Jiang Fan, male, twenty-six years old, unmarried, occupation: Ecological Civilization Construction Engineering Expert, commonly known as… Cleaner.
After emptying all kinds of trash from the garbage truck into the dumpster and cleaning the truck thoroughly, Jiang Fan looked up at his watch.
It was already time to get off work.
He changed out of his work clothes, nimbly locked his locker, exchanged a few words and a cigarette with the security guard as usual, then rode off from the company on his beat-up little scooter.
A deep crimson-orange dominated most of the sky, and the afterglow of dusk cast a golden sheen along this riverside street.
Two plane trees stood tall by the road, their shadows dappled and mottled under the setting sun.
There were quite a few pedestrians on the roadside, gathering in twos and threes, all bundled up tightly in thick cotton jackets.
Meanwhile, Jiang Fan rode his small electric scooter, a cigarette dangling from his lips, looking somewhat distracted.
Besides being a Cleaner, he actually had another job—
Private Detective.
Most people’s impression of Private Detectives came from stories online: handsome, suave, drifting among flowers and intrigue, with occasional romantic encounters.
About this, as a Private Detective himself, Jiang Fan only wanted to curse!
That’s all artistic exaggeration!!
In old times, storytellers often said a rich Miss would fall for a poor scholar.
Why?
Isn’t it just because the book was written by a poor scholar!!
And as it happens, Jiang Fan was precisely that “poor scholar”!
The Private Detective business might not see action for three years, but once it did, one case could feed you for three years.
Still, your meals depended entirely on “connections”.
Sometimes, in search of evidence, you might accidentally offend some big shot.
You might stumble upon things you shouldn’t see, and those who ended up sleeping with the fishes weren’t rare.
Thinking of this, Jiang Fan couldn’t help but curse his previous employer under his breath.
Grumbling all the way, he found a print shop by the road, spent a few bucks to print out several photos, then stuffed them into a document envelope, putting on an air of professionalism.
***
Tianlin City, Old Town.
Deep Crimson Wine Bar.
There weren’t any famous bars in the vicinity.
People said good wine fears no alley, but in these times, no matter how good your wine is, if you don’t have traffic, it’s useless.
On the contrary, as long as you have traffic, even plain water can be a national treasure!
Fortunately, Deep Crimson Wine Bar didn’t rely on selling wine to make money.
It dabbled in some gray areas, and Jiang Fan’s visit here wasn’t for a drink.
It was already night.
The deep, dark night had swallowed the last of the crimson-orange.
In the alleys and on the streets, only the flickering neon signs lit up the gloom.
Inside the bar, it was cold and quiet, with only a few scattered customers.
The waiters were tidying up leftovers.
At this hour, barely anyone came in for a drink.
At the bar, a fair-skinned young girl with a silver mask crossed her beautiful legs, taking the glass handed to her by a black-haired waiter.
A delicate pink purse hung at her waist, and a fox-fur scarf wrapped around her neck.
The fleece fabric hid whatever was inside, but looked very soft and cozy.
Her healthy calves were slightly lifted, the fleece-lined trousers outlining a mesmerizing curve.
Jiang Fan ignored all of this, and sat directly beside the fair-skinned girl, handing over the freshly sealed document envelope.
“Here’s the information you wanted.”
The girl held her wine glass, and through the reflection in the glass, you could see the scarlet liquid swirling within.
“Password.”
A few black lines appeared on Jiang Fan’s forehead.
It was always like this—something that could’ve been resolved by sending a few pictures online had to be turned into a secret transaction, as if this was some 007 spy deal.
Clearly, this girl watched too many movies.
A bona fide chuunibyou!
Suppressing his discomfort, he lowered his voice, “What do we do when it gets dark?”
“Find the culprit,” the girl replied calmly but firmly, “OK.”
“That’s how I know it’s you.”
“Looks like you’re not an imposter.”
Jiang Fan rolled his eyes internally.
The last client was a disaster, and this one was a chuunibyou.
If not for the money, who would play along with a little girl’s chuunibyou games?
Damn, what was he thinking, not finding a proper job and insisting on being a Private Detective?!
He handed over the document envelope again.
The girl didn’t say another word.
She took the envelope without concern for the public setting and tore it open on the spot.
Inside were several photos, the most prominent being a man in a suit—cultured and refined—standing in the floor-to-ceiling window of a skyscraper.
Judging by the cut, it was likely from an economics journal, the kind of photo that fulfilled everyone’s fantasy of the rich, handsome, single entrepreneur.
The girl seemed to recognize the man in the photo.
Her delicate white hand clenched the picture tightly, her gaze fixed on the man, her expression sullen, her teeth gritted in anger.
Very soon, the girl picked up the remaining photos, quickly scanning them as if searching for something useful.
After a while, she finally set the photos down on the bar, covering them with her hand.
“How’s the investigation going? Did you find any other evidence? Is he hiding the weapon?”
“Not yet… it’ll take more time.”
Jiang Fan was about to answer honestly, but meeting the girl’s displeased gaze, he changed his tune immediately.
Last time, at the request of a rich lady, he investigated her husband’s affair.
Halfway through, not only did the husband retaliate, but Jiang Fan also lost his job over it.
Now, he’d finally gotten himself a golden goose client.
He had to tread carefully—his mortgage and car loan weren’t paid off yet.
He’d already checked the client’s background through secret channels.
She was none other than the city’s own little princess from the Jiang Corporation—Miss Jiang.
He didn’t know why she wanted him to investigate the Young Master of the Zhao Corporation, but it was double the pay for a single job—why not?
The Cleaner identity helped too.
While cleaning, he could just snap a few photos with a miniature camera hidden in his sleeve.
“Mm.”
Miss Jiang didn’t seem surprised by his answer, nodding lightly.
She stood up and patted Jiang Fan on the shoulder, “The money’s already in your account. Keep working hard. I hope you can find more information next time.”
With that, she turned and left.
A few minutes later, as a crisp notification sounded, Jiang Fan glanced down at the number on his phone screen and couldn’t help but smile.
“Boss Lady, one Feihuo’s Kiss, please.”
***
Miss Jiang exited the bar and got into a taxi.
“Miss, we’ve arrived.”
The Driver turned to her.
Miss Jiang nodded, paid the fare, got out, and walked toward the Bieshu in front of her.
Two Bodyguards stood guard at the Bieshu’s entrance.
Seeing Miss Jiang, they greeted her respectfully.
Miss Jiang nodded in return and entered, pushing open the front door.
In the living room, Jiang Mother was lounging with a face mask on, engrossed in a soap opera, just as her daughter came in.
“Shishi, why are you back so late?”
“Mom, I was having dinner with a classmate.”
Miss Jiang replied, placing her bag on the sofa and sitting beside Jiang Mother.
“Mom, hasn’t Dad come back yet?”
“Him?”
Jiang Mother fiddled with the remote, face mask still on.
“He’s been working overtime a lot lately. You know about the Bai Corporation’s bankruptcy, right? Your dad’s always wanted to poach their CEO, so tonight he’s the host, treating him to dinner.”
“Mm.”
Miss Jiang replied.
She suddenly hugged Jiang Mother’s arm, acting cute, “Mom, I’m a senior this year and need an internship certificate to graduate. Can’t Dad just stamp one for me?”
“In your dreams.”
Jiang Mother flicked the girl’s smooth forehead.
“You know the principle of avoiding nepotism. Both your dad and I want you to intern at the Zhao Corporation to toughen up a bit.”