Contact 1

"So, what should I do now?" Wang Yiyang sat on the sofa and thought it over.

"First, I'll quit my job. I don't have the time or the energy to keep working right now. Staying alive comes first."

"Then I'll deal with the martial arts hall and find out who's trying to harm Grandpa and me. I can borrow the resources of Mister Pharmaceutical Group to do that."

"Once I've dealt with the martial arts hall, I'll focus on preparing for the threats.

According to the information from the system, the trouble I'll have to face may well come from within Mister Pharmaceutical Group.

If even one of the directors, who also happens to be the head of the Security Department, is actively backing away from the trouble, then it's definitely no small matter. I need to use the channels at my disposal to get as much information as possible first."

He arranged the steps one by one.

Wang Yiyang got to his feet, quickly transferred one million through his mobile banking app to the personal account he usually used, and set it aside for daily expenses.

Then he checked the time. It was 3:15 p.m.

"I haven't had lunch yet. I'd better get something to eat first."

He checked the weather outside. The sun was out, and the temperature was just right. He simply took off his jacket, leaving on a black hoodie and jeans, and headed out.

At a small noodle shop downstairs, he ordered a bowl of minced-meat noodles and hurriedly filled his stomach.

After paying, he called a taxi and headed straight to Qiushang Park, where the headquarters of Xinda Network, his workplace, was located.

Meanwhile, in the car, Wang Yiyang told Jian Squad to start interrogating the man named Dada.

Compared to him, Jian and the others were the professionals when it came to interrogations.

He also assigned a new squad specifically to guard Yuekong Martial Arts Hall, while other personnel investigated Zhong Can.

If Zhong Can made any suspicious moves, he needed to make sure he could take him into custody immediately.

At this point, Wang Yiyang felt he had made the most of the resources available to him in this identity, at least for the time being.

If anything else went wrong in the short term, there really wouldn't be much he could do.

The taxi slowed to a stop at the entrance to Qiushang Park.

Wang Yiyang opened the door, paid on his phone, and got out. As he looked at the buildings inside the park, he suddenly felt as if he'd been transported back to the past.

In just a few short days, he'd not only become entangled in two dangerous predicaments, but also found himself with over a hundred million in savings and a host of elite subordinates.

"It feels like I'm still dreaming." Wang Yiyang felt dazed.

He shut the taxi door with a bang and strode into the park, heading straight for the office buildings, just like the other workers hurrying around him.

In the morning, office workers carried breakfast sandwiches or hot drinks in their hands.

Wang Yiyang also saw several people chewing on their food while holding documents and reading as they walked.

Others had their phones ringing incessantly, answering call after call.

Some were even running all the way, as if they were about to be late at any moment.

Wang Yiyang suddenly felt completely out of place among them.

Everyone around him was in a rush, while he was the only one ambling along. Like the old man sweeping the nearby pavement, he looked relaxed and as if he were just passing the time.

He strolled into Building Five, where Xinda Network was located, and got into the elevator with several other people.

"Which floor?" asked a young man beside the buttons.

"Fifth floor, thanks."

"Fourth!"

"Eighth floor, thanks."

People called out their floors one after another.

Wang Yiyang was going to the fifth floor. Since someone else had already said it, he couldn't be bothered to speak.

Ding. The elevator reached the second floor and stopped after someone outside pressed the button.

The doors opened, and two women in office skirts rushed in, each carrying a thick stack of printed documents.

Among them, one had shoulder-length brown hair, fair skin, and delicate makeup. Her eyes held a hint of aloofness whenever she looked at anyone.

But as soon as she stepped into the elevator, she spotted Wang Yiyang standing inside.

A look of recognition appeared in her eyes, as though she remembered the ordinary male colleague who sat in front of her.

But since they weren't close, she merely nodded without greeting him.

Wang Yiyang returned her nod with a smile, and that was that.

He recognized the girl.

She was one of the long-time employees at Xinda Network, but they moved in completely different circles, so they had never interacted much.

Her name was An Yuxi. It was a dignified name, and she had a cool, reserved personality. She was one of the two prettiest women in her department.

Quite a few of the male employees acted restrained on the surface, but given the chance, they would all entertain some thoughts about her.

Wang Yiyang had occasionally felt the same way in the past. It was only natural, after all.

A pretty girl was bound to attract the opposite sex.

But now he really wasn't in the mood.

Ding.

The elevator reached the fifth floor.

Wang Yiyang, An Yuxi, and two others squeezed out of the elevator. A crowd immediately surged in, filling the space they'd left behind.

That was what office life was like.

Wang Yiyang glanced back at the elevator, now packed like a can of sardines, and felt an inexplicable emotion stir within him.

He'd always found this kind of office routine irritating. Now that it was about to come to an end, he instead felt a faint reluctance to let it go.

After leaving the elevator, he went to the sign-in machine by the reception desk and swiped his card.

Wang Yiyang glanced up at the company sign hanging beside the hallway: Sinda Internet Co., Ltd.

Nobody greeted him or paid him any attention.

Even the receptionist, a young woman he'd once gone out to dinner with, was yawning as she hurriedly touched up her makeup in a small mirror.

Following the hallway, Wang Yiyang passed two other small companies on the same floor and finally reached the entrance to Xinda Network's main office.

He surveyed the open-plan office. Most of his colleagues had already arrived, packed into rows of cramped workstations.

Wooden boards separated each desk, and the clatter of keyboards filled the air without pause.

"You're here? Isn't your leave still going? Why'd you come back early?" A hand patted him on the shoulder from behind.

Wang Yiyang turned his head and glanced over his shoulder.

Wang Dongning, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, walked in carrying a cup of milk tea and tucking a folder under one arm.

"Go on in. Why're you standing in the doorway?" Wang Dongning headed toward his desk.

Wang Yiyang followed. His desk was right beside Wang Dongning's. At the company, Wang Dongning and Xie Xiaodan were the two friends he was closest to.

He'd come back this time partly to resign, but more importantly, to say goodbye to his two friends.

At their desks, they sat down. Wang Yiyang immediately began gathering his personal belongings without even turning on his computer.

He packed up his odds and ends in a plastic document bag, along with his thermos, heated shoe insoles, the mouse he'd bought himself, and the comic books and magazines he used to pass the time during breaks.

In no time, Wang Yiyang had stuffed everything into plastic bags.

"I'm planning to resign. Want to get lunch together later? You and Xie Xiaodan. Are you free?" Once he'd finished packing, he got up and went over to Wang Dongning.

"Resign?" Wang Dongning looked utterly baffled. "You're doing fine here. Why would you quit? Isn't your product almost finished?"

"Something came up at home. I can't stay."

"...You're quitting when you're so close to finishing?" A tall woman at the desk to the right, who'd been talking to An Yuxi, had overheard them. She asked in disbelief.

The woman was Xie Xiaodan, one of the only two friends Wang Yiyang had at the company.

She'd gotten to know Wang Yiyang back when she first joined the company. Back then, she'd been responsible for running all kinds of errands, and as a recent graduate, she'd been unfamiliar with everything and constantly made mistakes, big and small.

Wang Yiyang and Wang Dongning had finally stepped in to offer advice and help when they couldn't bear to watch her struggle anymore. That helped her get through her probationary period.

Xie Xiaodan was straightforward, generous, and loyal. She had a curvy figure and a fiery charm. Although she wasn't as pretty as An Yuxi and a few others, she was still quite attractive.

When she'd first joined, she hadn't known how to dress herself and looked plain and dowdy. The others hadn't thought much of her. But as she gradually learned to do her makeup and put outfits together, the ugly duckling had slowly turned into a swan.

These days, she was a lovely sight around the office.

"Brother Yang, if you pull this off, you'll be promoted right away. And now you're resigning..." Xie Xiaodan sounded confused, with a hint of urgency and regret.

"Something came up at home. I'll explain later." Wang Yiyang smiled.

He picked up his bags and headed straight for the supervisor's office.

An Yuxi had heard their conversation too, and she glanced at Wang Yiyang with mild curiosity.

She and Xie Xiaodan were close, practically best friends. She knew that the product Wang Yiyang was in charge of really was good and had a lot of potential.

He was willing to give up such a promising project just like that, yet she couldn't see the slightest hint of regret on his face.

Unlike Xie Xiaodan, An Yuxi didn't have much to offer in the way of ability.

Xie Xiaodan, on the other hand, was genuinely capable, and she had an excellent education. She'd earned her graduate degree from a top-tier Federation university, so her prospects for advancement were quite good.

An Yuxi was different.

She'd attended an ordinary second-tier university and was just an average graduate. Her abilities at work were nothing special, and her family had no connections. She'd grown up in the countryside.

So if she wanted to establish herself quickly in Yingxing City, the fastest way was to find a husband with excellent prospects.

An Yuxi had been very clear about her goals from the start.

She'd befriended Xie Xiaodan because she valued her excellent education and abilities, and because she was a local from Yingxing City with a well-off family.

People tended to associate with others like themselves. People from different backgrounds and social circles found it difficult to get close.

So one of An Yuxi's main reasons for making friends was to become part of the other person's local social circle.

Or she could use that circle as a stepping stone to broaden her own network.

Otherwise, if she stayed at the company all day surrounded by ordinary office workers, when would she ever meet a suitable partner? Was she supposed to find one among these colleagues who earned a few thousand a month and spent it all?

Her college roommate, who was shorter and less attractive than her, had already married a great husband and now showed off luxury goods and vacations on her social media every day.

If a woman with her roommate's looks and background could enjoy such a good life, An Yuxi didn't see how she was any worse.

As she watched Wang Yiyang, a male colleague who'd always seemed familiar but whom she'd never gotten to know, she noticed that something about his bearing seemed subtly different after he'd taken a few days off.

An Yuxi felt a little curious.

Before long, she saw Wang Yiyang come out of the supervisor's office holding documents and contracts, including a non-compete agreement. His ID badge was gone from his chest, too.

It looked like he really had resigned.