tkworld Chapter 259 Sordid Deal
Chapter 259 Sordid Deal
Xu Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat for no reason.
Who is this person?
Judging from his demeanor and composure, he is clearly a manager of high status.
She subconsciously quickened her pace again, wanting to get past this person as soon as possible.
He also turned slightly to the side, hiding his backpack more on one side of his body to avoid facing the other person directly, and lowered his gaze, staring only at the ground a few steps ahead.
However, the fat man's gaze swept over them, and he clearly paused for a moment when he passed Xu Xiaoyan.
Xu Xiaoyan could clearly feel a gaze full of scrutiny and a certain straightforward interest sweep over her from head to toe, finally settling on her face.
That gaze made her extremely uncomfortable, and a slight wave of nausea and irritation reflexively rose in her stomach.
She frowned even more, forcing herself not to look up and meet the man's gaze, nor to show any obvious disgust or panic, as that might arouse the other person's even more malicious interest.
She quickly lowered her head, letting more of her slightly longer, wispy hair fall down, partially obscuring her cheeks and eyes.
At the same time, she kept moving her hands and naturally switched the backpack from her shoulder to her right shoulder.
He used the act of adjusting the position of his backpack and pretending to unzip a small outer pocket with his other hand to look for something as a cover.
The next second, a plain-looking, understated dark gray cotton baseball cap appeared silently in her left hand.
Her movements were fluid and swift; she raised her hand and placed it on her head, her fingers pressing down on the brim of the hat.
The wide, slightly soft brim of the hat immediately cast a shadow on her face, covering most of it except for her chin.
The fat man had slowed his pace slightly in an attempt to get a better view.
His mouth was slightly open, as if he intended to stop and say something, or at least "admire" him a little longer.
But Xu Xiaoyan's swift and clearly resistant "covering" action was clearly visible.
The ambiguous smile on his face seemed to freeze for a moment, and a hint of displeasure and disappointment flashed in his eyes behind his glasses.
He didn't have time to see the details of Xu Xiaoyan's facial features clearly, leaving only a vague impression that she had "good features".
Now that the hat covers it, the direct, "visual" pleasure is greatly diminished.
Just then, the hidden door slid open silently once again.
The female clerk who had led the group of four people in earlier broke the silence of the corridor with her footsteps and whispers.
The fat man's attention was immediately diverted.
He quickly concealed his displeasure, replacing it with a smile that blended enthusiasm with a certain condescending sense of superiority, as he greeted the four newcomers.
Xu Xiaoyan suppressed her urge to escape. Instead, using the excellent concealment provided by the brim of her hat, she slightly turned her head and quickly observed the new group of people who had just entered.
Walking in front were a middle-aged couple, around fifty years old.
The man was wearing an old work jacket, while the woman was wrapped in an ill-fitting dark cotton-padded coat, her eyes somewhat darting around.
Following behind them were a young couple.
The man looked to be in his early twenties. He was short and somewhat thin, wearing a cheap faux leather jacket, and had a restlessness and impatience common at his age in unfamiliar environments.
The women are very young, possibly just recently adults, or even younger.
She wore a light blue woolen dress with an oversized old coat that clearly didn't belong to her, making her look even more slender and petite.
She kept her head down, her long black hair hanging down, almost completely covering her cheeks and profile.
But just the glimpse of her fair neck and delicate chin was enough to evoke a strong sense of pure and beautiful innocence.
Even without seeing her whole face, you could tell that this girl was quite beautiful, with a kind of innocent and fragile beauty.
The fat man's gaze swept quickly across the four people's faces, and finally settled firmly on the young girl who kept her head down.
His smile deepened immediately, and he strode towards the girl without hesitation.
They completely ignored the two obsequious middle-aged men and women beside her and the young man whose eyes were beginning to show surprise.
He walked up to the girl, getting so close that it crossed the line of normal social boundaries.
He stared intently at the girl's lowered face, as if trying to see her features through her hair.
The girl was clearly startled by the sudden close-up stare.
Her body stiffened abruptly, her head drooped even lower, and her slender fingers gripped the hem of her clothes tightly until her knuckles turned white.
She instinctively wanted to back away from this man who made her feel extremely dangerous and disgusted, and even had a faint urge to turn around and run away, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Just then, the middle-aged woman who had come with them quickly winked at the young man standing next to the girl.
The young man received a signal from his mother's eyes.
The slight doubt that had initially risen on her face as the fat man approached was instantly replaced by an expression that was a mixture of flattery and eagerness.
He seemed to have been waiting for this moment, or perhaps his family had come with some tacit purpose.
He quickly reached out and grabbed the girl's slender arm, pulling her back forcefully to stop her from retreating further.
He spoke loudly, deliberately raising his voice, with a feigned intimacy masking a controlling reproach, as if putting on a show for the fat man:
"Hey, cousin, where are you going? What's with the rush? We haven't even gotten the important business done! The boss is waiting here, don't be so inconsiderate!"
The girl lost her balance from his sudden tug, stumbled, and was forced to stop.
Because of the force of the pull and the stop, her head, which had been hanging down, was forced to lift slightly, revealing a pale face devoid of any color.
It was an exceptionally beautiful face, with long, thin eyebrows, a straight nose, and most striking features were its eyes.
Large and round, with slightly drooping corners, her eyes were now brimming with tears, filled with panic, helplessness, fear, and deep humiliation.
Tears welled up in her eyes, which she stubbornly held back, her pitiful and tearful appearance only fueling others' desire to destroy or possess her.
Upon seeing this, the fat man's grin widened, his eyes narrowed into slits, and his expression revealed undisguised satisfaction and interest.
He seemed to be enjoying the scene before him:
The prey's struggle, the family's "cooperation," and the obvious sense of control over beautiful things were even more "interesting" than he had expected.
He cleared his throat, letting out an authoritative "hmm" sound.
Only then, as if bestowing a favor, did he slightly shift his gaze from the girl's tear-streaked face to the middle-aged couple who had been bowing and scraping, their faces plastered with ingratiating smiles.
He asked in a drawn-out, bureaucratic tone, "You're the ones who made appointments before to inquire about the application details for cross-regional mobile food trucks in the BC area and the special talent recommendation channels, right?"
He deliberately emphasized the words "recommendation of special talents," and then glanced meaningfully at the young girl who was being held firmly by his cousin.
"Don't worry, Director, I've brought all the materials. I won't be disappointed this time!" the middle-aged woman replied excitedly.
"Oh, I see. Then let's go to the office inside and discuss this in detail."
As he spoke, he glanced at the girl again meaningfully, his eyes brimming with greed.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged couple's smiles widened even more, and they responded repeatedly:
"Great, great, leader! We're so grateful for your guidance; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to seize such a wonderful opportunity! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to instruct us!"
Then, the girl was half-pulled, half-draggled, almost pushed by the so-called "cousin," and followed her parents and the fat man into the door of the "director's office."
Her struggles were so weak as to be negligible, and suppressed sobs finally escaped her throat.
Xu Xiaoyan stood in the shadows of the corridor not far away, watching the whole scene unfold.
He turned around abruptly, almost as if fleeing, and quickly turned into the corner of the corridor leading to the warehouse area.
She instantly realized who the fat man was. This was probably the "Director Chen" that the female clerk had mentioned, someone she "didn't recommend going to," and who might even be more dangerous than "a certain young master"!
She roughly guessed what the family's so-called "real business" was. It was definitely not a simple consultation process, but an attempt to get through the so-called "special channel" of "cross-district application".
And that girl was the "price" they were prepared to pay.
Or rather, it was the only "bargaining chip" they had that might pique the interest of this "Director Chen".
This isn't a business trip.
This is clearly the prelude to a tacit, dirty "deal".
That beautiful girl was like a "living gift" presented by her family to a certain powerful person, waiting to be sold, or rather, a "collateral" used to exchange for family interests.
Xu Xiaoyan shook her head, trying not to think about these sordid things, and followed the directions given by the female clerk and the occasional signposts as she walked through the logistics corridor.
After walking for about two or three minutes, she finally saw a metal sign with "Warehouse No. 3 →" painted in white, and a red arrow pointing to a passageway.
At the end of the passage, a huge silver-gray metal roller shutter door came into view, its height almost reaching the top of the passage and its width reaching seven or eight meters.
Next to the roller shutter door, there was a small metal side door, just big enough for one person to pass through. The door was open, and a little light was shining through.
Above the door, a long, rectangular iron sign with white background and black lettering is fixed with screws, bearing the words "Third Warehouse".
However, the scene at the entrance was somewhat out of place in this warehouse area, even exuding a sense of leisure.