Could It Be the Same Bird?

After making the noodles and serving them to everyone, Xiang Kun didn't make his own, saying that Liu Caifu was looking for him and he needed to go over there.

The shop that Liu Caifu sent the message to was quite a distance away, but Xiang Kun didn't drive there. Instead, he hailed a motorcycle taxi on the street.

Sitting on the motorcycle taxi, Xiang Kun recalled the events of that evening when they returned from Chongyun Village and arrived at the "Youlong Restaurant." Before playing "Werewolf," he had told two jokes at the urging and encouragement of the others, and even had You Meng try telling two jokes as well.

In fact, the encouragement and instigation from others were all indirectly guided by him. The experiment of testing the emotional influence of the "Twelve Yellow Men" again at the "Youlong Restaurant" was something he had planned all along.

His aim was to subtly assimilate and influence Lao Xia's emotions by activating the functions of the "Twelve Yellow Men".

To this end, he put in some effort to subtly arrange for Lao Xia to sit in the area where the "Twelve Yellow Men" had the strongest influence.

But while everyone else was influenced by the "Twelve Yellow Men" and laughing at Xiang Kun and You Meng's jokes, Xiang Kun, based on feedback from various senses, saw that Lao Xia's emotions did not fluctuate significantly.

Even though she was smiling, her physiological data, including her heart rate, breathing, and smell, indicated that she was not affected by the emotions of the "Twelve Yellow Men" and did not react to their jokes.

This greatly surprised Xiang Kun. No wonder he had always found it difficult to perceive Lao Xia's emotions or influence Lao Xia's dreams by using the calligraphy he gave Lao Xia, which established an "Emotional Injection" connection.

The "Emotional Injection" item was like a special network device that could send specific messages to a QQ account on a terminal within a certain range—but Xia Libing's "terminal" didn't have QQ installed at all...

Xiang Kun pondered that he needed to find some time in Tongshi Town to personally use "Emotional Assimilation" on Lao Xia.

Influence through items that establish a connection, such as the "Twelve Yellow Men" and "lyrics in calligraphy," is still somewhat limited and its impact may not be strong enough. Xiang Kun's own "Emotional Assimilation" might have a different effect.

The place where Liu Feibao treated them to a late-night snack was a restaurant specializing in deep-sea fish.

Xiang Kun got off the back of the motorcycle taxi at the shop entrance, a tall man came up to greet him.

He had seen this man before; he was the driver who had driven Liu Feibao yesterday afternoon.

However, while he glared angrily at Xiang Kun yesterday, he was quite polite and even somewhat ingratiating today. "Mr. Xiang, Brother Bao, Director Liu, and President Chu are in VIP room number 7. I'll take you there."

Xiang Kun nodded. After arriving here, he had already located their position by relying on Liu Caifu's scent and voice.

They had already overheard their conversation in the private room and knew that there were five people in the room: Liu Feibao, Liu Caifu, the two brothers who had tried to extort money from them that morning, and a man with a kind voice who seemed to be older.

After Xiang Kun was led into the private room by driver Xiao Hou, the five people inside instinctively stood up.

Judging from the sound and other information, Xiang Kun knew that the two young men who had tried to extort money from him that morning had stood up immediately when the driver knocked on the door of the private room. They had obviously been waiting for him and were ready at any moment.

As the door opened, Liu Caifu and Liu Feibao stood up almost simultaneously. The difference was that the former was relaxed, with a smile on his face. After all, they had only parted ways after dinner, and their preliminary discussions on some matters in the afternoon had gone very smoothly. So, seeing Xiang Kun again, he was naturally in a good mood. Although the latter also had a smile on his face, Xiang Kun could clearly sense his tension, a hint of fear, and a little suppressed excitement. Both his expression and posture were somewhat unnatural.

The fifth person in the private room, the Xiang Kun had overheard earlier whose voice was older, was a middle-aged man with thinning hair but a kind face and a rather slender build. He clearly hadn't intended to stand up, but then, with a whoosh, the other four people in the room stood up, and he followed suit, somewhat confused and bewildered, to "greet" Xiang Kun.

Xiang Kun from greeting Liu Caifu and calling him "Brother Fu," Xiang Kun only nodded slightly to the others and did not take the initiative to communicate with them. Instead, he deliberately acted a bit introverted and reserved.

Liu Caifu first introduced the older, thin middle-aged man in the private room. "Brother Xiang, this is Brother Chu Xiuwen. The commercial street where A Meng's 'Youlong Restaurant' is located was developed by his company in cooperation with a company in the provincial capital. In my early years, when my father and I went out to do business, we often received help from Brother Chu."

"Ah Fu is mistaken. Back then, I received more care from his old man," Chu Xiuwen said, exchanging a few polite words with Xiang Kun.

Based on Liu Caifu's attitude, Xiang Kun immediately deduced that Chu Xiuwen was probably the one who mediated between Liu Feibao and Chu Xiuwen. The reason Liu Caifu was here and sent him WeChat about this matter was mainly because of this "Brother Chu".

Xiang Kun speculated that Liu Caifu felt that this "Brother Chu" would be beneficial to his and You Meng's future development in Tongshi Town, so he wanted to take this opportunity to introduce him to him.

What puzzled him, however, was the strange attitude of "Brother Chu." While politeness and friendliness were normal and predictable, there was also a hint of wariness mixed in. This seemed somewhat inappropriate for "Brother Chu's" identity.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chu Xiuwen smiled and pointed to Liu Feibao, who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and had a "good-natured smile" across the table, and said, "Brother Xiang, this fat guy said he had a misunderstanding with you and wanted to apologize to you in person. I know this guy always acts without thinking and easily gets into trouble, so I originally didn't want to get involved with him. But he's shameless and kept pestering me to explain the situation. I found out it really was a misunderstanding, so I'm taking advantage of my relationship with Ah Fu to play peacemaker."

Liu Feibao immediately said, "Yesterday afternoon, my driver wasn't paying attention and rear-ended Mr. Xiang's friend's car. I'm truly sorry. I also said some inappropriate things at the time, and I must apologize to Mr. Xiang here." As he spoke, he picked up a glass filled with wine from the table.

Seeing Chu Xiuwen about to pour beer into his empty glass, Xiang Kun said, "I don't drink."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Kun immediately felt Liu Feibao's fingers tighten around the wine glass, and his breath hitched slightly, not out of anger or rage, but out of tension and fear.

At the same time, Chu Xiuwen was holding a beer bottle, also had a similar physical reaction, though it was not as obvious.

The brother who had been looking anxious ever since Xiang Kun came in also looked ashen-faced.

Clearly, they all felt that Xiang Kun's words meant he was refusing to reconcile.

"I'll have tea," Xiang Kun said, reaching for a teapot on a small table in the adjacent private room where spare bowls and chopsticks were kept. He poured half a cup of tea into his empty cup, then gestured to Liu Feibao, who was holding a glass of wine, and took a symbolic sip.

Xiang Kun sensed that everyone in the private room breathed a sigh of relief, which puzzled him a bit, as this reaction didn't quite match his original cognitive model.

Next, Liu Feibao pointed to the two brothers, one tall and one short, who were still standing, and said to Xiang Kun, "These two lads caused trouble in Chongyun Village this morning, using my name and disturbing Mr. Xiang and Mr. Xiang friends. They're despicable. I was very uneasy after learning about this. We Copperstone are known for our hospitality and warmth. This kind of thing has practically branded me, Liu Feibao, and the people of Tongshi Town as 'evil' and 'ignorant'! This will have a significant negative impact on our Tongshi Town's efforts to attract investment, develop emerging tourism industries, and build local brands. Therefore, I had to bring them here so they could properly apologize to Mr. Xiang. Of course, wrongdoing must be punished. They're here today; you can deal with them however you like."

The short, stocky older brother quickly said, "Mr. Xiang, we brothers were blind and didn't recognize your greatness. We offended you and your friend. Please give us a beating to vent your anger."

The taller younger brother looked at his older brother, then at Liu Feibao, opened his mouth as if to say something, but after a couple of seconds, he couldn't say anything. He just nodded vigorously to show his agreement with his older brother and "Brother Bao".

Xiang Kun stared speechlessly at the three of them, feeling quite puzzled— Liu Feibao's performance was excessive, far exceeding his expectations.

Xiang Kun had already foreseen that Liu Feibao wouldn't dare to provoke him.

It was obvious yesterday afternoon that Liu Feibao cared a lot about Qi Haoguo's attitude. And influenced by the deep illusion created by Xiang Kun, Qi Haoguo would definitely make things difficult for Liu Feibao and prevent him from provoking Xiang Kun and his group.

However, based on the behavioral predictions derived from the temporary cognitive model that Xiang Kun had established for Liu Feibao at the time, even if Liu Feibao was afraid or unwilling to provoke Xiang Kun and his group because of his concern for Qi Haoguo, the most likely choice he would make after learning about the two brothers' "extortion" behavior in Chongyun Village that morning would be to use his influence to force the two brothers to apologize to Xiang Kun, admit their mistakes, and clarify that they had nothing to do with him, which would be considered a solution.

No matter how you look at it, he shouldn't have gone this far.

Xiang Kun could now sense that Liu Feibao's fear or importance towards him was even greater than that towards Qi Haoguo, which was quite strange, since he had never had any direct psychological or conscious influence on Liu Feibao.

Clearly, between last night and noon today, some "variables" occurred in Liu Feibao's case that Xiang Kun could not control.

This is one of the reasons he was willing to come over in the evening. He wanted to see what had affected Liu Feibao's actions, so as to further improve his cognitive model prediction system, know the possible magnitude of prediction deviation when similar "variables" appear in the future, and judge the general direction of the "variable's" influence.

Xiang Kun would never actually beat up those two simple-minded brothers to vent his anger. He felt more helpless and amused than angry or furious towards them.

However, instead of offering a friendly smile and saying things like "It's okay, it's alright, it's all over," he turned to Liu Caifu and asked, "Brother Fu, what do you think?"

Judging from his perception, Liu Caifu seemed inclined to say something. And he knew very well that Liu Caifu would now try to help him consider the issue from his perspective.

"Their behavior was indeed egregious; strictly speaking, they were already on the verge of committing a crime. These two lads are from our village, and by seniority, they should call me Sixth Uncle. So, I have a duty to discipline them. I know that beating, scolding, or apologizing won't do anything for Brother Xiang; it might even cause trouble. So, my suggestion is... didn't we discuss building a livestock farm in the village this afternoon? When it's up and running, let these two brothers work there. Of course, wages, bonuses, and benefits will all be included, but they'll only be paid in a lump sum after working steadily for a full year. Anyway, food and lodging will be provided, so I'm not worried about them not being able to make ends meet," Liu Caifu said slowly, clearly having already considered this issue.

If anyone else had said this, it would basically be interpreted as capitalists thinking about how to exploit workers, finding excuses to deduct and reduce wages at the end of the year, leaving little to no bonuses or benefits, and making it hard to say how much basic salary would be left. But Xiang Kun was certain that Liu Caifu's suggestion was genuinely intended to help the two brothers out.

Xiang Kun then said, "Brother Fu's meaning is my meaning."

"Shouldn't we quickly thank Brother Fu and Brother Kun?" Liu Feibao immediately said to the two brothers.

Although Liu Caifu's words about having to work in the village for a year sounded like a miserable ordeal, in front of the three local bigwigs— Liu Feibao, Chu Xiuwen, and Liu Caifu— and the mysterious bald-headed bespectacled man, the two of them truly dared not say "no."

After setting a date to visit Liu Caifu in Chongyun Village after the New Year, the two brothers left the restaurant first.

As they mounted their motorcycle at the roadside parking spot, Liu Gaoshang, the younger brother, glanced back in the direction of the restaurant and muttered under his breath, "Brother, who is that bald guy? Even 'Brother Bao' doesn't seem to dare offend him?"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" Liu Zhengyi, the older brother, said irritably. "Damn it, this time we've really messed up! Luckily, 'Brother Fu' still remembers our village ties, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten away so easily this time."

Although in the village, according to seniority, they should Liu Caifu "Sixth Uncle," but Liu Caifu is actually not that old, not even forty yet, so they usually call him "Brother Fu" in private.

"Brother, are we really going to work for 'Brother Fu' after the New Year? And in the village no less?" Liu Gaoshang looked miserable. "What kind of farm was it again? A pig farm? We're not going to raise pigs, are we?"

The two brothers were originally working as apprentices in a repair shop, but they found it too tiring and hard, and the pay was low, with no future prospects. So they started driving motorcycle taxis, delivering food, and reselling counterfeit electronics. They thought they could finally get on Liu Feibao's good side, but they never expected to almost get themselves into trouble.

Liu Feibao started his motorcycle, but didn't leave immediately. After thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go! Whether it's raising pigs, chickens, or ducks, we'll go!"

Sitting behind him, Liu Gaoshang looked utterly desperate and cried out, "Really? Brother, why don't we go to Jianzhou City, or even the provincial capital? There are definitely more opportunities in big cities than in this little place!"

"It's not that easy," Liu Zhengyi shook his head. "This might be a blessing in disguise. According to 'Brother Fu,' it seems that Mr. Xiang has a stake in that farm. If we go there to work, we'll be working for Mr. Xiang. Xiang. I've told you before, in this day and age, it's too difficult for people like us to make a name for ourselves. We have to follow capable people and be mentored by them to have a chance to succeed. Since Mr. Xiang is valued so much by Liu Feibao, President Chu, and Brother Fu, he must be someone important."

Liu Gaoshang, standing behind him, couldn't hear any of that. His mind was filled with the smell of pig manure and the crowing of chickens he might have to endure in the future. If he had known that life would be so difficult now, and that even finding a powerful patron was so dangerous, he would have gritted his teeth, studied hard, and worked hard to get a diploma.

While Liu Zhengyi and his brother were discussing whether to work at Liu Caifu's farm next year, the remaining four people in the restaurant's private room continued their conversation.

Liu Feibao cautiously probed Xiang Kun's true background and the purpose of bringing Zhang Qian, Liu Chuang, and others to Tongshi Town. Therefore, when he heard Liu Caifu wanting to allocate a piece of land in Chongyun Village to build a breeding base, he immediately showed great interest. He had clearly heard Liu Caifu say that Xiang Kun had discussed the breeding base plan with him that afternoon; that seemed to be Xiang Kun to Tongshi Town and Chongyun Village.

As for Xiang Kun, he kept observing Liu Feibao, analyzing his words and various physiological reactions to deduce the reasons for his current attitude.

Xiang Kun didn't talk much, still appearing to be someone who wasn't good at or liked socializing. He could sense that Liu Feibao was much more eager than him; Liu Feibao would speak up about many topics and information on his own without Xiang Kun having to ask or guide him.

Sure enough, Liu Feibao suddenly said to Xiang Kun, "By the way, Mr. Xiang, the person I was in the car with yesterday was Mr. Qi from Haoguo Group. I have some business dealings with him. We drank quite a bit at noon yesterday and were both a little drunk, so after rear-ending your car, I said some inappropriate things and disturbed your friend. I'm truly sorry. When I had dinner with Mr. Qi last night, he kept saying 'I shouldn't have,' and if I have the chance to see you, I must apologize properly."

Xiang Kun immediately realized that most of what he said was a lie. He certainly wouldn't feel sorry, and Qi Haoguo certainly wouldn't say anything like an apology.

The purpose of saying this was clearly to test the relationship Xiang Kun and Qi Haoguo. In other words, Qi Haoguo did not reveal much to him. Liu Feibao did not know what President Qi's fear was, but he could guess that the root of the fear lay with Xiang Kun.

Xiang Kun carefully analyzed Liu Feibao's attitude towards him and concluded that Liu Feibao must have guessed about his identity and background, which led to his sense of awe.

Clearly, besides Qi Haoguo's influence, there were other "variables" that led him to this attitude.

However, Xiang Kun couldn't immediately determine what this "variable" was based on the information Liu Feibao had provided. In his view, it shouldn't be too difficult for Liu Feibao to check his information. His resume was quite clear and simple, so there shouldn't be any misunderstandings. He really didn't know what Liu Feibao had imagined based on his attitude.

Consequently, even Chu Xiuwen, the Chu Xiuwen, and Liu Caifu were somewhat affected by his peculiar attitude, and developed a strange sense of awe towards Xiang Kun.

However, this feeling wasn't a bad thing for Xiang Kun, so he didn't want to change their perception.

Just as Xiang Kun checked the time and was about to head back, a topic brought up by Chu Xiuwen immediately caught his attention.

"Brother Xiang, I heard from Ah Fu that you were originally planning to go to Wushu Mountain Scenic Area today?"

"Yes, but then I heard from a friend that something happened at the scenic area today, so it's temporarily closed. I just went to Chongyun Village to bother Brother Fu. I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow or the day after to go to the scenic area," Xiang Kun said. "I heard from my friend last night that someone fell off a cliff at the scenic area?"

Liu Feibao interjected, "I heard that a group of tourists were attacked by several huge eagles. In their panicked escape, two of them accidentally fell off a cliff."

Chu Xiuwen shook his head and said, "I heard from the staff of the scenic area that there was another situation. First, some smaller birds attacked tourists on the mountain road, and some tourists even fell off the cliff. Then a very huge eagle came over and dispersed these small birds."

A giant eagle?

Upon hearing this key element he mentioned, Xiang Kun immediately recalled the large bird he had seen in the distance from the plane on his way there.

Could it be the same bird?

I haven't been entirely satisfied with the last few chapters, so I've been rewriting and re-editing many sections, perhaps getting a bit stuck in a rut. When designing the outline and detailed structure, the plot seemed fine, flowing smoothly, but as I wrote it, it felt a little off. Was it not quite right? Was it too verbose? Would readers find it interesting? Ultimately, it comes down to my lack of skill. Just a couple of complaints, back to writing. By the way, I recommend a slice-of-life drama, <My Story Is a Long One>, it's really engaging.