Chapter 133: The Confrontation

Zhao Fan’s expression darkened. "I don’t know what to call you, but I can tell you this: nothing sold at Feiteng Supermarket has ever caused anyone food poisoning."

The young man sneered. "You know whether it has or not. Don't sit there and deny it. Then tell me, what did my grandfather eat that poisoned him?"

Zhao Fan frowned. "Even if your grandfather bought things at our supermarket, he ate many different things throughout the day. What makes you so sure it was something from my store that poisoned him?"

"Everything he ate was bought at your supermarket."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

The resentment in the young man's eyes was genuine. Zhao Fan studied him for a few moments, his brows knitting together. What on earth was going on here?

Just then, Zhao’s mother ran over from the side. "Xiaofan, the receipt is missing."

Zhao Fan blinked in confusion. "What receipt?"

"The receipt for the things he bought."

At the mention of this, Zhao Fan’s gaze sharpened. He looked back at the young man. "Every purchase at Feiteng Supermarket comes with a receipt. You claim your grandfather was poisoned by our goods, so surely you have the receipt? Produce it. If it is confirmed that the responsibility lies with us, I will cover all of your grandfather's medical expenses, and I will personally pay you an additional sum as compensation."

This was no time to remain deadlocked. Whether it concerned the elderly man suffering from food poisoning or his father, who had been taken to the police station, Zhao Fan needed to take a stand. That first step was to promise compensation.

The young man furrowed his brow. "What receipt are you talking about?"

An employee ran over and showed him a copy. "This one. We have a centralized checkout at the entrance, and we print a receipt like this for every customer. Everything bought and its price is clearly listed."

Zhao Fan had specifically sought out the receipt-printing machine to ensure transparency in goods and pricing. Every transaction generated a duplicate: one for the customer and one for the store. The employee explained this clearly.

The young man looked at Zhao Fan with skepticism. "Does this thing really exist?"

Zhao Fan said calmly, "Of course. I’m sure you’ve heard of the reputation Feiteng Supermarket holds in Yangcheng. We wouldn't lie to deceive you. Besides, the store has been open for a while; many people know our procedures. You can go out and ask around to verify the truth."

The young man considered this and realized it made sense. The tension in his body began to dissipate. "I will go home and look for this receipt."

Zhao Fan nodded, signaling for the men on both sides to let go. "My Feiteng Supermarket is right here. I’ll be waiting for you."

As he spoke, Zhao Fan remembered the elderly man in the hospital and added, "Before the results are out, Feiteng Supermarket is willing to cover your grandfather’s hospital expenses. However, you will have to pay us back later. That’s fair, right?"

The young man flexed his body. "If it is confirmed that it is your supermarket's fault..."

"Feiteng Supermarket will provide you with extra compensation."

"I hope you keep your word."

Leaving those words behind, the young man took his group and left.

Zhao’s mother rushed to Zhao Fan. "How could you make such a promise? What if they think our supermarket is feeling guilty?"

"Don't worry, Mom. I have a handle on this."

Food poisoning? How could anything from Feiteng Supermarket cause instant food poisoning? Despite his thoughts, Zhao Fan ordered his employees to start auditing their stock.

"Search thoroughly. I don't believe there is anything in this supermarket that could poison someone the moment they eat it!"

Following Zhao Fan’s command, the staff descended into a flurry of activity.

Half an hour later, the young man and his group returned, their expressions grim as they admitted they couldn't find the receipt.

This put Zhao Fan in a difficult position. Feiteng Supermarket had not yet implemented a membership system; to find the relevant receipt, they would have to flip through them one by one, and they would need to know exactly what the old man had purchased.

After pondering, Zhao Fan asked, "How is the old man doing at the hospital? Has he woken up?"

The young man locked his eyes on Zhao Fan. "He is still in a coma."

Still in a coma? Zhao Fan frowned, feeling that something was fundamentally off.

"Tell me, are you trying to fool me? All this talk about receipts, is it just a tactic to..."

Zhao Fan said sternly, "Feiteng Supermarket would never deceive a consumer. It’s just that since you can't find the receipt, we have no way to verify the information. We have no choice but to wait for your grandfather to wake up."

The young man was suspicious. "Aren't you just stalling for time?"

"Why would I stall? Feiteng Supermarket is large. Do you know how much business we do in a single day? Stalling doesn't benefit us at all."

The young man thought about it and agreed; business owners are always afraid of being forced to shut down.

"My name is Liang Yong."

"Nice to meet you."

They shook hands. Zhao Fan knew that Liang Yong was willing to wait.

Dismissing the staff, Zhao Fan brought Liang Yong into his office. Since the specific receipt couldn't be found, he would clarify the approximate timeframe first and then organize the search. However, Zhao Fan didn't intend to let the other employees get involved.

For some reason, Zhao Fan kept feeling that the situation was not quite right.

Liang Yong found it strange that Zhao Fan had pulled him into the office alone to ask about the timeframe, but he didn't dwell on it and spoke directly. "It should have been around 8:00 AM yesterday morning."

Around 8:00 AM yesterday morning...

Zhao Fan nodded. "I understand."

Zhao’s mother and Chen Jianyu were waiting anxiously outside the office. When the door opened, they all looked over.

"Xiaofan..."

Zhao Fan said, "Get all the receipts from yesterday. Sort out the ones from after 9:00 AM."

Liang Yong was stunned. Didn't he just...

He wasn't stupid. By now, Liang Yong also sensed that something might be amiss and kept his mouth tightly shut.

The people remaining were the security guards and the men Liang Yong had brought. After Zhao Fan questioned Liang Yong, the whole group went to look for the receipts.

Many hands make light work. Half an hour later, the receipts from the 30th were unearthed. As Zhao Fan had instructed, they placed the ones after 9:00 AM in one pile, those before 9:00 AM in another, and the afternoon ones in a third.

Zhao’s mother looked worried. "Xiaofan, will these receipts actually be useful?"

"They won't do much now, but once the old man wakes up, it will be easier for us to find the truth."

"Oh."

With matters settled there for the moment, Zhao Fan accompanied Liang Yong to the hospital and paid a large sum of money.

"Now, can you go with me to bail out my father?"

Liang Yong nodded. "Yes."

So far, all of Zhao Fan’s actions had satisfied him, so there was no problem with helping to bail the father out.

In the car, Zhao Fan thought to himself that while Liang Yong looked a bit fierce, he was actually quite reasonable. If he had been truly unreasonable, Feiteng Supermarket would have been in big trouble.

Upon entering the police station, Zhao Fan paid the bail and retrieved his father.

"We just have to wait for the old man to wake up, and we'll have our answer."