After all, cooking is not like martial arts training, and it doesn't require much physical strength. Although you need strong wrist strength when flipping the wok, if you cook three to five dishes at a time, even if Yang Hongtao's physique is not good now, it will not have a big impact on his level.
But even the most skilled cook can't cook without rice. The house didn't even have a pot or pan, let alone any ingredients or seasonings. No matter how good Yang Hongtao's cooking skills were, it was all for naught.
It seems better to buy some kitchen supplies and keep them at home when you have time, otherwise you have to go outside the community just to have breakfast, which is too much trouble!
There was no time to spare this morning, so Yang Hongtao quickly tidied up and prepared to go downstairs to get his car. He had considered whether or not to bring Wang Xuewei along, but when he remembered Wang Xuewei's solemn warning to him not to have any improper thoughts about her, his heart immediately turned cold.
Don't be so kind as to invite someone out, only to be suspected of having ulterior motives later. Why bother offering your warm welcome only to be met with a cold shoulder? Uh... even if the person who's being cold-shoulder is a beautiful woman, Yang Hongtao isn't that despicable!
Volume 1: The Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 42: Seven Migrant Workers
Just as Yang Hongtao was about to go downstairs, he heard the doorbell ring. When he quickly walked downstairs, he saw a hotel waiter accepting the tip from Wang Xuewei and turning away with a big smile.
A fragrant aroma wafted from the dining room next door, making Yang Hongtao, who was already starving, very hungry.
However, Yang Hongtao knew that Zhou Ziwei had never eaten a meal with Wang Xuewei before, and he figured that Wang Xuewei wouldn't be including him in the takeout this time. Naturally, he didn't want to make a fool of himself, so he could only suppress his hunger and hurriedly walk out the door.
"Hey...where are you going?"
Just as Yang Hongtao reached the door, he heard Wang Xuewei call out to him from behind, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
"What? Is something wrong?" Yang Hongtao was somewhat displeased with Wang Xuewei's casual way of addressing him, so he gave her a cold reply.
Wang Xuewei frowned and said, "Didn't we agree that we had to be at the lab at eight o'clock? Where are you going now?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Hongtao guessed that Wang Xuewei had probably ordered two takeout meals, but was too embarrassed to invite him to have breakfast with her, which was why she had asked him so indirectly. He couldn't help but find it a little funny, thinking to himself: What, is it so embarrassing to invite me to have breakfast?
Feeling a little annoyed, Yang Hongtao pretended not to understand and said, "Oh... I know, we're at the lab at eight, but it's not even seven yet, is it? I'll just go out for a walk and come back before eight, okay? Don't worry! It won't make any mistakes."
After saying that, Yang Hongtao dangled his car keys in his hand and walked out without looking back.
"Wait a minute..."
Wang Xuewei stomped her foot angrily and said, "If you want to go out to eat, then... there's no need. Anyway, I accidentally ordered a few extra dishes when I ordered takeout earlier, and I can't possibly eat all of them by myself. Why don't you just eat at home with me to avoid the hassle of going back and forth?"
Yang Hongtao shook his head upon hearing this, thinking to himself that this woman was really too proud to admit it. She clearly wanted to treat him to breakfast, but she just wouldn't admit it. Well... since you're so insincere, why should I, your brother, have to save face for you?
So Yang Hongtao pretended to be confused and said, "Oh... I accidentally ordered two extra dishes. If we can't finish them, we'll just throw them away! You're so thin, I bet your breakfast was pretty bland. I don't have the appetite to eat any congee and side dishes with you... Hehe... You eat here by yourself! I'm going out for a walk to see where they sell barbecue in the morning!" After saying that, he didn't care what Wang Xuewei's reaction was and pushed open the door and left quickly.
Wang Xuewei stood there stunned for a long time before kicking the sofa hard. Her beautiful red lips were bitten purple by her two rows of pearly teeth. She glared at the door and spat, saying, "Eating barbecue first thing in the morning! Humph...you'll get cholesterol sooner or later!"
Yang Hongtao certainly wouldn't actually go out early in the morning to find barbecue. He drove to a random breakfast stall, ordered a basket of steamed buns, and a bowl of sticky black rice porridge, which he enjoyed immensely.
As Yang Hongtao wiped his mouth after eating his fill and secretly took out a banknote to pay the bill, he suddenly noticed a sharp gaze being cast towards him from across the street.
Having been through the ordeal of being assassinated, Yang Hongtao is now extremely sensitive to such malicious gazes. He can't help but feel a chill run down his spine when he senses that gaze is indeed directed at him.
He wondered if he had stirred up a hornet's nest by killing one of the members of that assassin organization, and now that organization had sent another expert to seek revenge!
However, when Yang Hongtao saw the owner of that gaze, his heart immediately calmed down.
He was a burly man, probably around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old. He wasn't very tall, but he was very strong. His exposed skin had a healthy wheat color. He had rough hands and feet, and a simple, honest look. He looked like a simple, honest migrant worker.
Of course, it's not to say that assassins have words tattooed on their foreheads. A skilled assassin is perfectly capable of disguising himself as an ordinary migrant worker in order to create an opportunity to get close to the target.
However, Yang Hongtao believed that the migrant worker in front of him was definitely not an assassin, because if he were an assassin in disguise, he would definitely be lying in ambush here, waiting for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to him.
But now that the two are so far apart, isn't it just stirring up trouble by unnecessarily releasing hostility?
How could a skilled assassin make such a blunder? Therefore, Yang Hongtao immediately ruled out this possibility.
But the hostility in the burly migrant worker's eyes was so sharp that even if he wasn't an assassin, he clearly had no good intentions towards Yang Hongtao.
Yang Hongtao remained on guard, but didn't want to provoke the other party. He guessed that this person was most likely an enemy of Zhou Ziwei from before. Although Yang Hongtao inherited Zhou Ziwei's body, he didn't want to inherit all his enemies as well. Unless there was an absolute necessity, Yang Hongtao didn't want to have any inexplicable conflicts with this kind of person.
So after paying the bill, Yang Hongtao ignored the person across the street and immediately ran to the parking lot next to him, thinking that even if the other party wanted to cause trouble, it would be in vain if he couldn't catch up with him.
However, when Yang Hongtao ran to the parking lot, he saw four burly men dressed as migrant workers already gathered there, blocking his Mercedes-Benz. They stood with their hands on their hips, glaring at Yang Hongtao as he rushed over, revealing undisguised sneers.
"No way! You can get ambushed just by going out for breakfast? When did the world become so chaotic? Or... or did that little bastard Zhou Ziwei offend too many people?"
Yang Hongtao looked back and muttered to himself, and saw that in addition to the burly man who had been staring at him from across the street, two other people had surrounded him from both sides at the same time.
Now, even if Yang Hongtao is willing to give up that Mercedes-Benz, he probably has nowhere to escape now.
Moreover, with his physique like a roast chicken, how could he possibly outrun these seven migrant workers whose physiques were so strong they were frightening?
If the other party really is a member of some assassin organization, Yang Hongtao still has a chance to fight back. After all, he learned his lesson after being attacked by that assassin yesterday, and he always carries that gun with him when there is nothing to do. If these people really dare to kill him, then his gun is not to be trifled with.
The problem is that these people don't seem to be real killers; they are likely just migrant workers. If that's the case, even if a conflict breaks out, Yang Hongtao wouldn't dare to just swagger around in the street and pull out a real gun.
Aside from using a gun, Yang Hongtao wasn't confident he could handle these seven ferocious migrant workers single-handedly. He wasn't Bruce Lee; he wasn't that brave! Even if he inherited the remnants of the souls of several death row inmates skilled in combat, the body he inherited was just too weak. With his current physique, even if these seven men stood there motionless and let him throw them around, he'd be exhausted and probably wouldn't be able to knock down more than two of them.
Yang Hongtao inwardly groaned, but outwardly he remained calm, glanced at the farmers gathered in a circle, grinned slightly, and said with a forced laugh, "Good morning, everyone! You're... oh... have you mistaken me for someone else? I don't think I recognize many of you..."
“Zhou Ziwei, you’ve done too many bad things, of course you can’t possibly know every enemy, but all I need to know is that you are Zhou Ziwei!” The migrant worker who had been staring at Yang Hongtao from across the street took a few steps closer, gritting his teeth as he glared at Yang Hongtao, and said, “You don’t recognize me, but you should remember Gu Xiaoli, right? I’m Gu Xiaoli’s brother. Today I’m here to find you on Xiaoli’s behalf. I don’t care what you’re thinking, you have to give Xiaoli an explanation today, or else… hmph…” The migrant worker spat heavily after saying that, and at the same time, his vicious eyes glanced maliciously at Yang Hongtao’s lower body…
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 43 The Dark Room
Upon hearing this, Yang Hongtao understood about 70-80% of the situation without needing to ask further. He guessed that Zhou Ziwei had probably used some means to harm that girl named Gu Xiaoli, and then abandoned her after taking advantage of her.
The girl's family, of course, wouldn't let it go once they found out, and well... Yang Hongtao just happened to stumble upon this good thing!
Watching the seven imposing men in front of him gradually tighten their encirclement, and seeing that they were about to crash into Yang Hongtao, Yang Hongtao suddenly sighed and said, "Alright! Take me to see Gu Xiaoli, and I... will give her an explanation."
Yang Hongtao felt very wronged when he said this. If he had really taken advantage of the girl, he would have been willing to be beaten up. But in fact, he didn't even know whether Gu Xiaoli was tall or short, fat or thin. He had nothing to do with this good thing, but he had to take all the responsibility. This was really too damn unfair!
However, given the current situation, Yang Hongtao had no choice but to swallow his grievances and try to get through it. Otherwise, even if he were willing to reveal his earth-shattering secret and tell these people that he was not the original Zhou Ziwei at all, but a ghost who had been dead for three years and had possessed Zhou Ziwei's body, it would be useless... It was estimated that these seven strong men would not only not believe the truth he was telling, but might also regard him as a cowardly scoundrel who was full of lies and kill him on the spot.
It was just a past affair, Yang Hongtao guessed that the reason these people came in such a big way was simply to extort some money from him.
As long as the problem can be solved with money, it is not a big problem. Although Yang Hongtao only has a little over one million yuan on hand, this amount of money is not much for starting a business, but it is still an unimaginable huge sum of money for ordinary people from poor backgrounds. It should not cost much to send away one or two old flames who come to extort money.
There were seven migrant workers, plus Yang Hongtao, making a total of eight people. A Mercedes-Benz definitely couldn't fit all of them. Moreover, the seven migrant workers were very wary of Yang Hongtao, fearing that he would find a chance to slip away, so they naturally refused to let him drive anymore.
Left with no other choice, Yang Hongtao had to leave his Mercedes-Benz there and hire a minivan to take his group of eight people out of the city.
Yang Hongtao had his own ways of protecting himself, so he wasn't worried that these people were kidnappers. He followed them openly without asking where they were taking him.
Those people didn't say much along the way, but they all stared at Yang Hongtao with wide eyes, as if they were afraid that Yang Hongtao would suddenly turn into a mosquito and fly away in front of them. Their eyes made Yang Hongtao feel like he was surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves.
Twenty minutes later, the van stopped in front of a dilapidated shantytown on the outskirts of the city.
As soon as the car door opened, the migrant worker who claimed to be Gu Xiaoli's brother immediately gave Yang Hongtao a hard shove from behind and said in a muffled voice, "Get off the car!"
Now that he was already here, Yang Hongtao naturally wouldn't make any futile resistance. He should first check on Zhou Ziwei's former lover before making a decision. If she was truly a pitiful person who had been bullied by Zhou Ziwei, then Yang Hongtao wouldn't mind paying some money to compensate Zhou Ziwei. But if these people were playing a trick similar to a honey trap... then Yang Hongtao wasn't a fool to be slaughtered.
As the migrant workers squeezed into the narrow alley, they walked for a few more minutes before stopping at the entrance of a dirty courtyard.
A large yellow dog covered in straw poked half its head out from behind a low earthen wall and began barking wildly at the group.
"Go away... go stay somewhere else!"
Gu Xiaoli's brother pushed open the gate, walked over the wall, and kicked the big yellow dog in the rear. The big yellow dog immediately slunk away, tucking its tail between its legs and hiding in its kennel, but still let out a series of defiant growls, somewhat unwilling to give up.
"Come in!" Gu Xiaoli's brother blocked the doghouse with his body and then gestured for Yang Hongtao to hurry up and leave.
"Go quickly!" The other six migrant workers, who were all gathered at the gate, immediately gave Yang Hongtao a push on the back. However, they stopped and refused to take another step into the yard. Moreover, they looked quite apprehensive, as if they were afraid of something.
Yang Hongtao didn't have time to think much. He quickly walked into the dirty and smelly courtyard and, at Gu Xiaoli's brother's signal, went to the door of the two low brick houses by himself.
The door was tightly closed, with an old-fashioned padlock hanging on it. The window next to it was completely covered by something, and Yang Hongtao glanced around but couldn't see anything inside.
Seeing this, Yang Hongtao couldn't help but feel suspicious. It seemed a bit illogical for an older brother to lock his younger sister in such a small, dark room! But even if it was a trap, Yang Hongtao didn't care. He decided to see things more clearly before making any decisions.
Seeing that Yang Hongtao wasn't up to any tricks, Gu Xiaoli's brother felt relieved. He turned around, grabbed an old hen from a nearby chicken coop, and strode over.
Yang Hongtao was confused again. Could it be that this honest guy really thought of me as his brother-in-law? Or was it just that the villagers were kind and generous, considering anyone who came to their door a guest, and even going so far as to kill a live chicken to entertain them?
Gu Xiaoli's brother ignored Yang Hongtao's questioning gaze. With one hand holding a chicken wing and the other hand pulling out a bunch of keys from his waist, he stepped forward and unlocked the large iron lock. Then, he carefully opened the door a crack, just enough for one person to barely pass through, before stopping and pushing Yang Hongtao in one after the other, before slamming the door shut again.
When Yang Hongtao first entered the courtyard, he was overwhelmed by the stench. But as soon as he entered this dark room, he felt that the smell he had just caught in the courtyard was like the fragrance of flowers from heaven!
It stinks, it really stinks!
Despite the sweltering heat, the room was completely sealed off, filled with a thick, almost tangible stench of decay that nearly made Yang Hongtao vomit up his breakfast.
Holy crap, can anyone even live in this house? Is this guy some kind of serial killer hiding a dozen corpses in here? Otherwise, why does it stink like this?!
The earthen house has windows at both the front and back, but now the windows are covered with a thick cotton quilt, so even though it is broad daylight, Yang Hongtao can only vaguely see the general outlines of the surrounding objects.
Just as Yang Hongtao's eyes were beginning to adjust to the indoor light, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of him, then let out a sinister laugh and pounced on him with a pungent stench.
Yang Hongtao was startled and hurriedly dodged to the side, hiding behind Gu Xiaoli's brother. The figure missed its target and couldn't stop its momentum, so it collided with Gu Xiaoli's brother. The two rolled around and fell to the ground at the same time. The old hen in Gu Xiaoli's brother's hand took the opportunity to break free and flapped its wings, clucking wildly in the dark room.
"Ouch—" In the darkness, Yang Hongtao heard Gu Xiaoli's brother let out a shrill scream. "Xiaoli, what are you doing? It's your brother, Dazhu! Ouch... I just brought you a live chicken, didn't I? You... don't bite my arm!"
"Giggle..."
The two intertwined figures finally separated. One of them clutched his arm and cried out in pain, while the other wiped his mouth and let out a series of sinister laughs.
"What a sweet smell of raw blood! Hehehe... This tastes much better than chicken blood! Hehehe... Alright! Since you're my brother, I'll let it go this time... But who's that person behind you? He's not a relative of mine, is he? Could it be that you found him to satisfy your little sister's craving? Hehehe... Then quickly hold him down for me so I can drink his blood!"
After saying that, the figure exaggeratedly clicked its tongue and made a "gulp" sound as it swallowed saliva. Then it bypassed the migrant worker and pounced on Yang Hongtao again.
This guy who likes to eat raw human blood is Zhou Ziwei's ex-girlfriend? Wow... that's... that's incredible!
Volume 1: The Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 44: Collapse
As the figure drew closer, Yang Hongtao, who had grown accustomed to the indoor lighting, finally saw the person's true face.
She was a girl who looked quite young, with rather pretty features, but at that moment she was disheveled and looked even more unkempt than a beggar on the street.
Her clothes were completely undone, offering no concealment of her impressive figure. Her full breasts and rounded thighs were occasionally exposed, but they looked filthy, suggesting she hadn't showered for at least a month or two. From a distance, the girl's stench nearly made Yang Hongtao faint again.
The most terrifying thing was that the girl had her mouth wide open, revealing a snow-white bitten lip, with a trace of bright red blood sticking between her lips and teeth, making her look like a blood-sucking demon.
"Xiaoli, don't do anything reckless!"
Gu Xiaoli's brother, Dazhu, quickly grabbed her from behind and said urgently, "Murder is against the law. This bastard has wronged you and upset you like this, but you can't really kill him..."
Gu Xiaoli, however, paid no attention to Dazhu's words and struggled desperately to pounce on Yang Hongtao, making strange "hehe" noises from her wide-open mouth from time to time.
Originally, it seemed that the big pillar was at least twice as strong as Gu Xiaoli, and it shouldn't have been a problem for him to hold Gu Xiaoli down. But for some reason, every time Gu Xiaoli screamed, the strength in her delicate body seemed to increase. After screaming several times, she suddenly swung her arms and threw the big pillar far away.
With a thud, the back of Dazhuzi's head slammed heavily against the earthen wall. He let out a low groan and collapsed limply to the ground.