121 Hacker 2
���Boss, I can’t reign her in. If anything, she tells me what I can or can’t do.” The big guy scratched his head, answering with a silly smile.
Chu Jia laughed and pinched the big guy’s arm when she heard those words.
Zhou Lan smiled and said to Qiao Yue, “Shi Tou said he and his crew would arrive tomorrow. Boss, it might not be a good idea for them to bump into the Qiao family.”
Qiao Yue massaged her temples. “Tell them not to come. I’m injured, not dead. Why are they all coming as if to mourn my passing?”
Chu Jia chuckled and said, “They aren’t coming to send their condolences. They’re coming to see how a group of small fry managed to leave our boss in such a sorry state.”
Just as Qiao Yue was about to threaten Chu Jia with another intense bout of training, the call went through. A low, somewhat sleepy voice that instantly captured one’s attention answered. “Hello? Boss?”
“The sun is up, and you’re still sleeping. YQ, are you the reincarnation of Somnus?” Chu Jia teased.
“Chu Jia? Isn’t this the boss’s number?” When the person on the other end of the phone heard Chu Jia’s voice, he was like an angry cat.
“Tsk! Your tone changed when you heard me instead of the boss. Not even Sichuan opera performers change their faces as fast as you. What’s with your voice? Were you trying to seduce our boss?”
Qiao Yue did not think much of Chu Jia’s barrage of words. She adapted to each situation accordingly, reframing her state of mind to tackle each situation with the best set of skills. Because of her ability, the higher-ups in the organisation arranged for her to return to the city to take over the club’s business. Chu Jia only revealed her true self to those close to her.
“Hurry up and explain yourself. Why do you have Boss’s phone? What have you done to her? I always knew you had designs against our boss!”
Qiao Yue wanted to laugh but could not.
Chu Jia, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. “Is that how you should be talking to people? Have you been sitting in front of the computer for so long that you’ve turned your brain to mush? I called because there is something serious I’d like to discuss.”
“Talk,” he said. YQ tended to speak in clipped sentences when it came down to business.
“We’ve found a good potential hacker and are planning to bring him into the fold,” Chu Jia said.
Silence greeted Chu Jia’s words. Only the sound of YQ’s breathing could be heard from across the line.
“What did our boss say?” YQ eventually asked.
Qiao Yue frowned and suddenly wanted to snatch the phone away from Chu Jia and tell him she had not said anything, but Chu Jia was too far away.
“Boss agreed.”
There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. After a few minutes, YQ said, “Chu Jia, do you think I’m as stupid as you? Would you have called me if the boss had not agreed? I’ve already relayed the boss’s approval to the rest of the organisation. Now, speak! What did you do to our boss? What are you trying to do with this takeover?”
“Bah! You brat. Are you tired of living? If there’s anyone I want to kill, that would be you!” Chu Jia roared in rage.
“Pass the phone to the boss.”
Chu Jia returned the phone to Qiao Yue, looking displeased.
“Boss?” YQ tried tentatively.
“It’s me,” Qiao Yue replied.
“Boss, do you want to bring other hackers into the organisation?” YQ asked after a moment of silence.
Qiao Yue snickered. “I’m fine with anything. It depends on you. Do you need help? If you don’t, we won’t force the issue.”
YQ heaved a sigh of relief. With renewed arrogance, he said, “Boss can decide what is best. How could I gainsay whatever decision you’ve made?”
Dealing with YQ reminded Qiao Yue of appeasing an angry cat in that they were very similar. Going along with him, she said, “I’ve told you before, but I’ll say it again: I don’t trust anyone else on the Internet except you. It’s up to you whether or not I’ll invite anyone else into the organisation.”
“Alright. I don’t mind getting myself an underling, but you must make it clear that they have to listen to whatever I say. Otherwise, there’s no need for us to continue this conversation.” Already, YQ sounded much happier, and his mood improved.
“Okay,” Qiao Yue replied.
Although she had agreed, whether or not the other party wanted to be recruited was still up in the air. Nothing was certain yet.
Chu Jia hung up, still unhappy.
“YQ only like you, Boss. He’s caustic to everyone else.”
Since Chu Jia was the one to propose this recruitment, she was in charge of seeing it through. Once she had Qiao Yue’s approval, Chu Jia did not hang around for much longer. She pulled the big guy along and ran off to get things done. One could only imagine how frustrated she had been dealing with YQ.