23: Chapter 23: Another "hero saves the damsel in distress" scenario?

After Qiao Yichen finished his run, his throat felt as dry as if it were being scraped by sandpaper.

He unscrewed the bottle cap, the plastic making a crisp "crack" sound. Water poured into his mouth, bringing a wave of coolness.

After a few gulps, he calmed his hurried breathing and then focused his mind, clearly recalling the three pieces of system intelligence for this month in his head.

The content of the first intelligence mainly revolved around an antique auction Private Negotiation Fair, with information clearly pointing to a massive value discrepancy.

Through this "leak-picking" opportunity, capital could be accumulated rapidly.

When he saw the second piece, he couldn't help but frown—it was another "hero saving the beauty" scenario, only this time it involved a female college student.

This reminded him of when he helped Liu Yanran; although the intelligence had been triggered, it didn't immediately end until the subsequent events involving Director's coveting of the channels were fully completed.

It seemed that the surface information provided by the system was often just the tip of the iceberg. A seemingly simple "part-time job scam" might have hidden complexities beneath it.

When his gaze fell on the third piece of intelligence, his heart jolted, followed by a sudden realization. Indeed, since he started cooperating with Wang Xiao the week before last, several large transfers between private accounts being monitored and flagged by the bank system was only logical. It seemed that establishing a legal studio or company to regulate this kind of income was now urgent.

After finishing all the information, Qiao Yichen stood up and headed back, constantly calculating the timing along the way.

The antique Private Negotiation Fair was in ten days, the part-time job scam would happen in three days, and the bank's restrictive interview was in half a month.

On the surface, the bank's timeline seemed the most relaxed, but in reality, it was just as pressing. Taking the initiative to report versus being investigated were two entirely different matters. Moreover, establishing a company or studio required following procedures and handling paperwork, all of which were time-consuming and labor-intensive. He had to focus his energy on the first two pieces of intelligence right now and couldn't be in two places at once, so he could only entrust an acquaintance, a lawyer, or an agency to handle it.

After sorting out the order and strategy, Qiao Yichen stopped overthinking and quickened his pace back to his rented room.

...

In the afternoon, Qiao Yichen took the subway straight to the City Library.

Arriving at the library entrance, he held up his phone and took a "click" photo of the entire City Library's lintel.

"Ms. Liu, what are you doing this afternoon?" he sent, attaching the picture.

Just as he walked through the main doors, a reply came back.

"Here." A photo was also attached—an exquisite teapot, several teacups, and a few small plates of pastries laid out on a round table.

It looked like it was afternoon tea time for her and her friends.

The messages weren't over; she sent another one:

"Mr. Qiao is so studious? Running to the City Library on a big weekend."

Looking at the words Liu Yanran sent, Qiao Yichen smiled unconsciously. He didn't seem to realize that he was actually enjoying every moment of interacting with her—this long-lost feeling hadn't appeared for a long time.

"Ms. Liu, I'll keep you in suspense about this for now and tell you in a while."

"Alright then, I'll be waiting for the good news."

He stopped looking at his phone and strolled into the building. The library was very quiet, the air floating with the unique, serene scent of old books and wooden cabinets.

...

In the tea room that afternoon, the light was soft. Liu Yanran put down her phone, a lingering faint smile on the corners of her lips.

The two girlfriends sitting opposite her had already exchanged looks.

One of them, Lin Wei, wearing a light coffee-colored knit sweater, gently stirred the fruit tea in her cup with a silver spoon, her tone carrying a hint of teasing: "Yanran, why the sudden photo-taking today? Usually, you're the type who's too lazy to even touch your phone until all the dishes have arrived."

The other one, Su Qing, with her neat short hair, leaned in directly, her eyes shining with the light of 'there must be gossip': "Exactly. And that look in your eyes just now when you looked at your phone... something's not quite right. Come on, tell us, is there something going on?"

Liu Yanran looked up at them and took the tea saucer Lin Wei pushed toward her, her fingertips lingering for a moment on the warm porcelain wall.

She didn't deny it immediately, picking up the teacup and simply using the billowing steam to hide her expression.

"Just a friend." Her voice sounded normal, but the end of her sentence rose slightly.

"A friend?" Su Qing raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her. "What kind of 'friend' can make our great Director Liu reply to messages in seconds on a Sunday afternoon and smile so... gently?"

Su Qing emphasized the last word particularly heavily.

Lin Wei also pursed her lips and smiled, reaching out to lightly pat the back of Liu Yanran's hand. "Alright, no need to rush. Anyway... if there's a chance, just bring him over next time so we can see for ourselves."

Liu Yanran lowered her head and took a sip of tea; it was a bit sweet.

"Let's go shopping in a bit."

Lin Wei and Su Qing naturally heard her changing the subject, but they both smiled and agreed: "Sure, is there anything you want to buy?"

...

At the same time, Qiao Yichen first went to the front desk to inquire about the area where antique-related books were located. After receiving directions, he headed straight for the second floor.

The History and Art section was further subdivided by dynasties, but fortunately, the signage was quite clear.

Before long, he arrived at the "Ming and Qing" section.

The bookshelves stood tall, packed with vast quantities of classics. He slowed his pace, looking through them one by one. Fortunately, his goal was clear—he only looked for books on furniture, which saved him a lot of time.

Porcelain, silk, calligraphy, and paintings... he skipped all related categories. Finally, his gaze landed on "Appreciation and Collection of Ming and Qing Furniture." He took it out and flipped through a few pages; sure enough, there was a detailed introduction to cabinets, so he held the book in his arms.

Then he very smoothly found "research on huanghuali furniture"—since the item in the intelligence was made of Huanghuali wood, this book was exactly what he needed.

Subsequently, he pulled out another book, "A Study of Classical Chinese Furniture Patterns," and took these three books toward the nearby reading area.

A rare afternoon, a rare moment of leisure.

By evening, Qiao Yichen had only roughly finished the general content of the first book. After all, he had never touched the field of antiques before, so reading it felt somewhat difficult.

He checked the time; it was about right, so he took the three books and headed downstairs.

After finishing the borrowing procedures at the front desk, he walked directly toward the subway station.

He had originally planned to go straight home, but then he had a second thought: for the part-time job scam at "Creative Park Zone C" in three days, why not take the opportunity to scout the location today?

The next few days would be normal working hours, and he might not be able to find the time. Since he had some leisure now, it was perfect.

Having made up his mind, he turned and took the subway toward the Creative Park.

The Creative Park wasn't far from the subway; following the navigation on his phone's map, he arrived after walking for a few minutes.

When he reached the park entrance, Qiao Yichen realized the scale here was quite large.

The sign at the entrance divided the entire Creative Park into over a dozen large and small zones, and the "Zone C" mentioned by the system was actually one of the several main sectors marked on the map, its scope far wider than he had anticipated.

It was lucky he came to scout the way in advance.

Being the weekend, the Creative Park was bustling with people coming and going.

Qiao Yichen blended into the crowd without appearing out of place at all.

Some people were taking photos for social media, while others were leisurely enjoying food.

The architectural style was also unique, with many designs being quite avant-garde and eye-catching.

He followed the signs to Zone C and took a leisurely lap around, gaining a basic understanding of the layout of the entire area.

Afterward, he merged into the flow of people on the main path, continuing his observations inconspicuously like an ordinary tourist.