"Boss, I found him."
Xia Xu had come back disappointed, never expecting that Yang Bowen had also returned to the shop early-and brought him good news.
"Found who? Zhang Jianmin?"
Xia Xu froze at his words.
"Hehe, that's right, Zhang Jianmin. I've more or less tracked down his address."
Yang Bowen's face brimmed with accomplishment and pride. Clearly, Xia Xu's incredulous expression had given him immense satisfaction.
"That fast?"
Xia Xu was a little skeptical.
He genuinely found it hard to believe.
No matter how talented Yang Bowen was, he had never done this before. Xia Xu could believe that he would find Zhang Jianmin, but doing it this quickly was a little ridiculous.
Less than a day had passed. That hardly seemed enough time to gather information, or even familiarize himself with the details.
"Just luck, just luck."
Yang Bowen gave a sheepish chuckle and explained, "Boss, you know I used to drive for a living. Besides other delivery drivers, I also know quite a few friends who drive taxis. They usually have chat groups where they shoot the breeze and occasionally share traffic updates and things like that.
"And didn't you say that Zhang Jianmin guy had just been released after getting taken to the station a few days ago? That police station is pretty out of the way, so I figured he'd need a ride home. I asked around in the groups."
Xia Xu was somewhat speechless. "And that was all it took?"
"Hehe, there aren't many people outside the police station to begin with, so hardly any drivers pick up fares there. I asked in the drivers' group, and only two cars had picked anyone up there that day. One went to the entrance of Star City No. 3 High School. That was probably the Xue Mingjie you mentioned, boss.
"The other dropped someone off outside the Era Royal Court Phase One residential complex, around the same time as the first car. It was most likely the Zhang Jianmin you mentioned, who'd just been released with Xue Mingjie."
Yang Bowen looked excited, and there was a hint of showing off in his voice.
This was the first time he had ever felt that he, too, could be so outstanding-that he could handle something with such ease and feel so firmly in control.
Even without an "audience," it still made him feel as though he had stolen the show.
For some reason, prying into someone else's life also gave him a uniquely thrilling feeling, as though some unusual preference had awakened within him. He was buzzing with excitement, his blood pumping and his motivation soaring.
"Impressive. Honestly, you've exceeded my expectations. Bowen, you've got far more talent for this line of work than I imagined."
Naturally, Xia Xu would not dampen his spirits while he was riding high. He generously gave him an approving thumbs-up.
And he genuinely had not expected Yang Bowen's network of contacts, beyond his own talent, to be a force that could not be overlooked.
"Oh, not at all. You're the impressive one, boss. One look, and you know exactly what someone does and even what they're good at. You practically know them better than they know themselves. My skills are nowhere near that."
Praise went both ways. Although Yang Bowen was excited, he had not truly let it go to his head. He modestly downplayed his own achievement while praising Xia Xu.
And at least seventy or eighty percent of what he said was heartfelt. After spending just part of the day trying this out, he had not only confirmed his own talent in this area but also developed genuine admiration for his young boss.
Being able to analyze someone's identity, occupation, and even strengths at a glance was a skill that would put even a worm in their belly to shame. Compared with that, his own modest performance was hardly worth mentioning.
"I'm just a fairly good judge of people. When it comes to tracking someone down, I can't compare with you."
Xia Xu smiled and encouraged him. "But keep at it. Try to pin down Zhang Jianmin's exact apartment number. Then, for the time being, you'll be responsible for following him. Ideally, you'll keep track of his whereabouts at all times."
"No problem. I'll get the job done."
Yang Bowen was brimming with enthusiasm.
[Affection: 65]
Xia Xu casually checked his attribute panel. His affection had reached sixty-five, already above the passing mark. It seemed that confirming Xia Xu's claims and his own talent had caused it to surge.
This affection value was most likely measured on a hundred-point scale. The first fifty points were fairly easy to gain. Even a single encounter could earn a few points, and going from strangers to acquaintances could bring it up to thirty or forty.
But starting around fifty, further increases became progressively harder. Getting past sixty was already quite an achievement. In fact, even Little White Flower had only been "farmed" up to a little over seventy so far.
He had to admit that although Attribute Viewing seemed simple and offered neither supernatural wonders nor tangible power, the help it provided was genuinely practical.
Affection might only measure fondness rather than loyalty, but feelings were ultimately connected. The higher someone's affection, the more reluctant they would naturally be to do anything that harmed him. It could easily serve as an indirect way to judge people's hearts, and paired with the obsession display, it was practically foolproof.
"Come on, I'll take you home."
That evening, after treating Yang Bowen and Little White Flower to a meal at a small restaurant to celebrate the opening and their success, Xia Xu called another taxi to take Little White Flower home.
This time, he did not get out with her. Instead, he rode all the way home and went to bed early.
For most people, however, a weekend night was a sleepless stretch they could not bear to waste.
The city's lights came on, and the flashy neon signs of bars, nightclubs, and karaoke venues cast an intoxicating glow. For many nocturnal creatures, this was only the beginning of their day.
Of course, for students, a cheap, good-value overnight session at an internet café might be more appealing than any of those options. Having a few friends along would make it all the more perfect.
"Rat, why are you so... Holy shit, you haven't even changed out of your uniform. Did you never go home?"
Around eight that evening, several teenage boys who looked like high school students arrived one after another at an internet café tucked away in a residential neighborhood near Star City No. 3 High School.
On Blue Ocean Star, the Xia Kingdom's internet café industry had not yet begun to decline. On the contrary, it was at its peak.
This was what people commonly called an unlicensed internet café. Such places usually lacked proper business permits, but their more famous feature was that they allowed minors to use their computers.
After all, internet cafés normally did not allow minors, and a large proportion of high school students had not yet turned eighteen.
Yet these students also had the greatest demand for the internet and games, making them an ideal customer base. Opening an internet café like this near a middle or high school virtually guaranteed a steady crowd. As a result, quite a few daring owners took the risk, and even some licensed internet cafés secretly admitted minors.
Naturally, most of those who came to this unlicensed internet café near Star City No. 3 High School were students there. They saw one another all the time; as both schoolmates and regular customers, they were familiar with each other and exchanged greetings as they came in.
"My parents aren't home on weekends, so I couldn't be bothered going back. Might as well have some proper fun."
The boy still wearing his school uniform answered his arriving friends and casually tossed them the cigarettes on his desk.
"Lucky you. Doesn't that mean you can play all night again?"
"Lucky my ass. I'm broke. I've only got enough in my pocket for the overnight fee. Can't even afford dinner or water."
"Easy enough. Wait and see if any little kids come in, then stop them and get some money..."
Laughing and joking, the boys booted up their computers and puffed away at their cigarettes. Between their rebellious age and the influence of gangster movies, they looked even more like thugs than actual street hoodlums.
As for the boy wearing his school uniform, if Xia Xu had been there, he would certainly have given him a wide berth.
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