Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

Yang Xutang curled his lip at these words. With the position he now held, who would dare offend him? Anyone who did would come to a miserable end even without the status Xia Yan was offering. This particular point held little appeal for Yang Ce.

"One question—is there a salary?" Yang Ce might be rich and not want for money, but he would not work for nothing.

"Of course there is!" Hearing Yang Juehuan's words, Xia Yan knew he had already agreed, and said hurriedly: "But special investigators don't draw much—only a little over two thousand yuan a month. Because, as you know, special investigators are all highly capable people who don't live off such wages at all. They all have other income on the outside."

"Oh, as long as there is one. I just don't want to work for nothing." Yang Xutang nodded. "Now tell me—once I join, under what circumstances will you need me to step in?"

Working for nothing—Xia Yan was speechless. How many people longed to join the Mysterious Events Investigation Bureau and could never get in?

"Actually, there aren't many occasions that require your services. Your ability is very special, and we won't use it often. Only in exceptionally major or urgent incidents and circumstances will we call on you," Xia Yan said. "Other ordinary small matters can all be handled by the police system. And the reason I've come this time is to assist the Songjiang police in investigating the haunted traffic incidents."

Xia Yan knew that Yang Shuoxuan was one of the people who had personally experienced the haunting, so he concealed nothing—and besides, Yang Ce was about to join their Bureau, so there was all the less reason to hide anything.

"So that means you'll call on me no more than three times a year at most, right?" Yang Ce said craftily.

"That—" Xia Yan was caught off guard. This Yang Ce really was a little fox, he thought. But he had already stated his terms; if he went back on them now, Yang Ce might well go back on his word too. So he said: "That's hard to say, but it certainly won't exceed five times."

"All right, I agree." Yang Minlan was fairly satisfied with this outcome.

"Since you've agreed, then let me see your ability," Xia Yan said with a smile.

"Sorry, I don't know how to show you." Yang Ce shrugged, then said: "But Uncle Chen has already finished cooking. Let's go eat first—we can talk about the rest after the meal."

No sooner had Yang Juehuan finished speaking than Chen Shutang's voice came from outside the study: "Yang Ce, dinner's ready!"

Chen Shutang did not know Xia Yan's identity, nor what Xia Yan had come to see Yang Ce about the moment he arrived, so once the meal was ready, she naturally called out to Yang Puqi.

But Chen Fei did know Xia Yan's identity, and knew that whatever he had come to see Yang Ce about must be extremely important. Seeing Chen Shutang call for Yang Ce, he quickly pulled his daughter aside. "Mengyan, stop calling. Yang Ce and the others have serious business. We'll wait for them a while."

Xia Yan had already been somewhat displeased when Yang Yanzhou had spoken his earlier words—what was so hard about giving a little demonstration of your ability? But after hearing what Yang Ce said next, he realized he had been played by this youngster.

Yang Puqi must have seen through the door that the meal was already laid out and that Chen Shutang had come to call him—that was why he had said what he said.

Xia Yan nodded in satisfaction, glanced at Yang Puqi, and did not call him out on it. "All right, go and eat first. I won't join you—I have other important matters to attend to. I'll report today's business to my superiors."

To be continued

937. You've Got It Wrong

937 You've Got It Wrong

Xia Yan nodded in satisfaction, glanced at Yang Puqi, and did not call him out on it. "All right, go and eat first. I won't join you—I have other important matters to attend to. I'll report today's business to my superiors. In addition, I'll have you sign a confidentiality agreement, and I'll set up a file on you."

"A confidentiality agreement?" Yang Wenru furrowed his brow, lifted his head, glanced at Xia Yan, and said mildly: "I think you've got it wrong."

Xia Yan was instantly taken aback, and looked at Yang Ce with some puzzlement. "Got it wrong? What do you mean? Everyone who works at the Mysterious Events Investigation Bureau has to sign this confidentiality agreement."

Yang Ce looked at Xia Yan and shook his head. "First, I only agreed to accept your appointment as that so-called special investigator. Our relationship is one of cooperation—more precisely, you're asking me for a favor, not the other way around. I won't sign any agreement with you, but I'm not so bored as to go around blabbing about these things. Do you think I'd let others know I have a power?"

"Second, I'm used to doing as I please. As for setting up a file, you can make a temporary one, but don't treat me as your subordinate or anything of the sort—because I have the right to refuse any task you assign me."

Hearing Yang Juehuan's words, Xia Yan gave a bitter laugh. He had thought Yang Ce would be easy enough to handle, but it turned out he was still a rather troublesome character.

Still, Yang Ce's conditions were not impossible to meet, for many special investigators at the Bureau held all sorts of different identities, and the requests they made were often similar to Yan's, or even more outrageous. But because the Bureau's work was of a special nature and handled special cases with special measures, such demands could generally be accommodated.

Some went further still: certain special investigators were abroad year-round, or had settled into primeval forests to go exploring, or out to sea to hunt for treasure, so that when they were needed, no one could even find them. Even these people the Bureau more or less accepted.

Who could blame them, when they had the ability? These people were a proud lot; it was no small thing for them to help you a few times when you needed them, and one could hardly ask for more.

"All right, then. I suppose I'll make an exception." On the surface, Xia Yan agreed with every appearance of reluctance.

Yang Yu nodded. That was exactly the effect he wanted. In dealing with an organization like this, one must not get too close, but neither could one be too dismissive. Since they had come to him and knew his secret, if he refused to cooperate there would be no end of trouble later.

But to cooperate too readily was also not what Yang Ce wanted. After all, Yang Mo had his own way of living, and if he joined their organization, he would have to take his status into account and could no longer do as he pleased as he had before.

So Yang Ce had concluded that cooperation was fine, but there could be no subordinate relationship, no superior and inferior. If they asked him to do something and he could do it, he would naturally lend a hand—Yang Ce was, after all, a rather patriotic man.

Turning toward the door, Xia Yan sulkily mouthed the words "little fox" behind Yang Ce's back, but did not dare make a sound that Yang Xu Tang might hear.

"Old fox," Yang Ji Yan cursed without turning his head, then pushed the door open and walked out.

Xia Yan stood in the room, dumbfounded. He had never imagined that Yang Ce, with his back to him, could still see clearly what he was saying. Could his clairvoyance really be a full three hundred and sixty degrees?

At the thought, Xia Yan grew even more excited. A talent like this—it was only natural for him to have a few demands; it would be strange if he had none.

Yang Cen Bin did this, in fact, to add to his own bargaining chips. After all, Yang Ce's attitude just now had been forceful, but he also wanted Xia Yan to know that his forcefulness came from ability.

Xia Yan did not stay at Chen Fei's house for dinner. After exchanging a few words with Chen Fei, he left the Chen residence. Yang Jue Huan's business was highly classified; he would not even tell Chen Fei.