The school Tang Yajie attended was located in the central area of the provincial capital, a place where every inch of land was precious. The streets were lined with luxuriously decorated shops, and fashionable young men and women bustled through them.
On the way to the school, Tang Zhen couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion as he watched the bustling scenes and busy crowds passing by. His mindset had changed since returning from the Otherworld transmission; he was less lost and more confident than before!
By the time Tang Zhen arrived at the university, his younger sister, Tang Yajie, had already been waiting at the school gate for a long time, equally excited about her brother's arrival.
When they were children, her brother was her idol. In her eyes, there was nothing her brother couldn't handle.
If she was bullied, her brother would stand up for her, even if he ended up with a bruised face, he would make sure the bully was scared and subdued. When she encountered difficulties in her studies, her brother, who had always excelled academically, would help her review and clarify. Yet, due to family circumstances, he didn't even attend university; he dropped out of high school to work and support the family.
Having such a brother who had protected her since childhood, Tang Yajie felt genuinely happy. Although she had known for a long time that they were not blood-related, the bond between Tang Yajie and Tang Zhen was far deeper than blood, and they regarded each other as the most important people in their lives.
Tang Yajie, standing at 1.72 meters tall, wore light-colored jeans, her figure graceful and straight. Standing by the roadside, she easily caught the eyes of passersby. Her good figure, beautiful appearance, excellent academic performance, and cheerful and generous personality—these impressive qualities made her the dream girlfriend for countless boys.
However, at this moment, the goddess in the hearts of countless boys had her gaze entirely focused on the young man walking towards her, a sweet smile gracing her serene and beautiful face.
"Brother, I'm here!"
Tang Yajie waved, then quickly ran to Tang Zhen, playfully linking her arm through his, and asked in a mischievous tone, "Brother, you're usually so busy you wish you had a clone. How do you have free time to come see me today?"
Tang Zhen chuckled, looking at his sister's lively eyes, and said in a relaxed tone, "It's only natural for your brother to come see his sister, unlike you, you conspiracist, who since childhood has subconsciously assumed everything has an ulterior motive!"
Tang Yajie twisted Tang Zhen's waist, huffing angrily, "How can you be such a brother, describing your sister as a conspirator? You deserve a beating!"
Tang Zhen burst into laughter, quickly pretending to dodge in fear, raising his hands in surrender. Tang Yajie, however, was quite surprised by Tang Zhen's physical condition, as she noticed that his waist muscles seemed much firmer than before.
But then her eyes dimmed. In her opinion, this phenomenon was likely due to Tang Zhen's physical labor. She subtly grabbed Tang Zhen's hands, and the calluses on his palms confirmed her guess.
Tang Yajie had misunderstood. In fact, even Tang Zhen himself hadn't noticed that his physique was gradually strengthening.
If one were to look for the reason, it might be due to leveling up by killing monsters. According to his personal information, if he killed a few more monsters, he would reach Level 1, possessing the powerful strength of a fully unleashed adult.
Tang Zhen sensitively noticed the change in his sister's eyes, but he didn't explain anything. He simply sat silently on a bench under a tree, handing a bank card to Tang Yajie.
"There's three hundred thousand yuan in this card. The password is your birthday."
Looking at the bank card slipped into her hand, Tang Yajie's slender, flawless eyebrows furrowed slightly. Then, she looked at Tang Zhen with an incredibly serious tone, "Brother, what's going on? I need a reasonable explanation."
Knowing that his astute sister would have such a question, Tang Zhen answered straightforwardly, "There's absolutely no problem with the origin of this money, and I certainly wouldn't do anything that harms others. You don't need to bother guessing anything; just focus on your studies."
Tang Yajie was silent for a moment, then nodded lightly, sighing with a hint of melancholy in her voice, "Brother, you really don't need to be so exhausted. I've almost saved enough for tuition, and my website will be profitable soon. Just give me a little more time... I know you have your persistence, but I'll pay back Dad's debt with you. Please don't do anything foolish, or I'll be very sad..."
Tang Yajie knew what kind of work Tang Zhen was doing now; it was nothing more than manual labor. But to be able to pay off debts and still provide her with so much living expenses clearly exceeded his normal income. Her worries were not unfounded.
However, Tang Yajie also knew Tang Zhen's character; if he set his mind to something, he would absolutely see it through. Moreover, Tang Zhen had never deceived her once since childhood, so she had no reason to doubt his solemn assurance.
But Tang Yajie's heart always held a feeling of uneasy apprehension, preventing her from settling down.
Seeing Tang Yajie's preoccupied expression, Tang Zhen felt an inexplicable pang of sadness in his heart, with some words on the tip of his tongue that he couldn't utter. He lightly pursed his lips, Tang Zhen's broad hand stroked Su Yajie's beautiful hair, then flicked her forehead, causing Tang Yajie to get angry, after which he burst into laughter.
Tang Yajie pouted aggrievedly, then began to fiercely pinch Tang Zhen, while an almost imperceptible tear slid from the corner of her eye.
Ten minutes later, Tang Zhen left the school. At their farewell, Tang Yajie didn't press further about the origin of the money. She simply said to him in a very serious tone, "Brother, no matter when, no matter what happens, I hope you remember that you have a sister who wants you to take care of yourself and always be happy and safe…"
Tang Zhen almost had to suppress the sadness in his heart. He took a deep look at Tang Yajie, then smiled and waved goodbye to his sister.
Exploring the Otherworld is not playing house; it holds immense benefits, but also extreme risks, with the danger of death at any time!
He didn't know if they would have the chance to meet again after this departure, whether alive or dead. But no matter what, at this moment, his heart was at peace. With this deep familial affection accompanying him, he had no regrets…
After taking a car home, Tang Zhen took out his phone. After a slight hesitation, he scrolled through his contacts, found a phone number, and after some thought, dialed it.
The contact he dialed was conspicuously named "Broken Shoe Chairman"!
The call connected but was hung up. He dialed again, and it was hung up again.
Tang Zhen became stubborn, repeatedly dialing, thinking, "I'll see if you answer, you bastard."
Suddenly, the call went through, and a woman's strange moaning clearly came through. Then a man's annoyed, slightly hoarse voice roared, "Damn it, Tang Zhen, what's your urgent matter, can't you wait until I'm done?"
When Tang Zhen heard the voice from the receiver, he immediately understood what the other person was doing. He slightly curled his lip and spat, "What else do you do all day besides seducing married women? I think calling you 'Broken Shoe Chairman' is absolutely fitting…"
The man on the other end immediately replied proudly, "I'm willing, so just be envious and jealous!"
Tang Zhen chuckled, "I think you misunderstood. I meant that calling you 'Broken Shoe Chairman' is an underestimation of your talent. You should be called 'Broken Shoe Prince'! How about that, does that title fit?"
Unexpectedly, the other party, instead of getting angry, laughed and sighed, "You truly know me, Tang Zhen! Speaking of which, you haven't called me in years. You're not looking for something this time, are you?"
"Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?"
"Damn it, cut the crap, I know you…"
As soon as Tang Zhen finished speaking, he heard a series of hurried breaths from the other end of the line, followed by a woman's ecstatic scream. Tang Zhen frowned slightly upon hearing it, and just as he was about to hang up, he heard a voice from the receiver: "Let's meet at City South Plaza in an hour. Alright…"
"Damn, that bastard!"
Tang Zhen cursed angrily into the phone, but his heart felt uneasy.
The young man Tang Zhen called "Broken Shoe Prince" was named Xu Feng. He was also an orphan, raised by many different families since childhood. Perhaps because they were both orphans, they had played together since childhood and had a very close relationship.
Later, Tang Zhen dropped out of school to work, and Xu Feng started to get involved in both the legitimate and illegitimate sides of society. They had less and less contact, eventually not communicating for several years.
Originally, Tang Zhen thought that he and Xu Feng were on different paths and that their lives would no longer intersect. However, it now seemed that nothing in this world was absolute; there was only wishful thinking and self-deception.
One hour later, at City South Plaza.
Tang Zhen arrived fifteen minutes early, boredly looking around at the surroundings.
An off-road vehicle suddenly stopped in front of the daydreaming Tang Zhen. The window rolled down, and a handsome man with silver hair and sunglasses poked his head out. He lazily waved at Tang Zhen. Seeing Tang Zhen deliberately ignore him, the handsome man grabbed a bottle of mineral water from near the car seat and threw it at him.
"Damn it!"
Tang Zhen feigned surprise, turning his head and looking at the handsome man with astonishment, exclaiming, "Oh, wow, I haven't seen you in years, and you haven't died in a woman's bed. Instead, you're looking more energetic than ever. Heaven truly is blind!"
The handsome man sneered, jumping out of the car and looking Tang Zhen up and down twice, then suddenly chuckled, "Heh heh, I heard your foster father ran off with the money. How does it feel to pay off someone else's debt? It can't be good!"
Tang Zhen's expression darkened, and he shook his head slightly.
Seeing this, Xu Feng punched Tang Zhen's shoulder and comforted him, "It's not a big deal. Why don't you join me? I guarantee you'll pay off your debts within three years, with plenty left over!"
"Forget it, I can't do your line of work!"
"Suit yourself! Or how about I introduce you to a top-notch chick? Don't worry, she's absolutely clean, and it'll save you from constantly thinking about that scheming bitch Fang Yujia?"
Tang Zhen curled his lip in disdain, "Thanks, but I'm not like you; I'm not into that. As for Fang Yujia… I've given up."
Xu Feng scoffed, tilting his head, "You know I'm not interested in those unripe, tender melons… Alright, it's good that you've given up. Let's not talk about depressing things, brother. Tell me, what did you need me for?"
Tang Zhen shed his previous flippancy, glanced around, and said softly, "Help me get a handgun and some bullets."
Xu Feng was startled, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. His slightly narrowed 'peach blossom' eyes instantly widened. "What do you want that for? You're not trying to kill Fang Yujia's lover, are you? I'm telling you, don't mess with that kind of nonsense. Say no more, I can't help you with this!"