Realm of the Night God

Chapter 89: Remuneration

The affairs of the Wu Family were not something Yang Haoran intended to continue managing. He was the Night Watch of the Yin Division, a guardian in the darkness, tasked with guiding the undead and subduing evil spirits. He only needed to focus on his duties within his domain. As for matters beyond his responsibilities, whether or not to address them depended on his mood.

After chatting with Guanhai for a while, neither of them resumed their previous conversation. Guanhai wanted to know how Yang Haoran had been injured, while Yang Haoran wanted to know what Guanhai had seen in the illusion realm last night.

Both seemed to have their concerns, so neither provided a satisfactory answer to the other.

After their usual banter, Guanhai left. Yang Haoran had intended to invite him for lunch, but Guanhai found the idea of returning to nap more appealing than eating.

Unable to detain Guanhai, Yang Haoran didn't insist and let him go.

Guanhai had his own way of life, and Yang Haoran wouldn't impose his thoughts on him.

Watching Guanhai leave, shortly after, a luxury car stopped outside Yang Haoran's grocery store. Seeing the car, Yang Haoran raised an eyebrow, seemingly guessing something.

The car door opened, and a person stepped out, someone Yang Haoran recognized as the steward of the Wu Family.

After the steward got out, he quickly opened the door, and Master Wu along with Wu Xiaoxiao stepped out of the car.

The three immediately noticed Yang Haoran sitting on a chair, wearing a smile on his face as they approached him.

Although all three had smiles on their faces, the meaning behind those smiles was different.

Wu Xiaoxiao's smile reflected genuine joy, with admiration in her eyes as she looked at Yang Haoran.

The steward's smile seemed polite, but Yang Haoran could still sense a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

As for Master Wu, his smile was amiable, but Yang Haoran couldn't discern anything from his eyes.

This old ginger was indeed spicy. For Master Wu to have reached his current position, he must have had profound political acumen; otherwise, he would have fallen from grace long ago.

Yang Haoran couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Yang Lu had successfully dealt with Second Son Wu, yet she wasn't satisfied; she still wanted to scheme against Master Wu. If she clashed with Master Wu, she'd probably end up with nothing, like water poured into a bamboo basket, leaving nothing behind.

"Brother Yang, how are you feeling? Your injuries aren't serious, are they?"

Master Wu approached Yang Haoran, smiling as he greeted him. His smile seemed even more amiable as he spoke.

Although Yang Haoran wasn't deceived by the surface amiability, he was still courteous to their guests.

He struggled to stand up, his face showing signs of pain.

In reality, standing up wasn't that painful for Yang Haoran. Although his injuries hadn't fully healed, as long as he didn't exert himself too much, it wasn't a big issue.

Moreover, he could have stood up to greet Master Wu and the others when they approached him. However, instead of doing so, he waited until they were right in front of him before struggling to stand up from the chair, as a display for them.

Since he hadn't received remuneration from the Wu Family when he left last night, Yang Haoran assumed that Master Wu had come personally to deliver it.

So, he felt the need to put on a show—not too painful, but not too relaxed either. This was to convey to Master Wu that he had put his heart and soul into resolving their family's matter. The remuneration should be generous, not lacking.

Furthermore, struggling to stand up not only indicated the severity of his current physical condition but also demonstrated his courtesy and respect for Master Wu.

However, his attempt to rise and greet the guests was intercepted by Master Wu, who quickly stopped him, saying, "Lie back down! It's better for you to stay lying down with your injuries. Don't move around recklessly, or you might aggravate your wounds!"

"Yes, Brother Yang, you'd better stay lying down like this. If you accidentally fall, it would be troublesome. I think, given your current condition, it's better to go to the hospital for proper treatment," added Wu Xiaoxiao with a worried expression.

"There's no need to go to the hospital. I have my own methods for recovering from injuries."

Yang Haoran forced a slight smile on his face and, following Master Wu's instructions, stopped struggling and slowly lay back in the chair.

"I'm really sorry, it's quite difficult for me to get up in this state. So... ah, I've been terribly rude. I hope you won't mind," Yang Haoran said with a genuinely ashamed expression, appearing sincere to the core, without any trace of insincerity.

Master Wu quickly waved his hand, equally embarrassed. "Nonsense, you have the right intentions. Besides, if we really want to talk about rudeness, it's our Wu Family's fault. If it weren't for our family's matters, you wouldn't have been injured."

Master Wu's words were quite elegant. Given his status in Lecheng, there weren't many who could say such things, but he managed it gracefully.

Yang Haoran remained unperturbed internally but displayed a pleasantly surprised expression on his face, quickly saying, "Oh, please, Master Wu, you're too kind. It's just a small effort on my part, really, nothing to mention."

With these words, Yang Haoran pretended to cough violently again. This display of weakness made it seem as though he had endured great hardships for the Wu Family. Someone unaware might have thought he had gone through fire and water for them.

Seeing this, Wu Xiaoxiao's expression of concern intensified, a sight not lost on Yang Haoran, who couldn't help but marvel again at her innocence.

Master Wu also showed concern on his face, even patting Yang Haoran's back gently, displaying the mannerisms of an elder concerned for a junior.

However, Yang Haoran didn't let Master Wu's reaction affect him emotionally.

"If it weren't for Brother Yang's intervention this time, our Wu Family wouldn't know what kind of trouble we might have stirred up. We genuinely appreciate you, Brother Yang, from the bottom of our hearts."

This time, Yang Haoran did feel some sincerity from Master Wu.

Before Yang Haoran could speak again, Master Wu signaled to the steward, who understood and handed over a bank card to Master Wu.

"There are two hundred thousand New Genesis Coins in the card, which is the reward for Brother Yang's assistance this time. Later, I'll have the steward transfer an additional hundred thousand New Genesis Coins to the card as extra compensation for Brother Yang's injuries. Although it's a bit less, it's still my heartfelt intention. I hope Brother Yang won't refuse."

As he spoke, Master Wu handed the card to Yang Haoran, still wearing his amiable smile.

Yang Haoran's heart raced a bit. This time, he truly felt that Master Wu was very amiable and approachable!

The reason he put on this act was precisely for this outcome. Master Wu was quite savvy. Whether or not Master Wu had seen through his true thoughts, the price had been raised by a whole hundred thousand!

Despite his excitement, Yang Haoran didn't show it on his face. He remained calm and weak, coughing a few times before speaking with a wry smile.

"Master Wu, you're too kind. It's inevitable to get injured when dealing with such matters. I can only blame my own limited abilities. It's not anyone else's fault. But since I've promised you, I'll do my best to resolve the problem completely for you. So, there's no need for any extra compensation. It's all in a day's work for me."

"Alright, no need to be so polite with me. Coming over empty-handed like this is already quite impolite. Don't make things difficult for this old man," Master Wu said with a smile, still amiable.

"This...," Yang Haoran looked at the card being offered, feeling shy and hesitant, and didn't reach out to take it.

Seeing this, Wu Xiaoxiao couldn't bear it any longer. She snatched the bank card from Master Wu's hand and forcibly stuffed it into Yang Haoran's arms.

"Brother Yang, it's just a small amount of money. You should just accept it quickly. I see that the storefront of your small convenience store is not in a good environment. You probably don't have much money on hand, so don't be polite."

Her words were unintentional, but they carried meaning. Yang Haoran's expression froze, and Master Wu's smile became awkward.

Sometimes, the most difficult aspect of human interaction is what?

It's dealing with honest people, especially those who are innocent and naive!

Although Wu Xiaoxiao was a bit naive, she wasn't stupid. After speaking, she realized that she might have said the wrong thing. Sure enough, seeing Yang Haoran's reaction, she knew she had guessed right.

"I didn't mean to imply that Brother Yang is poor. I just meant that the money is really nothing much. I mean, our family isn't short of money, no, that's not it..."

Wu Xiaoxiao wanted to explain, but she became flustered, speaking incoherently. The more she explained, the worse it got. After her words, even the steward couldn't bear to watch and pretended to receive a phone call.

"How can you speak like this, child? If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. Brother Yang is a truly talented person. With his abilities, acquiring wealth is just a matter of time. Don't embarrass me here with your words," Master Wu reprimanded Wu Xiaoxiao with displeasure.

"No, you don't need to explain anymore. I understand. You're an honest child," Yang Haoran smiled, though his smile seemed a bit forced.

Master Wu wanted to scold Wu Xiaoxiao a few more times, but seeing Yang Haoran's intervention, he quickly stopped and said, "Brother Yang, Xiaoxiao hasn't experienced the world yet, and she lacks discipline at home. She doesn't know how to speak properly. Please don't take it to heart."

"It's fine. I didn't sense any sarcasm in her words. Besides, those who know me know that I'm not a stingy person. Of course, I won't take offense at such a small matter."

Yang Haoran indeed didn't take Wu Xiaoxiao's words to heart, but whether he was a stingy person or not was hard to say.