About half an hour later, dish after dish was ready, and the woman brought them out one by one. They were all made from common ingredients, and tasted quite average, but Yang Xiao ate with relish, and Wang Yue Qianxun followed suit, eating a lot.
The woman did not eat; she simply watched Yang Xiao. Seeing him devour his rice, she smiled and told him to eat slowly, her eyes filled with motherly love.
The food tasted average, quite different from how Sato Shouta had described it to him, but Yang Xiao understood. Firstly, the woman lived a hard life, with no money to buy good ingredients. Secondly, struck by the double blow of Sato Shouta’s disappearance and her husband’s death, the woman had ntal health issues, leaving her no mood to cook delicious als for herself. Over these seven years, her once superb cooking skills had long been neglected.
"Mom, you should eat too. It’s really delicious. I’ve missed your cooking all this ti when I was outside," Yang Xiao said, putting down his bowl and looking at the woman to persuade her.
"Mom’s not hungry, you eat, eat more, Qianxun, you eat too, don’t be shy," the woman looked at Wang Yue Qianxun with the affection of a future daughter-in-law, hiding all the previous gloom.
But this sight made Yang Xiao feel even more uncomfortable. The woman had good features, and it was clear she was a beauty in her youth, but the hardships over the years had made her look haggard.
Wrinkles creased the corners of her eyes, gray hairs peeked through her temples, and her hair showed signs of neglect. Falling from life as a wealthy lady to living in a cheap apartnt, if Sato Shouta saw this, he would surely cry over his mother’s plight.
After the al, they chatted with the woman for a long ti, until Wang Yue Qianxun raised her wrist and tapped her watch, signaling to Yang Xiao that it was ti to leave.
Slowly standing up, Yang Xiao struggled to speak, "Mom, I have so things to take care of. I’ll co back to see you later."
"Shouta, are you leaving?" Upon hearing this, the woman abruptly stood up, her eyes even showing a bit of panic, as if fearing she would lose her child again.
The joy of reunion was entirely dispersed by Yang Xiao’s farewell, plunging the atmosphere into a gloomy abyss of oppression.
Yang Xiao dared not et the woman’s gaze, knowing that this farewell might be a final goodbye.
At the crucial mont, it was Wang Yue Qianxun who rescued Yang Xiao. She warmly took Yang Xiao’s arm and said in a playful tone, "Auntie, Shouta promised to take around to see Kagoshima, his hotown. I’ve always wanted to experience the scenery here. He’ll return to see you later."
Though reluctant, knowing that her son was going to accompany his girlfriend, the woman chose to compromise, "Alright, Shouta, you must take good care of Qianxun. Mom will make you sothing delicious at ho and after you finish your outing, make sure... make sure to co ho for dinner!"
"Understood, Mom."
"Thank you, Auntie."
As Yang Xiao and his companion reached the doorway, the woman suddenly called Shouta’s na. She stood at the bedroom door, signaling Yang Xiao to co over.
Yang Xiao went over alone and was led into the room by the woman who took his hand, while keeping an eye on Wang Yue Qianxun outside. She sneakily stuffed so money into Yang Xiao’s pocket, her voice low but rapid, "Shouta, is your pocket empty? You can’t go out with your girlfriend without money. Mom has so here, if it’s not enough... not enough you can tell Mom."
"Rember to co ho after your outing. Mom won’t go anywhere, she’ll just be at ho waiting for you. Shouta, please rember to co ho," the woman held Yang Xiao’s hand tightly, repeating her instructions several tis until she confird Yang Xiao’s agreent, before finally releasing her grip.
Tears welled in Yang Xiao’s eyes. He couldn’t help but hug the woman tightly, choking up, "Mom, have you been okay all these years? I really miss you."
"Shouta, Mom misses you too, Mom was wrong; I’ll never criticize you again," the woman hugged Yang Xiao tightly, her tears uncontrollably streaming down, "Promise Mom, never leave Mom again, okay?"
"Mom, I’ll never leave again. I’ll stay by your side." At this mont, Yang Xiao felt like it wasn’t him hugging the woman, but Sato Shouta. What flashed in his mind was Sato Shouta’s last murmured words to his mother during his final monts.
"Shouta, the movie is going to be late!" Wang Yue Qianxun’s playful voice ca from the direction of the door.
Clearly, it was Wang Yue Qianxun’s urging. Yang Xiao didn’t expect this woman could playfully coax in this way, which made him break out in goosebumps.
Hearing Wang Yue Qianxun’s urging, the woman no longer dared to keep Yang Xiao. After saying goodbye to her, Yang Xiao left the house, boarding the only usable, creaky old elevator in the apartnt.
Inside the elevator, Yang Xiao pulled out the bills from his pocket. They were crumpled and varied in denomination, mostly blue and purple, but there were two brown ones as well.
Suddenly, a shiny little thing dropped from between the folded bills, hitting the ground with a crisp "ding" sound.
Kneeling down, Yang Xiao picked up the small object and found it was a 100-valued silver coin, his emotions overwheld. He knew this was his mother’s last savings; he couldn’t fathom how she managed these years alone.
Leaning against the elevator wall, Yang Xiao breathed heavily, feeling as though a mountain weighed on his heart. He withdrew a gold bar from his backpack, pressing it into Wang Yue Qianxun’s hands, "These are for you, please take care of her for , I’m begging you!"
"The family has already issued orders; we’ll take good care of her. These..." Wang Yue Qianxun looked at Yang Xiao’s bloodshot eyes, swallowing the rest of her words. She silently accepted the gold bar and nodded to Yang Xiao, "Rest assured, I’ll take good care of her."
Knowing Yang Xiao’s biggest worry, Wang Yue Qianxun reassured him, "Don’t worry, she’s not ntally fit to distinguish the real Sato Shouta anymore. I’ll arrange soone suitable to impersonate Sato Shouta to visit her regularly."
Yang Xiao slowly nodded his head; he knew that the command to care for this pitiful woman within the family would not co from anyone else; it must be Jiu Shan Sha Yue.
This woman seed cold and often spoke words filled with a Samurai’s sense of chuunibyou, but in her heart, she was also a gentle person.
At the end of the mission, to avoid putting him in a difficult position, she endured all the most painful things.
She is a qualified Samurai and, likewise, a competent friend.
Leaving the apartnt, the two returned to the car. Looking at the crumpled banknotes in his hand, Yang Xiao asked the most crucial question: "Why does she live like this? Didn’t Sato Shouta’s father leave any money at all?"
In previous docunts, it only ntioned poor business operations, but Yang Xiao never expected the situation had gotten this bad.
"No, Sato Kojiro left so money, real estate, and certain company shares before he died, but..." Wang Yue Qianxun instinctively paused.
"But what?" Yang Xiao furrowed his brows.
"What he left behind was taken by one of his forr partners, who has so underworld connections. When Sato Kojiro was alive, he could barely keep him in check. After Sato Kojiro died, he had no reservations."
"A month after Sato Kojiro’s death, he hired a professional team to forge evidence, claiming that Sato Kojiro owed him a lot of money when he was alive, and all the inheritance, real estate, and shares were taken to repay the debt," Wang Yue Qianxun explained.
"That bastard..." Yang Xiao clenched the banknotes in his hand, wishing he could flatten the guy on the wall and hang him up.
"Take to find him!" Yang Xiao ordered, "Right now!"
This was one of the few things Yang Xiao could do for Sato Shouta. The woman had no power or influence to fight against this bastard, but Yang Xiao was not afraid. He wanted this guy to cough up everything he had swallowed, not missing a single cent.
Knowing Yang Xiao’s anger, encountering the man would surely result in bloodshed, which Wang Yue Qianxun did not wish to see.
She didn’t care about the man’s life or death; he was a trivial role, but it would cause unnecessary trouble. "Your Excellency, please calm down; I will handle this matter properly, but not now."
"I won’t kill him, but he needs to face so punishnt, I assure you," Yang Xiao pleaded earnestly with Wang Yue Qianxun, "Please!"
Knowing Yang Xiao’s mind was set, and perhaps feeling a bit of sympathy for the woman, Wang Yue Qianxun no longer hesitated, dialed a phone number on her mobile, and confird the man’s whereabouts before leading Yang Xiao there in her car.
"Rember to wear your mask well; don’t let anyone see your face," Wang Yue Qianxun continued to drive skillfully, steering with one hand while operating her phone with the other.
"If anyone sees your face, imdiately leave; I’ll have people handle the rest," Wang Yue Qianxun added.
"Don’t worry, I won’t cause you any trouble." Yang Xiao touched the Ghost Face on his face; after wearing it for a long ti, it indeed felt like it couldn’t be removed, seemingly rging with his original face.
While it seed terrifying to others, Yang Xiao wasn’t afraid; after all, he had a good sister, and a good sister would not allow anyone or any ghosts to ddle with him.
"Send that man’s information and Sato Kojiro’s image material, as clear as possible," Yang Xiao requested.
"They’re already working on it," Wang Yue Qianxun confird, as efficient and reliable as ever.
Previously, through Yang Xiao’s disguise as Sato Shouta, Wang Yue Qianxun had roughly guessed the effect of Yang Xiao’s Ghost Face; anyone who saw or ca into contact could be impersonated without distinction.
This ability might seem less practical in combat but is regarded as a divine skill for those engaged in intelligence work like them.
If she had not known Yang Xiao or learned that the real Sato Shouta was dead, even Wang Yue Qianxun would not have been able to see through Yang Xiao’s disguise.
The direct mbers of the Jiu Mountain Family had undergone special training for spiritual power perception, with Jiu Shan Jinglan as their chief instructor.
Wang Yue Qianxun perford well in this regard, but even when Yang Xiao activated his ability, she could not see through the face masked with deception.
This young special envoy from the Patrol Defense Office indeed had so real skills, and Wang Yue Qianxun enjoyed dealing with truly skilled individuals.
And Yang Xiao’s purpose in requesting Sato Kojiro’s image materials is simple; he won’t kill anyone this ti. He plans to disguise himself as the Sato Kojiro who died from illness years ago and teach that bastard a severe lesson.
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