In the crowd, Raiden found Yinsen, and they were about to leave the hotel when they coincidentally ran into Pepper, who had just come out from the balcony.
"Raiden, have you two seen Tony? He said he was going to get some wine, but he hasn't come back yet" Pepper asked Raiden and Yinsen.
"Tony? He probably left already. He didn't seem to be in a great mood," Raiden said pointing toward the entrance.
"Is that so?" Pepper eyes instantly welled up with tears, her beautiful face filled with sorrow.
"Oh, no, no, no," Raiden quickly realized he might have misspoken and hurried to explain to Pepper.
"Tony left because of something at the company. It seems something happened there that made him really angry, so he took off."
Pepper looked at Raiden with suspicion, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Something at the company? Tony never gets involved with company matters! Oh, maybe he needs some help. I have to go. Bye, Raiden. Bye, Yinsen." After saying this, Pepper hurriedly left the hotel.
Raiden and Yinsen exchanged glances.
Well, maybe Tony did need help, but for now, the two of them... perhaps they could ask Tony about it tomorrow.
"Raiden, what's wrong with Tony?" Yinsen completely unaware asked Raiden.
Raiden shrugged and said "I'm not sure. Earlier, a woman showed Tony some photos. Oh, and Yinsen, remember, in New York no matter what happens or where you are, you must never transform into a werewolf, okay?"
Raiden spoke with great seriousness and Yinsen, looking into Raiden eyes, nodded very seriously.
"Alright, Yinsen, let's go home. Do you need a ride? It's not easy to get a taxi at this hour" Raiden said casually, patting Yinsen on the shoulder.
Yinsen raised his eyebrows, smiled with a hint of resignation, and nodded, then walked out with his arm around Raiden shoulder.
"Hey, Wayne come pick me up" Raiden called Wayne after leaving the hotel.
Two minutes later, Wayne drove up in a Rolls-Royce and appeared at the hotel entrance.
"Hi Mr. Akatosh, hello Mr. Ho" Wayne said as he got out of the car and opened the door for Raiden and Yinsen.
"Hello, Wayne. How's it been working for Raiden?" Yinsen asked as he and Raiden got into the car.
Wayne sat in the driver's seat, started the car and said "Mr. Akatosh has been very good to me. In just a few weeks, he's already given me three raises. It won't be long before I can afford that house I've been eyeing. Oh, by the way sir where are we heading now?"
"Queens..."
"Queens, near the Episcopal Church will do" Yinsen interjected before Raiden could finish.
"Why there?" Raiden asked, puzzled, as it was still quite a distance from Yinsen home.
"I ate a bit too much at the party earlier. Need to get some exercise" Yinsen explained.
"Ate too much? Are you kidding me?" Raiden said looking shocked.
"Gurgle, gurgle"
As if to confirm Raiden skepticism, Yinsen stomach let out an untimely growl.
"Alright, maybe we can grab something to eat nearby. There's a pretty good pizza place around there" Yinsen offered a different reason.
"Alright alright, pizza sounds great" Raiden didn't press further, especially since he loved pizza.
The distance from Manhattan to New York wasn't too far, but it wasn't exactly close either. Wayne drove smoothly and it still took him over half an hour to get there.
Near the Episcopal Church, a pizza shop was still open at 11 PM. According to Yinsen it was the best pizza place on 21st Street.
Since there were no parking spots near the pizza shop, Wayne had to park a bit further away.
"Mr. Akatosh, where should I wait for you?" Wayne rolled down the window and asked after Raiden and Yinsen got out of the car.
Raiden thought for a moment, then pointed towards the pizza shop and said "Maybe you could come in and have a bite with us?"
"Oh, that would be fantastic!" Wayne quickly parked the car and followed behind Raiden and Yinsen.
As Yinsen led Raiden and Wayne across the intersection and passed by a convenience store, a slightly overweight middle-aged man came out and locked the store's door.
"Hey, Mr. Delmar, closing up already? I thought you were open 24 hours?" Yinsen walked over and greeted him.
Delmar turned around and took a closer look "Oh it's Mr. Ho. Something came up at home. Do you need anything?"
"No, no, I don't need anything," Yinsen replied with a smile.
"Oh, alright then," Delmar turned back to continue locking the door, but then turned around again and said to Yinsen "Mr. Ho you look really... handsome in that suit."
"Oh? Hehe," Yinsen glanced at himself, then at Raiden and Wayne behind him, and smiled at Delmar before walking away.
"Just wearing a suit makes you handsome? OMG, Yinsen, what do you usually wear?" Raiden teased, patting Yinsen on the shoulder.
"I just like to keep it casual. This kind of life is comfortable, just like how I didn't want you to drive me home. I don't want this peaceful life to be disturbed by anything, like money. I enjoy the way I get along with my neighbors now" Yinsen explained to Raiden.
Hearing this, Raiden stopped in his tracks, putting some distance between himself and Yinsen, and muttered under his breath
"Alright, alright, you don't want money to disturb your peaceful life? Oh, my! If you can still say that after transferring the eight-digit balance in your account to me, I'll respect you as a real man."
"Sir? What's wrong?" Seeing Raiden stop, Wayne had to stop as well, standing behind Raiden.
"Oh, nothing, let's go," Raiden quickened his pace to catch up with Yinsen.
...
It was a small pizza shop, but it seemed Yinsen was quite familiar with the owner. As soon as they entered, a waiter warmly greeted them.
"Good evening, Mr. Ho. What would you like to eat?"
"Good evening, Jerry. First, find us a seat," Yinsen replied with a smile.
"Of course, please have a seat," Jerry walked over to a small round table and pulled out chairs for the three of them.
"Oh, no, no, please arrange a separate seat for me" Wayne said somewhat awkwardly.
Although Raiden seemed very approachable, he was still his boss, and it wouldn't be appropriate to sit at the same table.
Jerry looked at Yinsen with some confusion, only then noticing the suit Yinsen was wearing.
Hmm, who would have thought Mr. Ho could look so dashing in a suit? However, the suit didn't look cheap, and Mr. Ho friend seemed like a wealthy man.
Jerry thought as he glanced at Raiden.
After all, in everyday life Yinsen came across as approachable but seemingly unemployed, spending his days either drinking tea in the yard or wandering around the neighborhood.
This had made Yinsen quite familiar with the people in the surrounding blocks, and his relationships with them were quite good.
But now, could it be that Mr. Ho was a hidden millionaire?
As Jerry was speculating, a sudden screech of brakes came from outside the shop, as if the driver was in a hurry.
At that moment, the door of the pizza shop was pushed open.