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Seizing Dreams (Web Novel) - Chapter 129 - Surprise
Chapter 129 - Surprise
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Translator(s): Zryuu
Editor(s): Amalea, FistFullOfDollars, Juurensha
Yu Hao was thrown onto the bed. Zhou Sheng came over to kiss him, and just as Yu Hao thought they were going to do it, Zhou Sheng turned around and left.
Zhou Sheng tied an apron around his waist, gathered up the hot pot and prawn shells, threw the rubbish away, and washed the dishes.
“Zhou Sheng.” Yu Hao said.
“Ai, what is it?” Zhou Sheng said, “I’m helping you fulfill your birthday wish, I’m busy now.”
“I want to mate.” Yu Hao turned around and looked at the street scenery outside the landing window filled with resplendent lights and thought that this was too crazy.
“Mate, mate, all you do is eat and mate all day. What else do you know?” Zhou Sheng threw everything into the sink and decided not to wash them for now. He undid his shirt buttons and got on the bed, “Strip ah!”
Yu Hao took his clothes off, then took off Zhou Sheng’s clothes for him. The bedsheet and blanket was really too comfortable, and the room was nice and warm.
“Did you forget something?” Zhou Sheng said.
Yu Hao said, “Wait, what about my previous place?"
Zhou Sheng said, “Must we discuss that in bed?”
Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng looked at each other.
“You’re much paler now.” Yu Hao said with a smile, “You’re so handsome.”
Zhou Sheng has always had the figure of a sports student. He hadn’t been basking in the sun much ever since summer vacation started, and after wearing suits for a few months, now that his clothes were off, Yu Hao had the chance to take a good look at him. Their new apartment was well-lit, which shone on him to make him look both slim and fair. He had exquisite and beautiful skin, while it was fully erect below and his hair had been trimmed to be very short. Yu Hao played with it a little. Zhou Sheng kissed him again, as if he was waiting for something.
“And?” Zhuo Sheng said, “You don’t want your birthday present anymore?”
Yu Hao held Zhou Sheng’s that and was a little confused for a moment, “Oh, is it this?”
Zhou Sheng blushed and laughed, “Wasn’t this already yours in the first place?”
Yu Hao’s face flushed completely red. Zhou Sheng said, “If you don’t ask, you won’t get it anymore!”
Yu Hao said, “My birthday present! Where’s my birthday present?”
After Yu Hao said that, Zhou Sheng entered, and the two of them embraced each other tightly at that moment. Yu Hao was so happy he trembled a little.
Zhou Sheng didn’t move, and just looked into Yu Hao’s eyes.
“I wanted to open a shop for you in Beijing,” Zhou Sheng whispered and reached out to stroke Yu Hao’s hair, “And call it ‘Hao Yue Chu Sheng’.”
Yu Hao caressed Zhou Sheng’s cheek, and at this moment, he felt great satisfaction. They forcibly suppressed the urge to break through the embankment and arduously continued this conversation.
“Then?” Yu Hao moaned, “Must we talk like this? Let’s talk later! Hurry and move! Now!”
“But on the day of my presentation, I changed my mind halfway through the presentation.” Zhou Sheng’s low and magnetic voice whispered next to Yu Hao’s ear, “And now, I’ve brought you the gift.”
Yu Hao could hardly bear it anymore, Zhou Sheng could actually restrain himself like this and not move. He gasped for breath as he asked, “What’s the gift?”
“It’s right here.” Zhou Sheng gazed at Yu Hao’s eyes, licked his lips, then kissed it, “Don’t you see it?”
“What is it?” Yu Hao had lost his mind for a moment as he hugged Zhou Sheng’s waist, “It’s……” He suddenly understood.
Zhou Sheng smiled, “It’s me. I’ve resigned. Okay, I’m going to start doing you now.”
Yu Hao, “Ahhh……”
Yu Hao was going mad. He couldn’t think in a sober state of mind at all that night. Compared to last night’s barbaric movements, Zhou Sheng was a lot gentler tonight, yet he was even more overbearing and brooked no resistance. They did it until late at night, then Yu Hao took a bath and Zhou Sheng rearranged the sofa and floor lamps. They got on the bed, turned off the lights, and slept.
“I……so we don’t care about my other place now?” Yu Hao said.
“The landlady has already refunded the money.” Zhou Sheng said, “So there’s no need to bother with her anymore.”
Yu Hao, “She actually gave you a refund?”
Zhou Sheng, “Otherwise what did you think I was so busy with the whole day? When you compare life with money, life would be more important of course.”
Yu Hao, “……”
“Does this house really cost more than 8,000? Where did you get the money from?”
“Earned 60,000 after working for three months.” Zhou Sheng answered, “I gave you 20,000, so I still had 40,000 left. We can use the remaining few thousands as food expenses this month, and you’ll get your salary next month, right? Expenses for all these daily necessities aren’t too difficult to earn ba, it’s not like we need to raise kids, what’re you afraid of?"
Yu Hao, “Then you won’t care about Yun Lai Chun anymore?”
Zhou Sheng said, “During that last meal, the old man arranged a blind date for me again, so I quit.”
Yu Hao, “Oh.”
Zhou Sheng, “What? What do you want to say this time?”
Yu Hao, “Of course not. I want to hit him, okay? This is a matter of principle.”
Zhou Sheng said with much satisfaction, “Un, trust me ba. I’ve already proven myself; I won’t be any worse off than at home. At most it’ll just be a little more tiring. As long as we’re together, no matter how exhausting it gets, it will just be physical exhaustion. The heart won’t be tired.”
Yu Hao turned his head and cuddled with Zhou Sheng who had wanted to do the same, then kissed him.
Yu Hao had a strong feeling that this all seemed unreal. In fact, from the day he left Zhou Sheng, he already had a hunch. That hunch had only grown stronger when he saw Zhou Sheng’s presentation. It’s just that he had never really trusted his gut much, and he didn’t expect his hunch to turn into reality -- Zhou Sheng and Zhou Laichun really did fall out.
Since Zhou Laichun had still arranged a blind date for Zhou Sheng in the end, then no more leeway could be given —— because Zhou Sheng had always only had one reason for accepting his father’s arrangement, and that was to live a better life with Yu Hao. Zhou Laichun was actually foolish enough to cut off the motive for Zhou Sheng’s will to fight from its source, so their negotiations broke down completely, and everything came to an end.
Yu Hao stroked the left side of Zhou Sheng’s bare chest. His heart beat so firmly and forcefully that it was like a thunder that would wake the entire world.
“You’re actually not nagging me.” Zhou Sheng was already ready to deal with Yu Hao’s attempts at persuading him to go back, and he didn’t expect that Yu Hao would accept it so easily.
Yu Hao said, “I’ve thought it through anyway. It’s impossible for him to accept me. No matter how much money you earn, if we can’t be together, then it’s all meaningless.”
“We’re together again now, how do you feel?” Zhou Sheng turned sideways and hugged Yu Hao, his long legs straddling his waist as he held him firmly in his arms.
Yu Hao said, “A familiar recipe, a familiar taste.”
Zhou Sheng laughed.
A familiar recipe, a familiar taste. On this night three months later, everything seemed so natural.
“I’m here again ——” Zhou Sheng was clad in golden battle armour as he stepped on multicoloured clouds. He rode his black dragon and landed in the middle of the arena.
The surrounding grandstand erupted into roaring cheers. Yu Hao opened his eyes and realised that he had appeared in Zhou Sheng’s dream!
Over the past two years, Zhou Sheng never used the Golden Crow Wheel once. Yet on the day of their reunion, he didn’t even let Yu Hao know before dragging him in.
“Come, Satan.” Zhou Sheng said, “I’ll fight Tao Tie, cut all your crap.”
“Zhou Sheng!” Yu Hao shouted from the VIP stand.
Dark Zhou Sheng wore the armour of a death knight and sat side by side with Yu Hao on the sofa of the VIP stand, with a glass of wine in his hand and a foot on the coffee table. He started laughing.
“Babe.” Dark Zhou Sheng said, “I finally see you again. Sit ba, don’t get too excited.”
Yu Hao’s wings dragged along the floor as he stood in the center of the VIP stand. Zhou Sheng’s totem was suspended high above in the air in front of him, and it shone with a mystical light.
Zhou Sheng whistled to higher ground and pointed at the grandstand, signalling to Yu Hao to sit. The dinghaishenzhen in his hands pointed toward Tao Tie in the arena. Tao Tie was bound by numerous shackles stacked atop of one another.
Yu Hao sat down slowly. Dark Zhou Sheng reached out and wanted to drape an arm around his shoulder, but Yu Hao’s wings spread out from his back and shone with a dazzling light, stretching out straight and flicking away Dark Zhou Sheng’s hand that was covered in black iron armour.
“I can let him win once.” Dark Zhou Sheng said, “Why don’t we take this time now to have sex?"
Yu Hao leaned back a little bit and raised one foot, which he placed on the coffee table. He looked sideways at Dark Zhou Sheng, and squinted slightly.
Dark Zhou Sheng said, “I am him, and he is me. Do you still not understand that?”
Yu Hao answered, “No. On the first day we met, the one I saw on the Great Wall was him, not you.”
Dark Zhou Sheng snorted arrogantly, a faintly perceptible smile hanging on his lips.
“Master of the dreamscape has decided to challenge Tao Tie.” Satan’s voice resounded through the arena, “Will he be able to overcome his materialistic desires? Let’s all wait and see!”
Tao Tie broke free of the chains wrapped around his body and roared up to the heavens. Zhou Sheng carried his jingubang on his back and revealed a smile.His jingubang swept back and forth as he performed a beautiful dance with it. Yu Hao put down the daggers in his hand, and placed them on the platform.
“Let’s make a bet?” Yu Hao said to Dark Zhou Sheng.
“What’s the bet?” Dark Zhou Sheng raised an eyebrow.
Tao Tie did a run-up and dashed in madly, while Zhou Sheng swung his jingubang and rushed forward brazenly——
The clouds in the sky changed their colours for a short moment; a blood red sunglow burst through the huge gaps between them, and in that moment, the one that flew up was no longer the imprisoned Sun Wukong, and was instead the Great Sage who smashed the Heavenly Palace into pieces with his rod!
With just this one swing of his rod, Tao Tie shattered into pieces and disintegrated into countless, flying light particles; they swirled towards the black dragon behind Zhou Sheng. The black dragon bowed its head, and the Milky Way lights flew into its forehead, turning into a sharp horn!
Roaring cheers drowned the entire arena. Yu Hao looked sideways at Satan, then at the arena. He walked up to Zhou Sheng, who had a bright smile on his face.
Yu Hao abruptly woke up from his dream and saw Zhou Sheng drawing the curtains. He stood before the landing window, gazing at the gorgeous morning sun of Beijing after the snow.
“You……”
Zhou Sheng whistled and smiled at Yu Hao, looking like he was in high spirits, then went straight to the sink to wash the pot inside it.
Yu Hao said, “Wei!”
Zhou Sheng, “You want to mate again?”
Yu Hao laughed. He hugged the blanket and looked at his phone.
“You’re really not leaving, right?” Yu Hao said.
Zhou Sheng, “Time is limited, there’s no time to mix stuffing and make dim sum anymore. Make do with some frozen food ba, we’ll make dumplings at home in a few days.”
Zhou Sheng took out shaomai, custard buns, and other such dim sum from the refrigerator and steamed them for Yu Hao’s breakfast. He took out a hand-brewed coffee pot and filter paper and placed them on the table, then motioned to Yu Hao to brew it himself. He even bought this...Yu Hao hadn’t made coffee in a very long time. He went to wash up and brewed two cups of coffee at the kitchen bar, just like what they did every morning when they were together.
“You’re not allowed to leave my sight today.” Yu Hao said, “I keep suspecting that you’re lying to me, so you can’t take one step out of this house.”
Zhou Sheng washed the dishes and uncovered the steamer. He placed the frozen food inside to steam them, “Then can’t you just hide my ID and bank cards? Are you still afraid that I’d go take a plane now?”
Yu Hao thought that was true, so he went to search for Zhou Sheng’s ID and money and gathered them all up. Zhou Sheng pulled a high chair over, turned on his phone and took a piece of paper, then started calculating living expenses as he sat in the kitchen. Yu Hao lay on the table beside him to watch. A call came, and the display showed ‘Old White-Eyed Wolf’. Zhou Sheng just glanced at it once and said, “Blacklist him ba.”
Yu Hao tapped on the ‘hands-free’ option and picked up.
“Yu Hao.” Zhou Laichun said.
Yu Hao said, “Director Zhou, your sonny is in my hands.”
Zhou Sheng, “……”
Yu Hao, “How’s the consideration for my conditions last time goin’? You din’ call the police ba, we are all smart people, I know you mus understand it la.”
Zhou Sheng began folding a paper plane with a mischievous smile on his face.
“Let him answer the phone.” Zhou Laichun’s tone was very calm.
Yu Hao, “I guarantee with all my integrity that he is absolutely safe right now. If you hand over the money and shares, you’ll be able to see him.”
Zhou Sheng finally couldn’t hold it in anymore, and laughed so hard he lay sprawled across the bar. He held the paper plane and casually threw it at Yu Hao. Yu Hao’s nimble hands caught it, then he threw it back. He and Zhou Sheng were just like two children who could play with anything.
“Yu Hao.” Zhou Laichun said, “What on earth do you want?”
“You lied to him.” Yu Hao was finally solemn as he said, “That’s the most vile act a father could ever commit against his son. Director Zhou, you’re dishonest.”
“How did I lie to him?!” Zhou Laichun suddenly flew into a rage, “Which statement of mine wasn’t the truth?!”
Yu Hao said coldly, “That day you said ‘if you really want to make decisions for your own life, then prove it with your own abilities.’ He put in so much effort and did everything he was supposed to, but what about you? Have you ever given him the chance to make his own decisions in life?”
Zhou Sheng took off the lid, and placed the steamed dumplings, shaomai, and custard buns on plates. Then he opened the rice cooker and scooped out some century egg porridge. Zhou Laichun cursed on his side, but Yu Hao said, “This negotiation has fallen through, and we will never believe you again. You lack the most fundamental quality every businessman should have. Director Zhou, you have no honesty!”
“Yu Hao, your arrogance knows no limits! I’ve never promised you anything!” Zhou Laichun said, “Let Zhou Sheng answer the phone!”
Yu Hao said, “Don’t give me all that nonsense! You’re trying to skirt responsibility now? All your words, from what you actually said to what you left out, all implied this!”
Zhou Sheng revealed a ‘what the fuck’ expression on his face and gave Yu Hao a thumbs up. He spread the oil out evenly in the pain, cracked open an egg, and fried it. Zhou Laichun finally started scolding him out of exasperation and started to unleash a torrent of personal attacks on Yu Hao. But Yu Hao automatically screened out his words and coldly said, “Scold me all you want, I’ll let you vent your frustrations a little. Once you’re done, I’ll blacklist you, so please go ahead.”
On the contrary, Zhou Laichun stopped talking.
Yu Hao waited for two minutes. Zhou Laichun hung up in anger, and it all ended.
Zhou Sheng placed breakfast on the table and took out a small bottle of Maggi seasoning from the fridge for Yu Hao to dip his eggs in, “Do you know what I like most about you?”
Yu Hao now believed that Zhou Sheng wouldn’t go back anymore. Although he was a little upset when Zhou Sheng called him a “little bastard”, he was generally in a pretty good mood right now.
“What?” Yu Hao looked at the breakfast on the table.
“You know what I’m thinking.” Zhou Sheng tore away the paper underneath a custard bun and said, “Whatever I say or don’t say, you understand it all. No one understands me better than you do.”
Yu Hao said, “That’s not always the case.”
“Wu?” Zhou Sheng observed Yu Hao.
“When I saw you preparing for your presentation the other day.” Yu Hao smiled, “I thought that if we continued on like that, then I might really lose you.”
Zhou Sheng said lightly, “I felt it too. You said that you almost didn’t recognise me anymore.”
Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng didn’t continue with this topic. Zhou Sheng placed the custard bun in Yu Hao’s hands. The two of them began eating their breakfast under the brilliant glow of dawn.
“I want to make a trip to the company later.” Yu Hao said, “And sort out some things for the feature. Lady boss only helps me with editing the photos, I still need to write the manuscripts myself.”
“Go ba.” Zhou Sheng said indifferently, “I’ll look for Kaikai and take a look at his college on the way. I’ll find you for lunch at noon.”
Yu Hao said, “Put on more clothes, it’s too cold outside.”
Today, the snow in Beijing really was very cold. Situ Ye and Lin Ze were wrapped in thick down clothes as they baked themselves on their office’s half-dead stove. It was so cold they shuddered.
“Why are you here again?” Lin Ze said, “Didn’t I give you three days off?”
Yu Hao said, “I want to sort out the manuscripts a little, I’ll have to write them in a few days anyway……it’s so cold. Don’t you guys ever take days off too?”
Lin Ze goes to the office every day, even on weekends.
“It’s so cold.” Situ Ye said, “Why don’t we sing to keep warm ba? One, two, three! I want, you by my side……”
Yu Hao, “I want……to watch you dress up……”
“Blame it on the night, the teasing madness. I want to sing, as I silently think of you……”
After singing a song, it became even colder. Even Yu Hao’s phone shut down automatically.
“It’s so cold.” Situ Ye and Yu Hao wailed in unison.
“I can’t live anymore.” Situ ye said again.
Lin Ze said, “Work ba……The reimbursement hasn’t come yet. When will Yu Hao leave?”
“I’m not leaving.” Yu Hao said with a smile that he couldn’t conceal.
Lin Ze, “Oh?”
Yu Hao, “Un.”
Situ Ye, “Oh……”
Yu Hao suspected that the two of them knew something. Situ Ye said, “What about your graduation thesis?”
Yu Hao said, “I’ll still have to write my thesis. I’ll ask Chen Laoshi sometime if I can write it under him in Beijing, then I’ll just need to go back for my thesis defence.” This was the conclusion he came to after discussing it with Zhou Sheng in the morning.
“Where’s the red Angry Bird?” Situ Ye asked as he edited photos, “He’s going to drift to the North with you?”
Yu Hao connected the recording pen and imported the interview recordings. He thought, you actually gave Zhou Sheng such a nickname, but when he thought that Zhou Sheng’s eyebrows did look a bit like the red Angry Bird in the game, he couldn’t help bursting into laughter on the spot.
Situ Ye had always been amazing at coming up with nicknames. He really had the metaphorical style of literary masters; the nickname he gave vice editor-in-chief was ‘Patrick Star’, and he had even compared Yu Hao to the yellow Angry Bird. He bought a bunch of badges and gave one to everyone, to pin onto their camera bags.
“He’s going to find a part-time job in Beijing first,” Yu Hao said, “Earn some living expenses, then study hard and get a postgraduate degree in business at a university here in Beijing.” This was also what he had discussed with Zhou Sheng in the morning.
“Enroll in the Wudaokou Institute of Technology then.” Lin Ze glanced at Yu Hao, “If you weren’t describing him through fan goggles, then he should be able to get in.”
Yu Hao said, “I’ll discuss it with him again……” Then he put on his earphones and started revising the messy dialect transcriptions of the voice recordings.
“Yu Hao.” Situ Ye suddenly said, “Do you……know this person?”
Yu Hao was trying his best to understand the strange dialect. Lin Ze frowned and tossed him an inquiring look. Situ Ye grabbed an eraser and stared at the screen, turning his head to scrutinise the photo.
After Yu Hao got hit by an eraser, he suddenly snapped out of his daze. Situ Ye said, “Come over to take a look?”
He scrolled with his mouse to enlarge the photo. Question marks appeared all over Yu Hao’s head; it was a photo taken at an interview conducted at the end of October. It was a photo taken of a street, and Yu Hao had already forgotten what his interview was for. It seemed to be a crowd of drug addicts, and the photo was taken outside an upscale community.
There was a middle-aged man in the photo with a very ordinary appearance, and he was looking at the camera while he was in the midst of the crowd.
“I don’t know him.” Yu Hao said, “Why?”
Situ Ye studied that man and revealed a doubtful expression, “Look at this photo.”
No matter if it was taken with a phone or a camera, Yu Hao often bumped into such irrelevant people looking straight into the camera in the photo. Situ Ye often taught him how to cut out elements that seem strange out of the photo.
Yu Hao, “???”
Situ Ye opened up a photo that was taken more than a month later in November and enlarged it, “Look at this man.”
Yu Hao was baffled. His camera had a very high pixel resolution, so after enlarging his photos, a lot of details could be seen very clearly. This photo was taken from afar of a passing car with its windows rolled down, and a side profile could be seen.
“Do you think it’s the same person?” Situ Ye asked Yu Hao.
Situ Ye couldn’t determine it either. Yu Hao instantly felt scared, “It can’t be ba! Lady boss! What does this mean! Don’t scare me!”
Lin Ze got some goosebumps from hearing all this too, “Who is it? Let me see?”
Lin Ze came over to take a look, “It’s just a generic face ba, have you gone a little delirious from editing too many photos?”
“Un……” Situ Ye studied the photo.
Lin Ze, “Look at the hairline, it’s obviously different here!”
Yu Hao, “That’s good then.”
“What is it?” Zhou Sheng’s voice rang out from the back.
The three of them immediately screamed. No one knew when Zhou Sheng came. He held four bentos in his hand and distributed them to Lin Ze and Situ Ye.
“Oh.” Zhou Sheng didn’t comment after seeing the photos.
Yu Hao said, “It’s not the same person. Lady boss, sometimes your thoughts can be really weird.”
“Un……” Situ Ye tilted his head, “Sometimes I can’t help but play puzzle games with the people in the background and try to eliminate some of them.”
Yu Hao, “……”
Zhou Sheng was wearing baggy jeans, a thick jacket, and a red-black hat today. No one seemed the slightest bit surprised at his appearance in this office.
“It really is cold.” Zhou Sheng said, “Move a charcoal stove over ba.”
Yu Hao said, “Don’t, just endure it. I don’t want to make headlines in my own newspaper tomorrow in that kind of way.”
Lin Ze said, “I’ve applied for a small-scale renovation at the general office. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to survive the winter.”
“I found a job.” Zhou Sheng said, “There’ll be an interview this afternoon.”
“What will you do?” Yu Hao asked.
“Business consultation.” Zhou Sheng said, “Huang Ting introduced me. This consulting firm works with them. On the plane that day, I had just started talking to him about coming to Beijing when that guy asked me to send him my resume. I couldn’t change his mind no matter what, so I had to send it to him. It has only been two days, and they’ve already asked me to go for an interview.”
Yu Hao said, “What is the job?”
Zhou Sheng said, “It has to do with entity analytics. I’ll ask them first if I can take my work home occasionally.” As he spoke he scratched his head and squinted, as if he was thinking about something.
Lin Ze, “You’re going for an interview? Do you want me to lend you some formal wear? But the size may be a little small.”
Zhou Sheng said, “There’s no need.”
Yu Hao thought that he may be able to learn something, but Lin Ze glanced at Zhou Sheng from behind his computer. Zhou Sheng went over after lunch. Yu Hao’s head was still spinning from revising manuscripts in the afternoon. Lin Ze said, “Yu Hao, look for some training materials when you’re free and get the News Editing qualification certificate. When you have the time, you should get the certificate first.”
Yu Hao said, “Okay.”
Jin Weicheng came in as well. He didn’t go out for interviews today and stared as Yu Hao revised manuscripts. Situ Ye said, “Jin Laoshi, you just finished an interview, why don’t you go back to take a rest for two days?”
Jin Weicheng, “It’s okay. My house is colder than the company, at least it’s warmer here with so many people around.”
Yu Hao, “……”
Zhou Sheng came over again during tea break. He greeted Jin Weicheng, then moved a chair outside the door to bask in the sun. He looked down and browsed several postgraduate entrance examination materials on his phone.
“I’ve passed the interview.” Zhou Sheng said, “They asked me to go to work tomorrow.”
“So fast?!” Yu Hao was stunned.
Zhou Sheng uttered an “un” and said, “I’ll just be running errands for them at the start, there’s not much to do.”
Yu Hao, “How much will you get a month?”
Zhou Sheng, “6,000 during the probation period ba. After they move me to a full-time post, I could get 15,000 including commission.”
Lin Ze, “……”
Situ Ye, “……”
Yu Hao, “So much?!”
Lin Ze held his forehead with one hand. Zhou Sheng said, “Your leader’s here, could you stop slapping his face? The pa pa sounds are too cruel.”
Situ Ye burst out laughing. Lin Ze said, “Your friend introduced you?”
Zhou Sheng, “Yeah, you wanna join? I think you’re a good fit, boss. They asked if I’m married and whether my wife is with me. I said my wife works as a reporter, and they said ‘un that can add points,’ then got me to do a set of test questions about contextual inquiry, then asked me some questions, then immediately settled on their final verdict and said they wanted me. I’m telling you, it really was ‘immediate’ without the slightest hesitation.” As he spoke, he moved a chair and performed the scene of his interview. Situ Ye laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair.
“Wait wait wait.” Yu Hao said, “Why would they add points for you because I’m an investigative reporter? What does it have to do with me?”
Zhou Sheng smiled and patted Yu Hao’s face with two fingers, “Nothing much, write your manuscripts ba. Finish it quick and get off work, then we can go home for dinner.”
Situ Ye looked at the time, “I need to go buy groceries too.”
Jin Weicheng, “What’s their main business?”
Zhou Sheng rummaged through the materials, “To catch mistresses, take photos of debt dodgers, investigate real estate, divorce property division……collect evidence of business infringement, fight for false legal rights, find people, a bunch of nonsense. The company isn’t certified, it’s run by a retired criminal investigator.”
“Why is there such a strange company?” Yu Hao said, “Isn’t that……”
“Private detective?” Jin Weicheng said, “I haven’t been paying attention to that industry for a few years, yet it’s so profitable now?”
“You want to be private detective?” Yu Hao said.
“Isn’t it pretty good?” Zhou Sheng said solemnly, “I like it, to become a brave private detective is my dream!”
Lin Ze, “Black market industry. It must be cooperating with people at the top, otherwise it wouldn’t be able to stay open in Beijing. Anything that’s not convenient for the top to investigate openly will be handed to them.”
Zhou Sheng said, “Un, it could close down at any time, the storefront’s really small. The sign that says ‘Business Consultation and Analysis Service Center’ hangs behind Xidan, and when there’s nothing to do, I don’t need to report to the office either……I thought it was strange that they would want me just to give Huang Ting face……forget it, I’ll just do it first and see how it is, if it doesn’t work out I’ll switch.”
Lin Ze, “If you have any news, come share it with us, son-in-law.”
Zhou Sheng, “Okay na, wait for me to familiarise myself, and I can act as an informant for you guys too, then I can earn some tip-off fees.”
Jin Weicheng shook his head and declined to comment. He opened up his notebook to start writing.
Zhou Sheng thought for a moment, then got up and left again, coming and going without even casting a shadow.
Translator's Note:
Juurensha: Awwww, I’m glad they’re living together in Beijing now.
