Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Past Grudges Resolved

Upon hearing Han Zilin’s speculation, Zhou Kexin suddenly had a realization.

"Yes, that must be it. Otherwise, how could a country bumpkin like Qin Tuo possibly know someone like Chairman Chen?"

A group of sales employees also nodded. It was the only explanation that made sense.

Wang Lei, standing to the side, said nothing, his face ashen.

But it was clear that after hearing Han Zilin’s explanation, he had also breathed an imperceptible sigh of relief.

He had been suspecting that Qin Tuo and Chen Man Ni had some kind of relationship.

...

Inside the office, Qin Tuo and Chen Man Ni sat across from each other. The atmosphere was a bit delicate.

"Out with it. What’s the deal between you and that Han Zilin?"

Chen Man Ni’s tone was calm, but Qin Tuo knew she was suppressing her emotions.

So, he quickly explained:

"Manni, you’ve misunderstood. She’s just my neighbor. We grew up together, and I’ve always seen her as a little sister."

Chen Man Ni was clearly unconvinced. She scoffed,

"Heh, a little sister? Is that the line all you men use?"

Qin Tuo shook his head helplessly.

"Whether you believe it or not, it’s the truth. How about I call Zilin in here to explain it to you in person?"

Chen Man Ni was very surprised, only now realizing that was truly the nature of their relationship.

But she still wasn’t entirely convinced.

"Then why do you two look so intimate in the photo? Are you sure you’re not lying to me?"

Qin Tuo gave a bitter smile.

"The person who took the picture was just really good at finding the right angle. I’m not lying to you. Every word is the truth!"

Seeing Qin Tuo’s sincere expression, Chen Man Ni finally broke into a smile.

Just like that, the tension between them melted away.

Seeing Chen Man Ni’s mood soften, Qin Tuo, for some reason, also felt a sense of relief.

He suddenly shot back a question:

"Wait a minute, why are you so concerned about this?"

Chen Man Ni put on a girlish pout.

"I want to be, so I am. What are you going to do about it?"

In reality, she was ecstatic on the inside.

Qin Tuo suddenly remembered a key point about this whole affair and asked,

"Right, how did you know I work here, and how did you know about Zilin?"

Chen Man Ni shot him an exasperated look.

"You, you’re such a fool. You didn’t even know you were being secretly photographed and followed!"

Qin Tuo was stunned.

’Someone was following and photographing me, and I didn’t notice at all?’

He really had no idea who was behind this.

In a low voice, Qin Tuo pressed,

"Tell me, who is it?"

Clearly, Qin Tuo was getting angry.

Being followed, photographed, and set up in a scheme that almost caused a misunderstanding—no one could remain calm in such a situation.

Chen Man Ni thought for a moment and said,

"It’s no use telling you; it’s someone you don’t know. Speaking of which, the reason your parents suddenly moved out of Half Moon Bay is also related to him."

Before she arrived, Chen Man Ni already suspected that Zheng Lin was behind Qin Tuo’s parents moving out of Half Moon Bay.

After all, Half Moon Bay was also a property developed by the Zheng Family.

Feeling uneasy, she had someone pull the surveillance footage from Half Moon Bay for the day his parents left.

And just as she expected, she saw footage of Zheng Lin entering the villa.

Only then did Qin Tuo realize that someone had been targeting him for a while.

He shrugged helplessly and said,

"Well, I didn’t expect to have a hidden rival."

Seeing Qin Tuo’s frustrated expression, Chen Man Ni couldn’t help but let out a snicker.

She wiped the smile from her face and said seriously,

"Qin Tuo, actually, if you want a job, you just have to tell me. How about I let you manage this company?"

Qin Tuo quickly waved his hands in dismissal.

"Come on, your company already has a general manager. I think it’s more reliable for me to just be a low-level employee."

Chen Man Ni smiled.

"As long as you’re willing, I can get rid of Zhang Cheng with a single word. How about I make you the general manager?"

Before Qin Tuo could even answer, Chen Man Ni took out her phone, ready to call the HR department.

Qin Tuo quickly stood up to stop her.

"I was just joking with you! I have no interest in being a general manager. Besides, you can’t just fire the guy for no reason!"

The topic had been fine until now, but at his words, Chen Man Ni got angry.

She said, puffing her cheeks,

"Actually, I knew from the beginning that this Zhang Cheng was a spy planted by Zheng Lin. His purpose must be to monitor my every move."

Qin Tuo retorted,

"If that’s the case, why have you kept him in the company all this time?"

Chen Man Ni said with a look of helplessness,

"It’s not that I want to, but Zheng Lin’s father and my dad are close friends of many years. I don’t want to ruin the friendship between our two families, so I haven’t taken things to the extreme."

Qin Tuo nodded in understanding. Often, circumstances are beyond one’s control, so you can only turn a blind eye.

Chen Man Ni then huffed coldly,

"But now he actually dares to spy on you! That’s something I can’t tolerate, so I must fire him."

Qin Tuo hadn’t expected there to be so much scheming and plotting behind the scenes.

Now he finally understood why Zhang Cheng had allowed him and Han Zilin to join the company so smoothly—there was an ulterior motive.

Chen Man Ni added,

"Qin Tuo, after I kick out Zhang Cheng, you can manage the company for me. I trust you. With the company in your hands, it will grow better and better!"

However, Qin Tuo slowly shook his head and gently placed his hands on Chen Man Ni’s shoulders.

"Manni, listen to me. Don’t worry about this. Leave it all to me."

Chen Man Ni was a bit surprised.

"Oh? You’re working under him. Aren’t you afraid he’ll use his position to bully you?"

Hearing this, Qin Tuo let out a cold laugh.

"I’m not afraid of being bullied. There’s no one in this company who can bully me, Qin Tuo."

Seeing his confident appearance, Chen Man Ni suddenly remembered how formidable he was.

Qin Tuo wasn’t even afraid of underworld bosses like Long Wu and Hong Qing, so why would he fear a mere Zhang Cheng?

Compared to the likes of Long Wu, Zhang Cheng was just a small ant at best.

Chen Man Ni stood up and said seriously,

"Qin Tuo, since you don’t need my help with anything, I’ll be leaving then."

Qin Tuo nodded.

"Okay, I’ll walk you out."

Chen Man Ni suddenly remembered something and asked,

"How about we have your parents move back to Half Moon Bay?"

Seeing Qin Tuo’s brows furrow slightly, clearly showing some hesitation, Chen Man Ni immediately stated with conviction.

"Don’t worry. I’ll give that guy Zheng Lin a stern warning and make sure he absolutely doesn’t dare to cause any more trouble."

However, Qin Tuo still slowly shook his head.

"No, my parents are used to living in their old neighborhood. Making them live in a place like Half Moon Bay would actually be uncomfortable for them."

"Hmm, that’s true!"

Chen Man Ni nodded in understanding.

But she actually felt a little disappointed, feeling as though she had let Qin Tuo and his family down in this matter.

"Well, I’ll be going then. Call me if you need anything!"

After saying this, Chen Man Ni left the office.