San Francisco, the morning light was just breaking through.
Liu Yutong woke up early. Since she didn't have anything pressing to do at the moment, she wanted to visit a few famous scenic spots in the city. After all, she was already here, and it wouldn't make sense not to look around.
Of course, she was the only one with free time; everyone else was very busy.
Jesse had taken a group to Los Angeles early in the morning to further monitor Zhao Weixiang's whereabouts. Zhao Tianyi also took two members of the Wanlong Gang out with him; he planned to open a law firm here, which was also Liu Yutong's request. After all, in the US, lawsuits would be inevitable in the future, so they needed to make preparations in advance.
Zhao Tianyi also knew a few highly capable lawyers and had invited them out for tea.
Bai Shisui also had matters to attend to, presumably helping her father deal with company affairs.
It seemed only Liu Yutong, the boss, had the most leisure time, planning to take a casual stroll and experience the local customs and culture.
"Miss, the cars are ready." Yun Cheng was the first to step up to a black Lincoln parked by the door.
These were the cars left by Jesse, five in total.
Liu Yutong, however, shook her head. "We won't take the cars today. I've been either on a plane or in a car these past few days and haven't moved around in a long time. Walking will be good."
"Understood," Yun Cheng nodded in agreement.
He, Lan Die, Chu Yang, and Su Mansu followed behind Liu Yutong, while Ji Yu and the other core members followed them in the cars.
As Liu Yutong's personal bodyguard, Lan Die naturally came along as well.
Today, Liu Yutong wore a light gray casual tracksuit with a white baseball cap on her head and sunglasses hanging from her neckline. She looked fresh and laid-back, very much like a college student on vacation, completely hiding the fact that she was a powerful businesswoman controlling hundreds of billions in assets.
The group walked along the scenic coastal boulevard and soon arrived at the famous Fisherman's Wharf.
In the distance, the Golden Gate Bridge came into view, faintly discernible in the morning mist, accompanied by several seagulls circling and crying in the sky.
Liu Yutong stopped, faced the bay, slightly opened her arms, and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air.
"The environment here is pretty nice."
Yun Cheng chimed in, "If you like it, Miss, you can come here often in the future. I've read reviews online saying that San Francisco has the best climate in the whole US, like spring all year round."
Liu Yutong shook her head. "Let's pass on that. It's fine to come here occasionally to play and relax, but if I were to actually settle down, I still prefer it back in our own country."
After strolling for over an hour, they arrived at Pier 39, which was noticeably much livelier.
This was a massive wooden boardwalk area lined with shops on both sides, including seafood restaurants, souvenir shops, candy stores, galleries, and an area for street performers.
Even though it was only a little past eight in the morning, quite a few tourists from all over the world had already gathered here.
The most bustling spot was undoubtedly the area at the end of the boardwalk, surrounded by layers of people, with bursts of laughter erupting from time to time.
"Boss, that over there is the sea lion viewing deck."
Su Mansu, who had studied abroad for many years, acted as a guide at this moment. Pointing to the gathered crowd, she said, "It's said that in the late 1980s, a group of sea lions suddenly came here and made the pier their home, and it later became a permanent attraction."
"Let's go take a look." Hearing this, Liu Yutong immediately became interested.
As they approached, they indeed saw many sea lions.
Dozens of chubby sea lions were lazily lying on their backs on dedicated wooden floating platforms, basking in the sun, looking delightfully endearing.
The spectating tourists were pointing and chatting about these marine residents.
"They really know how to enjoy life, don't they?"
"Look at the one in the middle. Doesn't its expression seem to say, 'What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome guy before?'"
"I think it's saying, 'Foolish humans, still worrying about mortgages and car loans? Look at me, RV included, room and board all covered.'"
"That hits right in the feels, bro!"
"..."
After leaving the sea lion viewing deck, Liu Yutong and her group continued to stroll along the boardwalk.
The shops on both sides gradually began to open for business, and the aroma of food started to fill the air.
"Boss, do you want to try this?"
Su Mansu stopped in front of a small stall. "This is San Francisco's specialty sourdough clam chowder. It's very famous."
The stall owner was a smiling Black auntie. Seeing Liu Yutong and her group, she greeted them warmly, "Hey, darlings! Come try Grandma Martha's signature chowder. I guarantee it's the most authentic in all of Fisherman's Wharf!"
Liu Yutong looked at the bread bowl. The bowl was made from hollowed-out sourdough bread, filled with creamy white chowder packed with clam meat, potato chunks, and vegetables.
It looked pretty good and smelled quite fragrant, though she felt the calories might be a bit excessive.
"I'll take twenty portions."
"You got it!"
Upon hearing the order for twenty portions, Grandma Martha became even more enthusiastic. As she quickly ladled the soup, she asked, "Are you tourists from the Dragon Country? First time in San Francisco?"
"Yes," Liu Yutong nodded.
"Then you've come to the right place."
Grandma Martha handed the bread bowls over. "Fisherman's Wharf is the soul of San Francisco. I started my stall here thirty years ago. What haven't I seen? Hippies, gold diggers, Silicon Valley elites... They come and go, but only my soup has always been here."
"Let me tell you a secret. Gatsby used to come here for soup when he was young, and that young man who acted in Titanic, what was his name... Oh, Leonardo, he's been here too!"
Playing along, Liu Yutong put on a surprised expression. "Really?"
"Of course!"
"Martha never lies! But I prefer my current customers, like you polite young people..."
Grandma Martha was very enthusiastic, but once she started talking, it felt a little bit like she couldn't stop.
Once all twenty portions of chowder were ready, Su Mansu paid, and the group found a wooden long table facing the sea to sit down. The remaining packed ones were taken by Yun Cheng and Chu Yang to distribute to the Wanlong Gang members waiting in the cars nearby.
Liu Yutong tasted a spoonful of the chowder, then tore off a small piece of the bread bowl edge that had absorbed the broth and become soft, popping it into her mouth. She couldn't help but nod.
"It's quite delicious."
"It is indeed good, but I feel like you can't eat too much of it, or it will get heavy," Yun Cheng also nodded in evaluation.
As Su Mansu ate, she suggested, "Boss, do you want to take a cruise later? We can tour the bay, see the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz Island."
"Alcatraz? The prison?" Liu Yutong asked.
Su Mansu nodded. "Yes, it's long been converted into a tourist attraction. It's said that many heavy-hitter criminals were locked up there, even the Chicago mob godfather Al Capone."
Liu Yutong shook her head. "Let's pass on that. Today, I just want to look at things under the sunlight."
She slowly drank her soup, watching the sailboats passing by on the sea.
The sunlight grew stronger, and the sea surface shimmered like scattered crushed diamonds. Seagulls circled overhead, occasionally diving down to snatch food scraps dropped by tourists.
At this moment, she suddenly felt that the world could actually be very beautiful.
Just as she was thinking this, a burst of noisy commotion suddenly came from the distance.
The voice was extremely loud, distinctly carrying some sort of southern dialect accent from the Dragon Kingdom, and it brimmed with absolute fervor.
"We made it! We really made it! The land of freedom!"
