"I am afraid she has fallen deep into my tricks…" Ren Ye wanted to reply but chose not to, intending to keep some face for himself.
"Already. If you want me to pick you up, give me a call," Ren Ye replied in a soft voice.
Fa Qing chuckled loudly as she said with a funny tone, "No worries, son. I will give you a call if I have a hard time finding your place."
"Mm."
After all, Ren Ye hung up the call and teleported himself to a grocery store. He walked into the food section as he noticed the area was rather desolate compared to this last time he had been here.
Thankfully, he naturally switched back into his original form. Ren Ye appeared rather cold and antisocial as he wandered across the aisle, in search of ingredients.
He stumbled upon a package of fish roe meatballs as he quickly placed his hand onto it. Simultaneously another hand extended and landed on the package as well, causing Ren Ye to awkwardly grasp someone's hands.
"Uh…"
A deep and familiar voice echoed into his ears as he awkwardly took his hands away. The slender hands of the person happens to belong to someone who appeared rather intellectual and serious.
The man in front of him wore gold-rimmed classes and a blue cap, in a white t-shirt and blue shorts; appearing extremely ordinary as one come across him.
This very man in front of him, Ren Ye had only once saw in a suit and never casual clothes, scratched his head with a funny expression.
It was none other than the great child of the Ma Family, Ma Zheng.
"It seems to me that you are still alive," In order to avoid having to say hello and greet each other, Ren Ye took the chance to reply in an almost merciless manner.
Causing Ma Zheng to be startled and joked, "You are here. What a small world."
"A small world, indeed," Ren Ye agreed as he played along, "It humbles me at times to see such a wealthy and high-ranking man walking casually in a supermarket."
"…"
Ma Zheng didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
Ma Zheng respected this cold-looking man in front of him very much despite the two of them being at a completely different status. After all, it had been this man who discovered the specter that has been plaguing him for days and managed to land the picture onto their enemy.
"It is flattering for you to walk beside me," Ma Zheng chuckled awkwardly as he nudged Ren Ye to take the fish roe meatballs, not intending to take it away from him.
"I am sure."
Ren Ye scanned his surroundings and understood why the supermarket had become desolate and private all of a sudden. Ma Zheng exercised his power and kept the place strictly under control, not wanting anyone with hidden intentions to enter.
After having faced Ye Zhihao's scheme in the beginning, Ma Zheng grew wary of the common people and his own friends; believing them to have ties to his enemy.
"You are becoming paranoid than I thought," Ren Ye commented with keen eyes. He slightly raised his head and noticed the anxiety in Ma Zheng's eyes.
Perhaps, Ye Zhihao did leave an everlasting on him.
"Indeed, I have. My benefactor hasn't helped in anything," Ma Zheng sighed pitifully, "I have been nagging to give me an ability like yours but it proceeded to trick me into making more money."
"…"
Ren Ye wanted to laugh aloud but restrained himself in the face of this powerful person whom he might offend with his laugh.
"What a pity. He gets bullied by his own system while I bully mine," Ren Ye commented sarcastically inside his head.
"System ah. Tell me the history behind his system and the reason why he is so frugal compared to you," Ren Ye was curious and believed the system had more reasons to be stingy as it was.
[User!]
[That is because User's system is the best of everything!]
After it has said that, it conjured an image of a smirking emoticon, much to the amusement of Ren Ye. Ren Ye quickly dismissed its jokes and asked it in a serious tone.
[Sometimes called the 'Money Maniac Making Machine']
[It has a tendency to do what its name suggests. Impusively making more money that one needs due to its past of having been a poor man in his past life]
"It's a him?"
[It is the alter ego of Ma Zheng!]
"Ah no wonder," Ren Ye nodded his head in understanding, "Wasn't he a rich man in his past life?"
[Yes!]
[MMMM is an alternative version of Ma Zheng had he not been successful in his ways of making money!]
'MMMM' was a shortcut for 'Money Maniac Making Machine'.
Ren Ye had another question, "Why is it that you are a lot more generous than others?"
[It is because I am the best!]
The blue window of the system suddenly shone so bright that Ren Ye instinctively closed his eyes and cursed the system. It shone out of praise for itself, almost causing its owner to stain and damage his eyes.
"Be serious," Ren Ye demanded solemnly.
[It is because user has been known to be an extremely stingy and cruel person in his past life!]
Ren Ye felt personally attacked by its words due to the truth behind them. It was not completely wrong, he was rather stingy back then. He didn't expect the system to call him out in this way.
"I swear to the Jade Emperor if you joke once more, I will send you back to him," Ren Ye replied with a deadpan expression, seriousness seeped from his words.
[No jokes! No lies!]
The system defended its words as a wronged emoticon appeared in the corner of the window, Ren Ye's eyebrows twitched.
Old Yi chuckled deeply and churned in, "It is not lying. A system's nature is naturally its owner's nature."
Ren Ye stopped talking with them inside his head and looked at the panicking man in front of him.
Ma Zheng suddenly asked him, "Have you contacted the man that you said you wanted to recommend to me?"
Ren Ye knew he was referring to Qi Yun, his alternative self. He nodded his head and said, "He has returned from London a couple of days ago and is in the city right now."
"Oh! Great! When can I meet him?" Ma Zheng curled his lips into a smile, showing off his strong jawlines and high cheekbones.
"I have told him about you and he tacitly agreed to meeting you once he is done with his job," Ren Ye lied through his teeth with a straight face.
Ma Zheng made a thoughtful sound as he suddenly asked from Ren Ye, "Could I have his phone number?"
"…"
Ren Ye recalled that he had not given Qi Yun a phone number yet as he was in a rush to retrieve Kang Lei's remains and almost battled his stepmother in the hospital next to Kang Fan's bed.
"He hasn't gotten a phone yet," Ren Ye said with a twisted expression, "As I have said, he has only returned from London a couple of days ago. He haven't had time to visit the local phone store yet."
"…"
Ma Zheng didn't reply yet and looked for the truth in his system as his eyebrows twitched. He opened his mouth and asked with slight disbelief.
"Is he lying to me? Why do I get a feeling he is not telling me the truth?"
[Beep! Beep! Beep!]
[Cannot answer! Cannot understand! Cannot comprehend!]
"…"
He had been scolding his system too much that it no longer replies to him in a normal manner and instead chose to answer them through riddles and codes that Ma Zheng lacked the time and patience to understand.
"I am serious! This concerns both us!" Ma Zheng's eyes twitched with annoyance and holding back the anger inside his heart, the urge to engage in a one-sided verbal conflict with this good-for-nothing benefactor.
[Cannot read through him! There is a barrier! Cannot see through him!]
"…"
"A barrier?" Ma Zheng lightly raised his head and looked at Ren Ye in a different light, he had the urge to inquire internally about him but recalled he had to reason with himself not to interfere with his client's private life.
"Whether he is going to lie to me or not, it does not matter," Ma Zheng thought while disregarding the anxiety and panic he was feeling right now.
"I am rich enough to find another helper that will protect me," Ma Zheng's deep eyes dimmed significantly, "I can just put him on the business blacklist if I were to be angered by his lies."
"I cannot do that out of dignity and pride of my family. I remember he has a daughter whom he cherished very much."
Ma Zheng had a noble heart within those fiery exteriors he put on. He looked at Ren Ye with calmness that Ren Ye swore he could not see before.
"I will wait for your words," Ma Zheng nodded his head toward Ren Ye, "I hope you will not disappoint me."