Ever since the Vision Corporation Incident concluded, the Proxy siblings continued running their business in the days that followed.
Meanwhile, Li Qianqiao was also taking on commissions.
True to his word, while completing his jobs, he would always take time out of his day to go disgust Bringer.
Since my wanted posters have been plastered all over New Eridu, wouldn’t it be an insult to my status if I didn’t do anything about it?
And thus, New Eridu’s most rampant ‘criminal’ was born…
He stops at no evil!
“Tsk! Bringer’s having such a nice breakfast? Let me add some special ingredients for him, let him taste what true Abbacchio’s Tea and Kakyoin’s Porridge is like!”
He is incredibly ruthless!
“Let’s add some pepper spray to Bringer’s IV drip, a little mustard, some fermented surströmming juice, and then…”
He completely disregards life!
“Oh my, since when was there such a cute puppy at the hospital entrance? Let me pet you, so well-behaved, you don’t even bite. Eh? This dog tag… it belongs to Bringer…”
“Buzz buzz buzz…”
“Look, doggy! How do you like the new hairstyle I gave you? Sigh, why are you growling at me? This is the exact hairstyle of an old friend of mine who plays basketball.”
In short, thanks to Li Qianqiao’s various antics, Bringer’s injuries successfully worsened.
…
“Ah! Today is another beautiful day!”
Li Qianqiao opened the shop door and took a deep breath of the morning air, the warm sunlight shining on his face.
“Let’s see what commissions are on Inter-Knot today…” Li Qianqiao muttered, leaning against the doorway as he scrolled through his phone, taking a sip of hot milk.
“Hmm… this one won’t do, the info looks too fake. The reward for this one is too low, and this one… hm?”
Li Qianqiao brought his phone closer to his face, carefully reading a commission that had just popped up on his feed.
“Catching a cheating wife? The post says they’ll be going to the amusement park this morning, and the client doesn’t have time to catch them in the act, so they urgently need someone. The reward is… 1,500,000 Dennies?!”
Downing the rest of his milk, Li Qianqiao swiftly accepted the commission with a massive grin before any other Proxies could snatch it.
“Looks like the wife of some wealthy boss couldn’t handle the loneliness and found herself a boy toy. Let me see… it’s 6:30 AM now. If I head to the amusement park now, I should arrive right when the gates open.”
Li Qianqiao walked back inside just in time to see the siblings coming downstairs, looking like they were getting ready to head out.
“Good morning, Brother Wise, Sis Belle. Are you two heading out? I left some breakfast I made on the table.”
Belle let out a lazy yawn, rubbing her eyes as she picked up a piece of fried bread from the table.
“Nom… Little Li, you’re up so early.”
Wise smiled and nodded at Li Qianqiao, picking up a glass of hot milk.
“Good morning. Oh, right! I forgot you went to sleep early last night. Our informant sent us a message yesterday evening; Belle and I are heading out to Scott Outpost. Do you want to come with us?”
“Nah.” Li Qianqiao geared up and grabbed his helmet.
“I just picked up a really good commission this morning, so I’ll be heading out soon. Brother Wise, what about that motorcycle license I asked you to help me get?”
Wise pulled a motorcycle license from his pocket and tossed it to Li Qianqiao.
Li Qianqiao confidently patted his chest.
“Guaranteed! I won’t get into any accidents on the road, don’t worry! I’m heading out now!”
“Stay safe!” Wise waved at Li Qianqiao as he headed toward the garage.
He then turned around to find Belle already falling asleep standing up, leaving him with no choice but to helplessly wake her up again.
…
“Let’s see… just past one more bridge and I’ll be there.” Li Qianqiao put his phone away and rode his horse (Auto Vajin) toward the bridge.
The weather today was sunny, but since it was nearing the end of the year, there was a slight chill in the air.
The pedestrians on the road were starting their daily commutes for work or school.
Li Qianqiao saw quite a few high school girls wearing JK uniforms, unable to help but marvel at how resistant girls were to the freezing cold.
Because he woke up early, Li Qianqiao successfully avoided the morning rush hour and arrived at the location right before the amusement park opened.
After finding a parking spot, he put on a light disguise so others wouldn’t be able to see his true face clearly.
Just like that, Li Qianqiao waited for the park gates to open, cross-referencing the photo of the wife his client sent him with every young couple that walked in.
The people entering the amusement park were either couples or ‘really good’ bros, and the passersby who noticed Li Qianqiao all gave him curious looks.
The guys who saw Li Qianqiao gave him smug, show-off looks, which Li Qianqiao completely ignored.
But there was one gaze he just couldn’t ignore…
It’s one thing for you to hold onto that guy’s arm looking all shy, but why the hell are you winking at me?!
Li Qianqiao was currently suffering immense torment.
Just imagine a man with a boyfriend staring at you affectionately—what would you think?
Finally, Li Qianqiao spotted his targets: a beautiful middle-aged lady wearing an expensive fur coat, clinging onto a pale, clean-cut young man.
The way that boy was looking at the lady was practically dripping with artificial sweetness!
Li Qianqiao followed them from a safe distance, making sure not to lose them as he pulled out his phone, ready to capture photographic evidence of their date.
And so, Li Qianqiao’s torturous journey of the day began.
On the roller coaster, Li Qianqiao silently sat in the row behind them.
On the bumper cars, Li Qianqiao sat in the car next to them.
In the haunted house, Li Qianqiao pretended to be a staff member.
During lunch, Li Qianqiao ate instant noodles while staring at the two of them eating fancy steak.
…
Time silently passed until dusk.
Watching the two of them finally leave the amusement park, Li Qianqiao typed with trembling hands as he sent all the photos he took today to the client.
A moment later, the commission was marked complete, and Li Qianqiao received his 1,500,000 Dennies.
“Finally… finally! Being all alone at an amusement park until late afternoon is absolute torture, ahhh…”
Under the setting sun, Li Qianqiao suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of grievance, shedding a few tragic tears.
“No way!” Li Qianqiao wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.
Just thinking about Bringer’s furious face made Li Qianqiao instantly happy again.
Hopping onto Auto Vajin, Li Qianqiao hummed a cheerful tune in a great mood, leisurely leaving the amusement park entrance.
The buildings near the amusement park all had a bit of Western architectural flair.
Paired with the evening sunset, the scenery along the road had a very unique, charming flavor to it.
Right at that moment, an incredibly melodious voice drifted into Li Qianqiao’s ears.
Unable to resist, he parked the bike to carefully listen to the singing that sounded as beautiful as a nightingale.
Following the music, Li Qianqiao traced the source of the beautiful singing to a small public plaza.
Quite a lot of people had gathered there.
Following the direction of the crowd, Li Qianqiao stood slightly on his tiptoes and saw a figure that made his heart skip a beat!
It was Astra Yao!
Li Qianqiao’s expression right now couldn’t be any more excited.
That was his absolute goddess!
As the song finished, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause.
Li Qianqiao threw his hands in the air and screamed at the top of his lungs:
“Lady Yao, peerless in the world! ᐠ( ᑒ )ᐟ Lady Yao, incredibly brilliant! ᐠ( ᑒ )ᐟ Lady Yao, a beauty that sinks fish and drops geese! ᐠ( ᑒ )ᐟ”
Triggered by Li Qianqiao’s enthusiastic cheering, wave after wave of roars echoed through the crowd.
“Thank you, everyone! It’s getting late, so that’s all for today!” Astra Yao bowed elegantly, smiling warmly at the crowd.
“Ahhh! It’s Astra Yao’s sweet smile! I’m gonna die!”
“Astra Yao, Astra Yao! Please give me an autograph! Just write ‘I’ll always love you, Astra Yao’!”
“Get lost! Have you looked in the mirror?! Astra Yao, Astra Yao, could you sign my underwear…”
“Astra Yao, Astra Yao…”
“Astra Yao…”
The crowd was getting a bit chaotic.
Evelyn, who had been waiting at the back of the crowd, smoothly stepped in and began expertly protecting Astra Yao.
Li Qianqiao had a massive grin on his face.
To think he’d bump into Astra Yao just by coming out for a commission—what insane luck!
“Ahhh—M-Monster!”
A piercing scream suddenly cut through the noisy crowd, glaringly obvious.
Startled, Li Qianqiao looked in the direction of the scream.
He saw a gray figure grabbing a person, slowly walking toward the crowd.
“…Hah! I really am lucky today!”