Chapter 205: The Bottomless Abyss
Being a kindergarten teacher really is a great identity.
I sold off her granddaughter, and she still felt the need to apologize to me.
Yeah, you really should apologize to me—why did your family have to have a granddaughter?
That lost me a lot of money.
Besides... this isn't my fault either.
If you weren't so poor, I would have treated you very well.
"Ma'am, you don't need to apologize to her." Chen Ting pulled the old woman aside and said, "I'll take you to see the police. You can tell them anything."
She shot me a meaningful glance. "Say whatever's on your mind. We'll catch the bad guys sooner or later."
They turned and walked into the police station. I didn't have the patience for that.
I went back home, lay down on my bed, and counted the money.
Three thousand yuan—neither too much nor too little. Time to buy myself some serum and eye cream.
I've been getting too angry lately. I need to take good care of myself.
I scrolled through my phone, planning to find a few more targets in my spare time. I searched online for the most profitable industries in today's society.
A new term caught my eye.
"Psychological counselor."
The internet said psychological counselors make a lot of money. Top-tier counselors could charge several thousand yuan per hour for a session.
I quickly came up with an idea. I found a psychological counseling office nearby and scoped out the young, promising male counselor there. I added his contact info and started chatting him up.
Psychological counselors really are professionals at talking to people. Chatting with him felt so comfortable.
I told him I'd been criticized by many people for not taking good care of a child. He warmly invited me, saying he could give me a free consultation.
Why would he be so kind?
Because he saw those revealing photos on my Moments.
But that was exactly what I wanted.
Three days later, in the evening, when I was making plans to meet the psychological counselor the next day, I was startled by a sudden, urgent knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
*Bang bang bang!*
"Who?"
I kept asking, but no one answered from outside. I started to panic.
*Bang bang bang!*
"Knock again and I'm calling the police!"
"Call the police my ass, it's me!" Brother Qu's low voice came through. "Open the door!"
My whole body stiffened, and I couldn't help but feel afraid.
What did he want?
Didn't he know the police were looking for him?
After thinking for a few seconds, I slowly opened the door.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Let's talk inside."
Without another word, he pushed the door open and walked straight into the room.
"Brother Qu..." I said, a little angry now. "Do you know how dangerous this is right now? If you want to get caught, fine, but I don't. That girl—"
Before I could finish, Brother Qu tossed an envelope over to me.
I opened it and saw two stacks of bills—about twenty thousand yuan.
"Xiao Ran, I found a good buyer. People in his village have money, and there's a big demand for kids. Are you interested in doing one more job?"
I couldn't believe it. This time I was getting over twenty thousand yuan.
"One more job...?" I hesitated. "Brother Qu, do you know what kind of situation we're in right now?"
"Last one." He lit a cigarette and said to me, "I'll give you fifty thousand this time. After that, we're square."
I wanted to refuse firmly, but the words "fifty thousand yuan" were just too tempting.
"Brother Qu, sixty thousand," I said. "This time I'll pick you a smart little boy. I guarantee the buyer will love him."
"Don't push it. This money has to be split among a lot of people. If I give you sixty thousand, I won't be able to explain it." Brother Qu flicked his ash onto the floor, his eyes ice cold. "Fifty thousand. Take it or leave it?"
I looked at his expression, swallowed slightly, and said, "Sixty thousand. Not a penny less."
"You fucking bitch..." Brother Qu gritted his teeth. "You wanna die?"
I forced a smile. "Brother Qu, the police are desperate for evidence right now. You don't want me to report you, do you?"
"We're in this together," Brother Qu said darkly. "If you report me, do you think you'll get off?"
"I was coerced." I laughed. "I can't fight you, so I had no choice but to follow your orders."
"You..." Brother Qu stared at me, thinking for a moment, then said, "Fine. Sixty thousand it is."
"This time, I want the money in hand when I hand over the kid," I said.
"What the hell, you only think about the good stuff?" Brother Qu snorted. "We have to sell the goods first before we get paid. How can I just give you money when we meet?"
"That's not my problem," I shook my head. "I'm only responsible for bringing the kid out. Once I hand the child over to you, my job is done."
Brother Qu stubbed out his cigarette, shifted his bulky body to stand up, then reached out and lifted my shirt.
"Xiao Ran, being this clever is going to get you killed someday," he said.
I didn't hesitate. I just took off my shirt.
"Brother Qu, a beautiful woman is dangerous poison." I slowly grabbed his pants. "You've been hooked for a long time, haven't you?"
"Hmph."
...
The next day, Brother Qu left again before dawn, and I went to the kindergarten as usual.
I'd made up my mind. Once this deal was done, I was leaving this place.
Anywhere was fine. I'd take my eighty thousand yuan, fix myself up nicely, and find some new big fish.
Now that I had capital, I could start moving in more upscale circles.
When it was almost time to pick up the kids, I offered again to take a child home. This time, I chose Chen Moran as my target.
This kid was easy to handle. I heard his mother had something growing in her brain and was in the hospital getting ready for surgery. His father was so busy he didn't have time to look after the child.
Chen Ting refused me very sternly. She insisted I was connected to the traffickers, so there was no way she was letting any child go with me.
"Chen Ting, think about it..." I said with a fake smile. "Even if I were really in league with the traffickers, how could I possibly commit crimes in such a short time, one after another?"
She thought for a moment, then said, "Still no. Call Chen Moran's parents and tell them to come pick him up."
"Fine, fine..."
I was so clever.
I'd already anticipated this situation.
I opened my phone's contacts, found the number for "Chen Moran's Dad," waved it in front of Chen Ting, and dialed.
Brother Qu answered.
"Is this Chen Moran's father?" I asked.
There was a pause on the other end, then, "What's up?"
"I'm sorry, could you please come pick up your child when school lets out?" I asked with a smile. "I'll be waiting for you at the gate."
"I got it," Brother Qu replied in a low voice.
"Give me the phone," Chen Ting said.
I shook my head and handed the phone over.
"Hello," Chen Ting said, taking the phone. "Are you Chen Moran's father?"
"Yeah."
"Please make sure you come pick up Chen Moran on time. There have been sightings of traffickers near the kindergarten." Chen Ting continued, "Also, please take down this number. It belongs to the police officer handling the trafficking case connected to our kindergarten. If you can't come, call the officer, and he'll be responsible for sending the child home."
Chen Ting gave the person on the other end a phone number.
"Okay, I understand."
After hanging up, Chen Ting turned to me again and said, "Xiao Ran, I'll have the police keep an eye on the school's surveillance cameras. If you dare take that child away, I won't let you off."
"Don't worry, don't worry." I nodded with a smile. "I told you, I have nothing to do with those traffickers."
I was about to shake off Brother Qu, so how could I be in league with him?
When school let out, I held Chen Moran's hand and stood at the school gate, quietly waiting.
I'd already told Brother Qu: when he snatched the child, he just had to throw the money to me. I wouldn't be suspected.
But I felt the atmosphere around the school was a bit strange today. It seemed like a lot of people were watching me.
Were they jealous?
I fixed my gaze on the three tall pagodas of the Chongsheng Temple in the distance and made a devout wish.
I prayed that Buddha would bless this poor woman, bless me with eternal wealth.
After finishing this job today, I'd go see that psychological counselor in the evening. It was going to be a profitable day.