Chapter Sixty-Six: An Auspicious Number
Captain Lu Biao’s mood today was exceptionally bright and cheerful, as if his happiness stemmed from the rare tameness of his hair. Even when meeting with Group Four’s leader, Li Chuan, and the outstanding member, Qiao Mu Cao, he did something unprecedented—he let Qiao Mu Cao speak for once.
Though, in the end, Qiao Mu Cao was still ushered out of the office just as he was getting into his stride, Lu Biao had managed to get a clear and thorough understanding of the whole incident. So, when Ye Chen, the principal figure, finally arrived, Lu Biao found himself with nothing left to do.
“A fine young man! Work hard in the Patrol Bureau, and who knows, maybe one day you’ll become a group leader yourself,” Lu Biao praised him, seemingly earnest but actually quite absent-minded.
“Thank you for your kind words, Captain. It’s thanks to Leader Dai’s guidance,” Ye Chen replied.
Dai Guangjun stole a glance at Ye Chen, noticing he was unfazed by Lu Biao’s formulaic compliments. He remained steady and composed, and—most crucially—had shifted some of the credit to Dai himself. It felt less like credit and more like responsibility being handed over… Dai Guangjun wondered if he was imagining things.
Lu Biao opened his drawer, pulled out a stored-value card, and pushed it forward, looking somewhat pained. “This incident wasn’t related to the Bureau, so essentially you and Qiao Mu Cao were helping me out personally. The Bureau can’t compensate you for that. But what the Bureau can’t give, I’ll make up for out of my own pocket. Money isn’t what matters to me.”
He pushed the card a little closer to Ye Chen, his reluctance obvious. Ye Chen felt that Lu Biao was making a final, sentimental touch on the money about to leave him for good. He was struggling with it! Ye Chen believed that those who insisted they didn’t care about money were, in truth, the ones who valued it above all else.
Alas, poor Captain Lu.
On the table lay a red stored-value card, identical to the one he’d received from Old Jin. It was worth noting that the card’s color indicated its tier or value. The most common was the white card—no minimum value. Above that were red, blue, silver, gold, and black-gold cards, with starting values of ten thousand, one hundred thousand, one million, five million, and ten million, respectively.
So, with Lu Biao offering a red card, Ye Chen surmised the reward must be between ten thousand and just under a hundred thousand. For example, the subsidy he’d received from the Extraordinary Bureau was twenty thousand, so it had come in a blue card.
After a few more insincere compliments from Lu Biao, and Ye Chen’s own perfunctory responses, he quietly left the room, giving the two leaders time to confer.
Waiting outside, Xu Fan immediately sidled over. “What did Captain Lu give you as a reward?”
Ye Chen held up the red card.
“Wow, Captain Lu is generous! Did he give you a hundred thousand?”
Ye Chen rolled his eyes. “I’m guessing ten thousand. Want to bet?”
“How?”
“If it’s more than fifty thousand, it’s all yours. Less than fifty thousand, you pay me the difference.”
Ah… why do I suddenly have so little faith in Captain Lu?
---
Xu Fan shrank back, using the excuse that gambling was a bad idea to cover his anxiety. In the end, curiosity won out, and the actual amount on the card was uncovered by both Xu Fan and Chen Bingfeng—eighteen thousand eight hundred. Well, that was certainly an auspicious number.
Ye Chen thought ninety-eight thousand eight hundred would be even luckier.
In the end, Dai Guangjun conscientiously approved a half-month leave for Ye Chen. After all, when Ye Chen had been carried back, bloodied and wounded, there was no way to fake it. With injuries like that, anyone would need months to recover before they could truly be up and about.
---
Market District.
Because of the cold, there were noticeably fewer stalls today. For example, the auntie who usually set up next to Ye Shanshan didn’t appear. For many vendors, missing a day means missing a day’s meals; three days, a week’s meals; and if they’re gone for a month, something serious must have happened.
To fend off the wind, Ye Shanshan had deliberately installed cloth canopies on both sides of her cart, but the cold still forced her to huddle close to the stove for warmth. She wore her usual rabbit apron over last year’s old coat, likely with an extra layer underneath for warmth, making her look bulky and a bit comical.
Wind would seep in under the canopy, blowing directly onto her ankles. Occasionally, Ye Shanshan would bounce in place like a little rabbit, muttering “hey-ho, hey-ho” as she did so—a sound that must have come from her family’s rabbit.
Her once porcelain-white hands were now red from the cold, and she relied on the steam from the stove for warmth. Her pure, delicate face, coupled with flushed cheeks from the chill, made her the picture of the gentle yet stubborn girl next door—someone who naturally inspired a sense of protectiveness.
With so few customers and passersby, Ye Shanshan’s large eyes gradually narrowed as she grew sleepy.
Ye Chen quietly approached her stall, tapping his fingers twice on the counter.
Ye Shanshan, distracted, thought a customer had arrived and immediately perked up. When she saw who it was, her expression changed; she planted her hands on her hips and glared, puffing up with annoyance.
“What are you doing here? Don’t disturb my business!”
Ye Chen glanced at her: o(one︿one+)o
What’s this act now?
But when a woman is angry, it doesn’t matter what the reason, it cures all ills.
Ye Chen pulled a small paper packet from his pocket, handing it over.
Ye Shanshan puffed her cheeks and glanced at it, then looked away. After a moment, she peeked again, seeing Ye Chen still holding it out, and reluctantly asked, “What is it?”
Ye Chen smiled.
---
“When I went to the Inner City, I happened to complete a mission. The Bureau gave me a bonus. It’s all here. If you don’t want it, I’ll just keep it for myself!”
Ye Chen had grown savvy; even with a stored-value card in hand, he wouldn’t hand it all over at once. He’d deliver it bit by bit, choosing his moments carefully, to build goodwill when it mattered most. The paper wrapping was to disguise the blue card’s color. If Ye Shanshan hadn’t been in such a mood today, he would have waited until next time to hand it over.
“Hmph! Who cares? Disappeared for two nights, and you never said where you went!” Ye Shanshan’s response was clearly tinged with emotion.
Damn, so that’s what it’s about.
If she found out he’d been seriously injured this time, that would be a disaster.
“We’re all having dinner together tonight, a proper meal, and there’ll be a new friend joining us. Hurry up and pack up—you’ll freeze out here and there aren’t enough customers to make it worth it. The card has enough bonus to cover your stall for more than half a year!”
Ye Chen spoke confidently, his chin nearly raised in pride.
As the saying goes, flaunt your wealth and you invite thieves; show off and you attract trouble!
“Really?”
“Really!”
“All right then!”
“So, this packet…”
“Give it here!”
Ye Chen’s subsidy from the Extraordinary Bureau waved him goodbye.
---
Jin Yinghui, warming himself and smoking in his shop, also heard about the dinner. Drowsy from the heat of the stove, he suddenly perked up. He glanced at several new task sheets on the table, then looked around his empty shop, muttering, “In this freezing weather, who cares about pasting notices? The wind probably blew them all away!”
He rummaged in his drawer for two unopened packs of cigarettes, stuffed them in his pocket, and grumbled, “These people never buy their own cigarettes—no manners at all!”
Jin threw on his coat, stepped outside, and then doubled back after a few steps. He suddenly remembered that one of the new task sheets had a particularly interesting mission, and the issuer was the Extraordinary Bureau from the Inner City.
The Extraordinary Bureau was truly wealthy, their rewards always generous beyond imagination. In fact, more than half their missions relied on sheer luck to be fulfilled.
“Maybe I’ll bring this task sheet tonight and ask Ye Chen if he’s interested?”