Chapter 34: The Coach

The “godfather” address almost caused Qin Qing’s language system to malfunction.

She had so much to say, but what she finally asked was the point that most puzzled her.

“Why ‘godfather,’ little one? Isn’t my hair color obvious?”

Liu Xingchen was also puzzled: “Isn’t it godfather?” The child then showed adaptability, “God-daddy?”

This was even more bizarre. Qin Qing clutched her chest, feeling as if she wanted to spit up blood.

Liu Simin explained, “In my hometown, when we adopt a godparent, we call them that regardless of gender. If Teacher Qin isn’t used to it, ‘godmother’ is fine too.”

The child immediately changed his address, his voice booming: “Godmother, please have some tea!”

Child, if you ever study vocal music, you’ll have a natural advantage. These shouts were truly deafening.

“No, no, this isn’t about godfathers or godmothers.” She reached out to pull Liu Xingchen again, “Quickly, let the child get up.”

Liu Xingchen knelt steadily, his hand holding the teacup not trembling.

Qin Qing had no choice but to speak directly to Liu Simin: “Manager Liu, I appreciate your kindness. However, whether it’s a godparent or a biological parent, when a child calls you ‘dad’ or ‘mom,’ it’s a responsibility. I’m young, I don’t have that intention, nor do I have the energy. Please, let the child get up.”

Liu Simin seemed a little regretful but was also straightforward: “I understand what Teacher Qin means. However, even if you don’t become his godparent, you are still his savior and deserve his bow.” Then she said to Liu Xingchen, “Son, kowtow.”

The chubby child, being earnest, put down the teacup and gave a solid kowtow.

“Thank you for saving my life.”

When he looked up, he was still fixated on the cup of tea and picked it up again, wanting to offer it to her.

“Auntie, please have some tea.”

Liu Simin: “Calling her ‘auntie’ is too distant. Call her ‘aunt'(Yima).”

{T/n: “Auntie (阿姨)” = polite, distant term for older women. “Yima / Aunt (姨妈)” = close, familial term for mother’s sister.

Liu Simin prefers “姨妈” to show closeness, not just politeness. }

“Aunt, please have some tea.”

Why did this make her stomach ache so much? It wasn’t necessary to call her anything specific; calling her “teacher” like everyone else was perfectly fine.

But seeing the child’s bright eyes, Qin Qing didn’t refuse again. She took the tea and drank it.

She reached out to the child: “Can you get up now?”

The child smiled shyly, took her hand, and stood up: “Thank you, Aunt.”

Qin Qing finally understood that both mother and son of the Liu family were straightforward.

They said what they thought, and what they said was what it was.

On the contrary, they couldn’t speak in the convoluted way of someone like Liang Jinguo. Just like at the beginning of the dinner, Liu Simin’s compliments seemed particularly direct.

If Liang Jinguo were to say it, it would certainly make people feel just right and comfortable, without sounding like flattery.

It wasn’t about good or bad, just different styles and habits.

For Qin Qing, Liu Simin’s way felt at least sincere.

Liu Simin: “Teacher Qin, you are my son’s aunt, which means you are my sister. Not to mention Shanyu City, even in the surrounding areas, my name, Liu Simin, still carries some weight. If Teacher Qin ever has any inconvenience in the future, just mention my name.”

Qin Qing smiled.

She realized again, not only were they straightforward, but they also had a strong “jianghu” (江湖, literally “rivers and lakes,” referring to a world of martial arts, chivalry, or underworld figures) vibe.

She wondered how they became friends with an old fox like Liang Jinguo.

Manager Liu, with her strong jianghu vibe, was also generous.

As a thank you, she directly gave a house.

“It’s a property developed by our own company; it just cost some rebar and cement, nothing valuable.”

After thinking about it, Qin Qing accepted.

For the Liu mother and son, this was money for saving a life; it couldn’t be less.

Before leaving, she was also given a card and had the club manager lead a group of employees to see her off and recognize her.

“Miss Qin is my sister; from now on, when she comes, she’s a VIP among VIPs.”

Qin Qing wished she could hide behind a pillar. She had felt the sincerity, but it was awkward, truly awkward.

No matter how delicious the food was, she wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon.

Qin Qing simply edited and posted her review of the restaurant.

Then she found that netizens were truly idle, as if they were squatting online. Not long after she posted, the comment section started to build up.

“Finally, you’re here!”

“Honestly, it’s time for new content. Although Yawei Jiangnan is delicious, eating it every day gets boring.”

“Are you sure the person upstairs isn’t being a ‘Versailles’? Eating it every day? Yawei Jiangnan is hard to book now!”

“Does a good restaurant review not take time? I actually think this update frequency is just right, ensuring the quality of the reviews. It proves that this isn’t a sponsored post and is worth following and checking out. Compared to some food YouTubers who update two or even three times a day, do they have food detection radar? Such high output, I certainly don’t believe it.”

“Wait, I think I’ve discovered something incredible.”

“Emmm… I’ve discovered it too.”

“Tell us, upstairs.”

“Hehe, this club is membership-based. The lowest-tier membership card has an initiation fee of 200,000 yuan.”

“Bye-bye, sorry to bother you.”

“It’s not for us.”

“So I said my UP’s background must be something worth talking about.”

“Curious, drooling.”

“Hahaha, every time I see my UP’s updates, the comment section is overflowing with drool.”

“After all, it’s a 200,000 yuan initiation fee. We only have a richer supply of drool.”

Qin Qing stopped looking.

Walking her dog, she thought about Liu Simin’s thank-you gift today.

When she accepted it, she had somewhat intended to test the System Panel, but the System Panel showed no reaction.

She had received such high rewards a total of three times.

Once was unknowingly, when she received Chen Daguang’s jade bracelet. Later, she discreetly asked around and found that while the jade market fluctuates significantly, that bracelet was definitely worth no less than a million yuan.

The second time was when she actively requested a share of the money saved by Liang Jinguo on land acquisition.

The third time was today.

According to Liu Simin’s intention today, even if she had asked for a higher price, she would have been willing to pay.

So, Qin Qing could actually accumulate wealth through the System Panel.

Accumulating wealth is definitely judged negatively in secular values.

But when she received huge rewards, the System Panel was as quiet as if it didn’t exist. Did this align with its core values?

So far, Qin Qing’s attempts to test the System Panel had yielded nothing. The voice she had once heard had never reappeared.

But the suffocating, weak feeling at the police station entrance when she caught Lin Fanghui was something she would never forget. The shadow of life had always loomed over her. Just because she didn’t show it outwardly didn’t mean she didn’t care.

She took a deep breath, exhaling a mouthful of stale air.

Running with Mumu made it incredibly happy.

This was a closed road with few people, so Qin Qing simply let go of the leash. They raced, and Qin Qing was naturally the one who fell behind. Mumu stood at the finish line, proudly mocking her, its dog face full of excitement.

Was the System Panel, or rather, the existence behind the System Panel, like this too? Watching her struggle in vain, watching her have to rely on the System Panel’s power, and mocking her weakness from behind?

After assisting the police department multiple times, the city awarded Qin Qing honors.

“Outstanding Assistance Contribution” and “Police-Civilian Cooperation Honor,” each with a 20,000 yuan bonus.

Lin Feng and Chen Deyu both informed her.

Chen Deyu said, “The city’s commendation will have an awards ceremony. City leaders will present awards to the recipients.”

“I won’t be the only one at this awards ceremony, right?”

“That’s right, they are held regularly, gathering all recipients from the current period for the awards.”

Qin Qing refused to attend: “There will definitely be reporters and cameras at such an event, so I won’t go.”

Chen Deyu expressed understanding: “Okay, then I’ll reply to the organizers and have your certificate mailed to you via postal service. The bonus will be directly deposited into your card; please send me your address and account information. Also, this bonus is exempt from personal income tax, so remember to check for it.”

Lin Feng also stated that the bonus for assisting in the capture of the wanted criminal had been approved: “It’s 80,000 in total. It was an inter-provincial case, so the process took a bit longer.”

When she couldn’t afford rent, she was reluctant to even eat, scrounging snacks from hotels.

At that time, she really looked forward to this bonus.

Now, 80,000 yuan didn’t seem like such a big deal to her.

With the System Panel, it had become a very easy thing.

She thought, humans are truly creatures of desire.

At first, she wanted to live a free and easy life, but lacked financial means. She was forced to set up a stall to earn money.

But when earning money became relatively easy, what she cared more about was her own safety.

Two honor certificates with gilded covers and embossed inner pages quickly arrived in Qin Qing’s hands.

They were bright red, dazzling to the eyes.

Qin Qing thought, if she wanted to test the boundaries and bottom line of the System Panel, there seemed to be another way.

Since she got it, the most impactful event for her was catching Lin Fanghui.

What if she encountered another high-crime-value individual and ignored them?

Would the System Panel really send her away?

It was a bit crazy, but she wanted to try.

If the System Panel wouldn’t go for a fatal blow, then she would have more room to maneuver.

But these unapprehended high-crime individuals weren’t just readily available, and contacting such people posed dangers beyond just the System Panel.

Qin Qing asked Chen Deyu how her female coach search was going.

The other party actually had a lead and sent her an address, which turned out to be a boxing gym.

Chen Deyu took her to meet the person: “This coach is a junior of my teacher, a female soldier who retired from the special forces, and now she owns this boxing gym.”

Qin Qing met the coach, who wasn’t the stereotypical image of someone with large muscles.

She was tall and slender, with a high ponytail, and her arms, exposed by her racerback tank top, had tight, powerful muscle lines, like a leopard ready to pounce at any moment.

After greeting her, the coach didn’t say much. She pulled Qin Qing into a few poses.

Then she said, “Your flexibility and coordination are naturally good. Right now, learning techniques is secondary; you can’t even use them without basic physical conditions. First, train your physical fitness and strength; at least get your cardiopulmonary function and muscle strength up.”

It sounded quite reliable.

The coach was efficient. She immediately arranged a six-month study plan, including both in-class and out-of-class activities.

Looking at the long list, Qin Qing’s smile stiffened.

Reliable it was, but a headache it truly was.

At least one thing was comforting: the coach didn’t forcibly control her diet.

For training, Qin Qing bought a bunch of equipment. Clothes, shoes, and socks were basic, but there were also specialized sports water bottles, sports shoulder bags, sports hair ties, a fascia gun…

When Lu Yang found out, he unceremoniously ridiculed her: “Sister Qin, didn’t you say that only bad students have a lot of stationery?”

Qin Qing said matter-of-factly: “When it comes to sports, I am a bad student.”

Young Master Lu was slightly disappointed that he hadn’t managed to mock her.

Qin Qing: “If you don’t focus on your deliveries during work hours and mock your boss, be careful, your performance might be deducted.”

Now, Qin Qing wakes up early every day, goes to the boxing gym to train with her coach for two hours, and then returns to her studio for work.

Just as she returned today, a young man rushed in, anxiously asking Qin Fanghao at the front desk: “I heard your Metaphysical Cat Finding is spot-on. Can you help me find someone?”

Qin Fanghao: “What’s the situation? Tell me slowly.”

“My grandma is missing. She has Alzheimer’s. We’ve been looking for her all day yesterday and reported it to the police, but we still haven’t found her.”