On the way to the software park, Li Xuan remembered that Sheng Min had suddenly mentioned the names Sheng Hui and Wang Shuying—names he hadn’t heard in a long time—he thought for a moment and dialed Skinny Monkey’s number.
“I figured this unfamiliar number must be you… what a coincidence. Got another opportunity for me to make money?” The voice on the other end was still its casual tone, mixed with the sound of mahjong tiles clashing.
“How’s it going with keeping an eye on those two?” Li Xuan asked as he turned off the car’s GPS.
“All quiet on that front… Damn, how do I play this… forget it, I’m gonna have a cigarette,” Skinny Monkey cursed a few times, stood up, and moved to a quieter place. “I’ve already scared them enough. I’ll put it this way: if that mother and son dare step foot in N city again, I’ll give you back all the money you paid me—and even double it!”
“You don’t need to swear or make oaths. Just get the job done, your big talk doesn’t impress me.”
“What do you mean big talk? If you don’t believe me, just wait and see!” There was a sharp sound, as if he was slapping his thigh or chest.
“I’ll be watching,” Li Xuan replied calmly. “You keep an eye on them, and make sure you do it for at least a year.”
“I get it, I’m working for you,” Skinny Monkey teased, then added, “But it’s not like you, Nineteen. What’s up with you and that old woman? What did that old lady do to offend you?”
Li Xuan chuckled softly. “No one told you that money and business are two different things? If you want to make money off me, keep your curiosity in check.”
“You know how I do it. I ask directly… unlike some people…”
Skinny Monkey said, trailing off with a vague implication, deliberately holding something back. Li Xuan furrowed his brow but spoke in his usual tone: “That’s enough.”
“Hey, wait, wait…” Skinny Monkey quickly stopped him. “You really don’t want to know?”
“I don’t.”
“Damn! I’m telling you whether you want to know or not. If you hang up now, I won’t be able to find you again… Did you know, Snake Skin’s been around?”
Li Xuan’s throat tightened slightly as Skinny Monkey’s voice sounded smug. “Has he come looking for you?”
“Has he come to look for you?” Li Xuan asked back, his tone suddenly colder.
“He did. He came to ask about you…” Skinny Monkey seized the opportunity to speak and didn’t hold back, “Just last week, Da Bin was out collecting money in the back street, and he saw him sneaking around your old rental place. You know, after all these years, he used to look like a bean sprout—short and skinny. When Da Bin saw him, he almost didn’t recognize him. It was only when he greeted him that he knew who he was. Was this a coincidence or intentional? … Da Bin’s heart’s as hard as a rock, so they just talked, and before long, they were at a mahjong hall.”
There was a brief pause before Skinny Monkey continued, “Aren’t you curious about what they talked about?”
“You just said it was about me, right?”
“Not curious about the details?”
“Goodbye.”
“Wait, you little brat haven’t changed over the years. I can’t believe I still fall for this stuff.” Skinny Monkey was getting agitated, “He’s been asking about you, and about your dad!”
Li Xuan quickly realized Skinny Monkey was referring to Li Mingge
“He’s been asking around about the two of you, what happened when they took you away. At first, I thought you guys were so close, coming from Qingshui Lane together, living together and all. We thought you were brothers… Why’s he asking about that? Then I remembered when you left, he was already locked up… but he’s lucky. Two pounds. Two full pounds. Speaking in bigger terms, this is like dealing with guns, and how many years did he get? He could still get out!” Skinny Monkey clicked his tongue in surprise.
Li Xuan glanced at his expressionless face in the rearview mirror. “You’re no better.”
“I don’t touch that stuff. But Snake Skin’s just unlucky. Everyone knows that Qingshui Alley’s a trap. He thinks he’s clever, licking the meat off the knife, but he’s stupid enough to get stabbed. Well, lucky for him, he didn’t die…” Skinny Monkey sighed heavily, “You two used to be so close—do you know any details?”
Li Xuan kept his tone steady. “I don’t care. Ask him.”
Skinny Monkey clicked his tongue. “Fine, fine. You don’t know, but he’s asking about you. Maybe he heard that you’ve become a rich young man and wants a share of it… Has he come to find you yet? I bet it won’t be long. You should get ready.”
“What did you say to him?”
“What do you mean, what did I say? I don’t know anything about the situation. I just saw your parents come, and then you followed them.” Skinny Monkey grumbled, “I’m just warning you. If I didn’t remember you gave me money for my wife’s postpartum, I wouldn’t even bother talking to you. Just keep an eye out. You can be strict, but at least you’re upfront. That guy’s eyes, though, they’re like a snake’s, always scheming—
Skinny Monkey kept talking, completely forgetting that he was recently released from prison himself. Li Xuan took out a mint from the armrest compartment and chewed two of them, the sharp, sweet taste rushing down his throat. “You and your people better keep your mouths shut.”
“Damn! You don’t trust me? Don’t worry! It’s all sealed tight!” Skinny Monkey, recognized the implied warning in Li Xuan’s words. “Nobody knows we’re in contact. I’ve been asked a few times and never said anything. You’re our big client… but if he really comes after you, it’s not my problem… Oh, by the way, when Snake Skin asked, I remembered something.”
He sounded as if he had figured something out, chuckling a couple of times. “Nineteen, you’ve been wanting to leave for a long time, haven’t you? At least a month before Snake skin’s incident, I saw that couple’s car come to Qingshui Alley. I just caught a glimpse; after all these years, I almost forgot about it… But such a nice car, we don’t see many of those in this rundown place…”
“Need any help?” A knock sounded on the car window.
Li Xuan pulled himself out of his muddled thoughts and pressed down the window. “What’s wrong?”
“I noticed your car hasn’t moved,” said a concerned-looking office lady. “I thought something might have happened…”
Unbeknownst to him, the traffic light had cycled through two rounds, but fortunately, this wasn’t a major road, and the stream of cars behind him wasn’t long.
“Sorry, I received a call,” Li Xuan replied, pressing his fingers to his forehead. “I’m leaving now.”
When he got to the parking lot, he noticed he had two missed calls, both from Qi Boyuan. Li Xuan frowned, hurriedly stepped into the elevator, and just as he reached his floor, his phone rang again.
“I’m already here,” he hung up the phone, and as the sensor door opened, Qi Boyuan happened to turn around. “I was just looking for you.”
“What’s going on? Why the numerous calls?” Li Xuan asked while walking towards the office, Qi Boyuan following him inside. “… There’s been an issue with the appearance probability of the koi in the pond for ‘Nook.’ Many players are reporting they can’t find them. Since you didn’t answer, I’ve already handled it—everyone in the server will be compensated with a hundred wishing coins.”
“That’s fine,” Li Xuan replied briefly, opening the game back-end to check and also glancing at the customer complaint interface.
Complaints were mainly concentrated around 9 o’clock, with the last one at 9:26. The problem wasn’t too serious, and Qi Boyuan had dealt with it swiftly, so it hadn’t caused much public backlash.
“What’s the bug?”
“It should be data entry errors by the new planner.”
“Should be?”
“Yes.”
Li Xuan pressed his lips together. “How many times has this happened?”
“Second time. The last incident was about the special effects mixing issue. That one isn’t really his fault… Overall, his work quality is acceptable.”
“A newbie? Hasn’t he been here for a few months? If he’s not to blame, that falls on you! ‘Acceptable’ is too low a standard—at least hold him to eighty percent of your own standards.” Li Xuan grabbed a cup from the table, wanting a drink only to find it empty, and tossed it back down. “If there’s another issue, don’t bring it to me… Who hired him?”
“I did.”
Before Qi Boyuan could respond, Chu Tianheng pushed open the door and came in. “Are we talking about Wang Tian? … I was looking at images at the printing factory and only got back after receiving the call.” He had white dust on his sleeves and looked at Li Xuan. “Let me own up to it; during the hiring process, I did prioritize thinking abilities, and missed out on many details. My management was insufficient, resulting in losses for the company… but the person isn’t a major problem; I don’t think it’s at a point where dismissal is needed.”
“Li Xuan didn’t say anything about firing… Where’d you get all that dust?” Qi Boyuan casually patted his sleeve. “I know you don’t have many people under you—if we really fired someone, it’d be tough for you to keep things running… So, say something, Li Xuan.”
“A criticism notice will be posted on the internal network for a week, and half of this month’s bonus will be deducted.” Li Xuan finally spoke.
Qi Boyuan shrugged, indicating he had no objections. According to the protocol, this was the course of action, and this person had made mistakes twice now—after all, it affected the entire operation of the game, which was a significant issue, so Li Xuan was still being lenient. Chu Tianheng pondered for a moment, “Wang Tian’s family situation… isn’t great.”
Li Xuan looked up quietly without speaking, and Chu Tianheng sighed, “Alright, I understand. I’ll also take a half deduction; I have management responsibilities.”
“It’s not your fault, don’t feel burdened,” Li Xuan pressed at his brow. “If there’s nothing else, Senior, you can go back to your tasks.”
“Hold on, I have something else.” Qi Boyuan raised a hand. “The tech forum has been moved to next week. I can’t adjust my schedule. One of you should go, or I’ll let the organizers know we won’t make it.”
“If Li Xuan’s busy, I’ll go?” Chu Tianheng glanced at Li Xuan. “I think it’s worth attending. A lot of companies participate every year, and there are plenty of new game showcases—it’s a good networking opportunity.”
Li Xuan casually nodded, “It’s a small matter; anyone can go.” He stopped Qi Boyuan, who was about to leave with Chu Tianheng. “Wait a second.”
“What is it? Spill.” Qi Boyuan shut the door behind him and turned around. “Not gonna lie, I’m a little scared whenever you make that face.”
Li Xuan raised his eyes and was silent for a full half minute. “What’s been going on with Zhao Jizhe recently?”
“You found out?” Qi Boyuan was momentarily stunned. His reaction was different from what Li Xuan had expected. “Was it really him?”
“What do you think I found out?” Li Xuan countered.
Qi Boyuan looked just as confused. “What are you even asking about?”
“Haven’t you been keeping an eye on him?”
Although Qi Boyuan had never explicitly mentioned it, Li Xuan was well aware that ever since he had insisted on letting Zhao Jizhe join the company, Qi Boyuan had never trusted him and had never let his guard down.
“What, am I crazy? Why would I be watching him—” Qi Boyuan instinctively refuted but then quickly added, “Stop being cryptic. Is he following you or not?”
“Following me?”
Qi Boyuan studied his expression. “You didn’t know? …Then why did you suddenly ask me about him? Give me two minutes.”
He hurried out and returned shortly after, pulling a small round metal piece, about the size of a thumbnail, from his pocket. “Take a look at this first.”
The moment Li Xuan saw it, he already recognized it. He reached out and took it—a precision miniature tracker.
“Where did you find this?”
“In the trash can… Don’t get the wrong idea—I’m not that bored. The cleaning lady found it while tidying up. She didn’t know what it was and thought it might belong to the company, so she brought it to me.”
Qi Boyuan explained, “This happened last Friday. I can’t say for sure it’s his… This thing attaches to metal, so it’s usually placed on a car. I checked your car—there was no second one. But, Li Xuan—”
Qi Boyuan’s tone was utterly helpless. “It’s weird for something like this to show up in our company. We don’t have that many employees, and I really can’t think of anyone else who could’ve planted it… But you—every time I bring up Zhao Jizhe, you just say you’ve got it under control, over and over. It’s getting on my nerves. I really don’t have any proof, that’s true, but it’s making me look like I’m just stirring up trouble. I was planning to gather solid evidence before showing you, but then you suddenly asked… What’s going on?”
Li Xuan looked at the tracker in his hand without speaking. Maybe it was because of that call from Skinny Monkey, or maybe because Zhao Jizhe had already stalked him before.
At this moment, Li Xuan didn’t feel particularly angry. It was hard to pinpoint any real emotions at all.
Qi Boyuan waited for a response but got nothing. He took a step back, sat down on the sofa, and let out a sigh. “Li Xuan, I really don’t want to argue with you about this anymore. If you’re asking me, you must have a reason. If you don’t say it, it’s not my place to press you. But honestly, I’m not stupid. I barely have enough time to finish my actual work every day—why would I waste my energy watching someone who has nothing to do with me? I might as well focus on investors instead… I’ve said this a hundred times, but it’s useless. Still, because of this issue, we’ve argued more in the past few months than we have in the past three years. It’s rare for you to bring it up first today. No matter the reason, no matter if it helps or not, I’ll ask one more time…”
Qi Boyuan took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, then put them back on. “You say you have it under control—I don’t think you do. I’ve told you before, you’re just daring. I don’t understand why you insist on taking this risk, but the company is yours. If you’re not worried, there’s no point in me being anxious. But let me ask one more thing. Where’s Sheng Min? He’s back in N City now, right?”
He walked over to the desk and flicked the tracker lightly. “This time, I happened to pick it up. What if I didn’t? Even if this one is useless… go outside and see if Zhao Jizhe is here. Every day, you come, he comes. You leave, he follows right after. Do you really not know? Or have you changed your mind—have you decided Sheng Min is worth the risk now too? If that’s the case, I’ll say nothing more.”
Qi Boyuan wasn’t exactly comfortable saying all this, and he didn’t think it was particularly honorable either. He was ready for Li Xuan to get angry or to start another argument—but nothing happened.
Li Xuan just kept spinning the tracker between his fingers. For a moment, Qi Boyuan couldn’t help but wonder—what had prompted Li Xuan to ask today?
But Li Xuan remained silent. After a long few minutes, he tossed the tracker up, letting it land perfectly in Qi Boyuan’s palm. Just before Qi Boyuan could instinctively close his hand around it, Li Xuan took it back. A faint crack was visible on its surface.
“It’s fine. Go back to work.”
Qi Boyuan’s gaze flickered. He wanted to say something, but Li Xuan shook his head. “I understand. I know how much effort you’ve put into this company.”
