Chapter 188. Journey To Earth (III)

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Arc E: Extra.

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Pang Yilong was called to a meeting right after making the phone call, the restaurant had indeed changed hands.

He stared at the manager’s gaping mouth as if he’d seen a ghost, feeling like he was dreaming. Wasn’t the contract Chen You gave him fake, and weren’t the things he said just a joke?

Feeling a bit dizzy, Pang Yilong staggered back a few steps and leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

Someone asked curiously, “Manager, who is the new boss?”

The manager said he didn’t know, only that the surname was Chen.

Pang Yilong suddenly looked up, swallowing hard, muttering, surname Chen… I still feel like I’m dreaming.

Chen You didn’t look much older than me, so where did he get such great abilities from?

No, that’s not right. The man next to Chen You, Li Yan, has a powerful and imposing aura about him, like a high-ranking figure who wields great power.

The manager didn’t say much, just told everyone to behave themselves, not to ask questions, to do their jobs well, and to receive their salaries as usual at the end of the month.

Everyone was relieved to hear that there were no problems with the salary.

Pang Yilong pushed aside the people in front of him and ran out. The restaurant was empty. He wiped his face and ran out again to search, running around the streets like an idiot. He had given up hope, but then he spotted his target in a bubble tea shop.

The other party was holding a cup of taro milk tea, drinking it with great relish, like a little child.

“……”

Pang Yilong let out a breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, walked up to the young man, and asked, “Does what you said still stand?”

Chen You slurped up the pearls at the bottom of the cup, “Yes.”

He looked at Li Yan.

Li Yan handed the contract and pen to Pang Yilong.

Pang Yilong stared at the contract, his expression changing repeatedly. He asked Li Yan, “The restaurant has been bought by you guys, right?”

Without answering, Li Yan said something unexpected, “You’re lucky.”

In the entire universe, there are countless planes and worlds, covering an immeasurable amount of data. If Pang Yilong’s personal information data had not been selected by Chen You, copied and thrown into the assessment world, and a friendship had not been established, and they had not met again on Earth.

That person will spend his entire life working for others, scrimping and saving for a house and a car, working himself to the bone and constantly struggling to make ends meet.

Now, simply by signing his name, he can go from nothing to something, saving himself decades of struggle and even gaining wealth he could never have in his entire life.

If he shows some ambition, stop being idle and wasting his resources, and instead learn to manage and invest, understand what investment is, and how to seize opportunities to profit, he can completely turn his life around.

It’s not something that can be summed up simply by saying he was lucky.

It took Pang Yilong a while to understand the meaning of Li Yan’s words. He took a deep breath, gripped the pen tightly, and signed his name on the contract, his hand trembling.

The contract was made in copies, and Li Yan took one copy.

Seeing this, Chen You’s brow relaxed. He walked out of the milk tea shop, threw the empty cup into the trash can, took a few steps and turned back. Seeing the man following him, he continued walking.

As someone who’s clueless about life, there are bound to be many unexpected situations when he is out and about, so he needs someone he can trust to accompany him.

Pang Yilong snapped out of his daze and realized he was the only one still standing there. He found a place to squat down, opened the contract, and carefully read it. He found that the contents of the contract were in his favor.

“Oh My God…”

Pang Yilong could hardly believe that the pie hadn’t just fallen in front of him, but into his mouth. It was practically running into his stomach on its own initiative, and it was exclusively his, no one else even had a chance to see it.

Such an incredibly fortunate event, something one wouldn’t even dare to dream of, happening even once in a lifetime is a sign of great blessings from one’s ancestors.

Pang Yilong carefully put the contract away. He was worried, wondering what to say when he went to the manager. Should he just throw the contract at him? Or should he ask Chen You and Li Yan for advice? It wasn’t his fault, anyone who unexpectedly received such a huge benefit would be flustered and their mind would be a mess, unable to think straight.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Pang Yilong returned to the restaurant, the manager was waiting for him at the door. Upon seeing him, the manager walked up to him with a big smile, his attitude completely changed, showing none of his usual superiority.

“Director Pang.”

Pang Yilong paused in his steps, his face twitching as he tried to suppress his excitement.

Hahahahaha, I’m the boss now!

While inwardly laughing uncontrollably, Pang Yilong calmed down a bit and guessed that Li Yan had been in contact with the manager, and that Chen You was obviously just enjoying a life of leisure and didn’t care about anything.

The manager didn’t show any signs of his jealousy, such good luck is something he can only hope for.

He had been trying for years without success, and yet this little bastard managed to get it.

Before the day was even over, two major events occurred. First, the restaurant suddenly changed owners, and then a former waiter transformed into Director, making it one of the most legendary events in the world.

The manager couldn’t help but worry about how he would get along with this little brat in the future, and hoped he could somehow make the other party forget all the unpleasantness of the past.

Harmony brings wealth.

Pang Yilong solemnly instructed the manager to call a meeting. He stood tall amidst the shocked stares of his colleagues, delivering a resounding slap in the face to those who had wronged him. He didn’t fire the people who had annoyed him, including the two who had hired someone to beat him up, he kept them around to torment them slowly.

Those who suddenly rise to power are not true friends and will bring a lot of trouble.

Those people know that things are going to get tough, but they won’t leave on their own because they are reluctant to give up the benefits they receive at the restaurant and are afraid of not finding a better job.  They can only endure the situation and act subserviently for as long as they can.

Moreover, even if one were to leave, one cannot resign voluntarily.

Pang Yilong enjoyed the envious and jealous looks from his colleagues for a while, then took out his phone and dialed a number. He called Li Yan, who told him they were in a nearby park.

A short while later, Pang Yilong ran to the park and asked, “Can I ask why it was me?”

Chen You watched Li Yan picking small flowers and said, “We have a natural affinity.”

That’s it? Even the great immortals value extraordinary talent when accepting disciples. You’re being too casual. Pang Yilong didn’t understand the black-haired youth’s standards for judging people. He gave him the status of a partner simply because they clicked, and treated him as a friend after only meeting him yesterday.

Pang Yilong looked up at the sky and said to his parents in heaven, Dad, Mom, look! Your son has met a benefactor and his luck has changed for the better!

Li Yan, who was not far away, returned having picked a small red flower, which he placed in Chen You’s hand.

Chen You frowned, “It’s not pink.”

Li Yan said, “There aren’t any pink flowers in the park, so these red ones will do for now. I’ll get you some pink flowers next time.”

Chen You gave the little red flower to Li Yan, don’t want it.

Li Yan coaxed, “The red one is quite pretty. Look at the petals, there are eleven of them, which is the most among all the flowers. And the leaves are symmetrical on both sides…”

Pang Yilong, standing on the side, was completely ignored. These two only had eyes for each other, judging by their gazes and the atmosphere between them, they must have been together for a long time, longer than he had been with his girlfriend.

When Chen You asked about his girlfriend and suggested they have dinner together, Pang Yilong immediately made a phone call and invited her out.

The girl was in her early twenties, with a pretty face and a pleasing appearance. She had gentle eyes and a sweet expression, and when she looked at people, there wasn’t much hidden thought in her eyes, she seemed very innocent.

Chen You had met her and confirmed that she was much better than those of Pang Yilong’s previous ones, so he said to Li Yan, “Book tickets to Nanchang, let’s leave this evening.” He didn’t have much vacation time left, so he needed to make the most of it.

Li Yan booked the ticket, he booked the G1364 train departing at 4:42 PM, from Changsha South to Nanchang West.

Pang Yilong was stunned, “You’re leaving Changsha this evening?” That’s too fast. You just said you arrived yesterday, and you’re leaving today. It feels even more unreal to him.

Chen You said, “Have already been here.”

Pang Yilong assumed Chen You was on a round-the-world trip, visiting each city briefly before moving on. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness at the thought of parting, “When are you leaving? I’ll see you off.”

Chen You said, “No need.”

He glanced at his friend and his friend’s lover, “We’ll meet again.”

If he is not too busy with work, he can travel around the world.

When Pang Yilong heard this, he immediately felt much better. How does that saying go? Fate brings people together from a thousand miles away, but without fate, they can stand face to face and still not meet…  Well, that doesn’t quite fit, but the point is, there’s still a chance to meet again.

Chen You suddenly said in a voice that only Pang Yilong could hear, “Love requires loyalty.”

Upon hearing this, Pang Yilong’s lips twitched. The way these words were spoken sounded like a warning to a womanizer. Although he was handsome, he would never flirt around and his heart and soul belonged to his wife alone.

Chen You took the handkerchief that Li Yan offered and wiped his mouth. The farewell meal was over, “When you get married, I’ll be there.”

He stood up and extended his hand, just as he had when they first met, “Goodbye.”

Beginning with this ceremony and ending with this ceremony, from now on, they will be friends.

Pang Yilong shook hands and said, “We must meet again!”

With a table full of dishes, and the delicious braised pork knuckle still untouched, two people left the table.

The girl removed the alcoholic drinks from in front of Pang Yilong and replaced them with juice, saying softly, “Yilong, that Chen You is your benefactor.”

“Absolutely!” Pang Yilong pulled his wife into his arms, “Let’s work hard. This is a trump card that God gave us out of pity. We must not squander it.”

After getting on the train, Chen You leaned back in his seat and fell asleep.

Li Yan flipped through the magazine, and when Chen You leaned his head closer, he moved a little closer to him to make him more comfortable.

Not long after, Chen You woke up and needed to go to the toilet.

Li Yan stood up as well, “I’m afraid you might get on the wrong carriage.”

Chen You looked at him and said, “Sit back down.”

Li Yan raised his eyebrows and continued flipping through the magazine, but he couldn’t concentrate on anything. He was conflicted. He wanted the young man to integrate into the larger society and stop resisting going out, but he also wanted to keep the young man at home and keep him dependent on him forever, as if he were the only person in the world.

Chen You went to the toilet and came back to sleep.

Before coming here, he had searched for some cities in the southern part of China and remembered that Nanchang had a type of shredded dried green bean snack called gege, which was spicy and garlicky and had a very good reputation.

There’s a Wanshou Palace in that street, and numerous snack shops line the area. The Hongcheng Grand Market also wholesales a wide variety of snacks, so you can go and take a look.

Chen You originally came to Earth to eat, but after meeting Pang Yilong, he had other ideas.

However, Earth has too many cities and a dense population, and each city is quite large. Moreover, Earth is just one insignificant planet among many dimensions. Trying to find someone specifically would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. He could only follow the route he had set for himself, there was no other way.

Chen You changed his posture, casually resting his head on the man’s shoulder, thinking that he would return to Earth whenever he had the chance. This place was even more interesting than he had expected.

The train was delayed, and Chen You and Li Yan arrived in Nanchang around 6:30.

The station was packed with people, and looking around, you could see many people leaning against the walls, sitting idly on their checkered luggage bags, doing nothing in particular.

There were many people soliciting customers, swarming around anyone they saw, asking where they were going. There were also people from guesthouses, making the area very noisy.

No one questioned Chen You and Li Yan. They were both well-dressed, very tall, and had identical expressionless faces. Anyone with eyes could tell they were not to be trifled with.

The air was damp, just like the weather in Changsha.

Chen You stopped.

Li Yan turned his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Chen You said, “I’m hungry.”

Li Yan’s forehead twitched, “You eat after you wake up, and you sleep after you eat. Are you a pig?”

Without responding, Chen You followed the scent to a noodle shop, but when he saw a bowl of noodles on a table with only three or four tiny pieces of beef and a thick layer of oil floating on top, he lost his appetite and left.

Li Yan pulled his suitcase and watched as the young man pursed his lips, his face showing a hint of grievance.

It seems he’s really hungry.

Li Yan glanced around, then took the young man to find a taxi. They would first settle into the hotel they had booked before going out to eat.

When choosing a hotel, he specifically considered the dining options.

Cities at night are all much the same, the neon lights on either side of the street resemble strings of luminous pearls, stretching from one end of the street to the other.

Chen You ate some biscuits to fill his stomach, “How much longer?”

Before Li Yan could speak, he said, “Don’t repeat that ‘it’s almost here’.”

Li Yan glanced at his watch, “About ten minutes.”

The driver probably thought the two young men in the back seat were a bit strange. They didn’t look like XiongDi, but if they weren’t XiongDi, the fact that one was eating the other’s leftovers seemed too intimate. The driver, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere, said that they were almost there.

Nearly ten minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of the hotel.

Chen You looked around, searching for a restaurant.

Li Yan pressed his temples, led the young man through the revolving door, checked into a room, dropped off their luggage, washed his hands, and then wiped his face.

“You lie down, I’ll go pack it up and bring it back.”

Chen You took a nap in the room. The man returned, and the packed dinner was just a bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork.

Li Yan lifted the lid and dropped a spoon into the porridge, saying, “Your constipation hasn’t gotten better.”

Chen You’s eyebrows furrowed in dissatisfaction.

“Eat this first, and get a good night’s rest.” Li Yan sat down on the sofa, “I will check on you tomorrow. Once your constipation is gone, breakfast will be cold noodles and clay pot soup.”

He crossed his long legs and said, “For lunch, we can have noodles with soybean paste, it could also be boiled food, Xiongji barbecue, snails soup, and try tofu pudding topped with chili oil in between.”

Chen You swallowed hard.

“Nanchang is similar to Changsha, their cuisine is predominantly spicy.”

Catching sight of the young man’s longing expression, a hint of a smile appeared in Li Yan’s eyes, “If you don’t control yourself, your constipation won’t get better. Forget about other foods, you won’t even be able to eat that gege.”

After a while, Chen You lowered his head and drank his porridge.

Li Yan couldn’t help but walk over and ruffle his hair, “Good boy.”

Chen You was preoccupied with something else, “What is snail soup?”

“This is soup with small snails, use a toothpick to pick them out when eating.”

Li Yan took out his phone and crumpled the photo, “It’s this kind of thing.”

Chen You glanced at it, “How does it compare to spicy crayfish?”

Li Yan said, “Each has its own merits. In Nanchang, snails are more famous.”

Chen You said, “Oh.”

After he finished eating the porridge, he took a shower and went to bed, saying, “Don’t touch me.” 

Li Yan said, “Okay, I won’t touch you.”

Chen You frowned. This man usually takes a forceful approach, but why is he being so agreeable tonight?

Li Yan lowered his head, his lips close to the young man’s ear, and chuckled softly, “What, you want me to touch you?”

Chen You pushed the man away, lay down, and closed his eyes.

In the middle of the night, Chen You woke up. The room light was on, and the man was lying next to him.

Chen You stared intently, then reached out and pushed the man’s nose upwards, “You’re the pig.”

Seemingly finding it amusing, Chen You kept staring at it, and the more he looked, the more it resembled a pig.

Li Yan is a light sleeper, he can tell as soon as the person next to him wakes up, so he has a hard time pretending to be asleep.

Chen You said softly, “Why did you stop calling?”

Li Yan knew he was referring to wife.

Chen You said, “Never mind, if you don’t want to call, then so be it. I don’t really want to hear it anyway.”

He took his hand away from the man’s nose, “Why did you stop calling?”

Li Yan was struggling to hold back his laughter, almost to the point of getting an internal injury. Once the young man fell asleep again, he let out a muffled laugh.

After a long while, Li Yan kissed the young man’s lips and said, “Wife.”

Chen You responded unconsciously, “Mmm…”

Li Yan put his arm around the young man’s waist, pulled him into his embrace, and rested his chin on his shoulder, “Goodnight.”

In the morning, Li Yan checked Chen You’s mouth. It wasn’t inflamed and he could eat.

He looked pleased, “Brush your teeth and wash your face, then I’ll take you to eat cold rice noodles.”

Chen You added, “There’s also clay pot soup.”

Li Yan, “…Yes.”

After leaving the hotel, the two hailed a taxi and headed straight for Long Laowu Stewed Soup Restaurant in Shengjin Tower.

Chen You got his wish, but the taste of the soup did not meet his expectations.

Li Yan asked, “To the Wanshou Palace?”

Chen You shook his head, he planned to stroll around the streets.

Passing by a supermarket, Li Yan went to buy a drink. After paying, he came out with the bag, but the young man was nowhere to be seen at the entrance.

Finding no one in sight, Li Yan’s expression instantly darkened.

Still so mischievous! I’ll have to punish him properly this time.

First, need to find the person.

Li Yan’s breathing was heavy and ragged, he regretted his carelessness, realizing he should have held onto the young man and not let him out of his sight for a single moment.

The streets were crowded with people and cars, it was difficult to find one specific person.

Li Yan returned to the supermarket and, after speaking with the staff, showed them a photo of the young man and left his phone number, asking the staff to call him if they saw the young man.

The man was tall and handsome, with a cool and aloof face and a mature charm. The shop assistant blushed and her heart pounded, “Yes, sir.”

After leaving the supermarket, Li Yan took long strides, searching along the street, checking each storefront one by one.

His wife only knows how to write programs, has no sense of direction, has no money, no cell phone, and doesn’t understand anything. He can’t imagine what he might encounter in a strange city.

On the street, a tall man in a black trench coat had his thin lips pressed tightly together, his expression cold and aloof. He exuded a chilling aura, and pedestrians avoided him to avoid getting into trouble.

Author’s note: Hahahaha, I went to university in Nanchang back then, and I loved Wanshou Palace.

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