Chapter 3 Job Content
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The next day, Lin Zhaohe arrived promptly at the agreed-upon location with the client.
They had planned to meet at a nearby cafe, which had a pleasant atmosphere but slightly higher prices. Nevertheless, it didn’t matter much as the company would cover the expenses. What Lin Zhaohe found appealing was the privacy of the place. After all, when he went through the materials the previous day, he realized that this client wasn’t someone he could casually share past experiences with. He genuinely feared the client’s voice would abruptly be muted halfway through.
After Lin Zhaohe took his seat, he ordered an iced Americano. In just a couple of minutes, he noticed a tall, slim, and handsome young man entering through the door. The young man stood out immediately, not because of any exceptional qualities, but due to his remarkable perfection. Even the most attractive person in reality would have some flaws, but he appeared flawlessly, like a fresh mannequin out of a display. He was beautiful, yet lacked any charisma.
“Hello,” he smiled and greeted Lin Zhaohe.
Lin Zhaohe slightly refocused his attention and immediately recognized this person as his client. He nodded and extended his hand, saying, “Hello, I’m Lin Zhaohe, an employee from Vision Company handling our discussions with you.”
He gently shook Lin Zhaohe’s hand and quickly let go. “Hello, Mr. Lin. My name is Yuan Liang. You’ve already read my story, right?”
Lin Zhaohe gave a slight nod.
“Here’s the situation,” Yuan Liang explained, “We’ve been in this world for almost two years now. The first two years went smoothly, but recently, some serious problems have emerged.”
Lin Zhaohe’s expression turned serious as he requested, “Please provide me with more details.”
Yuan Liang: “It appears that he’s been unfaithful.”
Lin Zhaohe thought to himself, “The world is on the verge of doomsday, and you’re still concerned about your boyfriend’s fidelity?” But the client was like a deity, so he dared not voice his thoughts. Instead, he agreed, “Indeed, it’s a grave matter.”
“I hope you can help me investigate,” Yuan Liang requested. “Is that possible?”
Lin Zhaohe replied with confidence, “Of course, it’s not a problem.”
Yuan Liang nodded and retrieved a stack of documents from his bag, handing them to Lin Zhaohe. “These are records of his daily activities, just a rough overview. You’ll need to conduct further investigation on your own.”
Lin Zhaohe accepted the documents and skimmed through them, only to be taken aback. “Huh?” The name on the papers wasn’t that of another leading male character, but rather another supporting character from the novel.
Sensing Lin Zhaohe’s thoughts, Yuan Liang smiled subtly. “We broke up.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Oh.”
Yuan Liang: “He has found someone new.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Oh, oh.”
Yuan Liang: “You’ve also read the novel, haven’t you? This one suits my taste better.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Oh, oh, oh… Oh?”
Yuan Liang: “I was just joking.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Haha.”
Yuan Liang took a sip of his coffee and fixed an interested gaze upon Lin Zhaohe. “Is your profession well-paid?”
His intense scrutiny made Lin Zhaohe feel a bit warm, causing him to loosen his shirt collar and nervously swallow. “It’s alright, just enough to get by.”
Yuan Liang: “Given the current situation, won’t your insurance company suffer significant losses if they continue selling policies?”
Lin Zhaohe couldn’t help but worry about this issue every day. He dreaded the possibility of his boss suddenly vanishing, taking everything with him. However, in front of the client, he had to display confidence in his company. So, with utmost self-assurance, he declared, “No problem, my boss is wealthy. If a client passes away, we can easily handle the compensation.”
Yuan Liang’s response was silence.
Lin Zhaohe quickly added, “I was just joking.”
The dark humor brought a brief chill to Lin Zhaohe, while Yuan Liang, in contrast, rubbed the goosebumps on his arm and softly remarked, “The employees in your company have quite a sense of humor.”
Lin Zhaohe: “You’re too kind.”
After a few more conversations, they bid farewell to each other.
Noting that there was still ample time, Lin Zhaohe decided to return to the company and report the situation to his boss. He made another trip to the office.
Many of the colleagues who had been out on assignments had returned today, making the entire company livelier than the previous day. After exchanging greetings with his coworkers, Lin Zhaohe quietly walked towards Zhuang Lao’s office.
Zhuang Lao seemed to recognize him and casually said, “Come in.” Without raising his head, he asked, “How did the meeting go?”
“I just met with the client,” Lin Zhaohe hesitated, contemplating his words.
Zhuang Lao raised his eyes and looked directly at Lin Zhaohe. His pupils appeared slightly darker than usual, and this intense gaze made Lin Zhaohe feel a bit uneasy. Feeling a tad awkward, he touched his nose and said, “Well, there isn’t anything major. It’s just that the partner had an affair.”
Zhuang Lao chuckled in response, his thin lips forming a beautiful curve. For a moment, Lin Zhaohe was so captivated by his smile that he couldn’t quite catch what Zhuang Lao said.
It was only when Zhuang Lao asked, “Do you have something to say?” that Lin Zhaohe snapped out of his thoughts.
Lin Zhaohe replied, “Huh? Boss, what did you say?”
Zhuang Lao: “I’m saying we’ll handle this case together.”
Lin Zhaohe was momentarily taken aback. “But isn’t this just a typical affair… Why does the boss need to personally get involved?”
Zhuang Lao spoke seriously, “It’s important.”
Lin Zhaohe found himself momentarily confused about what exactly was so important. Perhaps it was the significance of this particular client? Before he could fully comprehend, Zhuang Lao gestured for him to come closer. “Take a look at the information and let’s schedule a time to visit together tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Lin Zhaohe nodded.
The two of them examined the materials provided by Yuan Liang and gained a general understanding of his partner’s daily activities and schedule. Upon closer inspection, they noticed that this person led a fairly predictable life. They followed a routine of going back and forth between work and home, with no unnecessary recreational activities. The only exception was on weekends when they enjoyed visiting a local bar for a drink. It was precisely due to this regularity that any unusual behavior would be easily noticeable.
“So, Yuan Liang suspects his partner is having an affair because one night he woke up and found him missing?” Lin Zhaohe asked. “But even if it is an affair, it wouldn’t be so blatantly obvious. It’s strange for someone to repeatedly leave the house late at night…”
“Strange?” Zhuang Lao seemed to disagree.
Doubts started to arise in Lin Zhaohe’s mind, sensing that this matter might not be as straightforward as he initially thought. However, noticing no change in Zhuang Lao’s expression, he decided to suppress his skeptical thoughts. He didn’t want to give his boss the impression that he was overreacting.
“Let’s meet tomorrow afternoon then,” Zhuang Lao suggested. “We’ll have dinner together before heading there.”
“Okay,” Lin Zhaohe nodded.
“Go ahead,” Zhuang Lao raised his chin slightly.
Thinking that he could finally finish work, Lin Zhaohe felt delighted as he walked out. Meanwhile, Zhuang Lao’s expression remained uncertain as he watched Lin Zhaohe’s departing figure. Only after the door closed did Zhuang Lao break into a subtle smile. Truly, his charm was as radiant as blooming flowers. If Lin Zhaohe had caught sight of it, he would have been left dumbfounded for quite some time.
This job was relatively relaxed as long as there were no client meetings. It was only a little after three in the afternoon, and Lin Zhaohe decided to tidy up his desk and head home. However, his colleague sitting beside him was not as fortunate. They wore a troubled expression while staring at their iPad.
Lin Zhaohe leaned over for a quick look and immediately understood the cause of their distress. Whether it was the eerie background music or the dark visuals playing on the iPad, it was undoubtedly a horror movie. Seeing the pale expression on his colleague’s face, Lin Zhaohe empathetically asked, “Xiao Zhang, are you alright?”
Xiao Zhang, whose full name was Zhang Xiaoxiao, was two years younger than Lin Zhaohe. He was a recent addition to the company and had somehow ended up with this unfortunate job. The world of anime and manga was filled with countless genres like romance, catastrophe, and historical, each with its own unique characteristics. However, none of them could match the sheer power of horror movies.
Just imagine, something that could scare you half to death on a big screen suddenly manifesting in the real world. It felt as if the devil himself had come knocking at your door, right in your own home.
Initially, Zhang Xiaoxiao tried to maintain a brave front, but as soon as Lin Zhaohe asked, his defenses crumbled instantly. “Brother Lin, what am I supposed to do? If my client gets cursed to death, will I still have a chance to become a regular employee?”
Lin Zhaohe thought to himself, “Brother, you really have a deep passion for this job. Even after receiving such an assignment, you’re still harboring thoughts of becoming a regular employee.” If it were him, he would have fled overnight, carrying his belongings on a train.
However, since they were still in the company, Lin Zhaohe couldn’t directly dampen the newcomer’s enthusiasm. He patted Zhang Xiaoxiao’s shoulder and said in a serious tone, “Just hold on, and you’ll be entitled to social insurance, benefits, and weekends off!”
Zhang Xiaoxiao: “Wuwuwu, is that true? Then I’ll put in my best effort. I won’t let anything bad happen to the main character. What do you think, Brother Lin?”
After contemplating for three seconds, Lin Zhaohe gently advised, “Have you considered getting insurance for yourself at the company?”
Zhang Xiaoxiao: “…”
Lin Zhaohe: “Why let others enjoy the benefits…?”
Zhang Xiaoxiao: “…” So, this was what it meant to be a dedicated employee? Not even sparing a colleague in business. A lesson learned.
In truth, Lin Zhaohe had good intentions. These days, the mortality rate was quite high. If the company’s insurance wasn’t so expensive, he would have wanted to get a policy as well.
“Keep up the good work,” Lin Zhaohe could only pat his shoulder as a gesture of encouragement.
“Okay,” Zhang Xiaoxiao continued reading with tears in his eyes.
With no other tasks at hand, Lin Zhaohe decided to leave work early. Since he finished early, he took a leisurely stroll in the nearby supermarket.
The small supermarket was filled with various peculiar and oddly shaped items—some of which Lin Zhaohe wasn’t even sure could be called creatures.
For instance, right in front of him, there was a red square wearing a skirt and a bow tie, diligently selecting eggs. It was a bit short, struggling to reach the top shelf where the green eggs were placed.
Watching it stand on tiptoes, its short arms, shorter than his forearm, still far from obtaining the desired items… Somehow, it appeared quite endearing.
After silently finding it cute for a while, Lin Zhaohe noticed a mist forming in its large eyes. He walked over and assisted by retrieving the box of green eggs. “Here you go.”
The red square glanced gratefully at Lin Zhaohe.
Lin Zhaohe: “Go ahead and take it.”
The voice of the red square was soft and childlike, making it difficult to discern their gender. Nevertheless, they were rather cute and said, “Thank you.”
“It was no trouble at all. You’re welcome.”
The red square nodded to Lin Zhaohe, then turned around and struggled to push the shopping cart as they walked away.
Lin Zhaohe observed their retreating figure and felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn’t recall where he had seen them before. Deciding to let it go, he didn’t bother thinking about it any further.
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