Chapter 20: Self-Inflicted Misery

In the bustling pedestrian street of Binhai City, a peculiar scene unfolded: a delicate-looking woman led a burly man around the shops, with the man carrying a stone the size of a person. Some people thought it was a fake and quietly tapped it, only to find their fingers nearly broken. The onlookers were visibly shocked.

"Excuse me, sir, we don't…" After a long day of shopping, when Yang Huawei was about to bring the stone into a clothing store, a sales assistant approached. Yang Huawei, upon hearing this, placed the stone on the ground with a loud thud, shattering several tiles.

"Uh… It's alright," the young sales assistant, startled, quickly swallowed his words. It was clear to everyone that the stone was indeed real, and the man's overwhelming presence made the sales assistant wisely step back.

Fang Hongyan, hidden from Yang Huawei's view, sat down and rubbed her sore legs. She had hoped to tire Yang Huawei out with a day of shopping, but to her surprise, Yang Huawei carried the stone with ease, while she herself was exhausted. They had been out since morning, skipped lunch, and yet Yang Huawei seemed invigorated, finding everything fascinating. Meanwhile, Fang Hongyan's legs felt like they might give out, especially since she was wearing a pair of small sandals that had given her blisters.

"Indeed, people with strong appetites have strong stamina. Oh my god," Fang Hongyan thought, almost in tears.

"Miss, is there anything I can help you with?" The sales assistant, concerned, asked from behind her.

"Help me? Fine. Find him some clothes—anything will do, even if it's ugly. Just make sure he gets something to wear," Fang Hongyan said, rubbing her legs in resignation. She then called out, "Yang Huawei, put that useless rock somewhere safe. It's not going to get stolen."

Yang Huawei, after hearing this, glanced around and finally decided to leave the stone by the entrance. He then walked into the store, his police uniform straining against his muscular frame. The sales assistants, taken aback by his impressive physique, were momentarily speechless. His rugged face and strong build made him look like a real-life version of a movie action hero, far cooler than any Hollywood star.

After trying on several outfits, the sales assistants, after examining him with professional eyes, decided that Yang Huawei suited either uniforms or casual wear. He ended up in a black casual outfit—tight T-shirt, sports pants, and sneakers. To their eyes, he looked more like a "beastly man" rather than just a man. If Liu Rumei had seen him, she would have described him with one word: masculine.

"Let's go eat," Fang Hongyan, feeling somewhat reenergized, said as the sky darkened. Yang Huawei frowned slightly.

"Are we eating again? I'm just a little hungry. I can hold out for another two days," Yang Huawei said, patting his belly.

"You think everyone's like you, eating one meal to last three days? Come on, let's go have Western food," Fang Hongyan said. As soon as she finished speaking, Yang Huawei had already grabbed the stone and was heading out. Fang Hongyan glared at the bag containing the discarded police uniform and had to reluctantly carry it herself.

At an unfamiliar Western restaurant, the sign was written in a foreign language. Yang Huawei, knowing it wasn't Chinese, just shrugged and focused on the menu. The doorman, seeing Yang Huawei carrying the stone, initially tried to block him, but when Yang Huawei accidentally bumped into him, the doorman struggled to maintain his balance, turning red and sliding aside to open the door.

Yang Huawei, oblivious to the doorman's pain, walked in, placing the stone with a loud thud that startled everyone around. The patrons, stunned, could only stare at him with wide eyes.

Fang Hongyan, feeling a bit embarrassed, picked up the menu and ordered—baked snails, oxtail soup, medium-rare steak, and a bottle of red wine.

"Sir, what would you like?" The waiter handed Yang Huawei the menu. Yang Huawei, overwhelmed by the foreign characters, closed the menu and, noticing Fang Hongyan's expectant look, said, "I'll just have the steak, like hers—medium rare. By the way, how big is your steak?"

"Uh… this big," the waiter said, holding up a finger.

"What? That small? Give me twenty portions to start with. If that's not enough, I'll ask for more," Yang Huawei said.

"Uh…" The waiter's forehead broke out in cold sweat. Twenty portions of steak was excessive, even for a pig. "Sir, you want twenty portions of medium-rare steak?"

"Yes. Is there a problem? Or are there no more cows around? Should I catch a few for you?" Yang Huawei asked seriously.

"Uh… no problem at all. I'll take care of it," the waiter said hurriedly, not daring to argue further.

Fang Hongyan quickly regretted her idea. The sight of Yang Huawei devouring steak after steak, piling up plates high, was more than she had anticipated. By the time Yang Huawei finished the last piece of steak, the restaurant was eerily quiet, with all the patrons staring in stunned silence.

"This food is pretty good. Although the taste isn't great, it's filling. I can skip eating tomorrow," Yang Huawei said, smiling. It was the first time he smiled at Fang Hongyan, but she was too exhausted to notice, having nearly buried her head under the table.

"Waiter, the check," Fang Hongyan said, handing over a card and quickly settling the bill. She left without a word, her face flushed with embarrassment. Yang Huawei, lifting the large stone, followed her out. They left so swiftly that if not for the pile of plates left on the table, one might have thought it was all just an illusion.

"Where to next?" Yang Huawei asked as he put the stone in the car's trunk and got inside.

"Nowhere. It's dark. I'm going home to sleep," Fang Hongyan said, hitting the steering wheel in frustration. She was so angry she could have bitten Yang Huawei, but she still had a shred of sanity left.

Back at the police station, it was quiet since everyone had gone home. Only Wang Pengfei was still there. Seeing Fang Hongyan return with Yang Huawei, despite her grumpy appearance, Wang Pengfei sighed in relief, hoping that Fang Hongyan hadn't angered Yang Huawei.

"How was it, Yang Huawei?" Wang Pengfei asked.

"It was great. Fang Hongyan bought me clothes and this stone with rare metals, and treated me to Western food. I've found she's actually quite nice, though not very friendly with her comrades," Yang Huawei said with a smile.

"Uh…" Wang Pengfei could only imagine the spectacle of Yang Huawei eating twenty steaks and the chaos that must have caused. No wonder Fang Hongyan looked ready to kill.

Fang Hongyan reappeared, carrying her small bag, and forcefully bumped into Wang Pengfei before storming off. "Get out of my way. I'm going home. I'm going to need a few days off. Don't call me unless it's urgent." With that, she got into her car and drove away. Yang Huawei wondered if he had done anything to upset her.

"She's just brought this upon herself," Wang Pengfei said with a bitter smile.