Chapter 27: Kidnapping

Qin Qing had intended to go home and collapse into bed, if not for Mumu’s strong opinion that it wouldn’t eat unless it got to go out and play.

The evening temperature wasn’t as scorching as during the day, but it was still hot enough to make one sweat.

Mumu, wearing a fur coat, was surprisingly happy running on the still-warm road, with a smile all over its doggy face.

It was clear that it had been bored at home while she was busy these past two days.

Qin Qing let the leash out long, allowing it to run back and forth within the extended lead’s range, or circle around her legs.

Discovering the dejected middle-aged man was purely by chance. What she first saw was actually the cigarette butt at his feet, which made the sanitation worker glare. Qin Qing habitually glanced at her System Panel.

She walked over: “Looking for a job? Can I see your resume?”

The man, Han Jun, was truly a handsome middle-aged man, even though he had cried himself into a mess.

He seemed not to have reacted.

Qin Qing said again, “I’m hiring recently too.”

He hesitantly took a resume from the document bag beside him and handed it to Qin Qing, looking up at her.

Qin Qing casually flipped through it. There were some project cases he had been responsible for, which looked quite interesting. But she didn’t really care.

She returned the resume to its owner: “The salary will be as written on it, plus performance commission. The startup team’s work might be a bit varied, but since you were planning to be a delivery rider, you probably don’t mind this…”

“Okay.”

“You’re not going to ask me what I do?”

Han Jun stood up, extinguishing the last cigarette butt in his hand: “Anything is fine, as long as it’s not swindling, I can even do murder and arson. Nothing can be worse than now.”

“Murder and arson are unlikely, but swindling might be.”

Han Jun: “???”

Qin Qing: “Of course, it’s not us doing the swindling, it’s that the public misunderstands our industry. You know many industries have stereotypes, and only those in the field truly understand what it’s like. If you have no problem, you can start work tomorrow.”

“May I ask where the workplace is?”

“Hmm… Actually, there’s no workplace yet. Your first task after starting work is to rent an office space. It doesn’t need to be big, just enough for a dozen people. Then, register the company and get the business license. Since you used to do public relations, you should be familiar with these things.”

Han Jun was silent: …A startup company, but not “startup” to this extent, it hasn’t even “started” yet. Had he met a rich second-generation playing around? It felt so unreliable.

Qin Qing: “Don’t worry, your salary starts tomorrow. I’ll reimburse all your expenses for external work.”

Han Jun: “Then may I ask, what is the main business of our not-yet-existent company?”

“Well, that’s a long story…” Qin Qing pulled Mumu, who was straining in another direction, “How about we sit down and talk?”

She imitated Han Jun’s earlier posture, and they sat on the hot curb, where she introduced her core business to him.

Silence, a more clamorous silence.

Qin Qing tried to save face: “See, you’ve fallen into the industry stereotype I just mentioned. Remember this feeling; only by experiencing it yourself will you know how to face client doubts in the future.”

Still silence.

Qin Qing thought for a moment: “How about you follow our sales staff tomorrow and see the actual situation and client feedback before deciding? Our sales staff’s work is similar to that of a delivery rider. Even if you don’t end up working for me, it’ll be good for familiarizing yourself with the job. If you’re worried it’s a pyramid scheme, you can take a picture of my ID and leave it with your family to call the police.”

It was unclear what kind of psychological preparation Han Jun did when he went back, but the result was that he showed up on time for the Cat-Finding Squad the next day.

Qin Qing also gave him a compass: “After you follow two orders, you can try running some yourself. Oh, by the way, can you ride a shared bike?”

“Thank you, I drove.”

“That works too.”

Han Jun’s expression was indifferent, carrying a sense of “self-abandonment.”

When Qin Qing saw him again, his eyes were full of excitement, completely different from when they met in the morning.

His excitement was exactly like Yang Sang’s yesterday.

“You can really calculate? What’s the principle behind this compass? Can it be mass-produced? Since it can find cats, can it also find other things, like people, or other more important things?”

“It cannot be mass-produced. We will have a maximum of 10 sales staff. You’re right, our goal isn’t just to find cats; cat-finding services are just to open up the market.”

Han Jun’s mind worked quickly. He swallowed: “Since that’s the case, can we cooperate with the police? I have connections in the police department that can help link us up.”

Qin Qing: “Yes, but not now. We need to establish ourselves first, otherwise, we’ll just become tools in their hands.”

“I understand. I’ll go prepare what you’ve instructed. The office location is easy to find. As for company registration, from industrial and commercial registration to tax procedures, the fastest it can be done is two weeks.”

Qin Qing: “No problem, you can come and run errands when you’re free. There are plenty of orders lined up now.”

“No, I think what’s more important than running errands is to first design a systematic service fee standard. The difficulty of today’s orders varied, but the fee standard was the same. It’s fine now with few people. But with more people, there might be issues of snatching orders and differential treatment of clients.”

Qin Qing: “Okay, then you can do that too.”

–

For Qin Qing, she had simply hired a useful employee on a whim.

For Han Jun, this was almost a life-saving hot soup in the dead of winter.

It wasn’t that the family was truly at the point of not being able to make ends meet, but Han Jun’s unemployment, as the pillar of the family, brought visible pressure. Apart from the youngest, who was still too young to understand, everyone else was bearing this pressure.

But the pressure, even when distributed, didn’t ease his burden; instead, the overall family atmosphere became oppressive.

His unemployed parents contributed to the family by hiding their ailments, buying cheap groceries, and purchasing unregulated medicines. Their intentions were good, but for Han Jun, it only brought anger at his own incompetence.

Those unregulated medicines led to new problems. He wanted to reason with his parents, telling them that while they could save on anything else, they couldn’t save on medicine. He just spoke a little too urgently, and his parents felt wronged, believing their son, whom they had painstakingly raised, was speaking harshly to them.

His father said, “We just wanted to save some money, is that wrong? Your mom was in pain and couldn’t sleep all night; if she took that, she could get a full night’s sleep.”

Han Jun: “That’s just a painkiller, not a cure. That medicine doesn’t even have a medical license, and its ingredients are unclear. Taking it puts a greater burden on your liver and kidneys. That’s why you’re having subsequent symptoms.”

“We don’t understand those things, we just want to save money. Now you’ve grown up and become successful, you look down on us for not understanding this or that. We might as well go back to our hometown. That way, we can save you some grocery money.” With that, he started to pack his things to leave.

Han Jun had a headache over his parents’ unreasonableness and felt helpless about their tendency to want to return to their hometown whenever things didn’t go smoothly.

No matter what he said, his parents wouldn’t listen, only thinking he was looking down on them. His wife, Qiao Hui, busily and gently persuaded them, and it took a lot of effort to calm them down.

Another example: when the children went for a walk, they wanted to ride the small train in the community. One payment only allowed ten minutes. After riding it, the child wanted to ride again. The elderly thought it was unnecessary to save money, and the child threw a tantrum, crying until their voice was hoarse. When he and Qiao Hui returned home, they found the child was hiccuping from crying and couldn’t catch their breath, eyes rolling back.

Another argument was inevitable.

As such incidents happened more often, the family atmosphere grew worse. Everyone in the house was careful not to make too much noise when putting down a cup.

Ultimately, it was all about money, money, money.

But now, after several months, he had finally found a new, well-paying job.

He couldn’t wait to share the good news with his wife. Since it wasn’t yet stable, he hadn’t told his parents, fearing that if anything changed, they would be disappointed.

Even his wife couldn’t help but worry: “An unregistered startup company, is it reliable?”

“I think it’s reliable, and precisely because of this, I have an opportunity to become a founding member of the company. The boss said that for the first month, without social security and housing provident fund contributions, she would pay me a larger portion of my salary.”

Qiao Hui: “Even so, can a startup consulting company get business?”

Han Jun quietly told his wife about the team’s true main business, and he was excited: “I’ve tried it myself, it’s not fake.”

Qiao Hui said, “I’ll take a day off tomorrow and go with you to experience a day of business.”

He knew his wife was worried, afraid he might be scammed.

When Qiao Hui witnessed the miraculous self-orientation of the compass, her surprise finally put her mind at ease.

“Before, I only heard stories and legends about how magical things were, but this time I finally saw it myself.”

“It’s hard to believe without seeing it with your own eyes.”

A few days later, his wife told him something: “Sister Wang next door’s child is taking the college entrance exam this year, right? She heard someone recommend getting a spiritual talisman for her child, called a Wenchang Talisman, and it was quite expensive. She gave me one too. I couldn’t refuse.” She pulled out a triangular talisman pouch. “I didn’t dare to just give it to the child, I was going to throw it away, but then I remembered your boss. Why don’t you take it to your boss and ask her to check if it’s real or fake?”

Han Jun: “Isn’t that inappropriate? It’s someone else’s talisman.”

Qiao Hui: “This just shows our trust in the boss. The main thing is, Sister Wang said something that made me uneasy. She said the Taoist priest who drew the talisman said that because the Earth is overburdened by too many people, the temporal energy will become turbid, and people’s desires have also increased, giving rise to many demons and monsters. In such circumstances, Taoist sects that used to live in seclusion will come out to save the world. So, people will encounter more and more metaphysical things.”

Han Jun was speechless: “You believe that?”

“Normally, I wouldn’t believe it, but isn’t your boss a living example? This perfectly matches what that Taoist priest said, that Taoist sects that used to be reclusive are now coming out to save the world. Isn’t your boss doing just that? Although she’s only helping people find cats now, didn’t you also say that your company’s business will be very diverse, all about helping the world and saving people? And it’s not just a solo effort, but a company saving people. Doesn’t this further confirm what the Taoist priest said, that there will be more and more demons and monsters in the future? Otherwise, why would there be a need to open a company?”

Qiao Hui felt more and more that she was making sense: “Let’s not talk about distant things, just our family. Don’t you think we were one of the ones she saved? Didn’t you think carefully about the scene when you met her that day? I kept thinking about it later. You said your resume was in a document bag, and that document bag wasn’t transparent, so how did she know you were looking for a job? And there are so many people looking for jobs, why did she specifically pick you, a grown man, on the street, when she’s just a young girl? Don’t you find it strange? I think she has supernatural powers and deliberately came to save you.”

Han Jun was a little dazed by his wife’s words.

Qiao Hui continued: “So, take this talisman, and next time you see her, show it to her. And ask about what that Taoist priest said, so we can feel at ease. It would be even better if we could get some talismans drawn by your boss; we can pay for them.”

Han Jun wanted to say that his boss didn’t seem to draw talismans, and he didn’t know if she could. Maybe she only followed the path of artifact refining, like that compass—he had avidly read many fantasy novels when he was younger, and now that part of his memory was rebooted, his imagination was a bit out of control.

His wife had already started making arrangements: “My homemade cookies are pretty good. I’ll bake some fresh ones for you to take to your boss to try.” She also stuffed the talisman pouch into his hand, and she, who also liked fantasy novels, joked, “Your metaphysical company is basically a small sect, isn’t it?”

Han Jun was stunned by this, then laughed along: “It really does sound like it, but what sect operates out of an office building?”

“Great hermits hide in the city,” Qiao Hui began preparing baking ingredients, teasing her husband, “But at your age, becoming a savior is impossible. Maybe you could be a logistics elder for the sect.”

“No, I don’t know anything. I’d probably just be an old servant, sweeping floors, guarding gates, or something.”

Qiao Hui: “That’s good too, not dangerous.”

As they talked, both couldn’t help but laugh. They began to imagine stories of cultivation sects, one, two, three.

It had been several months since the house had heard such unrestrained laughter.

–

Qin Qing received a small gift from her new employee.

The sweet aroma of butter and shortbread was teasing her sense of smell through the box.

Half of her mind was distracted by the scent of the cookies, while the other half was rationally considering whether it was inappropriate to accept gifts from employees without cause.

Han Jun: “Homemade. The kids all love them. I brought some for you to try. Our whole family is very grateful to you.”

Qin Qing’s rationality wavered a bit.

It was just a normal exchange of courtesies, nothing much. Reciprocity helps to build rapport faster.

Han Jun: “There are savory ones and sweet ones. I didn’t know which you’d prefer, so I brought some of both.”

Qin Qing felt that being too close to employees might not be good; it would be hard to manage them later.

Clicking her tongue, Qin Qing didn’t take the box, stepped back, and sat down: “How about we talk business first?”

Han Jun looked embarrassed: “There is something, but it has nothing to do with these cookies. I can pay for the consultation at your market rate.”

Tsk… So there really was something.

“Tell me,” she said, already preparing to open Han Jun’s System Panel.

Little cookies, hurry up and get into my bowl!

Then Han Jun talked about the Wenchang Talisman.

Qin Qing: “…”

She seemed to hear the sound of the bowl for the cookies shattering.

Han Jun saw her serious expression and became more worried. Was there really something wrong with this talisman?

He respectfully placed the Wenchang Talisman in front of Qin Qing: “Teacher Qin, please take a look.”

Han Jun had no idea what Qin Qing was thinking right now.

This thing wasn’t within her business scope; a dead object didn’t have a System Panel.

Could she show weakness in front of an employee?

What a joke.

Qin Qing pretended to examine it carefully, then reached out her hand above the talisman pouch, as if concentrating and sensing.

Only then did she withdraw her hand.

The materialist believer with a scientific core could decisively say that this thing was fake.

Han Jun said, “My wife told me that this talisman sells very well. Recently, with the middle school and college entrance exams coming up, many parents are asking for them.”

“Where did they get them?”

“I don’t know the place. I only heard that the person who drew the talisman belongs to a very popular Taoist branch sect in the past two years, called Taiyi Ziwei Dao.”

“Taiyi Ziwei Dao?” Qin Qing repeated the name, finding it a bit familiar.

Tsk, she had actually heard of it.

On her first day setting up a stall on Jinyun Mountain at Baiyun Temple, she was bullied by someone who didn’t know better, and she ended up sending that guy to the police station. She remembered that the sect he belonged to was this Taiyi Ziwei Dao.

So, it was a cult.

Then she had no burden whatsoever about cutting off their source of income. Heretics like cults should be eradicated.

Qin Qing asserted: “This talisman is fake, completely useless. And that Taiyi Ziwei Dao is also fake, they’re all deceptive tricks. If anyone around you believes it, remember to educate them more and not be scammed out of money. I sent three people from that ‘Dao’ to the police station not long ago.”

Han Jun breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this: “Good thing it’s fake.”

Qin Qing heard that there seemed to be more to it: “Why?”

Han Jun then spoke about Taiyi Ziwei Dao and their claim that demons and monsters would appear in the world: “They propagate this to their followers, saying things like ‘When the world is turbid, demons appear; when the Dao is present, laws emerge.’ Hearing you say this, it’s probably a tactic to create anxiety and sell services.”

That day, when she dealt with those people outside Baiyun Temple, she hadn’t paid attention to the details of their doctrines.

“It’s all nonsense. People still have to rely on themselves to live; other things can only help to a limited extent.”

“Understood. I won’t blindly believe these things anymore.” Han Jun also felt a bit uncomfortable that he had actually believed those absurd claims. “I thought it was real, after all, aren’t you coming out to save people?”

So, was it her fault?

Han Jun quickly explained: “Boss, that’s not what I meant. Eat the cookies, eat the cookies.”

Qin Qing didn’t charge him extra; the cookies served as the consultation fee.

Ah, now she could accept them with a clear conscience.

Han Jun really didn’t exaggerate; Qiao Hui’s baking skills were truly excellent.

The sweet ones smelled fragrant, but tasted not very impressive. However, the savory ones were quite outstanding. There were two textures: soda cracker and cookie.

The cookie dough contained sea salt and a certain black mushroom.

There were no other superfluous seasonings, but they were so fragrant that one couldn’t stop eating them.

Qin Qing asked Han Jun what kind of mushroom it was, and the answer she got was: black truffle.

Oh, high-end ingredient.

No wonder.

She had never seen black truffles used in cookies before. No, to be precise, she had never eaten black truffles before!

She had a new ingredient to check off her list.

Qin Qing was already looking up restaurants in the city that served truffles when she heard Han Jun ask, “So, Boss, why did you ‘come out’? Can you tell me?”

He hadn’t forgotten that part.

Biting into a cookie, Qin Qing really wanted to say that her boss had been in this world since birth, so there was no such thing as “coming out”!

But facing her new employee’s intense curiosity, Qin Qing established her persona: “Cultivation.” She said this with a serious and earnest expression.

“Oh, oh, oh, I get it, I get it.” Han Jun, who knows what he was imagining, said, “Boss, don’t worry, I’ll work hard and won’t interfere with your great cultivation plans.”

With someone to worry about and do the work, Qin Qing went home and told her parents about her recent plans.

Mainly, she talked about her intention to start her own business. The main reason was that this matter couldn’t be kept a secret once it started. The fortune-telling business before had to be kept secret. Heaven knows how she would explain that she suddenly knew how to tell fortunes, tell them about the System Panel? Her parents didn’t even play games; they might even think she had a mental illness.

Compared to unreliable street fortune-telling, a consulting company, even if it was just a facade, was still considered a legitimate job in the eyes of the world.

Ms. Wang: “You? Starting a business? Aren’t you working perfectly fine now?”

Old Comrade Qin: “Doing what? Where will the capital come from?”

“I was in charge of an important project for Jinsheng International, and the project share is 7 figures. That can be used as capital.”

Ms. Wang was worried: “Then it’s good for you to continue working there. How risky is it to start your own business? Wait… you said 7 figures? How long have you been there? You weren’t scammed, were you?”

Qin Qing directly showed them her bank card balance.

The old couple fell silent. This development was a bit unexpected. A month ago, their daughter was a jobless freeloader, and a month later, she could start her own business?

“Won’t you reconsider?”

Qin Qing: “I’ve already considered it.”

To reassure them, she downplayed the main business, saying it was helping people find pets, and that this business was very popular now.

“I also got this idea after raising Mumu. I’ve experimented these past two days, and the results are pretty good.”

Old Comrade Qin said, “That’s true. The number of pets has surged now, and owners are willing to spend money on them. The pet business is easier to do than the human business.”

After a while, Ms. Wang took out a card.

“The money in this card is what your dad and I saved for you to buy a house. You’ve always been strong-willed since you were little and don’t listen to advice. Generally, if you don’t want to do something, no one can make you, and if you want to do something, no one can stop you. Since you’ve decided, your dad and I won’t hold you back. If you’re starting a business, this money won’t be used to buy a house for now.”

Qin Qing was touched. She thought she would have to spend a lot of effort persuading them, but she didn’t expect to win them over so easily.

“So, you’re going to give me the money for my business in advance now?”

Unexpectedly, Ms. Wang said, “Just to show you.”

Qin Qing: “…”

“Go ahead and do whatever you want. Once you’re truly on track and confirm that this is feasible, then this money will be given to you. Otherwise, should I let you throw it all away?”

Ms. Wang was still Ms. Wang.

This matter went very smoothly. Qin Qing’s recent bad luck seemed to have left her.

Zheng Yi also replied, saying she was very willing to be a part of Qin Qing’s team. She worked in HR, and she could do that anywhere. Qin Qing offered a considerable salary, and it was a business that helped others, so she had no reason not to go.

Qin Qing: “Okay, then you rest well first. When the license is processed, your work time will be about right.”

“Then I’ll design the salary structure and welfare system at home first, and then draft the recruitment.”

There was no need to be so anxious. There was no reason to make someone work hard during their postpartum recovery. Qin Qing firmly refused.

Currently, only Yang Sang is running the main business. Han Jun can only help occasionally. For the business revenue split, Qin Qing gets the larger share, and the salesperson gets the smaller share. Since each compass activation requires Qin Qing’s manual control, to avoid running around herself, Yang Sang usually arranges for clients to meet her at the Baiyun Temple stall. She provides the location, and then Yang Sang takes the compass and the client to find the cat.

With four or five orders a day, even if Yang Sang’s share is small, his income is quite substantial.

Few of these clients are like Zheng Yi, whose cats were abandoned by family members. Most small cats get lost in strange and varied ways, which shows that cats are naturally freedom-loving and curious, always getting into mischief and then getting themselves into trouble.

Qin Qing was still mumbling that she had been dealing with minor issues recently, with no big business.

With nothing major going on, she thought about her plan to explore truffle ingredients. The cookies Han Jun gave her were all eaten, and she was a bit craving.

But before it was even on the agenda, she soon received a call from Liang Jinguo.

“Qin Qing, I need your help with something. Name your price for the commission.” His voice was urgent.

“Tell me what it is first,” she wondered. “I saw you a few days ago when I went to the company to pick up the Dragon Boat Festival gift box. Mr. Liang should be doing very well recently.”

Liang Jinguo: “It’s not me, it’s a friend of mine. Her son was kidnapped. The child is still young, just started elementary school.”

Clearly, some things should not be spoken of.

Qin Qing frowned: “Are you sure it’s a kidnapping? Have you called the police?”

“It’s definitely a kidnapping. The kidnappers left a message at the child’s disappearance site, demanding a large ransom. The case has already been reported.”

“How do you want me to help? Never mind, let’s talk when we meet.”

Liang Jinguo: “I’m on my way to pick you up.”

Liang Jinguo personally came to Baiyun Temple to pick her up, accompanied by his chief assistant, Ms. You Ai.

“It’s mealtime right now, so there’s no time for a proper meal. I brought you a simple meal to tide you over.”

You Ai brought out an insulated box. What she called a simple meal was actually much more elaborate than what Qin Qing usually ate by herself.

Qin Qing glanced at it and closed it.

“Tell me the specifics.”

“The child went missing when he was out buying toys with his grandmother.”

“At the mall? There are cameras everywhere, so it should be easy to investigate. Since the police have been called…”

Liang Jinguo suddenly said, “When Liang Jian was still young, another friend’s child was also kidnapped. The police did eventually catch the kidnappers, but… in fact, not long after the kidnappers caught the child, they killed him during the transfer… Time, time is the most important thing now!”

Qin Qing exhaled, understanding the seriousness of the situation, and wasted no words: “First, I need to see your friend. Whether I can figure out useful information depends on seeing her. Second, even if I figure out some information, the action still depends on the police, and the police might not believe me.”

“My friend is at the Police Station now. We are on our way to the police station. As for the police, don’t worry, she and I will handle it. All you need to do is tell us everything you’ve figured out.”

“Okay.”

Jiangnan Branch of Shanyu City Public Security Bureau.

Standing at the entrance, she was still wondering if she had checked in at a new mission location.

More than the parties involved, Qin Qing noticed a familiar face first when she stepped into the police station.

Oily-haired, scruffy-bearded Lin Feng.

No, why isn’t this person staying in his own bureau, running around in someone else’s territory?