Chapter 28: The First Meeting

An exceedingly beautiful woman approached Chang Yu, her presence accompanied by a waft of fragrance. Her tall, slender silhouette exuded grace and allure, and under the glimmer of lights, her fair legs dazzled, stirring the heart. She was at most twenty-three or twenty-four, the very age when a woman is in her prime. Her blue eyes were as deep as a lake of clear water. With her chestnut hair cascading in loose waves and a high, slightly upturned nose, she possessed an undeniable feminine charm.

Her features were exquisitely refined, blending the gentle elegance of a classical beauty from his homeland with the striking, sculpted depth characteristic of Russian lineage. Chang Yu immediately surmised she was not purely of native descent, but rather a blend with some Slavic blood.

The woman first smiled at him—a smile so breathtaking that the inexperienced Chang Yu was momentarily stunned—then turned to address the two security guards. “This gentleman is here at my invitation for an interview. Please let him in.” Though it broke protocol, the request coming from this mixed-blood beauty left the brothers no choice. “As you wish, ma’am!”

In one of Yong’an Security Company’s offices, Chang Yu sat anxiously in a leather chair. Across from him sat the mixed-blood woman, with only a desk separating them.

“It’s our first meeting, so don’t be too nervous. I just want to ask you a few questions.” The woman scrutinized Chang Yu, her deep blue eyes filled with appraisal and contemplation.

“Of course, please go ahead.” Her presence was overwhelming, and Chang Yu instinctively replied with deference.

“You must be the forum member known as Chang Yu, correct?” she began.

“Yes, that’s me. To be precise, my real name is also Chang Yu.” He drew a deep breath, answering in an upright manner.

“Hmm… You used your real name as your username? How utterly unimaginative,” she remarked, her words sharp.

Chang Yu cared little for her opinion, focusing on what mattered. “You must be ‘Fairy Loves Wellness,’ right? Are you the one who summoned me here for the interview?”

“Indeed, I am ‘Fairy Loves Wellness.’” She spoke her username without a hint of embarrassment, candid and assured.

Looking at her, Chang Yu sensed a peculiar discord. Her online moniker seemed at odds with her appearance—not that she lacked the beauty to warrant the title of ‘fairy,’ but whenever he thought of such a name, he pictured a classical woman in flowing robes, adorned with a phoenix hairpin. The woman before him, however, was the very image of a foreign beauty—chestnut hair and blue eyes, calling herself a fairy and professing a fondness for wellness. The incongruity was palpable.

Suppressing his unease, Chang Yu turned to business. “Did you call me here for an interview at Yong’an Security Company? Are you wanting me to be a security guard?”

“To be honest, I have no diploma and I’m not opposed to becoming a guard. If the pay is better than what I earn now, I’d gladly quit my current job,” he admitted. “But I’m concerned—since I’m not a retired soldier, even if I can handle the job, I doubt I could join Yong’an Security Company.”

He wasn’t sure who she was, but the guards’ reverence at the elevator said enough about her status.

“I didn’t bring you here to interview as a security guard. Our security positions are exclusively for those with military training. That rule is inviolable,” came her reply.

Her words dashed his hopes, but her next brought a glimmer of possibility. “The job you’re interviewing for is much better than that of a guard—provided everything you posted on the forum is true. If you lied or fabricated your claims, you won’t be suitable, as we don’t offer valuable opportunities to liars.”

With the internet rife with jokers, she couldn’t be sure if Chang Yu’s posts were genuine.

“We’ve seen cases before—people claiming supernatural abilities, but it’s always a sham. So please answer honestly: do you really have special abilities?”

“You mean the dream of an old immortal teaching me immortal arts? It’s all true!” Chang Yu sprang to his feet, earnest.

Strangely, when questioned about this, his first instinct wasn’t to conceal his secret, but to desperately seek someone who would believe him. Most would hide such things, fearing research and exposure, but Chang Yu sought acceptance over secrecy.

Yet his forum post had languished, not a single person believing him—not even his closest friend Wang Fatty, who dismissed it as the ramblings of a lunatic. In this era dominated by novels, films, and anime, everyone saw him as an adolescent lost in fantasy, never taking his words seriously.

To bolster his credibility, Chang Yu, before the mixed-blood woman, began circulating true energy throughout his body.

At that moment, a heavy, oppressive aura emanated from him, unmistakable and formidable. Sensing the surge, her blue eyes narrowed, her expression turning solemn.

Chang Yu then shouted, channeling spiritual energy into his fist, and slammed it onto the conference table.

With a resounding crash, the solid wood table, two centimeters thick, was punched through, splinters and dust raining to the floor. Sharp shards pressed against his arm, but not a mark marred his skin—a result of his recent cleansing and refinement. Had it been anyone else, their arteries would have been pierced.

“So you weren’t lying,” she said, surprised but not frightened by his display.

“Does this mean I get the job?” Chang Yu withdrew his arm, brushing off the debris.

“With your current strength, you’re more than qualified.” Her stern demeanor melted into a radiant smile. She leaned forward and formally introduced herself, “Let me introduce myself. My name is Katerina Alexeyevna Ostrovsky, investigator for the Disaster Bureau.”

“Though I’m a Sino-Russian mix, I grew up in the homeland, a true native. I discovered you through the forum, where you claimed to possess remarkable abilities. I invited you here to verify the truth, which led to this conversation.”

“Disaster Bureau?” Chang Yu was confused; he’d never heard of such a department.

“The full name is the National Disaster Investigation Bureau,” Katerina explained patiently. “It’s a highly covert national organization, unknown to the public. Ever since your forum post, our people have kept an eye on you. In fact, anyone who posts similar claims online receives our special attention. Initially, I didn’t expect much, given how deceptive the internet is. Most who boast of superpowers are proven frauds, only seeking attention. I thought you were no different, just joking around.”

She paused before continuing, “But it’s clear you weren’t lying. You truly possess extraordinary abilities—no ordinary person could punch through a table like that.”

Chang Yu burst out laughing. “Haha, Comrade Ost… Ostrovsky, please don’t joke with me. By your own account, your Disaster Bureau is highly covert. Surely investigators aren’t allowed to reveal their identities to ordinary citizens?”

“If you did, wouldn’t everyone know about you? Your organization would no longer be covert.”

“You’re right; we never disclose our identities to civilians—it violates our regulations,” Katerina replied calmly, as if she’d anticipated his reaction. “But if you’re not an ordinary citizen, I’m not breaking any rules.” Her blue eyes locked onto him, full of expectation.

“What do you mean?” Chang Yu was taken aback.

Despite his youthful induction as a disciple to an immortal, his rapid ascent to the Qi Condensation stage, and his dream-walking abilities, fundamentally he was still a common man—earning a modest wage, working a lackluster job, failing at every blind date.

For a moment, he was lost. Katerina, what gives you the right to say I’m not ordinary? I’ve spent twenty years as a regular citizen—how can one sentence from you change that?

“From the moment you pass this interview, you’re no longer an ordinary citizen,” Katerina stated, her tone casual, as if discussing a trivial matter. “You possess unique talents and abilities beyond the average person. If you wish, you can become an investigator with us, just like me.”

Chang Yu was dumbfounded. Was this mixed-blood beauty recruiting him?

Truth be told, he’d never considered joining the Disaster Bureau—it had simply never been an option in his life. Now he stood frozen, unsure how to respond to Katerina’s invitation.

Seeing his dazed silence, she assumed he still doubted her identity. “I suppose it’s understandable—there are too many frauds these days. Claiming to be a Disaster Bureau investigator without proof is hard to believe.”

She produced a small red booklet and handed it to him. “This is my identification. See for yourself.”

Chang Yu took it with complicated feelings. The cover bore the national emblem in shining relief, and beneath it, “Disaster Bureau” was printed in bold script. Opening to the first page, he found Katerina’s passport-sized photo, along with her designation as an investigator. The Bureau’s unique red stamp and steel seal were clearly visible. From that moment, he began to believe her.

But when he read the name line, he burst out laughing.

There, in plain print, it read:

Name: Comrade Wang Guihua (also known as Katerina Alexeyevna Ostrovsky), C-level Investigator.

“Wang… Wang Guihua, is that your Chinese name?” His exaggerated laughter echoed through the empty office.

“That’s the name my father gave me. Do you have a problem with it?” Katerina looked somewhat irritated at his mockery.

“Is that name for real? It sounds like something an old lady would be called.” Chang Yu teased. “Gui Xiang, Gui Lan, Gui Hua, Gui Zhi—weren’t these all the hottest names in the seventies and eighties? Who still uses them now? I never expected a girl as beautiful as you would have such an outdated name.”

At his words, her fair cheeks, paler than any Asian’s, flushed with color—not from embarrassment, but from Chang Yu’s teasing.