Chapter 1817: Chapter 1038: Mom
The safe house chosen by the woman was located in a luxurious villa area, where strict identity verification was required for entry and exit. However, once the car window was lowered and the inspector saw the woman’s face, he waved his hand, signaling her to pass.
"The security personnel here include our people; the residents of this community are all prominent figures, including current celebrities, esteemed professors, mafia bosses, and some city government officials. Anyone wishing to attack here must consider the social impact, so you can rest assured." The woman drove the car into the courtyard of a villa near the central area. Once the car was parked, they both got out.
"I still don’t know your name." Upon entering the villa, Yang Xiao looked at the woman who had removed her sunglasses. Her gaze was sharp, and her face was very delicate.
"Wang Yue Qianxun." The woman nodded slightly towards Yang Xiao, considering it an introduction.
Yang Xiao naturally knew this was a fake name, but for the convenience of future interactions, he needed an address, "Miss Wang Yue, are you into intelligence work?"
"Why do you say that?" Wang Yue Qianxun stared at Yang Xiao, her demeanor far from respectful, exuding a cold aura that instinctively made people keep their distance.
"Your aura is similar to a friend of mine, but you lack her experience. To ensure safety, you arranged for a car to follow us."
"Although the distance was sufficient, and the person responsible for following us drove well, they did not change cars en route. It was a black SUV with the tail number 093, following us all the way from the airport to here, which makes it too easy to expose." Honestly, getting a glimpse of how things operate, Yang Xiao was very disappointed in the Jiu Mountain Family’s intelligence capabilities.
"Sorry, you’re right, but these are unusual times, and we lack reliable personnel. A new team is on its way, so I hope you can resolve your matters soon and then leave."
"During this period, I will be fully responsible for your security issues."
"It’s getting late, Your Excellency, you should rest early. Breakfast will be delivered at 8 AM, and after breakfast and freshening up, we will depart at 9 sharp. The journey is not far, about half an hour’s drive."
"Tonight, you’ll sleep in the main bedroom on the first floor, and I’ll be in the secondary bedroom. You can tell me if you have any needs." Wang Yue Qianxun was straightforward and to the point, and after relaying the information, she returned to the secondary bedroom and closed the door to rest. For her, it was just work.
Returning to his room, after a simple wash, Yang Xiao lay down on the bed. This Wang Yue Qianxun was not short on ability; her spiritual power was on par with his, which signified that the Jiu Mountain Family had significant trust in her.
Judging by her attitude towards him, it was clear this person had a certain status within the Jiu Mountain Family, likely a direct family member, indicating that her surname was not Wang Yue, but Jiu Mountain.
Lying on the bed, Yang Xiao wasn’t very sleepy. On his way here, he looked forward to meeting Sato Shouta’s mother, but now that he was in Kagoshima, he felt a slight resistance. He didn’t know how to face Sato Shouta’s mother or how to explain everything to her.
On the way, Wang Yue Qianxun had mentioned to him that Sato Shouta’s mother had developed mental issues, perhaps due to the deep longing for her son. She always believed her son was still alive and often mistook people similar in physique and age to Sato Shouta as her own child.
Over the years, these incidents had caused many misunderstandings, but after people learned of Sato Shouta’s mother’s sufferings, they did not make things difficult for her and instead pitied this poor woman, who had lost both her son and husband.
With a thought, Yang Xiao summoned the Ghost Bamboo Stick, which had a piece of flesh covering its handle.
The next second, the Ghost Face appeared on Yang Xiao’s face, and he closed his eyes, recalling the face of Sato Shouta in his mind.
When he took out the Soul-Capturing Mirror to reflect, Yang Xiao had completely changed his face to that of Sato Shouta.
He blinked and opened his mouth, perfectly mimicking the voice and tone of Sato Shouta from his memory. This was the terrifying aspect of the Ghost Face—being able to almost completely replicate a person previously seen.
Yang Xiao decided that tomorrow he would meet Sato Shouta’s mother with this face, knowing full well that the root of that poor woman’s continued existence was her belief that her child was still alive.
He neither wanted nor could break her hope. Since Sato Shouta could not return, he would take his place and return to visit her.
Even though he knew his disguise was exceedingly convincing and that the woman with mental issues likely wouldn’t notice, Yang Xiao continued to rehearse Sato Shouta’s speech patterns and even his mannerisms at specific moments. He wanted this reunion, spanning seven years and life and death, to be as perfect as possible.
Time passed quickly, and dawn broke. After an early breakfast, Yang Xiao set out under the guidance of Wang Yue Qianxun.
To Yang Xiao’s surprise, the car gradually left the city center, and the road became more and more remote until it finally stopped in front of an old building.
Yang Xiao examined the building in front of him with surprise. It was a shabby apartment, in poor condition, and the attire of the people coming in and out of the main entrance was not very presentable.
In Yang Xiao’s impression, Sato Shouta’s mother should not be living in such a place. Even if Sato Shouta’s father’s business was not profitable, there should have been some savings left. This kind of place should be government-provided low-cost housing for low-income individuals.
Once inside the apartment complex, Yang Xiao further recognized its dilapidation, with its basic facilities, dim lighting, and a stale smell pervading the corridor that refused to disperse. Of the original three elevators, only one was operational, and as it carried Yang Xiao and Wang Yue Qianxun upwards, it constantly emitted creaking noises.
Yang Xiao put on the Ghost Face, and in the next second, he completely changed into someone else, a scene that left Wang Yue Qianxun beside him rather astonished.
While gathering intelligence, she had seen photos of Sato Shouta, so she instantly recognized that the person Yang Xiao disguised as was the woman’s child, Sato Shouta.
But she was even more shocked by the extent of the disguise, even she could not detect any flaws; was this the skill of a Patrol General Bureau special envoy?
The woman could also feel it; the two had similar spiritual power intensity, but if they were to truly fight, she had no confidence in being able to defeat Yang Xiao.
You should know, in her youth, she was also regarded as a genius of the Jiu Mountain Family, though not among the very top, her talent was absolutely enough to make most people look up to her, and the family had high hopes for her.
Although this was not quite following the rules, driven by curiosity, Wang Yue Qianxun couldn’t help but ask, "Honorable Envoy, have you known Sato Shouta for a long time?"
After a moment of silence, Yang Xiao nodded, "Yes, it’s been... a long time. He is a reliable friend who trusts me greatly."
Before Wang Yue Qianxun could ask further, with a "ding," the elevator arrived, and the elevator door trembled open, the two walked out along the narrow, dim corridor, stopping in front of a door.
This door was noticeably cleaner and tidier than the others, with a doormat laid out in front.
Just as Yang Xiao hesitated, suddenly, footsteps came from behind the door, and before Yang Xiao could react, the door suddenly opened, revealing a woman with a haggard expression standing behind it.
The woman bore a 60 to 70 percent resemblance to Sato Shouta; Sato Shouta had casually mentioned to Yang Xiao before that his appearance took more after his mother.
At the moment they locked eyes, the previously dull pupils of the woman suddenly shone with brightness, the bag in her hand dropping in response, "Shouta!"
Before Yang Xiao could react, he was embraced by the woman, big teardrops fell onto Yang Xiao’s neck and shoulder, the woman’s voice choking, breaking hearts, "Shouta, you finally came home, mom was wrong, mom won’t scold you anymore..."
Like being struck by lightning, Yang Xiao trembled all over at that moment, in the next second, he similarly extended his arms, slowly embracing the woman in front of him, resting his chin on her forehead, speaking softly, his voice quivering violently, "I’m sorry, mom, I came back late."
Ghost Face translated his words completely, using Sato Shouta’s voice and tone, at this moment, Yang Xiao felt as if he were possessed.
At this moment, he didn’t need to learn how to manipulate this body to communicate with the woman; it all happened so naturally, as if Sato Shouta had temporarily inhabited this shell.
After being dead for seven years, because of this foreigner’s appearance, Sato Shouta completed a reunion with his mother, fulfilling both their wishes.
After crying for a while, the woman seemed to realize that her "son" had a female companion with him and immediately let go of her son, wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, eyes red, and smiled kindly at Wang Yue Qianxun beside them, "See how careless this child is, even grown up, still so hasty, bringing someone home without informing mom first, um... come in quickly, quickly, let’s talk inside."
After letting them into the house, the woman had Yang Xiao take Wang Yue Qianxun to sit down and rest, while she rushed to the kitchen, soon bringing over a plate of fruit.
These were just common seasonal fruits, not very fresh, probably bought on sale at the supermarket, but they were very clean, each piece glistening with water droplets, the woman nervously wiped her hands, "You eat fruit first, I’ll make dinner, are you hungry? No rush, don’t rush!"
The woman tied on an apron and hurriedly ran back to the kitchen, soon the sound of chopping on a cutting board rang out, fast and urgent.
Originally, in their plan, they hadn’t intended to stay for lunch, but Yang Xiao changed his mind.
He decided to stay and have a good meal with mom.
This time even Wang Yue Qianxun didn’t urge him, she simply reached out to pick up a piece of sliced fruit, putting it into her mouth and chewing slowly.
"You should eat too, otherwise... she will be sad." Wang Yue Qianxun gently reminded.
Indeed, a woman’s thoughts are more meticulous.
As Yang Xiao ate the fruit, he took in the room’s surroundings, the space was very small, altogether it was probably less than 40 square meters, partitioned into small compartments.
Apart from the bedroom and bathroom being separate, the rest of the living room, dining room, and kitchen were all connected, from the room’s arrangement, one could tell the woman’s life was quite difficult.
"If Mr. Sato saw his mother like this, he would be very saddened..."
Yang Xiao sighed inwardly; for some reason, perhaps due to the influence of the mask, Yang Xiao had unknowingly placed himself in Sato Shouta’s role, seeing this scene made him both regretful and heartbroken.
He came this time with Sato Shouta’s last wish, allowing Sato Shouta to see his mother waiting for him to come home again through his own eyes.
