Zhang Yu immediately stood up and said with a genial smile, "If you have something to do, little brother Li Yang, you can leave first. Once the live combat exercise is over, I'll return to Beijing right away. I'll have someone deliver your new documents to you then."
Meng Tian also smiled. "Li Yang, you passed. That's a great joy for our squad. We have to celebrate properly tonight. Remember, the usual place—Fuxin Restaurant!" This was customary. Whenever someone passed, the other brothers would celebrate for them that night.
Tian Lin said mysteriously, "Heh heh, Li Yang, what's so urgent? Are you in such a hurry to find yourself a wife?"
Everyone, including Meng Tian and Zhang Yu, smiled with knowing expressions.
That was perfectly normal. Although Security Bureau Group 9 did not permit its members to reveal their identities or get married, love could not be stopped. Quite a few people still dated girls over the phone in private. Of course, they concealed their true identities, and Security Bureau Group 9 turned a blind eye to it as long as the members did not expose themselves.
Once members passed their assessments, the thing they wanted to do most was meet the girls they liked.
"Heh heh... I'm going to buy a diamond ring!" Li Yang said, somewhat embarrassed, but he still said it.
The moment Tian Lin heard that, his eyes widened. "Ah, kid, you're moving way too fast! You're already buying a diamond ring? Ah, you idiot, do you even know what kind of diamond ring to buy? Do you know where to find good diamond rings?"
Li Yang was instantly dumbfounded. He had never bought a diamond ring before and did not know the first thing about them.
"Heh heh, Li Yang, you'll have to ask me about this!" Tian Lin said smugly. To be fair, although this playboy was no good at much else, when it came to diamond jewelry, he was absolutely number one among them.
"Captain, you know my strength. Even if I take part in the live combat exercise, I definitely won't pass, so I'm forfeiting!" Tian Lin immediately turned to Meng Tian and said.
Meng Tian said nothing, merely smiling and nodding. With Tian Lin's strength, and judging by his training intensity, it would take him at least another ten years before he could possibly enter Security Bureau Group 11. There was nothing wrong with forfeiting.
"Let's go, brother. I'll take you to buy a diamond ring!" The enthusiastic Tian Lin grabbed Li Yang and headed outside, as if he himself were the one buying a diamond ring today.
Inside the garage.
"Li Yang, you idiot, drive your Mercedes-Benz MB320! What day is it today? You're still planning to drive that Volkswagen issued by the state?" Tian Lin flew into a rage when he saw Li Yang walking toward the Volkswagen.
Li Yang froze, then turned back and smiled at Tian Lin. "You're right. I'm proposing to Xue today, so I should at least look the part. Oh, Tian Lin, go into my bedroom and bring me the suit in the blue box at the very back of my wardrobe. I've never worn that outfit since my younger brother gave it to me. From what he said, it seems to be pretty good." Li Yang smiled.
Li Yang had a younger brother named Li Shuo. Their mother was a strong businesswoman, while as for their father, they had never seen him. Their mother ran a large company, but for some unknown reason, when the brothers were sixteen, she sold the company, left one hundred million yuan for each of her two sons, donated all the rest, and retired into seclusion in a mountain village.
Like Li Yang, his younger brother Li Shuo deeply loved his country. However, he chose a different path. Li Yang joined the military, while Li Shuo entered the underworld—and the organization he joined was Hong Bang, one of the world's five major criminal syndicates!
After a while, Tian Lin returned.
"Damn, Li Yang, there's even a signature on this box. It was personally designed and handmade by Italy's Master Clement! My god, this isn't something money alone can get you! Who is Master Clement? He can't even be bothered to receive those domestic so-called super-rich people." Tian Lin cried out, staring at Li Yang in utter shock.
Li Yang smiled faintly and did not take it to heart. His younger brother was said to be doing quite well in Hong Bang. He was now the last disciple of the current Grand Elder of Hong Bang and had full responsibility for Hong Bang's Beijing operations. With Hong Bang's enormous influence, getting hold of a suit would surely be easy. Li Yang even suspected that someone else had given the suit to Li Shuo, and that fellow had simply passed it on to him.
After changing clothes, Li Yang took the lead in asking Tian Lin, "How does this outfit look? Still, I think it feels quite comfortable to wear." Li Yang now had a little more faith in that Italian master.
Tian Lin stared at him in shock, then swallowed against his dry throat. "Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once. Master Clement really lives up to his reputation! The skills of the master who drives so many wealthy people mad truly aren't just for show. Li Yang, with this Mercedes-Benz MB320 and that outfit, who could refuse if you went to propose? 555~~~ Being with you makes me, Tian Lin, feel inferior. Li Yang, I'm not going with you this time. It hurts my self-esteem too much."
"You're still joking with me at a time like this? Get in the car and come with me!" Li Yang laughed as he scolded him, pulling Tian Lin into the car before the two drove away.
Half an hour later, Li Yang and Tian Lin drove to the Jinbolai Jewelry Store, which Tian Lin had enthusiastically recommended.
One of the salesgirls in the jewelry store had a keen eye. The instant she saw Li Yang's suit, her eyes lit up, and she immediately approached them warmly. "Sir, what would you like to buy?"
Li Yang smiled. "A diamond ring. What good diamond rings do you have here?"
Tian Lin knew Li Yang's financial situation, so he immediately said to the salesgirl, "Bring out your most expensive diamond rings for us to see."
The salesgirl's eyes immediately lit up. Jewelry salesgirls earned commissions, after all. What they hoped for most was to encounter a truly wealthy customer, since that meant a bigger commission for them. The salesgirl quickly walked to the counter, picked up the phone, and said, "Manager, there are two guests here who would like to see the diamond rings in the inner room." She then turned back with a beaming smile. "Sirs, please come with me. The precious diamond rings in our store are kept in the inner room."
Led by the salesgirl, Li Yang arrived at a corridor. The salesgirl stopped there. Two security guards stood on either side of the corridor, and then a young man emerged from within. The moment he saw Li Yang's suit, the smile on his face became even more brilliant.
"My surname is Wang. I'm the manager of this jewelry store. Since you gentlemen are here to buy diamond rings, please follow me into this room." Manager Wang smiled. The salesgirl then left, as this corridor was not a place she was allowed to enter.
Under Manager Wang's guidance, Li Yang and Tian Lin entered a room.
"There are three diamond rings here. Each costs more than one million. Sir, please take a careful look." The manager took out three boxes, opened all three, and placed them before Li Yang and Tian Lin. When Tian Lin saw the prices, his eyes widened, but once he thought of Li Yang's wealth, he relaxed.
Li Yang looked at the three diamond rings. Suddenly, his gaze focused completely on the diamond ring in the center.
The manager's eyes immediately lit up, and the smile on his face grew even brighter. The diamond ring in the center was the most precious one.
"This Butterfly-shaped diamond ring is the treasure of our store. The diamond is also a Yellow diamond, rarely seen on the market. There are another thirty-two tiny diamonds on the butterfly's wings. It weighs approximately 15.58 carats and costs 6.88 million yuan. If you wish to buy it, our store can offer you a ten percent discount." Manager Wang spoke very smoothly. He had practiced those words many times.
Li Yang fell in love with it the moment he saw the butterfly shape. When he had been hospitalized, he had learned that Jiang Xue also liked butterflies. Li Yang immediately decided to buy this one. As for money, Li Yang had never cared about it.
"This one!" Li Yang straightforwardly took out his credit card.
Tian Lin stared in amazement at the Butterfly-shaped diamond ring before him. This ring cost more than six million yuan, yet Li Yang did not even blink, as though he did not care in the slightest.
"Sir, please keep these safe!" Manager Wang handed both the credit card and diamond ring to Li Yang. "Sir, this is our store's VIP Gold Card. We hope you will visit again."
Li Yang casually accepted the VIP Gold Card. He then ignored Manager Wang, turned around, and left the jewelry store with Wang Lin.
"Wang Lin, um... you'll have to take a taxi back. Heh heh, don't look like that. When I get married, I'll definitely treat you to a proper drink. But for the proposal, you'd better not watch!"
"Loves women, not friends!" Tian Lin muttered as he watched Li Yang drive away.
Li Yang drove to Jiang Xue's residence. He had been there once before.
"Isn't that Jiang Xue's father?" Li Yang spotted Jiang Xue's father playing Chinese chess by the roadside at a glance. When he had brought Jiang Xue home last time, Li Yang had met her father. Ah, to be precise, his future father-in-law. Seeing his future father-in-law made Li Yang somewhat excited.
Li Yang closed his eyes slightly and drew a stream of spiritual energy from heaven and earth into his body. As his true energy circulated, his state of mind finally calmed. Confidence welled up within him, and Li Yang pushed open the car door and stepped out!
.
Before you continue