Returning from the Immortal World

Tang Xiu and Chen Xiaowan picked a place and time to meet, then Tang Xiu hung up. Tang Xiu couldn’t help feeling warm inside after recalling all the various experiences he had with Chen Xiaowan.

Chen Xiaowan had long regarded him as a younger brother and took good care of him—something that made him feel warm and happy. The feelings he had for her were not the kind of affection between man and woman but rather a kind of family love and acknowledgment, and he regarded her as an older sister.

I’ll also take you away if you’re willing to follow me. I’ll also give you a guarantee of life in the future if you choose to stay here. Nothing will change the fact that you’re my older sister.

Tang Xiu muttered inwardly as his eyes shifted out of the window.

The surrounding high-rise buildings constantly regressed, and the bustling streets with rows of stores filled with a dazzling lineup of goods and the crowds faded away. Tang Xiu felt like ordinary life was getting farther and farther away from him, and the slice of a peaceful life was about to end.

“Do you mind me asking something, Gao Beilei?”

Tang Xiu didn’t retract his gaze, but his voice was a bit unusual when he asked.

“Please do ask, Boss,” replied Gao Beilei softly.

“What do you think people want in life? A wonderful life full of thrills or just an easy yet average life for a lifetime?” Tang Xiu asked.

“Definitely to live a wonderful life, else choosing a mediocre life will make one end up regretting it when they are old,” Gao Beilei said. “Nevertheless, such a question is not something that only has one answer. Everyone has different ideas. Some definitely want a marvelous life, whereas others want to have a bland and easy life.”

“…”

Tang Xiu was a bit speechless. Gao Beilei’s answer was rather ambiguous and no different from not answering. However, he also realized that there was no single answer to this question. Everyone had their own ideas as well as dreams. Everyone had different goals since their ideas were different.

Suddenly, Tang Xiu stared out of the windows and immediately said, “Stop and park!”

The two cars stopped.

Tang Xiu didn’t wait for his subordinates to open the door and got out directly. He saw Su Yaning sitting while holding an ice cream across the street, holding hands with a handsome guy. Tang Xiu didn’t expect to meet her here.

In actuality, he had always been repulsive to the Su Family ever since he returned from the Immortal World. He maintained a certain distance from them even if he didn’t bother to have any intersection with them. He didn’t even bother to care about Su Shangwen, Su Yaning, or Su Xiangfei all this while. However, he had taught Su Xiangfei a cultivation technique and allowed him to practice secretly, but he didn’t provide him cultivation resources.

“Gao Beilei, I just saw an acquaintance. There’s no need for you to accompany me for lunch. I’ll go to the Magnificent Tang HQ later by myself. We’ll talk again at that time.”

Gao Beilei hesitated and asked, “Should I leave you a car?”

“No need.” Tang Xiu shook his head.

As Gao Beilei departed, Tang Xiu crossed the zebra crossing. When he stood in front of Su Yaning and the handsome guy, he chuckled and said, “Hey, Belle and Beau, care to give me some face and have lunch with me?”

“Huh?”

Su Yaning’s expression when she saw Tang Xiu was as though seeing a new world with an incredulous look on her face. She released the handsome guy’s hand and paced a few steps to Tang Xiu and pinched his face.

“Hey, I’m serious!”

Tang Xiu smilingly said while pushing her hand away snappily, looking amused.

“It’s been more than 3 years and I thought you were dead already! Yet you’re still alive, but why the heck nobody has seen you all this while?” Su Yaning muttered.

The handsome young man’s face changed. He keenly felt that the relationship between Su Yaning and Tang Xiu was not simple. With a hostile look, he strode forward and grabbed Su Yaning’s arm and asked grimly, “Who’s this guy, Yaning?”

Tang Xiu himself could sense the hostility this handsome guy aimed at him and smilingly said, “Do you believe if I say that I’m her boyfriend?”

“Shut the hell up!” the handsome guy yelled, “Yaning’s boyfriend is me!”

Looking as though she awakened from a dream, Su Yaning looked at Tang Xiu, who faintly smiled. She immediately smacked Tang Xiu’s hand snappily and said, “Cut the crap, will ya? Chang Wei, lemme introduce you to my cousin. He’s Tang Xiu, my auntie’s son. Tang Xiu, this is Chang Wei, my boyfriend.”

Tang Xiu faintly smiled, stretched his hand to the handsome young man, and said, “Well, my cousin is an outstanding girl, cousin-in-law. You’re gonna end up sour for no reason later if you can’t figure out things clearly out of jealousy, you know.”

The hostility shown by Chang Wei to Tang Xiu completely disappeared after Su Yaning’s introduction. He awkwardly scratched his head and then shook hands with Tang Xiu, apologizing. “Hey, cousin. Sorry for the bad attitude. I’m Chang Wei, the Sales Manager of Baolai Group.”

Tang Xiu noticed the change in Chang Wei’s expression when he stated the last sentence. The guy obviously looked more confident and likely wanted to intentionally prove his worth a bit.

“I’m Tang Xiu.”

Tang Xiu stated his name with a smile and said, “Cousin, cousin-in-law, how about having lunch together since we met and now is lunchtime?”

“Fine with me!” Su Yaning nodded without thinking and agreed.

Chang Wei also nodded to express his consent and smilingly said, “Tang Xiu, you look so young, so you should still be studying and going to a university in Shanghai, right? By the way, let’s pick a place for lunch first and let me be the host. I know a good restaurant nearby.”

“Alright!” Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.

Su Yaning herself didn’t think much about anything else. Even though she knew that Tang Xiu’s identity may be a bit scary for others, she had never told anyone about her relationship with him, especially to her lover, for fear that his attitude would change after hearing it.

At the Everlasting Feast Hall.

The restaurant Tang Xiu came to with Chang Wei and Su Yaning turned out to be the branch of the Everlasting Feast Hall in Shanghai. Tang Xiu smiled when he saw the familiar plaque. Counting the time passed, it had been more than 3 years since he last visited this venue, no? He didn’t know who was the person in charge of the restaurant now.

“Welcome.”

Two welcoming ladies bowed and greeted. Afterward, a waiter quickly arrived and asked with a smile, “Are there only the three of you?”

Maintaining a stylish demeanor, Chang Wei smilingly replied, “That’s right. Only three of us.”

“Please come inside.”

The waiter was also a new face and didn’t recognize Tang Xiu as he led the three people into the room and arranged seats for them. There were many people patronizing in the lobby on the first floor of the restaurant, but fortunately for them, there was an empty table by the window.

Tang Xiu observed the situation in the restaurant and secretly sighed inwardly. More than 3 years had passed and the situation had changed so much, and he only found two senior employees here. But these two people were still greeting other guests and didn’t notice him.

After taking a seat, Chang Wei took the menu and then handed it to Tang Xiu while smilingly saying, “Cousin Tang Xiu, you’re the first person I met among Yaning’s relatives. I should be a few years older than you, so there must be tons of things we both like. Anyway, order a la carte, anything you want. It’s all on me since I already prepared to treat a relative of my future wife.”

A trace of shyness could be seen on Su Yaning’s face, and she slapped Chang Wei’s hand and awkwardly scolded him with a smile. “What crap are you talking about? I don’t think I have promised to marry you.”

Su Yaning’s shyness made Tang Xiu realize that his cousin really liked Chang Wei. Therefore, he nodded with a smile and ordered the six most famous and most expensive special dishes of the Everlasting Feast Hall. He then returned the menu to Chang Wei and smilingly said, “I’ve picked the dishes, cousin-in-law. Would you like to add more?”

Each of the six special dishes Tang Xiu just ordered was expensive and made Chang Wei bitterly smiled inwardly. Even if he didn’t order more dishes, he must dig into his pocket and spend half of his monthly salary.

Yet, he still ordered two more dishes despite feeling a bit restless.

“You ordered too many dishes, you know. It will be wasteful if you can’t eat ’em all, cousin.” Su Yaning shook her head with a smile.

“It’s okay. I just feel so happy, you know.” Tang Xiu chuckled.

Chang Wei could only roll his eyes secretly and was a bit speechless. You’re feeling happy? You have no idea I just spent half a month of my salary for one meal, do you? How will the three of us eat all these dishes? Most of them will definitely go to waste!

As Chang Wei watched the waiter leave with a depressed face, the corner of his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. His eyes immediately lit up and said, “Yaning, Tang Xiu, I just saw an acquaintance. I’m going to greet him first.”

“Alright!” Tang Xiu and Su Yaning nodded at the same time.

After Chang Wei left, Su Yaning smilingly said, “Hey, let’s make a deal here. Don’t say anything about your identity and this meal today is your treat, got it!”

“Uh, you have yet to marry to him, cousin. How come you’re so protective over your man?” Tang Xiu forced a wry smile.

“Bah, who is protecting whose man?” Su Yaning rolled her eyes and snappily shot back, “This is your site, to begin with. Do you even need to pay to eat here?”

Tang Xiu couldn’t help but laugh in response.

At the entrance.

Chang Wei strode toward his acquaintance and hurriedly called out to the man with a smile when he was six-plus meters away from him. Then, he hurriedly stretched out his hand and smiled. “General Manager Wang, I never thought I’d meet you here. Did you come here for lunch?”

The man called General Manager Wang was a potbellied man and a decent-looking middle-aged man. After seeing Chang Wei, he just nodded in response and didn’t even shake hands with him. He replied lightly, “It’s just lunch. Are you here for lunch too, Manager Chang? The dishes here are quite expensive, right?”

Although Chang Wei was very disgusted with this General Manager Wang, the man was still his superior and the second person in his company. Therefore, he could only obsequiously smile in response and say, “Well, I met a relative of my girlfriend, so I invited him to have lunch here. There’s nothing I can do but endure the pain no matter how expensive the dishes are, right? By the way, is this Big Sis-in-law, General Manager Wang? She’s really gorgeous. Would you like to come to our table and let me treat you today?”

“Alright!”

General Manager Wang hadn’t spoken yet, but the young woman beside him nodded and accepted. Her fast response, however, was out of Chang Wei’s expectation. Even General Manager Wang himself shot her a rebuking look.