Wayne Wang had been genuinely terrified since yesterday.
It wasn't Ethan Wu who scared him—although he knew Ethan was far from ordinary. His men had reported to him all the details from their surveillance yesterday: Nathan Lou had a private conversation with Ethan outside the restaurant, and he'd seen Isabella Li kiss Ethan goodbye when she dropped him home.
He didn't know much about Ethan, only that he was highly skilled and probably had a powerful background.
But what truly scared him was Tyler Li.
The fact that Ethan had called him directly had been a shock. His immediate thought was that Tyler had given Ethan his number; otherwise, how would Ethan know how to reach him?
Wayne was terrified by one specific possibility: that Ethan might report Wayne's surveillance back to Tyler.
Because this incident involved Isabella Li.
Everyone in Sea City knew how fiercely protective Tyler was of his sister. Especially in the underworld, it was common knowledge: provoke anyone but Isabella Li.
Offending her was even worse than crossing Tyler himself.
If you wronged Tyler directly, his temperament might allow you a chance to explain yourself. As long as Tyler wasn't furious, you might get away with an apology and some groveling.
But if you crossed Isabella…
You might not even get the chance to explain to Tyler.
And although Wayne had technically been tailing Ethan, because Ethan hadn't parted from Isabella all day, it meant they'd been tracking her as well.
Ethan was Tyler Li's "brother-in-law."
His actual brother-in-law!
If Tyler found out about this… Just the thought made Wayne break out in cold sweat. Tyler Li had personally elevated him to his current position; he was all too familiar with Tyler's methods. Wayne feared that even if he tried to explain, Tyler wouldn't give him the opportunity.
Last night, Wayne Wang tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Several times, he picked up his phone to call Ethan, hoping to explain himself and probe Ethan to see if he'd told Tyler.
But in the end, he held back.
After all, Ethan had called him first and ended the conversation by saying he was going to bed. If Wayne called back, it might only irritate him, potentially turning a minor issue into a major one.
Wayne left his house at the crack of dawn.
He didn't go up to disturb Ethan, though. He just waited below, hoping to catch him when he came down.
…
Ethan took a good look at Wayne. Normally exuding a refined yet subtly predatory aura, Wayne now looked weary, with oily hair and dark circles under his eyes.
"Mr. Wu, I just wanted to explain… I didn't…" Wayne started but trailed off.
Ethan raised a hand, signaling him to stop talking, then glanced further down the alley and gestured. "Had breakfast? There's a decent place down there."
With that, he walked further into the alley.
Wayne quickly fell into step beside him.
"I haven't mentioned anything to Tyler. Relax a bit," Ethan said, throwing Wayne a sidelong glance as they walked.
It was as if he knew exactly what Wayne was worried about—or rather, afraid of.
Wayne visibly relaxed.
He looked truly relieved.
"You come alone?" Ethan asked casually.
"They're all waiting on the street outside. I didn't want them coming in and causing a scene. With so many people hanging around, it'd give the neighbors the wrong impression," Wayne replied.
Ethan nodded, smiling slightly.
Wayne certainly knew how to handle things.
They walked deeper into the alley, where there were still a few small stores like convenience stores and fast-food shops.
Ethan led Wayne into a breakfast diner—a tiny, greasy place serving basic items like soy milk, fried dough, buns, and pickled vegetables.
It was past seven, and the breakfast rush had already died down. Only one other table was occupied.
Ethan ordered a few items, and they sat down near the entrance.
Wayne surveyed the diner, glancing around at its modest setup.
It had been years since he'd eaten in a place like this. Since his rise in the underworld, he'd grown accustomed to high-end venues and luxurious food.
The idea that Ethan would choose a place like this surprised him.
Of course, he didn't assume Ethan was here out of poverty. Even an ordinary person would simply think Ethan was extremely low-key!
The food was ready quickly. Fried dough and buns were already prepared, and a server promptly brought them over.
"Is there something you needed?" Ethan asked, tearing off a piece of fried dough and dropping it bit by bit into his bowl of soy milk.
"Mr. Wu, I really need to explain something. I mean no harm—I was just…"
Wayne started to explain.
Naturally, he didn't disclose his true intentions. He couldn't very well admit that he'd been following Ethan to get closer to him. But he needed some kind of reason.
Wayne claimed he was "protecting" Ethan!
Or, to be more precise, he was secretly safeguarding the brother-in-law of Prince Li.
Who knows what he was thinking?
Maybe he couldn't come up with a more credible reason. But ultimately, it wasn't about the explanation itself. What mattered was Ethan's response—his attitude.
Ethan continued eating as he listened. Wayne was a smooth talker and even managed to make his reasoning sound plausible.
"...You know, we underworld folks, if you put it nicely, we're called 'big brothers,' but we're just thugs when it comes down to it. You and Prince Li are family, and even though he hasn't ordered it, we're here eating at his table, so we figured we should be proactive. Right?"
"Hmm. Finished?" Ethan nodded calmly, then asked.
"Yes, that's all." Wayne's face shifted slightly. It seemed like Ethan didn't quite believe him, but neither did he intend to cause trouble.
"Not eating?" Ethan asked.
He'd ordered enough for two, but Wayne hadn't touched anything yet.
"Oh, yeah, I'm a bit hungry." Wayne forced a natural smile, picked up a piece of fried dough, and broke it into his bowl.
In truth, he didn't usually eat fried dough this way.
But it was how Ethan had eaten it.
"…Last night, a violent brawl broke out on Fuyuan Road. Witnesses filmed the incident… Police from the Fuyuan Road precinct arrived at the scene shortly after, with one person seriously injured and sent to the hospital…"
Ethan suddenly looked over at a small TV hanging on the diner's wall. The TV volume was low, but the mention of "Fuyuan Road" caught his attention.
The screen displayed shaky footage taken by a witness.
Though the video was blurry, it clearly showed a man being dragged onto the street and beaten by a group. He was only wearing boxers, suggesting he'd been dragged out of a nearby building.
Ethan "recognized" the man. It was Wally Hu!
Wayne followed Ethan's gaze, briefly glancing at the TV. He wasn't very interested, so he adjusted his glasses and casually asked, "Mr. Wu, do you come here often?"
"Mm, I do," Ethan replied, turning back to Wayne before resuming his meal.
The rest of breakfast turned into a session where Wayne eagerly attempted to cozy up to Ethan.
He asked about this and that, reminiscing about his own younger days when he, too, frequented small diners like this, fondly recalling those times.
Just as they were finishing breakfast…
Ring, ring—
Ethan's phone rang.
It was sitting on the table, and the caller ID read: Isabella.
Wayne saw it, too. He immediately stood, signaling that he would step out, but Ethan gestured for him to stay—it wasn't anything he couldn't hear.
"Up so early?" Ethan answered, asking, "At the office already?"
"Not yet, just woke up. I'm on my way," Isabella Li replied rapidly, her tone obviously filled with anger. "Come to the office right now—something's happened!"
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