Fog City Detective

Chapter 17: Making Money

Life requires planning, and revenge requires a strategy.

Since John was murdered, my short-term goal is undoubtedly to kill the entire family of the murderer. The grief has passed, but hatred remains forever. To accomplish this, I first need to know the identity of the killer. To know the killer's identity, I need resources. To have resources, I must have money. To have money, I must ensure I don't starve.

What Liang Xi regrets the most is not accumulating social resources from the upper class during the years when he worked as an assistant.

Liang Xi's revenge plan, Step One: Earn a living. Working a regular job won't cut it; it only provides subsistence. I must start a business. Entrepreneurship involves risks, so I need to choose a venture with the smallest investment and the highest potential income.

No sooner said than done. First, buy a folding table, and some decks of cards, along with a bowl and some beans. Drive the Beetle to Berning Park and set up a stall. Place a hat on the table and start performing close-up magic tricks.

Close-up magic corresponds to stage magic. Stage magic has many tricks; shameless ones like magnets, moderately shameless ones like projectors, and downright shameful ones like chainsaws. The variety is endless. Close-up magic mainly focuses on sleight of hand. Bean magic is even simpler – it's essentially bean theft, stealing beans from the bowl while everyone watches.

Today is Sunday, and there are quite a few visitors in the park. Initially, the magic stall only attracted a few children to watch. However, soon, due to the children's exclamations, adults stopped to watch Liang Xi interact with the children in magic. The most captivating aspect of magic is: how did you do it? Once the audience has this question in mind, the magic show is a success. Considering magic ethics, I won't go into the details of the magic tricks.

The income is not bad, with one pound as the main unit. During this time, there's a cute, blond girl like a Barbie doll who is very enthusiastic, and constantly applauding. Liang Xi takes special care of her, playing with her individually many times. This is the damnation of a detective – Liang Xi instantly notices that the little girl is wearing a wig, and a couple of interactions reveal that she is sick.

The little girl loves bean magic, and most of the audience is more attracted to card magic. With the skewed gameplay, coupled with nearby violin and piano players, the income gradually decreases. However, the smile on the little girl's face, and her continuous giggles, make Liang Xi very happy. With her mother's reminders, the little girl reluctantly bids farewell to Liang Xi. Before leaving, the little girl's father puts a fifty-pound note into the hat and shakes hands with Liang Xi in gratitude.

On a bench nearby sits a man in a brown curly-haired suit, around thirty-five, dressed like a Wall Street elite. The stubble on his chin is as well-groomed as his hair. He sits on the bench, watching the magic for half an hour, and at least three infatuated women ask him for his phone number.

Liang Xi can't deny that this guy has the typical charm of a middle-aged man. In a TV series, he would either be the first or second male lead.

In the evening, Liang Xi started to pack up his stall, and the man walked up to him, extending his hand for an introduction, "I'm Charlie."

Liang Xi glanced at the man called Charlie and shook his hand, "I'm Richard," forcing a social smile. He didn't receive any money, so he wasn't going to get too friendly with him.

Charlie didn't mind and asked, "If you don't mind, can I treat you to dinner?"

Liang Xi chuckled, "You've misunderstood, I don't have any such inclinations."

Charlie's smile this time was also forced, "Neither do I."

Liang Xi retorted, "Then what's the point of having dinner?" If you're going to throw fifty pounds, then sure, let's eat. But if you're not giving me a penny, taking me to a restaurant, sneaking off to the bathroom, and leaving me to pay the bill, who am I going to cry at?

Charlie had something to discuss. Maybe yes, maybe no. If there was, he would eventually mention it. If not, Liang Xi had no interest in being in the greenery and having dinner with a handsome uncle. That was the basic logic of Liang Xi's train of thought.

As expected, Charlie had something to discuss and said, "I want you to find someone."

Liang Xi replied, "I don't find people."

Charlie asked, "Aren't you a detective at Rose Detective Agency?"

Liang Xi answered, "Rose Detective Agency doesn't find people. If you're looking for someone, turn right at the street corner; there's a private detective agency over there."

Charlie chuckled, "Then what do you guys do normally?"

Liang Xi counter-questioned, "If we had regular work, would I need to come out and do magic?" As his attitude worsened, and the other party remained patient, it indicated that he wanted a lot. A person wouldn't demand a lot from someone just because of magic. Charlie must have checked his background. The only part of his background that could offer Charlie a lot was the part about being a thief. Therefore, Liang Xi could basically conclude that Charlie wasn't a good person.

Charlie stroked his chin, puzzled. Liang Xi had a good attitude towards everyone during the magic performance, even intentionally acting silly to make children laugh. Why was his attitude towards himself so bad?

After packing up the stall, Liang Xi looked at Charlie and said, "I'm just a law-abiding little person, with no ambitions for wealth. Goodbye."

Charlie lowered his hand, watching Liang Xi leave, and made a phone call, "Willow, how much money does he have in his account?"

Willow answered, "5 pounds."

Charlie asked in surprise, "Only 5 pounds in his entire account?"

Willow replied, "After deducting information I can't find from outer space, yes. Birch, are you still satisfied with him?"

Charlie said, "Satisfied, but he's not satisfied with me. With only five pounds, it shows he's not on the same path as us. Help me find the next candidate."

"Hello!" Liang Xi answered the phone.

"Liang Xi?"

"Yes."

"I'm Inspector Liu Zhen from the police department. We need a translator for assistance. Are you available now?"

"Yes."

"Do you drive?"

"Yes."

"Go to Pier 2, park on the side after crossing the railway line."

"Okay."

Today was a good day. Liang Xi had just finished counting the magic income for the day, a total of eighty-two pounds, and was considering where to have a good meal when he received a call for a part-time job. However, the meeting place sounded unusual, not like the usual document translation work. If it was only oral translation, he wouldn't make much money. The job Liang Xi desired the most was the police asking him to translate all the books in the British Library.

Working 10 hours a day, earning 800 pounds a day, that would be twenty-four thousand pounds a month. It sounded like a dream. Money aside, the main thing was being able to help the police maintain social order and stability.

...

After crossing the railway line, Liang Xi parked on the side and waited for a moment. A woman in her thirties, dressed in plain clothes, opened the passenger door and said, "Go straight."

Liang Xi drove, and the woman said, "I'm Inspector Liu Zhen. Are you Liang Xi?"

Liang Xi nodded, "Hello, Inspector Liu."

Liu Zhen asked, "Chinese?"

Liang Xi asked in Chinese, "Yes, Inspector Liu, are you also Chinese?"

Liu Zhen nodded and replied fluently in Chinese, "I'm a third-generation immigrant. I often meet compatriots in London."

At this moment, Liang Xi felt that something was not quite right. Before he could figure it out, Liu Zhen gave directions, "Turn right."