"Quni Made?" Yao Wanqing seemed to be searching the name in her mind, but someone nearby already started chuckling softly.
"Young man, do you know what you are doing?" Uncle Zhou's face turned cold.
"I know. Didn't I just say it? Go fuck yourself."
"You little..." Uncle Zhou choked, instantly wanting to curse back. But catching sight of the surrounding spotlights, he forced himself to swallow the insult.
"Don't get so worked up. Look at all these media cameras watching. Don't lose your composure and ruin your status. Am I right, Lin Xiaosan?"
Xu Wuyan chuckled, turning his head to fix his gaze on Lin Zhiyue.
He knew very well that these people were here to make trouble. To take Yao Can and leave as quickly as possible, his only option was to shut these people up fast.
If this dragged on and triggered emotional fluctuations in Yao Can, it would place a massive burden on her heart. Once anything happened to Yao Can's health in an occasion like this, tomorrow's tabloids would have a field day with gossip.
For Yao Can's sake, he couldn't be bothered to engage in a war of words.
"Young people have no idea how high the sky is and how thick the earth is. Oh well, let's head in first. Xiaacan, we're sitting in the front row today, you need to hurry over."
Veins bulged on Lin Zhiyue's forehead, but she still put on a magnanimous facade as if she wouldn't deign to lower herself to his level, then motioned for Yao Wanqing to walk inside together.
"I'll remember this, Quni Made." Yao Wanqing gave him a cold look.
"Go fuck yourself, Yao Wanqing. Who knows, today might just be the beginning of our destiny?"
Xu Wuyan was amused. Yao Wanqing's reaction was truly sluggish. Didn't she see people nearby already failing to hold back their laughter? She actually still thought his name was Quni Made.
Only after the two of them disappeared did Xu Wuyan step aside and walk over to Yao Can's back.
"Let's go too."
"Okay."
Yao Can curved the corners of her lips, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with her at all.
"Sir, please show your invitation."
Just as they reached the entrance of the venue, a staff member appeared and blocked Xu Wuyan's path.
"He's my companion," Yao Can turned back to explain.
"I'm sorry, Miss Yao, one invitation admits only one person. We've long since assigned seat numbers for our invited guests, and those without invitations don't have seats."
"Can you make an exception?"
"I'm sorry, those are our rules." The staff member kept blocking Xu Wuyan's path, seemingly determined not to let him pass.
Yao Can wanted to say more, but Xu Wuyan shook his head and leaned in close to her ear. A wave of heat brushed against her earlobe.
"Wear this Bluetooth earpiece. No matter what happens, I've got you covered."
"But..."
"Go on. No matter what you encounter, don't panic."
Xu Wuyan gave her a few parting instructions. This was a precaution he had prepared to prevent any accidents involving Yao Can.
"Alright, then wait for me outside. As soon as it's almost over, I'll come out to find you."
"No problem. If anything happens, remember to send me a message and I'll come bring you out."
They exchanged a glance, and Yao Can stepped directly into the venue.
The staff member looked at Xu Wuyan with a lingering sense of smug triumph. This only made Xu Wuyan even more convinced that today was a Hongmen Banquet and Lin Zhiyue had definitely plotted some conspiracy.
He slowly turned away and walked toward the outer gates. Hesitating for a moment, he went to the side of the garden and, seeing that there was no one around, took out his phone to make a call.
"Beep, please enter identity verification!" A mechanical voice came from the other end of the line.
"..."
"Beep, identity verification passed. Please enter your reserved information."
"Night Owl!"
"Welcome back, Postman Night Owl!" After the mechanical voice sounded, a series of dialing tones rang out, replaced a moment later by a gloomy, elderly voice.
Before he could even speak, a suspicious voice rang out from the other end again:
"What a real surprise. Aren't you dead? I saw your body dissected and sent into the cremation furnace with my own eyes. You aren't hacking someone else's account, are you?"
"No wait, our system is encrypted. Outsiders don't even know we exist. Could someone have leaked it?"
Xu Wuyan let out a long sigh. He had always wanted to shake off the influence that the identities of Chen Fan and Chen Bufan had on him, but now he realized that unconsciously, the things Chen Fan possessed had long since exceeded the scope of an ordinary person.
"You old immortal, I need you to help me find someone!"
He could sense that as he spoke, the other end of the line fell silent, as if digesting the shock brought by his appearance.
"Who... are you?" A grave tone slipped through the receiver.
"I am Night Owl."
"No, the voice waveforms don't match. You're an impostor. Kid, you're courting death?"
"Migratory birds don't know the way, postmen never look back. Old immortal, you and I are the only ones who know this phrase. It really is me."
Xu Wuyan sighed.
"What? You're really not dead? Heavens, what on earth is going on?"
The sound of a teacup dropping to the floor echoed from the other end of the line. He didn't even need to imagine it to picture a scene of utter shock and bewilderment.
"This matter is very complicated. We'll talk about it later. I need your help right now."
Silence. The silence lasted for about five minutes. Xu Wuyan didn't hang up, simply waiting quietly.
"Forgive me, I really am shocked to my core by your appearance. Ever since that incident, you were declared dead, not to mention the missing item. What on earth happened in between?"
"Don't ask, and don't tell anyone I'm still alive. Night Owl is dead. I'm calling you today to ask for a favor."
"Can you really not tell me?"
"Even if I told you, you probably wouldn't believe it. Let the past drift with the wind. For the sake of our past friendship, I want to live an ordinary life."
"Fine. What do you need my help with?"
"..."
"Right, help me wipe my access logs, Old Ghost. Seriously, don't let anyone know the Postman is still alive. I'm begging you."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Wuyan's mood felt much heavier. He had experienced an event before his rebirth—the very event that directly resulted in him finally lying on a hospital bed waiting to die.
After being reborn, he wanted dust to return to dust and dirt to dirt, but obviously, deep in his subconscious, he still wanted to pursue the truth.
However, now was not the time. The most urgent priority right now was to verify his deduction.
He opened his phone. This medical summit had already been broadcast live on a streaming platform. He found a quiet pavilion, and as soon as he sat down, he spotted Yao Can's figure on the screen.
At this moment, Yao Can looked somewhat constrained. Many heavyweights were attending today's conference, yet she had been arranged to sit right in the C-position of the front row.
Although Lin Zhiyue had told her outside that she was seated in the front row, she had assumed it would be in some corner. Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected the organizers to seat her here.
Sitting here meant all the cameras were pointed right at her. Beside her were Lin Zhiyue and Yao Wanqing, followed by heavyweight guests from various fields.
"Xiaocan, we owe it all to your blessing that we get to sit here this time. Our Yao Family is definitely going to make a stunning debut today."
"Sister, I want to thank you."
Yao Can's brow was tightly furrowed, and a sense of unease took root in her heart.
For a young girl to be seated in the C-position quickly drew widespread attention. Not only did the seated heavyweights cast looks of perplexity, but the live-streaming platform was also buzzing with discussion.