"Let me treat everyone at noon. Come eat with us," Wang Yiyang said with a smile, patting a few colleagues who worked closely with him on the invitation.
These colleagues had been his companions in this product planning project. His sudden resignation would certainly impact the entire project significantly, so both as a matter of decorum and responsibility, he needed to express some gesture of apology.
However, he had family matters that couldn't wait, forcing him to resign. His colleagues expressed understanding, but with work demanding their time, they politely declined the lunch invitation.
Besides, the project was wrapping up soon. His sudden departure actually meant the credit would go to others, something they were happy about.
This was also why his supervisor approved the resignation without hesitation.
These days, talented people were everywhere. Though Wang Yiyang was capable enough, there was no shortage of capable people. Most were simply waiting for the right platform and opportunity.
Wang Yiyang didn't mind. He told Wang Dongning to bring his girlfriend, and asked Xie Xiaodan to bring her best friend along too.
An Yuxi was on the invitation list as well, given that she and Xie Xiaodan got along fairly well.
She hesitated for a moment, about to decline. But when she heard that Xie Xiaodan had also invited another close friend named Xia Ying, she reconsidered and accepted.
Xia Ying was fairly famous in the office, not because of her looks or figure, but because her family was wealthy.
In truth, her appearance was only average at six out of ten. Add makeup and she'd reach seven, which matched Xie Xiaodan's level but still fell short of An Yuxi.
Her figure was decent though. Nothing to complain about. While her chest was small, she had good leg proportions. But that wasn't the real draw. The key was that she drove a fifty-plus-million-yuan city SUV to work.
Her handbags, clothes, skirts, and shoes were all high-end brands. Even a casual outfit would run into five figures.
While she couldn't compare to truly wealthy second-generation heirs, to ordinary office workers, she was definitely a white-collar beauty.
So at Xinda Network, Xia Ying had the most admirers.
After all, society was full of practical people these days.
"Come on, let's go liven things up. Since Brother Yang is leaving anyway, it's better with more people," Xie Xiaodan encouraged from the side.
An Yuxi hesitated briefly, then nodded.
"Alright, send me a message about where we're going later."
"I'll add you to the group chat," Xie Xiaodan quickly pulled all the colleagues attending into a new group.
"Brother Yang, judging by your performance before you leave, maybe you'll take a girl home!" - Xie Xiaodan.
"... Can I take you instead?" - Wang Yiyang.
"Sure! I'll meet your parents tomorrow!" - Xie Xiaodan.
"... Never mind," - Wang Yiyang.
"Why not consider me? I'm single, don't smoke, don't drink. My only flaw is playing games until midnight!" - Wang Dongning.
"Haha, Little Ning, feeling bold today?" - Zhou Haomei.
Zhou Haomei was Wang Dongning's confirmed girlfriend, an employee from another company. The two had a wonderful relationship.
Wang Yiyang often saw Wang Dongning being pampered and coddled by his girlfriend after work. It was disgustingly sweet.
Soon, after calling everyone he could think of, the group chat grew to ten people. Wang Yiyang called everyone indiscriminately, anyone available.
This meal felt like a farewell to his office career.
It even felt like a farewell to his ordinary life.
So even though many in the group were only there for a few pretty women, he didn't mind.
After arranging the headcount, he quickly looked around and found a restaurant with decent cost-performance ratio.
Though his account now had money, he wasn't someone prone to extravagance. He maintained his old habits and chose a standard, reliable restaurant.
After booking a private room, Wang Yiyang finally sat down and began completing his handover work.
His supervisor was unhappy about his sudden resignation and gave him a non-compete agreement, forbidding him from working in similar positions for several years.
But on the other hand, within the limits of his authority, the supervisor also gave him over twice the standard severance pay as compensation. It was quite fair.
Sitting at his desk, Wang Yiyang operated his computer while occasionally checking his phone.
Text messages kept arriving.
In one morning, he completely finished the handover. Meanwhile, Jane Safitte's interrogation officially began on the other end.
Additionally, the protection team assigned to his grandfather's location was also in position.
Intelligence gathered from Myst Pharmaceuticals' vast intelligence network kept coming in on Wang Yiyang's phone.
He finished the handover in just over an hour. The rest of the time he spent reviewing the documents.
There wasn't much information about Zhong Can. In fact, there was very little.
But there was quite a bit about Moon Empty Martial Hall.
Grandfather Wang Xinlong was hardly low-key on the surface. In fact, he could be considered quite active.
He and his disciples frequently participated in various competitions. Moon Empty Martial Hall's reputation in martial arts circles was quite respectable.
The Moon Empty Fist that Grandfather Wang Xinlong specialized in was considered the flagship technique of the fighting and boxing scene in Yingxing City.
By the time Wang Yiyang finished reviewing the documents, it was already 11:50.
He tidied up his things, walked over to the water dispenser for a drink, then grabbed his bag and headed out of the office hall into the corridor to wait.
The corridor was quite wide, easily five or six meters across, with some chairs and tables arranged on one side for resting.
Wang Yiyang sat in one of the chairs, leaning back as he thought through things.
He hadn't been sitting long when the midday bell for end of shift rang. The office hall had fixed bells for work hours.
This was from labor protection regulations enacted a few years ago, which required companies to install such devices.
At least on the surface, it guaranteed basic employee rights.
Soon, Xie Xiaodan, An Yuxi, Wang Dongning, Xia Ying, and the other colleagues started coming out together.
Wang Yiyang glanced over and stood up with a smile.
"Let's go. I've reserved the private room."
"Time to leech off the big spender! I know you just got a hefty payment," Wang Dongning said with a laugh.
Wang Yiyang sent the restaurant address and private room info to the group chat, then the group headed downstairs, reaching a total of twelve people.
Several had shamelessly tagged along just for the pretty girls. Two bold ones asked to join, and Wang Yiyang didn't mind and agreed.
The group split up and took taxis to the restaurant.
The gathering place was called Pearl Orchid Restaurant.
It had decent reviews on food apps, with sour, spicy, and soup-based dishes as specialties.
The group entered the restaurant and was led by staff into the Orchid Fragrance private room, where they took their seats.
"Come on, Brother Yang's treating today, he's loaded. Everyone, don't be shy about ordering!" Wang Dongning stood up and energized the atmosphere, inviting everyone to order.
Wang Yiyang waved his hand with a smile.
"Just don't try to rip me off. Everyone, order whatever."
"Brother Yang, now that you've resigned, where are you headed? I saw you coming out of the supervisor's office with a non-compete agreement. Are you not planning to work in tech anymore?" a newly hired junior employee asked.
"Not planning to for now. I'll rest for a while," Wang Yiyang replied with a smile.
A circle of people sat around the table. He sat between Wang Dongning and Xie Xiaodan, and first stood to pour wine for everyone.
Since the afternoon still had work hours, he ordered lower-alcohol red wine.
A 428-yuan Moura dry red was neither the cheapest nor extravagant. Fitting for the occasion.
"Brother Yang, what exactly happened with your family? If there's anything we can help with, just let me know. Don't get me wrong, both Haomei and I won't hesitate to help," Wang Dongning asked seriously.
Wang Yiyang had a perfectly good project that was about to be completed and promised promotion. For him to suddenly quit?
Nobody would believe nothing serious happened.
Wang Dongning stood and spoke out loud. Instantly, the private room quieted down, everyone looking at Wang Yiyang, waiting for an answer.
"Nothing serious really. Just had some family matters come up that I need to handle," Wang Yiyang shook his head and raised his wine glass.
"Still, thanks to you all. Here's to your early marriage and many children."
Wang Dongning and his girlfriend, seeing he didn't want to elaborate, didn't push further. They stood and each clinked glasses with him, then drained them in one go.
Xie Xiaodan also stood up.
"Same here. Let's stay in touch by phone. I'm a local from Yingxing, so if you need any help, just call me. Back then, Brother Yang, you really helped me out. I remember it all."
Her expression was serious as she raised her glass and clinked it with Wang Yiyang's.
"No problem," Wang Yiyang smiled as their glasses touched. "You were silly back then, breaking things left and right. If I hadn't been sitting so close, I bet any of the other guys here would've stepped in to help."
The other men around laughed and joked along, the sound of laughter and teasing filling the room.
But there was no real laughter in Xie Xiaodan's eyes, only a faint sadness. It was clear she genuinely didn't want Wang Yiyang to leave.
Or rather, as someone new to the job, this was her first experience with such a parting. So the farewell struck her deeply.
"Don't forget to stay in touch, okay?" she said seriously.
"Right, oh, I just remembered something. I'm actually local too," Wang Yiyang suddenly said with a smile. "If anything happens, if you run into trouble, you can call me. For most things around here, it's pretty easy to sort out."
His demeanor was warm, and though his voice was soft amid the noisy environment, his words carried such a force that Xie Xiaodan instinctively felt the weight of his promise.
It made her want to trust him.
"That's quite the boast!" Xie Xiaodan couldn't help but laugh. "All this time with you, this is the first time I've heard you say something so arrogant."
"That's what keeping a low profile is about," Wang Yiyang laughed too.
Xia Ying, An Yuxi, and Wang Dongning's couple nearby also heard their conversation.
Wang Dongning's couple didn't pay particular attention, but Xia Ying inexplicably gave Wang Yiyang a long look.
She felt his demeanor at this moment was far too composed and at ease. It was as if... as if it were that different kind of bearing she'd seen on her corporate mogul father.
This kind of bearing was hard to describe, but essentially it was the ease and composed air that came from experiencing many high-stakes situations, a kind of superior comfort.
In social situations, very few people could naturally achieve this. Only those who genuinely enjoyed socializing or those at the very top of their social circles would naturally radiate such composed, relaxed composure.
Xia Ying noticed, but though curious, didn't ask. After all, she and Wang Yiyang weren't close.
But An Yuxi, who was always seeking to elevate her social circles, keenly noticed the shift.
Her eyes flickered. Finally, she began seriously observing Wang Yiyang.
With this observation, she immediately spotted some unusually distinctive details.