With ICE gone, the square gradually returned to its original bustling state.
Tourists were still busy taking photos, feeding seagulls, and picking out seafood, as if the farce just now had never happened.
Ah Wei chewed on half a donut, which didn't fill his stomach at all. He patted his pockets, only to find them completely empty.
He swallowed hard, his eyes involuntarily drawn to a small stall nearby that wafted the aroma of roasted meat. The hot dogs sizzling on the iron griddle looked incredibly tempting.
The stall owner, a middle-aged Mexican man, noticed his gaze and stated the price expressionlessly.
"Three dollars each."
"I... I don't have any money right now," Ah Wei said brazenly. "But I'll find a job soon, and I'll definitely pay you back then. I know people in America are all kind-hearted..."
"If you don't have money, get lost!" The stall owner impatiently shooed him away.
Ah Wei walked away resentfully, his stomach growling in disappointment. He walked over to the seaside railing, looked out at the azure sea, and straightened his back again.
"It doesn't matter. This is just a temporary hardship."
"In America, as long as you're willing to work hard, you won't starve to death. If someone like me were back in my home country, I would have been begging on the streets long ago. But here, I have infinite possibilities!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became.
"Why is America great? Because it gives everyone a chance. Even if you're penniless, as long as you're willing to strive, you can succeed! This is the American Dream!"
A few passing white tourists heard his words and cast strange glances at him again.
Ah Wei, however, thought he had received their approval and grew even more thrilled.
"Look at how friendly Americans are! They are encouraging me with their eyes. Back home, who would pay attention to a poor person? They would have stayed far away. This is the difference in character!"
Not far away, Chu Yang heard this guy's muttering and couldn't hold back. He said to Liu Yutong, "The Young Lady, I suddenly feel that it's really not worth it at all for Chairman Bai to spend so much money and take such great risks to rescue this kind of trash."
Liu Yutong replied, "A gentleman is judged by his actions, not his thoughts."
"Not everyone is a runaway. Some were indeed tricked into coming here; they just wanted a better life."
Yun Cheng nodded. "The Young Lady is right."
Just then, after pumping himself up, Ah Wei also noticed Liu Yutong and her group sitting by a wooden table not far away. His eyes immediately lit up, especially when he saw Liu Yutong, who had an outstanding temperament and was being guarded in the middle by Yun Cheng, Chu Yang, and the others.
These must be compatriots who have already gained a firm foothold in America and made money, right?
Such people would definitely understand his pursuits and ideals!
"Hello, beautiful. You used to be from the Dragon Kingdom too, right?"
"Look, this is destiny. In free America, us people of Dragon descent must help each other..."
He tried to cozy up to her while approaching Liu Yutong, but Yun Cheng stepped forward and reached out to stop him.
Ah Wei wasn't annoyed at being stopped. Instead, he felt that the fact she had bodyguards only confirmed his judgment: this was definitely a lady who had achieved success after arriving in America.
"Beautiful, I can see you have an extraordinary aura. You must be a successful person. Could you lend me twenty dollars? No, ten dollars is fine too. I promise, once I find a job, I'll pay you back double—no, triple!"
Liu Yutong took off her sunglasses, revealing her clear eyes. "Didn't you just say that the streets in America are paved with gold and anyone can easily get rich? Why do you need to borrow even ten dollars?"
Ah Wei's face stiffened, but he immediately smiled again. "Well, in the early stages of starting out, it's inevitable to face some difficulties. But I have hands and feet, and I'm willing to endure hardships. I'll turn things around very soon. Beautiful, just consider it an investment—an investment in a future American elite."
"An elite?"
Chu Yang mocked, "How can an elite not even have a legal identity?"
"How did you know..."
Ah Wei realized he had misspoken and quickly corrected himself. "The identity issue will be resolved sooner or later. America is a country of immigrants, and they welcome people with a striving spirit like us the most. Did you know that the ancestors of many American billionaires were smuggled in? What does that show? It shows that sneaking in is the first step to becoming a billionaire!"
This logic left Yun Cheng and the others completely speechless.
Liu Yutong, however, asked with interest, "Then how do you plan to solve your identity issue?"
"Two ways!"
Ah Wei held up two fingers, speaking logically. "First, find an American citizen to marry. I look decent, and my foreign language skills are alright, so I have a good chance."
As he said this, he couldn't help but glance at Liu Yutong again.
So beautiful! She was even more beautiful than the TV stars he had seen!
Indeed, the land of America really nurtured people well.
He still assumed that Liu Yutong was of Dragon descent and not a citizen of the Dragon Kingdom.
"Second, apply for asylum. Back when I was in the country, I often posted comments criticizing the Dragon Kingdom online... It will definitely get approved!"
He said it so matter-of-factly, as if betraying his motherland for profit was perfectly justified and something to show off. He didn't notice at all that a cold glint had already surfaced in the eyes of Chu Yang and Yun Cheng.
Liu Yutong asked another question. "Your parents are still back in the country, right?"
Ah Wei froze for a moment. "Yes... they are."
"If they knew you were over here, exchanging slander against your own motherland for a green card, what would they think?"
Ah Wei's expression finally changed, but he still found an excuse, saying, "They will understand me. If I live well over here, I can bring them over to enjoy a good life in the future. This is also for the good of the whole family."
"Happiness exchanged for dignity?!" Liu Yutong's gaze instantly sharpened.
Ah Wei's face immediately turned red, and he argued stubbornly, "Is there dignity back home? Here, at least there is hope! The hope of changing my destiny!"
"Beautiful, I can see you're a sensible person too. To be doing so well here, you must have made the right choices as well. We are all smart people, and smart people should choose the path that is most beneficial to them, right?"
Liu Yutong gave him a deep look, put her sunglasses back on, and stood up.
"Let's go." She didn't want to waste any more breath on this kind of person.
"Understood, The Young Lady!"
"Hey! Beautiful! Wait!"
Ah Wei grew anxious and blocked their way. "Just lend me ten dollars. Five dollars is fine too..."
Yun Cheng directly stepped in to drive him away. "If you keep pestering us, don't blame me for not being polite!"
Ah Wei saw the murderous aura in the other party's eyes and immediately felt timid. He could only watch helplessly as the people he thought were like-minded walked away.
"Sigh, going hungry again. But it's okay, I heard there are relief stations handing out free food around here. I will definitely survive this low point and reach the peak of my life."
After comforting himself, he turned around and prepared to leave, wanting to see if he could collect some bottles to exchange for spare change.
Just then, Chu Yang suddenly turned back alone.
"Hey, brother, don't leave."
Ah Wei paused. "What's wrong? Could it be that you guys figured it out and are willing to lend me money?"
"I knew it. We are all people of Dragon descent full of dreams. How could you really leave me in the lurch."
Fighting back his disgust, Chu Yang pulled a ten-dollar bill from his pocket. He pointed to a group of Black men with dreadlocks nearby, who looked like gang members, and said, "I have a condition. Just go ask one of them a single question, and this money is yours."
Ah Wei stared at the green bill and swallowed hard. "Really? Just one question?"
Chu Yang: "That's right, just one question."
Ah Wei: "Then what do you want me to ask?"
Chu Yang: "It's very simple. Just pick anyone at random and ask, 'What is your father's name?' That's it."
Ah Wei: "It's that simple?"
Chu Yang: "Yes, it's that simple."
Ah Wei snatched the ten-dollar bill Chu Yang held out, terrified the man might change his mind, and walked straight toward the group of young men.
This scene was witnessed by Yun Cheng, who had just gotten into the car.
"The Young Lady, what is Chu Yang doing?"
Liu Yutong seemed to have guessed what Chu Yang was up to and smiled. "Just wait and enjoy the show."
Soon, Chu Yang ran over and got into the passenger seat.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Yun Cheng asked, "Chu Yang, what did you just say to him?"
Chu Yang briefly explained what had happened.
Yun Cheng completely missed the point, his head full of question marks. "It was really that simple? Didn't you let that bastard off too easily?"
Chu Yang: "I had just heard a dark joke about this place from Assistant Su before, and I wanted to test it out, that's all."
Right as he finished speaking, a sudden agonizing scream echoed from the distance.
"Ah!!!"
