This Perk Was Awesome

Xie Yi told me all about the benefits of joining Unit Nine, but to me, the biggest benefit was that whenever I needed their support and help, they would spare no effort in providing it. Of course, most importantly, they could help uncover the secrets surrounding me, as well as the secrets of Little Ancestral Hall Entrance and my parents.

All this time, I had been running away. I thought I could forget what had happened ten years ago. To me, it had been nothing more than a nightmare.

And I really had nearly forgotten it, but I kept dreaming of that street and those people again.

"By the way, have you decided how to settle her?" Xie Yi asked me.

I shook my head.

"Two choices. First, I can send her to the Capital City, where she can undergo a period of observation and training at Unit Nine. Gradually, she'll adapt to her new life again. Second, she can stay in Lin City. I'll provide you with a place to live, and you can help her recover slowly. If she wants to attend Qianzhou University, I can arrange that too. Besides, you don't have many friends at school anyway. It'd be good for you to have company."

"You mentioned training. Training for what? Will I need training too?"

Xie Yi smiled. "Whether you train is up to you. Didn't you say that Chu Ge was a great fighter? Those friends of yours are already pretty damn awesome. Training probably wouldn't mean much to you. Still, I hope she can develop some ability to protect herself. Of course, maybe she's like you and has a few capable friends around her too."

So Xu Qiuyan was just as much of a mystery to Xie Yi.

"Also, you said we'd have a monthly income. Does that mean we still get paid even if there are no missions?" I asked.

He nodded. "That's right. Once you join our Special Section, you'll have official jobs. You'll receive a monthly salary, travel allowances for work trips, and rewards for missions. Most importantly, though, you can do whatever you normally do and whatever you want to do. When there are no missions, you're free. So? Am I sincere enough?"

Listening to him, I really did feel this was a pretty good career.

But I still asked the most important question. "What exactly does the Ninth Bureau Special Section do?"

"Our full name is the Special Incident Investigation Department. What is a special incident? Something that cannot be explained by natural science. Everything that happened on Little Ancestral Hall Entrance Street was a special incident. At present, we don't have dedicated investigators in Qian Province. From now on, you'll be the Special Section's investigators in Qianzhou Province. That's no light burden!"

After saying that, he patted my shoulder like an old cadre welcoming a new comrade.

Finally, he asked whether I had decided. Would Xu Qiuyan stay, or would he arrange for her to go to the Capital City?

I said she should make that decision herself. I didn't like making decisions for other people, and I didn't like other people making decisions for me. Only you could truly decide your own fate. That way, no matter how things turned out in the end, you couldn't blame anyone else.

After hearing that, Xu Qiuyan decided to stay in Lin City without even thinking about it. She said she wanted to be with me.

That was what I wanted too, but the thought of living alone with a woman made me a little nervous. We were no longer children. In another year or two, we would even be at the age to talk about marriage. Did living together mean that we were each other's him or her? I was certainly willing, but what about her? Was she willing?

I looked at Xu Qiuyan, and she was looking at me too.

Her face was slightly red. Her lips moved softly, as though she were speaking. I vaguely seemed to make out the words: I'm willing.

I jumped in shock and quickly blinked. I had to be seeing things. How could she know what I was thinking?

"I'll be returning to the Capital City tomorrow. In a moment, I'll have someone take you to the place we've arranged for you. I think you'll be satisfied with it. As for daily necessities, you can buy them yourselves—buy whatever you like. Here's a card. There's some money in it for you to use first. You won't receive a salary until your employment procedures are officially completed. Oh, right. Can you drive?"

I nodded, then shook my head.

"What does that mean? Can you drive or not?" Xie Yi asked.

I gave a bitter smile. "Chu Ge can, but he seems not to have a driver's license."

Xie Yi rolled his eyes at me, but Xu Qiuyan said, "I can."

That surprised me greatly. "You can drive?"

"Mm, I learned. But I don't have a driver's license either." Her final sentence immediately made me roll my eyes too.

But Xie Yi said, "No license is fine. I can get you one. I'll leave this car with you." He handed the car keys to Xu Qiuyan.

Only then did I understand that Xie Yi had never really regarded Chu Ge as a person. I figured Chu Ge would be pretty unhappy if he knew.

Sure enough, that guy appeared.

"What the hell? Even without a license, Big Brother can make a car feel like a high-speed train!"

I laughed.

Xie Yi hadn't seen Chu Ge. So other people couldn't see these friends of mine. That didn't quite match what I had believed before.

"Also, regarding Little Ancestral Hall Entrance, wait until I get back. No matter what you discover, you must wait for me to return. Understood?" Xie Yi said seriously.

I nodded, and Xu Qiuyan nodded as well.

Only then did Xie Yi let out a breath. "All right, you can go."

He beckoned, and a man in a black suit walked over. Xie Yi gave him a few quiet instructions. The man in black nodded, then said to us politely, "Please follow me, you two."

After we went downstairs, he took the car keys from Xu Qiuyan and led us to Lingshan Academy next to Qianzhou University. It was an upscale residential complex. Surely the place they had prepared for us wasn't here?

The car stopped in front of a mid-rise building. The man in black returned the keys to Xu Qiuyan. "Someone will deliver your driver's license in the next couple of days."

Xu Qiuyan smiled and nodded.

I had been watching Xu Qiuyan closely all along. I was certain there was nothing wrong with her. She didn't seem mentally ill at all.

The building was only six stories high, but it even had an elevator.

On the sixth floor, there was luxurious decor and even a rooftop garden.

I was stunned. This treatment was incredible! The furniture and appliances were all there. We could practically move in with just our bags.

"Take a look. Is there anything else you need?"

I waved my hand. Compared to how I had lived before, this was a complete leap in quality.

Seeing that I needed nothing else, the man in black said goodbye and left.

"What a huge place," Xu Qiuyan said with feeling. I nodded. It really was huge. I wondered whether I should bring Grandpa here to live with us. He had worked hard for me for most of his life; it was time for him to enjoy some peace and comfort. I would have an income soon. I had no idea how much it would be, but working for such a high-end, mysterious department surely wouldn't pay poorly.

"When I have time, I'll go bring Grandpa here," I said.

Xu Qiuyan looked at me. "Mm."

As though I had remembered something, I asked, "Do you remember my Grandpa?"

Xu Qiuyan shook her head. "You don't have a Grandpa."

I froze. How was that possible? The old man who ran the scrap collection station was my Grandpa. His surname was Bai too.

Seeing my expression, Xu Qiuyan continued, "You really don't have a Grandpa. Back at Little Ancestral Hall Entrance, you told me that your parents were both orphans. They had been close since they were children at the orphanage, and they got together after growing up. So you don't have a Grandpa. If you have one now, then I think he must have taken you in after what happened at Little Ancestral Hall Entrance and raised you. No matter what, you should bring him here. He has shown you kindness. People must know how to repay kindness."

I said nothing. I tried hard to remember my Grandpa. My head began to ache faintly, but I still couldn't make sense of anything.

Perhaps Xu Qiuyan was right. This Grandpa had no blood relation to me at all. He had taken me in ten years ago.

"My name is Jiang Xiaobai," I said softly.

Xu Qiuyan looked at me in confusion, but she still answered, "Your name is Jiang Xiaobai."

I said, "Everyone calls him Old Bai Tou, which means his surname is Bai. I really am not his grandson." My expression darkened, and Xu Qiuyan gently linked her arm through mine. "Don't think so much about it. Even if you aren't related by blood, the kindness of raising you was real. The kindness of raising someone is greater than the kindness of giving birth, so you should be filial to him."

After hearing her say that, I understood. She was right. Why did I need to obsess over whether he was truly my biological Grandpa? At least in my heart, aside from my parents, he was my only family.

I sat down on the sofa in the living room, while Xu Qiuyan rummaged through everything in the house. She said she wanted to familiarize herself with it as soon as possible. She also said she would cook for me herself, and that her dishes were delicious.