Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 119 Invitation

Lin Yue sat in the chair and blew the ash off the cigarette on the table.

The blackout floor-to-ceiling windows behind me slowly switched to normal mode, and the warm sunlight streamed in.

I wonder what V wanted David to do here?

Should I write a thank-you note... or give her a souvenir in person?

Just as Lin Yue was making wild guesses, Suzuki walked in with a visitor.

Wearing the Arasaka Academy uniform, with tanned skin and relatively unique hair, David looked quite awkward.

"Mr. Lin."

David bowed hurriedly to greet him, but the bow was so wide that the bag of food in his hand shook and almost spilled its contents.

Lin Yue paused for a moment, then slowly said, "No one in Arasaka Tower would bow like that to greet you, so relax."

God knows how nervous I am right now.

David gripped the bag's handle, his fingers rubbing together incessantly. Inside were the gifts his mother had asked him to deliver... but he didn't have the courage to hold them in front of him.

At this moment, the man before me was like a mountain, with strong facial features and a well-proportioned figure under his suit. He sat reclining in a chair with one hand supporting his chin and his back to the sunlight, the side of his neck reflecting the faint light of his prosthetic body.

It's definitely him in Mewtwo...

David didn't even dare to look up and use his prosthetic eye to check what his prosthetic body was.

Just by looking at that obsidian-like prosthetic arm, he knew that this was not a prosthetic body available on the market. David, who liked to study these things in his spare time, even concluded that it was a military experimental version.

Actually, before this, he wanted to meet Mr. Lin before considering whether to bring up the chip...

But now, in that moment when his gaze met Mr. Lin's, which was devoid of any emotion, David became even more certain that he had to keep the matter of Mewtwo a secret.

Being kind enough to donate to someone doesn't mean you won't get angry.

Mr. Lin is a kind person, that's true, but he seems more like a ruthless character in the company.

What a nervous guy…

Lin Yue had no idea that he was just being observed; he never expected the kid to misunderstand him.

He had hardly smiled since the incident with the black wall, but to make David feel a little better, he forced a strained and stiff smile:
“David Martinez… sit down. Suzuki, pour him a glass of real water.”

The results don't seem to be good.

David nodded repeatedly, bowed repeatedly, and even said "thank you very much" in broken Japanese.

"Speak English, I'm from Xia, an Asian country."

Lin Yue spoke very bluntly, which made David even more uneasy. Had he stepped on this important figure's landmine? It seemed that people in this country really disliked the word "Japan."

damn it.

My mom's gift... it's so hard to give it away.

He suppressed the urge to shake his leg, swallowed hard, and only dared to rest half of his buttocks on the soft artificial leather chair opposite Lin Yue.

A glass of water was placed in front of David.

David quickly turned around to say thank you, but then he saw the scar near Suzuki's eye, who had brought him up, and immediately stopped smiling at him.

Suzuki's samurai-like cybernetic body is quite advanced; the Arasaka logo on his neck alone made David's eye twitch.

Suzuki bowed slightly to Lin Yue and left the office.

Looking at the young and not particularly strong boy in front of him, Lin Yue found it hard to reconcile the image of the robust guy in his memory at the height of his cybernetic enhancements with that of David.

I don't know why V would ask the students he had sponsored to do something when he was in such a mess.
Could it be a little trick to make oneself appear as a "normal person"?
But Lin Yue wouldn't make things difficult for a college student who was still studying, so he asked, "David, how are your studies going?"

David felt somewhat insecure and didn't dare to meet the gaze of the man sitting in the office chair bathed in sunlight behind him.

"Not...not bad."

David's mind went blank. He couldn't get the rather plain bag onto the table. If he put this food on an expensive desk, would the company manager in front of him look down on his gift?

David shook his head in disbelief at his mother's words. He had already told her not to send Mr. Lin this kind of thing.

The bag made a rustling sound as he rubbed it with his hands.

David is way too nervous...

Lin Yue shook his head inwardly, guessing that this guy had at most met Principal Arasaka, and in Arasaka Tower—especially in counterintelligence and security departments, which are companies and organizations with blood on their hands, it is easy to scare some ordinary people.

This aura is very mysterious; once someone has taken a life, it seems like their entire being changes.

Lin Yue stared at David, who was practically burying his head in his chest, and made a "Hmm?" sound through his nose.

This guy should at least say something to state his purpose, right?
Lin Yue didn't feel embarrassed, but he could see that David was about to lose his composure.

I have no idea what this guy in front of me is thinking, but his nervousness is practically written all over his face.

Seeing Lin Yue's questioning gaze, David, who dared not meet his eyes, forced himself to look into the man's dark eyes. He steeled himself and quickly said, "Mr. Lin, I... I came here specifically to thank you on behalf of my mother! Thank you for donating my tuition fees!"

Dead silence.

Lin Yue tapped his fingers on the table, making a clicking sound, and said, "You're welcome, but I'd prefer you to be a man... Look up and speak. You're a top student from Arasaka, not some random nobody."

David was taken aback, quickly scratched his head, and forced a smile as he met Lin Yue's gaze.

Hang in there!
He just stared at Lin Yue, and Lin Yue didn't look away.

Just as David thought the man in front of him was about to punch him, his gaze fell on the bag David had placed behind him. "What's that?"

David steeled his heart—

"These are some snacks my mother made for you!"

As he spoke, David placed the bag on the desk.

Lin Yue frowned, and under David's gaze, he slightly stood up and took the bag.

It looks like a souvenir or something similar. The packaging is handmade, and the topic is written in neat English on the kraft paper:

Best wishes.

The bag was just a bit too big, and a faint sweet aroma emanated from it.

Lin Yue took out several boxes of pastries from inside, all kinds of them.

David almost dared not look, fearing that Mr. Lin would put the things aside, say a few polite words, and then tell him to get lost.

Unexpectedly, under David's watchful eye, Lin Yue roughly opened the box, took out an egg tart, and stuffed it into his mouth.

what?
David never expected things to go so smoothly.

Having stayed up all night and skipped breakfast, Lin Yue certainly wouldn't refuse these decent-looking pastries.

He paused in his chewing motion, and under David's expectant gaze, swallowed the egg tart.

"Please thank your mother for me."

Lin Yue patted the crumbs off his hands. "Why use such expensive raw materials to make food? It feels like it should only be available in the company square."

Does he think his mother is too extravagant and wasteful?
David quickly explained, "It was made especially for you. My mom spent a lot of time on it, and I hope... it will taste good."

Lin Yue shrugged. "I can say it's not tasty, but you certainly can't say your mother's cooking is bad, right? I'm not lying, it's really good."

Lin Yue's agitated mood began to calm down as the sugar levels from the pastries subsided. He felt that Gloria's cooking style suited the tastes of the Xia people very well. Most pastries made by New American chefs were excessively sugary, and even if the ingredients were non-synthetic, they would quickly become cloying. As for the cafeteria at Arasaka Tower... needless to say, it was all Japanese cuisine, and the other cuisines were not very good.

He would rather eat ramen from the Japanese street where there might be cockroaches in the bowl; to him, there's no difference, and the ramen from the Japanese street is even cheaper.

The best things I've eaten recently are the noodles I had with V and the gift Gloria gave me.

David felt that Mr. Lin's eating made him very relaxed, and his tense back also relaxed. "This... if you like it, I will talk to my mother, and she will definitely be happy to make more for you."

Lin Yue shook his head, "These things probably cost more than four or five hundred euros to make, right? This one will do. I appreciate your and your mother's thoughtfulness."

Just kidding, this meal almost cost Gloria's family a month's living expenses. Lin Yue had experienced hardship in Dogtown, so this was no gift. On the contrary, his appetite would only increase the family's pressure.

David quickly said, "Now, thanks to your support, my mother has more time to come home and is living a very comfortable life—thank you so much."

Lin Yue sighed. Since arriving in Night City, this was perhaps one of the few meals that had satisfied his appetite.

It seems that even if you are very resistant to toxins, your body will still crave some good food.

In the end, David never dared to ask Mr. Lin why he was sponsoring him.

Just as Lin Yue was about to see the guests off, the panel that had been almost untouched since returning from Japan started moving.

[Person: David Martinez]

[Affiliation: Night City - Arakazaka Academy]

【Favourability: 30】

[Potential for development: Extremely high; a potential future legend]

[Stage Reward: Gain +2 Intelligence, and an additional +1 Intelligence feat point]

Lin Yue felt helpless.

David is very pure-hearted and quick to develop feelings for people.

But what he was even more curious about was why the panel didn't reflect the increase in Rebecca's and the team's affection levels.

Is it because I present myself as Mr. Rin?
After David relaxed, he looked around Lin Yue's office and thought, "What an amazing office, full of Arasaka's cutting-edge technology."

Lin Yue held his coffee, shook his head helplessly, and let the kid look around.

It's nice to have a little bit of life in a dull office sometimes.

After finishing his coffee, Lin Yue said, "Alright, David, our conversation is over. Please give my regards to Ms. Gloria, and tell your mother to rest assured about your studies. I believe you will definitely be her pride in the next few years."

David was observing Lin Yue's prosthetic body when he heard him say those words, and immediately became embarrassed.

"Uh, thank you, Mr. Rin!"

For some reason, Lin Yue impulsively added, "Here's my contact information. You can contact me if the school has any difficulties. You just need to focus on your studies."

David immediately showed an expression of being flattered.

……

David walked out lightly, and the kind person even asked about his GPA at school. Only after hearing that his studies were going well did the person let him leave.

It's hard to believe that Night City employees would treat him and his family like this.

Because in my mind, everyone in the company should be like Shengnan, and recognize their own status as poor people.

The more Mr. Lin acted this way, the more determined he became.
[Caller: Nagging Mom]

"Has the package been delivered?" Gloria questioned David over the holographic phone.

David said with a long face, "Mom, give me some trust... Not only did the food arrive, but Mr. Lin ate it too. He devoured all the egg tarts you made right in front of me, but he didn't seem interested in gingerbread."

Gloria looked surprised and delighted. "Really?!"

David shook his head.

My mom is really something.

Gloria laughed and said, "Judging from Mr. Lin's appearance, he must be from Asia. I'm quite worried about whether he'll be able to get used to the food—"

David added, "Xia Kingdom."

Gloria pondered for a moment. "The birthplace of Contour? Good heavens, I deliberately lowered the sugar content! Looks like I made the right bet. Did you inquire about your health, sir?"

David looked at the office workers coming and going in the company square. "Mom, Mr. Lin doesn't seem to have any problems at all. I can't exactly say these things to a perfectly healthy man like him... Relax, relax. Oh, by the way, this kind person even gave me his contact information."

Gloria: "Wow, really?! But Miss V said he had some health problems... Oh well, since this kind person is healthy, that's great. Should I make some more pastries?"

David shook his head. "Mom, Mr. Lin knows you spent a lot of money on materials, so you don't need to worry about it anymore."

Gloria was stunned for a long time.

She looked at David with tender eyes, "He's a good man... If he had known that my cooking suited Mr. Lin's taste so well, he should have invited him to our home for dinner. I learned some cooking skills from a Chinese chef in Chinatown; perhaps he would have agreed—"

David knew his mom was about to make a "dangerous suggestion," so he called out, "Mom!"

"Find an opportunity to talk to Mr. Lin and invite him to dinner. If he refuses, don't force it. What if he agrees?"

I go!

David felt he had already been quite presumptuous today, and to bother this busy person at the company at this crucial moment...

"Hmm?" Gloria's tone was unfriendly. "The gentleman really enjoys my cooking, and I know Chinese cuisine, so why not? He can't be busy with work every day. Here's what we'll do: tell this gentleman today that I guarantee I won't use expensive ingredients. You need to understand, this 100,000 euros... can't be bought with meals, understand?"

David hung up the phone, stood up helplessly, and walked towards Arasaka Academy with a dazed look in his head.

While crossing the street, David edited his mother's words into a text message, gritted his teeth, and sent it to Mr. Lin. He then hurriedly closed the text message interface, seemingly afraid of seeing the result.

He actually hoped that Mr. Lin would not see this text message.

……

Lin Yue watched David leave, shook his head, and continued studying the online guide.

[Incoming call: Unknown number]

Lin Yue answered the phone. The person on the other end of the line turned on a holographic projection; it was Emma from Dogtown.

What did Mrs. Hanz want to do on the phone?

Emma: "I apologize for bothering you, Mr. Rin. But I've noticed that Hans has recently taken on a new client, supposedly from across the ocean. Is that you?"

Lin Yue did not deny it, and replied in a stern voice, "He's my subordinate, so what?"

Emma was silent for a moment. “Azure Building, Lapis Lazuli Suite. I hope you can come. Hans asked me to wait here to see you. We have an appointment with your men to meet tomorrow. He wants me to come as a negotiator to discuss business with you.”

Lin Yue sneered, "What, Hans wants you out to discuss business again?"

Emma seemed devoid of all other emotions, as if she didn't understand the sarcasm in Rin's words, and instead boldly said:

“If it’s you, it’s not that I can’t do it—I’d be willing to let you handle it—but I still hope you can come in person. The reason I came to Arasaka’s territory is to put your mind at ease.”

"After all, some business deals still require discussion of details. If this is successful, Angie and I will be able to take full control of the Dogtown business. Once you arrive, we can close the net."

Lin Yue thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, let's see how your recent efforts have gone."

Emma smiled charmingly, "With such a proactive subordinate like me, I guarantee you'll like me."

……

(End of this chapter)