Chapter 28: The Talent Market

“What do you want to do!” the middle-aged fat man shouted, but Yang Jiekai only sneered. He didn't pull the trigger; instead, he turned the gun and struck the woman hard at the nape of her neck with the butt. She collapsed without a sound.

“Relax. I did this to protect you. Some things are not meant to be seen by others, isn’t that so?”

Yang Jiekai toyed with the pistol in his hand. It had been a long time since he’d touched a gun, and he felt an innately familiar warmth. He remembered that the first toy he ever received was a real gun given to him by his instructor.

The middle-aged fat man, seasoned from years of storms, quickly composed himself. He lit a cigarette calmly and asked, “What exactly do you want?”

Yang Jiekai carelessly perched on the nightstand, surveying the spacious bedroom. “I came here today mainly for two reasons. First, I won’t break my promises. Your fugitive status will remain a secret. Second—”

He paused, turned to look at the fat man, and with a flick of his wrist, disassembled the pistol into its parts as if it were a child’s toy. He continued, “Second, taking your life would be effortless for me. Let this matter end here. If you trouble me or my friends again, things won’t be so simple.”

The middle-aged man took several deep drags on his cigarette. Whether from nerves or something else, sweat beaded on his forehead. After a while, he said, “Alright, I agree. This ends here. I’ll pretend nothing ever happened.”

He wasn't stupid—every word Yang Jiekai spoke made sense, especially the last. If the other man had wanted him dead, it would have been all too easy. To this moment, the fat man still couldn’t figure out how Yang Jiekai had slipped silently into his room.

When he got home, Yang Jiekai was greeted by the delicious aroma of food as soon as he entered. He patted his stomach and called out, “Aunt Wang, what are you cooking today? It smells incredible. I’m starving!”

“You must have the nose of a bloodhound!” Han Wei sat on the sofa, sipping a drink, her long, pale legs crossed. After teasing him, she grinned, “You did well today—ten points added! Try harder, maybe my sister will let you into her bed.”

“You little brat, what nonsense are you saying!” Han Ning’s face flushed bright red. She grabbed a cushion and threw it at Han Wei.

Han Wei giggled, dodged it, and promptly summoned Yang Jiekai, the hero of the hour, to dinner.

Seeing the untouched food on the table, Yang Jiekai was surprised. “You waited for me to eat together?”

“Is there a problem with that?” Han Wei replied.

“No, no, I just feel so lucky!” He was overwhelmed—Han Ning used to treat him like air, never mind waiting for him before dinner.

Han Ning neither confirmed nor denied it, silently moving to the table to start eating.

During the meal, Yang Jiekai bantered endlessly with Han Wei, never straying far from mentioning Han Ning, who kept shooting Han Wei annoyed glances.

Aunt Wang was all smiles, constantly dishing food into their bowls. Han Ning had already told her about Yang Jiekai’s performance at the banquet, and Aunt Wang was delighted—her fondness for this son-in-law only grew.

After dinner, Yang Jiekai patted his full stomach and was about to head to his room to watch TV when Han Wei called out, “Hey, wait a second.”

“What is it?” he turned.

“Go upstairs, there’s something to discuss.”

This time it was Han Ning who spoke. Her tone was as cold as ever. Yang Jiekai was puzzled, but he followed them upstairs.

“Wife, what’s going on?”

Once inside Han Ning’s room, Yang Jiekai acted as if it were his own—he sat casually in her leather chair, legs swinging.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that?” Han Ning was instantly irritated.

Yang Jiekai sighed, nodded, and said, “Got it, wife.”

Han Ning was speechless.

“Let’s get to the point,” Han Wei said, grabbing a drink and sprawling on the sofa, her long white legs crossed. “Even though you and my sister have a marriage contract and agreed not to interfere in each other’s lives, you’re still a member of this family, so you shouldn’t be idle.”

“If I’m not idle, what should I do?” Yang Jiekai glanced around, hoping for a banana, but found only apples in Han Ning’s room.

“Starting tomorrow, you need to find yourself a respectable job,” Han Ning said seriously. “To the outside world, you’re my husband in name. You need an identity and can’t spend your days loafing. To avoid giving anyone leverage, you have to find a decent job.”

Yang Jiekai frowned. He hated being spoken to in such a tone, and if it were anyone else, he’d have walked out or worse. But he was used to it from his contract wife. He replied, “I don’t want to. I’m fine as I am. Besides, I have no degree, no work experience. Isn’t that important here? Where would I even find a job?”

Han Ning looked at him sternly. “I don’t know your background, but someone who speaks dozens of languages, knows fine wine, and plays piano well can’t be that hopeless. Your qualifications are fine. If you like, you can work at my company—I can offer you a good position.”

Yang Jiekai pursed his lips, regretting his showy performance at the banquet. Now he couldn’t dodge the issue. “Forget it, I’ll find a job myself.”

He already felt ashamed enough living off his wife; working for her would be even worse.

He compromised because Han Ning was right—he needed an identity in this country, so his real background wouldn’t draw unwanted attention.

This nation claimed to be the world’s mercenary forbidden zone—even the top mercenaries wouldn’t take jobs here. Everyone knew the policy was zero tolerance: if discovered, they’d be eliminated without mercy.

Once, a greedy crew tried their luck here, and none ever returned.

Yang Jiekai’s identity wasn’t entirely fake, but some old man had used unknown connections to make it stick. If anyone tried to delve deeper, it wouldn’t hold up.

After agreeing, Yang Jiekai got up early the next day, showered, and took the bus straight to a job market.

If you asked him where was the busiest place in the country, he would sincerely say it was the job market.

In his eyes, just three words summed it up: people everywhere! People everywhere! People everywhere!

A dense crowd, like a cave full of bats.

It was his first time job hunting, and he had no idea what to do or what kind of job to seek. So, he joined the shortest queues just to see what would happen.

He went through several interviews, all ending in failure.

Honestly, it would have been a miracle if he had landed a job. He answered every question with a shake of his head. Once, an interviewer, seeing his cluelessness, asked, “What’s your ideal position?”

Yang Jiekai replied bluntly, “Anything’s fine, as long as there’s not much work, at least three days off a week, and a monthly salary of eighty or a hundred thousand.”

The interviewer then asked about his education and skills.

Yang Jiekai thought for a moment. He couldn’t say his specialty was murder and arson, so he racked his brain and said, “I can cook. My stir-fried chicken with peppers and fish head with chili are amazing.”

The interviewer was speechless, barely resisting the urge to call the mental hospital.

After making the rounds, Yang Jiekai only managed to shock a few interviewers and accomplished nothing. He squatted outside the job market, smoking, feeling dejected.

As a mercenary, people used to seek him out and had to cater to his mood. He’d never suffered such humiliation.

Besides, eighty or a hundred thousand a month was the absolute minimum. Why did everyone look at him like a monster? Wasn’t that normal?

He recalled his days of extravagance—eighty or a hundred thousand was just pocket change for one night. But now…

He sighed deeply. Maybe it was best to go home and be a kept man.

Just as he was about to leave, he sensed someone calling him from behind.

“Sir, please wait,” a woman’s voice.

He turned and saw a woman in a business suit smiling at him.

“Are you calling me?” he asked.

She nodded, extended her hand, and said, “I’m Zhao Yan, HR manager of Donghua Financial Technology Co., Ltd. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Yang Jiekai was momentarily stunned. The woman continued, “Would you be willing to give me three minutes to introduce our company?”

He nodded, still unclear what she wanted.

She then launched into a fluent pitch, dropping terms like international finance, national certification, emerging industries, and so on, making his head spin.

“Wait,” Yang Jiekai interrupted. “What’s the point of all this?”

“I’ve been observing you for a while. I could tell at a glance that you’re no ordinary man but a hidden gem. What you lack isn’t ability, but someone who recognizes your talent!”

“What do you mean?” Yang Jiekai was more confused.

She smiled. “You’re exactly the kind of talent we need. If you’re interested, we welcome you to join our team.”

Yang Jiekai paused, then grinned. “So you’re willing to hire me? Haha, what’s the salary? Honestly, I know my own worth—I’m not asking much. If you give me thirty or fifty thousand a month, I’ll accept.”