Chapter 22: The Criminal

Was the System Panel trying to tell her something?

Qin Qing could never forget the scene she witnessed in the hospital, the eyes of those with the black System Panels.

A longing for life, a powerlessness in the face of death.

After the System Panel appeared, Qin Qing had always believed she was doing well. No ugly displays of sudden wealth, no terrible ambitions spawned by it; she was still herself.

But after visiting the hospital, she felt shallow for having been smug about earning high commissions in a short time.

What exactly was the System Panel trying to tell her? Or rather, what did it want her to do? If there was a need, couldn’t it just say so? What if she didn’t grasp such an obscure message?

Or perhaps she was overthinking it, and it was just a coincidence that she opened her eyes to see a dense crowd of dying people?

But what if it wasn’t?

First, she encountered Lin Fanghui, which caused her to become inexplicably weak and suffocated. Now, a new function suddenly activated in a place concentrated with many dying people.

What kind of existence was the System Panel? What was its purpose in coming to her? Would it truly not affect her health?

Or perhaps it already had, but current medical levels couldn’t detect it?

If she hadn’t helped the police apprehend Lin Fanghui, would the System Panel have truly suffocated her to death?

In that case, even an autopsy wouldn’t reveal the cause, right? At most, it would show she died of a sudden heart attack. The police and her parents wouldn’t even know the truth of her death. They wouldn’t know that such a System Panel had ever existed by her side.

Let’s review the rewards and punishments she received after acquiring the System Panel – if the physical anomaly at the police station entrance counted as a punishment.

Rewards:

1. Provided clues to assist in the arrest of murderers Gui Cheng and Lin Fanghui, who had a severe negative impact on society. This was very clear: it was because she punished evil.

2. Saved Chen Daguang from being tricked into jumping off a building. This could also be considered a form of punishing evil, but the reward points were only a single digit compared to the first item. Qin Qing analyzed that the focus here was on saving a life; perhaps because only one person was saved, the quantity wasn’t enough, so fewer points were given. The first item directly helped eliminate social hazards, which could be equivalent to saving more people.

3. Increased the Mood Value and happiness index of ten thousand people, although she didn’t know how this came about. Since a reward was given, it meant she had played a role.

4. Helped the Liang father and son improve their parent-child relationship. In terms of severity and difficulty, this matter was the easiest and most trivial compared to the above three, yet it contributed the most rewards of all items. She had always been curious about how great Liang Jian’s future achievements could be. How “chuunibyou” was he that his family relationship affected the progress of his career? But judging from the above three points, the currently young future Mr. Liang, a big shot, might be able to benefit many people.

Punishment:

The only time it had a negative effect on her was when she hesitated whether to let Lin Fanghui go.

Problems:

The biggest problem currently was that the System Panel could only provide information and could not offer her direct and powerful personal protection.

In summary: The core of the rewards and punishments brought by the System Panel lay in people. Whether it was directly saving people, combating crime to save people, escorting future big shots to save more people, or bringing joy and happiness to others. The System Panel seemed to be conveying one message: help them live better.

So, showing her people suffering from illness was also for her to help them?

No, she couldn’t do that, and the System Panel knew it. That’s why leaving the hospital didn’t result in her being physically punished.

To free people from illness, ultimately depends on the construction of a comprehensive medical system and the development of medical technology.

So, combining the above analysis, perhaps the System Panel wanted her to escort one or more future big shots who could directly promote the development of this industry? And also help them resolve their family relationships?

But it also had to tell her who these young big shots were and where they were.

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She somewhat understood the suspicious feelings the Liang father and son had towards her.

Perhaps, she needed to be nicer to them?

Qin Qing decided to brainstorm. There was no one she could discuss this with. She went online for inspiration. Of course, she couldn’t directly describe her problem, nor could she describe it. She searched for similar things.

Thank you, the search results were all “shuangwen” novels. (power fantasy or wish fulfillment)

Hmm, no complaints, “shuangwen” are also the result of brilliant ideas from some excellent humans, so they can be referenced.

Read three hundred novels.

Then, what did she see?

Possessing a beauty system, an ugly duckling transforms into a swan, rising against all odds to become internationally beautiful…

Possessing a tycoon system, a poor child becomes a super-rich magnate, buying and buying until there’s nothing left to buy on Earth, then opening a new map to buy in the stars…

Possessing a divine birth system, continuously giving birth, one birth yields three thousand (are these humans or jellyfish?), and every child is a big shot…

She didn’t get any inspiration; instead, she discovered a problem.

Other people’s systems would assign tasks, and completing tasks would bring various heaven-defying rewards of black technology. Even if one didn’t do tasks, daily check-ins and lucky draws could yield good returns.

Now, that’s what you call a cheat, right?

What did the System Panel have? It seemed to be upgrading and giving rewards, but the rewards were all for its own use. Qin Qing didn’t get any benefits.

All the benefits she gained were earned by her own wisdom (not really →_→)!

That’s fine, but it actually didn’t assign tasks. It even made her guess!

Qin Qing fell backward, collapsing onto the bed.

Sure enough, thinking wasn’t for her.

She gave up.

She spent one minute reflecting.

The System Panel shouldn’t even think about PUAing her. If it wanted her to do something, couldn’t it just say so clearly? It still wanted her to guess and comprehend. How was this any different from those leaders who assigned unclear tasks, then blamed others for not doing well when they themselves didn’t explain clearly?

Thinking this way, she was truly too clever. If she hadn’t seen what other people’s systems looked like, she would have almost been led astray by this System Panel, and it even wanted to cause her internal conflict?

No way! Let the System Panel have its own internal conflict!

The System Panel was on her now, that was true, but it was just a black technology of unknown origin. She wasn’t a savior. What was the point of showing her so much human suffering? Even if it worked her to death, she couldn’t save everyone. Moreover, there were many situations where she was powerless, just like those patients.

If it wanted her to save people, it should at least give her a medical system.

Bosses who only give tasks but no resources are not good bosses. The System Panel was not a good System Panel either, still playing charades with her.

Get lost!

Now, she was the System Panel’s holder; she wanted to be the System Panel’s boss!

Understanding this, she felt completely refreshed and comfortable.

“Heh…”

It was a soft chuckle, an uncontrollable chuckle.

Shock!!!

She scrambled up from the bed and looked around the room.

How could there be someone else’s voice in her room? Qin Qing could bet she wasn’t hallucinating.

In that brief chuckle, she could even discern that the voice belonged to an unfamiliar mature male, with a deep, resonant tone.

Was she being monitored?

On second thought, impossible. If she were truly being monitored, her System Panel log would show it.

Currently, the System Panel log was completely normal.

But what if the voice came from the System Panel itself?

She was startled by this thought, and a layer of goosebumps instantly rose on her back.

“Who? Speak! I’ve already found you.”

Qin Qing stared at the System Panel, which remained as quiet as a chicken.

Five minutes… ten minutes… twenty minutes…

Until her eyes ached, the System Panel remained like a dead object.

Looking around, there was nothing unusual.

It was… ridiculous.

Qin Qing didn’t feel particularly scared, but she was extremely annoyed and irritable. An uncontrollable irritation towards the unknown.

She had many guesses about the current situation.

For example, there was a System Panel ghost beside her… that didn’t seem very realistic.

For example, during a job interview, a shell company implanted some chip in her body, causing her to have supernatural hallucinations… This is how unscientific things are explained in movies and TV shows that need to pass censorship.

For example, the System Panel itself was a high-dimensional commanding entity, always disguised as black technology and parasitizing her… a bit of a wild guess.

Regardless of the truth, what was confirmed now was:

1. The System Panel’s goal must be achieved through her (or a person), otherwise it wouldn’t show her. This means she has value to the System Panel, so at least for now, there’s no need to worry about her life safety.

2. She doesn’t have to put herself in the position of a victim. She can also benefit from the System Panel, so their relationship is a win-win cooperation, and their status is equal.

3. Whether it’s a living or inanimate object, if it can laugh, it proves it has emotions and can think. It’s not a cold, unfeeling existence that would eliminate her without warning. This means communication is possible when necessary, even if the other party seems unwilling to communicate with her now.

As long as the other party actively communicates with her, she can make demands!

For example, protecting her personal safety. This is very important; if you want the horse to run, you have to feed it grass.

In summary, she was not entirely passive!

“Whatever you are. Don’t peek when I’m showering or using the toilet!” Not a very powerful threat.

“Haha…”

Qin Qing confirmed she heard it again. And it was laughing even louder than before.

Laughing ghost, what’s so funny? Was she that ridiculous?

Irritated!

So irritated that she rarely suffered from insomnia.

She went to the bidding conference the next day with two dark circles under her eyes, looking listless, following Liang Jinguo.

Yes, she also attended the bidding conference, having a place in Liang Jinguo’s team. This old fox Liang even arranged for her to sit by his side, such a conspicuous position.

Both people within the company and others subtly cast their gazes upon her.

She could bet this old fox was doing it on purpose. Probably another one of his ways to test her?

No problem, bring it on.

With the System Panel’s life threat and mysteries ahead, most real-life troubles seemed trivial to her.

Unfortunately, despite many people’s curiosity, no one couldn’t resist coming over to ask.

If anyone dared to ask, she would dare to solicit business right in front of Liang Jinguo. She had noticed that many people here were her potential clients. Then, let’s see what this old fox would do, shooting himself in the foot by sending away the god of wealth—yes, that’s how Qin Qing positioned herself. Facing someone like Liang Jinguo, who was outwardly gentle but actually strong, she had to be this confident so he couldn’t figure out her methods.

Until the bidding conference ended, no boss came to talk to her. Qin Qing felt sorry for the money they were about to lose.

Alright, the old fox actually won this round in secret. She glanced at the old fox Liang beside her, not very pleased.

With Qin Qing overseeing, Jinsheng International won this bid quite beautifully. The final transaction price for the land they wanted to purchase was almost exactly at the edge of the second-place bidder’s offer.

Regardless of what they thought internally, tens of millions in profit were real.

Unlike Qin Qing’s expression, Liang Jinguo smiled very sincerely at her. He leaned in and whispered, “This time, it’s all thanks to Miss Qin.”

Having finally completed this big order and not having received any new ones, Qin Qing just wanted to go back to sleep.

Hearing this, she rubbed her neck and perfunctorily replied, “So, a pleasant cooperation?”

Liang Jinguo clapped his hands, “Hahaha, a pleasant cooperation. The more such cooperations, the better. Commission is negotiable, and if you have any other requests, feel free to ask. Mr. Liang will do his best to help with anything he can.”

“I’ll take the commission and…” Qin Qing stopped rubbing her neck. “Speaking of which, there’s something I really want to ask.”

Liang Jinguo changed his sitting posture, his expression becoming a bit more serious: “Tell me.”

The result of this bid softened his attitude towards Qin Qing. Although he still had doubts, he was actually leaning towards trusting Qin Qing. Chinese people, even if they don’t believe in metaphysics, still hold it with reverence.

If she truly was a master, given the abilities she displayed, it was necessary to satisfy her requests and win her over.

If she achieved this result through other means, then after such a grand gesture, it was probably time for the real show. Even if it wasn’t time to reveal her true intentions, he could still glean some clues from her demands.

His mind raced, thinking about the demands she might make and the corresponding countermeasures.

Then he heard Qin Qing say, “Mr. Liang, does your company have any positions that don’t require clocking in or fixed office hours? If so, could you arrange one for me? Oh, a lower salary is fine. It’s mainly to appease my family. You know my street vending business income isn’t Stability, and the older generation still hopes for a stable job.”

“And to pay social security, by the way,” she added. This was the most important part.

There was nothing to hide; she was unemployed, and everyone knew it.

Qin Qing had checked, and the types of social security individuals could pay were not as comprehensive as those paid by companies, and the contribution levels also differed. In short, it was more reliable to have a company pay on her behalf.

Moreover, there was a heartbreaking fact. Until a few days ago, she didn’t know that buying a house wasn’t just about spending money; according to the city’s policy, there were also basic requirements for household registration and social security contributions.

Originally, thinking that the commission from Jinsheng International was about to arrive, she went to look at houses in advance.

With the secret of the System Panel on her, even if others couldn’t see it, having her own place felt safer.

The real estate industry had been sluggish for the past two years, so she found a few satisfactory houses relatively easily.

Just as she was about to finalize one, the property consultant asked about household registration, social security and provident fund, personal credit, and other issues. Only then did she realize that buying a house was so complicated.

Her house-buying plan was directly aborted.

So, social security was a must!

Liang Jinguo thought he was hallucinating: “Social security?”

His mind was filled with all sorts of intricate business battles, ready to unfold one after another. And now she was telling him she just wanted to pay social security?! Their last topic was a multi-million dollar business deal, and they had initially confirmed intentions for future cooperation. The next second, she was talking about something as down-to-earth as social security?

It was like preparing to recruit a top talent, ready for them to make outrageous demands. Talents, after all, people with talent always have some strange ideas, and they might make any absurd request. Or at least something more mundane, like asking for a house, a car, shares… But then the talent opens their mouth and asks, “Can you give me two thousand a month?” It was that ridiculous.

Liang Jinguo’s expression was indeed a bit out of control, his facial muscles twitched multiple times before twisting into a somewhat distorted smile.

Seeing his strong reaction, Qin Qing said, “No? Then forget it, I was just asking.” Just being on the payroll without actually working did seem a bit much.

Liang Jinguo felt a mouthful of blood stuck in his chest, unable to spit it out. It was like an internal injury from practicing martial arts and going berserk. He clutched his chest and leaned back.

He waved his hand, and a female employee in a gray suit immediately stood up, bending slightly at the waist and asking, “Mr. Liang, are you feeling unwell?”

Liang Jinguo pointed at Qin Qing: “Qin Qing, the company’s important investment consultant. Help her with the onboarding process.”

“Yes, Mr. Liang.”

While they were speaking, other company employees who were present today seemed to be busy with their own tasks, typing furiously on their keyboards. But whether they were listening in on the conversation, only they themselves knew.

This was the first time Liang Jinguo introduced Qin Qing’s identity in front of his team.

Qin Qing watched as the female employee walked around a row of chairs and approached her.

This employee, whom she had never seen before, carried a Dior denim tote bag and wore at least six-centimeter high heels, walking with a brisk, confident stride.

What a cool sister.

And very professional, showing no extra curiosity towards Qin Qing. She simply carried out Liang Jinguo’s brief instructions.

“Miss Qin, right? Hello. My name is You Ai, Mr. Liang’s chief assistant. You can call me by my name, my position, or my English name Iyonna, whatever you prefer.”

After a brief self-introduction, You Ai went straight to the point: “To complete the onboarding process, we’ll need a two-inch electronic blue-background passport photo, a debit card from XX Bank, and your ID card and degree certificate.”

Qin Qing happened to have all these documents on her phone.

You Ai: “Let’s exchange contact information, and you can send them to me. The company handles onboarding uniformly on Mondays, and I’ll notify you then.”

She didn’t say a single unnecessary word, nor did she show any superfluous expression. She maintained a smile throughout, efficiently completing her work. Qin Qing looked sideways.

More than the onboarding process, she was more focused on this older sister’s delicate, luminous, and incredibly resilient skin.

She had makeup on, but Qin Qing was so close that she could barely detect any powdery feel.

She was genuinely envious.

This Assistant You looked to be in her thirties, but judging by her obviously well-maintained face, Qin Qing blindly guessed her actual age should be over forty. And indeed, checking the System Panel, she was forty-two.

Qin Qing touched her face, wondering if she could also look ten years younger than her actual age when she was in her forties.

She probably could, she didn’t even have to go to work.

Now that the System Panel has been upgraded, can it offer some black tech goodies?

Currently, apart from the physical notebook, all upgrade rewards revolve around the System Panel’s functions. Even the notebook is just an accessory to the System Panel, essentially another display screen.

Could it be that besides making money with the System Panel, she has no other benefits to gain?

No one answered her.

Last night’s two laughs seemed like her imagination.

This upgrade reward, in addition to batch color recognition, also includes function transplantation.

A function that’s either useless or whose purpose hasn’t been figured out yet.

Qin Qing studied it. The general meaning of this function is that a function already activated on the System Panel can be copied to other physical objects, and each copy costs Energy Points. A function that consumes precious Energy Points and has no specific use case, so she had to put it aside.

It was like getting a reward but not really getting one.

These past two days have been truly frustrating, with everything going wrong.

The only good news today, barely, was that Liang Jinguo, that old fox, didn’t delay salary payments; the settlement was quite timely.

Assistant Xiao Wu called Qin Qing to inform her that this project was completed, and her commission had been submitted to finance for payment. He also thoughtfully mentioned that he had already withheld her individual income tax, saving her the trouble of self-declaration.

He told her to check her account promptly and contact him if there were any issues.

Damn it!

Qin Qing realized she had forgotten something.

If Assistant Xiao Wu hadn’t reminded her, she wouldn’t have even thought about individual income tax.

She found that a major drawback of not working a regular job was her insufficient knowledge and understanding of common policies; she lacked that awareness and had suffered some losses.

It was true when buying a house, and it was true now with collecting payments.

Hmm, improving her knowledge of policy common sense must be put on the agenda; she can’t make such basic mistakes again.

She wondered how much tax would be withheld this time. She figured it was just tax, so it shouldn’t be too much, right?

Then, bank transfer text messages gave her the answer, and more than one message.

[XX Bank: Dear customer, your account ending in 4115 has received 3,383,800 yuan.]

[XX Bank: Dear customer, today your account ending in 4115 received a large sum of money. To ensure the safety of your funds, our bank kindly reminds you to verify the legality of the source of funds. If you have any questions, please call xxxx. At the same time, our bank can provide you with exclusive financial planning services for large sums of money. We look forward to serving you!]

[XX Bank: Dear customer, congratulations! As your financial assets at our bank have reached an excellent level, your customer tier has been automatically upgraded to Diamond Customer. As a Diamond Customer, you will enjoy… and other products and services. Our bank sincerely thanks you… If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your dedicated relationship manager.]

Qin Qing: “…”

She felt she had lost out, lost big time.

In this bidding project, she helped Jinsheng International save a total of 49.6 million yuan. According to the agreement, her commission was 4.96 million yuan, which was easy to calculate.

Counting it up, a simple subtraction, if Liang Jinguo hadn’t deducted her service fee, her individual income tax would probably have been around 1.58 million…

Oh, just a mere 1.58 million.

No, she couldn’t hold it in. Her attempt to act cool failed. That was 1.58 million RMB! Thinking about how she was almost homeless and had to mooch a bowl of noodles from Lin Feng, which only cost a few yuan. How many bowls of noodles could this buy???

Qin Qing felt she didn’t quite recognize this number. She, Qin Qing, paid a house’s worth in taxes?

Ah… she should have asked for a higher commission, or a post-tax price. A miscalculation.

This was the disadvantage of not having worked before, of lacking experience.

When she was in school, she also worked on projects with her advisor, and the advisor directly gave her money, without mentioning taxes.

Now she understood why so many celebrities evaded taxes; it really hurt.

She could only comfort herself. Paying taxes was a must, it was every citizen’s duty. She was a law-abiding good citizen.

Speaking of which, if she didn’t pay this tax, would the System Panel punish her?

No one answered her. The System Panel was as quiet as ever, like an ordinary floating display.

She didn’t want to challenge or test the System Panel’s limits for now.

Let it be, she’d make do.

On Monday of the second week, Qin Qing was notified to go to Jinsheng International for onboarding. She was very enthusiastic, looking forward to her upcoming social security account.

But when she went, she basically just signed a document and claimed her onboarding gift package as an employee of Jinsheng International.

Employee ID, work badge, uniform, workstation… no different from ordinary employees.

Qin Qing found that her position title was Junior Investment Consultant, in the Strategic Planning Department. Her direct superior was the head of that department, also a vice president of the company, who reported directly to Liang Jinguo.

However, she didn’t meet this vice president, who was reportedly away at a meeting.

Comparing notes, Qin Qing’s own job level was 7, while the department head’s level was 12. She didn’t have much concept of this, but her job level didn’t seem to be the nominal junior level she initially thought.

Until Assistant Xiao Wu arrived and, under everyone’s gaze, led her away from the HR onboarding training session.

“We meet again, Miss Qin. I didn’t expect us to become colleagues. Sister You sent me to help you get familiar with the company. That general training session isn’t worth listening to; it’s just about the company’s history, brilliant achievements, and introducing new hires to the company’s bigwigs. Your situation is special, so you don’t need to go through that process.”

That was practical, and Qin Qing was quite happy about it.

Xiao Wu focused on introducing various public benefits. Consultant was a long-standing position in the company, not specifically created for her. Consultants’ compensation didn’t rely on basic salary but on commission, earning more for more work.

Her social security contributions would be based on her basic salary.

Also, the company had a strict attendance clock-in system. If Qin Qing didn’t come to the office, she would need to submit a public leave application once a month to maintain full monthly attendance.

That was acceptable.

Until Assistant Xiao Wu said his own job level was only 6, Qin Qing felt that Liang Jinguo was quite generous to her.

Speaking of which, she still didn’t know the salary for a level 7 position.

Xiao Wu: “It’s in the contract, you can see it.” Speaking of this, he quietly added, “From level 7 onwards, there’s also an invisible benefit: after two years of service, you can receive company stock worth 1-2 times your annual salary.”

He sounded quite envious, as he didn’t have that qualification yet.

After Xiao Wu left, Qin Qing checked her contract for her basic salary: 30,000 yuan exactly. It was said that this didn’t include monthly performance bonuses, which averaged 40% of the base salary, but she didn’t count on that since she wouldn’t be coming to work.

Still, she had to praise General Manager Liang for being quite generous again.

What made her realize her job level more deeply was finding Second Aunt’s prospective son-in-law, Xiao Yuan, on the company’s internal chat account. According to Second Aunt, he was a senior manager. He was in the marketing department, at level 5, which was even lower than Xiao Wu.

Was General Manager Liang trying to show her favor? Probably not, it was likely just a casual arrangement.

This job level and salary only looked high; compared to the commission Qin Qing received from the project, it was really nothing.

So, Assistant Xiao Wu said consultants relied on project commissions, not salaries.

After onboarding, Qin Qing was added to various work groups, all of which she muted.

Today, she decided to go home and show off her freshly acquired, genuine employment contract to Ms. Wang.

When she got back, she found Ms. Wang, who had the day off, chatting with several aunts and uncles from the same building in the lakeside pavilion in the community courtyard. And they were talking about her.

Originally, an aunt was complaining about not sleeping well due to taking care of her grandchild, suffering from headaches, hand pain, and back pain. Other aunts and uncles echoed that taking care of children was too tiring and made their whole bodies uncomfortable.

Aunt A: “I saw a group discount for a physical exam for only 199, and I wanted to go, but then I found out it was a basic package that barely checked anything. For seniors like us, key checks for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular issues cost extra, and they’re expensive.”

Uncle B: “Expensive is one thing. But I can’t handle those high-tech things now. If I want to go, I have to wait for the kids to be free and take me. Last month, they said they’d take me, but then my daughter said she had to work overtime, and my son said he had a dinner engagement. When they finally came back, they just held their phones and said they were tired and didn’t want to go out. I’ve been talking about this physical exam for so long, and it still hasn’t happened.”

Aunt C said indignantly: “Yes, mine is the same. You’d think they’d feel sorry for us taking care of their grandchildren at home.”

Ms. Wang said: “You can’t say that. Young people are so tired from work these days. They really lack energy.”

Uncle D: “Hey, Grandma Wang, you can talk big now because you don’t have to take care of grandchildren. I envy you!” He said “envy” but meant the exact opposite.

He continued: “Your Qin Qing should be graduating this year, how’s her job search going? Speaking of lacking energy, she’s the one child I’ve seen with the least spirit. When she was little, remember? That kid was like a sloth, always sleepy. You often heard her dad rushing her to get up for school. When she walked past my door downstairs, her eyes were basically closed, it was quite cute. Hey, is she still like that now?”

Qin Qing then heard Ms. Wang, with a proud demeanor she had never seen before, say lightly: “Qin Qing recently found a job, not a big company or anything. But the company benefits are pretty good. Last week, her dad and I got to use family benefits and they took us to XX Hospital for a deep physical examination. You know how expensive physical exams are these days? It costs almost ten thousand per person. If their company hadn’t paid, my husband and I wouldn’t have gone. But it’s true, you’re right, even though I don’t have to work hard taking care of grandchildren and can enjoy my daughter’s good fortune, as you get older, you really should get a thorough check-up. Whether you’re sick or not, it makes you feel more at ease living your life.”

The uncle’s expression instantly soured.

“What kind of company has such good benefits? Could it be that Qin Qing is just putting on a show and fooling you two?”

Qin Qing listened from behind, and she had to admit that this uncle was somewhat right.

Ms. Wang: “Just Jinsheng International, a local company.”

The aunt who spoke first exclaimed: “Grandma Wang, you’re too funny! I don’t know about other things, but who hasn’t heard of Jinsheng International? My kid wanted to go there when he graduated, but he didn’t get in.”

The uncle still struggled: “Your kid couldn’t get in, but Qin Qing, that little sleepyhead, can? Grandma Wang, you’re not trying to fool us, are you?”

Qin Qing found it amusing. So, in other people’s impressions, she was a little sleepyhead?

She had never paid attention before, but were the grandparents’ circles in the community this interesting? They were talking so subtly and sarcastically, weren’t they afraid the children playing nearby would pick it up?

Hearing this, Ms. Wang didn’t need to say anything more. Qin Qing called out “Mom” and walked over, greeting the others as if she hadn’t heard anything. She squatted down to play with a child, pretending to casually place her newly acquired work badge on the table, allowing everyone at the table to clearly see the large characters “Jinsheng International.”

Immediately, someone praised her for being capable and getting into a big company.

“Just lucky.”

Mother and daughter walked home arm in arm, leaving the group of aunts and uncles. In the elevator, they looked at each other and smiled in unison.

Ms. Wang said: “I think not taking care of grandchildren is great. After finally retiring and having my own time, I’m not rushing into the third generation of childcare, which is even more tiring than working…” She shook her head. “I still want to do things I want to do.”

Qin Qing gave her a thumbs up: “Good for you, Ms. Wang, I hope you can always maintain this awareness.”

The thumb was slapped away: “Stop with the flattery. You’re back so early today, not working?”

Scratching her face, Qin Qing said: “My position doesn’t require me to be in the office; my work hours are quite flexible.”

“Not in the office? Then what’s your job content?”

Recalling the job description from the onboarding training she attended halfway through, she tried to repeat: “Market research, report analysis, data simulation, something like that…”

Ms. Wang looked at her suspiciously: “You can do these things?”

Another stab.

“I went through multiple rounds of interviews to get in; the company’s HR isn’t just sitting around doing nothing. Don’t worry.”

She really couldn’t be asked any more questions, or she wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret.

To celebrate her new job, Qin Qing had a sumptuous dinner. Well, a free one.

Having social security, no matter what, was something to be happy about.

Qin Qing couldn’t resist taking a photo of her work badge and posting it in “VIP Customer Group No. 1.” There were over 2000 unread messages in the group, which didn’t seem like much, but there were only four people in the group, and she was often invisible. She wondered how Lu Yang, that chatterbox, had so much to say every day.

The photo successfully made all three other members pop up.

[Da Guang: You can do that??? Miss Qin, you should have said so earlier, any position here is yours to choose.]

[Da Guang: Heartbreaking, General Manager Liang is really good at poaching. Miss Qin, you won’t only take their Liang family’s orders from now on, will you?]

[Qin Qing: What are you afraid of? You’re a VIP customer. Don’t worry, I’m just hanging out somewhere to pay social security.]

[Liang Jian: …]

[Alpha Lu: Ahhh, senior sister, come to my company, my company also has many positions to choose from. My family’s business scope is broad, what’s so good about staying at a home furnishings company?]

[Da Guang: What’s wrong with a home furnishings company? My company, I call the shots. No matter how broad your family’s business is, how much authority do you have? You’re just a kid, you don’t have the final say.]

[Alpha Lu: @Da Guang Let’s settle this privately, don’t argue in front of senior sister. @Liang Jian You’re too disloyal, didn’t you say it was just a project collaboration with senior sister? What’s going on now? Come out and explain, you’re hogging everything! Are we still brothers?]

[Da Guang: @Alpha Lu Agreed, but you started it today.]

[Liang Jian: To be honest, I only found out about this today.]

[Qin Qing: @Liang Jian So you can type Chinese characters!!!]

[Da Guang: @Liang Jian So you can type Chinese characters!!!]

[Liang Jian: …]

[Alpha Lu: @Qin Qing Senior sister, come work at my company, the benefits are definitely no worse than Jinsheng, and you can get an extra social security payment!]

[Da Guang: @Qin Qing Miss Qin, look at me, me, me! Name your conditions, get three social security payments!]

[Liang Jian: …]

[Qin Qing: Are you two legally illiterate? In the same overall planning area, social security cannot be paid by multiple companies simultaneously. You’re talking nonsense with your eyes wide open, even better at bluffing than me.]

She used to be legally illiterate too, she had to specifically look it up.

[Liang Jian: …]

[Da Guang: Did I hear something I shouldn’t have…]

[Alpha Lu: Emmm…]

At the same time, the same question was asked in two different places in Shanyu City.

Chen Daguang called his HR director.

Lu Yang pushed open the study door and asked his dad.

Can multiple companies really not pay social security for one person at the same time?

HR Director: If you weren’t my boss…

Dad Lu: If you weren’t my biological son…

Qin Qing didn’t continue talking in the group. Looking at the previous conversation, Lu Yang and Chen Daguang seemed to be at odds. She scrolled up through the chat history and found that their recent conversations were either sarcastic or aggressive.

She privately messaged Liang Jian, asking about the situation with those two.

[Liang Jian: Oh, General Manager Chen took a liking to Yangzi’s position and wanted it. He offered many benefits, but Yangzi wouldn’t let go, so they got into a standoff. It’s nothing, they won’t cause any trouble.]

No, what position? What was worth Chen Daguang fighting for? The more she listened, the more confused she became.

[Liang Jian: It’s the co-admin of the group. General Manager Chen thinks there are few people in the group now, and being an elder has many benefits, so he wants it. He even promised to buy Yangzi a car he’s always wanted, but Yangzi endured the pain and didn’t give in.]

[Qin Qing: …]

[Liang Jian: …]

Co-admin? Of the VIP Customer Group?

What was so great about that to fight over?

How did she not know that the group management of a group she casually created could be worth a car, and still be unobtainable?

Strange things happen every year, but today there are especially many. After losing an apartment, she was surprised to discover that she held something worth a car.