Chapter 42 Kissing with eyes closed – she'd seen it so many times in TV dramas…
The tea restaurant was nearly empty at this time of day. It was afternoon, not as busy as in the morning, and the menu wasn't as extensive. Some ingredients had already been added to the menu.
However, since the person who came to eat was Yu Chaoxian, the restaurant owner still put some of the sold-out dishes back on the menu and arranged a quiet private room.
Seeing that Yu Chaoxian was with a girl, the owner first served several of his signature desserts. Yu Chaoxian then added an egg tart and mango pomelo sago for her.
Seeing Yu Tang raise her little face and glance at the dishes on the wall, Yu Chaoxian added a portion of shrimp dumplings, char siu buns and steamed chicken feet.
The egg tarts are golden and crispy, with just the right amount of caramel spots on the surface. One bite, and the smooth, creamy custard melts in your mouth, releasing a rich, milky aroma. The shrimp dumplings have translucent, paper-thin skins that subtly reveal the shrimp inside; the whole shrimp is bouncy and juicy, and you can even chew on tiny bits of bamboo shoots—not at all fishy or greasy. The chicken feet are steamed until incredibly tender, coated in a thick, rich black bean sauce. With a gentle touch of chopsticks, the skin and bone easily separate, melting in your mouth.
Yu Tang ate intently. She hadn't eaten all day and initially thought she wouldn't have an appetite, but the food here was surprisingly delicious. She couldn't stop eating the egg tarts after just one bite, and the food soothed her tense mind.
Yu Chao first ordered a Pu'er tea, his fingertips lightly tapping the bone china cup, but his gaze remained fixed on the girl's puffed-out cheeks. He felt a sense of accomplishment feeding Yu Tang, especially since she had finished all the dishes he had ordered.
The deep red and translucent tea soup was served in a thin-walled white porcelain bowl. Yu Chaoxian glanced at the empty space where Yu Tang had swallowed, then pointed to the cup in front of him. Yu Tang understood and picked it up, drinking it all in one gulp.
After feeding Yu Tang, Yu Chao first took her home, as he needed to go to the base.
"They're gone."
Yu Tang only discovered today that Yu Chaoxian liked to drink Pu'er tea. She tidied up the cigarettes and lighter on the table and followed him. Everything seemed to have returned to what it was before.
The next day, Yu Tang went back to school. She changed into her new school uniform and ran downstairs when she bumped into Yu Chaoxian, who had just returned.
Yu Chaoxian was carrying a suit jacket in his hand, and his black shirt perfectly outlined his strong and well-built physique.
"Why are you running?" Yu Chaoxian simply carried the person down the stairs.
Before Yu Tang could even struggle, Yu Chaoxian gently placed her on the ground.
"Is A-Jin there?" Yu Tang asked, looking up to meet A-Jin's seemingly amused eyes.
Yu Chaoxian remained calm and indifferent, looking down at her with a detached expression. "You go looking for A-Jin as soon as you wake up?"
"I need to go to school." In the past, it was always A-Jin who took her to school, and now that Yu Tang was about to be late for school, of course A-Jin was the first person she thought of.
"Rest for two more days." Yu Chaoxian grabbed her arm. She was so scared last night that she couldn't sleep. She had to go to class today. How could she concentrate on her lessons with this kind of mindset?
With the college entrance examination less than a week away, teachers are now basically not giving lectures, but instead guiding students in their review.
"I have to go. We need to study together, otherwise I'll miss out on the types of questions we need to review." Yu Tang insisted on going to school.
Yu Chao glanced at her, then started being stubborn again. She used to skip classes and didn't want to go to school, but now that she should be resting, he insisted on going to school. What could he do when Yu Tang was being stubborn? He couldn't scare her like before, or she would be so scared that she would cry whenever she saw him, which would be incredibly annoying.
Yu Chaoxian picked up the car keys on the table. "What are you standing there for? Let's go."
Yu Tang hadn't expected Yu Chaoxian to personally see her off. She chased after him, carrying a bunch of things.
Yu Tang sat obediently in the passenger seat, clutching a manta ray doll and a headband. These were for the girl, so Yu Chaoxian didn't bother arguing with her.
Yu Tang glanced at the time. If it weren't for the morning self-study session, she could actually go and have a bowl of shrimp wontons.
She stopped at the intersection ahead, holding a bill she'd pulled from her piggy bank: "I'll treat you to breakfast."
Yu Chaoxian raised an eyebrow. When did Yu Tang develop a conscience and actually think of inviting him to breakfast?
When they arrived at the wonton shop, Yu Tang asked Yu Chao to sit down and wait for her. She then ordered at the counter: "Boss, two servings of wontons, mine without cilantro, and his without scallions."
Yu Chaoxian remained silent. After ordering, Yu Tang turned and smiled at him, leaving Yu Tang completely bewildered.
He realized that Yu Tang was observing him and subconsciously noted down many of his little habits.
Knowing that Yu Chaoxian liked to drink Pu'er tea, Yu Tang didn't have money to buy Pu'er tea, but she bought a bottle of Pu'er tea from the counter.
The tea base also appears to be a deep, translucent red.
There shouldn't be much difference. The bottle says "Win a prize when you open the cap," so maybe you can even get a free bottle.
Unfortunately, once the cap was opened, there wasn't another bottle.
Yu Chaoxian still had to go to the base later. After Yu Tang had finished eating, he ruffled the girl's hair and said, "Tangtang, let's go."
"Oh, okay." Yu Tang followed him, carrying his cigarettes, lighter, and Pu'er tea.
The car stopped at the school gate.
"I'll pick you up this afternoon. Don't dawdle after school." I always say this when I take her to school.
Yu Tang's hair was almost messed up by Yu Chaoxian. She nodded and reached out her hand, saying, "Could you give me some pocket money? I want to treat Mo Fei to lunch at a tea restaurant."
"I'll cut fruit for you tonight." Yu Tang was afraid that Yu Chaoxian wouldn't give it to her, so she quickly promised to run errands for him that night.
Yu Chaoxian usually didn't hold grudges against girls, so he gave her the money. Yu Tang happily entered the campus, clutching the manta ray.
When Mo Fei saw Yu Tang, she happily ran over. Seeing the doll in Yu Tang's hands, she immediately asked, "Did that boy named Liang Jiaqi give it to you?"
Mentioning Liang Jiaqi stirred Yu Tang's heart—that clean-cut, sunny, and kind-hearted boy. The boy who said he wanted to be a policeman, gave his brother a bouquet of flowers, helped her buy brown sugar ginger tea during her period, tied his coat around her waist, and carried her to the car.
Unfortunately, I can't contact him anymore after he changed his phone number.
If Mo Fei hadn't mentioned him, Yu Tang would have almost forgotten about him.
Yu Tang quickly came to her senses: "It wasn't him, it was my nephew who bought it. He took me out to play, and I wanted to buy it for you."
Mo Fei happily picked up the manta ray and, following Yu Tang's seniority, said, "Let's thank our nephew!"
Just then, a rather handsome young man came over to bring Mo Fei breakfast, but Mo Fei coldly refused.
Mo Fei told Yu Tang that the boy was Han Chu. Because of his crush on Mo Fei, she almost became a victim of school bullying. Although the boy was also innocent, he was afraid to send the love letter he secretly wrote, and it was seen by someone else instead.
Upon learning of what had happened, Han Chu arranged for her family's bodyguards to follow Mo Fei every day, and also went to Yu Tang's house every day to apologize.
Yu Tang could tell that Mo Fei didn't really dislike the boy. Otherwise, given Mo Fei's personality, she wouldn't even say no and would just leave. Why would she risk being late to tell the boy, "No, I don't like anything with matcha flavor"?
Han Chu said anxiously, "Then what flavor do you like? Wait for me, I'll buy all the flavors!"
The boy then ran off to buy desserts.
Mo Fei stared at Han Chu's hurried figure and asked Yu Tang, "What do you think first love should be like?"
Yu Tang likes gentle and handsome boys, and she thought of the refined and gentle Liang Jiaqi, who was very similar to her brother. Her brother once joked that if she got a boyfriend, she had to bring him home to meet him first so he could approve.
If she gets a boyfriend in the future and her brother is in a coma, should she take him back to Yu Chaoxian to see him and let him give her his opinion?
Yu Tang suddenly said, "Mo Fei, would you come with me to pick out a gift this weekend?"
What should I buy?
Ideally, it should be practical and usable every day.
base.
The meeting lasted for nearly four hours. Yu Chaoxian leaned back in his chair, his slender fingers holding a lit cigarette, white smoke rising from his fingertips. His expression was so relaxed that it was impossible to tell what his true emotions were.
Chen Diao organized the orders received by the company and, together with Mickey, planned the weapons transportation route, trying to avoid routes that were prone to surprise attacks.
For orders of "Stinger" drones, the safest option is sea freight, but it's slower; the fastest option is air freight, but it's more expensive; land freight is the most convenient, but it's more vulnerable to theft.
Yu Chao stubbed out his cigarette and instructed, "The orders from Fuzhou can't be delayed any longer. The orders from the Black Forces of Mozhou can be put on hold for now. As for Kira's orders, we'll have Mickey and Ajin come together when we get back."
Mickey nodded.
Yu Chaoxian switched from holding a coffee to a bottle of Pu'er tea. Yu Tang had only three days left until the college entrance examination, and there were still many things to do. There was no time to waste.
Seeing that Yu Chaoxian had drunk bottled tea instead of coffee, Chen Diao didn't believe that the beverage could be more refreshing than coffee. He didn't need to guess to know that his boss had been fooled by Yu Tang's bottle of flower tea and was completely disoriented.
Yu Chaoxian looked at Chen Diao: "Take Ivan with you for the Mo Zhou Black Force order. Let him go with you once. After that, you can free up your hands and let Ivan handle it."
Those thugs from the underworld should be dealt with using thuggish methods. Of course, Chen Diao didn't say he was a thug; he said Ivan was a thug.
Chen Diao felt that Yu Chaoxian's descriptions of A Jin and Ivan were very accurate: A Jin was like a blade in its sheath, usually quiet and secretive, but once drawn, it would surely draw blood; Ivan was like a newly sharpened knife, lying on the edge of the rules, peaceful if you don't touch it, but whoever touches it will get slashed.
At this moment, "rogue" Ivan was surprised that the commission for the last mission to save Yu Tang was higher than the commission for any of his previous missions!
On the midday news on television, the anchor is reporting: "The government is investing heavily in residents' elderly care and medical care..."
Yu Chao lit the cigarette dangling from his lips with a lighter, exhaled a puff of smoke, and casually asked, "What is the largest expenditure in the national government's annual budget?"
Chen glanced at the news: "Medical care? Elderly care?"
Mickey, who had been silent all along, looked at Chen Diao with a hint of disbelief in his voice: "I didn't know you were so naive."
Yu Chaoxian exhaled a puff of smoke. "It's a weapon."
The world today clearly desires both war and peace. National security requires a sufficient supply of weapons, while the battlefield demands more advanced weaponry for counterattacks or deterrence. Governments have invested far more money than imagined in preparation for past and future wars.
Therefore, the arms business is one of the fastest ways to make money.
Now that Yu Chaoxian's business is just beginning to take shape, he is certainly not satisfied with this: "Company acquisitions should be put on the agenda as soon as possible. There are more than a hundred weapons companies of a certain scale around the world, like Li Xiang's. The government has too many choices. It is not that the Yu family is the only option. What I want is not to wait for orders, but to screen orders. Do you understand?"
Most countries are unwilling to have any obstacles to the free trade of weapons, because only in this way can they buy the weapons necessary to maintain national security. Therefore, sanctioned countries and some small countries have to seek out arms dealers to buy weapons.
What Yu Chao wanted first was to make the Yu clan the top choice among all their options.
Chen Diao was well aware of his boss's ambitions.
Yu Chao's primary goal is to completely control the global arms market. The fact that Li Xiang's company has become a subsidiary of Yu's is the best proof of this. Anyone who tries to compete with Yu's in the weapons business will be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Acquisitions require funds, and Chen Diao suggested, "In addition to these import and export companies, why not acquire them under the name of CANDY Company? This would reduce the risk and allow for a faster return on investment."
"Don't involve Candy," Yu Chaoxian refused without hesitation. Candy belonged solely to Yu Tang, and Yu Chaoxian wouldn't let it get involved in the weapons business. Candy was an absolutely clean candy company that had also done a lot of charity work.
Yu Chaoxian then looked at Mickey, who immediately brought over a laptop. Mickey had already listened to the audio from the bugging device they had discovered that night. Fortunately, the audio did not involve any confidential business matters, so Mickey only showed Yu Chaoxian a segment of Guan Zhongpeng's confession.
Chen Diao turned off the TV. The computer software was already open, and after a crackling sound of electricity, the audio gradually became clearer.
Yu Chaoxian closed his eyes, as if to rest, and quietly listened to the words Guan Zhongpeng said to Yu Yanting in the hospital through the listening device.
When he opened his eyes again, he was expressionless. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and took the listening device that Mickey had taken out.
This listening device is the same model as the locator in Yu Tang's phone watch, a model that only the CIA uses.
With both location tracking and wiretapping, Yu Chaoxian sneered, "Men who relentlessly pursue someone have no class whatsoever."
It's likely that Liang Jiaqi has a backup, so destroying the audio recording wouldn't be of much use. As expected, Liang Jiaqi should be meeting with Yu Tang soon to tell her the truth about Yu Yanting's coma, or perhaps he's been wanting to meet her for a while, but Yu Tang just changed her phone number and he hasn't been able to contact her.
It's estimated that Liang Jiaqi also discovered that the locator no longer contained Yu Tang's information, guessing that the locator had been exposed, so he didn't dare to send a message to Yu Tang's original number rashly.
After all, they are CIA mercenaries, so they must be extremely cautious in their actions.
But it's incredibly stupid.
If he honestly works as a mercenary and gathers information, both real and fake, Yu Chaoxian doesn't want to make a move against him yet, since killing a mercenary is asking for trouble.
Unfortunately, Liang Jiaqi knew something that Yu Tang couldn't know. If that happened, he was doomed.
Just in case, Yu Chaoxian once again instructed Chen Diao, "Make it clear to Guan Zhongpeng that the more he talks to Yu Tang, the less his mother will live. Let him weigh the pros and cons himself."
Chen Diao thought about Guan Zhongpeng's blockheaded nature; he was absolutely loyal to the Yu family, but he just couldn't see things clearly.
At 3 p.m., Chen Diao received a report from A Jin, saying that Miss Yu had a graduation party on Sunday, which was the school's grandest party of the year. The graduating seniors and their parents were to attend together. Students from nearby universities would also participate in the party to give the graduating seniors some guidance, and the parents' meeting would be held on the side for reference.
But here's the problem: where are Yu Tang's parents? Her parents are long gone.
My older brother is in a coma in the hospital, and his life hangs in the balance.
Now, apart from Yu Tang, only Yu Chaoxian remains of the Yu family.
Chen Diao showed the message to Yu Chaoxian. He glanced at his boss and saw the upturned corners of his mouth, knowing that his boss was definitely going.
The eldest son is preparing to be both a nephew and a father, and who knows, he might even want to be someone's boyfriend, so he'll be both a nephew and an uncle-in-law.
Chen Diao found this generational hierarchy really interesting; it was all a complete mess.
"Boss, Ah Jin also said that Miss Yu went shopping with her friends during her lunch break, apparently to pick out a gift. Who is Miss Yu giving it to? Could it be... for Liang Jiaqi?"
Mickey disagreed with Chen Diao's statement: "How do you know it was a gift for someone else?"
He thought it was a gift for the eldest brother.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned cold. Yu Chaoxian sneered and lightly flicked the lighter he was playing with onto the table.
That night in the park, Liang Jiaqi approached Yu Tang, whose eyes were closed.
She learned to close her eyes when kissing quite quickly, having watched so many TV dramas about it.
That same evening in the kitchen, when he approached, Yu Tang simply stared back at him with clear, foolish eyes.
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