Global awakening! My Kamen Rider identity has been exposed!

"Iz?"

Jiang Lan pushed open the door and saw Izzy standing in the porch, looking slightly awkward. She smiled and teased, "Are you waiting here on purpose to urge me to pay the rent?"

Izzy looked up at him, a hint of barely perceptible unease hidden in her clear eyes. She had come specifically to see Jiang Lan, hoping to invite him out for a decent meal—her observations over the past few days had made her aware that Jiang Lan was short of money and lived a very frugal life. A few days ago, she had even caught him buying only one steamed bun, carefully dividing it in half, and eating a bite each morning and evening to stave off hunger.

Her mother had just transferred her this month's living expenses, and the first person she thought of was Jiang Lan, wanting to take this opportunity to treat him to a better meal. But now Jiang Lan was standing right in front of her, her fingertips curled slightly, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks. The invitation that was on the tip of her tongue seemed to be under a spell, and she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Izzy had always been introverted and had almost no male friends. Asking a guy out for dinner was a huge challenge for her. Her eyes were downcast, and her voice was barely audible: "I...I just happened to be passing by your door..."

Jiang Lan raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. His room was at the very back of the floor, right next to the emergency exit, a place rarely visited by anyone. It didn't seem like a place one could "happen on the way" to.

This girl must be here to collect the rent! No doubt about it! Jiang Lan made up her mind, completely unaware of Izzy's reddened ear tips.

If he knew what Izzy was really thinking, he would probably be both amused and exasperated—and if Izzy knew what he was thinking at this moment, she might be so embarrassed and annoyed that she couldn't help but reach out and punch him a couple of times.

"Jiang Lan, where are you going?" Iz took a deep breath, mustered her courage to look up, and was about to say "I'll treat you to dinner," but the words turned into a hesitant probe, "How about..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Lan naturally took her wrist and said in a light tone, "I was just about to go out for dinner. Come on, it's on me."

"You...you're treating?" Iz looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with suspicion, and subconsciously sized up Jiang Lan. He was still wearing that slightly faded casual outfit, and didn't look like he suddenly had money to treat anyone.

Jiang Lan caught the suspicion in her eyes and found it slightly amusing—did she think he, a "poor bastard," couldn't afford to treat her to a meal? He didn't explain further, took Izzy's hand, and quickly walked to the entrance of the residential area, hailing a driverless taxi. Once inside, he tapped on the in-car map and selected a restaurant that looked quite elegant.

This scene completely stunned Izzy. Sitting in the passenger seat, her small hands clutching her skirt, her mind was filled with questions. Normally, Jiang Lan wouldn't even take a two-yuan bus fare, preferring to walk an extra half-hour. Today, not only was she generously taking a taxi, but she was also going to take her to a fancy restaurant?

A terrible thought suddenly arose: Could it be that he was driven to desperation by the rent and resorted to illegal lending practices strictly prohibited by the federal government? Once this thought took root, it made her restless.

Izzy quietly turned to the side, leaned close to Jiang Lan's ear, and whispered urgently, "Jiang Lan... I can talk to my mom about the rent again. It's okay to pay it a few days later. Even if you're under a lot of pressure, you can't go astray. If the Federation finds out about those things, they'll be dealt with seriously."

"???" Jiang Lan turned to look at her in astonishment. "What are you talking about? What do you mean by going astray? By the way, I've already transferred the rent owed to your mother."

He now fully understood Izzy's concerns. So this girl thought his money was ill-gotten? Jiang Lan shook his head helplessly, but didn't intend to explain that he had begun memory exploration and was now a top figure on the leaderboard—even if he did, Izzy would most likely think he was dreaming. After all, Izzy had never paid attention to the field of memory exploration and had no idea that the name "Jiang Lan" had already firmly secured the top spot on the exploration leaderboard.

The taxi drove smoothly for more than ten minutes before finally stopping in front of a store called "Flower Chicken Restaurant." Jiang Lan looked up and her pupils suddenly contracted—the name of the store and the retro-style decoration were exactly the same as the restaurant in "Kamen Rider Ryuki"! Could it be that she might run into Shinji Kido and Ren Akiyama later?

He suppressed his surprise and didn't think much of it. After getting out of the car, he naturally led Izzy into the restaurant. As soon as they entered, a rounded AI waiter greeted them warmly and accurately guided them to a table by the window.

Izzy's palms were already sweating, and she felt extremely uncomfortable sitting in the chair. Jiang Lan hadn't left the house all day, so how did he suddenly have money? And even take her to such an expensive place to eat? The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became, her eyes glancing at Jiang Lan beside her every now and then.

Jiang Lan noticed her nervousness and couldn't help but smile, a barely suppressed smirk playing on his lips. It seemed this girl was truly convinced his income was illegitimate.

The two had just ordered their food and were quietly waiting for it to be served when a slightly coquettish voice suddenly came from beside them: "Oh~ isn't this Iz? What a coincidence."

Jiang Lan and Izzy turned their heads at the same time and saw a woman with a seductive figure wearing a tight-fitting pencil skirt, arm in arm with a tall, handsome man, walking slowly towards them. The woman had thick, wavy long hair, exquisite makeup, but her eyes carried a deliberate air of arrogance.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Izzy's tense expression eased slightly, and a polite smile appeared on her face: "Ellie, are you here to eat too?"

The woman called Ellie smiled knowingly, patted the arm of the man beside her, and said in a deliberately intimate tone, "I forgot to introduce you, Izzy. This is my boyfriend, Li Jian, he's Li Yi's cousin. You should know Li Yi, right? He's the Federation's first Memory Explorer to receive an S-rank rating, and the core heir of the Li Group..."

As she spoke, her gaze swept over Jiang Lan intentionally or unintentionally, a hint of barely perceptible contempt flashing in her eyes. In her eyes, Jiang Lan was dressed plainly, with an introverted demeanor, and looked like a poor boy with no background—although he was indeed handsome, in this Federation where strength and wealth determined status, good looks were worthless.

Jiang Lan clearly sensed her hostility, but simply smiled faintly and didn't take it to heart.

Out of politeness, Izzy nodded to Li Jian in greeting. At school, Izzy, with her sweet looks and gentle personality, was always a goddess-like figure in her major. The line of boys pursuing her stretched from the teaching building to the school gate, including Ellie's long-time crush. Because of this, Ellie harbored jealousy towards Izzy and was always looking for an opportunity to outdo her.

Now that Ellie has latched onto Li Jian, she has indirectly gotten involved with the Li Group. Seeing a poor young man sitting opposite Izzy, she naturally wants to take the opportunity to show off and feel superior.

Ellie leaned forward deliberately, her tone teasing with a hint of mischief: "Izzy, why don't you introduce your friend? Seeing you two sitting together, could he be your boyfriend?"

"No...no!" Izzy's cheeks flushed instantly, and she quickly waved her hands, explaining urgently, "He's just my neighbor, Ellie, you've misunderstood."

"Oh~ so you're just neighbors." Ellie drawled, her tone becoming increasingly sarcastic. "Well, with Izzy's looks and qualities, there are plenty of outstanding young men pursuing you. How could you possibly be interested in an ordinary person like this? Young man, I advise you not to waste your time~"

Her words, seemingly defending Izzy, were actually a veiled criticism of Izzy's promiscuity and womanizing, while also deliberately belittling Jiang Lan. She was eagerly anticipating Jiang Lan's anger and embarrassment, hoping he would turn on Izzy on the spot, thus making Izzy look foolish in public.

Jiang Lan remained calm, her face expressionless, as if she hadn't understood her unspoken meaning at all.

"Ellie, don't talk nonsense!" Izzy was both anxious and angry, her eyes slightly red, and she subconsciously looked at Jiang Lan, afraid that he would misunderstand her character.

Jiang Lan gently shook his head, indicating that she didn't need to worry about it. Although he hadn't spent much time with Izzy, he knew her personality very well—she would blush and become shy after just a few words with him, how could she possibly be attracting the opposite sex like Ellie said?

Seeing that Jiang Lan had no reaction, Ellie felt a little unwilling. She turned to look at Li Jian beside her and her voice suddenly became soft: "Darling, when can we go to the Li Group to see Cousin Li Yi? I've wanted to see that S-class explorer in person for a long time."

She deliberately raised her voice, mentioning "Li Yi" and "Li Group" in every sentence, as if she wanted to announce to the world that she was associated with a wealthy family and show off her "class leap" in front of Jiang Lan and Izzy.

Jiang Lan understood perfectly. This Ellie was simply trying to use Li Jian's relationship to gain a sense of presence in front of Izzy and prove that she was doing better than Izzy. He thought she was just a clown and didn't even bother to give her a second glance.

Izzy wasn't good at arguing, and at this moment she just wanted to end this awkward farce as soon as possible, so she sat quietly and let Ellie talk to herself.

Just as Ellie was gushing about her "good life" and feeling quite pleased with herself, a cool, slightly mocking voice suddenly rang out: "Ellie, stop embarrassing yourself here. Iz didn't even give you a second glance. Is it really interesting for you to put on a one-woman show?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Ellie's arrogance. Jiang Lan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall, radiant figure.

The moment he saw the person's face clearly, he was struck dumb, frozen on the spot, his pupils filled with disbelief—that signature long scarlet hair, those bright and flamboyant eyebrows and eyes, and that aura-filled demeanor, wasn't that Akira from "Kamen Rider Levi"?!