154: Chapter 154 Cao Yun's Phone Call

This wasn't just a light touch; it was a truly intimate kiss.

It carried warmth, strength, and an undeniable domineering quality.

Luo Shiyun closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck and responding to him.

The two kissed for a long time, so long that Luo Shiyun felt like she was about to suffocate.

Wang Yang let her go, and both of them panted heavily, their foreheads resting against each other.

Luo Shiyun's face was flushed as if it were on fire, her eyes were watery, and her lips were slightly swollen.

"Brother Yang, this is a restaurant..."

Wang Yang laughed.

"I know. That's why it was just a kiss."

Luo Shiyun buried her face in his neck, not daring to look at him.

Wang Yang's hand gently patted her back.

Just then, the door was knocked on twice.

A Waitress walked in carrying a teapot; she was in her early twenties, quite pretty, and wearing the restaurant's uniform.

Seeing their embracing posture, she froze for a moment, her face turning slightly red.

But she quickly regained her professional smile.

"Sir, Madam, here is the menu. Please take a look."

She placed the menu on the table, poured the tea, and retreated.

The door closed.

Luo Shiyun lifted her head from Wang Yang's neck, her face flushed, and she glared at him.

"It's all your fault, we were seen by someone."

Wang Yang laughed.

"So what if we were seen? I'm holding my own woman; it's not against the law."

Luo Shiyun was speechless. She got off his lap, sat on the chair next to him, and picked up the menu to hide her face.

Wang Yang chuckled and pulled the menu out of her hands.

"What do you want to eat? You order."

Luo Shiyun bit her lip, opened the menu, and scanned the pages.

"Braised pork belly, steamed mandarin fish, salt and pepper shrimp, dry-fried green beans, and matsutake chicken soup."

Wang Yang nodded and pressed the call button on the table.

The Waitress quickly entered, noted the dishes, took the menu, and left.

The door closed.

The private room went quiet again.

Luo Shiyun sat next to Wang Yang, her fingers tapping lightly on her knees, her heart still racing.

Wang Yang reached out, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to him.

Luo Shiyun leaned on his shoulder without pulling away.

"Brother Yang."

"Hmm?"

"You just topped up one million."

Wang Yang looked down at her.

"What's wrong?"

Luo Shiyun bit her lip.

"It's too much. For just a private room, it's not worth it."

Wang Yang smiled.

"It's worth it."

Luo Shiyun looked at him.

Wang Yang reached out and pinched her cheek.

"As long as I'm with you, no amount of money is too much to spend."

Luo Shiyun's eyes reddened. She buried her face in his chest, her hands clutching the corner of his clothes tightly.

"Brother Yang, you are too good to me..."

Wang Yang smiled, his hand gently patting her back.

"If I'm not good to you, who would I be good to?"

Luo Shiyun buried her face deeper, tears falling drop by drop onto his clothes.

Wang Yang didn't speak; he simply held her, his hand gently patting her back.

Sunlight shone in from the floor-to-ceiling window, landing on the round table covered with a white tablecloth.

It fell upon the vase of pink roses, feeling warm and cozy.

Luo Shiyun leaned on his shoulder, her face flushed, her eyes still wet, her fingers clutching the corner of his clothes tightly.

She had just cried, so her makeup was a bit smudged, her eyeliner slightly blurred.

Like pale ink bleeding in a wash painting, it actually added a sense of lazy beauty.

Wang Yang's hand rested on her back, gently patting her through her black turtleneck sweater.

The private room was very quiet, with only the faint hum of the air conditioner vent and the sound of their intertwined breathing.

Just then, his phone rang.

The ringtone was exceptionally jarring in the quiet private room, making the glass on the table vibrate with a hum.

Wang Yang frowned, reached into his pocket to take out his phone, and glanced at the caller ID.

Secretary General Cao Yun.

He froze for a moment, swiped his finger across the screen, and answered.

"Uncle Cao?"

Secretary General Cao Yun's voice came from the other end of the line, carrying a smile, but it was different from his usual tone; it sounded as if he were holding back some good news, or perhaps reflecting on something.

"Xiao Yang, are you busy?"

Wang Yang glanced at Luo Shiyun in his arms; she was looking up at him, her eyes watery.

Tiny teardrops still hung on her eyelashes, and she looked curious.

He smiled and continued to gently pat her back.

"Not busy. Uncle Cao, what's up?"

Secretary General Cao Yun was silent for a second, as if organizing his thoughts, and then spoke.

"Deputy Director Wang Hao, as well as Zhang Mingde's father, Zhang Shouren, basically won't be coming out."

Wang Yang's fingers paused.

"Won't be coming out?"

His voice carried a hint of uncertainty, his brows furrowed slightly, and his mind hadn't fully processed it yet.

"What do you mean?"

Secretary General Cao Yun laughed, the sound coming through the phone with a sense of relief.

"Literal meaning. They've gone in, are sitting in jail, eating the state's food, and won't be coming out."

Wang Yang's pupils contracted slightly, and he froze for a moment.

Deputy Director Wang Hao, a vice director of the Development and Reform Commission, was a powerful figure who had operated in Yuntian City for over a decade.

Zhang Shouren, Zhang Mingde's father, ran a significant business and held a lot of resources in his hands.

These two people, they just went in like that?

He opened his mouth, his voice sounding a bit dry.

"Uncle Cao, did you do this?"

Secretary General Cao Yun laughed again, but this time there was a hint of a wry smile, as if he were shaking his head.

"Me? I haven't even had the chance to act yet. And even if I did, it wouldn't be this swift."

Wang Yang was silent.

Secretary General Cao Yun paused, his tone becoming meaningful, his voice lowering as if discussing something very important.

"It was Mayor Ye who took action personally."

Wang Yang's heart skipped a beat.

Ye Hongyuan.

The mayor of Yuntian City, Ye Xueying's father.

His fingers gripping the phone tightened slightly, his throat moved, but he didn't speak.

Secretary General Cao Yun sighed repeatedly on the other end of the line, his tone filled with an indescribable complexity.

"Xiao Yang, you really are something. I've heard about the Ye family's situation too."

He paused and raised his voice a little.

"That illness of Elder Ye, so many experts were helpless against it, but you went, and in less than a few minutes, he woke up. Do you know what this means?"

Wang Yang didn't speak.

Secretary General Cao Yun answered his own question, his tone filled with genuine admiration.

"It means that from now on, in Yuntian City, or even the entire Yun Province, you can walk sideways."

His voice continued, carrying the gratification of an elder watching a younger generation succeed.

"The Ye family has operated in Yun Province for decades. Even though the old master has retired, his legacy remains. Ye Hongyuan is in his prime, and Ye Hongqiang is a powerful figure in the business world. You saved their old master; this favor is enough to last you a lifetime."

Wang Yang was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.

The smile was faint, without arrogance or wildness, just a light tug at the corners of his mouth.

"Uncle Cao, you're saying too much. I just want to be an ordinary citizen, have a wife and kids, and a warm hearth—I don't have that many ambitions."

Secretary General Cao Yun laughed heartily, the sound coming through the phone and making it vibrate.

"You rascal, still pretending with me. Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. Just know that you understand what's going on."