Chapter 35 The Detective Agency Opens

He didn’t bother to watch the latter half. Instead, Lin Xiaosu stood on the bridge, quietly watching the surging waters of the Yi River below.

After witnessing the scene in the internet café, Lin Xiaosu began to understand his mother’s perspective. As parents, they naturally hoped their son would have a proper job—not just to support the family, but more so because there were too many idle drifters in society.

His mother was afraid he would become one of them.

If Lin Xiaosu hadn’t stumbled upon that strange stroke of luck, would he really have ended up as one of them? Who could say?

In modern society, the job market was painfully tight. Competition was fierce in every field, not just among peers but even across industries—and now, humans even had to compete with machines. Technology advanced relentlessly; robots were everywhere. Once, it was hard enough just to find a good job. Now, even ordinary jobs were being edged out by automation. Unemployment soared, wallets emptied, and so people could only seek hollow satisfaction in the world of games.

He walked along the sidewalk, grabbed a quick breakfast, and returned to Fengshan Police Station, where he saw Zhou Mei and Miao Ruolan chatting in the visitor’s room.

Seeing him, Zhou Mei smiled. “It’s been confirmed—the great detective scores another victory!”

“So? Are you going to keep your promise?” Lin Xiaosu grinned.

Zhou Mei replied, “Sun Yang’s already handling it. Plus, Captain Zhang made calls to everyone at the key checkpoints. Your license—three days at most, and all will be settled!”

“Captain Zhang himself?” Lin Xiaosu was a little surprised. In his memory, Captain Zhang always wore a stony face. He’d met him a few times, and never once saw him crack a smile.

He found it hard to imagine this man ever asking anyone for a favor.

Zhou Mei’s smile curved like a crescent moon. “Captain Zhang—he’s got the face of a coffin, but that’s just professional necessity. As a leader in criminal investigation, he needs a face alone to suppress all manner of wickedness. The truth is, he thinks very highly of you… As for the license, relax. In three days, I’ll bring it right to you!”

“Thanks!”

“If you really want to thank me, just help me solve a few more cases in the future…”

Lin Xiaosu scratched his head. “It just occurred to me—this was our deal, after all. A fair reward for this case. Looks like we’re even now.”

Zhou Mei shot him a look, then burst out laughing. Miao Ruolan laughed too.

After her laughter subsided, Zhou Mei picked up her teacup. “Setting up a detective agency needs more than just a license. If you want, I can introduce you to someone renting out a storefront.”

“You have something suitable?”

“There’s a spot. Whether it’s suitable, you’ll have to see for yourself,” Zhou Mei replied.

She handed Lin Xiaosu a phone number.

He called, and a woman surnamed Cui answered. She owned a storefront next to the Duanjiaqiao commercial center. If he was serious about renting, she could meet them on site for a look.

At Duanjiaqiao, Lin Xiaosu and Miao Ruolan met Ms. Cui—a woman in her forties, still elegant and charming, smiling as she greeted Lin Xiaosu. The shop behind her was already open. The moment they stepped inside, both Lin Xiaosu and Miao Ruolan felt their hearts race—it was perfect!

It felt almost tailor-made for them.

From the outside, the shop didn’t look large, just four or five meters wide. But inside, it stretched deep, was finely decorated and spotlessly clean. There was a desk with a computer, and the second floor was living quarters, featuring three bedrooms, a bathroom, even a kitchen.

There was air conditioning! Even an electric kettle for boiling water!

It was genuinely move-in ready.

Ms. Cui explained that the previous tenants had been a small studio. They’d started out in Feng City, but as their business grew, the city could no longer contain their dreams, so they moved to Jiang City.

They considered this place their lucky launching pad and didn’t want to ruin it, so they generously left everything behind for Ms. Cui—air conditioning, computers, everything.

Lin Xiaosu and Miao Ruolan exchanged a glance, both seeing their satisfaction reflected in each other’s eyes.

Running a storefront wasn’t easy. Choosing a location, renovating, buying all the office and living necessities—easy to talk about, but a mess to actually do. Having a place ready right in front of them saved so much trouble.

Now, the only issue was the price.

This was an old commercial district, where rent had always been high. Only in recent years, with the rise of e-commerce and the closure of many physical stores, had it become harder to lease out spaces. But even so, a property like this should still command at least three thousand a month.

Ms. Cui smiled gently. “It’s not easy for a young couple starting a business. I won’t charge you high rent—same as ten years ago, two thousand a month. Is that okay?”

A young couple?

Lin Xiaosu quickly clarified, “Ms. Cui, we’re… classmates!”

“Oh, my mistake—sorry!” she replied.

Miao Ruolan, cheeks flushed, bargained with her. But the rent was already quite reasonable, so she only cut it by a token two hundred. They settled at eighteen hundred a month.

Once the contract was signed, their detective agency had taken a big step forward.

At lunchtime, they made a new discovery in the nearby mall—a cafeteria open to the public, with dishes divided into high, medium, and low tiers. The lowest tier, an eight-yuan meal box, cost about the same as buying ingredients and cooking themselves.

It made sense—cooking for oneself entailed buying all the basics, which added up. Here, though the profit margin was small, they made up for it in volume.

Thus, their meal problem was solved.

After buying bedding in the mall, they returned to their newly rented home. Miao Ruolan, excited, brewed tea for Lin Xiaosu and, chin in hand, asked, “Will the license really go through so smoothly?”

“It should,” Lin Xiaosu replied.

A small county was different from a big city. Big cities valued rules and regulations; small towns ran largely on personal connections. Take a walk around town, and you’d bump into acquaintances from all walks of life. Exchanging greetings, inquiring about news—it was all easy. That’s why so many rural parents hoped their children could get jobs in the public sector—sometimes, it was all about convenience.

For ordinary people, getting things done could be as hard as ascending to the heavens. But for those familiar with the system or with friends in the right offices, things happened much more easily.

That wasn’t graft, nor was it an unspoken rule; it was simply the logic of getting things done.

If someone knew the process, understood each key post, made a call ahead—they’d avoid detours. Was that corruption? Hardly—it was just efficient.

That was why Captain Zhang’s round of phone calls could expedite their license. That was also why, with a single number from Zhou Mei, Lin Xiaosu found the perfect place to rent. People with resources could achieve things far more easily than those who wandered the streets at random.

Three days later, Zhou Mei delivered the business license. On the fourth day, Lin Xiaosu hung up the sign he’d had made for three hundred yuan.

“Feng City Detective Agency,” the sign read in bold black characters on a white background.

Two flower baskets stood outside the door—one from Zhou Mei, one bought by Miao Ruolan herself.

These days, Miao Ruolan walked with a spring in her step, her heart as turbulent as the Yi River.

During registration, she had originally intended to list only Lin Xiaosu, believing herself just a helper. But when the business license arrived, the equity certificate showed she held fifty percent—a ratio legally fixed by the authorities.

Zhou Mei explained that this was Lin Xiaosu’s insistence.

With the matter settled, this agency became her new home.

She resolved to make sure her efforts matched her share.

She wasn’t an expert in detective work, so she would learn!

Meanwhile, she naturally took charge of the finances, logistics, and internal affairs.

From the very beginning, the agency had a clear division of labor: Lin Xiaosu handled the outside, she managed the inside.

Staring at the registration form on the computer screen, Miao Ruolan felt a twinge of anxiety. Detective work was a blank slate even in big cities—would there really be business in this little county?

What if not a single client came through the door—then what?

Suddenly, a woman burst in. “My baby is missing—can you help me find him?”

Miao Ruolan’s heart skipped a beat. “Big sister, if a child is missing, you should call the police first.”

Detective agencies usually handled routine investigations—lost pets, cheating spouses, discreet matters—things not suitable for the police. But a missing child was a serious issue best handled by law enforcement, so Miao Ruolan immediately gave the right advice.

The woman grew agitated. “I already called the police. They told me, for lost cats and dogs, not to waste police resources… They suggested I come to you! If you don’t take the case, I’ll lodge a complaint and accuse you of passing the buck…”

Miao Ruolan frowned. “Big sister, didn’t you say you lost your baby?”

“My dog is my son, isn’t that allowed? You young people are so ignorant—it’s annoying! Get your boss!”

She plopped herself onto the sofa, her entire body shaking, the jewelry on her neck and wrists gleaming with every jiggle.

“Please have a seat, big sister. Have some tea—I’ll call him right away.” Miao Ruolan poured her a cup and handed it over.

The woman glanced at it dismissively. “I only drink Fusang tea. Yours is not for me.”

Fusang—a small island nation near the Grand Xia, historically a bitter rival, but its tea was famous among high society ladies. Drinking Fusang tea was a status symbol, representing refinement and luxury.

“Ahem!” Lin Xiaosu descended the stairs from the second floor. “Big sister, we can take your case—but the fee is a bit high.”

“High?” The woman sneered. “How high can it be? Here’s five thousand! Is that enough?”

She pulled out a small purse and flung five thousand yuan onto the table. The red bills scattered everywhere.

Lin Xiaosu said, “Five thousand? I’m afraid that’s not enough.”