From Igniting Talent to Becoming a Demon God Section 15

"And besides, we're going to see Brother Hao today. Lin Ze and the others will be there too. At the very least, we've got to prove we haven't done too badly, right?"

A glimmer of anticipation flashed in Zhao Yuanqing's eyes. Lu Chao relaxed, able to guess what he was thinking.

Today was the weekend, and also the day they had finally settled on after postponing it several times.

As for Lin Ze and the others, they were like them—people from the orphanage who had once received Brother Hao's kindness. They had all agreed to go back today to thank him and pay him a visit.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

In the end, amid the sound of rushing wind, they slowly decelerated and arrived at North Street in the Iron Ring District.

This place was very close to the cross-river bridge leading into the inner city.

Low concrete buildings stood in rows. Cars passed along the roadside, and a tram stopped at the platform.

The white streetlight poles were somewhat rusted, with several sheets of white paper pasted to them, all advertisements or missing-person notices.

"It's been a long time since I came here."

The black motorcycle stopped beneath a streetlight pole, beside a non-motor vehicle parking spot marked with yellow lines.

Zhao Yuanqing took off his helmet and sighed with some emotion.

Lu Chao likewise lifted his head and looked toward the low building by the road. The four words "Dreamfire Bar" entered his sight.

A rectangular neon sign hung above the second-floor windows, a full seven or eight meters long.

The concrete wall below had been deliberately covered in graffiti, making it look like patterns of burning flames, along with some decorative images of fierce beasts. The overall style was rather dark.

As for the first floor.

Through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see some of the booth seating inside the bar. The blastproof glass door in the center had gold edging and was only half open. At that moment, a young man dressed like a waiter was standing at the entrance.

"Yuanqing! Ah Chao!"

The moment he saw the two of them, he smiled and waved, then ran over.

Lu Chao got off the bike carrying the fruit, took off his helmet, and called out to Xiao Yang with a smile. Zhao Yuanqing, after parking the motorcycle, went even further and gave him a bear hug.

"Xiao Yang, not bad, kid. Looking all proper now, even wearing a bow tie."

"Ah, it's all thanks to Brother Hao." Xiao Yang tugged at his bow tie a little sheepishly. He was rather thin and short, with short hair and a long face.

"Come on, what do you two want to drink? I'll make you a glass."

"Lin Ze and the other two are already here."

He wore a bright smile. He had likewise been one of Lu Chao and the others' companions back in the orphanage.

When he had come of age and left, with Brother Hao's help, he had gotten a job at Dreamfire Bar. They had not seen him for more than half a year now.

Tap, tap!

"Not bad, Yuanqing."

"Where'd you get the bike? This is a Black Wind model, right? Pretty cool..."

Footsteps sounded. As they spoke, three more people walked out of the bar, two men and one woman.

The speaker was named Li Heng. He was on the chubby side, had some freckles on his face, and wore a blue short-sleeved shirt. He walked over to the motorcycle and looked it up and down, his face full of envy as he reached out to touch the trendy-looking body.

Zhao Yuanqing did not stop him. Instead, his face was full of pride, feeling that borrowing this bike today had not been for nothing.

"Of course. This is the third generation of Black Wind."

"Well? Want to try it?"

He patted the gleaming fuel tank cap, took off the key, and tossed it to him, indicating that he could ride it around nearby for a quick test.

Li Heng's face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly reached out to take the key.

"Enough, you. You really think this bike is his?"

"Most likely borrowed from the repair shop. Don't break it later and make him go back to kowtow and apologize."

At the side, Lin Ze deliberately drew out his tone. He was somewhat thin, about 1.78 meters tall.

His messy black hair covered his forehead, and he wore a dark shirt, suit trousers, and leather shoes, giving off the mature, capable air of a social elite.

"Lin Ze, are you asking for a beating?" Zhao Yuanqing said unhappily.

"See? Getting anxious? Looks like I hit the mark."

The two of them had often bickered back when they were in the orphanage, neither able to stand the other.

Lu Chao and the others were long used to it. After offering a few words of persuasion, they saw the only girl speak.

"We haven't seen each other for more than half a year. Looks like everyone's doing pretty well."

She said with a smile, her eyes bright. She wore a white floral dress and white canvas shoes.

Her long black hair fell behind her back, held with a white hair clip. She carried a small cloth bag, had a pretty face, and wore light makeup.

"Yuhan, you're still so beautiful."

Zhao Yuanqing scratched his head, his face a little red, and stopped arguing for the time being.

It was rare for the six of them to reunite. Even Lu Chao was affected by his predecessor's memories and felt somewhat moved.

A place like the welfare home had no fathers or mothers; everything that seemed equal had to be fought for on your own.

During those years, they had huddled together for warmth, forming a circle that was neither particularly big nor small.

"Brother Yuanqing, you haven't changed much either."

"With muscles that impressive, are you still working at the repair shop?"

"Yeah. What about you?"

With Song Yuhan joining in, the conversation among the five boys gradually shifted.

After some casual chatting, Lu Chao learned about the current situations of his other four friends.

Song Yuhan had changed jobs. Because her looks were decent, she had recently managed to join a jewelry company, selling accessories.

Li Heng was the same as ever, working as a warehouse security guard at a small company.

Lastly, there was Lin Ze, who had the best prospects.

"Brother Lin Ze is a C4-level employee at Lianwei Heavy Industries now, in charge of drawing and document management."

"He gets six days off every month, works nine to six, earns a full six thousand yuan, and he's even been assigned an apartment rent-free..."

The slightly chubby Li Heng spoke enviously, unconsciously edging a little closer to him.

Lu Chao and Zhao Yuanqing were somewhat surprised.

Although C-level was only an outsourced employee, behind it stood the colossal giant that was Lianwei Heavy Industries, a super mega-corporation.

Whether in terms of salary and benefits or social status, it was much better than the rest of them.

"It was just chance. I got lucky a while ago and met someone important who gave me a hand."

"He promised me there would be chances for promotion in the future, maybe even becoming a formal employee. When that time comes, if you need anything, you can come to me."

Lin Ze's spine quietly straightened a little, and he gave a reserved smile, the smugness in his tone impossible to hide.

Xiao Yang and the others all instinctively drew closer to him, gathering around him and showering him with praise and flattery.

Seeing this scene, a complicated look flashed through Zhao Yuanqing's eyes.

It was not that he could not bear seeing people around him do better; it was just that by comparison, a sense of disparity was unavoidable.

"What about Chao? Are you still working as a cleaner?"

Surrounded in the center, Lin Ze clasped his hands behind his back and smiled reservedly, his gaze moving away from Zhao Yuanqing and landing on Lu Chao's face.

"Yeah, same as always."

Lu Chao nodded frankly and did not deny it.

A strange look flashed across Lin Ze's face, then he shook his head. "That job is dirty and tiring. It's really not respectable."

"Chao, if you want to put down roots in the city in the future, I suggest you be a bit more ambitious and change to a more respectable job."

He spoke with the tone of someone who had been there before, as though offering advice.

Before Lu Chao could speak, Zhao Yuanqing, off to the side, frowned slightly and cut in.

"Lin Ze, what do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said. What, I'm not allowed to tell the truth?"

"Do you even know what Chao's doing? He's training in martial arts at a martial arts hall. Do you have any idea how hard and exhausting that is? Like hell you do!"

He was very unhappy with the other party's condescending tone, and he stepped forward with a glare, anger in his voice.

Lin Ze was stunned by this, and the other four also looked shocked, turning over one after another.

Lu Chao was training in martial arts?

"Yeah. I recently went to Gold-Stone Martial Arts Hall. I'm learning boxing there."

Lu Chao shrugged and did not deny it, nor did he blame Zhao Yuanqing for bringing it up.

As for his job in the Cleaning Squad, he had no plans to quit for the time being.

He had to try the internal assessment eventually. It represented a chance to enter the Patrol Bureau, and it was also the surest way to truly obtain better benefits—not to mention that right now, he urgently needed money.