The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 507 Gong Liang's Gift

"The news of Xu Nuo's death was quite sensational at the time, because his death was somewhat mysterious. Everyone knew that Xu Nuo was dead, but no one knew exactly how he died. According to Lao Shi, Xu Nuo was run over by his car, and his truck had been tampered with. In theory, this is a case that should have been reported to the police."

"Even if the perpetrator, Lao Shi, committed suicide out of guilt before Director Xu could call the police, this is not a truth that cannot be told to outsiders."

"But the truth is, we don't know any of this. On the contrary, the rumors about Xu Nuo's death are very strange, and for the first few months, there was a lot of smearing about how he died."

"There are rumors that he was cheated out of his job through speculation, that he was caught seducing a widow in the village and drowned in a pond while trying to escape, and that he was involved in a crime of passion, owed money, or gambled. Basically, none of them are honorable. Although Xu Nuo is a bit unreliable and his reputation isn't great, he doesn't have any moral issues. If you think about it carefully, these rumors are actually quite outrageous."

"Director Xu was so heartbroken that his hair turned white almost overnight. No one dared to offend him. In addition, Xu Nuo's funeral was also hastily concluded. Everyone thought that Xu Nuo died dishonorably, so they dared not ask any questions."

"About a year later, nobody cared about Xu Nuo's death anymore, because something even more shocking happened."

Qin Huai immediately grasped the key point: "What is it?"

"Wang, the deputy director of the cotton mill, was reported by name for embezzling state-owned assets, buying and selling goods from the factory, passing off inferior goods as superior ones, accepting bribes, and buying and selling the factory's permanent employee positions. The evidence was conclusive. On the day he was reported, Wang was detained. The next day, more than 2 yuan in cash and more than a dozen gold bars were found in his home, causing a sensation."

"Deputy Factory Director Wang and a number of his associates were successively found to be corrupt. Factory Director Xu took swift and decisive action, even declaring that the cotton mill would not tolerate a single grain of sand. Due to the egregious nature of the offenses, Deputy Factory Director Wang and several of his subordinates who were also found guilty of serious crimes were sentenced to death by firing squad."

"Director Xu worked at the cotton mill until his retirement, and the cotton mill went bankrupt three years after his retirement. Accountant Wang was transferred to Shanshi City on Director Xu's recommendation before Director Xu retired. For so many years, I always thought that the investigation into corruption in the cotton mill was led by Director Xu alone. Only today did I realize that it was mainly Accountant Wang's credit."

After Gong Liang finished recounting the information he knew, he concluded: "If Xu Nuo was murdered, then Xu Nuo's death must be inextricably linked to Deputy Factory Director Wang."

“Deputy Director Wang had worked in the cotton mill for many years, overseeing administration and personnel transfers. He was the most powerful of the three deputy directors in the cotton mill. Director Xu suddenly took action a year after Xu Nuo’s death, striking a fatal blow and uprooting Deputy Director Wang’s entire lineage. It is highly likely that this was to avenge Xu Nuo.”

"But the fact that Xu Nuo would have a feud with Deputy Factory Director Wang to the point of killing him is absurd. Xu Nuo had a bad reputation back then, mainly because he didn't have a formal job. After graduating from high school, he didn't study and spent his days idly, wasting money and enjoying eating and drinking."

"It's well-known that Lao Shi was swindled out of most of his salary by Xu Nuo, which is one of the reasons for Xu Nuo's bad reputation."

Shi Dadan couldn't help but defend his good brother Xu Nuo: "It wasn't a trick, I gave it to Xu Nuo voluntarily, it was the food money I paid for Xu Nuo."

Gong Liang continued, "If you insist on calling him a speculator, Xu Nuo doesn't actually do business and never goes to the black market. Everyone knows that the money he squandered came from swindling money from his grandmother."

"He's a typical spoiled brat, a rich second-generation, and has no involvement in any specific matters of the cotton mill. Deputy Director Wang's embezzlement of state-owned assets is enormous; if discovered, he would certainly face the death penalty. The fact that he's risking a complete falling out with Director Xu to kill Xu Nuo must be because Xu Nuo did something that threatens his life and fortune."

"But what can a promise do?"

No one can answer Gong Liang's question. Perhaps Wang Gensheng can answer it, but it's highly unlikely we'll hear the answer from him before he wakes up.

Qin Huai understands Wang Gensheng's personality well. Grandpa Wang never lies, but he chooses not to. His goodwill seems easy to win over, but it is actually very difficult.

Grandpa Wang easily develops a liking for friendly people, but that's about it. He's a very principled person, and this principle gives him a strong sense of boundaries in his social interactions. He won't do anything against his conscience just to please others or to get something from them.

Chen Huihong also knows Wang Gensheng very well.

After listening to Gong Liang's words, Chen Huihong, unusually serious and deep in thought, sighed, "If that's the case, to find out how Xu Nuo died, we'll have to wait for Wang Gensheng to wake up."

Then Chen Huihong looked at Qin Huai: "Xiao Qin, you need to work harder. Youyou's memories can't be unlocked without completing the task, and Wang Gensheng's memories can't be unlocked because the task hasn't been triggered yet. You need to hurry up, the progress is a bit slow right now."

"To paraphrase what Huihui's homeroom teacher said, 'Now is a critical moment. If you fall behind, you'll fall behind again. Once you've fallen behind, it will be difficult to catch up.'"

Qin Huai: ?
Is it his imagination? He feels like he's a student whose grades are stuck in the middle, and everyone here is his parent.

There are strict types like Luo Jun, who are purely for criticism.

There are those like Shi Dadan who quietly care, putting pressure on you but giving you high hopes.

There are those like Chen Huihong who seem unreliable, but occasionally become responsible. They don't usually care about their children's studies, but when it comes to crucial moments, they want to take charge.

There was Qu Jing, the timid and silent type, who only nodded and agreed without saying a word.

Then there's Chen Gong, the behind-the-scenes manipulator. Although he didn't participate in or say a word from beginning to end, Qin Huai always felt that Chen Gong had secretly and deeply participated and was silently controlling everything.

Don't ask why, just go with your gut feeling.

"I...I'll try my best?" Qin Huai, a student who suddenly had a lot of extra classes and had to catch up on several courses, asked blankly.

Damn it, I actually empathized with Luo Luo.

After making the promise, Gong Liang drank several more cups of water, indicating that his tongue was indeed burned.

Shi Dadan was still immersed in the fact that his good brother Xu Nuo's death was so complicated. His mind was full of thoughts of how stupid he was. He wished he had committed suicide later in his past life and waited until he found out what had happened before he died. His expression changed like a color palette as he was caught in a brainstorming session but still couldn't figure it out.

Chen Huihong then transformed into a worried parent, concerned about how Qin Huai could increase his skill level and extract side quests from Wang Gensheng. However, Chen Huihong was not good at either of these areas, so although she was worried, she could only worry, frowning and eating sunflower seeds the whole time.

Qu Jing simply didn't know what to say in this situation. She had just said something wrong and was now extremely cautious, not daring to speak and only looking down at her phone.

Chen Gong acted as an outsider, listening without participating, speaking, or commenting. He even thoughtfully asked Gong Liang if his burns were serious and if he needed to buy medicine.

Gong Liang said that a mere burn was nothing to worry about, and then drank water like crazy.

As for Luo Jun...

Luo Jun had already sat down on the sofa and started rewinding the TV series on the remote. Chen Huihong had been watching the same series that Luo Jun was watching, but Luo Jun, sitting at the dining table, hadn't watched it. Chen Huihong had watched more than an episode of his series, which made Luo Jun so angry that he wanted to confiscate the melon seeds from Chen Huihong's hand.

Qin Huai didn't say anything; he was organizing his thoughts.

Gong Liang provided a lot of useful information, making Xu Nuo's death even more mysterious while highlighting Wang Gensheng's importance. Qin Huai really wanted to improve Wang Gensheng's favor, but he didn't know where to start. Apart from making Wang Gensheng's favorite crab shell pastry every day, Qin Huai really couldn't think of any other way to improve his favor.

Do you think Grandpa Wang's food reviews are good?
Wang Gensheng is actually quite self-aware. His food reviews lack substance, are too dry, and his writing style is poor. They can't really be called good; the only thing to praise him for is his honesty.

After much deliberation, Qin Huai decided that the only solution was to get Wang Gensheng to attend the tea parties more often. Since Wang Gensheng and Gong Liang had hit it off immediately, he figured Wang Gensheng wouldn't mind attending the tea parties.

Often, improving relationships requires a catalyst. Spending more time together, interacting more, chatting more, having afternoon tea together—you might just uncover a side quest. Just as Luo Jun's family fell silent, Zhao Cheng'an swallowed the last bite of his banana and asked with some confusion, "Finished talking?"

"Is that all?"

"Qin Huai, you haven't told me the most important thing yet!"

"What is it?" Qin Huai asked seriously.

Since waking up, Zhao Cheng'an has often been unreliable (although he wasn't very reliable before). According to the idea of ​​the mayfly, Zhao Cheng'an can come up with the key to breaking the deadlock from an unexpected angle that no one can imagine. Qin Huai thinks that Zhao Cheng'an's words are still worth listening to carefully.

“A gift!” Zhao Cheng’an said. “When I woke up, Xia Murui helped me get you a courtyard house and a school district apartment in Beijing. Now that Gong Liang is awake too, shouldn’t he give you something in return?”

"You've worked so long, it's payday, why don't you want your salary?"

Qin Huai: ...

As expected of you, mayfly.

After Zhao Cheng'an said that, Gong Liang immediately patted his chest and said, "Little Qin, just name whatever you want!"

“As long as it’s not all of my property, even half of it like Chen Gong did would be fine. Actually, I don’t care. The main problem is that if I really gave you all of my property, I wouldn’t be able to explain it to my wife and children. If Mingzhu suspects that you are my illegitimate child, I’ll never be able to clear my name.”

"Xiao Qin, is there anything you like? Gold, jewelry, antiques, real estate, shops, take your pick, or if you see something you like, I can buy it for you."

Gong Liang was incredibly generous in giving gifts, so much so that Qin Huai felt a little embarrassed.

Qin Huai wasn't embarrassed about receiving gifts from the spirit. As Zhao Cheng'an said, Qin Huai's previous tasks—examining memories and cooking—were also work in a sense. Qin Huai had taken on the task of awakening this spirit, and now that he had completed it, receiving some reward was perfectly reasonable.

But Qin Huai felt that Gong Liang's awakening had little to do with him.

Gong Liang already had a large output, with eight recipes from his three memory segments, many of which were S-grade, making them extremely valuable. Furthermore, Gong Liang was already on the verge of awakening; Qin Huai only gave him a push, and Gong Liang mainly relied on Master Jing and himself.

At this point, it would be unfair for Qin Huai to make such an outrageous demand.

Besides, Qin Huai is not short of money; Luo Jun has a large inheritance waiting for him to inherit.

"To be honest, I don't really know what I want, and I'm not short of money right now," Qin Huai said frankly. "How about we go with the usual procedure? You donate some money to the Sanmalu Children's Welfare Home, and I'll give you Director Qin's WeChat contact?"

Qin Huai felt that if the donations continued at this pace, the Sanmalu Children's Welfare Institute would become a national model welfare institute.

Gong Liang felt it wasn't enough: "How much money can we donate to the welfare home? If we really wanted to donate hundreds of millions, even if the welfare home dared to accept me, I wouldn't dare to donate. Let me think about what I have that would be suitable for you, Xiao Qin."

Gong Liang fell into deep thought.

Luo Jun curled his lip in disdain, thinking that people with families were just troublesome. Look how decisive he was, directly listing Qin Huai as the sole heir to the estate, giving it all to Qin Huai without any hesitation.

"I've got it!" Gong Liang exclaimed excitedly. "I actually have something on hand that Xiao Qin will definitely like!"

"Do you want shares in Huang's company?"

“When Shengli wanted to take over the state-owned restaurant and reopen it, I contributed 95% of the money. I invested capital in Huangji, while Shengli invested technology. I held 65% of the shares, and Shengli held 35%.”

"Although Huangji appears to be the winner on the surface, I am actually the largest shareholder, and the annual dividends are distributed according to this ratio."

"Although Huang Ji's business has been so-so these past few years, and its annual revenue isn't much, it's still a well-known restaurant. Xiao Qin, you're a chef, and you often go to Huang Ji to exchange ideas, so you're familiar with the people and things there. How about this gift? Do you like it?"

"I'll just tell Shengli then, and make up some excuse that I sold the shares to you. Xiao Qin, you're tired of running community canteens in Shanshi and want to get into the high-end restaurant business. Shengli definitely won't have any objections."

“This way, it will be easier for you to communicate with Huang Ji in the future, Xiao Qin. You will no longer be an outsider chef, but a direct shareholder. If you want to participate in the management of Huang Ji, I believe Shengli will not refuse, and An Yao will probably be overjoyed.”

Qin Huai was dumbfounded.

He never imagined that he, who had just been conscripted by Huang Anyao in Beiping to represent Huang's Group at an exchange meeting, would now become a true representative of Huang's Group—the largest shareholder of Huang's Restaurant.

It turns out that Huang Anyao was a prophet.

But Qin Huai had to admit that Gong Liang had chosen a really good gift, one that was perfect for him, not only matching his major but also something he was familiar with.

It's a wonderful gift that's hard to refuse.

In this way, going to Huang Ji's place in Qinhuai would feel just like going home.

They're all major shareholders of Huangji now, and they spend at least a few months a year at Huangji.

No snacks or desserts allowed.

You are not allowed to live in the neighborhood opposite Huang Ji.

You are not allowed to live next door to Gong Liang's house.

As expected of the Evil Beast, what a cunning scheme!
Qin Huai nodded: "As long as Master Huang doesn't mind, I really like this gift."

Gong Liang smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it, Xiao Qin. Giving you only Huangji shares is a bit too little. The house you live in in Suzhou wasn't bought by me, it was bought by Zheng Da. I'll find an opportunity to buy it from Zheng Da, renovate it, and then give it to you, Xiao Qin. The two together will be about right."

"Shall we end our tea party here today, or shall we chat a little longer? When is the next tea party?"

"Could we postpone it for a few days? My tongue probably won't be able to taste anything for the next few days."

(End of this chapter)