A bald guy who opened the door.
The bald guy pointed upstairs, beckoning to have him go up.
Before entering the door, Chen Taitong turned his head and confirmed that the cat didn’t follow.
"What a quiet location! It took me a while to find it," He was trying to start a conversation.
The bald guy didn’t respond. He locked the door and walked upstairs.
How embarrassing! Chen Taitong followed the bald guy upstairs.
The door on the second floor was locked. They walked straight up to the third floor.
There were two rooms on the third floor. One was a bathroom and the other was the office.
The bald guy pushed open the door and let him in.
Chen Taitong walked in cautiously. The bald guy closed the door immediately and stayed outside.
It was an old building and the office looked old as well. The office was only about 15 feet long and 9 feet wide. There was an old desk and a very dirty couch. Two beautiful asparagus iron plants were also in the room.
A young gentleman with gold-rimmed glasses and a nice suit was sitting behind the desk. He was a lot younger looking than Chen Taitong. Upon seeing Chen, he stood up with a big smile and had Chen take a seat.
"Please be seated. Wang Qi, right? Your fake name is really fake."
As he sat down on the couch, Chen Taitong’s body froze upon hearing his words.
"Well, that’s okay. Most people who come here use a fake name. Your name isn’t too bad. I had a customer, who might be your brother, named Wang Ba."
His nice smile was in sharp comparison to the cold bald guy.
Chen Taitong smiled, yet he had a feeling his smile might look fake as well.
"So… how should I address you?" Chen asked.
"Well, I am too lazy to make up a name. This is Qing Ren Consulting Firm. Call me Qing Ren."
"Mr. Qing Ren, I called before…" Chen Taitong didn’t want to bullsh*t, nor did he want to stay long.
"I know. I know. I have completed the investigation upon your request. Please take a look." Qing Ren stood up from the couch, walked back to the desk, picked up a file holder and put it on the coffee table in front of the couch.
Seeing that Chen Taitong wasn’t moving, he took the file out from the folder and laid down the pages on the coffee table.
"You wanted to know more about this pet store. That was interesting. These are my findings – business registration, fire registration, housing department, CDC and tax department. Everything looks great. It looks like the owner is very careful. Oh… look…"
He then pulled out a few more papers. "This is where he gets his stock – Pets Home Breeding Base. Not to mention others. The pets are all fine. Vaccine records of the pets are sufficient. I don’t know anything else because I personally don’t have pets. You must know more about the industry since you are in the same trade…"
Chen Taitong wanted to say something, but Qing Ren stopped him immediately.
"You don’t have to say or explain anything. People of the same trade hate each other," Qing Ren laughed. "Mr. Wang Qi, please relax. Look at all your sweat… I have three types of customers, a spouse who wants to find out something about their other half; disputes within the same industry, and piled-up grievances from life. For example, failure in debt collection… You don’t have to worry. I have seen them all. Isn’t there an idiom that says, "There is nothing new under the sun?"
Chen Taitong’s throat hurt. He felt like all the water in his body had dried out.
"Oh, look at this," Qing Ren handed over a color picture. It was a picture taken secretly with a cell phone and then printed out.
"This is the sales agreement. I don’t understand all the content, but it looks normal to me."
Looking at the coffee table full of papers and pictures, Chen Taitong was desperate. His heart was so tight that he felt like it us
ed up all his strength for each beat. Breathing was also more and more difficult for him.
All of a sudden, he thought, "Is there going to be someone who investigates me in the dark and waits for a good time to kill me?"
Upon thinking about all the possibilities, his stomach was upset and he wanted to puke.
"You look awfully pale. Are you alright?" Qing Ren asked, "This is totally normal. Many people have the same reaction when they see the dark side of society for the first time. Regret, fear, anger…all these feelings mix together. It doesn’t make you feel good. I understand. But…"
He put his face up against Chen’s so close that their noses almost touched, "Congratulations! You’ve officially become a member of the dark side. Don’t be scared. No one is scared of himself, right?"
Chen Taitong moved back and wanted to sink into the couch.
"Mr. Wang Qi, seriously, don’t worry. Don’t be scared of me…You are my customer, my source of wealth. I am employed by you. Why would you be scared of me? In fact, I would be scared only if you don’t pay me…"
Chen Taitong forced out a sentence, "I… I will pay… for the investigation. I will pay"
"No need to rush." With a smile, Qing Ren shook his head. "This store is doing really well. If I had a pet store, I would be jealous as well. In other words, I totally understand your feelings, totally… So, are you going to do something about it? Or are you going to let him take over your business?"
Zhang Zian’s face appeared in Chen Taitong’s mind. When he called the urban management office, his voice and tone all clearly appeared in front of Chen. He thought to himself, "That guy must think I am a joke. I was scared away by a phone call… I can’t let that be. I have to save my face."
"So… what are you going to do?" His voice was shaking.
Qing Ren touched his own nose and said hesitatingly, "If we fight directly against him, it won’t be easy because all his paperwork and sourcing channels are okay. If we report him, it won’t hurt him… However, as you saw when you first came in, we can handle the problem for you. To beat him up is far easier than beating his business up…"
"You mean…"
"Teach him a lesson. He will know he offended someone that he shouldn’t have. To save you from trouble, we could either break his arm or his leg. If he is smart, he should learn that he needs to stop messing up your business. The cost to break his arm is 60 thousand Yuan and a leg costs 80 thousand Yuan. Of course, the investigation fee is extra. Please pay on time, otherwise we will have a headache."
The office door opened, and there stood the bald guy at the door with his arms across his chest.
Chen Taitong looked out the window. Unless he wanted to jump down from the third floor, he had to make a choice right now.