Chapter 17
Blood stained the dormitory living room.
After finishing her water, Tan Quelu took the phone from Xia Xing's hand and looked down to browse the message list.
Xia Xing's pinned post was actually him.
Note: [Green Peacock (Gold digger!)]
Tan Quelu confirmed that Xia Xing had changed the name after reading the posts on the campus forum this morning.
The system, already terrified, instantly flew into a rage upon seeing this note: [Is the protagonist sick? The host becomes a gold digger just because he went out with F1? Why doesn't he go and criticize F1?!]
"He cursed."
Tan Quelu wiped the blood off the screen with a tissue, lowered her eyes and repeated: "Zhong Wan, you scumbag, beast, lackey! Rich people should die, all of you should die!"
[Haha, he's a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong. He'd better go and yell at F1 drivers if he dares!]
Tan Quelu smiled and continued looking at her phone. Xia Xing was indeed frequently contacting the director of the Seagull Welfare Institute, but he was very cautious, never leaving written messages, always communicating by phone or video.
The rest were some rich kids. Xia Xing deliberately staged an accident to extort money from them and then flirted with them, subtly inquiring about the F3 members.
[Young Master Xie? Tsk tsk, let me just tell you, he was diagnosed with congenital emotional deficiency when he was a child, and the Xie family was stunned.]
Zhong Wan is a mad dog; the whole industry treats his father like a joke.
[Wei Zhiyan... With President Wei around, he's pretty useless, hahaha]
Tan Quelu checked her text messages and found that Xia Xing hadn't had time to delete several messages sent half an hour ago.
[Why couldn't we reach you all night? Our businesses in Lingqing have been seized, and your file is lost. Go back to the orphanage today.]
[...Read the message first, don't call me like a madman demanding money! I've already had a million transferred to you, stop calling!]
[The Xia family likes you very much. As long as you can cripple Zhong Wan, they will officially announce your adopted son status, and then you can have as much money as you want.]
Tan Quelu memorized the number, then checked her phone again to confirm that this was the only valid information she had.
Four minutes had passed since Xia Xing died.
Students began leaving Wenhua Building. Riot control vehicles towed away the half-wrecked convertible downstairs. Security guards stood solemnly in a circle, discussing something over walkie-talkies.
Ding-dong.
Tan Quelu's phone rang.
He looked down; it was Wei Guan.
The church has been put up for auction.
[Link.]
The pipe organ has been temporarily moved back to the Wei family home.
The dialog box shows that the other party is typing.
Tan Quelu raised her hand and made a video call.
The call was answered instantly.
Then I saw a familiar face covered in crimson.
Tan Quelu greeted him: "Wei Guan."
Wei Guan hummed in agreement, without pausing for a second, and continued to instruct: "The pipe organ has been moved back to the Wei family home. Tell me where you've chosen, and I'll have someone move it there."
After finishing speaking, he put down the documents and calmly asked, "Playing cosplay?"
Tan Quelu didn't answer, her clear, beautiful eyes looking at him.
Blood congealed into dried petals, transforming the porcelain-white, compassionate Guanyin statue into a monstrous demon. Beneath the spiderweb-like crimson cracks, the boy's features remained eerily innocent.
Elm Green's expression was serious yet puzzled.
Wei Guan heard him ask, "Wei Guan, what does 'lifting' mean?"
Police sirens blared in the open space outside the dormitory.
The young man on the phone seemed not to hear.
"In the realm of material support, we will provide you with the greatest support. In the realm of understanding, we will offer you the deepest understanding. In the realm of emotions, we will provide you with the best guidance."
"Respect you, affirm you, encourage you. Help you become an independent, happy, and outstanding person."
Tan Quelu recalled the driver's words and nodded in realization: "Become a mature adult."
Green Sparrow mimics speech.
Wei Guan smiled, a rare occurrence: "Become a powerful person."
The system stammered in my ear: [Host, we're about to load the save file—ten seconds left.]
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...
The last second of the countdown.
Tan Quelu heard Wei Guan ask in a very calm voice, "Who bullied you?"
[Congratulations, host, the rollback was successful!]
......
The ornately decorated private room was completely silent.
A waiter stood guard outside the door, and on a glass table not far away were antique decorations; the minute hand of a clock pointed to the upper right.
[10:02].
Xie Chenbi withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes, intending to open his phone.
Suddenly, someone gently patted my shoulder.
Xie Chenbi paused, then glanced sideways, his cold, dark eyes fixed on Tan Quelu.
The boy looked timid, holding another unopened bottle of water in his hand, and said in a soft voice, "President, could you please open this bottle of water for me?"
Xie Chenbi remained silent, staring at him with an inscrutable expression.
He was terrified just a moment ago, but now he's acting like he's in the basketball court, and he even dares to ask him to open a bottle for him?
Or perhaps, it's because anxious people subconsciously seek out something that makes them feel safe, much like the chicks' instinct in nature.
Xie Chenbi didn't say anything. Out of respect for Zhong Wan, he indifferently took the water, turned it on, and handed it over.
"Thank you." Tan Quelu smiled and reached out to take it.
But he seemed too nervous; his hand suddenly trembled, and he dropped the bottle of water.
"President!"
Cold water splashed and soaked through the black trousers.
Tan Quelu panicked and immediately got up, pulled out a thick tissue, and bent down to hurriedly wipe the hem of his shirt: "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to, I'm so sorry!"
A subtle citrus aroma wafts into the nose.
And the soft tips of his hair that occasionally brushed against his Adam's apple.
Xie Chenbi felt inexplicably annoyed, grabbed those long, beautiful hands, and suddenly stood up: "That's enough."
Xie Chenbi didn't even look at him. His sharp, sinister eyes stared at the door like a venomous snake, and his voice was cold: "Where is he?"
"Bring in your everyday clothes."
"yes!"
The waiter left immediately, and Tan Quelu's hand was forcefully flung away by F2. He heard F2's sinister tone: "You better not have done it on purpose."
Tan Quelu was stunned. It was the first time she had looked up since entering the private room. She stared blankly at Xie Chenbi.
The boy's gaze was complex, as if it contained too many things he wanted to say. Xie Chenbi even felt that those clear, dark pupils moistened for a second.
But soon, Tan Quelu turned his face away, clenched his hands tightly at his sides, and his tone changed from humble to harsh: "I'm sorry, Young Master Xie. I will compensate you for the full amount if I soil your clothes."
Even someone as aloof as Xie Chenbi found his behavior laughable.
They put on airs, going to great lengths to get close to Zhong Wan, and even tried to use tricks to get my attention after following them here.
He didn't believe that Tan Quelu could speak fluently in front of Zhong Wan, but couldn't even speak clearly in front of him.
A poor, pathetic leech who only wants to suck blood.
Xie Chenbi's dark eyes were like a snake's. Without turning his head, he turned around and walked into the washroom on the other side of the private room.
The door was closed.
Tan Quelu finally relaxed, her tense and thin shoulders drooping limply. After a long while, she stared blankly at Xie Chenbi's water-soaked phone on the carpet.
He lowered his head, silently picked it up, and carefully wiped it clean.
Press the side button hard with your index finger, and water droplets will flow down the gap. A few seconds later, the screen will flash and the computer will crash.
Tan Quelu was taken aback and tried to turn on the phone in a bit of a panic, but it wouldn't turn on no matter what he did. He then opened his old phone and tried to compare it with the phone, but to no avail.
Just then, Xie Chenbi changed his clothes and came out of the washroom. Seeing the boy's thieving expression, he was unusually impatient: "What is it now?"
No matter what kind of trouble he causes, Zhong Wan won't be able to help him; Xie Chenbi will definitely make sure this person gets out.
A waiter whispered, "Young master, this gentleman probably doesn't know how to use your latest phone. He accidentally pressed the bottom right button, and the phone has temporarily stopped working."
As soon as she finished speaking, Tan Quelu's pure, porcelain-white face suddenly flushed red.
He suddenly stood up, grabbed the phone, and stared coldly at Xie Chenbi: "Don't worry, I'll buy you an identical one, not a penny less."
Before Xie Chenbi could reply.
Tan Quelu picked up her phone, shoved the inexplicably bewildered Xie Chenbi aside with a bang, slammed the door of the private room shut, and stormed off.
"I'm not attending the auction. Tell Zhong Wan not to come looking for me again!"
Xie Chenbi: "..."
Xie Chenbi's face was grim. He turned his head and stared at the talkative waiter, his sinister gaze making the waiter break out in a cold sweat.
After a long pause, he finally spoke in a sinister tone: "Bring up the surveillance footage from earlier."
"yes."
Soon, the waiter handed the tablet to the other person. Xie Chenbi looked down at the screen, then suddenly reached out, paused, and clicked to zoom in on a certain moment.
Under the high-frame-rate, ultra-high-definition camera, in the split second that the boy frantically tapped on his old phone to compare, a Weibo account's homepage flashed on the screen.
Xie Chenbi's dark eyes narrowed as he discerned the randomly generated string of English letters:
【tqlhpl】.
......
Tan Quelu hailed the fastest ride-hailing car in the vicinity, rolled up the window, and made it seem as if she was heading straight for St. Weston.
He took out Xie Chenbi's phone: "[Use F2 iris scan to power on.]"
[Yes, host! I'll try it right away!]
A few seconds later.
The black phone lit up. Tan Quelu immediately opened the chat window, took a screenshot of Xia Xing's document, and sent it to herself, along with the person's phone number.
Send these items to the director of the seagull welfare home using random numbers.
【OK! 】
A moment later, the system, drenched in sweat, reported: [Sent to host, read instantly!]
Tan Quelu nodded, deleted the files and conversations related to the protagonist from Xie Chenbi's phone, and then opened Weibo with lightning speed.
User tqlhpl: [You're so different from what I imagined.]
User tqlhpl: [I will never like you again, ever.]
After sending the message, Tan Quelu looked up, smiled, and politely said, "Uncle, please turn back and stop at the nearby intersection."
The driver hesitated for a moment, then drove back to the street near the luxury club as instructed.
Tan Quelu got off the bus, went into a pharmacy and bought the cheapest band-aids. Then he found an ATM and used Xia Xing's two cards to withdraw 100,000 yuan.
In this world, only those who need to queue at the counter to withdraw cash of more than 500,000 need to queue.
Tan Quelu packed these things into her backpack and walked back to the entrance of the Xie family club. She ran into Zhong Wan, who was walking out quickly with a bad expression on her face. Behind her were F2 and F3, who also looked unwell.
"Awan, what are you doing! Have you gone crazy over a special admission student?!"
Upon seeing Tan Quelu, Zhong Wan's usually cold and ruthless brown eyes instantly lit up.
He rarely had that look in his eyes, like an abandoned dog seeing its owner return, filled with both surprise and grievance.
Tan Quelu ignored him and walked straight to Xie Chenbi, coldly unzipping her backpack.
With a whoosh.
The boy slammed the 100,000 yuan in cash, along with the broken cell phone and the bandage box, all onto F2's gloomy, ashen face.
"I'll compensate you."
After saying that, he immediately turned around, hailed a taxi, and left without looking back.
......
Zhong Wan stared blankly at Tan Quelu's disappearing figure, at a loss for what to do.
The unopened box of bandages fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and scattered bandages like flowers all over the floor.
Zhong Wan was taken aback. She looked down at the bandages and suddenly touched the wound on her forehead.
Last night, he was repeatedly scolded by his parents and grandfather. This morning, he spent a lot of time getting his hair cut and choosing clothes. He only slept for two or three hours and had no time to treat his wound.
No one in his family cared about his wounds.
Because he's always been like this since he was a child, he's unruly, troublemakers, and disrespectful to his parents. It's normal for him to get hurt, and even Zhong Wan herself doesn't care.
But now some people care.
He was concerned about the color green.
Tan Quelu even bought him band-aids.
But Zhong Wan failed to protect him.
He was left to feel embarrassed and wronged all by himself, to the point that he had no choice but to leave.
Zhong Wan lowered her head, then suddenly squatted down and picked up the dirty bandages one by one at the entrance of the club, where people were coming and going.
Wei Zhiyan paused, then said, "Awan..."
The blond boy stood up, put away the band-aid, turned his head, and stared coldly at Xie Chenbi, whose eyes were deep and unfathomable, for the first time.
"Xie Chenbi."
Under Wei Zhiyan's gaze, which was as if he were a madman.
Zhong Wan straddled the motorcycle, staring without looking back at the direction where the green peacock had disappeared, and calmly said, "We'll settle the score when we get back."
A note from the author:
Greenbird's mimicry is adapted from parrot's mimicry.
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