Chapter 51: Consultant

Qin Qing saw the news that the flood in Yudai Gorge had receded that same evening.

She thought that the matter should have concluded there.

At most, only the online frenzy would remain.

Unexpectedly, later the next day,

She received a call from Lin Feng.

“Qin Qing, is it convenient for you to come to the bureau?”

She instinctively replied, “You’re not trying to trick me into interrogating me again, are you?”

Lin Feng was choked for a moment.

“You have to look at me with a developmental perspective! I really need you for something.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” she added, “It’s your fault for always suspecting me before.”

Lin Feng’s apprentice, Xiao Song, met her at the door and briefly explained the situation.

“We received a report today that a father and son from a farmhouse upstream of Yudai Gorge have gone missing. The woman of the house didn’t take it seriously at first, thinking that the father had taken the child out to play cards and hadn’t come home for the night, which used to happen often. This morning, when they still hadn’t returned, and someone from the village said they seemed to have seen the father and son go swimming in the stream, she panicked.”

Qin Qing frowned: “Where do they live?”

She had thought yesterday’s sudden incident resulted in zero casualties.

Xiao Song: “They were right in the path of the flood, quite far from where the rescue efforts were yesterday, several kilometers away, and generally no tourists go there. It wasn’t within the scope of the search and rescue. If they were really swimming in that water yesterday, it’s likely…”

Qin Qing asked, “What do you need me to do?”

“Now the family of that father and son are making a scene here, saying why they weren’t informed in advance if the flash flood was predicted, and why there weren’t people arranged along the entire line during the search and rescue. If they don’t get a satisfactory answer, they’re going to report the Municipal Government to higher authorities for inaction.”

Qin Qing: “I remember the communication operators notified the phone owners within the signal coverage of Yudai Gorge to evacuate immediately?”

“That’s true, we encounter many such family members. Sometimes, they need to transfer their hatred to find a new focus in life. Leaving that aside, people have already been arranged to salvage the bodies downstream, but there’s no result yet. The family members are very emotional, and Captain Lin wants to see if you can help find the bodies of the father and son to appease the family first.”

Xiao Song also explained for his captain: “Captain Lin said that such a small matter shouldn’t bother you. But given yesterday’s situation, if someone was really swept away, they would probably be in pieces by now, and there were also some caves along the way, so it’s uncertain if they were pulled underground.”

After Xiao Song finished speaking, he looked at Qin Qing walking beside him.

Before, when he was a staunch atheist, he always tried every means to doubt her, to disprove her with various methods.

But once he accepted her identity as a “Fate Master,” the world opened up.

What a great ability! It’s so convenient to find murder weapons and murderers in homicide cases; she’s practically a born criminal investigator.

Qin Qing didn’t know Xiao Song’s eyes were sparkling as he looked at her. She said, “I’ll meet the family first.”

The family was in a conference room, over a dozen people, crying and making a fuss.

Qin Qing didn’t dare to go into that scene. She asked Xiao Song which people were direct blood relatives of the missing father and son.

Xiao Song pointed them out to her: the child’s mother and grandparents.

There was no corresponding character data for these individuals in her Character Relationship Map.

“How is it? Can you figure it out?”

A voice suddenly came from beside her, faint and eerie, startling her.

It was Lin Feng.

She expressed dissatisfaction with his silent approach.

Qin Qing regretfully said, “I can only confirm that the father and son are indeed dead. As for the bodies, I can’t find them.”

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow.

Qin Qing: “A Fate Master calculates fate. Only living people have fate, and only then can their trajectories be seen. This might not be the most appropriate way to put it, but to give an easy-to-understand example, if these people had disposed of bodies, I would be more likely to find some. Because the act of disposing of bodies is within the trajectory of living people.”

“Understood.” Lin Feng gnawed on his thumbnail, looking troubled, and didn’t say much, only instructing Xiao Song, “Take her to the Bureau Chief’s office.”

He then explained to Qin Qing, “The Bureau Chief wants to see you.”

—

Bureau Chief’s office.

Qin Qing received an extremely warm welcome from the Bureau Chief.

She had once witnessed Lin Feng talking on the phone with this Bureau Chief at the Jiangnan Branch Bureau. His loud voice and temper were still fresh in Qin Qing’s memory, and she worried that he might have a blood pressure spike.

At that time, she had only heard his voice, not seen the person.

She didn’t know that the Bureau Chief, who sounded so temperamental on the phone, was actually a very kind old man.

Calling him an old man was merely a sign of respect for his age; in reality, the Bureau Chief had dark hair at his temples, a rosy complexion, and showed no signs of aging.

He personally brewed a cup of tea for Qin Qing and handed it to her, looking at her with great affection, like he was looking at his own child.

Qin Qing was flattered and felt a bit uncomfortable.

Bureau Chief: “I usually just drink tea. This is good tea, you can try it. If you don’t like it, there’s also iced cola, soda water, milk tea, and iced beer.”

He smiled and opened the small refrigerator in his office.

Qin Qing saw a row of small beverages.

No, other things aside.

Why would there be something as irregular as beer?

The Bureau Chief waved his hand: “It’s fine, we don’t drink it. You’re not part of our bureau, so it doesn’t affect anything. During our usual meals, I see some young female officers about your age who love to drink bottle after bottle. If you like it, don’t be shy.”

Thanks, but she didn’t like to drink beer like a beverage.

Seeing that she really didn’t want any, the Bureau Chief gave up.

He then started talking to her about this incident.

Besides expressing gratitude and admiration, the Bureau Chief was also blunt: “I’m retiring next summer. I didn’t expect to pick up such a big credit on my last shift. Yesterday, the province personally called to commend us, and many friends came to greet me, some congratulating, some seeking advice.”

The Bureau Chief sighed: “How is this any credit of mine?”

The frankness of this person made Qin Qing unsure how to respond.

The Bureau Chief looked at her: “Young people nowadays are truly remarkable.”

After he said that, both Qin Qing and he fell silent.

Something about that sentence seemed off.

The Bureau Chief had just blurted it out; this young person seemed different from ordinary juniors.

Others, well, they couldn’t learn from her.

Pretending nothing happened, moving on to the next topic.

The next topic was Qin Qing’s certificate of honor and bonus.

The bonus would be directly allocated from the Municipal Office and credited within a week. This time, she didn’t even need to fill out an application form.

As for the honor, they would report and apply for it under other justifiable names, which would be slightly delayed.

With the money credited, other things were easy to discuss, and Qin Qing wasn’t too concerned.

To her surprise, this Bureau Chief didn’t question her identity as a “Fate Master” too much, not even showing curiosity.

It was as if there was a legitimate and legal profession called Fate Master in this world, and it was so common that he didn’t need to spend time digging into it.

Even at the end of their conversation, he extended an invitation.

“Comrade Xiao Qin, are you interested in becoming a consultant for our branch bureau?”

The Bureau Chief smiled and introduced the benefits of being a consultant to the astonished Qin Qing.

“Lin Feng told me that you don’t like restrictions. A consultant position is perfect for you. Consultants in our system are paid hourly, with all work-related accommodation and transportation reimbursed. The intensity isn’t high, and the hours are flexible, which suits you perfectly.”

Before Qin Qing could say anything, the Bureau Chief stood up.

“I know these material things won’t attract you. You are a kind young person, and I’ve learned about your deeds. You’ve always protected everyone you’ve met in your own way, which is truly remarkable. Your studio has indeed helped many people, but have you ever thought that if you joined our police force, you could do far more than that?

Imagine, you would no longer be limited to handling small disputes, but would be able to participate in more significant cases. Your wisdom and ability could help us solve some tricky problems. You would be on the front lines of combating crime and protecting people’s personal and property safety. Every suggestion you make could save a life and protect countless families.”

The Bureau Chief spoke passionately, spitting as he talked.

His gaze towards Qin Qing was full of eagerness.

“I know there were some unpleasantries between you and Lin Feng before, but I believe you can understand that questioning everything is a professional attitude for a police officer. If you have concerns because of this, I understand. But as your Bureau Chief, I assure you, if you join us, you will become our brother or sister. We will trust you wholeheartedly, just as you trust us. Your safety is our top priority.”

The Bureau Chief even had the contract prepared in advance.

Qin Qing looked at the remuneration figures on it; it wasn’t a huge amount, but calculated hourly, it was quite considerable.

She said, “I need to consider it.”

Bureau Chief: “No problem, take your time. You have ability and enthusiasm, which is exactly what we need. And our police bureau also has what you need. We have a professional team, advanced equipment, abundant resources, convenient connections… These are all incomparable to your personal studio. Here, you can access cutting-edge legal knowledge, participate in the most complex case analyses, and your professional skills will be more comprehensively developed.”

Qin Qing: “…”

She felt it was a pity the Bureau Chief wasn’t a pyramid scheme leader; his words were so smooth and persuasive.

By the end, he even elevated the matter to such a height that if she didn’t join, the city itself would dim.

“This is not just a job; it’s a mission, the mission to protect Ping’an Shanyu!”

The Bureau Chief was very serious, showing no sign of awkwardness.

Qin Qing wanted to say, at most, you protect the peace of Wuning District.

But her brain was numb.

Finally, the Bureau Chief asked, “Do you have any other requests? You can bring them up for discussion.”

Qin Qing’s head was buzzing, and she didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she subconsciously didn’t want this Bureau Chief, who was still full of ambition in his twilight years, to continue his speech.

She spoke without thinking, “I heard the master chef in the branch bureau’s cafeteria is very good at making shrimp, and I’ve always wanted to try it.”

Qin Qing actually realized what she was saying halfway through, but it would be even more awkward if she didn’t finish, so she bit the bullet and continued, “I heard shrimp is seafood and not on the ingredient procurement list, which has always been a pity.”

Thanks to her habit of pretending to be a master, her expression management was top-notch.

Even saying something so unreliable didn’t seem too out of character.

The Bureau Chief was probably also shocked by this “greedy girl’s” remark, and his train of thought for the speech was interrupted. It took him a while to find his words again.

“You mean Old He? He does make good shrimp.”

Let it be destroyed.

She guessed the Bureau Chief’s halo around her had probably faded by now.

Qin Qing walked out of the Bureau Chief’s office with unsteady steps.

In her left hand, she held the employment agreement, and in her right, the cup of milk tea that was supposedly specially ordered for her.

Lin Feng was outside in the corridor.

“How was it?”

Qin Qing raised the documents in her left and right hands, indicating, “You knew, didn’t you?”

Lin Feng: “Hehe, did you agree?”

“I’ll think about it,” Qin Qing covered her forehead, “Your Bureau Chief is simply a genius at speeches.”

Moreover, it was uncertain whether he still wanted her as a consultant now; it was not impossible that the Bureau Chief was regretting it.

Qin Qing found a place to sit down, inserted the straw, and took a sip of iced milk tea to calm her mind.

The milk tea cup was full of ingredients, with not much actual milk tea, so she finished it quickly.

Lin Feng glanced at her: “What’s so good about this sugary water? You should have asked the Bureau Chief to make you tea. He has good tea in his office, the kind he usually doesn’t even bear to drink himself.”

Biting the straw, Qin Qing blindly sucked on the pearls, hitting them perfectly every time.

“He did, but it was too hot, so I didn’t drink it.”

“What color was the tea caddy?”

“Gold, I think.” She wasn’t very sure.

Lin Feng immediately wrung his hands.

“You didn’t drink it? Someone gave it to him; it’s super expensive and fragrant. Every time I try to sneak some, the Bureau Chief scolds me. Later, he locked it up so I couldn’t find it.”

Qin Qing raised her eyelids.

She didn’t know where to begin to complain.

Then she saw Lin Feng stand up.

“No, that’s too wasteful.”

He scurried into the Bureau Chief’s office. A moment later, the Bureau Chief’s roar came from inside.

Qin Qing saw Lin Feng come out holding a cup that looked quite familiar to her. The door slammed shut behind him.

He didn’t mind, just stood in front of the door, deeply inhaling from the cup, a look of satisfaction on his face.

Qin Qing felt that the Bureau Chief was actually quite unlucky.