Chapter 326: For Hire
Translator: Lonelytree Editor: Millman97
There was no worst thing in the world because oftentimes when you thought things could not get worse, you would realize how wrong you were the next second.
At midnight, Brother Han watched calmly as Sister Shuang turned into Brother Shuang. In the same calmness, he helped the latter find a larger shirt and waited calmly for the man to exit the bedroom. When the tall and handsome man exited the bedroom, Han Chu calmly lowered his head to return to work. He asked without even a twitched of his brow, “Based on that surprise on your face, it doesn’t seem like you expected the transformation to happen tonight?”
Brother Shuang looked like half of his soul was missing. She tried to use the time that she used to change to calm down, but it was to no avail. “…You’re right about that.”
Those nerves were especially prominent after finding out Madam Grace’s unique ‘hobby’.
From 11:30 pm until the time of her transformation, nothing shocked Ye Shuang more than the news about Madam Grace. She was not afraid of a powerful enemy, but a woman who could threaten her gender transformation, that was hard for Ye Shuang to deal with. Of course, there was no guarantee that the woman was interested in her, but for the sake of safety, Ye Shuang had been left with no choice but to be a bit handsy around boys until she left Feng Yuan City.
“Huh‽” After hearing this answer, Brother Han felt charitable enough to give Brother Shuang a look. “You still haven’t found a way to control your gender transformation?”
“I have, but this world is too devious!” The handsome yet saddened man slumped on the couch. The brooding aura around him could make any girl who saw him experience instant heartbreak. “I… I thought there were only young drag queens. I didn’t expect to run into young tomboys!”
What the f*ck!
Thinking back to this afternoon when she saw the ‘young boy’ with the crew cut who kicked the fatty next to her without hesitation. Even now, Ye Shuang had trouble connecting that ‘boy’ to a little girl. That vicious gaze, that quick and fast way she took down the fat child, the way she used the doll in her hand to whack at the boy’s face, and the scoff she issued when the fatty she bullied started to cry… in what world was that a girl‽
Ye Shuang even thought that she had run into an underground boss who ran the kindergarten…
Wait a minute, using a doll to whack the fatty? Now that she gave it a second thought, the ‘weapon of choice’ was indeed cause for suspicion… The parents of a boy normally would not buy their child that kind of toy. So, it was the girl who had grown into her own style, was it?
“By the way…” She was pulled back into reality by Han Chu’s voice, then she heard something that she desperately wanted to forget. The man who sat at the table raised his head, and his lips curled into a smile like he was reminded of something humorous. He said coldly, “With that face of yours… you’d better not show up around Madam Grace any time soon.”
What kind of friend is this?
After watching the exceptionally handsome and gloomy face leave his apartment, Han Chu studied the closed door for a while before turning back to his laptop. Several clicks later, the screen on the laptop changed, and a new folder that was heavily encrypted was opened.
Then the fingers danced gracefully on the keyboard, keying in new information on the file named ‘Observation of the Unidentified Organism’. The table that was named ‘To Be confirmed’ had a few new clauses added.
“Currently, there are two known instances of failed gender transformation, through revealed information and reaction of the target, the reason for the failure seemed to be due to external factors, and it has always come as a surprise to the target.”
As he mumbled to himself, he continued to type. The big boss wrote down his analysis calmly. “Since the method for controlling and initiating the gender swap is due to outside variables. When the target misjudges the third party’s gender, the target’s own gender status will be affected. Based on the prolonged observation period and the target’s interaction with other third parties, the initial speculation is that the condition to stabilize target’s gender is due to the exchange of bodily fluid…”
Then, after a pause, he added the last sentence. “The chance of this speculation being correct is… 70%.”
…
When Luo Mingxin saw the familiar male walk into the restaurant, he almost coughed out the coffee in his mouth. He grabbed a napkin hurriedly to hide his faux pas. He coughed several times before he managed to calm down. Luo Mingxin then stood up in surprise and asked the handsome man who was walking toward him, “Why are you here?”
Brother Shuang was baffled. “This is a public space, right? I came for dinner, so why can’t I be here?”
No matter how hard it was, her life had to continue. After a night to adjust her feeling, Ye Shuang could face the accidental threat to her gender more calmly. Honestly, Madam Grace’s vice came as a shock to Ye Shuang, but when she thought about it, she realized that there was a limit to what a woman could do no matter how impressive she was. Furthermore, it was not that she had not come across similar enemies in the past. With her current status, it was hard for her to save the world, but saving her own virginity was more than enough… On top of that, Madam Grace had always used the offer of power and money to broaden her harem. It was consensual for both parties.
After regaining her composure, and when she saw the expression on Luo Mingxin’s face like he had seen a ghost, Ye Shuang was able to joke with the guy normally. “Are you that shocked to see me here?”
Acting on instinct, Luo Mingxin quickly looked around before pulling Ye Shuang down to the seat. He frowned. “When did you come to Feng Yuan City? You never work at the same place as your partner.”
“You’re not wrong,” Ye Shuang explained. “She was ordered by the boss to go to somewhere else, so I came to take over for her.”
Luo Mingxin wanted to cough blood. After a while, he sighed sadly. “…Are you sure your boss doesn’t secretly hate you or something?”
Why would Han Chu choose a time like this to send Sister Shuang away? It was very dangerous for Brother Shuang to appear now. He knew about Madam Grace’s presence, so why did he call this handsome man over? To send the lamb into the tigress’ mouth?
Thinking back to the call that he had received that morning and the barely concealed questions that asked about the ‘handsome extra’ that he had worked him, Luo Mingxin’s feelings became complicated.
“I share a good relationship with my boss if you must now.” Ye Shuang denied that possibility and waved for the waiter to order her food. Then she said with a smile, “I hear you are free for the next few days, right? How is the case with your film crew coming along?”
The Prop Manager had been arrested, and the mention of this topic managed to distract Luo Mingxin’s attention. His smile turned downward, and he sighed despondently. “Don’t remind me. The director has hired another Prop Manager, and the shooting should resume when he’s here. This is not that big a problem though because Feng Yuan City’s law enforcement seem to have communicated with the director. I have no idea what it is about, but I know that once the shooting continues, a plain clothes will join the crew, probably to act as the city’s eyes and ears.”
Brother Shuang frowned. “Are you sure no one in your crew is involved in anything illegal?”
That was impossible because the police only had two ways of treating suspects: if they were suspected and guilty, they would be put behind bars; if they were innocent, then they would be released. This kind of situation where the police merely observed the people was incredibly rare.
“I have no clue.” Luo Mingxin felt depressed just thinking about it. “In any case, this ruins any mood I have for making the movie.”
Ye Shuang could understand the man’s feeling. Even though actors had great mental strength—after all, they were expected to play different characters in front of many people—that was still different from being silently observed by a hidden member of the police who was mixed in the crew.
The food was served soon. Brother Shuang smiled politely and gave the waitress his signature, causing the girl’s cheeks to burn. After the waitress left and Ye Shuang chewed down several mouthfuls of rice, she made a decision and said, “Do you mind if I visit the set when the shooting is happening? Do you think the crew will mind?”
“Hmm? I don’t think so…” Luo Mingxin was shocked, but he soon caught up. “Right, you have taken over Xiao Shuang’s job. Okay then, I’ll go back and inform the director about it. But if there’s anything serious, you have to come tell me first.”
“No problem.”
After the agreement was made, the two parted after lunch. Luo Mingxin said that he had a new cover to shoot, and he had to finish it before the crew called for his return, whereas Ye Shuang had nothing to do. For the time being, she had no leads, so she wandered about the city to see if there were any local specialties that she could buy for her friends and families back home.
She strolled through five streets in one afternoon and did her shopping at three different malls. When she was done, both of her arms were filled with bags, and it was already late afternoon. Even though the temperature was quite nice in the evening during this season, it could get quite cold at night. Ye Shuang looked at the shopping bags and thought that it was not that convenient to eat out, so she decided to go home to cook.
Ye Shuang had driven the car that Han Chu had gotten from the other agent, but she had parked it quite faraway when she was shopping. She jogged to the parking lot, and when Ye Shuang pulled out the key, she heard the sound of someone breathing.
It was coming from within the parking lot but not within Ye Shuang’s view.
Brother Shuang paused for half a second before continuing on with his business. After all, with her status, she was not worried of being ambushed.
But Ye Shuang miscalculated because it was not the person’s intention to ambush her. Just as she crawled into the driver’s seat, the door of the backseat was also pulled open, and a shadow darted into the car. In a low and quivering hush, the person said hurriedly, “Drive, I’ll pay you money!”