely survive."
Gu Yingxiong and Liu Shijia exchanged glances.
Gu Yingxiong frowned slightly, "Then what about my current company?"
Xiao Xun said, "This dying company is costing money every day it operates. Don't always think that you can only make big money in the city; there are many opportunities in the countryside too."
Gu Yingxiong eventually agreed, and Liu Shijia also returned to her hometown with him.
With this matter settled, Gu Yingxiong away from the city and Liu Shijia gone, Xiao Xun could now unleash his full force to exact revenge for the humiliation by the Gu family.
There was also the matter of St. Roman's Human Resources Department. Xiao Xun didn't handle it himself but had Secretary Fan go in his stead.
Although Secretary Fan had only been at St. Roman for three to four years, she found the practices of the Human Resources Department extremely distasteful.
However, due to Xiao Xun, her distaste remained just that; she never considered taking any action.
This time, having received Xiao Xun's orders, Secretary Fan directly established a rectification team in his name and moved into St. Roman.
Suddenly, everyone at St. Roman was on edge, fearing retribution.
Zhang Ming knew the implications, but to prevent any friendly fire, he shamelessly called Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun saw it was Zhang Ming's number and initially didn't want to answer, but out of consideration for their past classmate friendship, he picked up.
"Mr. Xiao, I apologize for disturbing you so late."
Xiao Xun glanced at his watch; it was just past noon. He was also displeased that Zhang Ming called him "Mr. Xiao," indicating that their classmate friendship had now shifted to a superior-subordinate relationship.
"Go ahead! What is it?"
"It's nothing major. Earlier this morning, a rectification team from Longtan Group arrived, saying they were sent by you."
Xiao Xun grunted, "That's right. Is there a problem?"
"No, no. I just don't know what the rectification entails, so I can prepare my department in advance and avoid being singled out."
Xiao Xun sat in his car and reclined the seat. "The head office plans to downsize some departments and lay off some deadwood employees."
"Does that include our technology department? We're classmates, and we lived in the same dormitory for so many years. You have to help me if anything comes up!"
Xiao Xun said unhurriedly, "This is a big company, and I'm not the only one who makes decisions. Even if absolute fairness can't be achieved, we can't play favorites, can we?"
Zhang Ming quickly said, "Right, right. Look, we're not only superior and subordinate but also classmates. Now that business is done, shouldn't we find time to get together?"