Chapter 91 Taicheng - 5 Tang Bufan was suddenly...
Tang Bufan was immediately drawn to the man, simply because the man was exceptionally outstanding.
He was about two meters tall, with a slender build. His custom-made suit accentuated his waistline, while his neat short black hair was combed back, revealing a delicate and handsome face.
Tang Bufan looked at him through the window, while he stood by the car looking at Tang Bufan.
Lu Yi was sitting next to Tang Bufan, and of course he also saw the man in the sharp suit.
“He is Pei Zhishu,” Lu Yi whispered to Tang Bufan. “Guo Wen’s daughter-in-law, and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Eastern Federation.”
“…He’s so handsome.” Tang Bufan didn’t know why the word “handsome” popped into his head. He thought about it for a while, and when he saw Pei Zhishu walking towards them surrounded by a number of bodyguards, he suddenly realized.
Pei Zhishu has a gangster-like aura about him, unlike those simple business elites.
The two then got up from the booth sofa, and Wan quickly followed suit, not forgetting to straighten his old shirt and watch. Kai opened the door of the car, and the three of them got out one after the other.
Just then, Pei Zhishu arrived at the car door. He smiled and extended his hand to Lu Yi: "Welcome to Taicheng, Mr. Louis. I am Pei Zhishu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Eastern Federation."
"Hello." Lu Yi also gave a polite and gentle smile. He was wearing the V-neck sweater that Tang Bufan had knitted for him, along with old dark green military pants and short leather boots. But this outfit did not diminish his noble air. Coupled with his tall stature and handsome face, he was still dazzling.
After the two shook hands, Pei Zhishu looked at Tang Bufan next to Lu Yi. If Lu Yi was the sun, then Tang Bufan was the moon. His extremely fair skin was his first impression, almost like the white of moonlight, and his soft yet bright features added to his stunning appearance.
Pei Zhishu hadn't met a sub-beastman who could match him in appearance for a long time, so he couldn't help but take a few more glances at Tang Bufan.
Tang Bufan is much better looking in person than in photos.
"Hello, Mrs. Tang." Pei Zhishu politely extended his hand to Tang Bufan.
"Hello." Tang Bufan smiled at Pei Zhishu, who held a high position and great power, and met his gaze. Luckily, he had been a model before and knew how to put on a show, otherwise he would definitely feel awkward.
Wan Bing, standing next to him, was genuinely flustered, nervously rubbing his hands together. He intended to relax, but instead, his palms became sweaty.
The more he sweats, the more urgent his condition becomes.
"Who is this?" Pei Zhishu asked the two of them with a puzzled look.
“Wan Bing, he is our friend, and we entrusted him to be our guide in Taicheng,” Lu Yi introduced Wan Bing.
Pei Zhishu didn't look down on him either, and politely smiled as he extended his hand to Wan Bing: "Hello, Mr. Wan."
"Greetings, Madam! Greetings, Madam!" Wan Bing was very excited and couldn't help but shout twice in a loud voice.
By this time, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered around, and even reporters were taking pictures. Since ground-based information was not readily available, the newspaper industry had re-emerged, and tomorrow's headlines in Taicheng would feature photos of these people.
Despite the soldiers blocking their way, the noise still bothered them. Pei Zhishu didn't like being stared at and talked about by these residents, so he politely said to the three of them, "On behalf of the Eastern Federation, I invite the three of you to stay at the President's residence."
His invitation was within Lu Yi's expectations, so the gentle Pei Zhishu said, "Alright, please lead the way, Mr. Pei."
Tang Bufan listened to Lu Yi's voice and his heart stirred slightly. Both sides then returned to their respective cars.
After the three got into the car, Kai closed the door, and Tang Bufan immediately asked Lu Yi curiously, "Why did you call him 'Mr.'? Shouldn't it be 'Madam'?"
“He greeted us as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and he doesn’t like being called ‘Madam’,” Lu Yi explained. Although it was his first time meeting Pei Zhishu, he had learned about him before coming to the East.
After he finished speaking, he stepped aside to let Tang Bufan sit down first.
Tang Bufan understood, sat down on the sofa, and after settling in, sighed enviously, "I also want people to call me 'sir'... Maybe I should try to get a position?"
After he finished speaking, he looked seriously at Lu Yi beside him and said, "Give me the role of an assistant."
“Uh…” Lu Yi felt it was a bit difficult, and subtly indicated to Tang Bufan, “This involves public approval. Even if I give you the status of assistant, teacher, that status still can’t compare to you being my wife…”
"I'm not your wife yet," Tang Bufan corrected.
Lu Yi immediately looked aggrieved.
The two chatted and joked around, but Wan Bing remained silent. He was still caught up in the fact that he had just shouted "Good morning, Madam!" twice, feeling that he hadn't performed well and had lost face.
At this moment, the RV started moving. Tang Bufan looked out the window and saw that Pei Zhishu and the orc soldiers had already boarded the vehicle. A military off-road vehicle was in the lead, followed by Pei Zhishu's black sedan. The other vehicles did not move until the RV caught up with Pei Zhishu's sedan, at which point they started moving, sandwiching the RV in the middle of the convoy.
The barriers on the driveway opened naturally to let them pass, and the three of them entered the city easily without encountering the inspection they had expected.
It must be because of those documents. Tang Bufan immediately expressed his gratitude to Anderson's father. He had been terrified of being arrested in public, but having a powerful figure vouch for him made all the difference.
Because of the thickness of the city wall, once inside, there is a tall tunnel with lights on. The tunnel still has a central carriageway and sidewalks on both sides.
After exiting the tunnel, they entered the outer city. Rows of neat cement buildings stood on both sides of the wide road. Tang Bufan looked at them curiously through the car window. He could tell that Taicheng's security and overall development far surpassed that of the outside world. Although those cement buildings looked to be several decades old, they were all well maintained.
"Are all these public rental housing units equipped with water and electricity?" Tang Bufan asked Wan Bing curiously, showing great interest in the living environment of Taicheng.
Wan Bing, who was feeling annoyed, snapped out of it and quickly replied, "Of course! Otherwise, everyone would want to move in. Every household has running water and electricity, and life would be so comfortable."
In contrast to the outside world where people still chop wood, cook, and make fires, Taicheng has been restored to the appearance of a modern society.
"What about the internet?" Tang Bufan asked curiously.
“There are internet cafes,” Wan Bing said.
"The main problem is the shortage of chips," Lu Yi said to Tang Bufan. "Chips of Evelyn's caliber can only be allocated to high-level orcs, while chips of Kaige's caliber are prioritized for the military. Only after the military's needs are met will they be sold to civilians."
Tang Bufan understood, while Lu Yi looked at a block that resembled an industrial park and said in a deeper voice, "There are also issues with the industrial chain, such as how to mine and refine raw materials, and how much energy is needed for refining... These are all problems, including childbirth. Only when there are people can many jobs be done."
Tang Bufan listened to the mixed messages and realized that many things cannot be easily accomplished simply by talking.
Thanks to the well-planned street layout, the convoy traveled in a straight line without encountering any traffic lights along the way. It must have been because the transportation bureau had opened a priority lane. As a result, the journey from the outer city to the inner city took only half an hour.
Tang Bufan saw the inner city wall, which was more ancient and taller than the outer city wall. After passing through the inner city tunnel, many detached houses appeared, almost like small villas. Every household had a car parked. Tang Bufan saw a woman watering flowers in her own yard and a primary school student playing on a tablet while walking. Clearly, the quality of life of the residents here had improved significantly.
Wan Bing was also visiting the inner city for the first time. Tang Bufan, having lived in the 21st century, could only sigh inwardly, while Wan Bing stared wide-eyed at the sight.
"Hey? Why did that kid throw away the steamed bun?" Wan Bing suddenly shouted, sticking his head out the window. "There's still more than half left... Oh dear, that kid..."
He looked like he wanted to pick the bun out of the trash can and eat it, and Tang Bufan, watching him, completely understood why Wan Bing was reacting so strongly.
He still remembered when he met Lu Yi. He was so hungry that he could only eat sour and bitter cactus. When he saw Lu Yi catch a gerbil, he was so happy that his breathing became heavy. He excitedly went to the back of the carriage to get a grill...
The inner city was more glamorous and beautiful than they had imagined. They were not crossing a city wall that was only a few dozen meters thick, but decades of time and space. Inside the wall was 2020, and outside the wall was 1980.
Further out, in the distant past, lay a backward century without running water or electricity.
Tang Bufan suddenly felt a pang of sadness. He thought the world had been destroyed and entered the apocalypse, but now that he was here and saw those kids playing on tablets, he realized that for the lucky ones, the world had never entered the apocalypse.
"Pop." Lu Yi suddenly leaned over and kissed Tang Bufan on the cheek.
Tang Bufan was startled, his mind snapping back to reality. He covered his face and turned to look at him, stunned.
"What are you doing?" Tang Bufan asked him curiously, wondering why he was suddenly being affectionate.
Lu Yijin's green eyes were very clear: "Teacher looks very sad, so I'll give you a kiss."
"..." Tang Bufan's expression changed, and he quickly looked at Wan Bing sitting opposite him. He had heard their conversation and turned his gaze away from the window, but he probably hadn't seen Lu Yi kiss Tang Bufan.
Looking at the young orc's serious face, Tang Bufan suddenly wanted to laugh. The complicated feelings in his heart had long since disappeared after the kiss.
"You..." Tang Bufan suppressed the urge to smile and muttered to himself, "I'll settle the score with you later."
Seeing that Tang Bufan was in a better mood, Lu Yi smiled and tried to grab Tang Bufan's hand to kiss him.
But Tang Bufan wouldn't give it to him, even though Wan was there.
The inner city is a mountain city. The convoy started climbing the mountain and went up an overpass. It began to spiral and bend upwards. Tang Bufan looked out curiously and found that Taicheng was very similar to Chongqing. You thought you were on the first floor, but you were actually more than ten floors above. And if you looked up, there were new platforms and first floors.
Tang Bufan saw the skyscrapers he had seen in the holographic image, as well as modern shopping malls, which were clearly the commercial district of the inner city.
As the convoy gradually climbed to the top of the mountain, the surrounding high-rise buildings came down to their feet. Tang Bufan saw the magnificent city, the imposing high walls, the vast plains, and the setting sun in the far distance.
Tang Bufan sat by the window, enjoying the mountain breeze, and was awestruck by the view before him.
A red wall appeared, topped with green tiles. Several orcs in smart uniforms stood guard at the gate of the grand compound. Then the gate opened and the convoy drove in.
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