A Real Person

What was going on? Why had she suddenly bowed so deeply?

And Dane and Judy, standing nearby, had barely reacted, as though they didn't think there was anything unusual about it.

Chaoyang glanced sideways at Judy. She subtly looked away.

What was she feeling guilty about?

Wait. An idea suddenly struck Chaoyang. He silently activated Lingxi Vision and looked at Jenny again.

A striking white light was slowly emanating from Jenny!

This was... a wish!

But on closer inspection, it was different from the ownerless Wish Force he'd encountered before. Most of those lights had been a pale grayish white, while this one was closer to milky white, rich and clear. Its end no longer dispersed like smoke, but had a distinct boundary. That meant this wish wasn't a prayer offered to no one in particular...

It was owned Wish Force!

Jenny was making a wish to him!

Chaoyang was stunned by the realization. To outsiders, he was just an obscure, middle-aged detective. Even if he had some abilities, they were nothing beyond the ordinary. There was no reason for anyone to trust him so much.

Of course, he'd encountered more than one or two strange things since coming to this world. For instance, under Lingxi Vision, the two thin strands of Wish Force above Dane and Judy's heads still provided him with Wish Force intermittently—about three or four points a day—even though there was no contract between them.

Oh well. Since he could gain Wish Force, he had no reason to refuse it. Although Jenny hadn't shown much Wish Force, given its unique form, Chaoyang decided he'd have to "trouble" Zhang Zhiyuan again.

"The person you mentioned is no longer with us."

Jenny froze. "You mean..."

"Exactly what you think." Chaoyang sighed sorrowfully. Before she could react, he continued, "But Zhang Zhiyuan had a brother named Zhang Qiang. He also received medical teachings from that friend of mine."

"Zhang... Zhang Qiang?"

"Zhang Qiang," Chaoyang corrected the nun's pronunciation. "If Zhang Zhiyuan could help you, I believe Zhang Qiang can too."

"Please let me meet him!" Jenny said without hesitation.

"Sure. I'll get in touch with him. But before that, we need to sign a contract."

After drafting the terms in his mind, Chaoyang turned them into a scroll of paper and unrolled it in front of the nun.

The contract would be considered fulfilled once Jenny met "Zhang Qiang" and received the teachings on medical principles.

"No problem."

She read the contract carefully, then pressed her fingerprint onto it.

"Then the contract is sealed." Chaoyang didn't want to delay. The sooner he got a fresh body, the sooner he could expand the Paradise game. He stood up and said goodbye to the three of them. "We'll meet here again next round... No, once I've contacted him."

After Chaoyang left, Judy patted the nun on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Mr. Chao won't let you down. Whatever he agrees to, he'll find a way to make it happen."

"Even if he's willing to help, it'll ultimately depend on whether that person's friend is willing to share what he knows." Jenny shook her head. "You don't understand how important these medical secrets are. I've never heard anywhere else that boiling water can suppress a curse. That means it isn't common knowledge."

"Maybe it could fetch a lot of money, but that's not what Paradise needs. I believe the people willing to follow Mr. Chao have also come for the Paradise in their hearts."

"You... trust him that much?"

Judy nodded. "Because we've seen it with our own eyes."

She'd seen a group of people fight head-on against the North City Police Station to rescue a stranger. Even when outnumbered ten to one and trapped in a burning building, they hadn't backed down. She'd seen them storm Wangshui Manor in pursuit of the justice they believed in, even though Kuiqi's bodyguards had it surrounded on all sides.

They weren't just brave. They also had the means to back it up.

With people like them, it was only a matter of time before the Lord of Paradise's light reached everyone's heart.

"Then I'll look forward to it."

"Don't forget our agreement, either," Judy said with a smile.

"Mm... If he really can fulfill our heart's true wishes like you say, then I'm willing to believe in his Lord, too," Jenny said.

Jiangcheng, Yuebai Hotel.

With a soft ding, the elevator stopped on the twenty-second floor.

As soon as Zhang Zhiyuan stepped out of the elevator, he heard the melodious strains of a violin. Following the music down the corridor, he came to an elegantly decorated restaurant. A waiter at the entrance held out a hand to stop him and apologized quietly. "I'm sorry, sir. This is a private club. You need an invitation to enter."

"I'm a friend of Zhou Zhi's," he said impatiently.

The waiter hurriedly checked the guest list. "So you're a friend of Mr. Zhou. Please come in." He opened the glass door and gestured for Zhang Zhiyuan to enter.

Zhang Zhiyuan didn't even look at him as he strode into the restaurant. He knew that the people who came here were all influential figures in Jiangcheng, and that they made reservations privately. So as long as he could name a few regulars, he'd face no trouble getting in.

The main hall wasn't crowded. Alongside it were semi-open booths, much like private rooms. Zhang Zhiyuan soon found the person he'd come to see in one of them.

There were about seven or eight people gathered inside, most of them young, beautiful women. A pile of opened liquor bottles sat on the table. Everyone was drinking and carrying on, and the atmosphere was lively.

Zhang Zhiyuan walked straight into the booth and clapped his hands in front of the table.

His sudden entrance left everyone stunned.

Zhang Zhiyuan's outfit looked completely out of place among the young people in the room. He wore a burgundy suit, pointed leather boots, and a pair of oversized sunglasses perched on his nose. He looked like a debt collector from the underworld.

Zhou Zhi, the host of the gathering, frowned. "Hey, who the fuck are you?"

Seeing that Zhou Zhi didn't recognize him, two other men reacted as well. One jumped off the sofa and stepped in front of Zhang Zhiyuan. Another glared at him and raised his voice. "Are you deaf? He asked you a question!"

Zhang Zhiyuan calmly took off his sunglasses and made a finger-gun gesture at Zhou Zhi. "You should keep the gun steadier when you draw it, instead of firing twice and letting the muzzle jump way up."

"Are you crazy? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Drag him out—"

"Everyone shut up!" Zhou Zhi's eyes widened as he sprang to his feet. "Zhang... bro?"

"Didn't you say we should meet up sometime? I came to Jiangcheng to see you," Zhang Zhiyuan said with a smile.

"Damn, I didn't think you'd actually do it! Hahahaha..." He hurriedly pushed through the crowd and slung an arm around Zhang Zhiyuan's shoulder. "Everyone, let me introduce you. This is my new friend, Brother Zhang!"

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

Zhou Zhi couldn't be bothered with their reactions. He led Zhang Zhiyuan back to the sofa. "Bro, order whatever you want to eat or drink tonight. It's all on me!"

"Is that so?" Zhang Zhiyuan grinned without a trace of restraint. "Then I won't hold back."

Four hours later.

The two returned to the VIP suite, both drunk. Zhou Zhi flopped onto the sofa and said contentedly, "Honestly, I haven't had this much fun in ages."

"Really? You seemed to have plenty of friends..." Zhang Zhiyuan kicked off his shoes and sat down beside the sofa. "Just now, you were practically the center of attention."

"Forget them. You know what those people are after," Zhou Zhi said dismissively. "It's a shame they'll never know there's a place like Paradise in this world. Bro, do you know... Ever since I got back, I've wanted to talk to someone about Paradise every day. It's been driving me crazy, but I haven't said a word. Can you guess why?"

"If they haven't experienced it themselves, no one will believe you."

"Exactly! No one will believe me!" He suddenly sat up and leaned toward Zhang Zhiyuan, a strange emotion flickering in his eyes. "I knew you'd understand, because you've seen Paradise too. Bro, I have this feeling that Paradise divides people into two kinds: those who've been there and those who haven't. People like us... we're no longer the same species as those frogs at the bottom of a well!"