No One in the Store Then I'm Not Leaving

Isn't that why they say they are a couple?

The way they preemptively covered their bases was truly identical.

Lin Yu and Mao Ruirui nodded together, indicating they understood what Sister Chunxia meant.

There was one detail that drew Lin Yu's particular attention.

When Song Chunxia emphasized the word "heard," she deliberately glanced at Wang Biao.

Only when she saw Wang Biao busy gnawing on a crab did her expression relax.

This tiny detail was full of information.

Without needing any explanation, one could guess exactly who she had heard the following words from!

"The counterfeit goods that appeared in the auction house this time had nothing to do with any internal issues."

"Instead, someone was deliberately causing trouble for them."

"You might not know about what's been happening these past few days."

"The Huang family acquired two rare items. As soon as they were auctioned off, their reputation soared, and no one could stop their momentum."

"When you gain power and influence, do you think your rivals will just sit by and look at you kindly?"

Song Chunxia spoke vividly.

While speaking, she didn't forget to check Lin Yu and Mao Ruirui's reactions.

Mao Ruirui continued to listen with a look of innocent anticipation.

Lin Yu observed her for a moment and could clearly tell.

Mao Ruirui probably hadn't caught onto any explosive information.

Or rather, in her mind, she had interpreted it as something else entirely.

In short, she definitely didn't see it as the troubling matter of the Huang family being targeted.

Lin Yu quickly pressed further:

"Sister Chunxia, do you mean..."

"That peers from other auction houses are jealous of Guihang, so they found someone to sabotage them."

Song Chunxia paused noticeably before continuing:

"You could think of it that way. That's the assumption most people would make."

"But I think that sometimes, the people who want to harm you aren't necessarily the competitors you fight with out in the open."

Lin Yu instantly grasped the main point.

First it was Little Jiu, then Brother Biao, and now Sister Chunxia...

Three people Lin Yu knew had all pointed the finger at an insider within the Huang family.

Taking everything into consideration.

It was practically an open hand telling Lin Yu that this Huang family member named Huang Daoqi definitely had a huge problem!

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

If he didn't lend a hand to the king of dirty jokes now, it would seem a bit unkind.

Even so.

Lin Yu still pretended not to understand and said:

"Sister-in-law, what you said makes perfect sense!"

"It's the same in any industry. If you do too well, it will inevitably arouse the jealousy of others."

"Your rivals, your relatives, and your friends might all harbor resentment against you."

"Therefore, it's better to keep a low profile in life. It's less likely to lead to trouble."

"Sister-in-law, let me toast you!"

"I've learned a lot!"

Lin Yu politely raised his wine glass, lowered it below hers as a sign of respect, and clinked glasses with Song Chunxia.

Seeing Lin Yu do this, Mao Ruirui naturally couldn't sit idle.

She followed suit, raising her glass of juice and drinking along with them.

...

At half past three in the afternoon.

The drinking party broke up.

The enthusiastic Brother Biao and his wife insisted on calling a car for the two of them.

Only after watching them get into the car did they finally feel at ease.

Lin Yu had indeed drunk quite a bit, but he hadn't reached the point of being drunk.

However, the smell of alcohol all over his body was exceptionally strong.

The destination of their ride was naturally Mao Ruirui's pet shop.

How he was doing didn't matter.

He had to drop Mao Ruirui off first.

Being away from the shop for a few hours might have delayed a lot of things.

When running a shop and doing business, there was no time to just run around casually.

Arriving at the commercial street and getting out of the car, Mao Ruirui supported Lin Yu as they walked forward.

Lin Yu kept saying:

"I'm fine, I'm really fine, Ruirui. Do you think I'm someone with such poor alcohol tolerance?"

Since Lin Yu didn't explicitly say that he didn't need to be supported.

Mao Ruirui insisted on holding him up.

Lin Yu's original intention was to drop Mao Ruirui off at the pet shop and then head over to Aunt Qi Meng's flower shop.

Perhaps he could even run into Huang Feirong.

He might be able to get more useful information from her mouth.

He absolutely didn't expect it.

When they arrived at the door of the pet shop, his original plan underwent a change.

Lin Yu pointed at the pet shop door and asked suspiciously:

"It's locked?"

"Wasn't Xiaoxiao in the shop when we left?"

"Did she go out to eat and hasn't come back yet?"

Mao Ruirui shook her head and explained:

"Xiaoxiao had guests coming to her house this afternoon, so I told her she could go back after feeding the pets in the shop."

"I knew our lunch wouldn't go on too late."

Lin Yu's eyes lit up: "!!!"

In that case...

Doesn't that mean there's no one else in the shop?

Lin Yu nodded to himself and took a step forward:

"So that's what happened. Ruirui, hurry up and open the door to go in."

"You've been gone for several hours, you definitely still have a lot of things to busy yourself with."

"Don't worry about me, I can just take a taxi home by myself."

"Sigh... I did drink a bit too much today."

"I feel like I need to go... go back and rest, rest for a bit, to recover... recover."

Seeing that there was no one else in the shop.

Lin Yu's delayed drunkenness instantly kicked in.

His footsteps became unsteady, and his words slurred.

All the typical signs of being heavily intoxicated were fully displayed on his body without a single one missing.

Seeing Lin Yu swaying unsteadily as he turned to leave, almost tumbling to the ground.

Mao Ruirui quickly jogged over to support Lin Yu's arm and said anxiously:

"Little Yu, if you don't have anything urgent to do this afternoon."

"Why don't you rest in my shop for a while?"

"There's a small bed inside for resting. You can lie down and recover first."

When Mao Ruirui said this, she didn't overthink it at all.

She was purely afraid of what might happen if Lin Yu went back like this.

She couldn't just let him pass out drunk on the side of the road!

Lin Yu was all about listening to advice.

Mao Ruirui had only offered a single word of persuasion, and Lin Yu immediately turned to look at the door.

He scratched his head and said:

"Is it convenient?"

"Will I... will I be interrupting your work if I stay here?"

Mao Ruirui quickly shook her head, supporting Lin Yu as they walked toward the door.

"Of course not. What's there to interrupt with my work?"

"There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Little Yu, be careful, let me open the door first."

To put on a show, naturally, one must do the full set; not a single step could be missed.

While Mao Ruirui was opening the door, a convincing performance was essential.

Lin Yu leaned against the wall and sat down on the steps.

He kept taking deep breaths, looking down at the ground.

It was the standard, normal reaction one should have after a heavy drinking session.

This made Mao Ruirui extremely anxious!

Among the people Mao Ruirui knew, Lin Yu was already considered quite a good drinker.

She didn't expect.

That he would still drink to this extent!

Drinking baijiu was just different from drinking beer.

Who knew the aftereffects would be this strong?

When they were riding in the car and getting off, he looked perfectly fine.

And then suddenly...

Mao Ruirui even felt a bit guilty.

If she had joined in the drinking, maybe she could have shared the burden.

At the very least, she wouldn't have to see Lin Yu suffering like this.

"Little Yu, let's go inside!"

"Come on, lean on me a bit, give me your hand."

Mao Ruirui took care of him with utmost consideration, stopping just short of carrying Lin Yu inside on her back.

After entering the door, Mao Ruirui hesitated for a moment...

Finally, she turned around and pulled the rolling shutter door down from the inside!