Chapter Eighteen: Believing Eighty Percent

“?!” Lin Xiaoyan froze, staring at the police officer in front of her in shock.

“W-what do you mean?” she asked, then looked at him and questioned, “Do you believe what I just said?”

A smile flickered in He Qian’s eyes as he looked at Lin Xiaoyan’s incredulous yet nervous expression. “I believe it eighty percent.”

“The remaining twenty percent depends on your cooperation.”

“?” Lin Xiaoyan’s mind was filled with questions, unsure of what this officer meant.

“Oh, by the way, let me introduce myself. I’m He Qian, currently the captain at Haishi Police Station. Please take out your phone, save my number, and add me on WeChat. If you ever need anything, you can contact me directly.”

Still dazed, Lin Xiaoyan took out her phone, saved He Qian’s number, and added him on WeChat.

“Li He, go to the cafeteria and get her a meal,” He Qian instructed Li He.

“Got it!” Li He dashed off quickly.

“Sit here and wait for a bit. After you finish eating, I’ll take you for a checkup.”

Upon hearing “checkup,” Lin Xiaoyan’s heart instantly tightened. She looked at He Qian in panic.

“Are… you going to take a biopsy for research?”

He Qian glanced at her, seeing the terror on her face, and chuckled.

“Don’t worry, we won’t be taking any tissue samples.”

Still unconvinced, Lin Xiaoyan’s expression lingered in disbelief. He smiled and explained, “There are quite a few people in our country—actually, not just our country—who possess special abilities like yours.”

“Of course, they’re rare. The government specially recruits these individuals into a special investigation bureau.”

He Qian shared only this much, leaving the rest unexplained.

“Re-really?” Lin Xiaoyan had never heard of any special investigation bureau before.

“It’s true. You just didn’t know. Don’t worry, the checkup will be a full physical examination, nothing unusual,” He Qian reassured her.

Lin Xiaoyan looked at him warily.

Then she saw He Qian make a call.

“Hello, it’s me. I’m bringing someone over for a checkup shortly.”

He Qian spoke quite bluntly on the phone.

“Hmph, when you use my people without asking, how come you don’t say ‘please’?” came the voice on the other end.

“Be there in half an hour. Get everything ready.”

“Alright, I’m hanging up!”

He Qian ended the call and swiftly typed something on his phone.

Lin Xiaoyan watched all this unfold, glanced around, and saw no one else nearby.

“Here, the meal’s arrived. Eat it while it’s hot,” Li He entered holding the food tray and placed it in front of Lin Xiaoyan. “Here, although the cafeteria food… uh… isn’t very tasty, since it’s your first time, you might find it good.”

Having eaten cafeteria meals for years, Li He was thoroughly tired of them and sometimes resorted to instant noodles to adjust his appetite.

“Eat up, once you’re done, we’ll leave,” He Qian glanced at the food and said.

Lin Xiaoyan frowned slightly and asked, “How long will this take? I still have work this afternoon…”

“It might take the whole afternoon. You definitely won’t make it back to work.”

Hearing this, Lin Xiaoyan hesitated. She feared asking for leave too often would give her company a bad impression and risk losing her part-time job.

He Qian noticed her dilemma and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll call your boss and make sure your salary isn’t deducted!”

“Ah?” Lin Xiaoyan looked at He Qian in surprise. Her boss? She had never even met her boss or knew who it was!

“Um, maybe don’t call. What if my boss thinks I’ve committed some crime or got arrested? Then I’ll be in trouble at work…” Lin Xiaoyan hurriedly objected.

He Qian smiled and reassured her, “Relax, I know your boss. I’ll explain everything clearly and won’t let anyone at your company know you’re at the police station.”

“Go ahead and eat.”

“All right.”

Lin Xiaoyan lowered her head and stared at the three meat dishes and three vegetable dishes before her, her stomach growling loudly from hunger.

He Qian stood and walked outside; Li He carried a cup of instant noodles and followed.

Only Lin Xiaoyan remained in the office, picking up her chopsticks and beginning to eat.

Delicious!

She silently praised the food, which was nothing like the police officer had described—it was really tasty!

—

Jing Yi was about to attend a meeting when He Qian’s call came through. He paused, wondering why He Qian was suddenly calling him.

“Oh, busy man, finally remembered me,” Jing Yi answered with a sarcastic tone.

He Qian listened to the teasing voice and replied expressionlessly, “Where are you now? At the company?”

“Which company? Planning to drop by?” Jing Yi laughed, waving others into the conference room first.

“The company you recently acquired, Jingrui Corporation. I need to borrow someone from there. She’s a part-time employee named Lin Xiaoyan. Arrange half a day off for her, with pay,” He Qian stated his request directly.

“Lin Xiaoyan?” Jing Yi was momentarily stunned. “Who’s that?”

He Qian rubbed his brow and patiently said, “You don’t need to know who she is. Just make sure she gets paid leave this afternoon.”

“Oh, and she might need more leave in the future. Notify HR that all her leaves are paid, salary as usual.”

“She’s assisting our police bureau with a case.”

“???” Jing Yi was baffled.

“If she’s helping your bureau, why am I paying her salary? Shouldn’t your bureau cover it?” Jing Yi laughed, amused by He Qian’s domineering tone.

He Qian was blunt, “I told you, just arrange it. By the way, I’ll invite you to Sifang Pavilion for a meal when you’re free.”

Hearing the mention of Sifang Pavilion, Jing Yi smiled, “Alright, I’ll look forward to your treat.”

“That’s settled. We’ll be in touch.” He Qian hung up, lit a cigarette, took two puffs, then extinguished it.

Standing at the office door, he watched Lin Xiaoyan’s back, his gaze dark and unreadable.

—

Lin Xiaoyan quickly finished her meal. Right after, she received a message from her department manager approving her afternoon leave—with pay—so she could rest easy.

“???” Lin Xiaoyan stared at the message. Paid leave!!!

Seeing that she had finished eating, He Qian came in. “Done eating? Let’s go.”

He bent down, picked up her empty dishes, and carried them outside.

Lin Xiaoyan hurriedly stood and followed He Qian, the words “with pay” flashing repeatedly through her mind.

“Boss, I’ll take these empty dishes!” Li He was smoking in the hallway. Seeing He Qian with the empty tray, he quickly tossed the cigarette butt into the trash and took the dishes from him.