Chapter 156: Living Together! For a Whole Month!

"Alright, I was abrupt. I thought after surviving several life-or-death crises, we had become good friends." Yang Yi tilted her head indifferently. "To be honest, you are a bit stingy."

Seeing that Yang Yi was not angered by Thomas's refusal, the deputy finally revived, like a dehydrated fish thrown back into water.

"You asking for a gift in front of so many people will make people misunderstand that you are trying to pressure me." Thomas's smile was perfect. "I think you probably didn't consider that."

His use of "you" sounded particularly grating.

Yang Yi beamed, shattering the mask of calm and composure. "Alright, my mistake."

This little incident passed just like that, and the reception ceremony continued.

In fact, she had not failed to think of it; she simply didn't care.

Whether voluntary or not, she had already stood in this position. She had roughly planned a principle for handling affairs: the general direction would not change, but in the details, she would try to do as she pleased.

She could not be cautious in her words and deeds at every moment, pay attention to her conduct at every moment, and consider the impact her actions would have on others at every moment. Doing so was not only exhausting but also made everyone mentally tense.

Sometimes, she would deliberately expose some of her flaws instead; this not only made her seem more "human" but also made people feel she was defeatable and controllable.

A flawed powerhouse is easier to approach than a perfect "god," isn't it?

After the crisis of the alien dimension passed, she clearly felt the difference in the attitudes of those around her compared to before.

Before, whether people admired her, feared her, or criticized her, it was all based on the foundation of a single person.

But now, the way they looked at her was not like looking at a person; instead, it was like looking at a "non-human," something like an alien, an "outsider" detached from the human sphere.

This was not the result she wanted.

Watching Yang Yi's figure recede, surrounded by the crowd, Thomas's gaze was dim.

His emotions were complex and indescribable; there seemed to be a little dissatisfaction, melancholy, surprise, regret, anger, and disappointment... but all of them were faint.

Perhaps because that familiar face from before was gone, this current face, and the deliberately maintained calm smile on it, seemed like a fake mask grown onto her face. Even when joking and bantering as in the past, this mask was never taken off.

After she resumed her identity as Yang Yi, she seemed to suddenly put on a skin suit named "Yang Yi," embedded with the world's most precious gems and growing the world's most beautiful flowers—great achievements, powerful strength, revered status, supreme power, and ultimate glory!

But these gems were so heavy that she was struggling to support them; these flowers were so delicate that she was striving to nurture them.

This layer of skin suit covered her completely; he could not see "Frieza," the lonely soul of the past who was weak yet resilient, sincere yet shy, and who chose to resist even when in extreme pain.

And... good friends...

He couldn't help but sneer in his heart. Of course, good friends. That kiss in the car was simply a mistake, perhaps a nervous confusion when death was near—isn't it normal for people to have inexplicable impulses when encountering death? This couldn't represent anything...

More importantly, it seemed she had completely forgotten it—which was just fine; otherwise, meeting would inevitably be a bit awkward.

Thomas thought this, but his fist involuntarily clenched tightly, his fingertips digging into his palm, and even the place on his wrist once bitten by a wolf began to ache faintly.

##

"Mr. Norton, do you really want to buy an island?" Senior real estate agent Richard Wood's voice contained obvious surprise and confusion.

Five years ago, it was he who introduced the villa at Bifeng Manor to Chris, and the deal was successfully closed, becoming news at the time, and he made a huge profit because of it.

But today, five years later, he unexpectedly received a call from Chris again; this big star actually wanted to buy a private island at this point in time?

What time is it now? Alien creatures are rampant, and people are fleeing to cities. Villas in the suburbs, castles on mountains, private islands at sea—all places with sparse population are seeing property prices plummet like a dive.

In contrast, cities, because of their dense population, leave no hiding place for alien creatures. Moreover, the government is building protective walls for major cities, trying to turn them into modern armed fortresses, greatly enhancing safety, so the speed at which urban property prices are soaring is like riding a rocket.

At this time, having money but not investing in urban property, but instead buying private islands, he even suspected Chris's brain was broken, or that he had been fooled by someone into taking over the deal, waiting for prices to rise after the alien creatures were resolved?

In any case, this is a stupid idea.

Chris ignored Richard's surprise and directly stated his requirements: "The island area must be at least 100 square kilometers, the scenery must be beautiful, the environment must not be damaged by modern civilization, there must be mountains, rivers, plains, forests, and wild animals, there must be beautiful beaches, the waves in the nearby sea must be gentle, suitable for sightseeing and play..."

After stating the requirements, he added: "I know island prices have plummeted recently, and many private islands are being dumped. Send me all those that meet the conditions, and I will choose myself."

After hanging up the phone, Chris continued to lift dumbbells for exercise. On the large screen in front of him was the live broadcast of Yang Yi's insignia bestowal; at this moment, she was delivering a speech of thanks.

She wore light makeup, her eyebrows were slightly darker than usual, and her lip color was more moisturized than usual. She already had a cold appearance, and paired with her calm and tranquil expression, she looked even more distant than usual.

This was her "expression for external use." Chris looked at Yang Yi in this state, and his heart felt a little sweet instead, because only he had seen expressions on this face other than the "officially designated" ones: shy, sweet, tired, nostalgic, hesitant, worried, wavering... and even some manic, pathological, and trance-like ones...

He was delighted that Yang Yi showed a more private side in front of him; this made him feel that he was special to her, unique, and even... one of a kind.

While lifting the dumbbell, the corner of his mouth suddenly couldn't help but smile, and this joy quickly spread throughout his body, making him feel as if he had endless strength.

Soon, the live broadcast proceeded to the segment where Yang Yi met leaders and ambassadors from various countries, and he immediately saw that familiar figure, the man who had once appeared by Yang Yi's side, the man who had handed his clothes to Yang Yi.

He had investigated him—but actually, there was no need to investigate; after he and Yang Yi appeared together, his identity was thoroughly uncovered by netizens.

Hereditary noble of Britain, current Hou Jue of Essex, Thomas de Essex, a surrealist painter full of controversy.

In the live broadcast, Yang Yi's calm expression changed, showing a bit of sincerity; she smiled and called him her good friend, and admitted that she had been taken in by him during the month she lost her superpowers.

Living together! For a whole month!

The time they spent together was longer than the time he spent with her!

"Good friend"?

Would a good friend deliberately dress so... flirtatiously at a solemn occasion of diplomatic mission to another country? Yes, exactly flirtatious! Look at his high-end custom-made suit, black-blue, fitting his figure, shirt buttoned up to the Adam's apple, a blue sapphire representing the family emblem clipped to the tie; there was no difference from a male peacock deliberately spreading its tail feathers.

Chris threw the dumbbell to the ground, walked step by step to the live broadcast screen, and stared tightly at the man in the screen.

He saw the dialogue between the two clearly carrying familiarity; he saw Thomas pretend to be reserved and refuse Yang Yi's request for a painting; he saw Yang Yi apologize naturally, seeming not to care at all about his unreasonable attitude, but rather acting as if it was a matter of course.

Chris's breathing became rapid.