Chapter 343: Unobstructing the Liver (Part 2/3)
Translator: Strivon
Luo Nan felt regret the instant the words left his mouth. Mo Ya must have cursed him in secret for him to disregard the consequences of blocking the barrel of a loaded gun with his body.
No matter his regrets, words once spoken could never be swallowed back down. The incurred consequences revealed themselves at the first instance. The husband and wife, Luo Nan's uncle and aunt, cast their gazes upon Luo Nan one after another. First there was skepticism, then there was vigilance.
"Your friend? And their boss?"
"What kind of work? What kind of company is it?"
The questions came in sequential order, but the meaning within them were the same.
Luo Nan knew he had prodded the hornet's nest. He was incapable of explaining how his introverted homebody self was able to suddenly become interested in the companies of society. He could only brace himself as he responded by avoiding the major points and focusing on the trifling points, "I haven't agreed yet. They're probably just talking for show anyhow."
Luo Shuqing stared unwaveringly into her nephew's eyes. "The problem right now is, why is this company interested in you!"
"Why can't they be interested in me?" Luo Nan forced himself to be thick-skinned, preparing himself to be pestered endlessly.
Mo Haihang made a gesture before Luo Shuqing could continue speaking, pausing his wife. He maintained his subtle smile and spoke gently, "Let me ask. Why haven't you agreed? Is it because the payment isn't good enough? Or is it because you don't have enough time?"
"It's—"
Mo Haihang didn't wait for Luo Nan to finish speaking, "It's right to have a cautious attitude. No matter the age, working hours and payment are both very important the moment a work relationship is formed. How much are they paying you?"
"Uh." Luo Nan was stupefied the moment his uncle asked for details. He was lost in thought for a while before responding, "We haven't discussed this yet."
"If you're going to discuss it, there's no harm in having your aunt as an adviser. She's a highly experienced member of HR in a large company. She specializes in these things. She's very experienced in cheating others and letting people cheat."
Luo Nan immersed himself in his food, giving a muffled response, "Oh, sure."
Luo Shuqing gave her husband a glare, but she was very clear on some of the routines in their marriage of several dozen years. She immediately changed the way she talked, "Working to support yourself is good. What's that company called? I can help you research deeper for now. I should be able to find out their average pay. You'll have an advantage when you negotiate pay with them."
She had been a professional in HR for many years. Her network was ample when it came to supervising human resources. She was very familiar with this line of work. She already opened up a professional inquiry software as she spoke. All of Xia City's regular companies could be found within.
The actions of this husband and wife were amiable, but in reality, they caused pressure with each of their steps. Luo Nan's mind wasn't really working by now, and he never was good at lying. He began to divulge his secrets.
"I think they're called Hidden Indigo?"
"Hidden Indigo Corporation?"
"It should be a firm."
Luo Nan buried half of his face in his food. Otherwise, he would be revealing the sweat on his forehead with absolute clarity. Right now, he realized why he was able to put himself in sorry and difficult situations, antagonizing countless people, within this short amount of time…. His impulses were far too deadly!
Luo Shuqing quickly obtained search results. "The Hidden Indigo Firm…. Oh, there are registered information and tax records. They primarily provide legal and business consultations. They look quite standard. What's the name of the boss recruiting you?"
"Wu…” Luo Nan coughed, “I only know that her last name is Wu."
"Wu Zhao?" Luo Shuqing read the name of the firm's owner, and the dinner table instantly drowned in awkwardness.
Long Live Her Majesty Empress Wu!
Luo Nan let out a long sigh. There was now a starting point. Uh, hold on. Wu Zhao? Why not be simply called Wu Zetian? Why Wu Zhao, the name the Tang Empress Wu Zetian gave herself after rising to power?
Mo Haihang's fingers rapped lightly against the dinner table, and his brows furrowed. There were naturally many unreliable parents in this world. There were many parents who gave odd names to their kids. But there were extremely few parents who named their kids after historical, unique, and controversial characters. More importantly, this violated current legal statutes.
Mo Haihang, holding a position in the social privileges department, would never pass such registration applications.
But at this moment, this was the situation: This Mrs. Wu Zhao was grandiosely using this name, and she registered a standard firm under it.
His many years of experience working at the SCA told him that this Wu Zhao, her firm, and the corresponding registered information were complete bogus from head to tail. This was a mockery of the public agencies of authority. This meant that she was a person of great capabilities, being able to openly bypass certain rules of society. Of course, this also meant that she was certainly very willful.
It was impossible for Mo Haihang to immediately verify his assessments. He also didn't say them out loud. Though his thoughts coursed with electricity, a smile still remained on his face. He asked, "They took the initiative to express interest in you. This is great. This shows that you're skilled in something that is useful to their business. What is it specifically?"
Oh, yes. What was it?
Luo Nan was a bit out of it. He more or less held a cautious attitude toward the reason why Her Majesty Empress Wu recruited him. His body hid precious secrets, so it was unavoidable for him to be suspicious.
He didn't have an answer right now, but he couldn't stop talking. He could only wring his brain dry as he combed through all his skills known to his family. Luckily, he had a flash of inspiration before he was able to wring his brain to death. He combined it with today's experience and found a good justification.
"They like my ability to make quick sketches."
"Quick sketches?"
Luo Nan's response was outside his guardians' expectations. They locked gazes with each other once more. They truly did know of Luo Nan's ability to draw quick sketches. He really could sketch realistic drawings in a short period of time, but what was the usefulness of this skill?
Luo Shuqing immediately asked, "What does the Hidden Indigo Firm have such employees do?"
"Seems like it's detective work, or something like that. Quite a few people carry anti-recording devices nowadays. Some matters are hard to work with and may even draw vigilance in the opposition. They recruit people like me to try and see."
"Private detective?" Luo Shuqing's brow locked deadly tight. "This sort of work…."
"Yes, I also feel that this sort of work is quite odd, but it's hard to directly refuse, in consideration of my friend's reputation. Once two days pass and their excitement dies down, I'll refuse them then and things will be good."
Luo Nan said everything in a single breath, sighing a hidden breath of relief in the end. He finally completed the circular chain of logic, but if he were to continue, he would certainly implode. He immediately ate the food on the dinner table like blazing winds blasting away clouds and stood up.
"It should be like this. Aunt, Uncle, you two relax. I won't get mixed up in society…. Oh, they should have sent the materials for today's makeup lesson. I have some homework I need to do. I'll go upstairs."
He didn't even collect his bowl and chopsticks. He just turned around and walked away.
Luo Shuqing wanted to stop him with her voice, but Mo Haihang did a placating gesture. They locked gazes once more, and Luo Shuqing discovered that her husband's bearing was very solemn.
Luo Nan made it up to the second floor with just a few steps. He jumped into his room and locked the door. He finally relaxed, lying on his bed. He rocked a few times and began to roll with his head tucked in his arms.
"Luo Nan you pig. You fool. You idiot...." his mumbling voice abused himself for a round to break up the hate within himself. But soon he began to feel diffident in his heart.
His two guardians should be mulling over his matter at the moment. His excuse was full of mistakes. He wouldn't make it through easily. For today's sake, he had to perform a bit of detective work. Ah no, a bit of spy work.
Yes, with his mental sensing ability, the conversations between his aunt and uncle wouldn't remain as mysteries to him. By then, he should be able to wade through any suspicions without difficulty, right?
With a plan in mind, Luo Nan was about to make a move, but then the HexaEar came on and transmitted information to him. He Yueyin, who had been busy handling tasks, was calling him.