037 The Abandoned Ring

As usual, three requests! Requesting votes, recommendations, and bookmarks!

After ordering dishes according to the bamboo slip menu, following the waitress’s introduction, and watching her gracefully wheel the bamboo cart away, Yang Tang suddenly realized a problem. “Hey, why isn’t there any price on this menu?”

“Don’t worry!” He Jia-ni slapped Yang Tang’s raised hand, which was about to call the waitress back. “That’s just the style of this place!”

“What style?”

Bai Ke-qing chimed in, “The restaurant knows the prices; they won’t gouge you too badly.”

“Gouge me?” Yang Tang’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you say you were treating?”

“We are treating!”

“We treat you to a meal, but you pay the check. What’s the problem?”

As they bantered, the two women saw Yang Tang’s dumbfounded look and couldn’t help but laugh behind their hands.

Yang Tang’s face fell; he pushed back his chair and stood up. “Ladies, I’m sorry, but my pockets are empty and I can’t pay the bill. I’ll have to excuse myself.” With that, he strode toward the door.

Seeing this, He Jia-ni and Bai Ke-qing were both amused and exasperated. It was He Jia-ni who quickly got up, chased after him, and pulled Yang Tang back. “Where are you going? We won’t make you pay. Why are you so literal?”

Yang Tang spread his hands. “Is this really something to joke about? I truly have no money.”

“Alright, alright, sit back down!”

Once they were seated again, Bai Ke-qing said, “Yang Tang, I find you really unique.”

Yang Tang tilted his head, noncommittal. Bai Ke-qing continued, “If it were another guy, faced with me and Sister Jia-ni, even if he had no money, he’d put on a brave face. But you chose to abandon us without a second thought!”

“You mean I lack gentlemanly manners, right?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“I think you’re straightforward, not pretentious!” Bai Ke-qing rested her chin in her hand.

“Really? Heh, I don’t even see myself that way!” Yang Tang laughed dryly. “Actually, if you weren’t driving luxury cars, I would have dragged you both out with me just now. As for the dishes we ordered, as long as they haven’t entered my belly, I refuse to acknowledge them. That’s what thick-skinned eating is all about!”

“Ha ha!” “Hee hee!”

Both women couldn’t hold back their laughter.

Soon, the dishes they ordered arrived one after another.

Yang Tang examined and tasted them, finding nothing extraordinary, just that the dishes had a strong archaic flavor, with sharper taste and texture compared to other places, and that was all!

After some tea and sampling the dishes, He Jia-ni called the waitress over to settle the bill.

“Your total is 4,386 yuan. Thank you!” The waitress handed over the bill with a radiant smile.

“How much?” Even though Yang Tang was prepared, knowing the two women would pay, he was still startled by the amount.

He Jia-ni quickly gestured for Yang Tang to calm down, took out her credit card and handed it to the waitress. “Is there still a spot for the fifty percent discount today?”

The waitress took the card, surprised. “You want to try for the fifty percent discount?”

“Of course!” Bai Ke-qing and He Jia-ni replied in unison.

“What fifty percent?” Yang Tang was confused.

The waitress started to explain, but He Jia-ni interrupted, “Just calculate the bill, don’t mind him!”

The waitress smiled softly and quickly calculated their order, announcing, “Just your luck! You ordered six couplet dishes and three poetry dishes, exactly meeting our restaurant’s criteria for the fifty percent discount!”

Yang Tang was puzzled. “Shouldn’t it be ten dishes? Isn’t there a soup?”

He Jia-ni scolded, “The soup is complimentary; don’t be so talkative, okay?”

“Alright, alright.” Yang Tang realized the two women were up to something mischievous and decided to watch quietly.

At this moment, the waitress said, “According to our boss, the three guests must match two couplets and compose a poem for the bill to be eligible for the discount!”

“What?! Couplets and poetry?” Now Yang Tang understood—the trap the two women set was here!

“That’s normal. Why should the restaurant give you a discount if you don’t match some couplets? Okay, go get the topics!” He Jia-ni waved the waitress off, her expression as calm as ever, though her eyes could not hide her amusement.

Bai Ke-qing squinted her lovely almond eyes, secretly delighted, like a sly fox.

Little did they know, Yang Tang’s irritation was for a different reason. He thought, “Matching two couplets and composing a poem for just over two thousand off? That’s a huge loss! At the Peony Festival, a poem would fetch at least twenty-five thousand!”

So, for a moment, neither woman dared speak, fearing they’d provoke Yang Tang further. Yang Tang, on his part, wouldn’t reveal his mercenary thoughts, so the three sat in silence at the table.

Buzz buzz.

He Jia-ni’s phone vibrated inappropriately. She glanced at the caller ID—an unfamiliar number. She considered ignoring it, but then realized it was a good opportunity to break the silence, so she answered. “Hello?”

“Jia-ni, right? I’m Wu Lie.”

“Director Wu?!” He Jia-ni was surprised.

“Yang Tang’s with you, right? I need to speak with him. Please hand him the phone.”

“Oh, oh!” He Jia-ni handed her phone to Yang Tang. “It’s for you, Wu Hao’s father!”

“For me?” Yang Tang was surprised as well. He took the phone and held it to his ear. “Uncle Wu, why are you calling Jia-ni’s phone?”

“Because you didn’t turn yours on!”

“I was at the exam, didn’t bring my phone!” Yang Tang explained, then asked, “Is something up?”

“Go somewhere private, I’ll explain.”

“Alright.”

Yang Tang immediately stood, gestured to the two women that he was going to the restroom, and walked off.

“Who’s looking for Yang Tang?” Bai Ke-qing asked curiously. Actually, she wanted to know why someone would call Jia-ni’s phone to find Yang Tang.

“A police officer,” He Jia-ni replied vaguely.

“A police officer? Why?”

“I think it’s because Yang Tang saved that officer’s son’s life, and that’s how they met.”

Meanwhile.

In the men’s restroom, Yang Tang sat on the toilet lid. “Okay, Uncle Wu, you can talk now.”

“You know about the South Street Bridge robbery, right?”

Yang Tang hesitated. “I’ve heard about it.”

“Don’t play dumb with me. You know how Zhang Jun died, don’t you?”

“The news said he was shot dead by the police at the scene. Isn’t that true?” Yang Tang continued to feign ignorance.

“Clearly, you didn’t take my words yesterday to heart! Fine, I’ll repeat myself. According to reliable intelligence, Che Zuo, the number two in Zhang Jun’s gang, along with a few others and Zhang Jun’s confidante Jin Yu-yan, have secretly returned to Nanchuan.”

Yang Tang immediately understood Wu Lie’s implication, but said aloud, “What does that have to do with me?” Meanwhile, he wondered: In history, wasn’t the South Street Bridge robbery perpetrated by Zhang Jun and his number two, Che Zuo? How come Che Zuo’s still alive?

Little did he know, the timeline here differed; though the number of gang members was the same, their identities varied slightly. By some twist of fate, Che Zuo didn’t die in the South Street Bridge robbery, so Zhang Jun’s gang, which should have fractured, remained united. Che Zuo, the second-in-command, was now rallying the gang under the banner of avenging Zhang Jun.

“I’m just reminding you—it’d be best if it stays unrelated to you. Those people are ruthless; each has blood on their hands. Don’t let your family get involved!”

Hearing this, Yang Tang raised his brows, still playing dumb. “Uncle Wu, I really don’t understand what you’re saying!”

“That’s for the best. That woman, Su Shu, the boss, I’ve already ordered her to cancel her leave and return to Yu-jing to teach.”

After hanging up, Yang Tang felt a bit heavy-hearted. Wu Lie’s mention of Su Shu was clear: the police couldn’t be fully trusted. If Che Zuo and his gang traced things back to the Yang family, Yang Tang himself wasn’t afraid—he could deal with crooks—but his parents would be in danger, and this danger could have been avoided.

“Smack!”

Leaving the stall, Yang Tang couldn’t help but slap his own hand. “Serves you right for being so reckless!”

Coincidentally, a young man in a suit was cursing at the sink. Hearing Yang Tang mutter to himself, he turned with a familiar air. “Hey buddy, you got tricked too?”

Yang Tang was confused. “Tricked?”

“Yeah, didn’t you try the lottery wheel across from the parking lot? I was stupid enough to spend three thousand and only got this useless ring!” He slapped the ring onto the soap dish, his face full of indignation.

Unfortunately, no matter how much the young man acted, Yang Tang—having suffered little but having dealt with telecom scams in his previous life—was extremely cautious and didn’t believe him at all. Instead, he activated his Eagle Eye.

Hmm, blue!

The young man’s whole body glowed blue.

Looks like he’s insignificant.

Yang Tang thought this as he went to wash his hands. If the young man weren’t there, he could have skipped washing entirely.

But as Yang Tang reached for the soap, he froze. The ring discarded by the young man was colored white in the soap dish!

A useful item!?

How could this be?!

“Forget it, buddy. Don’t stand there staring. Those con artists at the lottery booth are totally unreliable!” The young man finished washing, wiped his hands, and left.

Yang Tang didn’t comment, just picked up the soap and thoroughly scrubbed his hands, then rinsed them under the water.

Seeing Yang Tang’s silence, the young man left the restroom, feeling awkward.

Once alone, Yang Tang didn’t immediately pick up the ring. He looked all around, making sure there were no cameras—at least none near the sink—before pinching the ring and stuffing it into his pocket without examining it.

A sudden insight.

Item acquired: Attribute Transfer Object, quantity: one.

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