Chapter 4: Buy Magazine
Assistant Liu followed Lu Jingyao's gaze and noticed Xu Youyou holding the yellow puppy's leash.
The girl was dressed plainly, not at all like the owner, but more like someone hired just to walk the dog.
"Mr. Lu, do you think that dog might be the lost Ah Huang? But Ah Huang went missing in Gusu, which is quite far from Shanghai," Assistant Liu said cautiously.
Despite this, Lu Jingyao wanted to be certain. He pushed open the car door, about to get out, when his phone suddenly rang.
"All right, I got it. I'm heading there now."
After hanging up, Lu Jingyao told the driver, "Take us back to the company."
Assistant Liu's heart sank. It looked like there would be no rest today; overtime at the office awaited him.
Lu Jingyao glanced at Xu Youyou's retreating figure and said to his assistant, "Let's go check on that girl again."
Assistant Liu realized Lu Jingyao meant Xu Youyou. Although he was skeptical about the dog being Ah Huang, the boss's orders left no room for refusal.
Unaware of the conversation behind her, Xu Youyou stroked the puppy's soft fur, freshly bathed, feeling a wave of satisfaction.
[Congratulations, task completed: Dog Bargain. Reward earned: Dog Language Proficiency.]
A sudden spark of inspiration lit up Xu Youyou's mind as she heard the obedient bark.
"Woof! Teeth itchy!"
Tentatively, she handed the chew toy to Guaiguai.
He obediently bit down, his face instantly relaxing in contentment.
Xu Youyou marveled at the magic of mission rewards.
[Bargaining task started. Please follow system instructions to the target location.]
Tightening her grip on the leash, Xu Youyou's eyes gleamed with renewed determination. She followed the system's directions toward a residential community, the road stretching far ahead without end in sight.
This time, the destination was definitely not close.
She called a special car through the taxi app and specifically requested a female driver.
Five minutes later, the car arrived outside Tangchen Yipin. Xu Fang, the driver, got out and said with a shy smile, "Miss, it's hard for dogs to get into cars."
Pets don't have the same self-control as humans, and if a dog soils the car, it's tough for the driver to pick up the next passenger.
Xu Youyou had planned to send the dog home, but suddenly heard a shout, "Hey! Are you going to abandon me?"
Her heart softened, and she turned to Xu Fang, "I'm renting your car today, and I'll pay an extra 500 yuan for cleaning."
Xu Fang's eyes lit up. Twice she had cleaned her car's interior for hundreds of yuan in the city, but a wash in the suburbs only cost a hundred. The charter fee was 800 yuan a day, so this order would earn her well over a thousand. She performed an expressive Sichuan opera-style gesture and opened the back seat.
"Boss, please get in. And the dog princess, of course."
Xu Youyou: ...
"Where to, boss?" Xu Fang asked cheerfully.
"Drive slowly, I want to think," Xu Youyou replied.
Xu Fang had only been in the business a short time, but she had met many strange customers. Someone like Xu Youyou, who had no clear destination, was pretty normal in her eyes.
"Turn left at the next intersection."
Xu Youyou was grateful the system's instructions were faster than the map app—otherwise, they would have needed to turn around.
Half an hour later, Xu Fang pointed ahead, "Boss, the alley up there is too narrow for the car. Want to turn back?"
Xu Youyou checked the system and shook her head. "Find a parking spot nearby. Wait for me here."
Luckily, a parking lot was right there, but Xu Fang exhaled sharply after seeing the fee.
"I'll pay it," Xu Youyou said casually. With six million yuan in her account, a thirty-yuan hourly parking fee was nothing.
Xu Fang raised an eyebrow.
The alley was narrow, with old blackened walls, long overdue for a cleanup.
At the alley's end, the system led Xu Youyou to a noisy house on the ground floor. The door was open, revealing a group cleaning out old furniture, preparing for renovation. Several elderly women sat nearby, peering into the house.
"Poor Chen Hai. Gone before getting married."
"Who'd have thought his uncle would get the house!"
"Chen Hai had a terrible relationship with his uncle. When Chen Hai's parents died, his uncle tried to seize the house. Chen Hai chased him off with a kitchen knife."
"Chen Hai stayed up late all the time. Sometimes I saw his lights on at two in the morning. Young people shouldn't do that — it can kill you suddenly. All their money is wasted on enemies."
Xu Youyou listened quietly, then stepped inside.
The workers glanced at her and resumed moving old furniture. A sharp-tongued, monkey-faced man in his forties stared at her suspiciously.
"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?"
Xu Youyou stayed calm. "My friend used to live here."
The system prompted her to investigate the old magazines stacked nearby, and Xu Youyou decided to pretend she wanted to buy them.
Unexpectedly, the man's eyes sharpened. "Are you Chen Hai's girlfriend?"
Xu Youyou said nothing.
He was Chen Chunsheng, Chen Hai's uncle. His eyes darted to her belly as if trying to look through it, then said anxiously, "Chen Hai's dead. As his heir, the house belongs to me! Even if you're pregnant, you can't prove the child is his!"
Xu Youyou saw his panic — afraid someone might claim the inheritance.
Chen Chunsheng didn't know if Chen Hai's girlfriend was pregnant, but his son's fiancé definitely was. The fiancé had threatened to fight the child if she lived with her in-laws. Chen Chunsheng feared Xu Youyou might be carrying a child and sue for the property.
"I just want to see where he lived," Xu Youyou said firmly.
Chen Chunsheng snapped, "The house's been gutted and renovated. What's there to see? My family doesn't welcome you!"
He stepped forward, ready to shove her away. He was determined to make Xu Youyou abort if she was pregnant, no matter what.
But before he could act, a bark came from the side.
Xu Youyou understood — Wangwang was warning Chen Chunsheng.
"Stinky puppy, get out! Watch your dog! Bite me and you'll be dead!" Chen Chunsheng shouted in fear.
After witnessing Chen Chunsheng's ugly attitude, Xu Youyou calmly said, "Come back."
The dog growled lowly, then obediently returned to her side.
"What do you want?" Chen Chunsheng demanded. "My nephew's cremated. Even if you have a baby, it won't change anything!"
"I want some things as souvenirs. He used to read these magazines," Xu Youyou said softly.
Chen Chunsheng just wanted her gone, so he tossed her a magazine. "Here, take it. Hurry up."
"I want the whole box," Xu Youyou insisted.
"Why take so much? I can't sell this trash if you do!" Chen Chunsheng protested.
"I'll pay five yuan," Xu Youyou said firmly, unwilling to give him more.
Chen Chunsheng scowled, "Five yuan is five yuan!"
After paying, Xu Youyou carried out the box of magazines. Thanks to her strength, she managed it without much trouble.
She carefully handled each magazine, not discarding a single one, and carried them to the parking lot. Chen Chunsheng, following behind, didn't complain — relieved she was doing the heavy lifting.
Pregnant women shouldn't carry heavy loads; this confirmed to him that Xu Youyou probably wasn't expecting.
"Back to Tangchen Yipin," Xu Youyou told Xu Fang.
Looking through the magazines, most were about computers and the internet. Xu Youyou guessed Chen Hai might have been a programmer.
She flipped through nearly every magazine until the system stopped giving new instructions.
But she couldn't figure out what important secret might be hidden inside ordinary magazines.