klisemfg Chapter 2251 The Art of Playing Hard to Get
Chapter 2251 The Art of Playing Hard to Get
Darkness, endless darkness.
Manager Qi huddled in the corner, his body pressed tightly against the cold wall, his arms wrapped around his chest, his whole body curled up into a ball.
During this time, there was not a ray of light, not a sound, only endless darkness and silence enveloping him, like an impenetrable net, slowly devouring his courage and reason.
At first, he would cry and curse, trying to attract the attention of people outside, but no matter how he shouted, there was only silence in response.
Over time, my voice became hoarse, and my hope gradually faded, leaving only a deep-seated fear.
He didn't know how long he had been imprisoned, or what he would face next. He only felt as if he had been abandoned by the whole world, trapped in this endless darkness, and was on the verge of collapse.
His eyes were unfocused, his lips moved unconsciously as if he were muttering something to himself, and he was like a frightened bird, trembling at the slightest sound.
Suddenly, a very thin beam of light pierced through the thick darkness.
Manager Qi suddenly stopped moving, his unfocused eyes slightly focused, and he blinked subconsciously, thinking it was a hallucination caused by his despair.
The light grew brighter and brighter, and moonlight poured in, casting a clear shadow on the ground.
Manager Qi stood frozen in place, all his muscles tense. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring light, his eyes slightly burning.
He stared blankly at the ever-growing light, his lips trembling, unable to utter a sound.
Yan Ruyu walked into the house alone and stopped a few meters away from him. Manager Qi was trapped in a glass soundproof room.
Yan Ruyu obtained this item from the abbot, whose space was originally a large warehouse containing many strange and useless things.
This time, we'll give it directly to Manager Qi.
When Manager Qi saw Yan Ruyu, his consciousness gradually returned. He was a little afraid, but also afraid of being locked up again. His fear of the darkness overcame his fear of Yan Ruyu.
He staggered over and crashed headfirst into the glass.
He then realized that there was a transparent, hard layer blocking him.
In the darkness, it was this object that blocked their path.
what is this?
It was icy cold to the touch and incredibly smooth; he had never seen anything like it before.
Yan Ruyu walked slowly over, and a piece of the transparent area moved aside. She approached as if nothing had happened, and then the piece closed up again.
Manager Qi was shocked and didn't know what to pay attention to.
Seeing his expression, Yan Ruyu chuckled inwardly. In fact, she had a remote control switch for the door in her hand.
Manager Qi gently placed his fingertips on the transparent wall, feeling the cool touch through them.
He had just recovered from the extreme darkness and silence when he saw Yan Ruyu enter. He instinctively shrank back, pressing his back tightly against the wall, as if afraid of being pushed back into that boundless darkness.
"Do you have anything to say?" Yan Ruyu's voice was soft, yet it clearly reached Manager Qi's ears. There was no sense of oppression, but it made his heart sink.
During this period, he was confined in this dark place, where there was no light or sound, and only endless fear gnawed at his mind.
At first, he was still hoping to get away with it, but the darkness day after day had worn away all his confidence.
Seeing Yan Ruyu ask the question so calmly, he suddenly had a premonition that the situation was hopeless and that if he continued to hide it, he would probably suffer no good consequences.
Manager Qi swallowed hard, his throat moved, and his voice was hoarse from not speaking for a long time: "Your Highness... I'll tell you everything, I'll tell you everything."
He raised his head, his eyes filled with fear, but also with a hint of desperate composure. "That medicinal cuisine shop, I was indeed just a figurehead; I wasn't the one actually in charge."
Yan Ruyu nodded slightly, signaling him to continue, her gaze calm and unwavering, as if she had already anticipated his answer.
"I'm only responsible for 30% of the work, which is to take care of the daily operations of the shop and keep track of the medicinal diet recipes. I don't have to worry about the accounts or anything like that."
Manager Qi spoke rapidly, as if afraid that he would change his mind if he was a step too slow: "The remaining 50% is managed by Zhou Zhenghang, who also has the power to select customers. I have never been able to interfere."
"What about the remaining 20%?" Yan Ruyu asked softly.
“It’s Accountant Liu,” Manager Qi quickly added. “Accountant Liu manages the shop’s finances and also has some contacts with Miaoyin Workshop. He never tells me the specifics of those contacts, and I don’t dare to ask.”
He paused, then added urgently, "Your Highness, everything I said is true!"
I'm just a figurehead; I have no face in front of Miss Miaoqin, and I've only met her a few times.
As for the medicinal cuisine and the tampering in the teahouse, I knew nothing about it; it was all handled by the fake Zhou Zhenghang and Accountant Liu.
What he said was almost identical to, or even more brief than, the testimony of the previous fresh produce shop assistant, and there was indeed no additional information.
Yan Ruyu understood that he hadn't really gotten to the core stuff; he was just a figurehead pushed to the forefront.
She glanced at Manager Qi, seeing his face full of eager explanations and no concealment in his eyes, and said calmly, "You can leave now."
"What?" Manager Qi was stunned, as if he hadn't heard clearly. His eyes widened, his face full of disbelief. "Your Highness, you said... to let me go?"
"You said it yourself, the real culprit isn't you." Yan Ruyu's tone remained gentle, without the slightest ripple. "Why make things difficult for you? You can leave now."
After she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the door without looking back.
Manager Qi stood frozen in place, staring blankly at Yan Ruyu's back, then at the open door, momentarily lost in thought.
The fear brought by the darkness had not completely dissipated when the sudden freedom made him unable to believe his ears.
He tentatively took two steps forward, but the glass door didn't close to stop him. He quickened his pace, caught up with Yan Ruyu's figure, and walked out of the room that haunted his nightmares.
The light outside was a bit too bright, and Manager Qi squinted instinctively. It wasn't until his eyes adjusted for a moment that he dared to believe he was really out.
The flowers in the yard were in bloom, and their faint fragrance wafted over, which, unlike the oppressive atmosphere of the dark room, eased his tense nerves a little.
Yan Ruyu walked to the center of the courtyard, turned to Linlang who was guarding the courtyard, and instructed her: "Send him away from the mansion, through the back gate."
"Yes, Master." Linlang responded and turned to look at him. "Manager Qi, come with me."
Manager Qi was still feeling uneasy as he followed Linlang through several secluded corridors.
The Prince's mansion had a secluded courtyard with pavilions and towers arranged in a pleasing manner, but he had no heart to appreciate it at the moment. He felt as if he were walking on the edge of a knife, fearing that someone would rush out and drag him back at any moment.