You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Chen Yang pondered for a moment.

"Sure, but I'll decide on the location. I know a newly opened private restaurant that's nice and quiet."

He gave the name of the Western restaurant.

This location was pre-selected by Su Meng; the surrounding environment is complex, making it easy to escape.

"Okay, see you at noon."

Lina agreed.

……

It was close to noon.

Chen Yang changed into casual clothes, concealing all traces of battle, and entered the upscale Western restaurant with the composure unique to urban youth.

The dark-toned decor, the soothing piano music, and the aroma of coffee and food filled the air, creating a world that seemed completely opposite to the carnage of the factory the night before. Lina was already waiting in a private booth by the window, dressed in a well-fitting and elegant business suit, her makeup exquisite, and her smile radiant.

"The environment here is really nice."

Lina smiled and pulled out a chair for him.

"So you're planning to start enjoying life after leaving your job?"

"We can't stay on edge all the time."

Chen Yang sat down, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping around, taking note of the several passageways and service personnel.

"As you know, that mess we were dealing with before took a lot of effort."

The two ordered their food and chatted casually. Lina seemed to deliberately avoid the topic of her "former employer," only talking about trivial anecdotes and Chen Yang's plans after "leaving." The exquisite steak and red wine exuded an enticing aroma, and the soft clinking of cutlery against plates created a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

Halfway through the meal, Chen Yang casually asked a question, seemingly unintentionally.

"By the way, what about John from last time? He caused such a scene, has he calmed down now?"

Lina paused slightly with her fork in her hand, then casually continued cutting the food on her plate, took a sip of red wine, and spoke in a nonchalant tone.

"He... had some things to take care of back home, so he had to return to China temporarily."

Without even lifting her eyelids, she added another ambiguous sentence.

"They shouldn't be coming back to be an eyesore anytime soon."

Chen Yang nodded knowingly, not pressing further. However, his vigilance deepened. John's "temporary return home" was far from simple; perhaps it was the Heavenly Alliance's handling of the Black Serpent Society incident, or perhaps Lina had deliberately severed this risky connection? This seemingly gentle and refined woman was far from simple-minded.

……

The dining atmosphere was pleasant thanks to Lina's deliberate efforts. After paying the bill and leaving, Lina seemed undeterred, pointing to the entrance of a shopping street across from the restaurant and making a suggestion.

"It's still early. You've just gotten rid of your worries. Why don't you come with me for a walk? You look like you need to relax too."

Chen Yang didn't refuse and accompanied Lina into the bustling commercial street. Neon lights shone brightly, and crowds thronged the area, as if everything from the previous night was a distant nightmare. After walking for a while, they passed a jade shop decorated in an antique style.

"Want to go in and take a look? I'm quite interested in old jade bracelets."

Lina's gaze was drawn to a translucent, emerald-green jade bracelet in the shop window.

The shop was elegantly decorated with soft lighting. The proprietress greeted her with a beaming smile. Lina immediately took a liking to a round jadeite bangle with excellent translucency and floating patterns, which shimmered with a warm luster under the light. The proprietress carefully took it out for her to try on.

Just then, a particularly grating and obviously arrogant voice came from the shop entrance.

"Oh my! What a beautiful bracelet with floating flowers! Boss, I'll take this one! Pack it up for me!"

As the voice spoke, a young man with slicked-back hair and dressed in flashy designer casual wear swaggered in, surrounded by two equally sleazy-looking henchmen.

His gaze was fixed greedily on the jade bracelet that Lina had just put on her wrist; he had obviously caught a glimpse of it at the door.

Behind him was a heavily made-up, scantily clad woman who was staring at Lina's hand with jealous eyes.

Lina frowned slightly, before she could speak.

The young man, known as Young Master Xue, walked straight to the counter, extended two fingers, and almost touched Lina's wrist in an extremely rude manner, giving orders with a condescending and disdainful look in his eyes.

"Take it off!"

"I've got my eye on this bracelet! Boss, wrap it up and put it on my tab!"

Lina's face instantly darkened. The proprietress was at a loss, looking from one person to another. The atmosphere in the shop plummeted to freezing point.

Several customers who were looking at the jade stopped what they were doing and looked over with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness.

Chen Yang, who had been silent all along, took a small step forward, standing precisely between Lina and Xue Shao, forming an invisible barrier. He spoke calmly, his voice not loud but extremely clear.

“My friend, there’s a proper order to things. My friend was trying on the bracelet, and…”

His gaze swept over the jade bracelet, his tone carrying a subtle hint of flippancy.

"She likes it quite a bit."

Xue Shao looked Chen Yang, who was dressed in ordinary casual clothes, up and down, his eyes revealing utter contempt and disdain, and sneered.

"Oh ho? You want to talk to me about rules? You saw it first? Can you even afford the deposit?"

He suddenly raised his voice and pointed at the jade bracelet.

"boss!

How much is this bracelet priced? I want it! I'll swipe my card today! There are people like this—"

He pointed at Chen Yang with disdain.

"Get out of my way and stop getting in my way!"

The proprietress turned pale with fright at the other party's imposing manner and stammered out a number.

"Did you hear that? You're so stingy!"

Young Master Xue was beaming with pride.

"Want it? Sure! Highest bidder wins! How about it? Dare to play with me?"

He looked at Chen Yang provocatively, his eyes full of mockery and certainty, as if he could already see the other man slinking away in defeat.

Chen Yang raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint, cold mockery flashing deep in his eyes.

He gently patted Lina's hand, who seemed to want to say something, and looked at Xue Shao, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"Oh? Highest bidder wins? That's interesting."

He slowly began to speak, quoting a number.

This price far exceeded what Young Master Xue had anticipated!
Xue Shao's smile froze for a moment, then a surge of anger at being provoked welled up inside him.

He absolutely cannot lose face in front of so many people, especially the women around him!
"Add another 300,000!"

Xue Shao shouted, his neck stiff.

"I'll play with you, you country bumpkin, today!"

A murmur of gasps rippled through the crowd. The proprietress's eyes widened in disbelief.

Chen Yang, unhurried, reported an even higher number, which was right on the edge of the acceptable range that Xue Shao had estimated!

"Add another 500,000!" Young Master Xue's breathing became heavy, his eyes slightly red, he was completely intoxicated.

The price was already painful for him, but he absolutely couldn't return it!

The woman who came with him was so excited she almost screamed.

However, to everyone's surprise, it happened.

Just as everyone was waiting for Chen Yang to respond to the challenge again.

Chen Yang suddenly gave Xue Shao an extremely innocent, even slightly regretful smile and shrugged.

"Impressive! Young Master Xue is indeed wealthy and generous. You can have this bracelet."

"boom!"

These words were like a bomb dropped out of nowhere! Everyone was stunned.

Xue Shao's face, which had just been radiating confidence and smugness, instantly turned a deep, liver-colored hue, as if a dye shop had been opened!

He then realized that he had fallen into the other party's trap!
This person never intended to buy it! They were just messing with him! They forced him to pay an exorbitant price for a jade bracelet he had his eye on!

"You...you dare to play me?!"

Xue Shao was so angry that he was trembling all over. His finger was shaking as he pointed at Chen Yang, and his voice was distorted.

Uncontrollable snickers and whispers rose from the surrounding area.

"What are you saying, Young Master Xue?"

Chen Yang looked puzzled, his expression as sincere as an innocent little white rabbit.

"Didn't you say the highest bidder wins? My bid just now couldn't beat yours, Mr. Xue, so I naturally withdrew. Could it be that this rule... Mr. Xue was just joking? Trying to back out? The proprietress heard everything."

The proprietress nodded hurriedly, not daring to offend any of her ancestors at this moment.

Xue Shao's anger was stuck in his chest, making him feel dizzy and his vision blurred.

Being made a fool of in front of so many people and being forced to spend nearly a million yuan more for no reason—how can I swallow this insult!

He stared intently at Chen Yang, his eyes practically spitting fire, his resentment almost tangible.

"Good! Good! Good lad! You've got guts! Just you wait! If I don't make you lick this broken bracelet clean of dust today, I'm not surnamed Xue!"

"Young Master Xue, calm down!"

The heavily made-up woman next to Xue Shao, seemingly enjoying the spectacle, swayed her hips as she tried to persuade him, but her eyes darted toward Lina with jealousy and provocation.

"Why bother arguing with someone so ignorant? Aren't we rushing to 'Yuquan Pavilion' for the afternoon's jade auction? We might as well take this one to Master Feng for his opinion!"

She deliberately raised the volume of the words "Yuquan Pavilion," clearly with a demonstrative intent.

Chen Yang's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.

Lina tugged at Chen Yang's sleeve at the opportune moment, her face displaying just the right amount of disgust mixed with a barely perceptible excitement as she watched the spectacle unfold, and whispered.

"What a downer! Forget it, Chen Yang, let's go. It's not worth arguing with someone like this."

However…” She blinked and looked at Chen Yang.

"The auction at Yuquan Pavilion? I've heard of it. It's nearby and seems quite famous. Since we're just killing time anyway, why don't we go over there and see what's going on? It'll save us from getting bogged down here!"

Xue Shao was already furious and had nowhere to vent his anger, and these words only added fuel to the fire! Being called "filthy" in front of him was bad enough, but these two despicable women actually dared to go to Yuquan Pavilion? To their own territory to die?!
"Go! All of you go! If you've got the guts, come and see what real class is all about!"

Enraged, Xue Shao laughed, almost spitting out the words through clenched teeth, pointing at Chen Yang with eyes as venomous as a poisoned knife.

"Once we get there, let's see how you run! Keep a close eye on them!"

He growled at his two henchmen, snatched the jade bracelet box that the ripped-off had just bought, and angrily pulled the heavily made-up woman away, heading straight for the nearby Yuquan Pavilion auction house.

As Chen Yang watched their departing figures, a faint, cold, sarcastic smile flashed across his lips.

He nodded to Lina.

"Okay, let's go see what's going on."

After walking through two blocks, you will see an elegant plaque – Yuquan Pavilion.

A prominent banner displaying the auction items hangs at the entrance.

"Spring Fine Jade/Antiques Special Auction (Indoor Session)"

Several understated luxury cars were parked in the designated parking spaces at the entrance. Well-dressed waiters and security guards, wearing clean white gloves, quietly and professionally guided the guests.

After the waiter at the door examined the simple invitation card Lina handed over, he respectfully led the two in. The moment they entered, an atmosphere of luxury, understated yet extremely ostentatious, enveloped them.

A huge crystal chandelier illuminated the hall as if it were daytime, and the soft Persian carpets absorbed the sound of footsteps. The spacious hall was divided into two parts: the front hall was a luxurious self-service beverage area, with a variety of exquisite pastries and expensive red wines and champagnes, and waiters moving about among them.

Well-dressed men and women held wine glasses and chatted quietly, forming small social circles. The main auction hall, behind which was a heavy velvet curtain, was closed.

The self-service area was bustling with people. As expected, Xue Shao and his group had arrived early. He was leaning against a food table, drinking heavily with a gloomy face. The heavily made-up woman and her two henchmen were cautiously searching through the crowd, their target naturally being Chen Yang and his group.

As soon as Chen Yang and Lina stepped into the front hall, the heavily made-up woman's shrill voice rang out with excitement.

"Young Master Xue! He's here!"

"Those two bitches have come in!"

Xue Shao suddenly looked up, his scarlet eyes instantly locking onto Chen Yang and Lina!
He put down his wine glass with a sinister grin, and was about to lead his men to surround and block them.

Just then, a loud voice, tinged with surprise, pierced through the soft background noise of the hall and rang out beside Chen Yang.

"Hahaha! Brother Chen! Oh my, what a coincidence! I never expected to run into you here!"

The voice, carrying a sense of chivalry and genuine joy, instantly attracted the attention of many people nearby.

Xue Shaoqian's charging stance faltered.

A tall, burly middle-aged man, his face weathered yet exuding an air of authority and strength, strode towards Chen Yang with a beautiful, youthful girl in tow, each holding a glass of champagne and beaming with smiles. This was none other than the infamous underworld boss—the Living Yama!

The girl beside him was his beloved daughter, Chen Tingting. Although the aura of the Living Yama, honed by years of immersion in power and bloodshed, was somewhat restrained, anyone with a discerning eye could sense his extraordinary nature.

The Living Yama had obviously just finished socializing with Chen Tingting nearby. He turned around and saw Chen Yang, and his enthusiasm was genuine and heartfelt.

He walked closer, laughing heartily, and without a word, slapped Chen Yang's shoulder hard with his large, fan-like hand.

"Brother Chen! What a coincidence! What a coincidence! What brings you to this auction house for amusement?"

The Living Yama laughed loudly, his voice booming like a bell.

A hint of surprise naturally appeared on Chen Yang's face.

"Brother Yan! Tingting! What a coincidence!"

He subtly shifted his body slightly, blocking Xue Shao's gaze, which was burning with resentment. The trust conveyed in the strength of the Living Yama's slap brought a slight relaxation to his tense nerves.

"This beautiful lady is..." Chen Tingting looked at Lina curiously, with a sweet smile.

She was immediately struck by Lina's beauty and poise. Lina introduced herself with composure and elegance.

The Living Yama waved his hand with an air of grandeur. (End of Chapter)