Chapter 43: Double Pupils

After wandering around the streets for a little while, Li Xuan quickly figured out his current geographical location.

This was Taipei, Taiwan, and the year was 2002. The mobile phones everyone used were predominantly Nokia button phones and flip phones from various brands.

Shops played trendy "retro" music, and people's faces radiated with youthful vitality.

Smartphones were still in their infancy; blue-screen and green-screen phones remained mainstream, and even color-screen phones were rare. There were no phubbers, and human interactions were filled with genuine warmth.

There was a milk tea shop nearby.

Li Xuan patted his pockets, finding both an ID card and a bank card—task funds and a fake identity designed to facilitate activities in this world.

He was not the type to bury himself blindly in missions; whenever there was a chance to enjoy life, he intended to seize it.

He decided to grab a cup of milk tea.

A few customers were lined up at the entrance of the milk tea shop.

He joined the back of the queue. Just then, a newspaper vendor passed by, so he spent a dollar to buy a copy, reading as he stood in line.

A headline on the front page immediately caught his eye: *Taifeng Group President Liao Zhenfu Dies Tragically*. The article stated that the president of Taifeng Group had been found dead by his secretary yesterday noon in his own office.

The Taipei police department had dispatched officers immediately, accompanied by forensic pathologists. They discovered that despite the sweltering weather, Liao Zhenfu was wrapped tightly in a thick blanket, curled up in his office chair, and dead.

The forensic team found ice shards in Liao Zhenfu's nostrils and a significant amount of ice water in his lungs, leading them to conclude that he had drowned in an environment of extremely low temperature.

Yet there was no trace of water anywhere in the office; how could someone drown under such conditions?

This homicide had become an unsolved mystery. Many people believed it was divine punishment befitting Liao Zhenfu, as he had repeatedly discharged wastewater into rivers, severely impacting the health of local villagers.

Li Xuan fell into deep thought. This plotline sounded vaguely familiar.

He loved watching movies, but given the sheer volume released in the market, there were bound to be films he had missed.

The death of this Liao Zhenfu was likely the starting point of the world's clues. If he seized the opportunity to investigate and make contact, it might trigger the official plot introduction for this world.

"Hey! What would you like to order?"

The sudden shout snapped Li Xuan out of his reading. He looked up to see it was the milk tea shop clerk.

He said sheepishly, "Sorry, I was just reading the newspaper."

Upon hearing this, the clerk instantly flushed with anger. Slamming both hands on the counter, she picked up a megaphone and roared, "Queueing up to read the newspaper?! Everyone, look at this! He's queueing up just to read the newspaper! When I ask what you want to order, are you not listening? If you waste time like this, taking five minutes per person, with this many people that adds up to over an hour! Do I still have a life to live?!"

What the hell...

Was she really that hot-tempered?

Li Xuan was somewhat dumbfounded, frozen in place for two solid seconds.

The clerk demanded, "Are you ordering or not?!"

Li Xuan awkwardly replied, "I'll have a signature pearl milk tea, less sugar."

The clerk snapped, "Less your ass! The standard ratio tastes the best!"

Li Xuan: "..."

He retreated to the side. As he finally received his milk tea, the phrase "Less your ass..." kept echoing repeatedly in his mind.

It took him a long time to process it.

He had barely arrived in Taiwan and had already received a harsh lesson from a milk tea clerk.

Wait a minute.

He remembered that people in Taiwan weren't usually this aggressive.

At that moment, another customer spoke up, "I'd like a violently beaten lemon fresh orange juice."

The clerk looked down from above and roared, "Fresh my ass! It's all just artificial sweetener, do you want it or not?!"

The customer answered, "Yes..."

The clerk shoved a number slip into his hand: "Wait over there, get lost!"

Li Xuan slowly raised his head to look at the milk tea shop's signboard. It read [Bad-Tempered Milk Tea Shop], and beside the name was an icon of an angry chili pepper character.

Ah, so it was a gimmicky business model.

Suddenly, his fists didn't feel quite so hard anymore...

He had originally intended to wait until the clerk got off work to test out the results of his real-world combat training on her.

As a cultivator, he believed in following the natural flow of the Dao.

If one was wronged, naturally one should fight back.

Li Xuan paid for the milk tea, hailed a taxi by the roadside, and told the driver to head to Taifeng Group.

The taxi started moving, the scenery outside the window flashing past. He took a sip of the milk tea, and his expression changed drastically—it was cloyingly sweet. He had thought the clerk was just delivering a comedic act, but she had been entirely serious.

A single cup of this milk tea would likely cause a diabetic patient to explode on the spot.

Half an hour later...

Taifeng Group had arrived.

Li Xuan stepped out of the car, casually tossed the milk tea into a trash can, and coughed heavily to clear his sugar-coated throat. He looked up at the Taifeng Group sign and walked inside.

Seeing that the visitor was dressed in a sharp suit and carried an aura of quiet confidence, the receptionist dared not be negligent and hastily asked, "Sir, do you have an appointment?"

Li Xuan replied, "I am the person in charge of water purifiers for mainland China's 'Oule' Co., Ltd. I had several conversations with Mr. Liao Zhenfu not long ago! To my dismay, I learned of Mr. Liao's accidental passing—it is truly a great tragedy. My purpose in coming here today is simply to ask whether your esteemed group is still interested in pursuing cooperation with our company."

The receptionist blinked in surprise, flipped through her appointment log, and said, "Sir, I don't see your company's reservation in the record. Please wait while I make a call to check."

She dialed an internal line and said, "Secretary Liu, there is a gentleman downstairs claiming to be the person in charge from 'Oule' Co., Ltd. He says he had a prior cooperation agreement with President Liao. Upon learning of President Liao's accident yesterday, he came here personally to inquire whether there is still an intention to continue the partnership."

After hanging up the phone, she said, "Secretary Liu is willing to see you. Please go to the conference room on the sixth floor."

Li Xuan smiled and thanked her.

He turned and stepped into the elevator beside the lobby.

The elevator ascended to the sixth floor. Stepping out, he could tell from the interior decoration alone that the company possessed considerable financial backing. He arrived at a large door labeled *Conference Room* and knocked.

A woman's voice came from inside: "Please come in."

Li Xuan pushed the door open. The conference room was very spacious, featuring a long table lined with chairs on both sides. In another corner, there was a lounge area complete with sofas, a tea table, and snacks.

Several people were standing there wearing name tags, all wearing solemn expressions as if discussing something important.

A thirty-year-old woman in professional attire, with medium-short hair and rather delicate facial features, was frowning deeply. She stared unhappily at the group of men in front of her and said:

"Very few people in the company know about President Liao's accident! Your police department leaked the news, causing social unrest and wild media speculation. Do you have any idea how much of an impact this has caused on our Taifeng Group?!"

"From this morning until now, Taifeng Group's stock has plummeted, vaporizing over seventy million in market value! Which of you takes responsibility for this?"

Li Xuan walked over and asked, "Which one of you is Secretary Liu?"

The woman turned to look at Li Xuan, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes. He turned out to be a young man of about twenty-five!

He looked practically like an unpolished rookie fresh out of college.

She replied, "I am."

Li Xuan's gaze swept past the men standing nearby. His pupils constricted slightly as he spotted a familiar face, and he thought to himself: *Coming to Taifeng Group was the right decision. With this man here, things are definitely going to get interesting.*