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墨書 Inktalez
"I, I am just an ordinary merchant, I really don't..." The middle-aged man continued to plead as he heard the jeering voices around him, his face pale under the intimidation of the notebook.
Due to the peculiar international stance of the two countries in the past, both the Chinese Empire and American media mostly reported negative news about each other. Living in such an environment for a long time, while harboring dissatisfaction towards the Chinese Empire, he was also filled with fear towards the mysterious departments here.
He had always conducted business honestly and had never felt anything unusual. However, upon hearing that the other party was a member of some mysterious department, his heart began to race.
At first, he could assertively claim that there were witnesses around him, but now he saw the once arrogant man who had looked down on everyone beginning to grovel and explain himself to the handsome young man. The people nearby found it quite satisfying to watch.
This was a typical case of a cowardly person being led by others and then retreating.
"You shouldn't be explaining to me. It doesn't help to explain your identity issues. Aren't you an Herb Merchant? Don't Herb Merchants stock up?" Chen Hao said with a cold expression.
Upon hearing his words, the middle-aged American's eyes darted around before he approached the vendor he had just insulted with a fawning smile, sweeping his hand across to buy all of his herbs.
However, the vendor appeared to be an honest person. Although there was a clear opportunity for him to take advantage of the situation, he still offered the original price. This made some other herb bosses nearby feel pity for him.
"Very good, very good. Just have the delivery personnel send the goods to this address. I apologize for any offense caused today; it was truly unintentional," said the man with a smile on his face. His previous furious demeanor had vanished in an instant, surprising everyone with how quickly he changed.
Yang Xiaoyou could probably understand that this fellow's sensitive nature stemmed from past experiences of exclusion and oppression. The speed at which he switched masks must have been honed during those times.
From the perspective of other American-born Chinese, this might seem like a pitiable person with a twisted psyche. However, from Yang Xiaoyou's and the local Chinese's standpoint, he was quite a disgusting fellow.
After bowing and scraping for a while and resolving the issue at hand, the American left the crowd with his companions in disgrace.
However, as he walked towards Yang Xiaoyou's direction, she caught sight of the twisted expression on his face as he turned around. She could even sense the intense emotional fluctuations within him; a thick hatred radiated from him, reaching a boiling point.
It was quite rare for an ordinary person to exude such intense energy, indicating just how twisted his inner self had become.
Facing this situation, Yang Xiaoyou unintentionally brushed against him while passing by, his fingers lightly grazing the man's waist. After stumbling and muttering an apology, he chose to ignore him.
Aside from a slight sting, the middle-aged man was still primarily focused on his hatred, disregarding everything else.
"Perhaps the punishment doesn't fit the crime. But what does that have to do with me?" After everything that had just transpired, Yang Xiaoyou thought indifferently.
With that brief contact, he had injected a hidden force into the man's kidneys. If the man had a strong constitution, he might survive the impending crisis in a few days; however, it was more likely that he would suffer acute renal failure and die suddenly.
Since the man's hatred was directed at Chen Hao from the past, it was better to nip the problem in the bud. Did he really want to wait until someone took action before claiming 'self-defense'?
The incident involving Sun Jun was still fresh in his mind; this fellow was clearly someone with a twisted psyche.
Just as he finished his actions and glanced at the fellow's retreating figure, Chen Hao's voice reached him. "Did you ask my sister to come find me? Why didn't you call? I didn't turn off my phone this time. I heard my dad and uncle went back to work, so I thought you were coming here to hang out."
Due to training earlier in the year, Chen Hao had arrived just before the New Year. They hadn't had much time to meet up, so seeing Yang Xiaoyou now surprised him pleasantly. He had assumed this fellow would be off spending time with Meng Lu instead of showing up here.
In response to his close friend's words, Yang Xiaoyou downplayed his presence as merely passing through. He vaguely mentioned just arriving in Shanghai and not having had time to call. During their conversation, he asked back, "What are you doing here? Learned anything new in Siberia?"
"Pretty much," Chen Hao replied, seeming a bit embarrassed as he spoke. This kind of emotion was rare for him, raising a hint of suspicion in Yang Xiaoyou's eyes.
"Hey, Dad, Brother Chen, is everything okay?" At that moment, a delicate woman rushed in from the thinning crowd, panting slightly as she spoke urgently.
It was Huang Ling, whom Yang Xiaoyou recognized from his volunteer work. Seeing her here and recalling Chen Hao's expression made him feel a strange sense of connection; it seemed fate had predetermined their paths. He initially thought there might be some unexpected twist requiring him to introduce them.
However, it turned out he was overthinking it; Huang Ling's family was also from Shanghai. He hadn't realized that her father was the owner of this stall and that she had been working hard to support herself due to their difficult circumstances.
"It's fine; Xiao You is here too. Didn't you learn some things about me from him?" Chen Hao said with a hint of sympathy as he looked at Huang Ling, who was catching her breath from running.
"Oh, I didn't realize you were here too! I'm so sorry for not noticing earlier," Huang Ling said shyly, sticking out her tongue in apology.
Just moments ago, upon learning that something had happened to her father, she hurried over with Chen Hao. Eager to help as soon as possible, Chen Hao quickened his pace, but when they arrived, her attention was solely on the two of them, completely overlooking Yang Xiaoyou standing nearby.
"It's fine, it's fine, heh heh," Yang Xiaoyou waved his hand while teasingly smiling at the two.
On the other side, the somewhat honest vendor looked at the three with a simple smile, though he seemed a bit at a loss for words.
From the very beginning, his reluctance to raise prices showed that he was a genuinely honest person.
It pained him to see his daughter suffer alongside him, and now seeing her so happy brought joy to his heart; it had been a long time since he had seen her smile like that.
"Hey, Xiao You, I think I'm really in love this time. The feeling is completely different from before! But when are you going to confess to Meng Lu? Your mom's words last time really made her anxious," Chen Hao said, draping an arm over Yang Xiaoyou's shoulder and pulling him aside as he spoke softly.
"Come on, we've been through this so many times. It's not happening. The girl is probably just feeling like a child whose toy has been taken away," Yang Xiaoyou replied with an eye roll at his friend, clearly annoyed that Chen Hao was worrying about his own issues instead of addressing his own.
"Tsk, forget about that. Let's head to my place. Uncle Huang's stuff is all sold out anyway, and Ling'er doesn't need to help watch the stall anymore." Seeing Yang Xiaoyou's expression, Chen Hao knew he wasn't listening and quickly changed the subject.
"Perfect timing to pay a New Year visit. It's been ages since I've seen those two old folks; the last time was back when we were still in school." Yang Xiaoyou naturally wouldn't refuse Chen Hao's invitation.
However, seeing Huang Ling already heading to his house so quickly made Yang Xiaoyou reflect on how fast things were developing between them.
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