Chapter 61: Another Patron

Although Gao Xin had been described as a rogue and a scoundrel, he had accompanied An Changpu and Qin Ruonan home without any objection. Yet, the moment they stepped inside, his attitude underwent a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. The speed of his transformation was truly staggering.

"According to you, you don't know anyone by the name of You Xiaoyang at all?" An Changpu smiled, though there was no warmth in it. He locked his eyes on Gao Xin’s face, not missing a single flicker of expression.

Gao Xin avoided An Changpu’s gaze, pursed his lips to whistle, then gave a sheepish grin. With his hands shoved deep into his pockets, he shrugged. "That’s right, I don’t know him. So what? Is he some big celebrity? Famous enough that I’m required to know him? Let’s put it this way, Officer—I’ve forgotten your name—I apologize. Pretending to know the person you were talking about was just a ruse to hitch a ride. You’ve seen where I live; it’s out in the middle of nowhere. So, sorry for taking advantage of you. Go ahead and criticize me! I’ll accept it humbly. But… catching a free ride from the police isn’t a crime, is it?"

"You’re right, catching a free ride from the police isn't a crime," An Changpu said slowly, casting a glance around the room. "But I imagine it isn't easy for you to catch such rides, otherwise this place wouldn't be so dusty, as if no one had lived here for months. Are you too busy to come home, or do you have another place to stay?"

"I’m just lazy and don’t like cleaning. I’m a man; I don’t sweat the small stuff," Gao Xin replied, grinning while standing there shaking his leg.

His leg-shaking made Qin Ruonan frown, but a faint, elusive smile touched An Changpu’s face.

"This place looks quite spacious," An Changpu noted, glancing around. In truth, the room wasn't large, but for a single occupant like Gao Xin, "spacious" was a fair enough description. "Do you have heating?"

"Are you kidding me? There’s no heating in this dump! If you want to stay warm, you burn a stove yourself." Gao Xin answered absent-mindedly, his leg still twitching incessantly.

"Coal isn't cheap these days. If you live here through the winter, the heating costs alone will set you back quite a bit."

"We’ll see. Who has money to spend on that stuff?"

"If you aren't using your money for winter essentials, do you have some other use for it?"

"I wish I had money to set aside. The point is, I’m broke!" Gao Xin shrugged.

"You’re truly noble, then! A real man who does good deeds without seeking credit, right? You can't afford coal to keep yourself warm in winter, but you spent so much money on someone you don't even know, You Xiaoyang?" An Changpu asked with a touch of sarcasm.

"What a joke. Why would I have spare cash to spend on him?" Gao Xin snorted, his face full of disdain.

After he finished speaking, An Changpu remained silent. They stood in silence for a moment. Suddenly, Gao Xin seemed to realize something. He turned to look at An Changpu and found the officer watching him with a mocking, knowing look. Gao Xin froze for a second, his leg shaking even faster. His facial muscles stiffened as he pulled at the corners of his mouth, quickly changing his tune. "What I meant was, I don't know him, so why would I spend money on him? I’m uneducated and don't express myself well. Please don't pick apart my words."

"Actually, that makes sense. If you had that kind of extra money, you wouldn't have to worry about creditors knocking on your door," An Changpu nodded, not bothering to refute him.

As soon as he said this, Gao Xin’s expression shifted from feigned calm to an open-mouthed look of shock.

"How do you know I owe people money? Have you investigated everything about me?" he asked, astonished.

An Changpu didn't answer, secretly relieved that his bold guess had hit the mark. Back at the internet cafe, the moment he had approached Gao Xin, the man had practically catapulted himself off the sofa—even before he could see who was approaching him.

Generally, such a reaction only occurs in two situations: someone is being hunted for debts or someone is being hunted for revenge.

A man like Gao Xin, who drifted through society without a steady job or income—while not exactly a model citizen, he had no prior criminal record. This suggested he wasn't a hardened criminal, but rather a slippery eel. For someone like that to have enemies seeking revenge was unlikely, but being chased for unpaid debts was highly probable.

An Changpu had made a calculated gamble based on Gao Xin's reaction and his own experience. He had just wanted to test the waters, thinking that even if he guessed wrong, it might rattle him. He hadn't expected a direct hit—a delightful, unexpected surprise.

An Changpu’s silence was interpreted by Gao Xin as an admission. Thinking his secrets were laid bare, Gao Xin’s eyes grew unfocused. If not for that leg still twitching frantically, one might have thought his soul had left his body, leaving only a shell behind.

Qin Ruonan caught on to the dynamic. She realized that the more nervous Gao Xin became, the faster his leg shook. She nudged her chin toward him and said, "Can you stop that? Just watching you makes me feel like my own leg is going to cramp."

Gao Xin blinked, dazed for a moment. Realizing what she meant, he quickly stopped his leg, moved to a spot far from the two officers, and sat down. He habitually crossed his legs and started shaking one again, then snapped back to reality, uncrossed them, and pressed his hands firmly against his knees.

"How much do you owe? It isn't loan-shark money, is it?" An Changpu didn't rush to ask about You Xiaoyang. He was afraid Gao Xin would turn slippery again. If he pushed the subject directly and was met with evasion, it would be a waste of breath. It was better to use this moment to deepen the sense of mystery around him.

People are like that; the more the other party beats around the bush, the more one assumes they hold all the cards. The more relaxed the other party appears, the more one feels they are hiding a winning hand. Sometimes, bluffing is a strategic necessity.

"No, no, I wouldn't dare take a loan shark's money! That stuff is a rip-off! I borrowed a little from a relative to tide me over. I’m just a bit short lately and wanted to delay paying it back. Those people are so petty, they’ve been hounding me every day. I’m telling you, I’m not scared, I’m just annoyed, really!" Gao Xin sounded earnest, though how much truth there was to it was anyone's guess.

An Changpu didn't care if he was lying about this. They were only targeting Gao Xin because he had been in contact with You Xiaoyang. As for who he owed money to or how much, as long as it wasn't related to You Xiaoyang, it wasn't his concern.

"Well, with debts hanging over your head, this winter is going to be tough," he said with a smile.

Gao Xin no longer had the heart to feign a smile. He waved his hand, looking resigned. "Don't bother wrapping me up in circles anymore. You’ve already dug up my dirt; if you keep playing games with me now, aren't you just treating me like a performing monkey?"

"And weren't you treating us like monkeys when you hitched a free ride home earlier?"

"Heh, one thing is one thing, another is another!" Gao Xin chuckled awkwardly. "Honestly, I’m just afraid of getting involved with that kid, You Xiaoyang. I know he’s missing. If he weren't missing, and you came to ask if I knew him, I’d tell the truth. But now that he’s gone—well, I know what kind of person I am. If I said I did something good, nobody would believe me. If I said I did something bad, they’d be sure to believe it! You tell me, shouldn't I try to protect myself?"

"How did you know You Xiaoyang was missing?" Qin Ruonan asked.

"I went to his school to find him, and someone told me he hadn't been to class for days. He’s a middle schooler; a kid not showing up for days for no reason—that couldn't be anything good."

"Why were you looking for him? To have him boost your game account again?"

At this point, Gao Xin stopped trying to deny the employer-employee relationship. He scratched his head and said, "You know how it is, I’m strapped for cash. I just wanted to find him and convince him to come back and work for me for another month."

"Work for another month?" Qin Ruonan felt something was off. "You mean he had already quit and stopped doing game boosting for you?"

"Yeah, it’s been almost two months. When he was doing it for me, my life was a bit easier. Once he quit, my income dried up too."

"How much did you pay him a month for game boosting?" An Changpu asked.

"Eight hundred yuan!" Gao Xin held up his thumb and index finger.

"You really aren't greedy, are you? He works his tail off for you, and you skim thousands off the top!" An Changpu mocked. Back at the internet cafe, he and Qin Ruonan had talked to a staff member about the income from game boosting. They knew a thing or two about the industry, and eight hundred yuan was clearly far below the average rate.

"What could I do? The ones making big money are the experienced pros working full-time! They spend all day on the net leveling up. He’s just a student; he has classes during the day and can’t even guarantee he’ll be out at night. I don't make that much either. If I paid him the market rate, I’d probably end up paying out of my own pocket!" Gao Xin argued. "Besides, he’s not stupid. He worked for me for a while and then just up and quit, saying he didn't need the money! I suspect he found a client willing to pay more!"