Chapter 28: Liu Yiyi

At noon, at Suiyi Residence.

I walked in and saw An Mingshan chatting with a young woman. She looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, bearing a striking resemblance to Liu Wei.

I asked, "Are you..."

Seeing me, the woman’s eyes lit up. "Master!"

"Do we... know each other?" I asked.

"Have you forgotten? It’s me, Yiyi. Liu Yiyi."

"Liu Yiyi? My apologies, I don’t seem to recall."

An Mingshan asked, "You really don't recognize her?"

"I suppose I do. But you know how many people come through here. With so much traffic, how could I possibly remember everyone?"

Liu Yiyi interjected, "Don't you remember? You came to our company to perform a feng shui assessment..."

"And your company is?"

"Hongyi Group," she replied.

It clicked. Hongyi Group was a major real estate firm. I had been invited to consult on their feng shui one day last August; the fee had been quite generous—five figures. I had heard rumors about the disappearance of the chairman’s daughter, but I had been so busy that I hadn't paid much attention to it.

"What brings you here?" I asked.

"My father wants to marry me off," Liu Yiyi said.

"Which handsome guy is wealthy enough to win over such a beautiful bride?"

"Handsome guy? You have no idea. The man is old enough to be my father!"

An Mingshan asked, "Then why agree to marry him?"

Liu Yiyi explained, "There is a direct business interest between his company and ours, so..."

"Oh, I see," I said. "It seems Chairman Liu intends to leverage this connection to save his business. Clever."

"Disgusting!" An Mingshan scoffed. "What kind of father does that? Liu Yiyi, I support you! But there is a serious problem now—what about her? Where will she stay?"

"She can't stay here," I said, "for reasons you know (having you here is enough). And Liu Shan’s place... that won't work either; you know what he's like. An'an, what about... what's-his-name, Lu Donghua? That kid is a bit slow, he should be fine."

"Do you know where he lives?" An Mingshan asked.

"I just met him, so I don't remember, but I can look it up." I opened the internal website of the Bureau of Paranormal Affairs on my computer and found Lu Donghua’s details. He was a military doctor, a forensic pathologist, and quite knowledgeable in electronic warfare. He lived in Building 3.

"He’s in Building 3. An'an, take her over there!"

Within minutes, An Mingshan had escorted Liu Yiyi away. When she returned, she asked, "What's her story?"

"She's whoever you want her to be."

"Don't give me that! Tell me!"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that. It's just... how should I put it? It's very complicated. Basically, Chairman Liu has a direct business conflict with another company, and he wants to use his daughter to secure that deal, so..."

"Is he even a father?" An Mingshan said. "People like that deserve what's coming to them. Brother Li, I support you."

"The priority now is your safety," I said. "Listen to me: don't go wandering around, alright?"

"Fine," An Mingshan agreed. "But what about Liu Yiyi? Are you going to let her stay there indefinitely?"

"Of course. Not only will she stay there, but I'm going to find her a job."

"What kind of job? You can't bring her here."

"Of course not," I said. "If her old man found out, he'd probably buy this place just to turn it into a public restroom. I’d end up as the facility manager, and you’d be nothing more than the toilet cleaner."

"Stop joking! What does her father do that makes him so rich?"

"He's a real estate developer."

"Oh, that explains it."

Just then, a postman delivered a letter. I read the contents; it was once again related to the Divine Image Sect. The letter warned me against making futile resistance and promised a "great show" tomorrow, inviting all members of the CFAC and the CPIB to watch.

An Mingshan asked, "Brother Li, what does the foreign text on this letter mean?"

"CFAC stands for the Council of Folklore Affairs of China, and CPIB is the China Paranormal Investigation Bureau. Here, take this—and don't you dare take it off!" I handed her a sarira bead.

She wore it around her neck and asked, "I thought you were a Taoist. Why give me this?"

"Who told you I was a Taoist? You don't need a specific religious faith to join the Bureau, just the right set of skills."

I checked my watch; it was past two in the afternoon, and I hadn't had lunch. "An'an, it's already past two..."

"Oh no! I haven't made lunch yet!"

"Forget it," I said. "Let's go out to eat!"

Reader Q&A:
Q: Mr. Author, what are you afraid of?
A: Getting into a fight with others. Because I’ve lacked physical exercise since childhood, I have no confidence in tying a fight, let alone winning one.