তেতাল্লিশ অধ্যায়: আরও একবার প্রতিযোগিতা

লiu mother hears this and instantly breaks into a wide grin, her mouth unable to close: "that's wonderful! shen fei, you are truly amazing! from now on, i will completely rely on our rui rui!"

when wu wei hears shen fei's analysis of liu mother, though inwardly shocked, he refuses to admit defeat verbally. he sneers, his tone carrying a hint of mockery: "shen fei, stop playing the mystic here! you must have inquired about auntie's family situation beforehand, right? such cheap tricks might fool outsiders, but they aren't enough to fool me!"

upon hearing this, liu rui and liu mother quickly defend shen fei: "wu wei, what you're saying is completely wrong! shen fei has never been to our home, how could he possibly know about our family affairs?"

however, wu wei remains unimpressed, his tone filled with a trace of disdain: "who knows if he secretly investigated? nowadays, what won't people do just to play the mystic?"

shen fei frowns, his tone calm: "foreman wu, since you don't believe it, let's have another contest. pick any person at random, and i will read his physiognomy and feng shui. how about that?"

wu wei's eyes roll, and he points to a worker beside him: "fine, then pick him! this is my worker, little li. if you can tell me his situation, i'll submit to you!"

shen fei nods, his gaze falling upon little li. he observes his physiognomy carefully before speaking: "little li, you are ranked third among your siblings, and your family home is on the second floor, am i right?"

hearing this, little li bursts into loud laughter: "shen fei, you got it completely wrong! i am an only child, and my family lives in a single-story ground house, where would a second floor come from?"

seeing this, wu wei immediately seizes the opportunity and taunts: "shen fei, weren't you acting all profound earlier? why did you slip up this time? looks like you're just a half-baked fraud, yet you dared to point fingers here!"

watching shen fei being mocked, liu rui cannot help stepping up to speak for him: "wu wei, don't go too far! shen fei only got a minor detail wrong, why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

seeing liu rui speak up for shen fei, a wave of intense jealousy washes over wu wei, and his tone turns sour: "liu rui, why do you always take his side? he's merely a charlatan playing the mystic, is he really worth you defending him like this?"

shen fei glances at wu wei, his tone remaining calm: "foreman wu, since you don't believe it, let little li call home and ask about the situation."

wu wei sneers, his tone provocative: "shen fei, you really refuse to give up until you see the coffin! fine, little li, make a phone call to your family right now and see if shen fei is right or wrong! if he's wrong, he must kneel down and apologize to me!"

seeing wu wei being so aggressive, liu rui feels a surge of displeasure and cannot help saying: "wu wei, don't go too far! shen fei only made a slight mistake, why be so relentless?"

yet wu wei sneers, his tone full of sarcasm: "liu rui, why do you always protect him? since he dared to play the mystic, he must bear the consequences! shen fei, if you're a man, stop hiding behind a woman!"

shen fei frowns, speaking in an even voice: "foreman wu, since you don't disbelieve it, let little li make the call. however, i hope you will keep your promise. if i am correct, you must kneel and apologize to me."

hearing this, wu wei laughs out loud: "shen fei, you truly don't shed tears until you see the coffin! fine, little li, call your family right now, put it on speaker, and let everyone listen!"

little li nods, takes out his phone, dials his family's number, and presses the speakerphone button.

from the other end of the line comes the voice of a middle-aged man: "hello, son, what's wrong?"

little li quickly asks: "dad, does our family live on the second floor? also, do i have an older brother and an older sister?"

the other end falls silent for a moment, followed by a burst of laughter: "are you kid drunk? our family lives in a single-story house, where would a second floor come from? besides, you're an only child, where would any brothers or sisters come from?"

hearing this, wu wei smiles triumphantly: "shen fei, did you hear that? what else do you have to say?"

yet shen fei maintains his calm expression, speaking into the phone: "uncle, think carefully again. doesn't your home have a basement or a large underground cave? the kind used to hide from enemies during wartime. also, didn't you and auntie have two children before, but failed to keep them?"

the other end of the line abruptly falls silent.

after a few seconds, little li's father speaks with a trembling voice: "you... how do you know? there really is a large cave underneath our house, used to hide from enemies during the war. and... and little li's mother and i did conceive two children before, but both miscarried..."

as these words are spoken, the entire room instantly falls dead silent.

everyone stares wide-eyed, looking at shen fei in sheer disbelief.

liu rui is even more shocked beyond words; she never expected shen fei to be able to predict things so accurately.

wu wei's expression turns ugly. he grits his teeth, his tone filled with lingering reluctance: "this... how is this possible? shen fei, you must have inquired about this in advance!"

shen fei gives a cold chuckle, his tone laced with mockery: "foreman wu, what else do you have to say now? shouldn't you fulfill your promise?"

wu wei's face turns ashen, and he stammers: "shen fei, just now... just now we were only joking, don't take it seriously..."

hearing wu wei's words, liu rui turns pale with anger. she points at wu wei and scolds furiously: "wu wei, what do you mean by this? when shen fei is wrong, he has to kneel, but when you're wrong, it's just a joke? do you even have any shame left?"

rebuked so harshly by liu rui, wu wei loses face completely and flies into a rage out of embarrassment: "liu rui, don't you dare shout and yell at me here! when wu wei does things, it's not your place to point fingers! i'm not doing this job anymore, find whoever you want to take over!"

with that, he turns around and prepares to leave. seeing this, liu rui panics instantly.

the restaurant's renovation is already halfway done; if wu wei drops the project and walks away now, where is she supposed to find someone to take over?

furthermore, all the renovation materials have already been purchased. if work stops, the losses will be massive.

"wu wei, don't go!" liu rui hurries after him, her tone carrying a hint of pleading: "let's talk things over properly, don't be impulsive!"

wu wei sneers, his tone dripping with disdain: "liu rui, do you know how to beg me now? weren't you quite tough just now? let me tell you, this is non-negotiable! find whoever you want, i'm not serving you anymore!"

having said that, he shakes off liu rui's hand and strides out of the restaurant.

watching wu wei's retreating figure, liu rui stamps her feet in anxiety.

she turns to look at shen fei, her eyes full of helplessness and distress: "shen fei, what should we do now? the renovation is already halfway through. if wu wei quits, where on earth are we going to find a replacement?"

shen fei frowns and says calmly: "don't panic, i'll figure something out."

with that, he takes out his phone and dials mu yuemo's number.

on the other end, mu yuemo's voice sounds somewhat lazy: "shen fei, why are you suddenly calling me? did you miss me?"

shen fei smiles helplessly, his tone carrying a hint of a request: "president mu, there's something i'd like to ask for your help with. liu rui's restaurant renovation has run into trouble, and the foreman has walked out on the job. you know a lot of people, could you help find a reliable renovation company?"

hearing this, mu yuemo becomes instantly interested: "oh? is it the restaurant for the house you bought someone? alright, as it happens, a certain company owes me some construction funds; i'll have them take over the job."

shen fei nods, his tone filled with gratitude: "then I'll have to trouble you."