Chapter 93: The Other Side of Xia Xiqing
Chapter 93: Chapter 93: The Other Side of Xia Xiqing
Zhang Yan, having already gotten plenty of exercise for the day, went to the provincial library to finish reading the remaining half of "Guns, Germs, and Steel".
With this, the progress for his cognitive enhancement mission reached 160 percent, bringing him one step closer to the advanced reward threshold.
Just as he stretched lazily, a familiar, lowered voice came from beside him. "Zhang Datuhao, you’re really focused when you read. I tried to get your attention several times just now, but you completely ignored me."
Zhang Yan looked up at Old Niu, who had initiated the conversation. He nodded and gestured for them to step outside to talk.
Since there had been progress in the private investigation he commissioned regarding Xia Xiqing, Zhang Yan had arranged to meet Old Niu. Although he had already received a written report, he still wanted to clarify many details in person.
In the sweltering mid-July heat, the weather showed no signs of cooling down even at five in the afternoon. The moment the two men stepped out of the air-conditioned building, they were hit by a gust of hot wind, leaving them feeling instantly uncomfortable.
"Zhang Datuhao, are we just going to talk here? There are people coming and going. It’s not very appropriate, is it?"
"I’ve booked a private room at a barbecue place. We can eat and talk there."
Before Zhang Yan could even finish speaking, the ride-hailing car he had reserved pulled up in front of them.
Since he wasn’t bringing a girl along, Zhang Yan had only called for a standard car. As soon as he got in, a faint odor assaulted his nose, causing him to frown.
"It really is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go the other way," he thought. "The regular taxis I used to take smelled way worse, but I never noticed it back then."
In stark contrast, Old Niu wore a look of pure enjoyment. After all, unless the distance was too far, he usually just roughed it and walked.
It wasn’t appropriate to discuss their business in the car, and since Old Niu and Zhang Yan’s relationship was purely transactional, they weren’t exactly friends. Without much small talk to share, the car fell silent, filled only by the soothing sound of light music.
Old Niu comfortably enjoyed the cool breeze from the air conditioning while ogling the pale arms and long legs of women on the street. Inwardly, however, he was brimming with curiosity about Zhang Yan.
He couldn’t quite figure out this generous, "study-loving" client. Watching him read earlier, it was obvious that he was just perfunctorily flipping through the pages. Even if someone were reading the most mindless billionaire web novel, it was impossible to read at that speed. Let alone the fact that he was reading "Guns, Germs, and Steel", a famous book Old Niu only recognized after looking it up on Baidu. No matter how incredible someone was, they couldn’t possibly read it that fast.
Yet, Zhang Yan had looked genuinely focused. His gaze and demeanor didn’t seem faked at all.
That wasn’t the only thing Old Niu couldn’t wrap his head around.
Zhang Yan spent a fortune reserving a seat every day, acting as if he wouldn’t rest until he saw that mysterious beauty. He behaved just like any ordinary, slightly lustful recent college graduate. But then he would be absent every other day. In fact, he had already missed two chances to run into the beauty. This made Old Niu even more uncertain about Zhang Yan’s true motive for coming to the provincial library.
Then there was the tracking investigation Zhang Yan had currently commissioned. The target was another stunning beauty. It made Zhang Yan look like a sex-starved maniac who wouldn’t let any pretty girl slip by. However, judging from the chat records of the library’s female readers group, Zhang Yan also maintained the highly charming and gentlemanly persona of a perfect idol.
Old Niu saw far too many contradictions in this man.
The destination wasn’t far. The two men soon stood before the entrance of the Joyful Union Sect Barbecue.
Like countless others visiting for the first time, Old Niu stared at the signboard and instinctively asked the same question. "Zhang Datuhao, are you sure this is a legitimate barbecue place?"
"Absolutely legitimate."
Recently, Zhang Yan had indeed eaten at many expensive restaurants he could never have afforded in the past. To be honest, though, aside from a select few that genuinely offered something special, most of those places were just selling service and ambiance. When it came to pure taste, they were nothing extraordinary. In the end, he still found eating barbecue to be the most satisfying, so he booked this place for his meeting with Old Niu.
It was definitely not because Old Niu wasn’t a girl, nor was it because Zhang Yan had expended too much energy recently and needed to replenish his vitality.
They took their seats in the elegant private room.
"Give me two skewers of roasted ginseng, two portions each of deer kidneys and deer testicles, and four skewers of Lan Xianzi... Finally, get me a cup of deer pizzle Spiritual Liquid. That’s all for me. Old Niu, see what else you want and order it yourself."
Taking the menu and seeing the somewhat unusual dishes, Old Niu’s interest was piqued. He added a dish called "Turbocharger," which contained soft-shell turtle, abalone, chicken kidneys, and sheep pizzle. It looked like something that would severely boost one’s combat power.
"Does Zhang Datuhao have a date with a lovely lady tonight?" After ordering, Old Niu winked at Zhang Yan, who didn’t bother offering an explanation.
Although Shimizu Ken’s blessing did indeed increase his combat stats by 100 percent—bringing his real-time combat ability to several times its usual level—the physical toll it took was equally massive. While he didn’t feel too mentally exhausted, he had noticed something was slightly amiss from the thinning density of his "ammunition." To prevent any future issues, it was best to replenish his vitality as early as possible.
"While we wait for the food, tell me about the situation on your end."
Facing his big-spending patron, Old Niu dropped his usual flippant attitude and began to report seriously.
According to the latest intelligence, Xia Xiqing was incredibly busy every day. Sometimes, she went to parks or scenic spots, set up an easel, and took on commissions painting portraits or landscapes in various styles. She occasionally got a few jobs, but not many. Most of those commissions came from people intrigued by her bizarre attire and the supermodel figure faintly discernible beneath it.
To hide her face in the sweltering heat of summer, Xia Xiqing wore a hat, a mask, sunglasses, and long-sleeved clothes with pants. While it effectively disguised her, it made people worry she might suffer heatstroke at any moment.
Sometimes, Xia Xiqing also took on temporary gigs performing at Western restaurants. In just the past few days, the trackers had seen her play various instruments, including the violin and the piano. However, the trackers had limited musical appreciation and could only report that it sounded very nice. Naturally, she also wore a mask or other disguises during these performances. Yet, rumor had it that because she had offended some customers who tried to hit on her, she was struggling to get these kinds of gigs now.
Finally, a company named Yikoo was Xia Xiqing’s most frequent and stable workplace. The trackers had even managed to infiltrate the company from the inside, with one posing as a temporary odd-job worker. The rumor that Fang Hanyu was planning to put on a show to disadvantage Xia Xiqing was exactly what that temp worker had managed to uncover.
Hearing this, Zhang Yan couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement, though he wasn’t shocked by Xia Xiqing secretly working odd jobs.
"Old Niu, this guy is a real talent. In just a few days, he actually managed to find out this much information and even infiltrated their ranks?"