Wen Ying, determined to unravel Deng Shangwei’s business network, pounced on any ambiguity, immediately probing about Boss Qin.
Deng Shangwei replied casually, “It’s not just about keeping Qin happy. My business depends on his support, but he’s a loyal guy. Even if he didn’t help me, I’d want him as a friend. Some bosses are terrible at chess; Qin’s just terrible at fishing.”
His entire business relied on Qin’s support?
That made Qin a major benefactor.
Wen Ying pressed further, “The other day, two guys invited you for drinks, saying they’d give face to ‘Brother Wen.’ Is Brother Wen Boss Qin?”
Deng Shangwei chuckled. “Of course not. Brother Wen is Brother Wen, Qin is Qin. When I first came to Chengdu, I ran errands for Brother Wen. Later, I met Qin. Wen’s situation is… complicated. But that’s my problem as an adult. Why are you asking?”
To know more and save you, obviously!
Wen Ying pondered.
Brother Wen and Boss Qin—one was Deng Shangwei’s former boss, the other his current patron.
Since Qin supported Deng Shangwei’s business, there was no need for him to set Deng up. It’d be redundant.
Wen Ying shifted her focus to “Brother Wen.”
Whether Wen was the culprit depended on Detective Luo’s findings. She resolved to meet Luo tomorrow.
She really needed a phone for easier communication.
As she hinted at buying one, Chen Li quickly intervened. “No need. I have an old PHS phone. Get a card, and you can use it. I’m hiding your summer job from your parents. When your mom called at noon, I said you were out buying soy sauce. My heart was racing, scared I’d slip up.”
With a PHS, Wen Ying could stay in touch with her parents.
That was Chen Li’s reasoning.
Wen Ying knew she was putting her aunt in a tough spot.
Chen Li and Deng Shangwei, unaware of the full story, thought Wen Ying was rebelling against strict parenting.
In truth, it wasn’t rebellion. Her strained relationship with her parents from her past life lingered. Back then, as an adult, she’d fled to Shanghai to escape them. Now, a minor again… Sigh, first, she’d resolve her aunt and uncle’s marriage crisis.
A family’s atmosphere profoundly shaped a person, even Wen Ying.
If she’d handled her parents better last life, they wouldn’t have grown so distant, with her escaping to Shanghai and Wen Dongrong threatening to adopt a nephew to inherit the family.
A 31-year-old problem from her past life couldn’t be fixed in days after rebirth.
Wen Ying chose to play ostrich for now.
The next day, she took a half-day off under the pretext of getting a phone card. Using Chen Li’s PHS, she activated a card. Leaving the telecom office, she hesitated but called Chen Ru.
Chen Ru didn’t scold her right away, having heard Wen Ying volunteered to tutor in math, physics, and chemistry.
That move was exactly what Chen Ru wanted!
Still, while pleased, Chen Ru wouldn’t praise Wen Ying outright. She believed in tough love, fearing compliments would make Wen Ying cocky.
Chen Ru lectured over the phone, urging Wen Ying to study hard to justify the tutoring fees she and Wen Dongrong were paying. Wen Ying agreed obediently.
Chen Ru rambled on for minutes, reluctant to stop. “Having a phone in Chengdu is convenient, but no playing during class. When summer’s over, return it to your aunt, got it?”
“Got it, Mom. I want to read a bit. Talk later?” Wen Ying hung up, exhaling in relief.
Instead of heading to the company, she called Detective Luo to set a meeting time.
Luo’s Lovebirds Agency was in a small storefront outside a residential area, tucked among real estate offices, with little foot traffic.
This Luo was the same one Wen Ying knew from her past life, just younger in 2004.
Rebirth was surreal—she’d keep meeting “old acquaintances” whose life paths she knew, yet they were meeting her for the first time.
While marveling, Luo coldly rejected her. “No need to talk. I won’t take your case. You kids should focus on school, not meddling in adult affairs!”
Wen Ying, who’d leveraged her youth to manipulate Lily and even posed as a schoolgirl to deceive, hit a wall with Luo.
He wasn’t swayed by her feigned innocence or cutesy pleading. Her being a minor was a dealbreaker—he refused outright.
Investigating an uncle-in-law was tricky enough. A minor client? If her parents found out, they’d likely trash his agency!
Swindling a kid’s money… Luo imagined the reputational hit. His face was stone-cold, refusing to humor Wen Ying to avoid entanglement.
Wen Ying realized youth was a double-edged sword. It could let her play the fool to win, but against a stubborn mule like Luo, no reasoning worked.
Not even for money!
No wonder Luo’s ventures kept failing. He had skills but no business sense.
Wen Ying admired his principles, but they were now a barrier. She was frustrated.
As they deadlocked, a curly-haired older woman stormed in, and the upright Luo instantly wilted.
She was his landlord, demanding rent. “Three days. No rent, you’re out. Don’t delay me renting to someone else.”
Tossing out her ultimatum, the woman left with her vegetable basket.
Luo felt the world was too harsh.
Wen Ying, suppressing a grin, seized the moment, slapping a stack of cash on the table, trusting the red bills would warm Luo’s heart. “I don’t know much, but I know a minor’s money is real. Please, take my case.”
What trumped principles?
A penniless hero brought low!
Luo, flesh and blood, needed rent and food. He tried not to eye the cash, coughing twice. “Sit down and tell me everything. What do you know about your uncle-in-law’s affair? What do I need to investigate?”
Wen Ying wanted two people investigated: Lily, a music college student, and Brother Wen, both frequenting a Jiuyanqiao nightlife spot.
Which venue was up to Luo’s skills. Wen Ying could only provide the names of two seafood market bosses from Qingshiqiao.
“I want to know Lily and Brother Wen’s relationship.”
The request sounded simple, but Luo’s experience told him Wen Ying’s case was convoluted—not just catching a cheater!
