Yin Nest City.
Early in the morning, Wei Di got up from his bed, and the aroma of delicious food already wafted from the living room.
The toast was golden brown, steaming hot, with two slices of perfectly fried bacon and a piece of sunny-side-up egg beside it.
In a glass jar, fresh milk, hot and inviting, made one’s appetite surge.
“Master, today’s newspaper!”
As Wei Di sat down, his maid promptly placed a napkin around his neck.
On a nearby table, his butler put down the iron and presented the newspaper that had just been ironed.
In this era, civilian technology and military, even royal technology, were entirely two different concepts. Although the latter had already reached the level of transistors and displays, in the civilian world, printing ink was still generally substandard, giving off a crude and shoddy impression, especially with freshly printed newspapers leaving a layer of ink on one’s hands upon touch.
Due to cost considerations, typical newspapers could not afford high-end technology.
Therefore, in truly upper-class households, someone was specifically assigned to iron the newspapers delivered every morning, a task usually handled by the butler.
“Hmm!”
Wei Di took the warm newspaper. After being ironed, the ink had completely dried, emitting a fragrant aroma and not leaving any residue on his hands.
“The Science Mystery Magazine went bankrupt?”
He drank some milk, ate a piece of toast with bacon, glanced at the newspaper, and was surprised yet found it reasonable.
“With so many supernatural incidents occurring in the kingdom, the magazine couldn’t even offer any explanations. Angry readers have long demanded answers…”
Wei Di flipped to the second page of the newspaper, where a striking headline caught his eye: “Exploration of the Siberian Great Forest Reveals Traces of Mysterious Werewolves!”
“Alright! Another werewolf has been discovered. What’s going on with this world?”
Wei Di rolled his eyes and muttered in complaint.
In his life, nothing unusual had happened during his elementary and middle school years. But since that graduation trip, upon returning, he broke through his parents’ opposition and insisted on choosing his own path, which he had followed quite successfully. Now, he was already a minor celebrity in Yin Nest City as a businessman.
Yet, he had not changed much, but the world had become increasingly unfamiliar to him.
“Occult Studies Class Enrollment?”
“Mystic Master Lectures!”
“Great Adventurer Henry’s Lecture?”
…
On the newspaper’s back pages were many advertisements and job postings. Wei Di merely glanced at them and shook his head: “Since the werewolves appeared, there have been more and more frauds claiming to have special abilities in the kingdom. If you really want to witness supernatural powers, you might as well go directly to the Church of Redemption. At least, those miracles are definitely real!”
Thinking of the Church of Redemption and Patriarch Steven, a slight smile involuntarily appeared on Wei Di’s face.
Making a friend like him was practically the greatest achievement of his life.
He even suspected that without this halo effect, his career in Yin Nest City wouldn’t have been so smooth.
“My butler, do I have any other appointments I might have forgotten today?”
After finishing his meal and chewing a piece of mint candy, Wei Di wiped his mouth with a clean napkin and asked leisurely.
“According to yesterday’s schedule, you should arrive at the company at nine o’clock in the morning. The driver is already waiting outside… Also, your mother came looking for you and left you a message.”
“Oh? What is it?”
A helpless look appeared on Wei Di’s face: “If it’s about signing me up for some strange cram schools or meeting some important university recruiters, you don’t need to tell me.”
“Actually, that’s not it!”
The butler’s expression was quite strange: “Your mother instructed me to inform you that she has arranged a marriage for you, hoping you would meet your fiancée tonight.”
“Wait a minute!”
Wei Di immediately widened his eyes: “Engaged marriage? Fiancée? Goodness… What era do those old-fashioned people think this is? Isn’t this kind of parental arranged marriage supposed to be swept into the dustbin of history long ago?”
“In fact, your father and mother don’t think so!”
His butler said with a tone full of regret: “As your personal butler, I also suggest you meet Miss Lily. She comes from a prestigious family in the kingdom!”
“Alright, alright…”
Wei Di sighed: “Never thought that even after moving out, I still couldn’t escape my family’s grasp… But to prevent them from coming here and yelling… Tell her I’ll go!”
Ding ling ling!
Just then, the small round table in the living room, with a golden microphone and a telephone with a bell, suddenly rang.
“Master, it’s a call for you. The caller claims to be your old classmate!”
After the butler answered the call, he immediately handed the receiver to Wei Di.
“I have quite a few classmates. Since establishing my trading company, I can meet several acquaintances just by going out…”
Grumbling discontentedly, Wei Di took the receiver, and then a very surprising voice came through the earpiece: “Hey! Wei Di, do you have time to get together? Invite the others too!”
“Of course, definitely!”
Wei Di almost jumped up immediately: “Where are you? I’ll come right away!”
“Don’t rush. I will arrive in Yin Nest City by airship this evening and have the whole night free.”
The person on the other end, Wu Ming, said.
“I see. I’ll pick you up in person then!”
Wei Di took a deep breath, put down the receiver, and immediately shouted: “Butler, go to the best hotel in the city immediately and book a good private room and a banquet.”
“And also, reschedule that meeting for the marriage arrangement!”
Wei Di decisively made the decision. The butler raised his eyebrows in amazement; he rarely saw his master so excited.
“I need to start preparing now and make a few more calls. I must invite both Neville and Philip, and also Alice… sigh… I heard she’s been having a rough time lately…”
…
At the same time, in a research institute in Yin Nest City.
“Alice, what’s going on with you? Why did you even mess up these simplest parameter records?!”
Alice wore the worker uniform required for the workshop, with oil stains all over her clothes, and kept apologizing: “I’m sorry, Director. I’ll definitely pay more attention next time!”
“Next time? Do you think there will be a next time?”
The director’s plump face was now filled with anger: “Alice, do you know what kind of environment we’re in now? All the research institutes are having a hard time, and our institute is also planning layoffs…”
Alice’s face immediately turned pale.
This was indeed the case. The emergence of supernatural abilities had the greatest impact on these basic research institutions unless they were researching the supernatural field itself. Otherwise, they generally faced skepticism.
“Nowadays, it’s getting harder and harder to survive in society. Even university graduates with elite backgrounds are eyeing our small research institute. I’ve received ten resumes this week alone…”
Hearing the director’s scolding, Alice lowered her head even further.
Not getting into university had been her lifelong regret. Although she had studied harder over the years, her daily work was exhausting, and she had to attend various training classes at night, often at the cost of making both sides suffer.
In fact, there was also an easier path.
That was to give up her dreams and settle down with marriage and children.
Her mother had already lined up several suitors for her, who seemed quite impressive.
But for some reason, Alice just wasn’t willing.
“How can my youth be wasted on these things…”
Alice gritted her teeth inwardly but on the surface, she kept apologizing.
After being scolded by the director, taking on more punitive work, and having a day’s wage deducted, Alice finally emerged from the research institute, feeling as if she had just come off the battlefield battered and bruised.
Baa baa!
Just then, the sound of a car horn suddenly rang out from the roadside.
“Hey, beautiful, want a ride?”
A casually dressed guy, looking very much like a rich second-generation, opened the door of a steam-powered car and bowed slightly: “I even offer a free dinner here!”
“Wei Di, you rascal!”
Seeing this old classmate, Alice finally relaxed and smiled.
They had been in the same boat for the first half of their lives, both struggling academically, no matter how hard they tried, never catching up with the top students and academic gods.
But Wei Di was very lucky, with much better family conditions, and had the courage to boldly start his own path.
“You’re not going to the office today?”
Alice asked, somewhat surprised.
“Get in the car first!”
Without hesitation, Wei Di invited Alice into the car and then revealed: “We old classmates are getting together, and I’ve also invited Inspector Philip and Neville…”
“Philip also graduated successfully and was assigned here as a police inspector!”
Alice sighed softly, suddenly realizing: “Wait… why are you suddenly having a reunion?”
“This is naturally because he has arrived!”
Wei Di sighed: “Alice, I know you’re very strong-willed and don’t want to accept our help, but you must understand that in this fiercely competitive society, you need to put all your resources on the table as stakes to play the game; otherwise, how can you defeat those who have better family backgrounds and work even harder than you?”
“I know, I know all of this…”
Alice murmured, her heart filled with complex emotions.
All of this intensified to the peak when they got out of the car and arrived at the private room of the largest hotel in the city center.
“I don’t belong here. I should leave!”
Looking at the gilded decorations and her own simple, washed-out work clothes, she suddenly felt a surge of inferiority.
“Now that you’re here, why leave? At least meet the old friends first!”
Wei Di, with sharp eyes, spotted a figure and immediately called out: “Neville, over here! Over here!!”
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