"Master, ten minutes ago, our scouts nearby spotted the young master of the Shang Family entering the restaurant. He should be sitting and eating at booth number 518 right now."
Ren Yi walked into booth number 215 and approached Ren Daiqi, who was drinking tea. He bent down slightly and whispered in Ren Daiqi's ear what the spies had found out, his brows furrowed and his eyes flashing with vigilance and wariness.
"Although this location is far from us, he came alone. It's hard not to suspect that he came prepared. Patriarch, should I have someone invite him over?"
Ren Daiqi paused slightly as he fiddled with the rim of his teacup, then continued fiddled with it. After a moment, he lowered his eyes, took a sip of tea, and placed the cup on the table.
"No need. Since you came alone, let's invite him over after Su Youchuan leaves. With him around, Su Youchuan won't be able to calm down, and that would make our cooperation unfair."
As soon as Ren Daiqi finished speaking, he gently fiddled with the beads on his hand, his tone indifferent, revealing little emotion, but Ren Yi still left.
"Yes, I understand, Master."
Ren Yi had only been gone a short while when he came back in, followed by Su Youchuan and Yang Shaoying. It was unclear when they had arrived or whether they had overheard their conversation, but that didn't matter.
"Master, Mr. Su and Mr. Yang have arrived."
"Okay, you can go now." Ren Daiqi didn't mention a word about Shang Shujue eating there, but simply looked at the two of them, nodded slightly, and gestured for them to sit down. "Please sit down."
Upon receiving news that Su Youchuan had arrived at his destination, Shang Shujue immediately stopped drinking chicken soup and eating chicken meat. Of all the dishes, this was the most delicious.
"Can Nuomi absorb good fortune?"
Shang Shujue wiped his mouth, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes. He leaned back in his booth, preparing to watch the live stream the system was showing him.
[Host, I'm already absorbing it. Here's a heads-up: Ren Daiqi's people have noticed you and are keeping watch around you. Escaping from this small booth might be difficult.]
Upon hearing this, Shang Shujue paused slightly, but seemed unsurprised. He tapped the air a few times with his finger, and a virtual screen appeared before him, visible only to him.
"Okay, I got it, Nuomi. The reason I dared to come here so brazenly isn't just to absorb some luck; of course, I also want to meet this new character."
[?! Host! Are you going to face Ren Daiqi alone? Don't be impulsive! Should I buy you some life-saving items beforehand? He's no pushover (￣口￣)!!]
Nuomi's slightly anxious tone filled Shang Shujue's mind. He pinched his ear and frowned slightly, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Nuomi, stop howling, it's giving me a headache."
Nuomi immediately quieted down upon hearing Shang Shujue's words. Although he was very worried about his host, he also believed in his host's abilities. Rather than worrying, he decided to trust him.
Shang Shujue nodded with some satisfaction and looked at the virtual screen in front of him. On the screen, Ren Daiqi beads in his hand. He exuded a calm and aloof temperament, and his demeanor was truly extraordinary.
"No wonder this character was created to help Su Youchuan; her aura is absolutely amazing. Someone with such composure must be quite intelligent, right?"
[Host, before meeting Su Youchuan, he did have a brain. After meeting Su Youchuan, Su Youchuan devoured his brain, and he blindly trusted him as if he were under a spell.]
If Su Youchuan makes even one wrong decision, his fate is, of course, self-evident... The World Consciousness loves no one but Su Youchuan.
Oh no, it loves no one but itself. If the causal threads connecting Su Youchuan weren't linked to it, it would have abandoned this world long ago to wreak havoc on other worlds.
Shang Shujue sighed, unsure how to describe his feelings upon hearing these words. Was it shock, or simply a matter of course? He couldn't say for sure.
So he focused his attention on the virtual screen, patiently observing Ren Daiqi's every move, wanting to compare how he would change after Su Youchuan arrived.
After all, at this moment, every gesture he made exuded the majesty of a superior, and even the way he looked at people was filled with an arrogant attitude of looking down on the world and looking down on all heroes.
A moment later, his subordinate named Ren Yi entered, bowed slightly, and whispered in his ear, "Master, Mr. Su has arrived. He brought four people with him—the four you rescued."
Ren Daiqi tightened his grip on the chopsticks. He had originally intended to pick up some food with the chopsticks, but now he put them down. Shang Shujue noticed that when he put down the chopsticks, the veins on his arm bulged slightly, as if he was unwilling but had no choice.
"Okay, let them in in a bit."
Ren Yi seemed oblivious to Ren Daiqi's change, nodded in agreement, and then turned and left.
After he left, Ren Daiqi, sitting in the booth, gritted his teeth and frowned, seemingly wanting to pick up his chopsticks again to eat, but found that he couldn't control his hands at all.
So he could only close his eyes in anguish. When he opened them again, the helplessness and pain in his eyes had vanished, leaving only a stagnant pool. But his hand, which was turning the prayer beads, moved a little faster, as if to express his inner dissatisfaction.
Shang Shujue watched the whole thing without saying a word. Or rather, he didn't know how to describe Ren Daiqi's feelings at that moment. Once a puppet being controlled gains consciousness, it will no longer be content with mediocrity.
What Shang Shujue saw on his special trip today was exactly the result he wanted. He felt that the generous terms he offered were enough to make Ren Daiqi switch sides at the last minute.
But he can't do that yet, after all, his Luck Points isn't enough. But the good thing is that Su Youchuan brought his four followers with him. Their luck is very sweet, so let Nuomi absorb as much as he can.
In booth 617, where the six people were, they were frantically typing in the group chat. Since Shang Shujue's thoughts had appeared once or twice, they hadn't seen them again. They were a little anxious and a little confused.
[ Temporary Discussion Group (6)]
[ Liu Xinru ]: What happened? Where did Shang Shujue's... thing go? Has he already left?
[ Chen Liqu ]: That's unlikely. I just peeked out and it seems that Ren Daiqi's people are watching booth 518, which isn't far from us. I guess the person inside is Shang Shujue, and he hasn't left yet.
[ Liu Jiyun (Aosi)]: Those people seem to want to arrest him. Should we warn Shang Shujue?
[ Zhang Jinchen ]: I'll contact him. Let's not panic, and whatever we do, let's not make any loud noises. If we attract their attention, we're finished.
[ Ji Yunqing ]: Ren Daiqi probably doesn't have any designs on Shang Shujue for the time being, otherwise he would have been arrested long ago. He's probably here to wait for someone.
[ Mu Nanyu ]: Let's wait for Su Youchuan. Shang Shujue said that this person is likely to become his ally. The PC incident that caused such a stir yesterday morning was easily dismissed by those people around Su Youchuan with just a few words, wasn't it?
[ Mu Nanyu ]: Who's behind this? Does it even need to be said?
After Mu Nanyu sent out the message, the group fell silent briefly before becoming lively again. Zhang Jinchen stopped chatting in the group and went to contact Shang Shujue.