Liu Hui read through the report again, her eyes moving back to Li Feng's argument. She wouldn't give up so easily. Not against someone like him. Her pride was on the line.
Then she let out a small laugh.
"That proves nothing." Chen Wei looked toward her. Liu Hui straightened slightly, regaining her composure. "Milk purchases increasing faster than beverage sales isn't unusual. Inventory fluctuations happen in small businesses all the time — bulk purchasing, supplier promotions, spoilage. There are many possible explanations." She turned toward Chen Wei. "If anything, it simply means the café may have ordered extra stock that month." Her eyes flicked briefly toward Li Feng. "Jumping to conclusions about theft based on one column of numbers is… a bit dramatic."
The words hung in the air.
Chen Wei didn't respond. She looked toward Li Feng.
Li Feng nodded slowly. "That's a fair point." Liu Hui blinked, clearly not expecting him to agree so easily. "It could be bulk purchasing," he continued calmly. "Or spoilage." He leaned forward and tapped another section of the report. "But if that were the case, the purchase date would show it." He glanced at Liu Hui. "This café receives dairy deliveries every three days. That means there are no bulk purchases." He tapped another line. "And spoilage is recorded here."
Chen Wei's eyes moved to the small column at the bottom of the page.
Two percent. Very low.
"So if the milk isn't being bought in bulk," Li Feng said, "and it isn't spoiling — then it should be turning into drinks." He paused. "And who said anything about theft?"
Liu Hui frowned.
"Not theft. At least, not in the way you're thinking." He tapped the report again. "Eighteen percent more milk. Six percent more drinks. The rest is going somewhere else."
Chen Wei's eyes narrowed. "Somewhere else?"
"Which means someone in your café is using your supplies for purposes outside the menu."
Liu Hui opened her mouth. Then slowly closed it again. The neat lines of her notes suddenly felt very thin compared to the weight of what he had just laid out.
Silence settled over the table.
Then Chen Wei spoke.
"You're right." Her voice was clean and certain. "My younger sister works here part-time. Recently I noticed she occasionally takes some milk home when closing." She had thought nothing of it at the time. But now the numbers made sense. A small smile curved on her lips as she looked at Li Feng. "Mr. Li… your analysis is very impressive."
She had been worried at first. Li Feng had seemed far too relaxed, almost arrogant. But watching him now she understood — it wasn't arrogance. Not when he could back it up like that.
She cleared her throat and turned toward Liu Hui, still holding her notes.
Liu Hui already understood. She wasn't getting the job. She sat with that for a moment, and beneath the sting of it a quiet bitterness settled in. *What was someone of his level doing in a place like this?*
Chen Wei opened her mouth to speak. But Liu Hui raised a hand gently.
"It's alright." She stood, gathered herself, and bowed politely toward Chen Wei. Then she turned toward Li Feng and gave him a small respectful nod. "I wish you success."
She turned and walked toward the door. Her steps were steady. Only the tightness in her shoulders gave anything away.
"Miss Liu."
She paused. For a moment she considered ignoring him. Then she turned slightly. "Yes?"
Li Feng's expression remained calm. "Your analysis wasn't wrong," he said. "The pricing adjustment, the inventory fluctuations, the promotion margins — all reasonable conclusions." He paused briefly. "But you focused too much on improving what was already working." Liu Hui's brows drew together. "A good analyst studies the numbers," he continued quietly. "A great one asks what the numbers are trying to hide."
Silence lingered between them.
The irritation in Liu Hui's eyes slowly faded into something more thoughtful. Then she gave a small nod.
"…I'll remember that."
She turned and walked out. The door closed softly behind her.
---
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Chen Wei placed Liu Hui's notes on the table and looked back at Li Feng with clear interest. "Mr. Li," she said, "I have to admit, I didn't expect you to notice something like that so quickly."
Li Feng didn't respond immediately. He leaned back slightly, his expression thoughtful. "Can I ask you something, Madam Chen?"
She tilted her head. "Of course."
His gaze moved briefly toward the door. "Why was any of that necessary?" Chen Wei blinked. "You already suspected someone was taking milk from your inventory. Your sister, from what you said." His voice carried no accusation, but there was a quiet firmness to it. "So why stage a competition? Miss Liu spent thirty minutes under pressure analyzing a business she had no prior familiarity with. And she did it well." He tapped the report lightly. "Her conclusions weren't wrong. So if you already had a suspicion, why turn it into a test between two applicants?"
The café grew quiet again.
Chen Wei studied him. "You disapprove," she said.
"Not exactly." He paused. "I just don't like seeing people pushed into unnecessary contests. In my experience, people perform better when they're trusted — not when they're forced to compete."
Chen Wei leaned back, studying him with a new expression. For the first time since the interview began, her smile carried something genuine in it.
"I see," she said softly.
A brief silence passed between them. Then Li Feng spoke again. "Since we're being honest with each other, Madam Chen — we should probably talk about the terms."
She raised an eyebrow. "The terms?"
"The compensation." His voice remained even. "You mentioned twelve hundred RMB for the analysis." Chen Wei nodded. "For a basic report, that would be reasonable," Li Feng said. "But what we discussed today isn't just a written analysis. You're dealing with inventory inconsistencies, supplier monitoring, and internal management issues. If I'm helping you identify and fix those problems, the scope of the work changes."
Chen Wei watched him quietly. "And what exactly are you proposing?"
"Two thousand."
She blinked. "Half paid in advance."
The café fell silent again. Chen Wei stared at him for a moment. Then she let out a small laugh. "You're very confident, Mr. Li."
Li Feng didn't react. "I prefer clear agreements," he said.
She studied him for another moment. Then she nodded slowly, reached across the table, and extended her hand. "Two thousand. One thousand in advance." A beat. "Deal."
Li Feng looked at her hand briefly. Then he shook it.
---
After a few exchanges back and forth, the terms were settled. Li Feng would stay on for a month, delivering his analysis week by week. The first payment was transferred to his account before he left the café.
On his way home he stopped to pick up a few more groceries. By the time he turned onto his street the sky had shifted — the city washed in the deep orange of a settling sun, long shadows stretched across the pavement.
He pushed open the apartment door.
Zhao Lihua and Li Xian were in the living room. Zhao Lihua was on the floor with her daughter, the two of them settled together, Li Xian occupied with something small in her hands. But Zhao Lihua's mind was somewhere else entirely. Li Feng's behaviour over the past two days had been unlike anything she had known from him — he had cleaned the house, cooked, hadn't touched a bottle, hadn't raised his voice, hadn't even stayed in the same room as her longer than necessary. Things she had once only allowed herself to dream about in silence. And he had been gone the entire day. She had told herself not to hope.
When the door opened, both Zhao Lihua and Li Xian turned toward it at the same time.
Li Feng stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He stood there for a moment, grocery bags in hand, taking in the two of them looking back at him.
For a brief moment, no one spoke.
The house felt strangely quiet.