Chapter 157

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At the Coyote Bar, a girl sat alone by the bar counter, her pretty face reflected in the electronic mirror. She pinched her nose bridge, critically examining the bruises and swellings at the corners of her mouth and over the arch of her nose.

Clearly, her delicate and gentle features were a stark contrast to her cold and sharp gaze, which always carried an air of discontent with the world around her. Though her beauty was evident, her unique sense of style, with its avant-garde makeup and a colorful mix of reds, greens, and purples in her clothes, set her apart convincingly.

"Here, V, have a drink... it'll numb the pain."

"It's on me."

Without hesitation, V accepted the bartender Pepe's 'little kindness' and downed the drink in one go. With the help of the alcohol, she firmly grasped her dislocated nose and twisted it back into place with a crackling sound. Pain shot up to her forehead, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

"Fucking hell... bad luck..."

Whether she was cursing her misfortune or the notoriously treacherous Night City was unclear. As soon as V returned from the outskirts of the city, she stumbled upon a bold robber. Displeased with possibly being mugged, she fought back fiercely, leaving the assailant beaten but herself worse for wear.

Pepe showed some concern but then became unusually serious, as if he was hiding something. He knew V couldn't stand to see a friend in trouble. Known for her sense of loyalty in the streets, V's reaction was predictable.

"Spit it out. What trouble did you run into?"

Hearing V's willingness to help, Pepe knew he could count on her. Although she'd been away from Night City for two years, she had grown up there and had strong connections, like her good relationship with the local fixer, Padre Sebastian.

With V's assurance, Pepe shared his plight and his debt to Kirk, a loan shark who would break his legs if he didn't pay up. V didn't fully trust Pepe's story, but agreed to help him negotiate with Kirk.

As expected, V's stern lecturing convinced Kirk to agree to V's terms. With negotiations settled and her wallet painfully empty, V prepared to undertake a shady job for Kirk in lieu of Pepe's debt.

Kirk informed V that the target was a supercar located in a garage beneath the Yorinobu club. The owner was an Arasaka suit that rarely used the vehicle. V accepted the job but decided to gather more intel before diving headfirst into the theft.

Father in the meantime gave her some updates on Night City's underworld and the rise of a new power player connected to Arasaka. V dismissed the notion of working for Arasaka, deeming it unheroic, and set off towards the club to find the car.

Later on, at a restaurant, Tang Yu and Gloria were having dinner. Gloria seemed distracted, likely pondering her choice to invite Tang Yu after crafting an excuse to discuss an important work matter during dinner. She had specially worn the dress she bought the first time they met at the club, hoping to rekindle a moment from the past, yet Tang Yu appeared unfazed by their previous encounter.

After reluctantly parting with it the last time, she decisively purchased the dress when she saw it was still available.

However, judging by Tang Yu's behavior, he didn't seem to remember the dress and didn't mention anything from start to finish.

To prepare for this dinner, Gloria even deliberately chose the same elegant seat they had the first time, close to the panoramic floor-to-ceiling window.

Everything was in order to recreate the scene of their first meeting with Tang Yu.

This time, however, there was no David by their side.

Gloria's inner thoughts were in turmoil, sometimes feeling ashamed of her initiative and sometimes frustrated by Tang Yu's seriousness.

She couldn't help but recall the scenes in the train car, and Tang Yu wasn't as serious or gentle as he is now; it was excruciatingly painful.

Although they had been intimate, Gloria didn't understand why she felt more vulnerable around Tang Yu.

She felt like a thief who had stolen a gem she didn't deserve, longing to possess it yet afraid it would return to its rightful owner.

But most importantly, if everything went well, they could have dinner together tonight.

With that thought, a flush of rosy embarrassment emerged on Gloria's cheeks, as if slightly drunk.

Seeing Gloria had barely touched her plate, Tang Yu asked, "Are you not feeling well?"

"No, no, no, I'm not uncomfortable," Gloria quickly explained, worried that he had misunderstood, and then pretended to take a few more bites, finding them tasteless.

Tang Yu then started talking seriously about work: "How is the Lizzie's Bar doing?"

Gloria reported truthfully that Lizzie's Bar's revenue had increased after renovation, and the income was still considerable.

However, there had been trouble with the Moxes due to abrupt influx of new members, leading to arguments and friction with the customers, all resolved by Little Rita Wheeler.

Managing a large group of Moxes girls was still troublesome and needed time for training.

Tang Yu thought that the chaos of a large group was inevitable and that rules had to be established for the Moxes girls; they couldn't continue acting recklessly as before.

Gloria always took Tang Yu's words to heart, but her current concerns weren't about Lizzie's Bar but about whatever would follow...

When Tang Yu finished his meal and picked up a napkin to wipe his hands, Gloria timidly asked, "Mr. Tang, if you have no other plans, I..."

Before she could finish, Tang Yu suddenly received a communication request.

NCPD?

He felt puzzled why the NCPD would call at this time.

Shortly after, a restaurant waiter came over, apparently with something to say.

Tang Yu asked the waiter to wait and connected the communication to see what was happening.

The sheriff on the call quickly explained the situation.

"Mr. Tang, hello. NCPD senior inspector Stints, while patrolling the valley area, found that your Rayfield parked in the underground parking of The Afterlife was the victim of theft. The suspect has been apprehended. According to security protocols with your company, you can choose..."

The Rayfield was stolen?

Tang Yu then remembered he had a Rayfield, a gift from his former boss Arthur Jenkins about half a year earlier.

He glanced at the vehicle certification chip but never took care of it, having forgotten about it entirely.

Luxury cars weren't new to him, and several others had already been left gathering dust in the garage.

He was about to leave the matter to NCPD procedure when he suddenly had another idea and said, "Alright, I understand."

"I happen to be at The Afterlife, I'll come down to take a look now."

After speaking with the NCPD, Tang Yu decided to go down and check the situation himself.

The underground parking of The Afterlife, 2077, stealing the Rayfield – this scenario was all too familiar.

Could it be that V had returned?

Back when he screwed over Arasaka Yu-fish and went with Jackie to The Afterlife to steal the Rayfield, they had met V.

The waiter also explained the intention, wanting Tang Yu to confirm the theft in the underground parking, saying that The Afterlife club would handle it according to his demands.

Tang Yu realized now how gutsy the three of them had been that year; if they hadn't met the Haywood acquaintance Stints, they would have either been jailed, fed to sharks in the sea, or beaten up by the Afterlife's enforcers.

As Tang Yu stood up to leave, Gloria also quickly got up, her eyes filled with disappointment.

Only then did Tang Yu turn to Gloria and said directly, "I need to deal with something urgent. The bill is settled. I'll leave first. See you later."

Gloria absent-mindedly replied, "Mr. Tang, see you later..."

After saying that, Tang Yu walked towards the elevator with the waiter.

Gloria wanted to stop Tang Yu and say something, but she gave up the idea, since he had an emergency and couldn't be forced.

She felt extremely regretful, wishing they had taken care of the urgent matter before dining.

In her heart, she vowed that next time, no matter what, she would personally drive to pick up Mr. Tang...

In the underground parking.

The waiter respectfully led Tang Yu to the VIP parking area.

Before getting too close, Tang Yu could see at the end of the parking lot, several NCPD cars with red and blue lights flashing.

It was quite a scene.

The waiter explained that each exclusive vehicle in the VIP parking area is equipped with an anti-theft system, and any slight movement after being hacked would notify the corresponding service unit.

Just like Tang Yu being a member of The Afterlife restaurant, The Afterlife would 'look after' the Rayfield for him.

Tang Yu walked straight to the scene of the car theft. The scissor doors of the blue beast were wide open, and there was no doubt that the vehicle authentication and security systems had been hacked.

In front of the car, four NCPD officers, with their guns drawn, were warning the thief who was on the ground.

"Stay put and behave yourself!"

NCPD senior inspector Stints was sitting in front of the thief, and seemed to recognize her identity. Seeing the car owner, he got up to report.

"Mr. Tang, the thief has been captured; she's a small-time thug from Haywood. We'll take her away now, so as not to trouble you. You might need to cooperate with some investigation later."

Tang Yu ignored Stints's words. This senior inspector, also from Haywood, simply wanted to find an excuse to take the thief and quietly let her go later.

What he needed to confirm now was who the person on the ground, still not very cooperative, really was.

Especially with her exaggerated style of clothing and that distinctive, rainbow-colored hair.

Tang Yu crouched in front of her, lifted her stubborn chin with his hand, and finally saw the face underneath the heavy bangs.

Tang Yu's heart skipped a beat.

It was her.

V had indeed returned.

His gaze burned as he examined every detail of her face.

The handsome face, sharp eyes, and that sexy little mouth – he couldn't help wanting to bite it.

For a moment.

The memories of his past experiences with V flooded his mind, drowning out all the surrounding noise.

At this instant.

His eyes were full of this crazy-alluring woman.

V glared at the man before her. Being leered at by a stranger and having her chin lifted was infuriating.

Already annoyed by being caught stealing the car, and now this corporate dog was treating her this way – her rage surged.

What the hell are you looking at!

V opened her mouth without politeness and bit down on the man's finger, the one lifting her chin.

She bit hard, determined to make the insolent man pay and to teach him a lesson.

She didn't care about being barefoot and fearless.

V held Tang Yu's finger in an iron grip to prevent him from pulling away, even taking his whole finger into her mouth.

After a few seconds.

She suddenly noticed the man in front of her didn't react at all, neither screaming nor punching her nose like others would have done.

Something didn't feel right, and she looked up at him.

Their gazes met for the first time.

V was stunned.

She found that the man was watching her.

It was the first time she had been looked at like this by a man, for so long and with such earnestness.

In the pupils of his eyes, she saw her own reflection, her own face, as if occupying all his vision.

His gaze seemed to tremble, filled with an indescribable emotion, almost as if recognizing an old friend, or a past connection.

V was taken aback and unconsciously relaxed her bite.

Tang Yu then withdrew his finger from her mouth, the bite mark oozing blood.

He withdrew his gaze, wiped the saliva and blood from his finger onto V's face, stood up, and said to Stints.

"Thank you for your work; I'll take care of the rest. It's not really theft since the car's owner is now her."

Stints was bewildered, looking at V lying on the ground.

Was the man saying that he was giving the car to this female car thief?

Even V was shocked and confused.

After confirming Tang Yu's decision not to pursue the matter further, Stints ordered his men to unlock her handcuffs.

Since the original owner wasn't pursuing damages, it saved them some trouble.

Stints quickly took his men and left the scene.

V, standing up and dusting herself off, bluntly said, "Mr. Tang, I guess I owe you one."

"My name is V. If you ever need anything, come find me in Haywood..."

"As for giving me the car, you don't have to do that. I don't take what I haven't earned."

"It's getting late. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way. No need to see me off..."

With that, V started to leave for the parking lot's exit, murmuring about her bad luck.

"Stop," commanded Tang Yu with a stern voice.

V halted, turning back with a displeased expression.

"What now? You didn't lose your car, and it isn't damaged. I've noted the favor and will return it in the future."

Tang Yu then spoke with a hint of amusement: "Miss V's favor sure has weight to it. But who said I was giving you the car?"

"This car has been tampered with by you; the identity verification system was hacked, so I've decided to sell it to you. That way, you won't be considered a thief."

"You're taking the car today, whether you want it or not."

"As for the price, I can give you a discount."

V was speechless, but to her surprise, Tang Yu wasn't joking; he immediately transferred the car's authentication rights to her.

The information of the blue beast's owner was now changed to V's.

"You..."

V was dumbstruck.

Tang Yu didn't wait for her reaction, climbing into the Rayfield, and continued, "Miss V, make sure to work hard for a while. Before you've paid off the debt, don't even think about hiding."

"If you can't find a good gig, try Lizzie's Bar, tell them I sent you."

"And, for renting this car to me today, consider it a repayment of ten thousand eurodollars."

Afterwards, Tang Yu started the engine, and the roar of the blue beast echoed through the entire underground garage as the engine expelled waves of exhaust.

V remained standing still, full of confusion.

She wondered if she had terrible luck today.

Returning to get mugged, taking a lousy car theft job, getting caught on the spot, harassed by a stranger, and now bizarrely owing a huge debt for a supercar.

After all that, someone drove off with the car.

She gasped in realization; the man had been calling her V, but she despised the nickname – V was the one name she cherished, so she sternly warned him.

"My name is V!"

Tang Yu simply replied, "Got it, Miss V. Good luck."

With that, he closed the scissor doors, stepped on the gas pedal, and drove off.

All she could do was watch helplessly as the supercar raced out of the underground parking garage.

V: "???"