This was already the third time this week that the boss had secretly snuck out after closing.

Han Sha looked up and caught a glimpse of Bai Yang disappearing furtively at the doorway, vaguely feeling this all had something to do with him. After all, just these past few days, Bai Liu had inexplicably sent a secretary over to reconcile accounts with him – logically speaking, the little money Huangliang Yimeng had earned so far shouldn’t even catch Bai Liu’s attention.

Han Sha absentmindedly dealt with the other party’s detailed questions, mentally calculating a bit and knowing the other end of this matter should be with Han Wan.

After all, there was still one day until Xiao Wan’s birthday.

Ever since returning from the hospital that day, the boss had started experimenting daily with making low-fat, low-sugar, cutely-shaped cupcakes. Whenever he saw Han Sha, he’d hide them guiltily, acting like a thief afraid Han Sha wouldn’t know these were prepared for the little girl’s birthday celebration.

Although Han Sha had originally ordered a cake from the shop, since Bai Yang was showing such initiative now, Han Sha certainly wouldn’t refuse such a favor delivered to his door.

The problem was why Bai Yang had specifically asked Bai Liu to detain him… Many things were fine if it was just his naive boss making decisions, but once that woman got involved, there would inevitably be other complications.

After thinking it over, Han Sha decided to simply go directly find his suspected target for a chat.

In fact, after becoming Huangliang Yimeng’s business consultant, Han Sha had privately met with Bai Liu more than once. Most times it was this woman who actively invited him, ostensibly for foot massage services, but the underlying meaning was of course to pressure him to work well.

Entering the foot massage parlor again, Han Sha even had paranoid thoughts that Bai Liu must have installed more than one recording camera in this godforsaken place, just in case, to prevent him from secretly stabbing her brother in the back again in the future.

Bai Yang wouldn’t think of such things even after being deceived two hundred times, but Bai Liu could do it without even needing to be deceived once.

He pushed open the private room door. A young service attendant was doing Bai Liu’s nails. The woman wore flawless makeup and smiled at him: “How’s the account reconciliation going?”

“You know in your heart whether the purpose is really account reconciliation.”

Han Sha didn’t particularly mind the free foot bath each visit. He sat down familiarly: “This is also something the boss asked you to do?”

Bai Liu propped her chin: “Sort of. I found it quite interesting, so I decided to help him… Mm, you know my brother – he’s very good at acting cute and asking favors.”

Han Sha asked without showing emotion: “If it’s just to secretly help my daughter celebrate her birthday behind my back, would it need to trouble you with such effort?”

“Han Laosan, I think you have some misunderstanding about me.”

Bai Liu, having finished her manicure, sat on another massage bed and elegantly placed her fair feet in the basin: “Although most of the time I do things for money just like you, aren’t there also those times? I just want to help my brother out. Don’t tell me after all these years you’ve never done such foolish things.”

As she spoke, she meaningfully touched her own face, smiling with deep implications.

“…I didn’t expect you to be so idle.”

Han Sha’s face immediately turned cold: “If you’re involved, how can I trust that my daughter won’t be exposed? If you want to use my daughter to promote your brother’s shop—”

“You really think I’d do the same things as my father?”

Bai Liu rudely interrupted him, sneering: “Han Laosan, you suffered losses from my father and have prejudices against our family – that’s fine. But if you dare make my brother sad again, believe it or not, ten of your past enemies will come knocking tomorrow, and then I can’t guarantee you’ll only suffer the light injuries you have now…”

…This woman.

Han Sha certainly understood the other party could do such things. He frowned, but quickly realized another bigger problem, narrowing his eyes: “Wait, you know about my past…”

Bai Liu smiled: “I know they call you Han Laosan, of course.”

Han Sha said coldly: “You still have contact with them? Just to control me in the future?”

“Don’t put it so harshly. In this aspect you should actually thank me. Otherwise, given how frequently you’ve been exposed online, you might already be hospitalized from beatings.”

Catching a flash of disbelief in Han Sha’s eyes, Bai Liu said with amusement: “Is this strange? Background checks and risk control are integrated. You should understand very well – you’re now tied to my brother’s shop. To help him, I naturally have to protect you.”

Han Sha frowned: “I won’t thank you for things you do beyond our contract.”

“Of course, I never expected you to have much conscience.” Bai Liu smiled and adjusted to a comfortable position on the massage chair. “But I am me, and my brother is my brother. I hope when facing my brother you still show some conscience. Otherwise, I’m the one covering for him. You know, facing enemies, I not only have no conscience, I also have little patience.”

The room fell quiet, and Han Sha silently cursed in his heart.

He didn’t want to owe this woman too many favors. After all, when such “favors” were held by someone like Bai Liu, they would quickly become leverage.

Thinking of this, Han Sha could only say reluctantly: “When you see the accounts, you’ll know – the numbers look very good these past two months. The boss’s shop has really taken off.”

“Ah, want to settle accounts so clearly with me?”

Bai Liu could certainly hear the frustration in his words, saying with amusement: “In that case, I can ask you for some additional benefits, right? After all, I put in quite a bit of effort appeasing your enemies.”

Han Sha said coldly: “You didn’t mention it before because you were already planning to ask for these benefits.”

Bai Liu shrugged with an innocent expression: “Actually, if you hadn’t gotten beaten up, I wouldn’t have remembered this. Who told me I have too many things on my mind… But now that I’ve remembered, let me ask you – that rich woman you were with back then, how did you let her get away? Logically, during that period when your daughter was sick, you should have been very short of money.”

“…”

Han Sha finally regretted coming for the foot massage.

After being silent for a while, he gritted his teeth: “As an exchange, can you tell me what exactly the boss is planning?”

“Of course, deal.”

Bai Liu gave him a very “creepy” smile.

Han Sha closed his eyes hard, saying with a headache: “That person back then… she had no emotional problems with her husband. She was only looking for someone because her husband worked abroad long-term to support their child’s education and she rarely saw him. She had too many red flags. Even if divorced, I couldn’t trust she would be responsible to a family.”

“Oh.” Bai Liu looked thoughtful. “But I heard that when things were exposed, the woman pushed all responsibility onto you, and you just accepted it without saying you were deceived, causing her husband to resent you to this day?”

“You…”

With this said, Han Sha immediately glared at her viciously: “You’ve investigated this far and still ask me?”

Bai Liu laughed: “Admitting you’re a good person with feelings and loyalty isn’t shameful, Han Laosan. No one can live like a beast forever. You should thank yourself for the decision you made then. After all, if not for this incident, I wouldn’t have chosen to trust you and make you this business consultant.”

“…Trust?”

“After all, I wouldn’t really find a wolf who recognizes nothing but money to stay by my brother’s side… He’s too much like mom. I don’t want him to follow mom’s old path.”

Bai Liu lifted her wet feet from the basin, saying lightly: “I still hope you’ll occasionally be honest with yourself and others, and not be so paranoid. Know that if I wanted to mess with you or your daughter, my brother would be the first to disagree.”

Today’s foot massage service was about to end, but he not only learned nothing, but was also outmaneuvered by this woman.

Han Sha felt nameless anger rising in his heart, feeling he didn’t want to see Bai Liu again for a very long time.

“You still haven’t answered me.”

Finally, Han Sha said stiffly: “What exactly is the boss busy with?”

“Didn’t you already guess? Preparing your daughter’s birthday.”

Bai Liu put on her high heels, her smile containing a kind of triumphant joy that greatly annoyed Han Sha.

“I just said, don’t be so paranoid. You’re also human – I mean, next time don’t look around when you come in. If I wanted to install cameras, they definitely wouldn’t be anywhere you could see them.”