Vaguely, Yan Xia felt that Long Tao was walking towards her. She put away her phone and took another sip of wine, looking worried.
Lu Qianzhou had warned her more than once not to get close to Long Tao and had long seen through her tricks. Now, he hadn't sent her any warning messages. No one could figure out his whereabouts. He himself showed no sign of showing up. Was he trying to stay out of it and completely abandon her?
Well, in fact, this was the right choice.
Since entering this room, Yan Xia had been in a state of anxiety. Her fingers kept tapping on the armrest of the sofa beside her.
Long Tao noticed her state and sat down gracefully opposite her. "It's normal for Miss Cheng to be worried as it's your first time experiencing such a thing. But as long as nothing goes wrong, we just need to wait for the news here. Once the deal is over, everything will be settled."
Yan Xia forced a smile. "Mr. Long, were you as nervous as I am when you had your first deal?"
She had heard about Long Tao's rise to power. He had seized power through ruthless means and had become the national general agent in just a few years. He was not only ruthless but also managed to leave no trace of his misdeeds.
Long Tao picked up a cup of tea with one hand and smiled. "In our line of work, no one cares whether you're nervous or not. Even if you are, you can't show your weakness in front of others. I've been through this kind of situation many times. In fact, as long as there are no traitors, there won't be much risk."
He seemed to be comforting her. "Miss Cheng is very smart, meticulous, and good at strategizing. I believe after this, you'll be more proficient in the future."
Although it was just a casual remark, Yan Xia still detected a hint of warning.
People like Long Tao would always take the initiative when dealing with someone weaker and easier to control like her.
They waited in the room for a while when suddenly someone strode in from the door. He came to Long Tao's side and whispered to him, but his words still reached Yan Xia's ears.
"We've just confirmed with General Manager Lu. He's still abroad. He's handed over tonight's deal to his confidant and won't show up in person."
Yan Xia tightened her grip on her phone and felt a sudden sense of relief.
He should have been this heartless earlier. If he had, he wouldn't have let his revenge plan be delayed because of his affection.
Long Tao's gaze was fixed on Yan Xia, carefully observing every expression on her face since she heard the news.
He curled his lips. "Miss Cheng seems a bit disappointed after hearing this news."
"No, I'm not disappointed. On the contrary, I'm very happy." Yan Xia didn't hide her joy but gave another explanation. "The cake is so delicious that everyone wants a slice. If General Manager Lu is so negligent in the deal with Mr. Long because of me, then it's exactly my opportunity."
She was trying to mislead Long Tao. She just didn't know if he would believe her.
Long Tao burst into laughter as if he found her words very amusing. He clapped his hands. "I never thought Miss Cheng had such great ambition. You may not be content with the status quo, but if you try to take a slice of General Manager Lu's cake, you may hurt his affection."
Most likely, he didn't think she had the ability to do so.
For someone like Lu Qianzhou, he might indulge Yan Xia in small things, but when it came to matters of principle, he wouldn't be disobeyed.
...
On the other side, Fang Jiangyi was pacing anxiously, trying to contact Lu Qianzhou.
These days, he had been hiding in another place, waiting to cooperate with Lu Qianzhou to catch the mastermind behind the scenes.
Lu Qianzhou knew very well that only when both he and Fang Jiangyi were out of the picture and posed no threat to the mastermind would the latter show up. Then they could make the final move.
The bodyguard still dutifully blocked him. "Mr. Fang, General Manager Lu said that you can't leave here until the last moment."
Fang Jiangyi shot him a sharp look. He regretted agreeing to cooperate with Lu Qianzhou in faking his death. Now that he was in the game, he couldn't leave easily.
If outsiders found out that he wasn't actually injured, all their previous efforts would be in vain.
He couldn't help asking, "Where is Lu Qianzhou now?"
The bodyguard shook his head apologetically. "I don't know. General Manager Lu's itinerary is completely confidential. No one knows his whereabouts except his personal assistant."
"What did he promise me before? Now he's just letting Yan Xia go to the deal site alone while he disappears. He should know better than anyone how risky the deal site is. But now he's nowhere to be found. Is he too scared for his own life?" Fang Jiangyi was furious.
Since he heard that Yan Xia was going to the deal site, he had been worried about her safety.
If Lu Qianzhou hadn't said that only when Yan Xia believed that he was really in a car accident and his life was in danger could they deceive both the mastermind and outsiders, he would never have just watched Yan Xia go to the deal site. He would have stopped her immediately.
"Mr. Fang, you can calm down. The situation isn't as serious as you think."
"What do you know!" Fang Jiangyi didn't bother to talk to him. "I don't care how you do it. I want you to contact Lu Qianzhou as soon as possible. If Lu Qianzhou doesn't contact me within an hour, I'll leave here immediately and won't care about our agreement anymore."
He couldn't just watch Yan Xia stay in such a dangerous place alone.
The bodyguard looked embarrassed. He was just a small bodyguard. How could he contact Lu Qianzhou? This was just making things difficult for him.
Time passed by. Yan Xia and Long Tao were still quietly waiting in the room.
Lunch was delivered to the room. She ate it absent-mindedly.
At this time, another lackey entered the room and reported to Long Tao, "Boss, there seems to be something wrong downstairs."
Long Tao asked, "What's going on?"
The lackey said, "There are suddenly a lot of plainclothes policemen downstairs, and there are also many police cars. It seems they're about to search our floor."
Long Tao wasn't panicked. "What kind of inspection?"
The lackey said, "I don't know either. The hotel has been surrounded. I don't know if they're after us. If so, then someone must have leaked the news."
Yan Xia was frightened.
She had all the necessary equipment today, including an earpiece and a pinhole camera. She had been waiting for the police to give her a signal, but there was none. Since she came here, it had been very quiet, and there was no news at all.
Shangguanyao had told her that if Lu Qianzhou didn't come, they would arrest Long Tao directly based on the previous charges. So they mustn't let Long Tao go again. They would find a way to force him to the deal site.