As Liu Chen had expected, when Ren Yu opened the suitcase, it was filled with at least thirty cameras, and that was a rough estimate because there were also several bundles of various electrical wires.
Xia Tian, one of Liu Chen's bodyguards, frowned slightly and pursed her lips upon seeing the thirty-odd cameras. She then invited Liu Chen outside to talk.
On New Year's Eve, late at night, Liu Chen stood outside the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling window, arms crossed, wearing a long down jacket. Beside him was Xia Tian, wearing a short down jacket and loose sweatpants.
It was evident that Xia Tian was ready for action at any moment.
However, as she was speaking to her boss, Xia Tian tried her best to soften her facial expression and even made an effort to speak politely as she suggested, "Boss, as your personal bodyguard, I suggest you don't need outsiders to handle security monitoring. We are professionals."
Liu Chen pursed his lips and nodded, but he didn't argue with Xia Tian about professionalism. Instead, he said, "I understand. Follow me."
With that, Liu Chen turned and led Xia Tian back to Ren Yu, who was busy with the cameras at the dining table.
Ren Yu had naturally noticed their departure. As they returned, he looked up and saw the slightly reserved smile on Xia Tian's face, a smile identical to that of someone who had unilaterally vied to be the top scorer in the college entrance examination.
"Brother Ren Yu, did you bring your laptop?"
Upon hearing Liu Chen's question, Ren Yu put down the wires he was holding and took out a rather thick black laptop from his computer bag, nodding as he replied, "I did."
"Then, can you hack into our current surveillance network?"
As soon as Liu Chen finished speaking, the smile on Xia Tian's face froze. She didn't understand why, after she had clearly stated that they were professionals, her boss still wanted this handsome man to hack into the security system her team had built.
"Boss, if you hired us, you should trust us. If you don't think highly of our security team, we won't pester you!"
While Xia Tian said these two sentences, Liu Chen remained silent, watching Ren Yu's fingers fly across the keyboard. Xia Tian couldn't help but step forward and stand beside Liu Chen, saying, "Boss Liu."
"Xia Tian! Protect the boss!"
A gruff male voice came from behind Liu Chen. Before Liu Chen could react, Xia Tian had already shielded him and quickly produced a small handgun from who-knows-where. Xia Tian held the gun firmly with both hands by her cheeks, her expression serious, as she faced Dong Tian, who was practically sprinting towards them.
"What's going on?"
Dong Tian looked at the brightly lit restaurant, where the two standing and the one sitting, Ren Yu, were present, and was equally bewildered.
"I, I just saw someone break into the restaurant on the monitor..."
As Dong Tian finished speaking, Ren Yu, who had been silent, turned around, balancing the laptop with one hand, and said to Dong Tian, "You saw five men in black break into the restaurant, didn't you?"
Dong Tian quickly nodded, "That's right!"
Ren Yu turned the laptop screen towards Dong Tian. "Are these the five?"
Xia Tian now understood completely. She had encountered an expert. Not only had he cracked her team's security surveillance in a few words, but he had also created a video that looked real to test their team's reaction speed.
"I apologize, boss. I was overconfident."
Xia Tian readily admitted her mistake. Liu Chen then smiled and nodded, "It's okay. Actually, it's the first time I knew this too."
"Then..."
Xia Tian was about to ask why he had brought her in, but then she met Liu Chen's smiling face and realized. She was indeed the top security team in the industry, but Liu Chen was her boss. She could offer suggestions, but she couldn't make decisions for her boss. When she arrived, she had been disturbed by the online comments about her boss, which had subconsciously made her want to overstep and make a decision for him.
Understanding this, Xia Tian took a step back and, with an even more sincere bow than her previous apology, said slightly bent over, "I apologize, boss. My attitude was improper, and it caused you trouble."
Upon hearing this, Liu Chen winked at Ren Yu, a mischievous smile on his lips, and then turned to the stern-faced Xia Tian and said, "I still believe in your team's ability. Ren Yu brother will hand over the security monitoring to you after he's done with it."
"Yes!"
After Xia Tian and Dong Tian left, Liu Chen, carrying the cameras Ren Yu had fixed, followed behind him like a little assistant. Xia Tian and Dong Tian were now hidden somewhere, but Liu Chen could feel their watchful eyes.
Ren Yu first removed the surveillance camera at the main entrance, then took the custom-made spherical camera from Liu Chen and installed it, covering it with a layer of quilted stainless steel casing. After replacing the camera, Ren Yu's slender, fair, and delicate hands, exposed to the outside, were already red as if he had been beaten. Liu Chen looked at those red hands and could even imagine the chilblains that would soon appear on them that night. He felt a little heartache.
"It's such cold weather, and you're out here installing cameras. If it's too much, let Dong Tian do it?"
Dong Tian, hiding in the dark: ...
Xia Tian, hiding in the dark: Nodded silently.
Ren Yu, who was installing the camera, looked at Liu Chen, who was bundled up like a little clumsy bear. He smiled, and a puff of white mist emerged from his mouth. "These cameras are sturdy once installed, but their core is very fragile right now. If installed incorrectly, it will take more time."
Liu Chen, seeing Ren Yu's serious yet nonsensical explanation, couldn't help but chuckle. Ren Yu, seeing Liu Chen's smiling face, paused for a moment, then smiled himself. Of course, his girl was so smart, how could she truly believe the nonsense he had just spouted?
Seeing the tears of laughter at the corner of his eyes, Liu Chen was about to ask Ren Yu how he managed to get his family to have New Year's Eve dinner at four in the afternoon when a car's high beams gradually approached from a distance.