008 A task

The loudspeaker crackled to life with a low male voice, sounding a bit impatient, "What's up?"

The young man immediately responded, "Boss, I saw an interesting post, I'm sending it to you!" As he spoke, he opened the chat window and sent the link over.

About a minute later, the male voice from the speaker commanded, "Find out who posted it."

The young man was already on it, and in less than a minute, he had traced the IP address of the poster. He said, "The post was made from a dark internet cafe in Market. The person must have been very cautious. But this makes the content of the post all the more intriguing."

The voice spoke again, "Hmm, this person definitely knows something. Erase your tracks, don't let anyone trace it back to us. Also, send me the address of that internet cafe and check the local surveillance, see if we can find this person."

It took a bit longer this time, nearly ten minutes, before the young man found a few photos from the surveillance footage. He sent the photos along and said, "Boss, this person is really cautious, dresses up like a man, has disguised their face, and kept their head down the whole time, never letting the cameras catch a full face shot."

Seconds later, the voice came with unassailable authority, "She's a woman, and she definitely knows something. Check the other surveillance cameras in the area, see if you can find her. Also, wipe the surveillance of any traces, I don't want anyone else seeing this."

The young man said with a snicker, "I knew it was a woman! Don't worry, Boss, I, Hou San, will definitely help you find this little beauty! Heh heh heh~~~~"

However, as the search continued, the figure vanished from all surveillance, disappearing in a busy area with lots of people and cars. It was as if finding her was as hard as scaling the heavens. Clearly, she had been well-prepared!

Hou San had no choice but to erase all traces from the surveillance and then report back the results. The 'Boss' didn't say much more, and at that moment his phone beeped with a text message. Upon reading the content, his face darkened.

Hou San didn't see it, but he could sense something was off and asked worriedly, "Boss? What's wrong? Is it because of that text just now?"

The man, not in the best mood, answered, "Yeah, the main house wants me to come over, there's a new task."

Hou San, hearing this, instantly grew irritable, "Damn it, is it that bastard Bai Yu with his pretty-boy face causing trouble again?"

Without a reply, the man's silence served as affirmation.

Hou San advised, "Boss, if you ask me, just don't bother with them anymore. Bunch of bastards, not a single good one among them! Especially that bastard Bai Yu, how much trouble has he caused us already? That guy's no good at all!"

But the man said, "I'll go have a look first. This is the last task of the year, and if it's not troublesome, I'll take it. Then I'll be free for the second half of the year."

Hou San wanted to persuade him further but stopped upon hearing this. The tasks they got, weren't they always troublesome? Even if the tasks themselves weren't problematic, with that bastard Bai Yu involved, they could become dozens of times more so! Yet, as the man said, this was indeed the last task of the year, and after that, they'd be free for the latter half. So he didn't try to dissuade him any further.

After visiting the main house, it turned out the task wasn't troublesome at all—just find someone in Market and escort them back to Beishi City. Of course, this would've been truly simplistic if one ignored the fact that Market was a flu hotspot and the stronghold of the Qiu Family.

He had originally not planned to accept this mission, knowing Bai Yu must have set a trap for him in Market, but thinking about that mysterious post, he decided to take the risk. If the content of the post was true, then he had to find a way to locate the mysterious poster; if false, he wouldn't have to worry about the dangers in Market anymore.

After accepting the mission, he returned home. He would be away for a few days and needed to inform his family. As soon as he opened the door, Bai Qianqian, who had been sitting on the living room sofa, immediately turned her head around. Her eyes lit up upon seeing him, and she jumped off the sofa and ran towards him, "Daddy!"

The man bent down to pick up his child, noting that she felt heavier than before and frowning at the crumbs around her plump face, he reprimanded, "You've gained weight again. Didn't we agree you wouldn't eat too many sweets?"

Bai Qianqian squinted her eyes, then rubbed her chubby face against his chest, leaving his white shirt immediately covered in cookie crumbs. His face darkened, and he put Bai Qianqian down firmly, saying with a stern voice, "Go do your homework," before going to his room to shower and change clothes.

Bai Qianqian scoffed and muttered, "I finished my homework ages ago." After he left, she returned to the couch and grabbed a cookie from a small plate and began eating it noisily, "crunch, crunch." Shui Rou, who had been curled up on the sofa, let out a long sigh of relief once he was gone and patted her chest, "That scared me to death; Xiao Ye is getting more and more fierce." She then warned Bai Qianqian, "Qianqian, don't eat anymore. Look, Xiao Ye is angry now. Be careful, or he might hit you later!"

Bai Qianqian's hand, reaching for a cookie, paused mid-air. She turned to look at Shui Rou, blinked, then glanced at the remaining cookies on the plate with a conflicted look. She solemnly spoke, "Forget it, I won't eat anymore. Little Putao was right, unwanted old men are the worst!"

"Bai Qianqian! What did you just say? I didn't hear you!"

Bai Ye's voice suddenly came from behind, startling both Shui Rou and Bai Qianqian so much that they nearly jumped out of their skins. They stiffly turned their heads to see Bai Ye standing behind the sofa, holding a travel bag.

Shui Rou frowned, "Xiao Ye, are you going out again?" Bai Qianqian also didn't look too happy, pouting and glaring at the man as if about to cry.

Seeing their expressions, the hint of anger in Bai Ye dissipated. He reached out to pat Bai Qianqian on the head and spoke to Shui Rou, "I've taken a mission and will be gone for a few days. I'll leave after we eat dinner together."

Bai Qianqian looked at the travel bag in his hand and felt immensely upset. She couldn't help but ask, "What mission is it? Dad, when are you going to bring Mom back?"

Bai Ye and Shui Rou's faces both shifted as they heard this. He struggled to say, "Your mom... she's in a very far place and can't come back for now. In the future, I promise to bring her back, okay?"

Bai Qianqian's eyes turned red with anger, "You're lying! That's exactly what you said last year!" She screamed and then burrowed into Shui Rou's arms, crying loudly, "Grandma! I want Mom! All my classmates have moms; why don't I? Can you ask Dad to bring Mom back, please?"

Neither Shui Rou nor Bai Ye could find the words to respond. Bai Qianqian was a child Bai Ye had found within an underground organization. Someone had stolen his Mi Qingzi to create a test-tube baby, and that baby was Bai Qianqian. When Bai Ye discovered this, he tracked down the underground organization and rescued Bai Qianqian. However, all the data had been destroyed, and he had no idea who Bai Qianqian's mother was.

After lunch with his family, Bai Ye rushed off, leaving Bai Qianqian without the answers she wanted. She felt listless, barely touching her lunch. Shui Rou prepared her favorite little cakes, but she refused to eat and instead went back to her room alone.

Once in her room, Bai Qianqian logged into QQ and started to vent to her friend Little Putao. While complaining, her phone suddenly rang. Bai Qianqian curiously picked up, facing an unknown number. Her curiosity peaked, she answered, "Hello? Who is this?"

A woman's voice came through the phone, "Your mom is at Shangshi Liren Hospital, she's dying. If you're late, you won't be able to see her."

Bai Qianqian's hand trembled, and the phone fell to the ground, the call cutting off immediately.