Chapter 186: Quite a Background and Very Loyal!

Seeing that An Xin was eating very little, Tang Ye took the initiative to use his fork to pick up a piece of the cut steak and gently placed it onto An Xin's plate.

A wave of warmth surged in An Xin's heart, but she was currently single-mindedly focused on losing weight, so she politely declined: "I'm really not hungry, you should eat more."

Tang Ye assumed An Xin was just being shy, and he couldn't help but chuckle, saying: "It's no fun if I'm the only one eating, you should have some too."

Unable to refuse such kindness, An Xin had no choice but to reluctantly eat two bites of the steak.

But the moment she thought about how eating any more would ruin the weight-loss plan she had carefully formulated, she shook her head firmly when Tang Ye went to serve her more meat.

"I have a body type that gains weight easily; I gain weight even from drinking water, I really can't eat any more."

Tang Ye looked An Xin up and down and couldn't help but ask in confusion: "You look like you're only about ninety jin, right?"

Since An Xin was truly unwilling to eat, Tang Ye upheld the principle of not wasting food and swept the remaining meat on the table clean like a whirlwind.

An Xin thought about ordering more food for Tang Ye.

She was immediately stopped by Tang Ye.

"I'm full too. No need to order more. You've spent enough today."

An Xin suddenly realized something.

Could it be that Tang Ye thought she was stopping him from ordering more because she was afraid of spending too much money?

Underestimating her again...

The restaurant owner walked over at this moment.

The owner was a woman, tall and of a similar age to An Xin, with the surname Xu.

Owner Xu was carrying two exquisite desserts and said with a beaming smile: "These are on the house. An Xin, aren't you going to introduce your friend to me?"

An Xin replied with a smile: "This is Tang Ye." Then she introduced him to Tang Ye, "This is the owner, Xu Ying."

Xu Ying looked Tang Ye up and down with great interest and teased: "He really is a handsome guy, no wonder An Xin is always talking about you." An Xin's face turned bright red in an instant, and she hurriedly defended herself: "Sister Xu, don't talk nonsense! We are just ordinary friends."

Xu Ying's smile was crafty as she said half-jokingly: "I don't believe there is such a thing as pure friendship between men and women."

Xu Ying knew that An Xin was thin-skinned and was just about to continue teasing her.

A noisy commotion came from the restaurant entrance, and a group of people in uniforms walked in.

Xu Ying's expression sank instantly, and she hurried over to meet them.

Tang Ye asked An Xin in a low voice: "Are you in trouble?"

An Xin did not hide it and said truthfully: "Recently, people have been reporting us, saying the kitchen's hygiene standards aren't met. Every time they come to inspect, they can't find any problems. But these people come to inspect every few days, which definitely affects business."

Tang Ye looked thoughtful and asked: "Did you offend someone?"

An Xin nodded slightly and explained: "When the shop was being renovated, a group of people came to us wanting to collaborate. But Xu Ying wasn't confident in their renovation quality, so she found another team. Ever since then, there has been constant trouble. On the morning of the grand opening, someone dumped a pile of chicken manure at the door, the shop's wires were cut, and the tap water was cut off too."

Tang Ye couldn't believe it, "So arrogant! Didn't you call the police?"

An Xin smiled bitterly and said helplessly: "We called the police. At first, there was no evidence, but later we installed cameras and caught the perpetrators. The police gave the perpetrators a lecture, but it didn't end there; they still report us every few days."

Tang Ye frowned and said indignantly: "That's too despicable!"

An Xin looked helpless and sighed: "Renovations and renting the shop cost nearly a million in total; if things go on like this, we'll definitely lose money."

Tang Ye was puzzled and said: "For the other party to be so unscrupulous, they must have a backer behind them."

An Xin replied: "The boss of the renovation company is surnamed Ma. I heard he has a friend who is the son of a certain City Leader."

"I'm going to the restroom."

Tang Ye couldn't sit still.

There was a hidden force in Hanzhou.

Although these people were not within the system, they relied on the resources accumulated by the previous generation as a shield and acted extremely overbearingly.

The previous case of Shang Deyi's bribery and illegal activities being closed hastily also had something to do with this hidden power.

For some time now, An Xin had been arranging for a professional team to conduct research on Pinghu.

The plot of land focused on in the research report had also been targeted by a developer.

This developer was a local Hanzhou enterprise with an average registered capital, yet it had previously auctioned off land in several core areas, either flipping it for profit or developing and building it together with other enterprises.

Facing an unfair business environment, An Xin felt very conflicted and couldn't make up her mind whether to invest in a project in Pinghu.

"Owner Xu, it's not that we are intentionally making things difficult for you; as long as we receive a report, we must come to verify the situation. You come to our office early tomorrow morning to report the situation."

The man wearing the industrial and commercial law enforcement uniform said with a cold expression, strictly following procedure.

Xu Ying was full of helplessness but could only choose to compromise, replying softly: "Okay, I will go over first thing tomorrow morning. Sorry for the trouble, Leader."

Just then, the phone in the man's pocket rang abruptly.

He glanced at the caller ID, recognized the number instantly, hurriedly covered the phone with his hand, and walked out of the restaurant to answer it.

Before long, the man walked back with a light step, his expression having softened significantly, and he said with a smile: "Owner Xu, it seems there was a misunderstanding. You don't need to come to our office tomorrow."

Xu Ying was stunned and looked at the man in confusion, asking: "What is going on?"

The man explained: "Your friend has already reported the situation to the leaders at the City Bureau. You were maliciously reported by someone. We will also follow up on this matter in depth tomorrow and do our best to help you solve the problem."

Xu Ying was full of surprise as she saw the group of law enforcement officers out the door.

At the same time, Tang Ye and An Xin also stood up and walked over to Xu Ying to say goodbye.

Tang Ye knew clearly that the phone call he had just made in the restroom had worked.

He looked at Xu Ying, "Owner Xu, I have already reported your matter to the relevant personnel. There shouldn't be anyone coming to disturb you from now on. If you encounter trouble again, call me anytime."

A look of gratitude appeared in Xu Ying's eyes as she looked at Tang Ye.

"So it was you who helped me with such a big favor, thank you so much!"

Tang Ye waved his hand with a smile and responded modestly: "Don't mention it. The Government's duty is to provide good service. It was our oversight that we didn't help you solve the problem in time before."

After Tang Ye and An Xin walked away.

Xu Ying watched their departing backs and couldn't help but sigh silently in her heart: An Xin's friend has quite a background and is also very loyal.

An Xin and Tang Ye stood side by side at the bus stop.

Tang Ye helped Xu Ying resolve that thorny problem quietly and without a sound.

In An Xin's eyes, there seemed to be an innate air of chivalry in Tang Ye's bones; he could always step forward at critical moments and resolve crises without drawing attention to himself.

Before long, the bus slowly pulled up, and the two of them boarded together, walking toward the back of the carriage.

Just as the bus driver started the vehicle, a taxi, in order to snatch a passenger from the car behind, suddenly rushed out from the side without warning and arrogantly cut off the front of the bus.

Seeing this, the driver's expression changed abruptly, and he hurriedly slammed on the emergency brakes.

An Xin had not yet had time to sit down.

The sudden emergency brake caused her body to instantly lose its balance.

With a stumble, she fell backward uncontrollably.

At the critical moment, Tang Ye was quick-eyed and fast-handed; he swiftly reached out and firmly grabbed An Xin's wrist.

Under Tang Ye's powerful pull, An Xin finally steadied herself and did not fall to the floor.

Still shaken, she subconsciously said "thank you."

After sitting down.

Her heart was beating violently, unable to calm down...