Chapter 67: Silly girl with a runny nose
Not long after, Wang Zijun drove over.
Xu Qing initially planned to go out, find a place to discuss the matter over a al, but after thinking about it, realized it wasn’t appropriate to discuss this outside. So he stayed put and waited for Wang Zijun to co over.
The door was knocked. Before Xu Qing could get up, Jiang He went to check the peephole.
She really liked this invention—you could see outside while those outside couldn’t see in. If a bad guy showed up, she could just stab through the door with a sword…
“It’s my friend. Open the door,” Xu Qing called out while getting up to look for the kettle.
“Oh.”
Jiang He rembered this rich guy. She took one glance and opened the door. Wang Zijun ca in wrapped in his coat, carrying the chill from outside. “I have to tell you—”
He’d just stepped inside, hadn’t finished his sentence, when he turned around to leave. “Oops, sorry, wrong door.”
“Co back. Where are you going?” Xu Qing was puzzled.
“Huh?”
Wang Zijun froze, turned back, and saw Xu Qing inside holding a kettle.
“You… this… d*mn! I thought I knocked on the wrong door!”
He stepped back in, still wrapped in his coat, and glanced at Jiang He, finally recognizing her.
“You forgot her already after eting just once?” Xu Qing was surprised and glanced at Jiang He as well. This girl was pretty recognizable.
“Just once? It’s been ages…”
Wang Zijun plopped down on the couch and started looking around Xu Qing’s dump of a place, finding it more and more fascinating.
“Your kidney… ahem, I an, that stuff affects your mory,” Xu Qing muttered while rinsing two teacups and pouring tea.
Seeing there was nothing for her to do, Jiang He went back to her room.
“Nice…”
Now that the living room had just the two of them, Wang Zijun pulled a docunt folder out of his coat and tossed it onto the table. Leaning back against the couch, he squinted at Xu Qing. “No wonder you’re never around. Hiding your girl in a golden house, huh? Look at this setup, this environnt… Oh, you even have a potted plant—living the good life, aren’t you?”
“That’s ginger.”
“Hey, even more holy.”
“Let’s get serious.” Xu Qing didn’t want to humor him, blowing on his tea and taking a sip. “Is this reliable? If it gets exposed and backfires, we’re better off not doing it.”
“I’ve thought it through.”
Wang Zijun dropped the jokes and opened the folder. Inside were a few forms, looking a bit worn.
“I checked several places. This one lets you fill out a form for a part-ti job. Then you just sign out when you finish a shift. Sell a few bottles of alcohol, and commissions are paid weekly. It’s just basic sales stuff. You wanted a backstory, right? This is the safest way. No one knows you there, and if soone checks, they’ll find it legit.”
He pushed the forms over and changed the subject. “So, this girl… what’s her deal?”
“She’s just an orphan. No family, no ties. I picked her up from a trash heap.”
Xu Qing examined the forms and was satisfied. When he gave this guy clear instructions, he always delivered. “This is exactly what I need—sothing that flies under the radar. I don’t even know if we’ll need it, but better to be prepared.”
If everything went smoothly, great. But if they looked into her closely, sothing obscure like this would throw them off.
Anyone dumb enough wouldn’t find this. It was designed to confuse smart people. In a world full of surveillance, if anyone discovered she’d appeared out of nowhere, there’d be trouble.
“You’re putting in this much effort for soone you just found? Yeah, right.” Wang Zijun sneered. “If you found her in a trash heap, why bother with all this? Just let Haozi handle it…”
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe it… I swear, she’s just a stray kid I picked up.”
Xu Qing raised his hand in mock oath, making Wang Zijun roll his eyes.
“Fine, just don’t let it turn out she’s so spy or fugitive—you don’t have the guts for that.”
“Hey, if that happened, Haozi would be thrilled to light incense and co catch .”
Xu Qing set his cup down with a grin and called toward the storeroom. “Jiang He!”
Creak.
The door opened, and Jiang He poked her head out. “What?”
“Co here and sign this.”
“What is it?”
“Just sign here… Don’t worry, I’m not selling you off. You worked here a couple of years ago for a few months.”
Xu Qing scribbled her na on the packaging box as a guide, just to avoid her using traditional characters out of habit.
“She doesn’t know how to write?” Wang Zijun was surprised.
Young people who couldn’t even write their own nas? Seriously?
“See? I told you she’s just a stray.” Xu Qing shrugged. “She was a snot-nosed kid wandering around for years before she sohow wised up and I took her in.”
Jiang He gave him a look, clenched her fists, and stayed quiet.
“Yeah, right.”
Wang Zijun didn’t buy it but didn’t press. Once Jiang He signed, he stuffed the forms back in the folder, planning to stash them in his store.
It probably wouldn’t be needed, but if it was, it would be invaluable.
“Stay for lunch. It’s cold, and you ca all the way here… I’d have gone to you if I’d known.” Xu Qing checked the ti—it was almost noon.
“You got a car?”
“…”
F***!
“Cook an extra dish,” Xu Qing told Jiang He.
“Okay.”
Jiang He nodded, understanding that this rich guy was here to help, and went to start cooking.
“Wait… you’re cooking at ho?” Wang Zijun was stunned.
He thought they’d just grab a bite nearby.
“What else?” Xu Qing asked.
“Man, you’re really living it up…”
Wang Zijun watched Jiang He pull ingredients from the fridge, feeling like he’d stepped into a different Xu Qing’s ho.
He’d seen it all—or so he thought. (Scratch that.)
He really hadn’t seen this.
Where were the cola, burgers, and chicken wraps?
Earlier this year, after fighting with his dad, he’d crashed at Xu Qing’s place. It was a total dump back then. Now it had suddenly turned into… this?
Wang Zijun stared at Xu Qing, his mind reeling.
“Are you serious?”
“What’s serious or not… You all have the wrong idea about .”
“Wrong idea my *ss!”
Wang Zijun got up, wandered around the living room, and took in the changes. He couldn’t help feeling envious.
“Maybe I need a girlfriend who cooks too.”
“Go ahead, just take care of your health.”
“Why’s your computer in traditional Chinese?” Wang Zijun frowned, sitting down at the desk.
This guy had been acting weird lately. He used to tease Qin Hao for being crazy, but he wasn’t exactly normal himself.
“Because I like it.” Xu Qing brushed it off.
“D*mn… You’re weird. Oh, right, I want a new computer. A good one. Make a list so I can get it assembled.”
“Just pick the expensive stuff. Who needs a list?”
Xu Qing listened to the sounds from the kitchen, stood up, and went to see if he could help.
Inviting a friend over, showing off his girlfriend… it felt pretty good.
All the trouble he’d gone through was worth it.
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