Rashly stepping into someone else's life was not a smart choice. It was like having an itchy nose, only for someone to suddenly reach over and pick it for you.
Whether they actually hit the spot or made you feel better, your first reaction would still be, That's fucking disgusting. After all, they had actually stuck their finger up your nostril.
The same applied to relationships, life, and family. Lin Qi looked at Vera, who seemed to be drowning, gently hugged her, and then released her. He asked with concern, "Are you all right? You look like you're in really bad shape..."
Her face and lips were slightly pale, as though she had suffered a terrible shock. She looked up at Lin Qi, quickly withdrew her gaze, and began packing her things. "I have something to take care of. I'd like to take leave. I hope you can approve it..."
She wiped away her tears while fiddling with a few miscellaneous personal belongings. Lin Qi nodded and agreed to her request. "Of course. It's your right. And..."
Vera looked up at him, and he looked back at her. "If you need any help, call me!"
Vera gratefully squeezed Lin Qi's arm, then quickly stood up and left. Gepu had another social engagement today, and she felt that some things were better witnessed with her own eyes. Perhaps... she needed to find an excuse to deceive herself and keep her life going.
Of course, it was also possible that she still refused to acknowledge the truth. She needed to find evidence to refute herself.
After Vera left, Lin Qi waited for more than three hours. Richard and the others came twice during that time. The amount of money they had kept increasing, and they exchanged it faster and faster. Every one of them did.
Lin Qi did not know whether the other two had given Richard some benefits or whether there was some other reason, but Richard told them why he could turn all the money into small change so quickly and efficiently. As a result, the transactions between Lin Qi and Mr. Fox became increasingly frequent.
After three-thirty in the afternoon, Lin Qi told them to continue collecting money and return the next morning to exchange it. After checking the money, he handed it over to Mr. Fox's men and also spoke with Mr. Fox on the phone for a while.
"Friend Lin Qi, many people in Sabine City are now using your method to put money into the banks. Did you know that?" Mr. Fox's tone was calm. He was merely stating a fact that already existed.
As Mr. Fox's money entered the banks faster and faster, the people in Sabine City engaged in the same business gradually figured out how he had done it. They also began following Mr. Fox's method, turning the money into small change, declaring it for tax purposes, and depositing it in the banks.
The difference between them and Mr. Fox was that they had no "middleman" and did not need to pay the additional ten percent handling fee.
Some of his subordinates had asked this question more than once. Since everyone could do it, why did Mr. Fox still maintain a good trading relationship with Lin Qi instead of bypassing Lin Qi and exchanging the small change himself?
That way, he could save ten percent, and the process would be even faster. Ten percent of assets worth hundreds of thousands or even millions was no small amount.
Mr. Fox was somewhat tempted, but he still had not done it himself like those people. He told Lin Qi about the matter because he wanted to hear Lin Qi's opinion.
Lin Qi felt that Mr. Fox was true to his name. After pondering briefly, he said over the phone, "Mr. Fox, it's difficult to find one mosquito among a thousand flies. But finding one fly among a thousand mosquitoes is extremely easy."
"When only we were doing it, no one cared about our actions. We were merely the minority. But once everyone joins in, they'll only force certain people to take action."
"This will trigger a war. The only advice I can give you is..." He chuckled softly. "Don't take money from other people. Before long, you'll understand why I'm saying this."
Mr. Fox sounded somewhat worried after hearing that. "Then should we suspend things for a while?"
"No, there's no need. We're conducting a legitimate business. Why should we stop? In fact, I hope they come and investigate our transactions. That might actually clear us of any wrongdoing."
Lin Qi had not finished speaking. If the Federal Revenue Service investigated him and found nothing, it would amount to a different kind of advertisement for him. People would be even more inclined to cooperate with him afterward. However, Mr. Fox did not need to know about those things.
After exchanging a few more irrelevant words, the two hung up. Lin Qi glanced at the phone and shook his head before taking over some of the work that Vera should originally have handled.
Vera had taught him how to register his income. The Great Empire's current business categories were extremely limited, so it was not complicated.
He took the money to the Revenue Service to apply for a certificate, then brought it to the bank. With the Revenue Service's registration certificate, the money in his hands could easily enter the bank's legitimate circulation system.
When Richard and the others came to exchange their small change tomorrow, he only needed to write a cash check. Keeping too much cash on him was not safe.
On one hand, he was doing this to prevent any possible loopholes. On the other, it would improve the flow of money between the bank and himself. In the future, when the bank assessed his personal credit, it would raise his rating accordingly.
A little later, he returned to the second floor of the little tavern.
The sweltering summer had finally arrived late. The temperature kept rising, and with no air conditioning or even a fan, the street-facing room was nearly turning into a steamer.
As the weather grew hotter, more people came at night to buy cold drinks. In addition, the female dancers could put more effort into their performances, so the little tavern had to stay open until eleven or twelve every night before closing.
The noisy, chaotic environment had become too much for Lin Qi. He figured that with so much money in his hands, he could consider buying a house. In terms of both security and practicality, it would be far better than this place.
Just as he was thinking about what kind of house to buy and what the price would be, someone knocked on the door.
He turned over and sat up, picked up a screwdriver, and stood by the door. In a low voice, he asked, "Who is it?"
"Police, sir. There are some things we'd like to discuss with you!" Lin Qi casually slipped the screwdriver into the pocket of the clothes beside him, then opened the door a narrow crack. Two police officers in uniform stood outside.
The other party impatiently flashed the police badge in his hand and told Lin Qi that they were the City Police of Sabine City. If abbreviated, it would be...
Well, that was a curse word. Lin Qi opened the door and welcomed the two officers inside. They looked around casually, then stopped by the doorway.
"Lin Qi?" one of the officers asked. Lin Qi nodded, and the officer took out a small notebook and a pen before continuing his questions. "A few days ago, your place was burglarized?"
Lin Qi nodded again. He also gave the exact time and the police station that had responded. All of it matched the information in the two officers' hands.
"I read the incident report. It said you lost a silver ring..."
"No, it was a gold ring, Officer!" Lin Qi decisively interrupted him and added, "The inside of the ring was engraved with the words 'My beloved Catherine.' It was a ring I was preparing to give my girlfriend."
The two officers exchanged a glance. They could basically confirm that there was no problem on Lin Qi's side. In that case, the kid they had arrested today was the one with a problem.
They had spent the entire afternoon finding out Little Michael's identity and family background. They had not expected Little Michael to be the only child of the Revenue Service Investigation Team Leader, which made things rather difficult for the station's sheriff.
They had already notified the other police stations and the State Police Department that they had solved the burglary case. They had also entered Little Michael's identity information, including his photograph.
The information spread quickly. By now, nearly the entire state's police system had the relevant progress updates for the case.
The assistant to the Police Chief of the Sabine City Police Station—essentially the administrative deputy chief—was a position that only existed clearly in the police departments of first-tier cities in the Bayer Federation. There were only twenty first-tier cities, and Sabine City was not one of them.
Those cities consisted of the capitals of seventeen states and three special administrative districts. The police stations of every city outside those twenty did not have a deputy chief position. Instead, they had an assistant to the Police Chief who helped the chief handle various affairs.
The local assistant to the Police Chief felt that it would be best if he could persuade Lin Qi to settle the matter privately. This was not because the police were afraid of Michael. An Investigation Team Leader was not qualified to make the entire police department fear him. The assistant simply wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict.
He even hinted to the officers that if Lin Qi was willing to withdraw the case, he could receive some benefits to compensate for his losses. That was the purpose of the two police officers' appearance here.
Before you continue