Release that Man

Nowadays, even a mafia boss was afraid of the small thieves. Car thieves were on the lower rung of the criminal ladder, and their targets were oftentimes random; they would not even meet their targets, so there was no chance for them to know they had robbed Yao Zhixing. Plus, they might not even have known who Yao Zhixing was.

In any case, the man was unlucky. Obviously, Yao Zhixing could not visit all the mechanics and workshops in San Lin City to identify his missing steering wheel.

The much-anticipated race thus ended. Little Brother Yuan missed his opportunity of sitting inside his idol’s car and had tears in his eyes when Ye Shuang dropped him home.

“In a few days, I will send you the letter of recommendation.” Before parting, Yao Zhixing grumbled with a darkened face, “Now, I’ll need to haul my car to the workshop. Just leave me your contact number.”

When Ye Shuang gave him her contact number, she did not forget to add, “The time limit given by Han Chu is only one week… If I am not available when you call, just tell the person on the phone to go take the letter from you.”

Ye Shuang, who had to keep her gender swap constantly on her mind, was exhausted. Initially, her plan had been to form a friendship with Yao Zhixing when she was in her male form; after all, more friends equal to more channels. But now, people might get the wrong idea if she was being overly friendly with Yao Zhixing in her female form.

…

After sending Little Brother Yuan home, Ye Shuang reported to normally work the next day. An Zining was still staying at her family home, so this meant another day of rest for Brother Wong and Ye Shuang. The only job they had that day was to accompany Miss An for a walk after dinner. After that walk, Brother Shuang said that he had some other responsibilities to attend to so the next day, so Sister Shuang would come to take over his job. Those who did not know better would assume that a talent like himself was required to fly all over the world to complete his tasks.

After Brother Shuang returned home that night, the next morning, a refreshed Sister Shuang left for work.

Her first stop was An Zining’s family home to pick up her boss. When she arrived, she was told that An Zining had already left with Brother Wong. Therefore, she turned to head toward An Zining’s apartment instead. When she arrived, it was almost noon, and Miss Chef was busy cooking up a meal in the kitchen. After asking around, she realized that she had arrived sooner than her boss and Brother Wong.

Considering the fact that a shopping detour was common for rich ladies like An Zining, Ye Shuang decided to just wait at home. She waited until 1 pm, and it was then that she realized something was off.

Knocking on the kitchen door to greet Miss Chef, who was busy making dessert for the afternoon tea, Ye Shuang frowned. “Sister An’s phone is off, do you mind calling Brother Wong to ask about their situation? It has been so long already, and I’m feeling rather worried.”

Miss Chef, who had lost track of time, gasped with shock when she saw the clock in the living room. “It’s already so late‽”

She quickly washed and dried her hands before taking out her phone to call Brother Wong. It was answered immediately, but the voice on the other end sounded shocked.

“Where am I‽ I’m at home sleeping… On the way home, Miss An received a call on her phone, and after that, she told me I could have the rest of the day off…” Brother Wong sounded blurry like he had been woken up in the middle of a sweet dream.

Ye Shuang gritted her teeth. I was all worried for naught! But why would the boss wander off all alone‽

“Then, what if something dangerous happens to her when she’s alone?”

Brother Wong yawned and said lazily, “I’m a bodyguard, not the police. When I’m on duty, I will do my best to protect the client’s safety, but that doesn’t mean that I’m responsible for the client’s safety twenty-four hours. Furthermore, the client has the right to their privacy…”

Ye Shuang massaged her temples. “If you have the day off, then what about us?”

“No clue, but if there’s no arrangement, then maybe wait for Miss An to come back home? Just leave when it’s time to get off work.” Brother Wong’s voice kept getting interrupted by his yawns. “Is there anything else? If not, I shall get back to sleep.”

Ye Shuang was speechless, but there was nothing else she could do but hang up. She spent the afternoon watching television and sampling the dessert made by Miss Chef. Three hours passed just like that, and finally, An Zining decided to return. She did not have any orders and asked for them to leave. Ye Shuang’s lips moved several times, but she did not say anything. Her mind continued to repeat the advice Brother Wong had given her earlier—the client has the right to their privacy.

When she was on the way home, Ye Shuang came across a young man who was talking on the phone beside the potted plants. However due to the distance, she only managed to pick up key terms like passport, payment, next week, and pregnancy.

Oh… So, this guy is helping the sister get out of the country. Ye Shuang finally knew what An Zining had been up to during those few mysterious hours. An Zining had requested Ye Shuang to accompany her overseas to have the baby, but Ye Shuang had rejected it. It looked like she had found a replacement candidate or was going alone. It was unclear how Brother An had found out about the pregnancy, but based on her observation, the two had finished their discussion, and Sister An was leaving the country next week…

How did Ye Shuang recognize the young man as Brother An? It was all thanks to her photographic memory. She had overheard the man’s voice once. Even though it was through the phone, circumstantial evidence like the topic and location was enough to validate her assumption, right‽

Ye Shuang moved away from the young man, but after she left the residential area, she called Han Chu. “Will I still get the payment if the client suddenly decides to cancel the contract or disappear?”

“You have lost the client‽” Han Chu was watching the television, and as he decreased the volume, he explained nonchalantly, “Freelancers like us are not protected by the labor law; to put it simply, it is all contract based. Regardless of whether the clients act within the requirement of the contract or not, after the work is completed, they will pay; I will take my part of the commission, and you guys will get the rest. That’s the whole process. If the contract is really suddenly cut short and the additional payment is not received, then you’ll only get your share of the down payment.”

Ye Shuang gasped. “Working for you is that unprotected‽”

Han Chu scoffed. “So everything depends on you. When you serve the client, it is not just completing tasks. For example, if the client tricks us into doing illegal things for him, then you’ll have to report that as soon as possible, and I’ll try to save you guys to the best of my ability.

“Another example is when the client has an unreasonable request that might be harmful to your benefits, you’ll have to stay on your toes. In any case, be hardworking with your hands, but don’t let your eyes go to rest either. Since there is no law protecting us, so you’ll have to remain alert. Technically, the client’s privacy is not to be breached, but if the privacy is heavily tied to the progress of the contract, then you can report it to me.”

Ye Shuang understood and immediately reported the secret to Han Chu. “The boss plans to escape the country to have her baby in secret, and her little brother has already planned for her to leave next week. Based on my observations so far, she plans to leave without leaving behind any message!”

Han Chu was speechless. Jesus, can you start with something smaller next time‽

He tossed the remote to the side, and a headache was looming in his mind. At the end of the day, head-hunters were no more than middlemen who were responsible for introducing suitable talents to clients who needed them. They would not intervene in the client’s personal decision. However, Han Chu realized how big this disaster could be. If An Zining really suddenly disappeared, the An family would demand an explanation from Mr. Fang, and Mr. Fang would find him. He could hear Mr. Fang’s question now. You assigned five people to her side, but none of them noticed that she has disappeared‽

By then, even if he tried his best to explain that his employees were merely following their orders, her family would not accept his explanation.

After all, this was a missing person. Of course, her parents would not sit down calmly and reason with him.

Han Chu thought about it before saying, “I will go talk to An Zining and perhaps even Mr. Fang. Just be prepared. There’s an eighty percent chance that this contract will be cancelled.”

“Then, what about the payment…” Ye Shuang was still more concerned about herself.

Han Chu took a deep breath. “That is not within our responsibility. Other than the contract fee, she will need to pay for the breach of contract. Don’t worry, if we cannot get An Zining, there’s still Mr. Fang, but the breach of contract payment has nothing to do with the rest of you.”

Then why did you tell me? Ye Shuang felt annoyed and went silent.

“Is there anything else?” Han Chu asked. “If not, I’ll hang up now.”

He still had something to deal with.

“Yes, there is!” Ye Shuang could not help but deliver a small jab. “Brother Han, don’t you think Spongebob is a bit juvenile for a man your age?”

“…”

“Watch some National Geographic or something.”

“…”

The phone was immediately hung up; Han Chu did not even bid Ye Shuang farewell. Ye Shuang could not have cared less about Han Chu’s injured pride. After all, Brother Wong did say that Han Chu was more understanding toward females, so she believed that he would not mind her making such a harmless joke.

After settling the issue of An Zining, Ye Shuang walked to the bus stop to hail a ride to go home. However, before the bus she was waiting for arrived, another call came in.

It was an unregistered number. Ye Shuang answered it with caution. After a quick greeting, the other end fell silent before a suspicious male voice said, “This is Ye Shuang’s phone?”

“Yes, speaking.” Ye Shuang nodded unconsciously before it clicked in her mind. “Brother Yao‽”

Yao Zhixing was confused about how the male “Ye Shuang” from the day before last suddenly changed into a woman. Could the name merely be a shared code name‽

But since the woman did know him, it was likely the replacement that Ye Shuang had mentioned earlier. Therefore, he tossed his confusion out of the mind and said, “I’ve finished the letter of recommendation! Can you come to collect it now?”

Ye Shuang looked at the time. “Okay, where are you now?”