44 Chapter 44 (Two in One)
◎ Staff uniforms are funeral clothes?! ◎
Bai Lu warned: "Since we can't identify the artifact, there's no need to confirm it. The shop owner will definitely use the artifact when she dies. Watch her and record her every move. If her artifact control is strong, you and [Funeral Clothes] will have to fight two-on-one. Once she dies, search the shop and bring back all the artifacts. You'll have a share of the credit."
"No problem. With the help of the Investigation Bureau, maybe we can not only get her strange artifact, but also the [burial clothes] back to us."
Zheng Xin agreed immediately and almost laughed out loud.
After repeated confirmation, Bai Lu promised that it would be arranged today.
Seeing hope just ahead, Zheng Xin slept much more soundly.
It was already early morning when Zheng Xin opened his eyes. He walked to the kitchen in a daze and subconsciously picked up a rag to wipe the chair where he had slept.
After wiping it twice, Zheng Xin suddenly came to his senses. He angrily threw the rag to the ground and stepped on it twice, as if it was Ye Ping'an.
What is he doing?
Habits are terrible. Today is the day Ye Ping'an dies. What a shitty job he's done!
The sound of a truck braking was heard outside the door, and Zheng Xin shuddered.
When the delivery truck arrived in the morning, Ye Ping'an was about to wake up.
Over the past few days, Zheng Xin has proven one thing: if you do your work half-heartedly, you'll be the one to suffer. Just like not washing and peeling potatoes properly, you'll end up with mashed potatoes with the skins on.
There was obviously no difference before and after wiping, but Ye Ping'an was able to picky enough to tell whether it had been wiped or not.
If she came downstairs and found that he hadn't finished wiping...
Zheng Xin quickly picked up the rag, changed to a clean one and continued to wipe the chair.
After receiving the goods, Zheng Xin’s busy day has just begun.
"The delivery from the Xile Hotel is at the door."
Zheng Xin was so busy washing and picking vegetables that he was dizzy. When he heard a sound outside the door, he was immediately delighted.
"Here they come." Ye Ping'an put a batch of chicken legs into the oven, wiped his hands, and walked out of the kitchen.
Zheng Xin's hand movements unconsciously slowed down. He turned his head and stared gloomily at Ye Ping'an's back. He was relieved when he saw her pick up the express delivery.
Ye Ping'an came back with the express delivery, touched a pair of scissors to cut the bag, and glared at him, "Why are you looking at something instead of working properly? You've been cutting the dough for three days and it's still so slow. At this rate, are you going to eat before opening?"
"I'll be right there." Zheng Xin swallowed his anger and stared at the bag in her hand out of the corner of his eye.
There was a small mark on the courier bag, and Zheng Xin felt relieved:
It was the [Funeral Cloth], that's right. His mission was finally complete.
Wait, wait, your shroud has arrived, and your death is coming!
Zheng Xin angrily removed the chicken bones with the same force as if he were cutting leaves and breaking bones, and his speed increased sharply.
Ye Ping'an nodded in satisfaction, "That's right. Work hard, and I'll pay you monthly... cough, I'll be rich!"
Zheng Xin: …
She must have been thinking, "Pay," right? Paying to work and then being oppressed, do you really think people are being wronged?!
...Damn it, he has been wronged for three days.
Zheng Xin forced a smile and feigned indifference, directing his attention back to the delivery. "Hey, boss. Is this the new clothes you bought?"
As a ghost controller, he was so careless all day long that he didn't even realize he had caught a ghost.
You deserve to be taken away by the [Funeral Clothes]!
"You really care about the boss."
Ye Ping'an urged with a smile, "Keep removing the bones, don't stop. Since you came, the restaurant's food preparation has increased, and so has its sales. Your efforts will help the Xile Restaurant grow bigger and stronger, and you will soon achieve financial freedom."
Zheng Xin's face was distorted with anger.
This capitalist doesn't even want to act anymore.
Financial freedom? Endure hardships, and your boss drives a Land Rover. Work hard to earn your boss’s financial freedom, right?
If it weren't for the intention to kill Ye Ping'an, who would want a boss like this!
Zheng Xin agreed reluctantly, and finally managed to get Ye Ping'an to continue opening the package.
Ye Ping'an opened the package, revealing a new Chinese-style short jacket.
The surface of the short jacket is black, embroidered with messy dark patterns, which is exquisite but exudes a gloomy feeling.
Zheng Xin had already moved away with the basin and was hiding against the wall.
The [Mortuary Clothes] are about to be revived. Taking out the Trickster alone can already lure and confuse prey into wearing it. Everything is ready!
Ye Pingan casually glanced at the ominous dress, frowned, and twisted the fabric with his fingers in disgust, "This..."
Zheng Xin's heart was in her throat.
Seeing that he was about to succeed, why did Ye Pingan stop and not put it on directly? Did the temptation fail?
Ye Ping'an curled his lips. "This material... why does it feel so cold? And it has a damp, foul smell. I ordered white. Did they send the wrong item, or are they using their best-kept secrets to rip me off? Shouldn't they give me a refund and a new one?"
Zheng Xin almost laughed out loud.
He had said that Ye Ping'an could not resist the temptation of the monster that was about to revive. It turned out that he was just being stingy.
Zheng Xin urged, "Boss, try it on quickly. If it doesn't fit, make them pay for it."
"You're right." Ye Pingan patted his shoulder and handed him the bag. "Xiao Zheng, here are the new employee uniforms. Try them on."
Zheng Xin: Staff uniforms???
Why are you not stingy when you should be stingy?
Before Zheng Xin could be happy, bad news came.
"Boss... I... I wear it?!" The professional fake smile on Zheng Xin's face froze, his brain froze, he wanted to curse but couldn't say anything.
Ye Ping'an waved his hand and stuffed the bag into his arms. "You have new clothes, aren't you happy? Since you care about the boss so much, of course the boss will be generous to you. Don't be polite, change them quickly, and you can always exchange them if the size doesn't fit."
"Ah!" Zheng Xin loosened his grip and the bag fell to the ground.
He nearly jumped up, his back pressed against the wall, his head tilted back, not wanting to get close to the contents of the bag at all.
The rotten smell of the [burial clothes] in the bag drifted forward. The thin skin of the monster stuck to his face was approached by another monster. The skin seemed to have grown roots and drilled into his flesh, wriggling slowly and restlessly.
Ye Pingan picked up the bag on the ground and stuffed it into his arms. "Look at you, you're so clumsy that you can't even hold things. You can't return or exchange it if it gets dusty! What, you think it doesn't look good? If you don't have white hair, you can wear a dark color. It will make you look more mature!"
"No, no need, right?" Zheng Xin's voice trembled as he quickly dodged.
This isn't just clothing, it's a death warrant! Calm down, calm down, you have to put it back.
Ye Ping'an was suspicious. "Our Xile Hotel is a harmonious and happy family. Why are you looking so sad? Don't you like it?"
Zheng Xin couldn't laugh at all.
He tried to force out a smile that was uglier than crying and tried to decline politely, "This dress looks too expensive. I'm new here, and it's not suitable for me to wear. You should keep it..."
Ye Pingan urged without question, "This is a benefit that I, the boss, 'carefully selected'. Just take it. Go and try it quickly, the kitchen is still busy!"
The [burial clothes] were about to hit his face, and Zheng Xin couldn't understand why Ye Ping'an hadn't been tempted by the [burial clothes] even though he had delayed time.
Zheng Xin suddenly had an idea. "Thank you, boss. The work isn't finished yet, I'll put it away first..."
As long as I can get by, I'll put it away and give it to her someday! Put it on now, and if these two monsters fight, even if I survive, I'll be skinned alive!
Ye Pingan was speechless. "If I don't try it now, how can I change it if the size doesn't fit?"
Zheng Xin couldn't avoid it. His hands were shaking like a sieve, and he shivered as he avoided the part about the burial clothes. He bravely went to take the bag, "I, I'll take it to the bathroom to change?"
I can probably just ask my boss to send me a similar piece of clothing at short notice, right?
"Stop dithering. It's just a coat. You don't need to take off all your clothes to try it on. Just try it here."
Ye Pingan became impatient, shook out the clothes, and put them on his head, "Come on, let me help you put them on!"
Zheng Xin dodged in panic, but couldn't escape the clothes that covered him, and his vision went dark in an instant.
The cloth covering the head suddenly shrank inward, like a water-soaked shroud, cold and slippery, sticking tightly to the skin.
An invisible cold aura enveloped him, and faint shrill wails and funeral suona sounds came to his ears.
[Funeral clothes], once put on, it is time for burial.
"No--!" Extreme fear overwhelmed his reason. Zheng Xin let out a distorted scream and jumped up on the spot like a scalded monkey.
He was now thankful that the [Funeral Clothes] was only E-level. He hadn't put on the clothes completely yet, and he still had a chance to escape by controlling the strange creature.
Zheng Xin frantically tore at the collar of the [burial garment] he had just put on with his hands. The skin on his face covered by the cloth felt stinging, like a human skin mask being peeled off, revealing the scarlet and ugly flesh underneath.
"Hey hey hey! What are you doing?" Ye Ping'an looked at this sudden "monkey show" in confusion.
Zheng Xin was seen jumping up and down, with half of his head stuck in his collar and his face turning blue.
Ye Ping'an suddenly realized, "The collar is too small and it's strangling your neck? Why didn't you tell me earlier? I'll cut it open for you!"
Ye Ping'an picked up the boning scissors that Zheng Xin threw into the basin.
The bright blade gleamed coldly under the overhead light, still stained with blood. Ye Pingan wore a serious smile, looking like a demon king who killed without blinking an eye.
"No! Don't come over here!"
Zheng Xin finally pulled half of his head out, but when he saw her coming, he was instantly scared to death.
Ye Pingan held the scissors and made a clicking sound. "You really don't want to help?"
"No need!" Zheng Xin said firmly.
The last time I “helped”, the [burial clothes] were put on.
If he asks her to help again, he will probably die at her hands before being killed by the monster!
Zheng Xin couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Could it be that Ye Ping'an's stinginess and thick-skinnedness were just superficial, and she already knew what he was going to do?
Then we can’t let her help!
"You are such a fool," Ye Pingan rolled his eyes in dissatisfaction. "Then you put it on yourself. The kitchen is big enough, but don't jump around. You'll be in trouble if you knock things over."
"You've been dragging your feet for so long, these chicken legs haven't been oiled yet." Ye Ping'an picked up the basin and started to deal with the chicken legs after deboning them, turning a deaf ear to Zheng Xin's painful gasps behind him.
Zheng Xin avoided her like the plague and forced a smile.
Facing the instinctively distorted "mask" of the [Funeral Clothes], a smile appeared on his face, and driven by people, he tried to break free from the constraints of the cloth.
The "mask" sucked the blood and vitality from the flesh in big gulps. Zheng Xin didn't care about keeping the [Peach Blossom Face] to save his life, and focused on driving the monster.
——The two strange creatures clashed directly. Not to mention whether he wanted to save his life or not, [Peach Blossom Human Face] and [Funeral Clothes] themselves would not stop devouring and being devoured!
Dancing, tearing and biting.
Holding on to the [Funeral Clothes] created by the [Peach Blossom Face], Zheng Xin relaxed for a moment and fell headfirst, in an extremely awkward position, as if to pull out his head from the collar of the clothes that was already wriggling like a living thing.
“Hu…Hu…”
Zheng Xin slumped on the ground, gasping for breath, half of his face was blood red, and his face was extremely pale.
He threw the black short coat far away, leaving it in a heap on the ground. Despite being torn by the struggle and clashing with the [Peach Blossom Face], the seemingly thin fabric remained intact.
The shadows on the short coat, which should have been empty, fluttered, as if an invisible body was about to grow out of it. Faint cries penetrated Zheng Xin's ears, who had just been captured.
It is indeed recovering.
Zheng Xin looked at the clothes on the ground, his eyes filled with fear of surviving a disaster.
Fortunately... Fortunately, he had a strange object, fortunately, he did not completely put on the [Funeral Clothes], fortunately, the [Funeral Clothes] had not yet completely revived!
Zheng Xin looked at Ye Ping'an's back fiercely.
It's all her fault! After all the hard work, Ye Ping'an didn't figure out anything, and he almost died here!
No matter if she was really too thick-skinned to notice anything strange, or if she was deliberately trying to trick him...she must die!
Zheng Xin moved towards the back kitchen door. When he broke free, he deliberately threw the [burial clothes] to Ye Ping'an's feet.
As long as she stepped into the [burial garment], she would be "wearing" part of it. She forced him to wear it, and now it was her turn!
"Huh? What are you doing?"
Ye Ping'an heard the sound of the door curtain and turned around to see Zheng Xin sitting on the ground with his face covered and moving towards the outside.
Ye Pingan looked disgusted and walked over to pull him, "Are you lazy again? Your body is too weak. You are so tired that you have to sit on the ground just to put on clothes. You need to exercise more often, young man!"
As I took a step, I kicked something under my feet.
Zheng Xin's eyes lit up. She stepped in!
Swish——
Ye Ping'an moved his foot, and the black short coat that had just been so tough that it could not be torn apart became like a piece of soaked paper. With a pull, a long cut was torn from the place where he kicked it.
The faint wailing sound suddenly stopped, and the black air in the expanding shadow seemed like a balloon that had been punctured, and most of it dissipated in an instant.
Zheng Xin: ???
Zheng Xin stared blankly at the [burial clothes] under her feet which had suddenly changed.
Could it be that he misjudged the creature that Ye Ping'an was controlling?
"..." Ye Pingan picked up the torn "employee uniform" on the ground, his face falling, "It's torn before I even put any effort on it. What a waste of money!"
Ye Pingan cursed as he balled up the torn clothes and stuffed them back into the courier bag. "I knew cheap things weren't good. Clothes from second-hand garbage stations are unreliable! I have to give you my money back!"
2. Second-hand garbage???
Zheng Xin's pupils trembled.
Are you kidding me? Buying employee uniforms is bad enough, but you're so stingy you're buying secondhand junk?!
Even if they don't bring [burial clothes] with them, there is a high probability that they will encounter something strange!
No? Why is her thinking so strange!
She discovered a strange object, yet she treated it as an ordinary thing. She was definitely a strange beast, but what strange beast would want to return a strange object?
"Why are you looking at me?" Ye Ping'an said confidently, "We need to cultivate relationships with the cooking staff from the beginning. Employee uniforms are just for wearing. But the quality of these clothes is too low..."
Ye Pingan felt bad about the money and glared at Zheng Xin, "Do you still want me to ask you to get up and work?"
Zheng Xin's brain is still crashing.
Ye Pingan frowned, "What's wrong with your face?"
After a closer look, Ye Pingan gasped, "Wow, not only is the quality poor, but the fabric also gives me rashes!"
The new employee was ugly enough already, and now half of his face was covered with rashes as if he had been burned. He was completely unsightly.
Ye Ping'an was furious. "If it's fake, I'll pay three times! And I have to make that profiteer pay me back!"
Ye Ping'an opened his phone and started typing away, communicating with the online store merchant. Just after he typed a few words, a prompt popped up on the screen.
[Oops! The current store is closed. If you need to contact us, please contact the platform customer service.]
Ye Pingan:?
Black-hearted merchant! They ran away so fast!
Knock knock.
The reserve investigator who was on duty nearby heard faint screams from inside the store and hurried over to confirm, "Boss Ye, are you busy?"
Ye Ping'an's eyes rolled, and he strode forward, opened the door, and grabbed Yao Qing's hand, pulling him inside. "The police officer had lunch early today. You've come just in time. I discovered something strange. Look, these unscrupulous merchants have caused my employees so much trouble!"
Yao Qing:?
When he heard the word "police officer", Zheng Xin shuddered.
He had long noticed that Ye Ping'an was calling the investigator "officer" to conceal his identity. He had just narrowly escaped death, and Ye Ping'an was already bringing the investigator to arrest him?!
Zheng Xin staggered to his feet, ran out of the kitchen in a panic and ran towards the window.
"Alas, as a small worker, I just care about my reputation." Ye Ping'an shook his head.
An irresistible force came from the back of his neck. Before Zheng Xin could react, he fell back to the ground.
Ye Pingan grabbed him by the collar and said, "You have no sense at all. Why are you running? Let the officer take a look at the situation. Maybe you won't have to pay for the medical expenses yourself!"
Yao Qing frowned: ...If you want to take advantage of me, you don't have to say it so loudly.
Ye Pingan wasn't embarrassed at all. He pointed at Zheng Xin's rotten face and said, "This dress made my employee blush so much that he can't serve food and can only work in the kitchen."
Zheng Xin forced a smile, and the half-rotted mask smiled along with it. [Peach Blossom Face]!
Very beautiful...
Yao Qing was in a daze for a moment and walked towards him unconsciously.
"Did you see clearly?" Ye Ping'an stepped between the two people approaching each other, shaking out the clothes in the bag. "Officer, selling clothes made of this kind of toxic material, if you round it up, it should be considered e-commerce fraud, right?"
Ye Ping'an's calculations were clattering.
Even if you don't get the reward for reporting, with the police involved, it will be much easier to find the e-commerce company that closed its store and ran away and provide compensation.
Yao Qing was stopped for a moment, regained consciousness, and was suddenly startled:
The suspicious guy they were following was truly the Trickster! The faint screams just now were him trying to harm Boss Ye!?
Yao Qing's alert instantly reached full blast. Just as he was about to report for support, he noticed Zheng Xin's expression.
Zheng Xin was caught and couldn't run away. His attempt to control the strange creature was interrupted, and he felt like the sky was falling.
The "charm" of [Peach Blossom Face] can affect many people, but its attack power is weak. It can only target one person when driven, and it takes time to take effect.
Ye Ping'an's inexplicable interruption immediately sobered the investigator, who had been almost bewildered. Not only did he pay a price, he also failed.
"Ahhh!" Zheng Xin's face was twisted and desperate, and he wailed weakly, as if he was the unlucky guy who had suffered a great injustice and torture.
He activated strange creatures one after another, and the vitality that was devoured made him so weak that he seemed like a middle-aged man in an instant, but he was unable to stop the feeling of decay and coldness that crawled out from deep within his body.
Ye Ping'an continued to mutter inconsolably, "Listen! My employees are crying so hard. I think they suddenly closed the store because they're fleeing from their crimes. Officer, this is an even more serious crime. Can you double the compensation? How much compensation can be paid for e-commerce fraud?"
Yao Qing's head was buzzing from what he was saying. Looking at the rag shaking in Ye Ping'an's hand, an incredible idea came to his mind.
She had already guessed most of what had happened.
The True Spirit Society did attack, but it was unsuccessful, and the guy who was lurking as a laborer shot himself in the foot. This...
Could it be the strange creature brought by the true spirit?
Only Boss Ye dares to carry it so casually.
Tsk tsk, why did you mess with her?
Boss Ye probably had her own ideas and didn't seem to plan to let him go, and Yao Qing didn't plan to arrest him by force.
There was no way around it. Boss Ye's unique perception was too strong. She would definitely be unhappy if her handyman was arrested without a valid reason.
Yao Qing reported the news and it was quickly approved.
Seize the strange creature, keep an eye on the guy who sneaked in, and try to follow the clues.
Yao Qing made a tactful request, and Ye Pingan was stunned. "Huh? You really want this rag... ahem, I mean, the evidence is right here!"
Was this report a success? It's so easy to make money from part-time jobs.
Other investigators quickly arrived, bringing boxes to seal the tattered clothes.
Yao Qing followed Ye Ping'an's logic, took out a tube of ointment, and said nonsense to Zheng Xin's half-rotten face, "Your face is probably infected with bacteria. Since you are a victim of second-hand clothes, we will apply some medicine on you. If it doesn't work, come with us to the hospital."
Zheng Xin was shocked and suspicious.
Investigators came, but they seemed to... not discover his identity?
That's right. Among the people present, the only ghost tamer, Ye Ping'an, was a freak. Everyone else's thoughts were distracted by her, so how could they have noticed him?
Tsk, the Investigation Bureau is holding onto so many fragments of gods, they are all a bunch of idiots.
"Thank you, no, no need to trouble you." Zheng Xin covered his face and stood up with difficulty. He watched the [Funeral Clothes] being packed and taken away, and secretly gritted his teeth.
He couldn't leave now. His mission wasn't completed, and if he went back, not only would he not receive compensation, but he'd definitely be blamed for the loss of his burial clothes. He couldn't leave with the investigators; ending up in the Bureau would be a death sentence.
There is a weird boss blocking the way in the store, but there is still a chance to complete the mission!
Ye Ping'an didn't notice his changing eyes. He recorded the shopping records and the content before and after the incident, and his phone vibrated.
[Ding Dong! Received 100,000 yuan!]
The police are becoming more and more efficient!
Ye Ping'an felt much more pleasing to the eye when he looked at Zheng Xin's ugly face.
But no matter how nice it looks, it's still ugly. Leaving it outside really affects the guest experience.
Ye Pingan pushed Zheng Xin into the kitchen and said, "Go, apply the medicine yourself. Put on gloves and then remove the bones. If the meat gets stained with the medicine, you'll be in trouble."
Zheng Xin was in pain and exhausted, and just wanted to rest. After the push, he staggered and nearly hit the counter, passing out.
After hearing Ye Pingan's words, Zheng Xin said: ???
Is he even human?! He's injured like this and still wants to work?!
Looking at the remaining chicken drumsticks in the kitchen basin, I thought about the hunger I felt a few days ago when I was too busy working to eat...
Zheng Xin gave in.
"Okay, boss."
"That's right."
Ye Pingan turned around and greeted the investigator, "The first batch of chicken legs will be ready soon. Would you like some honey-glazed chicken legs?"
The investigators who were busy searching for clues all swallowed their saliva.
Ye Ping'an suggested considerately, "I know you're busy, so I'll pack it for you."
"Eat!" everyone said in unison.
bite!
The oven door opened, and a row of huge chicken legs lay on the iron plate that was taken out.
The honey water brushed on was completely caramelized and turned into a thin layer of sugar shell, which reflected attractive colors under the light, like a layer of bright glass glaze.
The chicken skin is a slightly yellowish amber, sizzling with hot fat beneath. A thick, boneless, marinated chicken is flattened and grilled, its skin encasing a rich, tender meat, its distinct fibers brimming with aroma.
Before they were packed into boxes, the investigator who was standing at the kitchen door couldn't help but ask for one.
One bite is salty, sweet and delicious, and after two or three bites, you can't help but lick the thick sauce off your fingers.
A chorus of frustrated sighs filled the air. "Hey, this should be eaten with rice. I can finish a bowl of Boss Ye's rice on its own, and with the sauce, I can finish three!"
"Go away, the rice isn't even out of the pot yet. I've given it all to you. What are we going to eat?"
The aroma and teasing laughter filled the kitchen. Zheng Xin was so hungry that his eyes were dizzy, but he had to work overtime to continue picking bones. He almost cried.
...How on earth did he end up like this?!
Looking at his eager look, the investigators pretended not to see: He deserves it.
Well, the chicken legs taste even better.
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