Chapter 136: A Visitor

Qin Qing had the weekend off, and Meng Yuan insisted she take her out for a day of eating and exploring.

Given the recent string of disappointing takeout and restaurant visits, Qin Qing decided to play it safe and take Meng Yuan to one of her old favorites—places that had stood the test of time and hadn’t gone downhill.

“Alright, what are you craving?” she asked.

Meng Yuan pretended to think it over. “I’ve been eating a bit greasy lately. Let’s start with a Western-style breakfast today.”

That was easy enough for Qin Qing.

She took Meng Yuan and Mumu, one person and one dog, straight to Daily Fresh Bakery.

It was a hidden gem she’d discovered back when she had just gotten the System Panel and had been kicked out of her house to live in a hotel.

The owner was a kind-hearted and beautiful young woman, though she couldn’t speak.

Qin Qing’s old blog posts had once helped bring in more customers for the shop.

They used to be on good terms, but Qin Qing had gotten busy and hadn’t kept in touch.

Now, returning once more, she saw the shop had expanded—twice the size it used to be.

There were more tables and chairs now.

Inside, aside from the owner, there were several young staff members bustling about.

There weren’t too many customers, but the place was never empty.

The newly expanded section offered light meals.

They ordered from the signature menu: toasted bread, grilled sandwiches, onion beef soup, and tomato cheese soup.

Dipping the bread into the thick soup, the flavor and texture won over even the picky Meng Yuan.

Mumu wasn’t a fan of mushy soups, so it picked a cheese bun and munched on it happily.

Just before entering the shop, Qin Qing had a fleeting thought.

Back when she still had the System Panel, she never thought to check the owner’s Merit Value. Maybe she could’ve helped cure her voice.

But now, seeing how well the shop was doing and how bright the owner still looked, she realized she’d been too narrow-minded.

The crispy, fragrant slices of bread soaked in soup, absorbing the rich broth, had a chewy and satisfying texture—truly unique.

As Qin Qing ate, she suddenly heard clapping nearby.

At some point, the owner had finished her work, noticed her, and recognized her. The clapping was to get her attention.

The owner beamed with joy and made a “wait a moment” gesture before dashing off. Soon, she returned carrying two large bottles of sauce.

She also brought her phone, which used text-to-speech to communicate.

【These are new in-house creations, not yet on the menu. Still in testing. I think they’re delicious—try them.】

【It’s garlic cheese sauce, savory. Great on bread or pasta.】

She then asked how Qin Qing had been.

Qin Qing listened patiently and explained she’d been away on business trips, but now that things had settled down, she’d be coming by more often.

The owner was delighted.

She even gifted Mumu a bag of leftover bread crusts and cake trimmings.

Mumu was over the moon and refused to let anyone else carry the bag—it insisted on holding it itself.

For lunch, they went to Police Station Beef Noodles. It was peak mealtime, and the place was so packed there weren’t even tables available. A whole line of people sat on the sidewalk outside the shop, bowls in hand, eating in rows.

Meng Yuan had never seen anything like it.

After her initial shock, her eyes lit up and she clenched her pudgy hands into little fists. “It must be insanely good if people are willing to sit on the curb like that!”

She turned to Qin Qing. “I want two bowls!”

Mumu tugged at her pant leg. Meng Yuan got the message instantly and pulled a dog bowl from her backpack. “And one more—no spice, extra meat.”

Qin Qing couldn’t bear to look. Whose dog was this, really?

Forget tables, even a spot on the curb was a fight to get.

If you accidentally squatted in front of another store, the owners—watching their empty shops—would glare and chase you off.

As luck would have it, just as Meng Yuan was happily slurping her noodles, a few familiar faces walked into the shop.

Leading the group was Lin Feng, along with others from the Wuning Sub-Bureau across the street.

It was rare to see them all in uniform.

They didn’t seem in high spirits. After a brief greeting, they didn’t say much.

Xiao Song went to the counter to order noodles.

Lin Feng plopped down right next to Qin Qing.

Her bowl had just arrived, untouched.

Seeing the dark circles under Lin Feng’s eyes, his dull gaze, and chapped lips, Qin Qing figured he hadn’t slept in days. She said, “If you’re hungry, go ahead and eat.”

Lin Feng didn’t hold back. He picked up the bowl and started slurping noisily, completely ignoring table manners.

He ate fast, barely chewing.

By the time he finished the broth, Meng Yuan was only halfway through her bowl.

Lin Feng, holding his empty bowl, looked at her.

Meng Yuan sensed something and guarded her food warily. “You’re not thinking of stealing mine, are you?”

Lin Feng chuckled, a rare softness in his eyes. “No, just watching you eat makes me feel at peace.”

“Huh?”

“A girl like you, healthy and carefree, eating like the world’s at peace. For people in our line of work, that’s a comforting sight.”

Qin Qing listened, sensing something deeper behind his words. She glanced at Lin Feng.

But Meng Yuan was delighted. “Hehe… I get it now. My captain says the same thing. He even likes to treat me to food.”

Lin Feng laughed heartily. “Hahaha, I’ll treat you too. Extra meat on me.”

He reached into his pocket for his phone and accidentally pulled out a white flower, which fell to the ground near Qin Qing’s feet.

She picked it up for him. Lin Feng took it back casually and stuffed it into his pocket, then continued slurping a fresh bowl of noodles.

“Forgot to throw it away,” he said offhandedly.

Qin Qing was silent for a moment, then asked, “Was it someone from The Bureau?”

Lin Feng was picking out pieces of meat, speaking through a mouthful. “No, a classmate from the police academy.”

After swallowing, he added, “You might’ve met him—Gao Yanxing, from the narcotics unit. He died during a mission. Meng Yang was with him that time. Got lucky, just got out of the ICU.”

Mumu, who had long since finished its food, suddenly barked twice at Lin Feng.

Qin Qing patted the little one. “Did you hear Officer Meng’s name? We’re going to visit him in a bit.”

She turned to Lin Feng. “Is that okay?”

Lin Feng nodded. “Visiting hours are open now. I’ll go with you.”

Pets weren’t allowed in the hospital.

So Qin Qing went in alone and started a video call with Meng Yuan outside, letting the little guy see him through the screen.

Officer Meng was in good spirits. He said it was all just external injuries and seemed genuinely surprised that Qin Qing had come to visit.

Even more surprising was that a dog had been thinking about him.

He had nearly forgotten that, once upon a time, he’d had some connection with a Border Collie. Still, he politely spoke to Mumu and listened to a stream of enthusiastic barking that made no sense to him.

Lin Feng accompanied Qin Qing as she left the hospital room.

“No need to feel too sad,” he said. “Ever since the police academy, both I and my family were mentally prepared for this kind of thing.”

That was true. In a world of billions, how many people had ever had the kind of cheat she once possessed?

Everyone was just struggling to survive in pursuit of their goals.

Now, she was simply one of the many.

Qin Qing hadn’t gone out of her way to hide the fact that she’d lost her abilities. Word got around quickly, and those in the know had come by to show their support.

That, she hadn’t expected.

Chen Daguang, Liang Jinguo, Liu Simin, Yan Xianghua… even the retired bureau chief from the Wuning Sub-Bureau dropped in for a visit.

When they heard Qin Qing was planning to pivot her company, they all offered their full support, patting their chests and saying, “Need money? People? Just say the word.”

The retired bureau chief added, “I’m about to retire. If there’s anything I can help with, speak up soon. I’ve been a criminal investigator my whole life. If I make a request before retirement, they’ve got to give me a little face.”

As it happened, Qin Qing did have something in mind, though it wasn’t a big deal.

It all started that morning on her way to work.

She ran into ticket scalpers again at the park entrance.

One of them, who had sold her tickets before, recognized her and enthusiastically pitched his wares, saying returning customers could get a discount.

Qin Qing laughed. “Have you ever thought about doing something else? What if this business dries up one day?”

“What?” The scalper looked serious. “You got insider info? Found Studio’s going under?”

Qin Qing said, “Not quite. With the current traffic, it’s booming.”

The scalper waved a hand. “Then what’s the worry? We make our living fair and square.”

“What if one day scalpers can’t get tickets anymore?”

“Tch…” The scalper scoffed, then leaned in and whispered, “Relax. We’ve got tech experts backing us too. Unless the studio switches to a real-name system like train tickets, with ID required at entry, we’ll be fine.”

Qin Qing’s expression shifted slightly.

The scalper laughed. “I’m just saying, don’t take it seriously. No matter how hot this studio gets, it’s still just a small operation. Real-name ticketing would mean linking up with the public security database. That’s impossible.”

Qin Qing reached out and shook his hand sincerely. “You’re a man with vision.”

“Huh?”

Qin Qing said, “We’ve met, so let me give you some advice. This gig won’t last forever. Better to find a new line of work sooner rather than later.”

With that, she turned and ran off, not caring about the curses the scalper hurled after her.

Right now, the Crystal Ball experience was the studio’s core business. With the System Panel gone, she couldn’t develop new industries, so she had to protect the existing ones. Not a single cent should end up in the scalpers’ hands.

Who would’ve thought that the few Crystal Balls she’d originally set up just to grab attention would become her lifeline?

As for the scalpers, Qin Qing didn’t bother arguing with the others about it. It was pointless.

After discussing with Wuyong, she decided to switch the online booking system to a real-name system. Entry via QR code would be replaced with ID card scans.

Of course, this required approval from the Public Security System.

But for Qin Qing, even without the retired bureau chief’s help, it wasn’t a big deal.

Her system didn’t store any personal data. It was used solely for booking and verifying entry. All data would be destroyed immediately after use.

The card readers were provided by the Public Security System.

When the system was being installed, one of the young officers even joked, “The people who come here are so relaxed, maybe we’ll catch a few fugitives while we’re at it.”

The day after the system upgrade, Qin Qing was doing a walkthrough and spotted a few scalpers in line, looking visibly annoyed. From the sound of it, they were there to test the new system themselves.

She thought about it for a moment, then quietly slipped away without showing her face.

She had no idea how their experience turned out.

But ever since then, Qin Qing hadn’t run into a single scalper on her way to work.

No one else had quit the studio either. Everyone was busy with the new ventures born from the strategic pivot. The place was thriving.

Everything was moving in a good direction.

That day, Qin Qing was taste-testing new products for the studio’s online snack shop with her staff.

The studio had signed a partnership with the owner of Daily Fresh Bakery, and the owner had hit it off immediately with Huihui, the dessert expert from the water bar. The two had developed several new snacks together.

Now they were deciding which ones were ready for mass production and which needed more refinement.

Han Jun walked in to report, “CEO Qin, someone’s here to see you. They’re in the reception room.”

After a pause, he added, “Their outfit’s a bit… unusual.”

Qin Qing didn’t think much of that last part, assuming it was another former client dropping by.

She arrived at the reception room and pushed open the door. Her pupils constricted sharply, and she stood frozen at the entrance without moving.

Inside the reception room were two women—one elderly, the other appearing to be under thirty.

The older one had silver hair and wore purple robes, with a kindly expression on her face.

The younger one wore a red gown with a black brocade cloak draped over it. The fabric was light and thin, with a hood that was not currently worn.

The two sat facing each other, sampling the small pastries placed on the table.

Hearing the sound, the purple-robed elderly woman looked up first, smiling benevolently. She gazed at Qin Qing with eyes that showed no trace of unfamiliarity, as if looking at her own grandchild.

Qin Qing heard her familiar greeting: “You’re here? Come, sit down.”