0119: Deep Behind Enemy Lines

Two people arrived at the classroom door, which was firmly shut. Xu Lin could only knock first.

“Come in,” came the voice of the head teacher. They pushed the door open and stepped inside. All the students in the class turned to look at them simultaneously.

The room quickly erupted into chatter. After all, gossip was an indispensable part of student life.

The head teacher looked at them sternly but said nothing, simply gesturing towards their seats. They hurried back to their spots.

“Stand.”

“All right,” Xu Lin and Ji Yun both nodded.

Fortunately, the head teacher wasn’t too harsh. After a few minutes, he allowed them to sit down and continued with the morning study session.

“I’m stepping out. Class monitor and academic committee, maintain order in the class.”

The head teacher quickly left, and several boys not far off shouted toward them.

“Xu Lin, you’re awesome!”

“Class monitor, class monitor, how come you two came together?”

“Class monitor, spill it—when did you two get together?”

“Ji class monitor, does this mean Xu Lin’s confession was successful?”

“Xu Lin, you actually appeared on TV! On the national channel!”

“Hey, hey, how did you get into acting?”

“Did you talk to Chu Qingchan?”

“Is Chu Qingchan really as cold as she is on TV?”

As these few shouted, others began to chime in, their voices overlapping. The topic soon shifted from romantic questions to Xu Lin’s acting.

Xu Lin smacked his forehead, having forgotten about this. Luckily, his classmates remained relatively calm and didn’t rush over excitedly.

Zhuo Yan, the famously hot-tempered academic committee, slammed her hand on the desk and stood up.

“We’re being monitored! Don’t cause a ruckus! Last time, the head teacher took away half a month’s break during morning study because of noise—do you want to try that again?!”

Honestly, even though Zhuo Yan was curious, she couldn’t lead the questions and had to hold back.

Ji Yun stood and walked up to the podium, mimicking Chu Qingchan’s expressionless demeanor as she addressed the class.

“Everyone, please don’t spread rumors. Xu Lin and I live nearby. I’ve seen him exercising recently, so he walks to school.”

“I just learned a little, and ran into him on the way. I was slower than Xu Lin, so I arrived late.”

“It’s fine to chat and gossip, but if it gets too out of hand and the teachers hear, it won’t be good—especially since many classmates are actually dating.”

“As for Xu Lin’s acting, you can ask him yourselves after morning study.”

Ji Yun’s calm and commanding tone silenced the room. Eyes turned to Xu Lin, who nodded, and gradually the noise subsided.

Most students still harbored doubts about their relationship, but without evidence—there had been no intimate gestures between Xu Lin and the class monitor at school.

Besides that, most were sixteen or seventeen years old and naturally more curious about Xu Lin’s acting, so the fact that they came to school together seemed less important.

---

Now seated, Xu Lin felt overwhelmed. Once class ended, he would face everyone’s enthusiasm. It was just acting—and a bit of trending online.

“Xu Lin, Xu Lin.”

“Li Bin, you don’t want to ask something too, right? I already told you.”

“Not that. What about Ma Zhiyu’s matter? Have you sorted it out?”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Did you visit him again yesterday?”

“Yes. He’s a bit anxious now. If nothing happens in the next couple of days, he’ll stay as is—supporting his girlfriend.”

“I’ve found a solution. I’ll contact the other party at noon and tell Ma Zhiyu not to worry.”

To be honest, Xu Lin didn’t know when Sister Qin would act, but he feared she might alert the opposition too soon, which would complicate things.

While Xu Lin pondered this, Qin Yunhe, dressed plainly with a bit of makeup to alter her appearance, arrived in East City’s busiest commercial district.

She glanced at the surrounding signs, stopping in front of a company named “All Things Connected Network Technology.”

“This should be the place. I’m a vocational college graduate looking for a job, introverted, not very talkative.”

She entered slowly. Two decent-looking women sat at the front desk. She approached nervously.

“Hello, my name is Qin He. I’m here for a job interview.”

“Please wait a moment,” one of the women replied politely, making a phone call. After half a minute, both women nodded.

“Miss Qin, I’ll take you upstairs.”

“Okay.”

Qin Yunhe followed, her eyes discreetly scanning the surroundings.

The first floor was small, about 40 square meters—no rooms, just a lobby, a front desk, and stairs.

On the second floor, everything seemed normal—simple decor with plastic partitions dividing about twenty workstations.

Only a few were empty; the rest were busy typing. On the surface, nothing seemed unusual, but Qin sensed something odd.

Everyone appeared tense, which was suspicious, but more evidence was needed. She had to investigate further.

At the top of the stairs was an office occupying a quarter of the floor.

Inside, the air was fresh with a faint fragrance. A man in his forties with a square face sat in the office chair.

Aside from a desk, there was a small tea table and two single sofas on either side—no other decorations.

“Sit.”

“Are you Manager Huang?” Qin Yunhe asked nervously, eyeing the sofas as if unsure whether to sit.

The man waved his hand; the front desk lady left. He stood and sat opposite her, smiling warmly.

“Miss, please sit. This is a small place with no formal rules. This isn’t really an interview, just a mutual understanding.”

“Okay.”

“Qin He?”

“Yes.”

“Just graduated from vocational college, twenty-one years old? What did you study?”

“Nursing.”

“Why not continue studying or get certified? Jobs in that field are pretty easy to find.”

“I see you’re making money by typing on computers here… and there seem to be no educational requirements. I type fast, so I want to give it a try.”

“I see. We really do make money just by typing, and it’s not hard! There are meal subsidies and accommodation. Eight hours a day, warm in winter and cool in summer.”

“As long as you work steadily, salary starts at five thousand yuan, and after six months, you get social insurance and housing fund!”

Qin Yunhe almost sneered internally at the smooth talk. She’d never seen a job so simple, with no degree required, warm and cool accommodations, meal subsidies, and social insurance—who were they trying to fool?

“What exactly will I be typing? Any specific requirements?” she asked, still playing the honest applicant.

“No big demands. The only requirement is to work seriously and responsibly.”

“During work hours, you must focus fully for eight hours.”

“Of course, work must be taken seriously.”

She nodded, almost certain that Xu Lin’s description was accurate—they said typing, but didn’t specify what kind.

“Did you call me after seeing the job posting online?” The man poured her some tea, eyes scanning her.

Qin Yunhe immediately understood he was testing her honesty.

“I saw your number on the Lin Shui forum.”

“I see.” He glanced at her carefully before looking away.

“Come with me. I’ll show you how everyone works, then you can decide if you want the job.”

“Okay.”

She stood and followed him out, discreetly slipping a button into the gap of the sofa.

After they left, a hidden door beside the desk opened, and two young men emerged.

“Do you think she’s the real deal?”

“Probably. Let’s wait and see.”

“By the way, what about Lu Man? If that guy really shows up, should we let her go?”

“Let her go. What can she do? Call the police? We have all her info. She wouldn’t dare.”

“True, but we need a female voice.”

“Here comes one. We can train her.”

“Alright then!”