Chapter 50: Fruit Tea
“Oh my, she’s not going back on her word already, is she?” The burly man’s heart lurched. He slowly turned, maintaining a broad smile as he approached Jiang Lingling. “Anything else, Miss Jiang?”
“What kind of equipment did you give the other group investigating Lu Gaoshi?” Jiang Lingling used a slotted spoon to check the potatoes in the hot pot, pressing a thick slice against the side to create cracks. Perfect doneness.
When Jiang Lingling placed the order, a new intern had handled it. Seeing the target was already under investigation, the intern simply sent all the data to Jiang Lingling. The burly man was the intern’s supervisor. He hadn’t expected the intern, who got the job through connections, to create such a mess. Sending a complete file minutes after the order made it seem cheap, and the client would suspect a prior investigation.
His only consolation was that Jiang Lingling didn’t lower the price or inquire about the other client. But he hadn’t expected her to bring it up now. There were rules. Even at five times the price, he couldn’t reveal another client’s information. Five times the price… he could almost see the money flying away.
Thick-cut potatoes were essential for hot pot. Jiang Lingling coated the cooked potatoes in peanut sauce, glancing at the fidgeting, silent man. “What’s wrong? So hard to answer?”
Don’t force what’s not meant to be… The man mourned the money he might lose. “Miss Jiang, you know client information is strictly confidential.” Seeing her raised eyebrow, he added, “Really confidential, no amount of money can buy it!” Please don’t offer more, it hurt to think about money he couldn’t have.
The potatoes were delicious! Second best food in the world!
The best? KFC, of course.
Back in her village, when there was nothing to eat, she would dig up potatoes and roast them without seasoning. Fragrant, but not delicious. Bland potatoes, how could they be good after years of eating them? After being taken in by Dong Yuannan, she thought she would never want to see a potato again. But they were actually quite tasty. With seasoning, with flavor, with a stable life, potatoes could be a delicacy.
After two slices, Jiang Lingling wiped her mouth. “I know who investigated Lu Gaoshi. I’m just asking what equipment you gave them.”
She knew… The man was surprised, then pointed at the metal box. “The same as this.”
“Give them the same equipment we have. Explain the rules, I’m sure they’ll agree to just watch.” A favor for Mi Hongdou, since Ji Junxin was here.
The man hesitated. Was Jiang Lingling that close to them?
“There’s no need to let them know we’re also involved.” Jiang Lingling added a warning.
Clients were hard to understand. The man wasn’t truly interested in their relationship. His business was money. He rubbed his hands. “Miss Jiang, if we change their equipment, the payment…” If she paid the same for another setup, this would be a huge payday.
Jiang Lingling blinked. “Isn’t the money I paid enough to cover your potential losses?”
“Uh…” He choked. The extra money was for the risk of losing personnel.
“Go ahead then, it’s getting late.” She didn’t give him time to think. “Don’t try to charge them extra, I know them.”
The implication was clear. It was just changing a receiver. Having been paid five times the usual price, throwing in an extra service to gain favor with a wealthy client was a good investment. He agreed and went to install the cameras.
Mi Hongdou didn’t participate in the discussion. Private investigators, eavesdropping, cameras, surveillance, these were things she had only encountered in dramas. Seeing Jiang Lingling handle the man so efficiently, Mi Hongdou could imagine how she single-handedly saved the Dong family in her previous life.
After her rebirth, things were different, but more interesting… Mi Hongdou thought, eating more crab sliders.
The man returned around 5:30 PM, half an hour before Lu Gaoshi and Jiang Dingyi’s 6 PM meeting. Installing listening devices and cameras usually required more time. Jiang Lingling’s last-minute request was tight, but thankfully, the tech team was efficient. The man hurried in, holding a device and a monitor, panting.
The hot pot had been cleared, and the air was being ventilated. The table was now set with snacks and a pot of fruit tea. The man pulled out his water bottle, took a large gulp, and started assembling the equipment, ignoring the tempting fruit tea.
Fueled by water, not fruit tea, the man worked quickly, connecting the monitor and the device in minutes. He pressed a button, and the image of an empty room appeared on the screen. It looked similar to their room, probably the one where Lu Gaoshi would be taken.
The monitor faced the three of them, like a TV screen, showing an empty room.
“Miss Jiang, look.” The man took out a remote-like device and pressed a few buttons. The single image was replaced by a four-square grid, each showing a different view. Pressing again, it became a nine-square grid. He smiled proudly. “We installed nine cameras. You can choose any angle. And the lens can zoom in and out. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll adjust it for you.” He demonstrated the zoom function.
It seemed more reliable than she had imagined. Jiang Lingling, experiencing this “live surveillance” for the first time, was intrigued and learned how to use the remote.
Mi Hongdou stared at the time on the screen, lost in thought. Lu Gaoshi would be here soon, the show was about to begin. She wondered what they would say, and how Ji Junxin would react. And she couldn’t be by her side at this time… A heavy feeling of helplessness weighed on her heart.
Jiang Lingling quickly mastered the remote, poured the man a glass of fruit tea, and told him to rest. She looked over and saw Mi Hongdou spacing out again.
“Hey…” Jiang Lingling nudged Mi Hongdou’s arm and pointed at the snack plates. “Have some snacks if you’re bored. They’ll be here soon. Don’t overthink it, you can’t help anyway. Should I send some snacks to them too?”
Mi Hongdou looked at the plates of buttered sunflower seeds, five-spice peanuts, crab roe broad beans, pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, paper-shell walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios… Thinking that Ji Junxin would soon lose Lu Gaoshi, having some snacks might offer some comfort. She nodded. “Sure…”
Nan Tian specialized in hot pot, but many people came for discussions and meetings before or after their meal, so they had a good selection of snacks.
Jiang Lingling, after receiving Mi Hongdou’s reply, nudged the burly man, who was carefully blowing on his fruit tea. “Send a set of snacks and fruit tea to the other room, on behalf of your agency.”
The man was stunned.
“Don’t put pears in their fruit tea.” Mi Hongdou added.
“Why?” Jiang Lingling didn’t understand. “Pears are good this season, they’re refreshing and good for the lungs…”
Mi Hongdou touched her cup and didn’t speak.
Jiang Lingling always wanted to understand things she didn’t. Seeing Mi Hongdou’s silence, she pressed, “Is someone allergic to pears? No way, such a strange allergy, how can they eat dessert together in the future…”
Jiang Lingling’s imagination was boundless. With such a wild imagination, why wasn’t she a screenwriter? Oh, right, she had been a screenwriter and actress in her previous life, and quite successful. Mi Hongdou couldn’t handle Jiang Lingling’s persistent questioning and, facepalming, replied in a low voice, “Pears… they have a bad connotation.”
“What’s bad about them…” Jiang Lingling was even more curious.
“Pear… it sounds like ‘lí,’ which means ‘to separate.’ Different people eating the same pear, it’s like dividing the pear, separating the pear, like separation.” Mi Hongdou’s voice was soft, and she coughed slightly, embarrassed. But to avoid further questions from Jiang Lingling, she continued, “I see only a few pear slices in our pot. If they put pears in their tea too, they might use the same pear.”
If the first half of Mi Hongdou’s explanation confused Jiang Lingling, then the last sentence was like a revelation.
Oh my god… Her curiosity had caused her another 10,000 points of CP damage! Jiang Lingling, the single dog, clutched her heart sadly. “Then have you considered that we’re also eating from the same pear?”
Mi Hongdou awkwardly touched her cup, looked away, and fixed her gaze on an empty spot.
The man’s hand trembled as he gulped down the hot fruit tea. He seemed to have heard something incredible, although he didn’t quite understand…
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