Chapter 11
Manager Wang was also surprised. He thought to himself, “Xie Xiaojiang usually looks so honest, how come he has more connections with these girls than with me? This is outrageous!”
He sternly asked, “Can any of you contact Xie Xiaojiang now?”
The girls had already heard about Xie Xiaojiang’s “exploits” from Xiaotao and looked up to see who the unlucky person was who had been teased but ended up being kicked. They whispered and giggled, covering their mouths.
Wei Yuhuan’s face was turning purple, almost longer than a horse’s face.
Manager Wang raised his voice, “Stop fooling around, be serious! Xie Xiaojiang has done something big. If any of you hide or protect him and don’t report it, you won’t get your bonus this month!”
The girls became nervous after hearing this.
However, after looking at each other for a while, they all shook their heads. An older girl took the initiative to explain, “Manager, although we have a good relationship with Xiaojiang, we don’t have any contact with him privately.”
Another girl agreed, “That’s right. We have to work every day, and sometimes we only have one day off after working for ten days or half a month. We just sleep in the dormitory and don’t have time to play with anyone.”
After hearing this, the other girls also chimed in, trying to clear their names and complaining about the lack of time for their personal lives due to work.
Manager Wang became overwhelmed by their chatter and impatience, “So, did any of you contact Xie Xiaojiang from last night until now?”
The girls fell silent again, except for the older girl who spoke up earlier, “After Xiaotao told us yesterday, we also sent messages to Xiaojiang, but he didn’t reply. If you don’t believe it, you can check our message records.”
The girls nodded in agreement and took out their phones to show Manager Wang.
Although messages can be deleted, Manager Wang believed them from seeing the anxious look on each girl’s face as they tried to prove their innocence. He looked at Wei Yuhuan, his face showing signs of distress, and asked for guidance on what to do next.
Wei Yuhuan had been frowning since earlier and was lost in thought.
One of the girls whispered, “It’s better to ask Xiao Ding instead of us. After all, he shares a dormitory with Xiaojiang, so he should know better where Xiaojiang went.”
Manager Wang thought it was a good idea because Wei Yuhuan seemed stubborn and wouldn’t give up without personally investigating the matter. So he suggested, “Mr. Wei, Xiao Ding is working today, and I’ve already asked him once. If you think there may be omissions, you can go and ask him yourself.”
What else could Wei Yuhuan do? He could only go and ask Xiao Ding.
Last night, even God himself had delivered the person right to his doorstep – name, age, background, everything he needed to know about him. Yet, he couldn’t believe that the person had slipped away from him just like that. Wei Yuhuan scanned the group of girls and instructed them, “If Xie Xiaojiang contacts any of you, pretend nothing happened and don’t reveal any information about me asking about his whereabouts. Also, if anyone can provide me with any clues about Xie Xiaojiang’s whereabouts, I’ll pay at least this much.” He held up his hand, fingers splayed, and a girl quietly asked, “Is it 500 or 5000?” Wei Yuhuan’s temple twitched. “5000!” The girls looked surprised and pleased.
After giving the instructions, Wei Yuhuan gestured for Manager Wang to lead the way and they left, with Shao Yongyang shaking his head on the side. “Didn’t I suggest drugging him last time? You shouldn’t use gentlemanly methods against a cunning little rascal like him. Can that kid be compared to any of your previous lovers? You were being foolish. You’re suffering the consequences now, aren’t you?”
“Shut up!” Despite being angry, Wei Yuhuan had to admit that Shao Yongyang was right. Both times he failed were because he pretended to be a gentleman. If he hadn’t retrieved the nude photos the first time, or had set a trap for Xie Xiaojiang at the Chunjiang Huajing Garden, or had used other methods the second time, he wouldn’t have ended up in this awkward and painful situation. Wei Yuhuan remembered the lessons and gritted his teeth, eagerly awaiting the next confrontation.
Xiao Ding was a tall and strong young man, with a somewhat simple appearance. As he had answered the manager earlier, he honestly and meticulously told Wei Yuhuan everything he knew and had seen: “I’m not in the same class as Xie Xiaojiang. Yesterday, when I wasn’t working, I was sleeping in the dormitory. When I woke up, I didn’t see him in the dormitory, and it wasn’t until Manager called me that I found out that many of Xie Xiaojiang’s things were missing… Boss, I don’t know anything!”
“A big person like him took things away at night, and you didn’t hear anything?” Shao Yongyang frowned.
Xiao Ding rubbed the back of his head and said blankly, “I vaguely heard some noise, but I slept quite soundly. I saw him come back last night, and I was still half asleep. I just asked him why he was back so early, as he usually didn’t return to the dormitory until the next morning after work. He seemed to say that he had come back to get something. I didn’t think much of it and fell asleep again. When I woke up, he was gone, and I thought I had been dreaming… Boss, I really don’t know anything!”
Shao Yongyang sighed and rubbed his forehead. It seemed like Xiao Ding really didn’t know anything useful – he had just talked for a long time and provided useless information. Wei Yuhuan then asked, “What kind of things did he take with him?”
Xiao Ding said, “As for his kettle, cooking pots and pans, he often cooks in the dormitory himself. Although there’s a lot of smoke, the food tastes good, so I don’t mind. He doesn’t have much valuable stuff, except for the induction cooker. Oh, he didn’t take the induction cooker with him. He bought it three months ago on sale for 998 yuan. He treasures it like it’s his baby, and he cleans it every day, whether he cooks or not. But he didn’t take it with him. Maybe he was too rushed, or maybe it was too heavy… Boss, did he kill someone or rob something? I really don’t know anything! I hardly ever talk to him!”
“Alright, alright, why are you so nervous? He didn’t kill anyone or rob anything, he just offended my buddy!” Shao Yongyang said impatiently.
Xiao Ding immediately calmed down when he heard this and glanced at Wei Yuhuan with his eyes, thinking to himself that rich people are always bullies and really annoying!
Wei Yuhuan didn’t notice Xiao Ding’s expression, he thought for a moment, then looked up and said, “Take me to your dormitory to have a look.”
Manager Wang didn’t dare to stop him, and Xiao Ding couldn’t refuse, so the four of them got into Shao Yongyang’s car and drove to the employee dormitory “Hanbao”.
Fortunately, the place wasn’t far away, only a five-minute drive, and it would probably only take fifteen or twenty minutes to walk.
The shared dormitory had one room for two people, with bare walls and no decoration. There were two single beds and a writing desk in the room, as well as a shared bathroom. For working people, the dormitory also had a separate bathroom, which was not too bad of a condition.
The only problem was that the room where Xie Xiaojiang lived faced north, and as soon as the door was opened, a damp and slightly greasy smell mixed with the faint smell of smoke, making the two wealthy young men frown.
But Xiao Ding said, “Our place is pretty clean, isn’t it? Xie Xiaojiang is quite fond of cleaning, he usually does the cleaning. This is where he sleeps,” he pointed to the bed on his right.
When everyone looked over, the bedding was still there!
But thinking about it, it was also understandable. It was early winter now, and when Xie Xiaojiang came back in the middle of the night, his bedding was rolled up, which was larger than his whole body. In such a hurry, how could he take so much with him?
Xiao Ding pointed to the induction cooker on the writing desk, “Here it is. He took everything else with him, even his toothbrush and cup.”
Wei Yuhuan looked around and felt a twinge of sympathy for Xie Xiaojiang.
S City was located on the southeast coast, and today’s temperature had dropped to single digits. The weather forecast said that there would be a cold wave in the next few days, which could drop to below zero. Where would Xie Xiaojiang go next?
But when he remembered the pain between his legs last night, Wei Yuhuan’s face turned cold again – he told you to run! It serves you right to freeze to death!
Wei Yuhuan walked over to the induction cooker, lightly tapping the smooth, shiny black surface and said, “Since it’s such a treasure, I think he will come back to get it sooner or later.”
Xiao Ding: “…”
Wei Yuhuan looked at Xiao Ding and smiled. “If he contacts you…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Xiao Ding waved his hand and interrupted him, looking resolute and determined. “Boss, Xiaojiang and I have been bunkmates for a few months. As brothers, we have to be loyal. I can’t betray him like that…”
As he spoke passionately, Xiao Ding suddenly saw Shao Yongyang take out his wallet and pull out a thick stack of shiny red banknotes.
His eyes lit up and he quickly changed his tone, fawning over Shao Yongyang. “Normally, I wouldn’t stoop so low as to betray my brothers, but for the sake of justice, I will have to sacrifice my loyalty. Boss, don’t worry, if Xiaojiang contacts me, I will definitely tell you first!”
Shao Yongyang handed the money to Xiao Ding and sneered. “Remember what you said.”
Xiao Ding nodded and bowed. “Of course, of course!”
Manager Wang thought to himself, “This Xiao Ding is quite the talent!”
After explaining everything, there was no point in lingering any longer. As they were about to leave, Wei Yuhuan thought of something and said to Xiao Ding, “If you can reach him, tell him that I have quite a few naked photos and indecent videos of him. If he doesn’t want those things to be seen by the ‘bud’ sisters who are on good terms with him, he should come see me on his own.”
Xiao Ding: “…”
