Hidden moth

Chapter 4 Appearance
Because his father Zhou Du was mentioned in this conversation, He Kao learned another version of his father's death. Although he was not sure whether it was true or not, his intuition told him that what the two people said was very likely true.

Who else would specifically mention the past of an ordinary person who had died long ago, long forgotten by the world, and whom we had never met before? If you were talking nonsense, you would usually just make up a person at random, and you wouldn't be so accurate and specific.

He Kao always thought that his father died of illness. He was only five years old that year and many of his memories were vague.

No one, including relatives and neighbors, told He Kao that his father was involved in a crime. If Zhou Du died in the detention center, it was indeed due to illness, and he had not been convicted.

According to the analysis of the conversation content in the recording, Zhou Du inexplicably appeared in the bank safe deposit box warehouse. He did not steal anything. Perhaps he was taken away by the police before he could do anything.

The police didn't fully investigate how Zhou Du ended up in custody, or what his purpose was. He subsequently died in custody, and his case was never tried or convicted. So the case went unresolved, which must have been a real headache for the police.

Zhou Du's surname was Zhou, and He Kao's surname was He? That's another story...

"You look so bad, are you sick?" Someone patted his shoulder, waking him from his thoughts. When he looked up, he saw his colleague Huang Xiaopang.

He Kao: "Nothing, I just got distracted."

Huang Xiaopang: "Your voice sounds very weak, are you tired? Did you masturbate too much last night?" Then he lowered his voice and said, "I'm telling you, be careful these two days and stay away from President E.

She's in a bad mood, maybe menopause is coming back, so stay out of her way. She doesn't dare pick on me, but you're easy to bully, and I might force you to do some dirty work."

Gao Xue'e was only 32, so she wasn't really in menopause. But "Boss E's menopause" was a running joke in the office, which had occurred before He Kao joined the company, and was first started by Huang Xiaopang.

Once, Gao Xue'e was picking on people during a regular work meeting and her emotions got a little out of control. Huang Xiaopang retorted, "Boss E, your temper is totally unjustified!"

Gao Xue'e replied: "I have this temper, I have been like this since I was a child!"

Huang Xiaopang asked again: "Have you been in menopause since childhood?"

This sentence almost drove Gao Xue'e crazy. She threw her chair and ran to the HR department and then to her superiors, insisting that Huang Xiaopang be fired. Of course, she was unsuccessful and was even criticized by her superiors.

The division leader's words were also quite infuriating: "Huang Si is an indispensable business backbone. How to make good use of his role and conduct effective and good communication reflects your leadership ability."

Gao Xue'e didn't throw the table at the boss and just held back. Huang Xiaopang seemed to enjoy the feeling of "you don't like me, but you can't get rid of me." He would definitely confront him if he had to.

He Kao and Huang Xiaopang had known each other for a long time. They were neighbors and classmates from elementary school to high school, and later went to different universities. They were both locals and had lived in Puhu Village in Jiangbei as children.

Puhu Village was later renamed Pugang Town, and today Pugang Town is included in the jurisdiction of JB District of Qiyuan City.

The urban area of Qiyuan City has been on the south bank of the river since ancient times. It was only in recent decades that with the expansion of urban construction, it developed northward across the river. The incidental result was that He Kao and Huang Xiaopang both became citizens from villagers.

After graduating from college, Huang Xiaopang did not go on to graduate school. He went straight to work and went to the game department of Tengxin Group. He was transferred back to Qiyuan City a year ago and joined the cloud life project team.

Xiaopang's full name is Huang Si. His family has taken good care of He Kao since he was a child. When he got to work, Xiaopang was very conscious of protecting He Kao, and even often jokingly called himself He Kao's "godfather".

In the company, project manager Gao Xue'e usually dislikes Huang Xiaopang the most, but she doesn't dare to provoke Huang Xiaopang. Instead, Huang Xiaopang often provokes her.

Gao Xue'e's favorite subordinate seemed to be He Kao. At least in everyone's eyes, He Kao was the one that Gao Xue'e valued the most. But in Xiaopang's opinion, He Kao was implicated by Gao Xue'e, as Gao Xue'e pushed all the dirty work onto He Kao.

Gao Xue'e, however, believed that she was training and promoting He Kao, and even privately reminded He Kao not to hang out with people like Huang Si, as this would affect his growth and future.

It's just the simplest triangular interpersonal relationship, but it's so complicated and subtle. He Kao could only smile bitterly.

Looking up at the office, He Kao wondered again, "Where are the people? It's so strange today. They left so early?"

It was just 5:30, and my colleagues had already packed up and left. Even if the project team wasn't working overtime, many of them would still stay in the office, often even grabbing dinner in the cafeteria.

The office has free computers, internet, air conditioning, water and electricity. There is also a self-service cafeteria downstairs. Dinner is free for overtime workers, and although you have to pay for it yourself if you don't work overtime, it is cleaner and more affordable than working outside.

Rather than rushing back home during rush hour, it's better to linger in the office for a while, catching up on work or personal matters. Most single employees, unless they're busy dating, are generally in no rush to leave. Even married employees deliberately leave late, claiming they're working overtime.

It is indeed rare to see people leaving in such an orderly manner at the appointed time like today.

Xiaopang frowned: "I think something is wrong with you!"

He Kao: "What can I do?"

Xiaopang: "There's a welcome dinner today. President E has booked three tables at Songyue Building. The whole department is going to eat and drink for free. It was just announced publicly!"

He Kao wondered, "A welcome dinner, are there new employees joining the company?"

Xiaopang: "What were you doing just now? Were you sleepwalking? President E brought the new employees over to introduce them to everyone, and then greeted everyone one by one, including you. I saw you nodded!"

He Kao pointed to his headphones and said, "I was listening to something. I really didn't pay attention and didn't hear it."

After listening to Xiaopang's retelling, He Kao learned that around five o'clock in the afternoon, Gao Xue'e brought someone into the large open space and introduced everyone as a new employee of the department named Qian Guran, who was a doctoral student majoring in urban and rural planning at the School of Architecture of Chunhua University.

He Kao was so absorbed in listening to the recording at the time that he sat at his workstation completely unaware. Qian Guran walked around and greeted everyone one by one. When he came to He Kao, He Kao nodded.

It seems that this was his subconscious reaction, and there was no impression of it in his memory!

Huang Xiaopang: "You're too dedicated to your work. Let's go get some drinks after get off work."

He Kao took off his headphones and shook his head, saying, "I won't go today. Please say hello to President E for me."

Huang Xiaopang: "Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"

He Kao: "I'm just in a bad mood and don't want to go!"

Huang Xiaopang: "You guys, you're a little weird today."

He Kao's reaction was indeed unusual. In Huang Xiaopang's impression, he had always been smart, well-behaved, sensible and obedient, and in the eyes of his neighbors, he was the typical "other people's child."

At work, unlike Huang Xiaopang who would argue with his boss for no reason, He Kao was very considerate of other people's emotions, and reading their expressions was almost an instinct ingrained in him.

He Kao wasn't the type to get along with everyone easily; he even had a slight social anxiety problem. However, he was very sensitive and mindful of his words and actions, accustomed to avoiding conflict and not upsetting others. Gao Xue'e had a habit of organizing a team-building welcome event for every new employee. Even when she was busy, she would take time out to go out for dinner, and the places she chose were always high-end.

Gao Xue'e was quite assertive with her subordinates, and generally wouldn't allow them to miss these gatherings, not even under the pretext of working overtime. He Kao had never missed such an event since joining the company.

Huang Xiaopang had no objection to this because he was greedy and would always shamelessly order a few of the dishes he wanted to eat the most. After all, he was spending the department's activity funds.

He Kao actually didn't want to go today. Although Huang Xiaopang felt strange, he didn't try to persuade him. Instead, he patted his shoulder and said, "If you don't want to go, then don't go. I'll tell him that you're not feeling well today.

But don't forget to ask for leave from Ms. E, send her a WeChat message, or something, so she doesn't come back to complain about you."

He Kao certainly wasn't going to the dinner party today. He hadn't finished listening to the recording yet, and he didn't have the heart to think about anything else. He imported the processed audio file back into his phone and returned to his apartment to continue listening.

It was in the apartment that he heard the name and address of the second person who reported the case. He was surprised again. It was Gao Xue'e.

Xiaopang had just mentioned that Gao Xue'e was in a bad mood today, and He Kao realized the reason. Ms. E had just encountered something strange last night, so it would be strange if she could remain calm.

Hearing Gao Xue'e's name, it seemed as if he was reminded of something. He pressed the pause button and then sent a message to President E, saying that he was not feeling well today and could not attend the dinner.

Ms. E quickly replied to the message, criticizing him for asking for leave earlier if he felt unwell, instead of waiting until everyone was present.

He Kao continued to reply, "Boss E, I'm so sorry, I'm really not feeling well today!" After thinking for a moment, he added, "Today's department dinner was a last-minute announcement. I didn't know about it beforehand, so I couldn't ask for leave in advance."

The leader was clearly unhappy, but he didn't show his usual uneasiness. Instead, he retorted in a neither soft nor harsh manner, which seemed different from usual.

This may be because he was in a bad mood, but the bigger reason was probably that he had just heard a "secret" from Gao Xue'e, and when he faced this person again, he inexplicably had a psychological advantage.

This mentality was strange, even irrational, but it was just so subtle. Then He Kao continued to listen to the recording, and after a while Gao Xue'e sent another message -

"I'm saying that next time you feel unwell, you should ask for leave sooner! Are you feeling better now? If you're still feeling unwell, it's best to go to the hospital."

Of course, He Kao did not go to the hospital. After listening to the recording, he started from the beginning and listened to the 90-minute conversation again carefully.

While listening, he pressed the pause button from time to time, took out paper and pen to record a lot of content. After listening to the whole thing for the second time, he took the three pieces of paper filled with words to the bathroom and burned them.

Then he opened his laptop, found a hidden folder deep in the directory hierarchy, saved the audio file there, gave it a nondescript name, and mixed it in with a bunch of messy and indistinguishable, daily generated system files.

Such a file package is what programmers commonly call a "shit mountain", and then he completely deleted the original files in the mobile phone.

At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door. He Kao was startled. He stood up and opened the door. He saw Huang Xiaopang and a smiling man standing outside.

He Kao: "Why are you here?"

Fatty Huang squeezed in through the door and said, "I came to see if you were still breathing. It seems you're still alive!"

The man at the door explained, "Boss E heard you weren't feeling well, so she asked us to stop by and see if we could help. I happen to live in this apartment building, on the same floor as you. What a coincidence!"

Seeing He Kao's hesitant expression, the man quickly added: "My last name is Qian Guran, a new colleague. I just met him this afternoon."

He Kao also stretched out his hand: "Oh, yes, yes, please come in."

This new colleague looked to be in his thirties, of medium build, with a very gentle appearance, temperament, and manners. It was obvious that he was not a recent graduate, but had probably jumped ship from another company.

Fatty Huang had already sat down beside the bed. He sniffed and asked, "What's that smell? Are the noodles burnt?"

Qian Guran sat on the computer chair, and He Kao sat on the newly bought square stool. Qian Guran smiled and said, "This doesn't look like a burnt pot, it looks like something burned."

He Kao: "Last month, during a departmental team building, we passed by a temple and asked for a Taoist talisman. The monk said that burning it would ward off evil spirits. I just found it while packing up, and I burned it in the bathroom."

He made up this lie very smoothly and told it very naturally, so it wasn't entirely a lie. Last month, a new colleague joined the company, and President E took advantage of the weekend to organize a day trip to an ancient town in the suburbs.

There was a recently restored old temple there, and while visiting, a monk tricked me into asking for a talisman. There were talismans with numbers of ninety-nine, one hundred and ninety-nine, three hundred and ninety-nine, six hundred and ninety-nine, and nine hundred and ninety-nine, each with its own meaning.

Gao Xue'e prayed for the number nine hundred and ninety-nine, and her colleagues joined in the fun and prayed for one each.

In fact, when the monk tricked everyone into offering free incense, He Kao felt that he was being cheated. However, since his colleagues had all come in together and the atmosphere was already set, he didn't want to turn around and leave, ruining everyone's mood, so he had no choice but to choose the cheapest route.

Last week, he found a talisman in his computer desk drawer and, remembering what the monk had said, burned it in the bathroom, adhering to the principle of not wasting anything. So he said it was indeed true, but he had just changed the time to tonight.

His motive for burning three pieces of paper just now was simple: he didn't want anyone to know what happened today. He immediately changed the subject and said, "Aren't we having a dinner party today? Why are you back so early?"

Huang Xiaopang blushed: "Early? It's not like I'm having a big drink with a client. It's already past ten o'clock!"

At departmental gatherings, people are not forced to drink; they drink whatever they want. He Kao knew at a glance that Huang Xiaopang was drinking white wine today. He only drank a few ounces, but he always liked to take a few sips, unlike some of his colleagues who were so reserved and always said they couldn't drink.

He Kao: "Did President E ask you to come over?"

Huang Xiaopang: "She just said that casually. Lao Qian happens to live across from you, so I came over with him to visit."

Qian Guran: "The whole department is here today, except for you. I happened to hear that you live here too, so Xiaopang and I came over to introduce ourselves... Boss E asked Xiaopang to come over and take a look, as she's back at the company to work overtime again."

Upon hearing this, He Kao felt a bit of admiration for Gao Xue'e. She must have been tossing and turning all night because of what happened yesterday. Today, she came to work as usual and even arranged a department dinner. After the meal, she went back to work overtime. She is really hardworking.

They chatted for a while, mainly because Qian Guran wanted to know about the new company. Huang Xiaopang was a little excited after drinking, so he started talking a lot.

Qian Guran also heard that He Kao and Huang Xiaopang were neighbors and actually worked in the same department of the same company. He was very curious about this and asked a few more questions.

When the two said goodbye, He Kao saw them out and even went to the apartment rented by Qian Guran across the street to take a look. Then Huang Xiaopang took the elevator downstairs, and when Qian Guran entered the house, he turned around and said hello to He Kao.

He Kao also waved his hand and said see you later, but the moment he closed the door, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

**
(End of this chapter)