The group of men returned to the café. This time, they did not don on the same suits and pants. Instead, they wore T-s.h.i.+rts and jeans and looked just like the college students from around the area.
"Zhao Yao!" The leader amongst them gritted his teeth and stared at Zhao Yao in anger.
At this moment, Old Man Zhuang started clearing his throat to get their attention.
"Chief!" The leader of the men in black was taken aback by this unusual sight. According to their plan, their chief was only supposed to be here one hour after they had evacuated everyone out of the café.
"Ah Wei, what are you wearing?" Old Man Zhuang stared at him from head to toe with a look of disdain. He asked, "Did you guys come out here for a shopping spree?"
The man who Old Man Zhuang addressed as Ah Wei turned crimson when he heard Old Man Zhuang"s remarks. However, his lips remained sealed. He could never bring himself to describe what had happened in the café. He simply whispered, "Chief, the security in this café is not adequate. Please allow us to cordon off the area to ensure your safety."
Zhao Yao, who was busy behind the bar counter, sn.i.g.g.e.red, "You can"t even protect your precious family heirloom. How do you intend to protect others?" Ah Wei heard Zhao Yao"s snide remarks and replied with a death stare.
"Why do you need to cordon off the entire area? I told you I came here for a leisure stroll. Who told you to make such arrangements for me? I am just an ordinary retiree; please do not treat me as if I"m some important person. Furthermore, Xiao Li and his team are all outside waiting for me. That is sufficient security." Old Man Zhuang raised his brows and instructed, "Alright, since you"ve already here, come and order a drink and stop disrupting his business."
Zhao Yao burst into laughter and said, "Baiquan, why are you still standing there. Quickly get some menus for our beloved customers."
Ah Wei relented, albeit unwillingly, and gave in to Old Man Zhuang"s orders.
Ah Wei raised his hands and gestured to his subordinates. Upon receiving this instruction, his subordinates instantly dispersed and sat in Old Man Zhuang"s surroundings. Only Ah Wei remained glued to Old Man Zhuang, choosing a seat nearest to him.
Old Man Zhuang shook his head and knew that Ah Wei would not leave him regardless of what he said. Ah Wei would never let Old Man Zhuang out of his sights.
What happened next was a lot more peaceful than when the group of men first entered the café. Even though Ah Wei and his men were extraordinarily c.o.c.ky and aggressive, Old Man Zhuang himself was an amiable and approachable person. He just sat at the café and enjoyed his cup of coffee. He grinned from ear to ear as he played with the cats.
"Ah Ho, this is a nice and charming little place, I feel like I"m ten years younger already." Old Man Zhuang could not help but revealed the contented smile on his face.
His entire body was encapsulated in the effects of Celestial Beats. There was a tinge of numbness in his organs, blood vessels, and skeleton. However, it was extremely comfortable and soothing. It was like immersing your body in an invisible spa.
Inspector Ho started chucking when he noticed how satisfied Old Man Zhuang was, "As long as you are happy. I have consulted the doctor. If you come here once or twice every week, it would do wonders for your health."
Since his previous visit to Zhao Yao"s café, Inspector Ho had developed a special interest in the effects of Celestial Beats.
He had secretly a.s.signed people to investigate and test the effects of Celestial Beats on patients who suffered from diseases such as high blood pressure. After ensuring that there were no side effects, Inspector Ho had been finding an opportunity to get Old Man Zhuang here.
"Hey, you!" Old Man Zhuang started patting Inspector Ho on his shoulders, and a mysterious smile crept onto his face, "I feel extremely energized and good today. Did you arrange any special activities for me after this?"
Old Man Zhuang even took special note to emphasize the word, activities.
Inspector Ho replied with the same mysterious smile on his face, "Do not worry, boss. Everything has been arranged. I am sure they will all be to your liking."
Old Man Zhuang"s face was wrapped with a cheeky smile when he heard Inspector Ho"s reply.
Old Man Zhuang licked the corner of his lips and asked, "What kind of dish are we having today? Do we have braised pork with soy sauce?"
Inspector Ho replied, "I have specially invited a renowned chef from Beijing. I heard that his ancestors were the royal chefs for numerous emperors. Please do not worry."
When Old Man Zhuang heard Inspector Ho"s words, he could not stop the trickle of saliva that slid down his lips. His hobby in life was to enjoy good food.
At this moment, Ah Wei interrupted their conversation, "Chief, if you wish to go somewhere else today, I"ll have to report to the higher-ups."
The smile on Old Man Zhuang"s face vanished instantly. In its place was a fearsome expression and he uttered, "Ah Wei! I"m just a regular retiree who used to work for the government. Now, I still have a little power in my hands. Do I need to report everything to you and tell you where I am going for dinner?"
Ah Wei was unfazed by his questioning and replied sternly, "This is an instruction from the higher-ups. Given your current condition, you should not be eating … "
Old Man Zhuang shook his head and heaved a sigh of despair, "Look at me. When I was young, I was a regular soldier in the People"s Liberation Army. Then, I became a regular commander in the force. I was transferred and became a regular secretary in the government department. In the end, I"m just a regular government official, and I am a regular retiree. Why do I need pairs of eyes staring at me when I"m just having a simple meal?"
"All of you have no respect for me. You are just blindly following instructions and do not know how to weigh the situation on your own accord …"
Sensing that Old Man Zhuang was veering away from the topic, Ah Wei interrupted helplessly, "Chief, we have no choice as well. These are instructions given by your daughter. Please do not make things difficult for us."
"Unfilial woman! I have no forms of entertainment. I can neither smoke nor drink. Now, I"m left with my only hobby of appreciating good food, and you"re taking that away from me. Are you still humans?" Old Man Zhuang crashed onto the floor after completing his statement. He stared blankly at the café"s ceiling.
Ah Wei just stood by his side and stared at him helplessly. He did not have many tricks up his sleeve to handle this old man. He would only resort to his daughter"s name when he acted in this manner.
Suddenly, Old Man Zhuang was distracted by a Scottish Fold that was prancing across his vision.
"Hey, Ah Wei, do you see it? There are some words written on the cat"s neck." Old Man Zhuang asked curiously, "Do not hug me? Why is that so? No, I must try hugging this cat."
He immediately reached out his hands and tried to run his fingers through the fur on Rice Cake"s body.
Rice Cake was extremely sensitive to her surroundings. She had already detected Old Man Zhuang"s arms when he reached out towards her. She retaliated by turning her head and bit his fingers.
"Ouch! This is so painful!" Old Man Zhuang exclaimed in pain, "Get this off of me!"
The group of men charged forth as they saw Old Man Zhuang violently shaking his arm in an attempt to rid himself of the cat.
However, Rice Cake had no intentions to hurt him and loosened her bite the moment she heard him scream.
The group of men surrounded Old Man Zhuang and looked on with fear, "Chief, are you okay?"
"I"m fine, I"m fine." Old Man Zhuang chuckled and started waving his palm, "I"m a trained soldier. Look, there are no scars or bite marks at all."
Zhao Yao immediately caught up to Rice Cake and clasped it tightly in his arms. He shook his head and thought, "I guess the words "Do not touch" do not deter people from hugging you."
Other than the words "Do not touch" printed on her neck, the words "I will bite" was similarly printed on her back. Rice Cake was not happy with this arrangement, and her eyes burned with anger whenever she made eye contact with someone.
Matcha, who was at another corner of the café, saw this and shouted, "Zhao Yao! I also want a sticker!"
"I … I … I also want one," Roly Poly shouted embarra.s.sedly.
Zhao Yao asked curiously, "What do you want to be written on your sticker?"
Matcha exclaimed, "I want "Super duper cute"."
Roly Poly shouted, "I want "Extremely fearsome"."