Chapter 57: Don’t Be Afraid—You’ve Got Me
Qin Mochen reacted quite calmly to Su Keke’s words. He took out his own phone and handed it to her. “Here, hold it and feel the weight.”
Su Keke took it and really did “weigh” it—but in a way that could scare someone to death. She tossed it up into the air and caught it again. One slip and it would have smashed straight onto the floor.
Wu Zongbo: !
“Uncle, your phone seems heavier than the others.” Su Keke frowned, looking rather dissatisfied as she handed it back to him. She immediately changed her mind. “I don’t want Uncle’s model anymore. It’s so heavy—totally inconvenient.”
Qin Mochen nodded in agreement. “Yes, it’s bulky and inconvenient. And the diamonds inlaid on it look a bit tacky too.”
Wu Zongbo: …
So, Fourth Master, you’ve been despising it like this all along?
In the end, Su Keke picked a red classic model. “This one feels pretty light in the hand. I’ll take this.”
Qin Mochen gave a low “Mm.” “I’ll pay for it first. We’ll deduct it from your wages later.”
Su Keke replied, “Okay, Uncle. Make sure you remember clearly—don’t deduct too little.”
Qin Mochen let out a low chuckle. The sound was deep and surprisingly pleasant.
After that, Qin Mochen took Su Keke to the household goods section and let the little girl look around to see if there was anything she needed to replenish.
“Nothing much to buy. Uncle already prepared everything for me pretty well, and the things I want aren’t really here anyway—ah! Right, I’ll buy Aunt Lin an apron. Hers is already old, and it’s not very pretty.”
The little girl quickly chose a red checkered apron. On the pocket in the middle were two little white rabbits, looking vivid and lively.
Qin Mochen gave the rabbits a brief glance, then calmly looked away.
Wu Zongbo, on the other hand, couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Was the little cutie worried there weren’t enough rabbits in the house already? If these were real, Fourth Master’s villa would turn into a rabbit warren.
“Didn’t you say earlier that there were things you wanted to buy that they don’t have here?” Qin Mochen asked.
“I want to buy some yellow talisman paper and a few small feng shui ornaments, but the place I usually go to is a bit far.”
“Since we’re already out, let’s get everything you want.”
“Won’t that delay Uncle’s important business?”
“No.”
Wu Zongbo sneaked a glance at Fourth Master and silently swallowed the words in his mouth.
Tomorrow at noon was Old Master Xu’s seventieth birthday banquet, Fourth Master—and you still haven’t prepared a gift!
Most of the time, preparing gifts was a minor matter: Qin Mochen would just give an instruction and Wu Zongbo would handle it. But there were exceptions—such as Old Master Qin himself, and a handful of people Qin Mochen truly valued.
Old Master Xu was one of them. Qin Mochen and Old Master Xu had a deep, cross-generational friendship.
Although the Xu family was no longer as glorious as before, its foundations were still solid, remaining one of the four great aristocratic families of the capital. There would be no shortage of guests at tomorrow’s banquet—nearly all of them prominent figures from high society.
At times like this, an eye-catching congratulatory gift became a way for many people to show off or curry favor with the Xu family.
Wu Zongbo couldn’t help but sigh.
Everyone else prepared their gifts a month in advance. Only Fourth Master could afford to be so leisurely, not anxious at all.
After leaving the mall, Wu Zongbo drove them to an antique street that Su Keke mentioned.
The street was narrow and cars couldn’t enter, so the three of them got out.
The crisscrossing alleys were easy to get lost in, but Su Keke was clearly a regular here. She led them straight into the depths of the lanes—straight ahead, right turn, then left turn, then straight again…
Along the way, Wu Zongbo looked at the various small shops lining the alleys, amazed.
Although it was called an antique street, the range of things sold here was enormous. Besides all kinds of antiques and decorative trinkets of questionable authenticity, he even saw shops selling… urns and funeral wreaths.
Moreover, despite being an antique street he’d never even heard of before, the foot traffic here was not light.
Wu Zongbo smiled and asked Su Keke, “Why doesn’t the feng shui shop you recommended to me last time open here? I think this place would be more suitable.”
After Su Keke had previously recommended many auspicious feng shui trinkets, Wu Zongbo had immediately gone to find the so-called Zengqing Pavilion she mentioned.
He’d gone at night, wandering around that pitch-black little alley for a long time before finally finding it.
The shop was hidden deep in the alley, and under the night sky, it had given him a rather eerie feeling.
Cautious as he was, Wu Zongbo had nearly turned around and left before even entering—but he’d forced himself to stay.
Before going in, he’d thought, A tiny shop hidden in a corner like this—would anyone even come? But the moment he stepped inside, he ran into two familiar faces.
Wu Zongbo could be considered a top-tier assistant. To be honest, his current status was already on par with the bosses of some small companies. Yet the two people he encountered were no small figures.
In the capital, there were four great aristocratic families: the Qin family, the Tan family, the Bai family, and the Xu family.
The two people he saw were Second Master Tan and his wife.
The Tan family’s eldest son was in business, and since Fourth Master Qin’s enterprises spanned many industries, the two sides inevitably clashed in business—they were rivals in the commercial arena.
As Fourth Master Qin’s assistant, Wu Zongbo knew far more than ordinary people. He was thoroughly familiar with all members of the Tan family, including this Second Master Tan.
Second Master Tan was in politics. Wu Zongbo never would’ve imagined he’d come to a place like this.
But on second thought, it made sense.
A government official openly engaging in feudal superstition would be bad for his image—of course such things had to be done quietly and in secret.
“Zengqing Pavilion relies on repeat customers,” Su Keke explained. “People who go once will go a second time. Once their own problems are solved, they’ll recommend others. Their customer base never dries up, so where the shop is located doesn’t really matter.”
Wu Zongbo smiled. “That makes sense.”
After speaking, he sneaked another glance at Fourth Master.
While the two of them were talking, Fourth Master remained expressionless and silent—who knew whether he didn’t want to speak or simply couldn’t find a place to jump in.
“Fourth Master, since we’re here anyway, why not buy a small trinket for yourself?” Wu Zongbo suggested.
Qin Mochen showed little interest. “You two go ahead.”
Su Keke smiled sweetly. “Uncle’s destiny is excellent. Even evil spirits would fear him—he doesn’t need these.”
As she spoke, she naturally took hold of Qin Mochen’s large hand. “If you really want something for protection, it’d have to be something much more powerful.”
Qin Mochen glanced at her, then tightened his grip around her small hand as he led her forward. He questioned her earlier words, “If evil spirits fear me, then what about that seductive ghost you mentioned when you first met me?”
At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it. But afterward, whenever Qin Mochen recalled that so-called seductive ghost, the aura around him grew cold enough to freeze people.
Didn’t that mean all his actions had been seen by that ghost?
Especially since he’d even gone to… the bathroom.
“Uncle, if that seductive ghost hadn’t feared you enough to keep its distance, by the time I arrived you would’ve already been drained dry. Right now, you’d probably be lying in bed—if it were serious, you’d be dead for sure.” Su Keke deliberately emphasized the words dead for sure.
Wu Zongbo was completely confused. After Su Keke explained, he broke out in a cold sweat. “Fourth Master, if it weren’t for your noble fate, then wouldn’t that have meant—”
Su Keke quickly said, “Don’t be afraid. Now Uncle has me. As long as I’m here, no demons or monsters will ever get close to my uncle.”
“Alright, little girl. Didn’t you say you wanted to buy things? Hurry up already.” Qin Mochen gave Su Keke a light smack on the head, stopping her from continuing her bragging.
