Volume One, Chapter 18: Now Is the Perfect Time to Expel Him!

"If you want to sell guavas, you can kneel down and beg me, the deputy manager, and I might just consider it!" Fan Zhicong said with a playful, mocking expression.

Fan Zhicong was quite calculating. He had spoken his initial remarks loudly for all to hear, but he deliberately lowered his voice for that final jab. At that moment, the attention and gazes of all the employees and customers in the store were drawn to the entrance.

"Is it really necessary for Deputy Manager Fan to treat a fruit farmer like that? Isn't it a bit excessive?"

"Keep your voice down, or Deputy Manager Fan will hear you. We'll be the ones who suffer for it."

"Stop talking and get back to work."

Many of the veteran employees at Qingxin Fruit Store knew all too well that Fan Zhicong used his university degree as a shield to act tyrannically and arrogantly behind the back of the owner, Song Qingxin. However, because they lacked high educational qualifications and couldn't create much value for the store, they had no choice but to endure his behavior in silence.

"A deputy manager of a renowned fruit chain in Jinchang County, and yet your character is this pathetic?"

Given Lin Xiaoxu's current capabilities, he no longer needed to concern himself with the moods of such small-minded people. Thus, he retorted without the slightest hesitation, throwing the words right back into Fan Zhicong's face.

"Heh! Why should I show any character to a swindling hick like you?" Fan Zhicong gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with rage as he strode directly up to Lin Xiaoxu.

"Which dead eye of yours saw me swindling anyone?" Lin Xiaoxu stepped forward as well.

Lin Xiaoxu exuded an imposing aura. Coupled with the fact that he was half a head taller than Fan Zhicong, the deputy manager was so intimidated that he involuntarily stumbled back several steps.

"You—you!" Fan Zhicong gnashed his teeth, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Fine! Since you claim you aren't a fraud, call Miss Song right now and let us all hear it!"

Lin Xiaoxu’s lofty spirit suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. Although he had the note Song Qingxin had left him, it was clearly not enough to be convincing on its own.

"I have Miss Song’s number, but I don’t have a phone. May I borrow yours?"

"Hahaha... It’s 2023, and there’s actually someone who doesn't have a phone! You hick, are you trying to laugh me to death?"

Fan Zhicong roared with laughter, rocking back and forth. A few customers, unaware of the situation, began to giggle along.

"You swindling country bumpkin, take your rotten guavas and get out of Qingxin Fruit Store right now!"

Lin Xiaoxu was so furious he nearly lost his temper. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to steady his emotions. "Forget it! I don't want to do business with Song Qingxin anyway!"

"Get out! You useless hick! If I ever see you again, I'll knock your teeth out!"

The moment Fan Zhicong’s insults rang out, Lin Xiaoxu turned decisively to leave. Yet, at that very moment, he collided with a beautiful woman who smelled faintly of medicine.

"Ah!"

Although Song Qingxin had tried to dodge, her arm was still struck by Lin Xiaoxu. Lin Xiaoxu hadn't expected to run into Song Qingxin at such a juncture.

"Lin Xiaoxu, I didn't expect you to arrive so early, which is why I was late. Let's head inside and talk properly."

Song Qingxin hadn't missed the insults Fan Zhicong hurled at Lin Xiaoxu. She planned to settle Lin Xiaoxu first before dealing with the deputy manager.

"No need! I don't want to do business with you anymore, Song Qingxin! My premium guavas can sell for over twenty yuan a jin at any roadside stall!" Lin Xiaoxu said, turning to walk away.

"Xiaoxu, don't go!"

Those were premium guavas with medicinal properties that could clear the lungs and soothe the spirit! Once they hit the market, smokers suffering from years of health issues and those with respiratory problems would surely flock to them. The potential for daily profit was unimaginable! Besides, she was in desperate need of money right now.

Song Qingxin couldn't bear to let this golden opportunity slip away. In her desperation, she impulsively hugged Lin Xiaoxu tightly from behind.

*Huh?!*

In an instant, Lin Xiaoxu felt his back pressed firmly against two soft, voluminous curves. He froze in his tracks, not daring to move for fear of crushing them. Neither Lin Xiaoxu nor Song Qingxin realized that a crowd behind them was staring in stunned, catatonic silence.

Fan Zhicong, in particular, was absolutely aghast, as if struck by a bolt of lightning. This hick from the countryside—wearing a faded T-shirt, frayed shorts, and yellow-mud-caked rubber shoes, with skin tanned as dark as soy sauce—what on earth did he have that made the ice-cold beauty, Song Qingxin, cling to him and beg him not to leave?

"Lin Xiaoxu, let's talk this over! If you’re willing to let this go, I’m willing to add twenty yuan and pay fifty yuan per jin for your premium guavas. Furthermore, I’ll grant you a twenty-percent stake in Qingxin Fruit Store, and we can manage the chain together from now on."

Such a good deal? Lin Xiaoxu was so shocked by the two sudden announcements that his soul nearly left his body.

"The three fruit stores under my name have a combined daily turnover of around one hundred thousand yuan. Please, for the sake of my sincerity, just agree to this."

Seeing that Song Qingxin was genuinely sincere, and hearing the faint, tearful tremor in her voice, Lin Xiaoxu found it difficult to refuse.

"Fine! It's a deal!" Lin Xiaoxu turned around and said to Song Qingxin.

"Fan Zhicong, you are a mere deputy manager, yet you dare to be disrespectful to Mr. Lin, an important partner? Even if he were just an ordinary farmer coming to sell fruit, if you didn't like it, you should have politely asked him to leave. You’re a university graduate, yet you spout nothing but filth!" Song Qingxin turned and scolded Fan Zhicong.

"I—I..." Fan Zhicong’s face turned pale. His mind raced, and he immediately adopted a subservient posture, bowing his head like a frightened quail. "Manager Song, Mr. Lin, I am sorry. I was wrong."

"It's too late! Go clear out your personal belongings, collect this month's salary from finance, and get out!"

Fan Zhicong had always acted polite and amiable in front of her. Who would have thought he was hiding such an ugly face behind her back? She could not keep a menace like him around any longer, or it would hinder the future development of the Qingxin Fruit chain. This was the perfect time to fire him.