Chapter 80: Purely for Show

The two of them devoured their breakfast, and Xiao Li insisted on paying the bill no matter what. He pressed down firmly on Chang Yu’s hands, refusing to let him reach for his wallet, loudly proclaiming things like, “He’s my superior—it’s only right for a subordinate to buy breakfast for the chief!” He acted as if Chang Yu didn’t let him pay, he would be willing to die right there.

For a moment, Chang Yu was genuinely startled by Xiao Li’s “ferocious” expression. In Xiao Li, he saw the shadows of those aunties at restaurant counters, clutching at others’ clothes, holding their wallets tightly, all scrambling to pay the bill themselves.

“Comrade Xiao Li, you truly are hospitable. The motherland and the people need comrades like you,” Chang Yu said with satisfaction as he watched Xiao Li finish paying, his body unmoving, not showing the slightest intention of competing for the bill.

What a joke.

Chang Yu had always treated people sincerely; if someone wished to fulfill their desire, he was always willing to lend a helping hand. Xiao Li was so eager to pay—naturally, the best thing to do was to let him have the opportunity. It had nothing to do with whether Chang Yu was stingy or not; he simply wanted to help those who wished to achieve their goals.

He couldn’t help it—he was born a kind-hearted person.

“Ah, Comrade Xiao Li, it’s such a pleasure to dine with you,” Chang Yu remarked. Even as he took the driver’s seat in the car, he was still savoring Xiao Li’s heroic image as he fought to pay the bill. Even his gaze toward Xiao Li became gentler.

“In the future, whenever I have breakfast, I’ll make sure to bring you along,” Chang Yu concluded, leisurely. “If I’d known you were treating, I’d have ordered two more tea eggs. What a pity.”

Xiao Li: “???”

He felt as though Chief Chang had just said something extraordinary. Had he just been used as a tool by the chief?

...

On the bustling streets filled with cars and people, a brand-new black sedan was crawling along at a tortoise’s pace. This infuriated the drivers stuck behind it, all in a hurry to get to work.

“Are you trying to kill us? Driving so slow—are you joking?”

“Brother, can you go faster? I’m rushing to work!”

“If you want to drive slowly, pull over to the side. Why hog the middle of the road? Are you blocking us on purpose?”

Some cursed loudly, others impatiently honked their horns, but nothing could make the slow-moving black sedan pick up speed.

“Um, Chief, actually, we could go a bit faster,” Xiao Li said, sitting in the passenger seat, chuckling awkwardly after hearing the complaints from the drivers behind them.

“How can we go faster? I’m still a novice; it’s safer to go slow,” Chang Yu replied calmly, completely unaware of the inconvenience he was causing and deaf to the curses behind him.

“But isn’t this speed a bit too slow?”

“If I got out and walked, I’d be faster than you,” Xiao Li couldn’t help but grumble.

“Safety first,” Chang Yu raised an eyebrow. “I’ve studied those accident scenes before. Most accidents are caused by speeding. So as long as I drive slowly enough, I can effectively avoid most risks.”

“At this speed, even if someone purposely threw themselves in front of the car, they’d only get a scrape. Extremely safe.”

“You are safe, sure,” Xiao Li said, rubbing his forehead, “but it totally defeats the purpose of driving.”

“At this rate, why bother with a car? We might as well walk!”

“Quite reasonable,” Chang Yu nodded, surprisingly convinced. He silently pressed the accelerator, raising the speed from five miles per hour to ten.

Watching the scenery speed up—well, double as fast—Chang Yu nodded in satisfaction.

Yes, the speed has indeed increased quite a lot—twice as fast!

Xiao Li: ...

Honestly, it was the first time he’d seen anyone drive so slowly.

Thus, Chang Yu spent the entire morning driving, essentially circling the city center. Whenever they entered areas with dense traffic, he received a barrage of curses. His pace was so slow, comparable to a crawling turtle, that it seriously disrupted traffic, drawing ire from every driver stuck behind him.

Xiao Li had given up. He’d tried to persuade Chang Yu, but failed. Now he could only watch in despair as Chang Yu reduced a perfectly good car to the speed of a bicycle.

Moreover, after a morning of observation, Xiao Li noticed another peculiarity: not only did Chang Yu prefer dense traffic, he also liked driving to areas crowded with people—especially the entrances of large malls and pedestrian streets, where his little black sedan was always spotted.

At first, Xiao Li wondered why Chang Yu kept steering toward crowded places—wasn’t that asking for trouble? Could it be that Chief Chang harbored twisted thoughts, wanting to run people over in revenge?

But after quietly observing for a while, Xiao Li realized he was overthinking. Chang Yu always stopped the car just before reaching the crowd, pulling over steadily. Then, he’d slowly roll down the window, flashing what he believed to be a handsome, suave smile at the bewildered passersby.

He’d pat the genuine leather seat beneath him, caress the steering wheel as if it were a lover’s face, his expression full of affection and intoxication. Then, amidst envious and jealous glances, he’d produce a box of premium cigarettes, waving it for all to see. Once he confirmed everyone had noticed the brand name, he’d light one, adopt a “lonely in invincibility” pose, take a few dramatic puffs, and blow stylish smoke rings.

After successfully collecting a wave of eye rolls and curses, he’d roll up the window, hide his glory, and drive off—still at a tortoise’s pace—to the next mall entrance or pedestrian street, starting the next round of his performance...

Watching Chang Yu’s antics, Xiao Li finally understood. The chief’s purpose was simply to show off his beloved car and the cigarettes in his mouth.

And so, they traveled, stopping and starting, until lunchtime arrived and they reached Yong’an Security Company.

Guided by the security guard at the gate, Chang Yu made a perfect reverse parking maneuver, precisely positioning his black sedan in the designated spot.

“Do you think this car is nice?” Xiao Li asked, noticing Chang Yu’s obvious delight.

“Not bad, not bad,” Chang Yu replied offhandedly, “though there’s one downside.”

“My car is exactly the same as yours and Katya’s. It’s as if they came out of the same mold. If not for different license plates, I’d have thought we were all driving the same car.”

“It’s like two strangers on the street suddenly realizing they’re wearing the exact same outfit—awkward.”

“You’re talking about matching clothes? What does that have to do with our cars?” Xiao Li was puzzled.

“Of course it’s the same. Just like matching outfits, having identical cars is a kind of ‘car collision.’ If we go on a mission and everyone’s driving the same car, isn’t that awkward?” Chang Yu said matter-of-factly.

Xiao Li was stunned for a moment, then quickly explained, “There’s nothing we can do; the bureau orders all vehicles uniformly, so they’re bound to look the same.”

“But there’s an upside. Think about it—Katya’s car is exactly like yours.”

“So?” Chang Yu was confused. How was having the same car as Katya an advantage?

“Well, young couples nowadays like wearing matching clothes—they call it couple outfits. If your car matches Katya’s, doesn’t that make them couple cars?” Xiao Li gently coaxed, doing his utmost to please the young chief.

“You’re absolutely right!” Chang Yu’s eyes lit up as if he’d discovered a new world. “You really know how to talk, Comrade Xiao Li.”

He bashfully patted Xiao Li on the shoulder and said gravely, “Keep it low-key. Katya and I have only just started; we’re nowhere near talking about marriage. It’s enough that you know—don’t spread it to other colleagues. Not that I’m worried about gossip, but we want to keep it secret...”

In that moment, Chang Yu’s shamelessness reached new heights, even making Xiao Li, so innocent, uncomfortable. Clearly just ordinary colleagues, yet Chang Yu made their relationship sound so ambiguous. He even asked Xiao Li to keep it secret...

You’re just worried Katya will hear about it and give you hell, aren’t you?

Today, Xiao Li truly experienced Chang Yu’s narcissism.

Chatting as they went, the two made their way to the Disaster Response Bureau’s cafeteria at Yong’an Security. As soon as they entered, Chang Yu noticed someone in armor sitting alone in the empty hall, wolfing down food as if starved.

Chang Yu was taken aback by the sight, instinctively thinking it was another colleague. In his memory, he didn’t know anyone who liked wearing armor.

Wait—someone who liked wearing armor?

Suddenly recalling something, Chang Yu hurried over. The closer he got, the more familiar the armor seemed.

Wasn’t this the suit they’d recently confiscated from the scammer Hu?

If so—then this armored figure must be...