Jack Young smiled nonchalantly and stood up. "Alright, no need to be so paranoid. I mean no harm, so I'll be leaving now." With a wave of his hand, the mastiff, startled and confused, darted back and leapt into his pocket. Lu Yide hurriedly got up to see him off. Today's meeting had been too abrupt and strange for him, leaving him somewhat baffled.
"By the way, one last personal question, if that's alright?" Jack Young turned to look into Lu Yide's eyes before leaving. "Dr. Lu, what are your plans for the future? Do you want to remain Lu Yide forever, or do you want to become 'Druid'?"
The moment Jack uttered the word 'Druid', Lu Yide's body trembled slightly. Now he was sure: Jack Young was almost certainly a Chosen One, or at least deeply connected. Yet all he could do was give a wry smile. "Brother, I'm in my thirties, with a wife and kids. All I hope for is to earn a little money, save up, and let my family live happily. As long as the world can stay peaceful, that's enough for me."
"Yeah, I get it." Jack Young patted Lu Yide on the shoulder. "Same here. If the world can be at peace, nothing could be better."
Jack Young had come to see Lu Yide today, even speaking in a roundabout way, which wasn't really his style. But out of caution, he had to keep things ambiguous. When Chosen Ones meet, you're worried I have an agenda, I'm worried you're hiding something, and even if neither of us do, we're still afraid of being overheard or monitored by a third party. So it ends up feeling like some kind of underground operation. But now, seeing that Lu Yide's life was perfectly normal, Jack Young felt truly relieved.
Maybe this world isn't completely intolerant of Chosen Ones.
Maybe I've just been overthinking it—too pessimistic.
Lu Yide saw Jack Young out the front door. To him, the mysterious Jack Young was definitely a "big name from the scene"—someone who needed to be treated with extra caution.
"Brother, one last thing," Lu Yide said meaningfully. "If you're just 'coming home,' maybe you should check out the internet."
"The internet?"