Nobody knew exactly what Annie had shown Director Zhao. In any case, after he'd finished looking at it, Director Zhao had seemed about to say something, but before he could awkwardly get the words out, the impatient Annie had pulled out a strange object and tossed it straight into his arms.
Then came something that made Zhang Chulan and the others nearly bulge their eyes out of their heads: Director Zhao Fangxu, who'd been sniping at them and repeatedly warning them during their earlier conversation that the matter was extremely serious and the consequences unpredictable, had actually nodded and bowed like a lackey before scurrying off?
Yes, scurrying off!
And while he bowed and scraped, he'd even worn the sort of groveling expression a subordinate might show to a superior several ranks above him?
Zhang Chulan, Xu San, Xu Si, and the others had even watched, as if they'd seen a ghost, while Director Zhao clutched the object and ran off like a lackey, stumbling and scrambling so comically that he nearly lost his leather shoes.
As for what Director Zhao had seen, they had no idea. Annie hadn't told them, and they hadn't dared to ask.
Xu Si eventually remembered something and hurried after him to drive him away. Zhang Chulan, Zhang Lingyu, Xu San, and the others remained suspicious and bewildered. For a while, they even wondered whether Annie had used some bizarre spell to control their Director Zhao's mind.
Of course, they had no evidence either way. The deed was done, and there was no point in saying anything now. As for what might happen next, they could only wait until Xu Si got back and discuss it together.
But then!
Something else happened soon afterward that Zhang Chulan, Xu San, Xu Si, and the others had