Chapter 1261: The Unlucky New Recruit

Huh?

Hurrying back to the first floor, the building manager looked at the thin woman pacing outside the duty room, her face full of hesitation, and asked in confusion:

"Miss Miss Lai La? Shouldn't you be helping out at the Doug Restaurant right now? Why are you back so early?"

"I... I'm sorry..."

Hearing the question from behind, the woman, who looked to be in her late twenties and was wearing a worn velvet dress, stiffened slightly. She turned around, her face full of embarrassment.

"I was just... fired by the boss over there..."

"..."

Fired again?

The building manager was stunned for a moment, then said helplessly:

"Miss Miss Lai La, if I recall correctly, this is the third time you've been fired this week, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry... but I really didn't mean to..."

Facing the kind person who had introduced her to three jobs, only for her to ruin them all, the thin woman with coffee stains all over her clothes lowered her head, explaining with a face full of shame:

"This morning, when I was stewing the borscht, the sour cream ran out. I wanted to go into the storage room to get a new jar, but the moment I turned the doorknob, I saw the head chef and Jenny... the waitress... they were... they were..."

"... doing that?"

"Yes..."

"..."

"And then... my job was gone..."

Under the building manager's strange expression, the woman with delicate features covered her scalded arm and said bitterly:

"Even though I was startled and immediately promised them I hadn't seen anything and wouldn't say a word, this afternoon, when Jenny was serving coffee to a customer, she... she accidentally bumped into me."

"I tried to steady her, but a whole pot of freshly brewed coffee poured right onto the customer's head. The head chef immediately rushed out from the kitchen to scold me, saying that I... that I was clumsy in the kitchen and that ingredients always went missing under my watch. Mr. Doug kicked me out right then and there..."

"Then you..."

"I was framed..."

The thin woman sobbed, her eyes red:

"I really cherish this job. I've been working over ten hours a day for the past two days, basically doing double the work of anyone else. I never stole any ingredients; I only packed up some leftovers that the customers didn't finish, which we had already agreed upon."

"But... but the head chef came out to frame me, and no one else dared to speak up for me. He... he was just taking revenge because I caught him with Jenny. I really didn't steal anything! Please, you have to believe me!"

"Miss Lai La, don't be so upset..."

Looking at the thin woman who was on the verge of a breakdown, the building manager comforted her gently, then said quite helplessly:

"I know what kind of person you are, otherwise I wouldn't have kept introducing you to jobs. But... why do you always run into these kinds of things?"

Recalling the thin woman's experiences over the past two weeks, the building manager said with a strange expression:

"In your last job cooking for the construction crew, you were doing fine, but the waste paper you grabbed to pad the soup pot happened to be the foreman's fake price list;"

"The job before that was as a receptionist at an inn. When you were cleaning a room, you slipped and accidentally bumped into the room next door, just in time to see the boss bribing a city councilor. This time, you caught the head chef and the waitress... You... isn't this all a bit too coincidental?"

"I... I don't know how it happens either..." The thin woman wiped her tears:

"Ever since I was a child, I've always been unlucky. I've always run into things people didn't want known. At home, I caught my stepmother and the neighbor having an affair; at school, I caught the principal taking bribes; even when I was a maid at the Bobby Laien Manor, I caught..."

"In short... I really never meant to, and I never dared to expose anyone. Even when I was bullied and kicked out, I never said a word. I just want to find a job to support myself and my younger brother, but... why does it always... *sob*... why is it so hard to just live a decent life?"

"Sigh..."

Looking at the thin woman who had finally broken down in tears after recounting her string of unlucky experiences, the building manager felt a mix of amusement and heartache.

"Cry it out, you'll feel better."

Taking out her handkerchief, she walked over to the thin woman and treated her scalded arm. She patted the woman's back and comforted her gently:

"These really aren't your fault. Don't worry, I'll think of another way to help you find a job... Trust me, no one stays this unlucky forever."

No, she will likely stay this "unlucky" forever.

Standing in the stairwell on the second floor, having overheard the entire conversation between the building manager and this "Miss Miss Lai La," Li Ang looked at the review form in his hand and fell into deep thought.

【Name: Miss Lai La Roberts】

【Charge: Espionage, Leaking State Secrets】

【Sentence: Arrest, interrogation, and secret execution by hanging】

【File: Suspected high-level spy from another nation. For the past six years, she has appeared at a series of important occasions, resulting in the loss of a large amount of classified documents and evidence.】

【The Secret Investigation Bureau investigated 29 locations, totaling 571 entry/exit personnel lists, and after 19 months of tracking, finally locked onto this deeply hidden spy. In the apartment where she resided, they found a small portion of the missing classified documents and evidence. The list is as follows:】

【The "Secret Price Control Document for Auxiliary Grains" signed privately with the Kingdom of Aolesong, carefully folded and placed under the leg of a wobbly dining table;】

【A fragment of the "Seventeen-Point Joint Defense Agreement" signed with the secret envoy of the Duchy of Hessen, trimmed and disguised as a book cover, placed over a copy of "Children's Storybook";】

【The ceremonial porcelain vase gifted by the former Duke of Bobby Laien to the Kuke family when they formed a secret alliance to oppose the royal family, now chipped and broken, with a cluster of wilted wild lilies placed inside, sitting on the apartment windowsill...】

【Dissent: This file was investigated and verified by Acting Director Senior Amien Hill of the Secret Investigation Bureau, who questioned the espionage charge, reported it as a suspected "Case Type 3," and transferred it to the Police Department's Cleaning Bureau for review.】

【Cleaning Bureau Verification Opinion:...】

"..."

My verification opinion is... the female police officer judged correctly; this person is indeed carrying an anomalous object.

Looking at the long list of classified documents and evidence in the file, and the rather "domesticated" way these items were being handled, Li Ang's face revealed an expression similar to the building manager's.

Under normal circumstances, it is highly unlikely for so many coincidences to occur. Therefore, this Miss Miss Lai La likely possesses an anomalous object that causes her to "stumble upon secrets"—the more people want to keep something hidden, the more likely she is to bump into it.

As for those stolen secret documents...

If he guessed correctly, she was likely living in poverty and, much like himself, had developed a thrifty habit of reusing waste. Plus, she might be illiterate or have limited literacy, which is why she collected such a pile of lethal items.

For instance, that ceremonial porcelain vase from the Bobby Laien family—it was probably broken by another servant who then threw it away, and she, working as a maid, saw it, picked it up, and took it home to use as a flower vase...

【Confirmed as an Anomalous Object Holder】

Spreading the review form on the stair railing and writing down his preliminary judgment with a charcoal pencil, Li Ang frowned and fell into deep thought.

This Miss Miss Lai La definitely has an anomalous object, which fully meets the Bureau's recruitment standards. But the problem now is: is someone like her suitable for the job of a Cleaner?

(End of Chapter)