QTIMP -Chapter 253 Character Persona – Vicious (Part 16)

She didn’t do anything else. Instead, she picked the lock to Father Si and Mother Si’s room again and searched for quite a while before finally finding the household registration booklet.

The couple had clearly learned their lesson. They had split their important belongings into two sets—one hidden on top of the storage shed, the other concealed in a secret compartment beneath the bedpost.

That bed weighed nearly two hundred pounds. An ordinary person wouldn’t be able to move it. At the very least, the three children in the family would have struggled to budge it.

But Si Qiu wasn’t an ordinary person.

She quickly retrieved the household registration booklet. She left everything else untouched; now wasn’t the time to alert the enemy.

Still, she had to admit that Father Si was quite capable. Somehow he’d managed to save up nearly another two thousand yuan.

Just wait. No rush.

Sooner or later, it would all be hers.

With the household registration booklet in hand, she headed straight for the small courtyard to find those two men. As long as she found one of them, she could find the other. She needed to secure the job as soon as possible so she could move on to the next step of her plan.

When she arrived, both men were there.

Not only them—there was also a crowd of people busy working. Some were cleaning up the courtyard, some laying paving stones, some building flower beds, some moving furniture, and there were even people wiping down the windows.

The moment they saw her, the two men reacted immediately. One had been helping build a flower bed, while the other was directing workers installing curtains. He happened to spot her through the window.

The two of them came out together to greet her.

“Qiuqiu, what brings you here? Shouldn’t you be in class right now?”

Everyone in the courtyard stared at her with obvious amazement in their eyes. The two men quickly stood side by side, shielding her completely from view.

Si Qiu wasn’t in the mood to care about that.

She grabbed Lan Qing’s sleeve and pulled him toward the gate.

After stopping, she immediately took out her graduation certificate and household registration booklet from her bag.

“Brother Qing, I got my graduation certificate. Let’s go take care of the paperwork right now.”

As she spoke, those beautiful eyes, as clear and shimmering as autumn water, gazed at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

Following her tug, Lan Qing stepped over the tall doorway threshold and came outside.

Although his back made him look reluctant, the smile on his face was completely genuine.

After listening to her, he took the documents and checked them. Then he glanced at his wristwatch.

“All right. I’ll take you there now.”

When he turned around, Wen Luo had already pushed a bicycle over.

Lan Qing froze for a moment.

Taking the bicycle, he mounted it. Si Qiu immediately hopped onto the back seat and even waved cheerfully at Wen Luo.

Lan Qing maintained his gentle smile, but his jaw clenched tightly.

He hadn’t expected even his good brother to start using tricks like this.

When they arrived at the government building, Si Qiu jumped off the bicycle and adjusted her shoulder bag.

Step by step, she followed him inside.

As soon as they entered, everyone they met greeted him first.

“Director Lan, just got back?”

Lan Qing nodded.

“Mm.”

“Oh my, Lan Qing! Didn’t you take leave from work?”

“Director Wang, I had something to take care of, so I came back for a bit. Heading to lunch?”

Director Wang was a man in his forties or fifties. His hair had thinned to only five or six stubborn strands that valiantly protected his scalp.

Hearing the question, he lifted the lunch box in his hand.

“They say there’s braised pork today. I’m heading over early to see if I can get some.”

“All right then. I won’t keep Director Wang from lining up for his meat.”

With that, they continued upstairs to the second floor.

After turning a corner, they arrived at the Personnel Department. The door was slightly ajar, so Lan Qing knocked twice before entering.

“Well now, Director Lan! What brings you to my office today?”

There were two people inside. The one who opened the door was a young man in his twenties. He immediately pulled over a chair for Lan Qing.

But Lan Qing didn’t sit down.

Instead, he turned to look at Si Qiu.

“Qiuqiu, have a seat.”

Si Qiu smiled and nodded at the man before taking a seat.

The man froze for a moment, then quickly recovered, coughing lightly to hide his awkwardness.

The thirty-something man who had greeted them earlier hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over.

“Ah, well… Director Lan, may I ask why you’ve brought this comrade here?”

Lan Qing wore a gentle smile.

“This is Si Qiu. She’s here to complete her onboarding procedures and will be working as the archives room administrator. Qiuqiu, this is Sun Shengli, Chief Sun from the Personnel Department.”

“Chief Sun, sorry to trouble you.”

“Ah, oh, not at all, not at all. Comrade Si Qiu, right? Alright, please fill out this form first, then hand over your household registration booklet and high school diploma.”

Lan Qing immediately passed over the two documents. Then he took the form and a pen, placing them on the desk in front of Si Qiu.

He even pointed out how she should fill in each section, his attentiveness leaving Chief Sun utterly astonished.

In their bureau, Lan Qing was known as an untouchable flower on a lofty peak.

Countless people had their eyes on him, and even more were eager to introduce potential marriage partners. After all, his appearance was exceptional, his abilities beyond question. At only twenty-two years old, he was already the head of the Finance Bureau. On top of that, he came from an outstanding family background.

But when Chief Sun looked at the woman quietly filling out the form, he couldn’t help clicking his tongue.

Indeed.

Only someone like her could possibly be worthy of their Director Lan.

After the form was completed, Chief Sun glanced through it, nodded, and began registering her information.

“Comrade Si, when would you be able to start work?”

Hmm?

Was that actually something she could choose?

Her puzzled gaze shifted toward Lan Qing, who nodded.

“Generally speaking, anywhere from one day to a week is acceptable.”

“One week. I’ll come next Monday,” Si Qiu answered immediately.

That way she could avoid working for another week this month while still receiving her salary.

More importantly, she could use that week to properly deal with the people at home.

For five years she’d been far too soft-hearted.

She had allowed them to live peacefully for five whole years.

Finally, they issued her work identification card.

“Comrade Si, from now on we’re colleagues.”

Chief Sun extended his hand to shake hers.

Before Si Qiu could react, Lan Qing grabbed the man’s hand first.

“That’s right. We’re colleagues now. I’ll have to ask Chief Sun to look after her in the future.”

Chief Sun was momentarily stunned before breaking into a cheerful smile.

“What are you saying? We’ll all look after each other. Later, Director Lan can take Comrade Si to Logistics to collect her work uniform and office supplies. No need for me to repeat everything.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Chief Sun.”

As he spoke, Lan Qing pulled out two packs of cigarettes from his pocket and placed them on the desk.

“Since we’ve finished everything before lunch, I’ll take Qiuqiu to the Logistics Department now. When I have time, I’ll treat Chief Sun to a meal.”

After exchanging a few more polite remarks, Lan Qing led Si Qiu away.

At the Logistics Department, they collected all the supplies she would need. One of the staff members even reminded them:

“Director Lan, if Comrade Si wants to apply for dormitory housing, she can do it right now. One bed just opened up in the double-occupancy dormitory.”

Lan Qing declined.

“Thank you, Sister Hong, but there’s no need. She lives nearby, so commuting is quite convenient.”

This was exactly the advantage of having connections.

You didn’t even need to ask questions yourself.

Department leaders handled every procedure for you.

All the available benefits were arranged in advance, and the best, most suitable options were selected for you from the start.

A large pile of supplies was packed into a mesh bag.

After saying their farewells, Lan Qing loaded everything up, mounted his bicycle, and left with Si Qiu.

However, instead of returning to the small courtyard, they headed to a state-owned restaurant.

The two ordered dumplings, mapo tofu, braised crucian carp, and four large steamed buns.

Neither of them spared a single thought for Wen Luo, who was still back at the courtyard.