Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

At this moment, Lai Sheng Ai also came down from the second floor. She ran to Li Xin, hugged his arm and shook it repeatedly, saying, "Brother Xin, tell me, did you give Big Sister some skincare secret? You're so biased! You only give good things to Big Sister and not to me. I won't stand for it! You have to give me the skincare secret today, or I won't do it!"

No, I can accept that the big cabbage was being taken by this pig, but why are you, the little cabbage, also eagerly taking the initiative to go after this pig?

Seeing how affectionately Lai Sheng Ai was with Li Xin, Uncle Yong Shi felt a tightness in his chest.

Chapter 87 Going Home?

Uncle Yongshi was a little heartbroken. He said he had some things to take care of and took his leave. With the authority of an older sister, Laisheng Rui chased away the mischievous Laisheng Ai. Soon, only Li Xin and Laisheng Rui were left in the coffee shop.

Lai Sheng Lei handed a check to Li Xin and said, "Ah Xin, this is your reward for this time."

Li Xin reached out and took it, then looked down and exclaimed in surprise, "Twenty million? That's way too much!"

Previously, Li Xin and Lai Sheng Lei had agreed that each time they supported the "Cat's Eye" operation, Li Xin would receive a reward of five million yen. Even though the difficulty had increased this time, ten million yen would have been enough. However, this time, Lai Sheng Lei doubled the reward twice, which caught Li Xin off guard.

Lai Sheng Lei shook her head slightly: "It's not much at all. I was only able to get out of this crisis because of you, Ah Xin. I'm afraid you might not think this money is enough."

The danger of this operation ranks second among all of "Cat's Eye's" operations. The strength of that blond swordsman was definitely beyond what the three sisters could handle. If it weren't for Li Xin, she might have really been turned into an ice sculpture by that freak Luca Rox. So, it's definitely not too much for Rui Kisugi to offer Li Xin 20 million yen.

Incidentally, the most dangerous of all of "Cat's Eye's" operations was the one to steal "The Daughter of Rome," where "Cat's Eye" almost suffered total annihilation!

Li Xin knew that 20 million yen was nothing to Lai Sheng Rui, so when he heard her say that, he stopped refusing and accepted it directly. However, even after accepting it, Li Xin couldn't help but ask, "Is it worth taking such risks every time?"

With Lai Shengrui's wealth, if she didn't work for "Cat's Eye," her life could have been incredibly comfortable. Whether it was conquering the business world as the female president of a multinational corporation or traveling the world with her two younger sisters, it would have been a piece of cake for her. But in order to collect her father's lost collection, Lai Shengrui had to make herself stay in such a small coffee shop and constantly engage in various dangerous activities. This was undoubtedly a great sacrifice.

“It’s worth it. This is our only clue to finding our father. No matter what, we must continue.”

"Lai Sheng Lei" said, bowing his head.

Michael Heinz had been missing for sixteen years. Kiyoshi Rui searched for him in various ways, but without any clues. Until a few years ago, Michael Heinz's collection came to light one after another, which gave Kiyoshi Rui a slight clue to find her father's whereabouts. Therefore, she would never give up.

Looking at Laisheng Lei with her head down, Li Xin felt for the first time that this incredibly strong and confident woman seemed quite helpless.

On the stairs, Kiyosa Ai saw Li Xin and Kiyosa Rui talking and wanted to go down to join the conversation, but Kiyosa Hitomi grabbed her and pulled her back into the room.

You idiot, you have no sense of propriety!

"Why do we have to send out a notice for every operation? You should know that this increases the difficulty of the operation."

Li Xin asked Lai Sheng Rui, "Although the outside world sees this as 'Cat's Eye' provocation against the Metropolitan Police Department and as part of the phantom thief's personality, Li Xin knows that Lai Sheng Rui is not an eccentric person, so she must have her reasons for doing this."

“This is my and my dad’s ‘secret code’.”

"Later Tears" replied.

"signal?"

Li Xin asked in confusion.

"Correct."

Lai Shenglei nodded, then slowly explained to Li Xin, "Cat's eye is my mother's favorite gemstone, and my father's favorite drink is a cocktail called 'Cat's Eye.' These are things only my father and I know. So, if my father were still alive, when he heard that a thief named 'Cat's Eye' was stealing his old collection, he would definitely know that we were looking for him, and he might come looking for us..."

Despite his best efforts to restrain himself, Li Xin could still sense the deep emotions in Lai Sheng Lei's voice.

In order to ensure that this "code" could be conveyed to her father, Rui Kisugi was willing to take many risks in order to send out a notice before taking action.

Li Xin finally understood the purpose behind the act of shedding tears for the next life.

He no longer questioned whether what Laishenglei was doing was worthwhile. If it were Li Xin, and his loved ones were missing, he would also spare no effort to find them.

After saying all this, Lai Shengrui realized that she had said too much. Apart from the three sisters, only Uncle Yongshi knew about these things, and now there was another person.

She took a deep breath, smiled, and said to Li Xin, "Sorry to have you listen to my rambling. Li Xin, would you like a cup of coffee? Although Cat's Eye Cafe is closed today, I think I can temporarily open for business if you are the customer."

Li Xin thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Just give me a cup of hot water."

Lai Sheng Lei laughed and said, "You really like drinking hot water. I used to think you only drank it because it was free."

Li Xin nodded frankly and said, "It's because hot water is free."

Lai Sheng Lei: "..."

Forget it, let's not dwell on it.

Lai Sheng Lei went to the kitchen to boil water, while Li Xin sat at the bar waiting. In the huge coffee shop, Li Xin was the only one left.

At that moment, Li Xin saw the landline on the bar. Perhaps because he had heard so much about his father from Lai Shenglei, a long-suppressed longing surged uncontrollably into Li Xin's heart.

With his hand on the phone, Li Xin called out to Lai Sheng Lei, who was going to boil water, "Xiao Lei, can I use your phone?"

"Of course, please use it."

Lai Sheng Lei quickly replied.

"Thank you."

Li Xin picked up the receiver and quickly typed in the number, as if he had practiced it many times.

The phone rang for a while before being answered. A steady voice came through the receiver: "Hello, who is this?"

Upon hearing this voice, even though he tried his best to control his emotions, Li Xin's body still trembled uncontrollably.

"Did you dial the wrong number?"

When no one answered, the voice said, "If you have dialed the wrong number, please hang up."

Another silence followed, the phone call lingering. Then, the voice on the other end asked in a questioning tone, "Ah-Xin?"

Upon hearing these words, Li Xin felt as if he had been electrocuted, and even the hand holding the phone began to tremble.

After successively practicing the "Wedding Dress Divine Skill" and the "Bright Jade Skill," Li Xin's body had become extremely refined, and his control over his body had reached an unimaginable level. It was absolutely impossible for him to have trembling hands. However, Li Xin's hands were trembling incessantly.

"Ah-Xin, is that you? Answer me!"

Seeing that there was no response for a long time, the voice became more urgent and increasingly certain that the person on the other end of the phone was Li Xin.

Li Xin panicked a little. He quickly hung up the phone and said to Lai Shenglei, "Xiao Lei, I'm sorry, I have to leave now!"

As if fleeing, Li Xin quickly ran out of Cat's Eye Cafe.

Lai Sheng Lei had just finished boiling water and was carrying a cup out when she saw Li Xin suddenly leave, which puzzled her.

Just then, the phone on the bar rang. Lai Shenglei answered it, but before she could even speak, she heard a loud voice on the other end shout, "Ah Xin! Li Xin! Talk to me! Where the hell have you been?! Give me an answer!"

The voice spoke Mandarin with a slight regional accent, but Lai Sheng Lei was fluent in multiple languages, and Mandarin was one of them. After thinking for a moment, she replied in very standard Mandarin, "Excuse me, who are you?"

Upon hearing that the voice that answered him was a woman's, the person immediately composed themselves and apologized to Laisheng Lei, saying, "I'm so sorry, I was wrong. There was a phone call coming in but there was no sound. I thought it was my child calling."

Lai Sheng Lei smiled and said, "Oh, is that so? Then it must be my cat causing trouble for you. I should be the one apologizing to you."

Laisheng Rui reached out and beckoned over the orange cat that the cafe kept, gently stroking its head and making it meow a few times.

Upon hearing the meow, the voice was still somewhat suspicious as to why the kitten had managed to dial his number so coincidentally, but he didn't really recognize the voice of Lai Sheng Rui, so he could only tentatively believe the other party's explanation and said to Lai Sheng Rui, "Since it's a misunderstanding, I won't bother you any longer. I'm really sorry."

"and many more!"

Lai Sheng Lei called out to the voice, paused for a moment, and then asked in a curious tone, "Sir, you sounded very anxious just now. What happened to that child named Li Xin?"

"Ah, you mean Ashin? He... sigh!"

The voice sighed, perhaps because the matter had been weighing on its mind for a long time, and the person on the other end was a complete stranger who did not know its identity. Therefore, the voice could speak freely and recounted the matter to the person who was now in tears.

As Lai Sheng Rui listened to the voice speaking, she gently stroked the kitten's back. But as the voice continued to speak, Lai Sheng Rui gradually stopped stroking it, leaving the kitten puzzled. "Why did you stop stroking me? Keep stroking me, I'm feeling comfortable!"

After rambling on for a while, the voice finally finished speaking and said to Laishenglei, "...I'm sorry to have kept you listening to me for so long. Answering the phone also costs money, and I'm really sorry to have wasted so much of your phone bill."

Laisheng Lei was somewhat lost in thought for a while before she came to her senses and said to the voice, "It's alright. I was very moved to hear such a touching story. I wish your child a speedy return home."

The voice seemed pleased to hear Lai Sheng Lei's blessing, and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your blessing."

After hanging up the phone, Lai Shenglei was still a little unsettled. She knew that Li Xin must have his reasons for being so eager to make money, but she never expected it to be for this reason.

....................................

Li Xin returned to his newly rented house in Beika Town. After entering his room, he began to practice his skills diligently. He needed to calm his mind.

However, while Li Xin was able to calm his mind in such a dangerous situation, he found it difficult to do so now that he was in a quiet and comfortable environment.

After practicing the Mingyu Gong for a while without getting the hang of it, Li Xin could only go to the rooftop to practice his sword. The "Bishui Sword Technique," which he used to execute smoothly, suddenly went wrong. He lost control of the sword after only a few moves and accidentally cut his arm.

Li Xin quickly used his internal energy to seal the wound. Under the treatment of "Mingyu True Qi", the wound healed quickly and began to scab over. After another night, even the scar would completely disappear.

Unable to master martial arts, Li Xin injured himself while practicing swordsmanship. Feeling completely lost, he could only return to the second-floor hall and lie idly on the sofa.

After some time, Crocodile Man walked in with a toothpick in his mouth. He was startled to see Li Xin lying on the sofa. He had never seen Li Xin so listless before.

"Ah-Xin, what's wrong? Did someone renege on your debt?"

Crocodile asked Li Xindao.

He knew that Li Xin was taking on private jobs outside. Of course, that was Li Xin's own connections and abilities, and Crocodile didn't care. Now that he saw Li Xin looking a bit dejected, he assumed that Li Xin had been wronged outside. A few days ago, when Li Xin came back from outside, he saw that Li Xin looked very unhappy, saying that he had been deceived by a bad woman.

Well, that's exactly why we need him as an agent!

Crocodile told Li Xin that next time he made a deal with that 25-year-old, beautiful, mature, and glamorous bad woman, he must bring him along, and he promised not to let her take advantage of him in the slightest.

Of course, it would be even better if he could also be introduced to those three beautiful young high school girls, but he doesn't need to accept the 70-year-old woman at the end; he can't accept that.

"It's nothing, it's not work-related."

Li Xin sat up from the sofa and shook his head.

It's not a work-related issue?

Crocodile looked at Li Xin and pondered for a moment, then said, "So you're homesick?"

Li Xin's body trembled slightly. Crocodile Old Man immediately confirmed his guess and said to Li Xin, "Hey Xin, things are stable here now. Why don't you go home for a visit?"

"go home?"

This word actually flashed through Li Xin's mind every night, but he always tried his best to avoid thinking about it.

"Going home?"

Li Xin thought for a moment and found an excuse for not going back: "Forget it, plane tickets are so expensive..."

The crocodile rolled his eyes: "Fine, I'll pay up!"

He knew that the so-called expensive airfare was just an excuse from Li Xin, but since Li Xin said so, Crocodile Man didn't mind undermining him.

Sure enough, when Crocodile said he would pay for the plane ticket, Li Xin didn't show any surprise. Instead, he looked a bit embarrassed. Clearly, the expensive ticket was just an excuse.

"I can't accept this..."

Li Xin stammered.

Crocodile Man said to Li Xin, "I'll go buy you a plane ticket right now, a ticket for tomorrow. If you go back, consider the ticket a gift from me. If you don't go back, just give me the money for the ticket!"

Li Xin: "..."

This is driving Li Xin to his doom!

Faced with Crocodile's "aggressive" attitude, Li Xin thought for a moment and said to Crocodile, "Alright, I'll go back tomorrow. By the way, could you help me exchange some RMB? I've been away for so long. If I don't bring some money back, the villagers will think I'm not doing well outside. That won't do."

"As long as you're willing to go back, I'll take care of all this!"

Crocodile patted Li Xin's arm.

Li Xin thought for a moment, feeling a little hesitant to go home alone. He said to Crocodile, "Crocodile, why don't you come back with me?"

Crocodile Man's expression immediately changed: "Get lost! Didn't I say I'd never go back to that remote, impoverished place again, even if you killed me!"

He visited Shibalipu Village last time, and his feet are still aching slightly.

Chapter 88 Village Chief Gao Jian

The next day, Li Xin boarded a plane back to the Central Plains alone. He still couldn't persuade Crocodile to go to Shibali Village with him. Moreover, Crocodile's reasons were sufficient. If Crocodile went back with Li Xin, wouldn't his previous "search for his ancestors" be exposed?

Having no other choice, Li Xin could only stop forcing Crocodile to go back with him.

On the plane, Li Xin sat by the window, staring blankly out the window, as if there was some scenery outside that was extremely attractive to him.

As he embarked on his journey back home, Li Xin was filled with anxiety. He didn't know how the village chief and the village party secretary would treat him when he returned.

Li Xin wasn't afraid of being beaten or scolded, but he couldn't bear it if the two of them looked at him with cold faces, as if he were a stranger.

For family members, indifference is more hurtful than the harshest scolding.

Passengers boarded the plane one after another, and the passenger next to Li Xin also took his seat. However, Li Xin did not react to this and remained focused on the scenery outside the window. Of course, he was actually daydreaming.

However, the person sitting next to Li Xin seemed very interested in him and asked, "Would you like some water?"

He then handed Li Xin a thermos.