Wang Yiyang's black phone was the one he kept pulling out to glance at every few minutes.
Outwardly it looked similar to a popular budget smartphone model on the market, but upon closer inspection, the phone's texture, buttons, and various details were clearly far more refined.
An Yuxi noted this carefully, feeling as though she'd discovered a secret no one else had noticed. Her heart stirred with subtle excitement.
She said nothing, merely planning to continue observing.
After toasting, the group sat back down. Dishes came out in succession, plate after plate.
Steamed pomfret, golden jade strands, flying dragon in the sky, white phoenix rises, drunk sage's blessing, sea dragon gives birth...
All sorts of dishes with exotic names kept arriving. Everyone had to guess what each dish actually contained.
Though they were all made from ordinary home ingredients, with a name change and beautiful plating, they gave an impression of high-class refinement.
The entire group had gathered during work hours, all wearing office attire. The men wore dress shirts and trousers, the women wore black skirt suits and black stockings.
It looked less like friends gathering and more like a corporate event.
Partway through the meal, Wang Yiyang's phone suddenly rang.
Though some colleagues were receiving calls during the meal, their ringtones were all set to low volume.
Nothing like the harsh, piercing sound of Wang Yiyang's phone right now.
Uu... uu... uu!
The ringtone had no normal musical quality whatsoever. It was purely jarring and grating on the ears.
Wang Yiyang froze. He distinctly remembered setting his phone to silent.
He quickly pulled out his phone and apologized with a smile to the others.
"I need to take this. I'll step out for a moment. Go ahead and eat."
He stood up and opened the screen to find it completely filled with blood red.
'WARNING! WARNING!'
This was the phone's passive alert system. It only activated during special circumstances, forcing notification regardless of whether sound was enabled or not.
Wang Yiyang narrowed his eyes, his heart skipping. A detail from the information in his mind flashed past instantly.
The phone's forced alert only activated when someone he'd pre-set as important appeared nearby.
In other words...
He looked out through the private room's window.
Beyond the circular glass, a sleek, silver bulletproof luxury sedan was slowly coming to a stop at the street's edge.
The rear window of the sedan slid down, revealing the face of a middle-aged man with a white goatee.
The man wore a gray suit with a pitch-black tie, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, calmly observing Wang Yiyang through the window.
Wang Yiyang withdrew his gaze. Information in his mind instantly identified the person.
Kesatire, a rival within Myst Pharmaceuticals who had long coveted his position as head of security.
Wang Yiyang pressed the alert cancel button, silencing the sound. He excused himself to the others and was about to leave the private room.
Bang!
The private room door suddenly burst open.
A blonde man with a slicked-back hairstyle, wearing sunglasses, walked in dressed impeccably in a suit. His gaze locked immediately on Wang Yiyang.
"Director Wang, Mr. Leiine requests your presence," the man said with a smile. Combined with his muscular build, there was an underlying hint of menace.
Wang Yiyang paused. The man wasn't speaking in Federation language, but in Areshaian, Myst's internal common language.
Since Myst's headquarters were located in the Maria Archipelago in Aresha, for convenience all personnel used Areshaian for communication.
The others in the private room had no idea what the blonde was saying, but they could all sense that this visitor meant no good.
Wang Dongning looked at Wang Yiyang and immediately stood.
"Brother Yang, someone looking for you?"
"Yeah, you all go ahead and eat. I have a small matter to handle," Wang Yiyang said calmly with a smile.
The data information he'd seen earlier clearly indicated a one-month buffer before Myst's dangers would catch up to him.
But why was someone appearing now, ahead of schedule? What was going on?
His mind stabilized. He chose to trust the system-like entity that had given him this hidden identity.
Truthfully, the main reason was that the opponent had appeared suddenly. He had no way to predict or prepare in advance, only to respond to moves as they came.
"I'll step outside for a moment," he said to his colleagues with a smile, then patted Wang Dongning's shoulder, signaling him to sit back down.
"It's fine. I'll be back shortly."
"You sure there's no problem?" Wang Dongning didn't quite believe him.
"Don't worry," Wang Yiyang laughed. Then he looked at the blonde man. "Lead the way."
He responded in Areshaian.
"Please," the blonde said, stepping aside and offering his position with a slightly respectful bow.
The two quickly left the private room, closing the door behind them.
Bang with a dull sound.
The remaining people in the room looked at each other in bewilderment. For a moment, there was complete silence as everyone speculated about what the foreigner who'd just appeared could possibly want.
"Brother Yang knows foreigners? He's never mentioned that. Could he have been dealing with international clients from his previous company?" Wang Dongning chuckled nervously, breaking the silence.
"Doesn't seem like there's a problem. Does anyone know what that man was saying? Did anyone understand the language?" Xie Xiaodan asked with some concern.
"I used to watch foreign TV dramas and heard that kind of accent before. I think it was Areshaian?" a drama-loving girl answered. "As for what it means, I have no idea."
"However, that guy was wearing a Kelsi suit. I saw the logo pattern," Xia Ying said with a smile. She was familiar with luxury brands, so she'd recognized the label instantly.
"Could it be that Brother Yang is actually some rich second-generation heir?" Wang Dongning joked.
"That's hard to say," Xia Ying smiled.
"How expensive is a Kelsi suit?" An Yuxi wasn't very knowledgeable about this. She'd heard of some women's brands, but men's brands were largely unfamiliar to her.
"An basic model costs at least fifty thousand yuan," Xia Ying mentioned casually.
An Yuxi's breath caught.
Fifty thousand?!
Her monthly salary was barely over six thousand. One suit was almost a year's income for her.
What kind of outrageously priced brand was this?
She quickly pulled out her phone and looked it up. Sure enough, she found Kelsi listed among the world's top men's fashion brands.
It was a somewhat obscure first-tier brand, different from other brands favored by celebrities and famous people.
This brand flew under the radar, its high price stemming from exceptionally expensive raw materials.
After checking the information, An Yuxi outwardly remained composed, but internally she felt considerable curiosity about Wang Yiyang stirring.
"But that foreigner seemed very courteous to Brother Yang," one of the younger women remarked.
"Alright, alright, let's just ask Brother Yang directly when he comes back. Stop guessing and eat!" Wang Dongning urged everyone, speaking on Wang Yiyang's behalf.
Though the speculation and idle chat was interrupted, An Yuxi lowered her head. Ultimately, her eyes flickered with thoughts rising in her mind.
She'd always kept herself pure, waiting for opportunity. The reason she was so focused on climbing social circles was precisely to improve her life through marriage.
Looking at it now, if not for this unexpected occurrence where a foreigner came to the door for Wang Yiyang, everyone would probably leave after dinner never knowing how deeply this guy had been hiding.
An Yuxi's thoughts were clear. Her relationship with Wang Yiyang was mediocre at best, but this was an extremely rare opportunity.
She could vaguely sense that Wang Yiyang's hidden level was possibly the highest she'd ever had access to.
With such an opportunity right before her eyes, on the verge of discovery, her emotions were churning beneath the surface.
She still remembered her university days, working hard and saving money for a long time just to buy a handbag she loved.
Until one day she suddenly saw a girl from her class who'd always been at odds with her, casually carrying that exact handbag she loved most, chatting easily with people in class.
From that moment on, she'd completely lost interest in that handbag.
She couldn't forget that girl's eyes.
Perhaps the other girl had no idea she also liked the handbag, but in her perception, each time that girl's gaze swept across her, it felt like a knife cut.
From that point on, she decided she absolutely had to completely change her fate.
...
...
Wang Yiyang walked out of the private room with the blonde man, surrounded by two bald bodyguards, slowly exiting the restaurant.
This display of force not only caught the attention of people Wang Yiyang knew, but also restaurant-goers coming and going, staff, and managers who all came out to watch with full attention.
Wang Yiyang took it in stride. At this point, since the other side had come to him, there was no avoiding it. He might as well face it openly.
Under the cover and protection of the group, he quietly made his way to the car. He pulled open the door, sat in the back seat, and found himself sitting parallel to the middle-aged man.
"What do you want?" Wang Yiyang asked in an even tone, trying to keep his emotions stable.
His phone kept vibrating, but he didn't have time to check it right now.
"I thought you'd run," Kesatire smiled, his expression strange.
"I was just going back to my hometown," Wang Yiyang shrugged.
"I heard you mobilized people again. I'm in town for a meeting, so I thought I'd stop by to check on you. Since you're fine, I won't bother you further," Kesatire said with a smile.
"You'd be that considerate?" From the intelligence Wang Yiyang had received, this middle-aged man was no saint. He was like an old wolf hunting for opportunity. Once he found any weakness, he'd strike like lightning, relentlessly.
This was also his first time dealing directly with such high-level figures in the corporation. The department Kesatire controlled was relatively important. It was the R&D division, and though not equal to the security department, it still wielded considerable influence.
"I need you to help me," Kesatire said softly. "There's the matter of Granvor. I need an elite squad to escort key materials. My people lack sufficient strength."
"Ha. Why should I help you?" Wang Yiyang said coldly.
"I can help you. So you help me, wouldn't that be better?" Kesatire smiled.
He seemed to be reminiscing, and also lamenting.
"Remember when we worked together in perfect harmony? Back then, the corporation was so powerful, invincible. What a shame..."