The panoramic restaurant in the sky had a great atmosphere, with violin and piano performances. The restaurant was suspended.
Of course, only visually.
Because the restaurant's floor and railings were all made of transparent glass, it gave people a sense of being suspended, a very novel experience. So when it first opened, the restaurant's business was surprisingly good.
However, it wasn't long before the novelty wore off, and the restaurant's business gradually returned to normal, becoming a bit sluggish. After all, such a high-end restaurant was still out of place in Lancheng. Few people had enough money to dine there regularly.
After considering it, Wan Yulin said to Xu Zhaoxing, "Can I... can I refuse? It's not that I don't want to accept your invitation. You meant well, and it's not like I absolutely have to refuse."
"It's just that I'm a little afraid of heights, so..."
After considering all aspects, Wan Yulin still felt that a place like Quan Jing Restaurant was really not ideal. If Ye Tiancheng and the others were to set up an ambush, such a location would be very inconvenient for them to hide. People above the panoramic restaurant in the sky would have a much wider field of vision.
Moreover, it would be difficult for people to hide with a transparent glass floor. They would be too conspicuous.
Being refused by Wan Yulin was not entirely outside of Xu Zhaoxing's expectations. In Xu Zhaoxing's original plan, he hadn't expected to successfully trick Wan Yulin into meeting him on the first try.
Especially now, Xu Zhaoxing had no idea that Wan Yulin had reached an agreement with Ye Tiancheng and was cooperating with Ye Tiancheng and the official investigation team to bring him to justice. He didn't realize that Wan Yulin herself was a trap.
Therefore, Xu Zhaoxing just felt that he hadn't expected that although he was indeed refused, the reason for his refusal was actually the panoramic restaurant in the sky.
Xu Zhaoxing chose to have a date at the panoramic restaurant in the sky, of course, because he had his own ulterior motives.
Just as Wan Yulin thought, if someone were to monitor or ambush Xu Zhaoxing, it would be very inconvenient for them to hide properly at the panoramic restaurant in the sky. This environment was advantageous to Xu Zhaoxing, and he certainly understood that.
But now, Wan Yulin said she was afraid of heights. Xu Zhaoxing didn't know if Wan Yulin was using it as an excuse to fob him off, or if she was genuinely afraid of heights and thus had to refuse his "kind" invitation and decline the meeting.
After all, Wan Yulin was not a local of Lancheng. She had only recently come to Lancheng from out of town. Even if Xu Zhaoxing had conducted some basic investigations on Wan Yulin and observed her for a period of time, his understanding was still quite limited.
For example, Xu Zhaoxing couldn't determine at the moment whether Wan Yulin's fear of heights was real.
Xu Zhaoxing thought for a moment, then tentatively asked Wan Yulin, "I didn't consider it thoroughly enough. I didn't realize this situation could occur."
"So how about this, if I change the restaurant and go somewhere else, would you still be willing to accept my invitation, Miss Wan?"
Wan Yulin seemed to ponder for a moment. Perhaps she felt that refusing him twice in a row would seem too impolite, especially since Wan Yulin had previously refused quite tactfully, making it seem as if it wasn't that she didn't want to come, but that the conditions didn't allow it.
Under this pretense, if Xu Zhaoxing had already compromised, and Wan Yulin still found an excuse to refuse, it would make her previous stance seem insincere.
In any case, Xu Zhaoxing heard that Wan Yulin eventually agreed.
"Okay, where should we meet?"
Seeing that Wan Yulin had actually agreed, and because of her previous hesitation, he hadn't really doubted Wan Yulin, Xu Zhaoxing said to her, "Thank you very much, Miss Wan, for agreeing to my invitation."
"Then it's settled. I'll go cancel the reservation at the panoramic restaurant in the sky, find a new restaurant, and then send the new restaurant's location to you, Miss Wan. You just need to show up on time. Is that okay?"
Hearing Xu Zhaoxing say this, Wan Yulin remembered that she needed to leave some preparation time for Ye Tiancheng and the others to set up their ambush. So she replied to Xu Zhaoxing, "Yes, okay, that's fine."
"But Mr. Xu, please notify me as early as possible. You know, I'm a woman, and we women need quite a bit of time to get ready to go out. So it's best to tell me a bit earlier so I can prepare to leave. Mr. Xu, you can understand, right?"
Wan Yulin's explanation was quite reasonable. Some meticulous girls take about half an hour to an hour to get ready to go out, choosing clothes, accessories, and shoes, coordinating them, and then applying suitable makeup. Those who are faster might take even longer.
Given Wan Yulin's appearance, this explanation didn't seem out of place, as Wan Yulin clearly paid attention to her appearance and took care of herself daily. Xu Zhaoxing could accept this explanation.
So, Xu Zhaoxing replied to Wan Yulin, "Oh, I can certainly understand. No problem. How about this, I'll inform you of the location an hour and a half in advance. Would that be okay?"
Wan Yulin wasn't entirely sure if that was acceptable, but she also knew that if she delayed too much, it would seem strange, so she didn't say anything more.
"That's fine. An hour and a half is barely enough, but I should still be able to get ready."
Xu Zhaoxing laughed twice, "Okay, okay, I understand. Two hours in advance, is that better?"
Wan Yulin had only intended to express her slight reluctance and agree with Xu Zhaoxing. She genuinely wanted to buy more time for Ye Tiancheng and the others to set up the ambush, and unknowingly revealed her emotions a bit too truthfully, showing a clear feeling that the allotted time was insufficient.
Because Xu Zhaoxing didn't suspect Wan Yulin, he didn't think much of it and even proactively added more preparation time for Wan Yulin, which was an unexpected outcome for her.
However, since Xu Zhaoxing himself agreed to add time, Wan Yulin was naturally delighted. "That's enough. Since Mr. Xu is so sincere, I will definitely be there on time tonight."
Xu Zhaoxing felt that his actions had moved Wan Yulin, who was originally hesitant to agree, and he was very satisfied. He replied in a very gentle tone, "It's my honor. I look forward to your arrival, Miss Wan."
Both were very satisfied, and after saying goodbye to each other, they hung up the phone.
Xu Zhaoxing got to work, canceled the reservation at the panoramic restaurant in the sky, and then booked another restaurant, preparing for the date and operation tonight.
As for Wan Yulin, after hanging up the phone, she took a deep breath and immediately called Ye Tiancheng and the others. She called Ye Tiancheng first.
Ye Tiancheng had been making preparations these past few days and had set special ringtones for a few important operatives. So, the moment Wan Yulin's call connected, Ye Tiancheng answered.
"Hello? Teacher Wan, is there something you need?"
As Ye Tiancheng spoke to Wan Yulin, he paused for a moment and quickly realized, "Is it that Xu Zhaoxing? Did he contact you?"
Wan Yulin immediately told Ye Tiancheng, "Yes, he contacted me. He invited me out for dinner today."
Ye Tiancheng then asked Wan Yulin, "That's great! We can start preparing the operation. Where did you agree to meet and when?"
Wan Yulin told Ye Tiancheng, "It's like this. Xu Zhaoxing originally invited me to have dinner at the panoramic restaurant in the sky in Lancheng, saying he had already booked the restaurant."
"Then, I felt that this place might not be convenient for you to ambush, so I used the excuse of being afraid of heights and not being comfortable in such an environment, and indicated that I wanted to refuse him."
"Xu Zhaoxing probably believed me. Since I've only been in Lancheng for a short time, he probably couldn't confirm whether I was afraid of heights or not. Also, I'm a woman, and many women are afraid of these high-altitude environments."
"So he told me that if he changed to another restaurant, would I still be willing to accept his invitation."
"Under these circumstances, I couldn't take the lead, so I couldn't set the venue myself. And since he had already compromised, I could only agree. So, I don't know the location yet."
After hearing this, Ye Tiancheng felt that Wan Yulin's actions were fine and said to her, "You did very well. The panoramic restaurant in the sky was indeed inconvenient. Besides, it's quite normal to hesitate and push back a few times like this. Most girls wouldn't accept a stranger's invitation so readily."
"This makes you seem hard to refuse, and it aligns with the personality you've been showing. He probably won't suspect anything."
"What about the time? Did you set a time? How much time would we have to prepare?"
When this was mentioned, Wan Yulin sounded apologetic. "The time hasn't been set yet, but we agreed that I told him it takes me a long time to get dressed and ready to go out, so he needs to notify me in advance."
"Then Xu Zhaoxing said he could tell me the location two hours in advance."
"I could only delay it to this extent. If I asked for more advance notice, I was afraid it would seem too strange, so I didn't make any further demands. This is all I could do. I'm very sorry."
Ye Tiancheng smiled and said, "No, Teacher Wan, you've done very well. Two hours is quite sufficient. We are already fully prepared and can mobilize personnel to start the operation at any time, so two hours is enough."
"Since everything is ready, all that's missing is the east wind. I'll notify the official investigation team and tell them to start preparing, which will save some time."
"Then I'll come to find you and make some protective preparations, which can prevent you from getting hurt."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng say this, Wan Yulin felt much more relaxed. It was good that she hadn't made any mistakes or done anything wrong.
"It's good that I didn't make any mistakes. Where should I meet you, Mr. Ye?"
Ye Tiancheng thought for a moment and said, "I don't know if Xu Zhaoxing is monitoring you right now. I'll come to meet you. I'm good at concealing my tracks. Even if he's watching you, it won't be easy for him to find us, and the probability of him noticing anything unusual will be lower."
Wan Yulin understood and said to Ye Tiancheng, "Then I'll send you my room number later. I'm in my hotel room now and will wait for you here."
Ye Tiancheng said it was no problem. After discussing with Wan Yulin, he quickly hung up the phone and notified Nie Chongyang again. Nie Chongyang, upon learning that Xu Zhaoxing had taken the bait, began his preparations. Knowing that he could set off, Ye Tiancheng also headed towards the hotel to make some preliminary arrangements with Wan Yulin.