Chivalrous and Righteous?

After failing to get through to Xiang Kun's number again, Zhang Qian frowned as she looked at her phone. "Did that kid block my number? How come it's been so long and his phone is either off or out of service?"

Yang Jie, a friend, laughed and said, "Didn't you say he's your employee now? How can an employee keep ignoring his boss's calls?"

They are currently dining in a private room at a restaurant. Besides the two of them, Yang Jie's younger brother Yang Zhuo, and his girlfriend are also present.

Actually, Zhang Qian and Yang Jie had arranged to have dinner together on their own, but after they came out, they unexpectedly ran into Yang Zhuo and a girl on the street, who were intimately embracing each other.

Yang Jie, who had only been a freshman for a few months and had been under her "surveillance" all along, had secretly gotten a girlfriend? And this girlfriend was from another school! Yang Jie, who was annoyed by being shown off, and Zhang Qian, whose gossip spirit was burning, naturally wouldn't let the young couple leave, and dragged them out to eat together.

During dinner, Zhang Qian and Yang Jie started talking about the "A4 paper magic trick" that Xiang Kun had performed for them. Yang Jie jokingly brought up the time when Zhang Qian tried to invite Xiang Kun out for dinner but couldn't get through after several phone calls.

So Zhang Qian refused to believe it and tried calling again from inside the private room, but she still couldn't get through.

Moreover, this time the call didn't even ring; after several attempts, it was either out of service or switched off.

"Here, let me use your phone." Zhang Qian took Yang Jie's phone herself, unlocked it with a password, and then dialed Xiang Kun's number on her own phone, saying, "The contract he signed with us is a bit strange. Strictly speaking, he can't be considered an employee; he's more like a contractor providing technical support for our company's projects."

Soon, after dialing Xiang Kun's phone number, she received the same response as when she dialed from her own phone.

Yang Jie laughed and said, "Are you relieved that you weren't blacklisted?"

Zhang Qian glared at her. "If he really gets blacklisted, I'll have the company terminate his contract!"

"Then you should pay them the penalty for breach of contract; maybe they'll be happier that way..."

"There's no reason for this. They said it was according to the contract that we'd have two days off each week. But according to the contract, today isn't a day off. Could that guy have known he couldn't finish the project and just run off with the advance payment we gave him?"

As Zhang Qian spoke, she called Director Lin, only to be told that Xiang Kun had already explained the work to be done in the coming week and that he had to leave for a week. She was told to write down any issues with the project and contact him again when he returned.

After hearing Zhang Qian relay Director Lin's words, Yang Jie couldn't help but laugh and said, "Isn't he one of the project managers in your company? This is too arbitrary and free-spirited! Not only is he not even in your Pengcheng company, but he can also make his own decisions and take a week off? And he even wrote all these powers into the contract? How could you agree to sign such a contract in the first place?"

Zhang Qian let out a long sigh, shook her head, and said, "Did I lose my mind? Forget it, I'll have someone from the company contact him and have him come over to report on the project progress!" As she spoke, her tone softened, and she said to Yang Zhuo's girlfriend, "Xiao Min, the mushroom soup here is especially delicious and very nutritious. You should try it." Then she personally ladled a bowl of soup for her.

"Thank you, Sister Qianqian," Yang Zhuo's girlfriend Xiao Min, said shyly.

Yang Zhuo asked curiously, "Sister Qianqian, were you and my sister just talking about that Xiang Kun, the guy who can tell fortunes, do kung fu, and cook?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Yang Zhuo said excitedly, "So that expert is also a computer whiz, the kind of person who can single-handedly manage a project?"

Zhang Qian initially wanted to say that the project probably wouldn't work out, and that the bald man wasn't exactly a master, but considering that the collaboration with Xiang Kun was a decision she made "against all opposition," saying that would seem like contradicting herself, she changed her mind and said, "Why do you call him 'big boss'? That guy isn't exactly a big boss, is he?"

Yang Jie said helplessly to her friend, "After meeting Xiang Kun at the bar last time, this kid has been praising him a lot, regarding him as an idol. Now, in his heart, he's above Quentin Tarantino, Ultraman, and Lei Jun, second only to a gamer named Sky."

Yang Zhuo immediately said, "You probably don't know this, but Master Xiang Kun is not only good at fortune telling, kung fu, cooking, chivalry, and warm-hearted, but he can also carve wood. He's an artist!"

Yang Jie looked at her younger brother with some surprise. "Wood carving? How did you know that? You don't know him secretly, do you?"

Yang Zhuo glanced at his girlfriend and chuckled, "It was Xiao Min who ran into that big shot Xiang Kun on the subway."

"Xiao Min?" Yang Jie and Zhang Qian both turned their gazes to Yang Zhuo's girlfriend.

Xiao Min glanced at her boyfriend and whispered, "Once when I was on the subway, I saw a guy carrying a bag of Minion wood carvings. I struck up a conversation and found out he made them himself to give to his girlfriend. At the time, I didn't know who he was. Later, Xiaozhu showed me a video of him cooking, and that's when I recognized him as the same person."

"A Minion sculpture for your girlfriend?" Zhang Qian frowned. "Is he trying to hit on you on purpose?" She remembered the first time she met Xiang Kun, when his chubby friend came over and tried to chat her up under the pretense of fortune-telling.

Xiao Min shook her head firmly. "No, I was the one who initiated the conversation with him, and he never asked for my contact information."

Yang Zhuo also said, "Sister Qianqian, didn't you hear what Xiao Min said? Boss Xiang Kun makes those Minion Wooden Carving to give to his girlfriend! He has a girlfriend!"

Yang Jie smiled at Zhang Qian and said, "Maybe he's been traveling with his girlfriend this week, so his phone is just off."

Zhang Qian said helplessly, "I must have been drunk when I agreed to that contract that Director Lin signed." Then she said to Yang Zhuo, "Don't call him 'boss' anymore, it sounds so awkward. And it's understandable that he can cook and do kung fu, but what the heck are 'chivalrous and righteous' and 'warm-hearted'?"

"Okay, then I won't call him 'big boss'." Yang Zhuo said, scrolling through his phone as he spoke, "Sis, Qianqian, you probably don't know, but Brother Kun's record isn't just that one flying kick at the knife-wielding thug. Look at this post, I saw it by chance before."

Yang Jie took her brother's phone and looked at the post he had found. Zhang Qian also came over to look at it and found that it was posted in August of this year.

It tells the story of a wanted criminal being captured and subdued on the street by a bald, burly man who happened to be passing by.

The main post didn't have any pictures, but judging from the description, it does seem to be Xiang Kun, since his bald head, glasses, and build are all very distinctive.

"Scroll down to floor 233," Yang Zhuo reminded him.

So Yang Jie scrolled through the posts and saw a photo on post #233. The photo showed several police cars about to drive away, and if you looked closely at the back seat of one of them, you could vaguely see a bald man wearing glasses.

"It really does seem to be him," Yang Jie murmured, then looked up and exchanged a glance with her friend. She remembered that Zhang Qian had mentioned that her two cousins, who had been kidnapped, were also rescued by Xiang Kun and his friend.

Including the previous video of him kicking a knife-wielding assailant, it seems like all of these incidents occurred within a month or two?

Could Xiang Kun really be intentionally "acting as a chivalrous hero"?

At that moment, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open, and a man in his thirties with slicked-back hair, wearing a well-tailored suit, who looked extremely particular about his appearance, walked in and immediately locked his gaze on Zhang Qian.

"Zhang Qian! What do you mean? Grandpa asked you to temporarily manage my company, not for you to mess around! You don't want to do the online projects I need, so what's the meaning of just finding someone else to handle them? You're not even in Pengcheng, how are you going to lead the projects? Are you trying to deliberately ruin and disrupt my company?"

The man stormed in and began berating Zhang Qian. Yang Zhuo, thinking he was up to no good, instinctively wanted to stand up and fight, but his sister pulled him back and whispered, "This is Zhang Qian's brother, her own brother."

Yang Zhuo was stunned for a moment. Upon closer inspection, he indeed found that the man in the suit looked and acted very similar to Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian looked at her brother Zhang Chu, who had suddenly barged into the private room, with a very cold expression. "What's wrong with you? What do you mean by 'just finding anyone to do this'? That person was selected and invited by Director Lin. I only agreed to cooperate with him. The specific contract details were all negotiated by Director Lin. If I remember correctly, Director Lin was personally hired by you at a high salary. What, are you implying that you have poor judgment in choosing people?"

"You..."

Just as Zhang Chu was about to say something, Zhang Qian immediately interjected, "And what you said is also very problematic. What do you mean by 'your company'? Did you invest a single penny in that company? Do you own a single share? In the end, Grandpa just put you in charge of managing it; you're just a professional manager who will be replaced if you don't perform well."

Zhang Chu's eyes widened, and he roared, "I built that company from scratch!... What do you mean I was replaced because I didn't do a good job? I did a great job! Why was I replaced? You... don't you know?" He almost blurted out a curse, but then he remembered his relationship with Zhang Qian. Cursing her was no different than cursing himself.

Zhang Qian said slowly, "I know, the main reason is that you secretly tried to hook up with people from Shenxing Technology. But you clearly knew that Grandpa hated people from Shenxing Technology, yet you still deliberately wanted to invest money to cooperate with them, and someone even reported you to Grandpa. Aren't you just asking for trouble? It's like an employee knowing what the boss hates but still doing it anyway. If you get fired, who can you blame?"

"I'm not cooperating with Shenxing Technology's parent company! I'm cooperating with their subsidiary... never mind, you wouldn't understand, you're all short-sighted! Tell me honestly, did you go back to China and stir up trouble in front of Grandpa, deliberately bringing this up?"

Zhang Qian seemed to suddenly ignite her temper, standing up abruptly. "Why would I bother digging up your mess! I only found out about your affair with Shenxing Technology when Grandpa made me clean up your mess. Do you think I enjoy helping you with that crappy company? Do you think I don't have my own things to do? Let me tell you, Zhang Chu, act like a brother, don't play those childish tricks on me. Hiring a private investigator to spy on me? What are you trying to do? Gather some dirt on me, then complain to Grandpa, get me replaced, and then you can get your crappy company back? Do you think you're playing a palace intrigue game? Let me tell you, if I really was the one spreading rumors before, I would have told Grandpa directly about you hiring a private investigator to spy on me. Do you think you'd still have time to sneak around here and cause me trouble? How did you know I was eating here today? Have you not dismissed your private investigator yet, and replaced him with someone else to spy on me?"

Zhang Chu avoided eye contact and explained, "I'm just concerned about you as your older brother, worried about your safety here..."

"Zhang Chu, what's going on in your head?" Zhang Qian looked at him with disdain. "Don't you even understand? Your most important thing right now is to regain Grandpa's trust. What's the point of arguing with me? Are you out of your mind?"

Zhang Chu was also somewhat annoyed, pointing a finger at his sister and scolding, "How dare you talk to your brother like that? I'm warning you..."

But before he could finish speaking, Zhang Qian suddenly grabbed his wrists with both hands, then leaped up and slashed him with her legs, forcing him to roll to the ground in a wrist brace.

A burly, dark-skinned man who had followed Zhang Chu into the private room was startled by what he saw and tried to break up the fight. He was Zhang Chu's driver, but he was paid by the Zhang family and knew very well who the short-haired beauty in the private room was. He didn't dare to offend either side.

Yang Jie walked over and stopped him, shaking her head and saying, "It's alright, she knows her limits, she won't hurt herself."

By this time, Zhang Chu was screaming in pain. Zhang Qian demanded, "Didn't I warn you not to point your finger at me? Do you dare to do it again?"

"I won't do it again! I won't do it again!" Zhang Chu shouted, slapping the floor.

"Do you dare to send someone to watch me again?"

"I won't do it again! Let go! You're the boss, you're the big brother! I was wrong, I was wrong, okay?!"

Before the waiter could hear the commotion and come to check, Zhang Qian released Zhang Chu. She was actually very careful to control her strength; she was just trying to keep him from breaking free, without actually exerting any force.

His suit and hair were a mess. Zhang Chu got up and rushed out of the private room without saying a word. The driver hurriedly followed him, feeling uneasy.

Somewhat stunned, Xiao Min whispered to her boyfriend, "Was that person crying just now?"

Yang Zhuo asked his sister, somewhat uncertainly, "Sister, did he just cry?"

When Zhang Chu got up to leave, his face was covered in tears and snot; he had indeed cried terribly and looked utterly wronged, a stark contrast to the domineering CEO he had been when he first entered.

Before Yang Jie could answer, Zhang Qian, who had casually gotten up from the ground, said, "He's always been like this since he was little. He cries whenever he loses a fight. Even though he's always the one who starts it, the one who bullies me, he always acts like I'm the one who bullied him. Tch!"

Seeing Zhang Qian calmly sit down and continue eating, Yang Zhuo whispered, "Sister Qianqian, that move of yours was pretty cool. Didn't my sister say you practice Taekwondo? This move looks like free fighting or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, doesn't it?"

Zhang Qian waved her hand. "I haven't actually practiced this move many times. It only works on that blockhead Zhang Chu. I wouldn't dare use it on anyone else."

"Your grandfather really hates Shenxing Technology?" Yang Jie was curious about another conversation between the siblings. "That Shenxing Technology that comes up with all sorts of cutting-edge technology?"

Xiao Min also said, "I just saw the news a few days ago that Shenxing Technology acquired a company that specializes in VR gaming equipment. It seems like games will be like those in 'Ready Player One' in the future."

Yang Zhuo was also puzzled. "Shenxing Technology isn't usually very high-profile, and they don't seem to have much business dealings with your family. Why would your grandfather dislike them?"

Zhang Qian shrugged. "My grandfather really dislikes Shenxing Technology, but I don't know the specific reasons. Anyway, if I'm getting benefits from the family, I won't go against my grandfather's preferences."

After charging the phone and turning it on to deactivate airplane mode, Xiang Kun was puzzled by the numerous missed calls notified of via text message. Why did Zhang Qian want to contact him? Hadn't he already informed Director Lin and Ma Hongguo before his trip?

After thinking for a moment, Xiang Kun didn't call back. Instead, he contacted Director Lin and Ma Hongguo on QQ to confirm that there were no problems with the project and that everything was proceeding according to his previous arrangements. Although Director Lin mentioned that Zhang Qian was looking for him, he didn't say what it was about. Xiang Kun knew that this "Boss Zhang" probably still wanted to ask about the A4 paper magic trick, so there was no need to call back.

Xiang Kun booked a flight using his mobile phone, but it wasn't a direct flight to his city; instead, he went to Star City first.

When he decided to explore the Qinling Uninhabited Zone, he considered whether to go to Star City first to see the Little Chubby Girl. However, considering how much time it would take to enter the Qinling Uninhabited Zone, he decided not to spend time going to Star City in order to have as much time as possible to explore during his Blood Drinking Period.

Now that we've drunk the blood of that mutated spider and "refreshed" our blood-drinking period, we have much more time for the return journey, so we can detour to Star City for a visit.

There must be a reason why the sensory connection between the A4 paper and the Coin in the Little Chubby Girl's hand is constantly weakening.

He took a taxi from the small town to the nearest county-level city, and then a bus to the city he had arrived at by plane. While waiting to check in at the airport, Xiang Kun picked up his phone to check on his home and confirmed that there had been no power outage and that "Alice" was operating perfectly.

Of course, he can't communicate with "Alice" or issue commands through other devices yet. Although such a function is not difficult to implement, "Alice" is still too fragile and immature. For safety reasons, he is not in a hurry to expand her functionality in this area.

As Xiang Kun checked the messages on WeChat and QQ from this period of time, he recalled the conversation he overheard outside the hotel in that small town, pondering how to start from this clue and trace their identities.

The most direct way would undoubtedly be through the Prado's license plate number, which could certainly be found directly in the vehicle registration office's system. However, the problem is that he doesn't have the authority to do so, nor does he know anyone in the relevant agency. He might be able to find it through some gray-market methods, even if it costs money, but that would inevitably create problems and unforeseen consequences, potentially leading to premature discovery or unnecessary attention. Therefore, he wouldn't use this method unless absolutely necessary; investigations are best conducted without third-party involvement.

Thank you to the following readers for their generous donations: A Little Pig, The Death God's Sigh, Giant Baby Whale, The Seeker Plants Vegetables, Amphioxus Ski, and Eat You Pain.