48. Changes 2

Soon, another plate of meat was brought out.

Wang Yiyang and Su Xiaoxiao picked up the pace again. Compared to Xie Yishu, who was coolly playing on her phone beside them, Wang Yiyang found the younger girl in front of him much more approachable.

He loved to eat, especially spicy food. Just like the other day, when he'd been driving and suddenly craved meat skewers, he'd immediately pulled over and sent his bodyguard out to buy some.

If he heard about something delicious, he was happy to go try it, too.

On top of that, he had a digestive system that made it impossible for him to gain weight. That made him feel an instant kinship with people who loved food as much as he did.

The two of them kept their heads down and ate, chatting casually between bites.

To their surprise, when Su Xiaoxiao talked about her ideals, it turned out they were exactly the same as Wang Yiyang's.

They both wanted a peaceful life without lofty ambitions. As for dreams and aspirations, those were all just empty talk.

Wang Yiyang figured that once the meal was over, they'd go their separate ways, so he chatted along with Su Xiaoxiao.

Su Xiaoxiao could tell her best friend was completely unhappy about the situation. She simply treated Wang Yiyang as an ordinary friend and chatted freely with him.

But what neither of them expected was that Wang Yiyang liked the games Su Xiaoxiao was currently into, too.

She liked sweet and spicy food.

As it happened, Wang Yiyang liked spicy food, too.

She liked anime and listening to music, and Wang Yiyang had liked those things once as well.

They shared the same outlook on life and the same interests. Sitting side by side, they ended up leaving Xie Yishu out and chatting away happily on their own.

At first, Xie Yishu hadn't noticed. But as she kept playing on her phone, she suddenly realized there was nothing for her to do.

She looked at the two of them, speechless.

This didn't feel like she was the one on a blind date. It felt more like the time her best friend had gone to meet up with online friends in person.

She'd gone along with Su Xiaoxiao to meet her gaming friends before.

Back then, it had felt just like this.

No...

It hadn't even been this lively.

By the time she came to her senses, Su Xiaoxiao had already exchanged Feixun accounts with Wang Yiyang.

They agreed to get together for good food whenever they had time.

Su Xiaoxiao had eaten her way through the neighborhood and knew plenty of hidden, little-known places with delicious food.

Because the food at these places was so spicy, only a few people knew about them. They weren't very popular, either.

Usually, no one was willing to go with her. But now, she'd finally found a comrade.

An hour later.

Xie Yishu dragged Su Xiaoxiao, who still didn't want to leave, out of the restaurant.

"What's going on with you? Don't tell me you've got a thing for him. Why were you chatting with him so enthusiastically?" Xie Yishu hurriedly asked her friend, on guard.

Su Xiaoxiao was different from her.

Xie Yishu had to stay alert at all times.

Su Xiaoxiao had nearly gotten into a similar situation before. That time, it had been someone she'd met in a game. He was smooth-talking and knew how to sweet-talk people, and Su Xiaoxiao had naively thought he considered her a close friend. She'd lent him money again and again.

In the end, she'd lost over a hundred thousand yuan, and the man had disappeared.

That had been a huge blow to Su Xiaoxiao. But perhaps because her family had protected her too well since childhood, she still believed there weren't that many scammers in the world and that bad people wouldn't keep targeting her.

She was still just as naïve.

Then she'd had two more similar encounters, nearly getting scammed both times. Fortunately, Xie Yishu had pulled her back in time.

"I'm asking you! Don't tell me you've got a thing for him? Get a grip!" Xie Yishu said anxiously.

Su Xiaoxiao pouted.

"What do you mean, I've got a thing for him? Am I that frivolous? I just think we have the same outlook on life and similar interests. We could be ordinary friends. What are you getting worked up about? Are you worried I'll steal him from you?"

Though she said that, after thinking carefully about Wang Yiyang's looks, she felt a little tempted.

"Do you even know what he does for a living?" Xie Yishu said helplessly. "Don't assume he's outstanding just because he works at Mister. I'm telling you, I bet he's just an ordinary security guard there."

"What's wrong with being a security guard? I make friends based on whether we get along, not on what they do for work. Why overthink it?" Su Xiaoxiao said indifferently.

She'd met all kinds of people in the gaming world. She was used to it by now.

"Could you try being a little more cautious?" Xie Yishu said helplessly.

"I know, I know. Why are you nagging like my mom? You're so annoying."

"I'm just worried you'll get hurt."

"You've said it once. Why do you have to keep going on about it?"

Actually, Su Xiaoxiao hadn't been thinking that way at first. But after Xie Yishu warned her so many times, she started to wonder if a boyfriend like Wang Yiyang might make her life exactly what she'd always imagined.

Sure, Wang Yiyang was a bit stingy, but once they'd started chatting, hadn't he been generous? Clearly, he was generous toward friends and stingy with people he didn't know or wasn't close to.

A guy who didn't treat her differently just because she was pretty actually made her feel quite safe.

Just imagine having a boyfriend like Wang Yiyang. If they got together, she wouldn't have to worry about him cheating on her or anything.

She'd feel completely secure.

Su Xiaoxiao's imagination began to run wild.

As for him being short on money and possibly working as a security guard, so what? She was easy to support, anyway. All she needed was food, a computer, and internet access.

What mattered was whether they could enjoy doing things together.

And, most importantly, he was handsome!

If Xie Yishu hadn't brought it up, Su Xiaoxiao might not have noticed. But now, she felt there was something inexplicably reassuring about Wang Yiyang.

She didn't know where that feeling came from, but it made her feel comfortable.

He was incredibly handsome, had a good aura about him, shared her outlook on life, and liked the same things she did.

It was like fate had brought them together!

Su Xiaoxiao glanced at her best friend, Xie Yishu, who was still nagging beside her. The image of that face grew clearer and clearer in her mind.

Fine, she admitted it. She was a sucker for a pretty face, a lovestruck fool. She was just making up all kinds of excuses because she couldn't forget his face, wasn't she?

It was settled! From today on, Su Xiaoxiao would pursue freedom and love!

As for income, she could always support the family later. She was an only child, after all, and would inherit the company and group someday.

As long as he had a handsome face, everything else could be forgiven!

Meanwhile, Wang Yiyang left the restaurant. Despite his insistence, he still hadn't managed to pay for the meal himself. Xie Yishu had beaten him to it.

The woman had paid for the meal on their blind date. This one should be a sure thing.

He was sure her impression of him had hit rock bottom.

Wang Yiyang had achieved his goal.

Normally, if he'd run into Xie Yishu, he might not have been so deliberately uncooperative.

But this was a critical time. He was already surrounded by trouble and could face all kinds of danger at any moment.

Looking for a girlfriend now wouldn't be doing her any favors. It would just put her in harm's way.

Su Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, had been quite interesting. She fit the kind of partner he'd once hoped to find.

When he'd first graduated, he'd wanted a girlfriend who could play games with him.

Unfortunately, he'd been too busy with work and never had the time to act on it.

But the timing was wrong now. What a shame. Meeting the right person at the wrong time was a kind of regret, too.

He actually suspected they probably wouldn't see each other again after this.

Still, she'd told him about plenty of hidden restaurants and stalls serving incredibly spicy food. He could try them out when he had time.

Finishing a meal had let his mind step away from scheming for a while. It gave Wang Yiyang a chance to relax and clear his head.

Next, he had five days before he could get another identity, but he also had five days to deal with the trouble tied to the identity of Hypnotist Finn.

He didn't know what that trouble would be. But whatever it was, it was better to be prepared.

After leaving the restaurant, Wang Yiyang hailed a cab straight to his new residence: Red Cherry Villa.

On the way, he began issuing orders to all his subordinates through an encrypted phone, one by one.

Nearly two hundred people were now spread across the surrounding area. That instantly boosted his ability to monitor and control everything around him by more than a notch.

With his people spread out and a large amount of money sent their way,

after once again confirming the condition of the five men from Yanhu Sect, Wang Yiyang quickly returned to his apartment.

Then, accompanied by Jian and Zhong Can, who had been waiting for him for a long time, he boarded a private car and headed for the Yanhu Sect branch on the outskirts.

Now that the Source Silver had worked, it was time to deepen his cooperation with Yanhu Sect.

The car soon stopped by a grassy plain in the outskirts of Yingxing City.

Beside the broad road, blanketed in white dust, stood a dilapidated roadside inn and a gas station.

Compared with last time, several tattooed men were now squatting outside the inn, smoking. Two battered black used cars were parked at the gas station.

Chen Youli, a member of the Left Hand, got out of the car and walked straight toward the people at the inn.

Compared with them, he was more imposing, with his muscular build, towering frame, and bald head.

From a distance, Wang Yiyang watched him exchange a few words with them. Before long, Chen Youli returned to the car.

The car accelerated and drove into a parking space behind the inn.

Unlike last time, no one came over with an instrument to scan them.

The parking space quickly sank, following the same process as before.

The three cars Wang Yiyang had brought soon arrived once more in front of the spiraling white elevator.

This time, Zhong Can went into the elevator with him.

The Yanhu Sect experts on either side didn't stop them. Clearly, they'd already communicated with the other party beforehand.

Zhong Can stood behind Wang Yiyang with an expressionless face. His tall, burly frame was a whole size bigger than the other burly men around them. He was practically a little giant.

As a true Grand Justice Rank expert, he had a good chance of forcing a draw even against the head of the Yanhu Sect branch if he was there to protect Wang Yiyang.

Hiss.

The elevator came to a slow stop, and the doors opened.

Wang Yiyang strode out first, crossed the same corridor as last time, and once again stood before Meat Arhat Peijia.

Peijia's enormous body, over three meters tall, was currently holding a cow's hind leg and gnawing at it. Meat and oil were smeared across his mouth, visible through the gaps between his snow-white teeth.

The entire hall was filled with the rich, greasy aroma of meat.

"I'm glad to see you again, Sect Master Peijia," Wang Yiyang said, bowing slightly.

"Welcome, dear Minister Wang." Peijia set down the cow's leg and swallowed the meat in his mouth.

"It's just about time for my meal. Would you like some?"

Wang Yiyang looked at the cow's leg in his hand. It was nearly as wide as his waist.

A cow's hind leg as thick as his waist...

That cow clearly hadn't come from this planet. Just looking at it made him feel full.

"Thank you, I've already eaten."

A veiled, alluring woman stepped forward and brought him a tall-backed metal chair.

Wang Yiyang sat down and took a data storage device from his pocket.

"The test data on the recovery of the five Limit Martial Artists is here. As agreed, they'll work for me for ten years.

"And in addition, as payment for treating the Yanhu Sect's crippled martial artists, I'll need more resources and manpower."

"Limit Martial Artists?" Peijia raised an eyebrow.

"Not just that." Wang Yiyang raised his head, a relaxed smile appearing on his face. "I want the Mechanized Suit!"