Chapter 60: The Employer

Chapter 60: The Employer

After spending the entire afternoon traveling to various locations, they finally obtained a lead on the person who had hired You Xiaoyang. Following the direction of the information gathered, and with the assistance of others in the investigation, they finally confirmed the identity of the employer and his exact whereabouts by nightfall.

"Gao, male, 33 years old, local, unemployed, single, junior high school education. He dropped out in his first year of high school and has been drifting through society ever since. He has no criminal record and no record of administrative penalties. To summarize, this Gao isn't exactly a bad person, but he's not what you would strictly call a good one either."

According to the information provided, this man named Gao was currently browsing the internet at an internet cafe. Qin Ruonan and An Changpu did not rush in. Instead, they parked their car on the side of the road and familiarized themselves with Gao’s background first. Qin Ruonan relayed the information gathered from their investigation and the supplementary details obtained through Tian Yang’s access to household registration records to An Changpu.

After listening, An Changpu asked, "So, he has been unemployed all these years?"

"He had a short stint working as a security guard for a residential complex, but he lasted less than three months. He was fired because he snuck off during his night shift and his post was found empty. There’s no record of any employment for him since then."

After finishing, Qin Ruonan suddenly recalled something else. "Oh, right, his parents passed away two years ago. Tian Yang learned that after their death, Gao and his two older sisters had a major dispute over the inheritance. The sisters refused to give him a share because his parents were angry that, other than relying on them, Gao had fulfilled none of his filial duties. However, Gao insisted that he was entitled to one-third, and as the only remaining male heir of the Gao family, he felt he should be entitled to more than a third to be considered reasonable. The conflict ended up in court, but they eventually reached an out-of-court settlement. Whether out of fear of his persistence or pity for his lack of a steady career, the two sisters left him an old house in the suburbs so he would at least have a roof over his head."

"Is this Gao fellow difficult to deal with?" An Changpu was curious about the reason behind the change in the sisters' attitude.

Qin Ruonan pursed her lips, seemingly unsurprised by Gao's behavior. "Tian Yang mentioned on the phone earlier that because Gao was the only son, his parents were quite indulgent while they were alive. He doesn't have a particularly aggressive personality, but he is a complete deadbeat—the kind that sticks to you like a plaster. You can imagine the type."

An Changpu suddenly made a connection. He turned to look at Qin Ruonan and asked, "No wonder you were so calm when describing these traits of his! He has two older sisters, and your younger brother has two older sisters. His parents were partial to him when they were alive; weren't your parents also overly indulgent toward your brother? Is your brother like this Gao fellow? Or perhaps even worse?"

"I wouldn't say worse, but you can't expect a spoiled child to be very sensible or understanding." A hint of sorrow appeared in Qin Ruonan's eyes as she mentioned her brother. "I just hope that when he turns thirty-three, he won't end up like Gao, a social drifter with nothing to show for his life."

An Changpu didn't know what to say. He had never met Qin Ruonan's brother, only hearing from Cheng Feng about the heavy son-preference bias in her family. He had also overheard a phone call once while on a business trip where her brother demanded money from her with such self-righteousness that it left a bad taste in An Changpu's mouth.

However, no matter how much he disliked it, it was Qin Ruonan's brother, not his. It was best to stay out of other people's private family matters. Perhaps, from the perspective of familial affection, Qin Ruonan felt her brother was slightly better than Gao, though An Changpu failed to see it.

"Let's go. Let's head in and see what this 'social drifter' is all about." An Changpu unbuckled his seatbelt, ready to get out.

"You plan to talk to him there?" Qin Ruonan looked at the brightly lit internet cafe.

"Of course not. Don't come in; just wait in the car. I'll have him out in a moment." An Changpu signaled for her to stay behind, opened the door, jumped out, and strode into the cafe.

It wasn't very busy at this hour. The air was thick with a mixture of food smells. A sign hung behind the counter listing prices for various fried rice and noodle dishes; it seemed this cafe offered full services, including meals.

An Changpu greeted the attendant behind the counter, saying he was looking for someone. The attendant didn't suspect anything and waved him in. An Changpu walked slowly through the cafe, his eyes scanning the customers. He had already seen Gao’s registration photo. Although a person might look slightly different from their photo, with his years of experience, unless Gao had undergone plastic surgery, simple changes in weight, hairstyle, or clothing wouldn't hinder his judgment.

After walking halfway through, he successfully locked onto Gao's location. The man, who hadn't changed much from his photo, was sitting at a computer near the fire exit. He had his legs crossed, holding a bowl of noodles and slurping them down. He wore headphones and stared at the screen, laughing loudly from time to time at something funny.

Gao was actually quite easy to identify. He had mismatched eyes—one with a double eyelid and the other with a single—and the size difference was quite obvious. Furthermore, perhaps due to a bout of chickenpox in childhood, his face was as pitted as the surface of the moon. To summarize, his appearance was unattractive but memorable.

An Changpu caught sight of him, walked over, and sat sideways on the armrest of the sofa. He tilted his head to look at the screen, which was playing an unnamed movie with exaggerated acting and humorous expressions.

For anyone else, if a stranger suddenly sat next to them while they were focused on eating and watching a movie, they would likely be startled. Gao's reaction was clearly more intense than the average person's. The moment he felt someone approach, he set his bowl on the table, pulled his headphones off, and sprang from his seat as if his chair were fitted with springs. Upon turning to see a complete stranger, he felt a moment of relief, then frowned, distorting his face and making the size difference between his eyes even more pronounced.

"Who are you? Don't sit on my chair!" He waved a hand at An Changpu, gesturing for him to leave.

"You were quite nervous just now! Hiding from someone?" An Changpu didn't get up. He sat in a relaxed manner and countered with a question.

Gao shot him a glance from the corner of his eye, his tone growing impatient. "What are you blathering about? Get lost! I'm paying for this time."

"If I were you, I’d log off right now and come with me," An Changpu leaned in closer, his voice low but clear. "You Xiaoyang has been missing for a long time."

As he spoke, he pulled his police ID from his pocket. Gao’s eyes darted toward the movement, and upon seeing the badge, he froze for a second. He then forced a stiff smile, picked up his bowl, and finished the noodles in two or three gulps. He choked slightly, patted his chest, and said to An Changpu with a sheepish look, "Paid good money for this, can't waste it, right?"

"Let's go. You're in luck today—you get a free ride home!" An Changpu patted him on the shoulder and signaled for him to lead the way.

Gao didn't say anything more and walked obediently. Once they were out of the cafe, An Changpu signaled for him to get into the car.

Qin Ruonan glanced back at Gao, who was peering at her with shifty eyes. She frowned, turned away, and ignored him, though she couldn't help but sigh softly.

An Changpu didn't ask why she sighed, as he could guess; seeing Gao would inevitably make her think of her own brother's future.

Gao sat alone in the back, silent. His eyes darted left and right, and he occasionally rolled them toward the ceiling, lost in thought. He didn't speak a word unless An Changpu asked if they were on the right path. Gao’s home was in the suburbs. Although An Changpu knew the general direction, once they left the city and hit the winding country roads, he wasn't sure which fork to take. With Gao’s occasional directions, the car bumped along the broken asphalt road for over ten minutes before finally arriving at the old house.

Gao got out and dug through his pockets for a long time before pulling out a ring of keys. After some searching, he found the right one and opened the heavy iron lock on the door. The house looked very old, and the yard was simple, with no cement or bricks laid down—only a hard-packed dirt path worn from the gate to the house. It seemed plants had once grown on either side of the path, but they had long been neglected, covered in dry leaves and soot.

Gao led the way and pushed open the door. With the sun setting, the interior was quite dim. As the door opened, a thick, musty, and damp smell wafted out; clearly, the young master of this old house hadn't stayed here in a long time.

"Gao, let's stop beating around the bush. You Xiaoyang is missing. Before he disappeared, he spent some time leveling up characters in games, and you were his employer. Am I right?" An Changpu entered the house and immediately stopped Gao, who was pretending to be hospitable.

"Who is You Xiaoyang? What employer? I'm an unemployed drifter; I’m the one looking for an employer!" To everyone's surprise, Gao grinned and denied it flatly.