Although his expression was serious, I could see his joy in his eyes. His gaze was becoming softer. I realized that he was very interested in my company partners.
“She is quick-witted and has a keener sense than most. I have seen her deduce the number of personnel changes from the fluctuation of daily necessity exhaustion of a target company. She is a great talent.” I was talking about Mai Qi.
“She sounds like a gentle and understanding girl.” He commented.
I shook my head and smiled. Mai Qi could not be further away from gentle and understanding.
“No, she is the complete opposite. On the surface, she is like a firecracker, always ready to explode. Even without a fire, she could explode at any moment. But internally, she is a very silly and sweet girl. Her results are very bad but in reality, she is a genius, she just finds the tests too easy to spend her time on. She is very clever and hardworking. Having her as a friend is like having many friends in one because she changes like the wind.” I had open admiration for Mai Qi.
I had a natural concern for Jing Ni but I could be very relaxed around Mai Qi. We would get into fights and then laugh about it moments later.
It was strange. I had no idea where I was and whether I was in danger or not but I was very happy to share the details about my good friend with this strange man.
The man also did not tell me why he had summoned me. He seemed to enjoy listening to me talking about my friends. This was a curious scene.
The man had some kind of magic that could disarm me. I shared with him the silly things that Mai Qi and I had done together.
At first, the man was very serious but eventually, he also relaxed. In the end, he was laughing along with me.
After another laugh, he waved his hand and the assistant whom I had forgotten materialized and produced a document. He handed the document to me. I opened it with a smile. Then I immediately put it down. I stopped smiling and straightened in my seat.
He smiled. “What’s wrong? Is your company not up to the task?”
I looked at the document, it was burning my fingers.
“This is already beyond our job scope. It’s not suitable for us to be involved in government matters.” I said in a mild manner.
His gaze sharpened. “I didn’t think Sister Xing of Sky City should say something like that.”
I was stumped. My brain spun as I went through everything that I had shared with him. What had I said that the man would show me something so important? And who was exactly this man? My hands were covered in a thin layer of sweat.
“Nanxing, this is nothing more than a business transaction and I’m your employer. As you know, this is not a simple matter but it’s not that complicated either. It depends on where you stand and what is your perspective.”
I took a deep breath and straightened my back. 10,000 thoughts flashed through my mind.
The most direct one was: If I don’t take this job, will I be able to leave this room alive? I have already read the contents of the documents, could I still negotiate my way out of this?
The answer is no.
I looked up at him. “Sir, we need time to assess the situation and risk. After all, we are just common citizens.”
He smiled, “There’s no need for that. All the info you collect will be sent to my people. There shall not be any leaks. When the information is used, it won’t be traced back to your company. You will be safe.”
I blinked. “That sounds all fine and dandy but we’ll need more guarantees and motivation than that. So forgive my boldness, what is our payment after getting this job done?”