Chapter 32

Doing business is like waging war; whether now or in the future, "information" is undoubtedly a critical factor. Especially in Li Qi's era, where technology is highly advanced, if you are slightly careless and your confidentiality measures are not thorough enough, your company's information could very likely be stolen by your enemies. Sometimes, a single piece of confidential information is enough to lead to your complete defeat.

Knowing oneself and knowing one's enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles—this is the principle.

Li Qi had seen countless cases in his time where companies went bankrupt due to the theft of their secrets, so his understanding of this was much deeper than that of the people here.

He could now be considered the secret weapon of Zui Xian Ju, and its rise and fall were almost entirely dependent on him. If he were to be prematurely exposed to the public, it would be detrimental to both him and Zui Xian Ju, with no benefits at all. Therefore, he had instructed Mrs. Qin and Wu Furong not to tell anyone about his investment in Zui Xian Ju, even Wu Xiaoliu only knew a little about it.

But now, this Bai Niangzi had recounted the details of his investment in Zui Xian Ju word for word, which couldn't help but surprise him.

However, despite his surprise, Li Qi, who had seen the world, was only slightly taken aback. He shook his head and smiled, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about." In his heart, he had already regarded Bai Qianruo as an enemy.

"Really?"

Bai Qianruo smiled slyly and asked, "Don't you want to know why I know about this?"

Of course, Li Qi was very curious about this, but he was also afraid that Bai Qianruo was deliberately testing him. So he put on an indifferent look, shrugged, and smiled, "What thing? Bai Niangzi, the more you talk, the more confused I get."

"You're confused? I think you know better than anyone else." Bai Qianruo snorted, thinking to herself that this person was truly a sly fox, still refusing to admit it even at this point.

Li Qi chuckled, "Bai Niangzi, how do you know what I'm thinking? Could it be that you've already stolen my heart?"

Faced with Li Qi's跳跃性思维 (leaping thoughts), Bai Qianruo suddenly felt a deep sense of helplessness. She had never felt before that talking could be such a tiring thing. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she sighed, "It seems you really don't know about this. Well, since that's the case, I'll go tell Mr. Cai that he shouldn't waste his time, as Zui Xian Ju has already been bought by someone else." With that, she made a move to leave.

Mr. Cai? Could she be Mr. Cai's envoy? Li Qi was suddenly alarmed. If that old fox found out that he had already taken over Zui Xian Ju, his entire plan might be ruined. He quickly called out, "Bai Niangzi, please wait a moment."

A smile flashed in Bai Qianruo's eyes as she turned around and asked, "Do you have something else to say?"

Li Qi narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you Mr. Cai's envoy?"

Bai Qianruo raised an eyebrow and said, "Since this matter has nothing to do with you, I naturally can't say too much. I apologize for any offense, and I'll take my leave."

Damn! This woman is too despicable, daring to threaten me!

Li Qi frowned, feeling very angry, but he was also very clear that since Bai Qianruo had mentioned his acquisition of Zui Xian Ju, he was already at a disadvantage. With no other choice, he sighed, "Alright, I admit it."

A hint of a satisfied smile appeared on Bai Qianruo's lips as she deliberately put on a puzzled look and asked, "What are you admitting?"

Li Qi gritted his teeth and said, "Since you already know, why ask me?"

Bai Qianruo looked at Li Qi's puffed-up face and chuckled, "I learned this from you."

"Indeed, a great teacher produces a great student!" Li Qi gave her a thumbs up, shamelessly praising her.

Bai Qianruo spat lightly, "How shameless."

"Too much praise, too much praise!"

Li Qi laughed heartily and then asked seriously, "Please forgive my boldness, but where did you get this information from?"

"Mr. Li, you're so smart, do you really need to ask me?" Bai Qianruo smiled faintly.

Li Qi gave Bai Qianruo a suspicious glance and frowned, "Could it be Mrs. Qin?"

Apart from himself, the only people who knew about this were Mrs. Qin, Wu Furong, and the maid Xiaotao. Wu Furong had been with him these past few days, so the possibility of him leaking the information was low. Xiaotao was Mrs. Qin's maid, so if she had said anything, it would have been at Mrs. Qin's behest. Therefore, the most likely person to have leaked the information was Mrs. Qin. However, Li Qi was not entirely sure that Mrs. Qin had told Bai Qianruo.

Bai Qianruo's eyes flashed with approval, and she nodded with a smile, "Actually, even if you didn't ask, I planned to tell you to avoid you questioning Sister Wang later."

"Sister Wang?" Li Qi asked, puzzled.

"Sister Wang is Mrs. Qin." Bai Qianruo stomped her foot in a hurry.

Li Qi suddenly understood, "Oh, I see. But why would Mrs. Qin tell you about this? Are you related to her?"

"Of course not." Bai Qianruo shook her head and continued, "But our families live next to each other, so Sister Wang and I have known each other since childhood, and our relationship is closer than that of sisters. Although Sister Wang is skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she knows nothing about business. So after she discussed it with you, she invited me over and told me everything, hoping I could help her evaluate whether the installment payment was beneficial or not. But please rest assured, I am not a righteous person, but I am definitely not a traitor. I haven't told anyone about this."

So they are neighbors! The world is really small.

Knowing that Bai Qianruo was not an enemy, Li Qi finally felt relieved and sighed, "Sigh, Mrs. Qin is good in every way, but she is a bit too pessimistic. Such a great opportunity, does she really need to ask others? Anyone with a sound mind would raise both hands and feet in agreement. Bai Niangzi, you're so smart, I'm sure you must have been jumping with joy for Sister Wang."

Bai Qianruo giggled, "Don't talk nonsense. Yes, if it really goes as you said, it could be a good thing for Sister Wang and the Qin family. However, in my view, the one who benefits the most is you. You bought half of Zui Xian Ju without spending a single coin. I'm sure you must have been jumping with joy, too."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't talk nonsense. How could I not spend any money? Let's not talk about the distant past, just about those stinky tofu. I'm sure you've heard that this stinky tofu is made from several high-quality ingredients, which are very expensive. Mrs. Qin didn't spend a single coin; I took full responsibility for it. Also, I said installment payment, not no payment. My offer was more than twice as high as Mr. Cai's. You still say I'm taking advantage. Sigh, it seems that Mrs. Qin's decision to have you as her advisor was not a wise one!" Li Qi shook his head and sighed.