Arrangement 2

"Boss, the interrogation isn't over yet. We're still comparing and compiling the results." A somewhat cool female voice came through the phone.

This was Pela, a psychological interrogation expert Wang Yiyang had specifically reassigned to the task.

She had been cold by nature and also suffered from hypoalgesia. Ever since she was a child, she'd been interested in all kinds of torture methods.

Simply put, Pela was a born sadist.

The more others suffered, the happier she was.

So whenever anyone in the department ran into a tough nut to crack, they'd ask her to step in.

"Any leads? I want to know why Mantis is targeting Yuekong Martial Arts Hall," Wang Yiyang said gravely.

His phone used the most advanced bone-conduction technology available. As long as he could hear something, the vibrations could clearly reproduce it and transmit it to the person on the other end.

So Wang Yiyang could talk easily without raising his voice.

Pela paused. The sound of papers being shuffled came from the other end.

About ten seconds later—

"During the interrogation just now, two people answered that question.

"Apparently, Yuekong Martial Arts Hall hides a secret technique that can break through the limits of the human body. The hall's master, Wang Xinlong, is an example of someone who successfully broke through those limits.

"So Mantis wants to keep the secret technique to itself. That's why it came up with a series of plans targeting Yuekong Martial Arts Hall."

"Breaking through the limits of the human body? A secret technique?" Wang Yiyang furrowed his brows.

"According to their answers, the greatest value of this secret technique is how widely it can be used. As long as someone's physical condition meets the requirements, they can learn it successfully," Pela replied coolly.

"What about Zhong Can? What role does he play in all this?" Wang Yiyang continued.

"We haven't gotten a clear answer yet. Not many people know about Zhong Can, but I'm quite interested in that secret technique now," Pela said blandly.

"I understand how appealing a secret technique can be to martial artists. But... surely that's not enough to make an assassination organization like Mantis go to such lengths?" Wang Yiyang asked.

"I'm not sure. But perhaps we'll have an answer once the interrogations are complete."

"All right. I'll wait for your reply." Wang Yiyang hung up and put down his phone.

He let out a breath and was about to call a cab when—

"Brother Wang?" A voice filled with pleasant surprise came from his right.

Wang Yiyang looked toward it and saw An Yuxi, Xia Ying, and two young men rounding the corner from the bar street.

They seemed to be out for a stroll too.

"What a coincidence, An Yuxi, Xia Ying." Wang Yiyang smiled and raised a hand in greeting.

She was a little pleasantly surprised to run into him.

After getting to know Xia Ying, she'd finally managed to get into one of Xia Ying's little social circles.

Originally, Xia Ying had planned to go out for a drink and a stroll with one of her childhood friends that day. When An Yuxi found out, she'd tried a few little tricks and seized on Xia Ying's polite offer to tag along.

While they were drinking, one of Xia Ying's two childhood friends—the one with dyed-red hair, Zhou Chengyan—seemed interested in her, but his words and gestures were a little too forward.

It had left An Yuxi feeling rather awkward.

After finally leaving the bar, she happened to see Wang Yiyang out by himself.

She immediately thought of a way to deal with Zhou Chengyan.

"Brother Wang, are you alone, or are you waiting for someone?" she asked in a very familiar tone.

Wang Yiyang was a little confused. They weren't that close, were they?

Still, they had been colleagues, and she was a beauty, so he answered casually.

"Just out for a walk by myself."

"We're out for a walk too. Why don't we go together? Is that okay, Sister Xia Ying?" An Yuxi turned to look at Xia Ying.

Xia Ying was speechless. She'd seen through An Yuxi's intentions when she kept trying to get into her social circle.

Since they were colleagues, she hadn't wanted to say anything. But she hadn't expected her childhood friend Zhou Chengyan to take an instant liking to An Yuxi.

She'd already been a little unhappy about it. Now An Yuxi was inviting Wang Yiyang to join them without asking anyone else first, which annoyed her even more.

But no matter how she felt, she still had to be polite in front of everyone.

"Come along, Brother Yang. You treated us to a meal before, so this is a good chance for us to return the favor." Xia Ying was straightforward by nature. Though she was unhappy with An Yuxi, that had nothing to do with Wang Yiyang.

So her invitation was entirely sincere.

Wang Yiyang was about to refuse when he noticed An Yuxi pleadingly blinking hard at him.

"Sure... I guess. I hope I'm not imposing," he replied hesitantly.

And so, one person became five.

The group headed into the food street. Zhou Chengyan and Xia Ying led the way, and after a few familiar turns, they soon arrived at a late-night barbecue restaurant.

From the outside, it looked completely unremarkable, like any ordinary street-side eatery.

But once they stepped inside—

The barbecue tables were separated by wooden partitions.

At the center of each round black table was an oval, brown metal grill.

Square metal exhaust hoods hung from the ceiling, each positioned directly above a grill.

There weren't many customers, but they were all neatly and elegantly dressed, and they seemed to be spending quite a bit.

There were hardly any obvious light sources on the walls, either.

All the light fixtures were hidden in corners where children couldn't reach them, to keep the lights from dazzling anyone or getting too hot to touch.

As the five entered, two young women in black uniforms came to greet them.

"Welcome. Do you have a reservation?"

"We booked a private room," Zhou Chengyan said with a smile, stepping forward.

His hair was dyed red, but even someone like Wang Yiyang, who wasn't good at judging price or quality, could tell at a glance that his pale-silver T-shirt and gray trousers were expensive.

On top of that, Zhou Chengyan was rather handsome, with fair, smooth skin and the air of a pretty-boy type.

The smiles on the two servers' faces immediately softened.

"May I have your phone number and name, please?"

"My surname is Zhou. The last four digits of my number are 4432."

"All right, I've found it. Please follow me."

The server led the five of them farther inside and soon brought them to a brown private room.

One wall had an imaginative decoration: a life-size model of a red motorcycle.

The opposite wall featured a huge virtual fish tank, with brightly colored fish swimming back and forth in vivid light.

A silver-white ball lamp, like a sea urchin, hung from the ceiling.

Directly beneath it stood a large round barbecue table.

The five entered the private room and took their seats.

Zhou Chengyan picked up the menu, quickly ordered a bunch of food, then passed it to the others.

They'd just eaten, so none of them had much of an appetite.

Zhou Chengyan ordered some meat skewers, and the other man who'd come with him added some vegetables.

"That's not nearly enough. Here, ladies first." Zhou Chengyan smiled and handed the menu to An Yuxi.

An Yuxi took it and looked at the prices. Even the cheapest item cost over a hundred. The slightly more expensive ones were three or four hundred.

She was astonished. No wonder rich people lived like this. A casual barbecue dinner here would probably cost several thousand.

With only her own income, she could never have afforded a place like this.

One careless meal here could eat up more than half a month's salary.

An Yuxi did want to try the food, but she had to consider the image she was trying to maintain.

So she put on a gentle smile.

"We've just finished drinking. Why don't we start with something light to settle our stomachs and take a break?"

"Sure," Zhou Chengyan said with a nod.

After they finished ordering, the drinks arrived first, followed by a few snacks.

After they'd eaten a little, the other man who'd come with Zhou Chengyan happened to sit beside Wang Yiyang.

"Care for a drink?" The man was dressed in an unremarkable style and always wore a modest smile. He was a little chubby, giving off a mild-mannered air.

He poured a glass of the newly arrived iced wine for himself and Wang Yiyang, then picked his glass up and raised it toward him.

Wang Yiyang had no desire to drink. He was still waiting to hear the results of Pela's interrogation, and drinking now would only get in the way.

But since the other man had already raised his glass, he couldn't very well refuse. He lifted his own glass politely and barely touched the wine to his lips.

"Hey, come on, man. That's no way to drink! What kind of man only takes a sip? Come on, come on. It's not every day we run into each other on the street. That's fate, isn't it? Let's finish a glass!"

The man raised his glass and drained it in one go.

Wang Yiyang had no choice. Since the other man was being so generous, he played along and drank half his glass in one go.

As soon as he put his glass down, the man turned around, refilled his own glass, and went over to the others.

"Zhao Wei, take it easy." Xia Ying frowned and gave him a subtle nudge.

But Zhao Wei acted as if he hadn't heard her.

He lowered his head and chuckled.

"Sister Ying, you know me. I'm just happy today. We're all having a drink together. What's the problem?"

He went over to toast Zhou Chengyan. Neither of them said a word; they simply drained their glasses.

Then he turned to An Yuxi.

Since everyone else was drinking, An Yuxi couldn't very well say anything. She'd already had a little earlier, but one or two more glasses wouldn't be a problem.

In the end, even Xia Ying was forced to drink two glasses with him.

They ate, drank, and chatted casually about what they'd been up to lately. The atmosphere in the private room gradually grew lively.

Zhao Wei seemed to be going through some romantic troubles, so Xia Ying and Zhou Chengyan were humoring him.

He also had a high tolerance for alcohol. After several rounds, he still wasn't even red in the face.

But An Yuxi was starting to feel overwhelmed. The alcohol was strong, and she hadn't eaten much of the barbecue. Before long, her face was as red as a ripe apple, and she sat slumped against the sofa without saying a word.

After another round, Zhao Wei soon came over to An Yuxi.

But this time, she was afraid she'd get into trouble if she drank too much, so she kept waving her hands to show she really couldn't drink anymore.

At first, Zhao Wei had tried to persuade her politely. But when she still refused, his expression gradually darkened.

"Just one more glass. You're An Yuxi, right? Have one more for my sake. Everyone's watching. Come on, just one last glass."

An Yuxi refused no matter what, and Zhao Wei immediately took offense. He poured two more glasses and picked them up.

An Yuxi was already clearly tipsy, her head swimming. She kept waving her hands.

"I really can't drink anymore, Brother Zhao. I have a terrible tolerance. I don't want to hold everyone up. You can have it yourself..."

"What, you think you're too good for me? Everyone here has been drinking. What, are you more precious than the rest of us? Are we worth less?"

Zhao Wei seemed to have lost his temper, too. He stood there holding his glass, glaring at An Yuxi with narrowed eyes.