Zhu Xiaoyun carefully selected the house and focused all her attention on their first home.
Seeing that she was always looking for a cheap house, Tao Rui coughed lightly and said, "You have to choose a house carefully. It should have a good environment and strict security. Choose a house within the Fourth Ring Road, with two bedrooms and a living room, and at least 120 square meters..."
"Brother Rui," Zhu Xiaoyun clutched her phone tightly, "this is too expensive."
"Being a star requires glamor. If the production crew visits a home to film, will they film in the same small 20-square-meter room they used to have?"
"...Oh, yes. But didn't you terminate your contract, Brother Rui? Do you still want to film?"
"Um."
When it comes to work, Zhu Xiaoyun's mindset changes completely. She didn't tell Tao Rui that she's a big fan of his fan club, and if she were to choose a house from a fan's perspective, price wouldn't be a priority.
She chose a house as Tao Rui asked, went to some forums frequented by fans, checked the grapevine to see what communities celebrities lived in, and after carefully selecting for a long time, she finally picked out a few houses and decided to go house hunting tomorrow.
The capital city is often jammed with traffic, and by the time they finally arrived near the school and met up with their roommates, it was already dark.
Guo Jin didn't come to the dinner, which was just right, as Tao Rui was too lazy to pay attention to him.
The restaurant Tao Rui chose was the best in the area, and the four of them spent three thousand yuan on a meal. Tao Rui formally introduced Zhu Xiaoyun to his roommates and explained his plans to move out soon. They chatted non-stop, and Zhu Xiaoyun only felt distressed when she went back to bed.
Just a few dishes, three thousand yuan. She had never eaten such expensive dishes in her life, but they were really delicious. She was so full that she ate them all.
This kind of life seems so happy that it seems fake, but one day at a time is enough. Zhu Xiaoyun opened her mobile phone and started looking for a house again. She didn't know how long Tao Rui's kindness could last. If possible, she wanted to move into their home as soon as possible and capture more happy moments.
After Tao Rui returned, he started packing his things, thinking that it would be easier if he packed them early, so Li Dong and Liu Zhen helped him.
Guo Jin returned to the dormitory when it was almost time to close the dormitory. He was holding a gift box in his hand and looked unhappy.
Li Dong took a look and said, "You went after Luo Jiaqi again? If I were to ask you, you should find someone else to pursue. Luo Jiaqi isn't the prettiest, and her personality isn't that great, right? Why are you hanging yourself on a tree?"
Guo Jin frowned, "Don't say bad things about her!"
Li Dong said angrily, "I'm trying to persuade you because I consider you a friend. Tao Rui offended her the night before, and the next day, the composite picture of her went viral. Who else hates Tao Rui so much besides her? Others may not know about this, but don't we know it too?"
"Stop accusing people without any evidence. Just say it's a composite photo? I think the photo is quite real." Guo Jin glanced at Tao Rui's packed luggage and sneered, "If Jiaqi really harmed Tao Rui, why would she go to so much trouble? Wouldn't it be better to just prevent him from graduating?"
Tao Rui paused and turned to look at him.
Guo Jin raised his chin and asked, "Why, am I wrong?"
"No, I think you are right. I'm just curious why you are thinking about graduation?" Tao Rui put down the things in his hand, took out his mobile phone and checked the time.
Guo Jin casually replied, "I just met Jiaqi. She was chatting and laughing with the director. Haven't you forgotten that she has a good relationship with the teachers at school? Her family is rich. She could hire some thugs to beat you up, and you would have to take it. Who told you to play tricks on her like that?"
This reminded Tao Rui that even though he wanted to clear the matter, Luo Jiaqi might not have calmed down.
He took his ID and walked out. "I have something to do. I won't be back tonight. I'm leaving."
Think about it, in the original script, the original owner had clearly slandered Zhu Xiaoyun online, and Zhu Xiaoyun did nothing else. However, Luo Jiaqi refused to give up. She synthesized indecent photos and cyber-bullied Zhu Xiaoyun, and asked the original owner to bring Zhu Xiaoyun back to the village and marry her in the village. She only stopped after making sure that Zhu Xiaoyun was not living a good life.
Some people are like this. Once they have a little money and power, they treat others as ants and crush them at will.
Tao Rui was too murderous in the first world, but when he later traveled to the world of the scumbag, he felt that people should be more gentle, so he wanted to show mercy, stop at the right time, and quietly do his own small tasks.
But the facts are not what he thought. From Meng Hui in the previous life to Luo Jiaqi in this life, he cannot draw a clear line just because he wants to.
A scumbag is annoying, so it is impossible that all the people around him are good people. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. After he came here and stopped being a scumbag, the top-notch people around him stood out and always wanted to cause trouble for him.
Since they are going to make trouble, he has to make plans early.
He called Zhu Xiaoyun to tell her, and then went to buy yellow paper, cinnabar, brushes and other things.
He was a poor kid from a remote mountain village, with no status or background. Going up against the Luo family was like hitting a rock with an egg. Building connections, accumulating wealth, and competing against the Luo family would take time. If Luo Jiaqi wanted revenge on him, he didn't have time for that. Even if Luo Jiaqi simply hired thugs to beat him up every day, he didn't have the patience to deal with it.
Just use the simplest method, drawing talismans.
Zhu Xiaoyun was so shocked when she saw Tao Rui drawing the talisman that her mouth dropped open. She stood there like an idiot, "Brother Ruirui, what's wrong with you?"
Tao Rui threw away the useless talisman and drew the next one without even looking up. "I've been having bad luck lately, so I drew a talisman to change my luck. I learned this from someone else."
"Don't big cities have this kind of thing? I thought only villages had immortals." Zhu Xiaoyun never believed in such things. Seeing Tao Rui throw away his painting after finishing it, perhaps dissatisfied with his own work, she hesitated and said, "How about I go to a famous temple and pray for one for you?"
Tao Rui looked at her and pushed her towards the bed. "You go to sleep. I'm just drawing casually to make myself feel at ease."
"Oh." Zhu Xiaoyun sat on the bed. He looked like he was determined to draw the best one, not just casually.
But Tao Rui always had her own ideas, so she didn't say anything more. Of course, she couldn't sleep, so she continued looking for a house.
Tao Rui concentrated his mind and calmed his breath, gradually becoming oblivious to the movements around him. He focused solely on the tip of his pen and finally drew a lucky charm.
After drawing the first one, he had found the feeling of drawing talismans with this body, but it was difficult to complete the task without cultivation. In three hours, he only drew two good luck talismans, two bad luck talismans and two affinity talismans.
He turned to look at Zhu Xiaoyun and found that she had fallen asleep, still holding her phone. He first placed a Fortune Talisman and an Affinity Talisman on Zhu Xiaoyun, chanted a spell, and the two talismans spontaneously combusted without fire and gradually disappeared, burning nothing and leaving no ashes.
Then he recited the same incantation and slapped the other Good Luck Talisman and Affinity Talisman onto himself.
The Good Luck Talisman can bring you great fortune for a month, and luck in everything you do; the Affinity Talisman can double people's favorability and make you extremely friendly within a month.
The bad luck talisman is the exact opposite of the good luck talisman. Its effect is to bring bad luck everywhere for a month, and you may even choke while eating.
Tao Rui put away the two bad luck charms and decided to use them on Luo Jiaqi if she made any more moves. If this person was unlucky, he wouldn't have the time to bother her anymore.
His good fortune had already begun. He changed his Weibo profile, leaving a new email address for his new application, and posted a message on WeChat Moments, announcing that he had terminated his contract with the company and that anyone interested in hiring him could contact him directly. Only after doing this did he rest.
After daybreak, Zhu Xiaoyun looked at the waste paper that filled a large garbage bag. After a moment of silence, she asked Tao Rui, "Brother Rui, have you finished your drawing? Can you show it to me?"
Tao Rui sighed, "I've been drawing for a long time but still can't draw. Forget it. Let's go, have some breakfast and go look at the house."
"Shall we go together?" Zhu Xiaoyun shook her head. "No, I have to go to work today. The agent and I agreed to go after get off work."
"Then you go to work and I'll go look for it myself. I can focus on finding a job if I decide sooner." "Okay then, I'll send you all the houses I've collected. If you like any of them, call me over and I'll bargain."
Zhu Xiaoyun was afraid of Tao Rui's spending speed, and when they parted, she was still reminding Tao Rui to make her bargain.
Tao Rui agreed immediately. He hoped Zhu Xiaoyun would gain more experience, as all kinds of experience were good. He approved of anything she was willing to do, as long as it wasn't a bad thing.
Most good houses required a year's rent, and the little money in his account wasn't enough. He donned his mask and hat and followed his usual route to the antique street. This time, with his lucky charm, he didn't even need to gamble on stones. He browsed the stalls and bought a snuff bottle worth six hundred thousand yuan for two hundred yuan.
He then walked into an antique shop and happened to meet an old man who was keen on collecting snuff bottles. He transferred the money to him without bargaining.
In just over ten minutes, I made a net profit of 600,000.
The system asked: [Brother Rui, why didn't you draw the talisman before you came last time?]
[Gambling on stones only requires feeling the spiritual energy, which is not very strenuous. Drawing talismans requires a lot of effort. I didn't think it was necessary last time.]
[So you're spending all this effort just to guard against Luo Jiaqi?]
"It's okay. Eat well and you'll be back in three days. Compared to other methods, drawing talismans to guard against Luo Jiaqi is the simplest and saves time and effort. Now that I've used the Good Luck Talisman, of course I shouldn't waste it. With these six hundred thousand, I won't have to worry about money for a while."
【Brother Rui, you really make the most of everything. 】
[Of course, I don't like waste. When I bought you, it was the most expensive system I ever bought, so I have to make the most of it, otherwise it would be a waste.]
How to use it?
Tao Rui smiled and said, "You'll know when the time comes."
In his previous life, he hadn't used the system much, only letting it check the cooking temperature, seasoning, and monitor the surrounding situation. That was because his first world had nothing, so he was used to fighting alone and relying on himself for everything.
This is the third world he has traveled through. He feels that it would be a shame not to use such an expensive system properly. He should develop the system's functions to make life more convenient.
As for how to use it, of course you should use it whenever you can.
Now that Tao Rui has 600,000 yuan, he has many more options for renting a house.
Tao Rui was incredibly lucky. He had just finished viewing a property with his real estate agent when the agent received a call informing him that they had a property they needed to rent urgently, with a great location and layout. With the affinity factor in place, the agent took a liking to Tao Rui and immediately recommended him to the property.
This house is located in a high-end residential area with a garden design, abundant greenery, clear lakes, and excellent property management.
The interior is 120 square meters, beautifully decorated. The owner modified the layout, converting a three-bedroom apartment into a two-bedroom apartment, with one bedroom and one study. The kitchen and bathroom are spacious, and most importantly, the living room is large, giving it a grand feel when you look in from the doorway. Even if Tao Rui were to film a show at home, it wouldn't look out of place.
The owner had left the country in a hurry. The rent for the house they left behind was much lower than other options, which suited Tao Rui's budget. Furthermore, the owner didn't plan to return for several years, so if they found the place comfortable, they could stay there forever.
Tao Rui was very satisfied and immediately called Zhu Xiaoyun to tell her about the situation. He also took a video of the house and showed it to her.
Zhu Xiaoyun wanted to ask for leave to bargain, but after watching the video and searching for prices in the same community, she decisively gave up bargaining and asked Tao Rui to make a decision quickly.
Tao Rui shook his head in amusement when he received the news and signed the rental contract.
After work, Zhu Xiaoyun couldn't wait to rush home, and was surprised to find that Tao Rui had already packed her things.
Tao Rui sat on the bed and looked at her. "What's wrong? There aren't many things in total. Just one box, and it's all packed. Check to see if there's anything missing."
Zhu Xiaoyun looked around and asked, "Brother Rui, when did you learn to tidy up?"
In the past, Tao Rui would never reach out to help if he saw an oil bottle fall over.
Tao Rui shrugged. "I've lived in the dormitory for more than three years. You don't think I can tolerate being sloppy, do you? This isn't hard to learn."
Zhu Xiaoyun nodded. "That's right, you learn things quickly. So... should we move now? What about the rent here? We only have half a month left this month."
"Three hundred yuan, I don't want it. The place over there is good. If I don't reserve it, someone else will take it immediately. I won't be able to wait until this one expires. Let's go, I've got my luggage."
"Yeah, okay." Zhu Xiaoyun was used to taking care of Tao Rui. Suddenly, Tao Rui had arranged everything. She was a little at a loss and could only obey.
The two of them only had three boxes in total, so they took a taxi to their new home.
Before Tao Rui opened the door, Zhu Xiaoyun held him back, looked at him expectantly, and said, "Before we officially move in, how about we make a wish together? May we live in peace, happiness, and harmony in this home."
Zhu Xiaoyun doesn’t know many words, she only has this ordinary wish.
In fact, she was nervous when she brought this up, as she didn't know whether this was considered a home in Tao Rui's heart.
Tao Rui didn't let her wait any longer. He nodded and agreed without thinking, "Okay, let's make a wish together."
The two faced the door, clasped their hands together, closed their eyes, and made a wish. Tao Rui opened his eyes first and found that Zhu Xiaoyun looked particularly pious, as if this was an extremely important matter and that making a wish would bring good results.
When Zhu Xiaoyun opened her eyes, Tao Rui smiled and said, "We have our first home in the capital. You will definitely like it here. Come in and take a look, hostess."
Zhu Xiaoyun clasped her hands on her chest, couldn't help laughing, and stepped into the room with excitement.
The exquisite decoration made her feel happy. The large TV and super soft sofa were all things she had only seen on TV. She walked in step by step, looking at every corner of the room, and she loved it very much.
Everything here was better than she had dreamed, it was a house she had never thought she would live in. Three walls of the cloakroom were covered with wardrobes, and the bathroom even had a jacuzzi. Just seeing it made her feel extremely satisfied.
Tao Rui carried the box into the bedroom and asked casually, "Do you like it?"
"I like it!" Zhu Xiaoyun walked to the balcony and looked down, exclaiming in surprise, "You can actually see the lake from here. There's a garden below. It's so spacious."
Tao Rui walked up to her and pointed to the second-floor building on the right. "That's the community clubhouse. It has a swimming pool, a gym, and an entertainment area. Let's go get a membership card so we can go and have fun during our break."
Zhu Xiaoyun moved her fingers and held Tao Rui's hand. When he looked at her, she asked seriously, "If you were still in the entertainment industry, would you let me move out in the future? I mean... if they really wanted to film in my home, would I still have to stay away?"
Tao Rui smiled, "Of course not, I told you you're the hostess."
Zhu Xiaoyun pursed her lips and said, "You've been smiling more these past two days, and you've been nicer to me. Why?"
"I'm in a good mood. And I was annoyed by other girls, and I found that you are better than them all."
Zhu Xiaoyun blushed, looked into the distance, and after a moment of silence, she asked softly, "Brother Rui, Aunt Juan said that we should get married when we grow up, but after coming to the capital, I found out that the marriage she arranged is actually not legally binding. If there is no engagement, Brother Rui, do you still want to be with me? In the future, you will meet many female stars in the entertainment industry, so beautiful and so powerful, will you..."
Tao Rui raised his hand and put his arm around her shoulders, whispering, "An engagement is an engagement. For so many years, I haven't looked at any other girls, and I've never thought of marrying anyone other than you, and I won't think about it in the future. Life is simple. You treat me well, and I treat you well. That's enough. I had a lot to learn before, and neglected you and mom. Now that I can go out and make money, I'll take care of you."
He didn't say that he liked her or cared about her, but his words made Zhu Xiaoyun feel at ease and warm.
Zhu Xiaoyun hugged Tao Rui and thought that if this was a dream, she hoped she would never wake up from it.
She never thought that Tao Rui would be willing to live with her.
She was not a fool. Tao Rui never concealed his dislike for her. He did not allow her to go to school to find him, nor did he allow her to talk to him in front of outsiders. Apart from doing laundry, cooking and getting money, Tao Rui would never say a word to her.
Especially after Tao Rui started filming, she felt further away from him, and her sense of unease grew.
She thought that Tao Rui would leave her one day.
When Wu Feng called her that day to ask her to go see the show, she even had a feeling that this day had finally come, so she was so sad, thinking that she would no longer have any ties with the Tao family and would be all alone in the world again.
The outcome was unexpected, and everything changed from that point on.
Maybe she should thank Wu Feng and Luo Jiaqi. It was Wu Feng's coercion and Luo Jiaqi's entanglement that made Tao Rui realize that she was a good girl. At least she was so nice to him and never bothered him, so he noticed her.
This home now is the best start. She really hopes that everything will be happy and perfect for them in the future and they will never go back to the way they were in the past.
Zhu Xiaoyun was very excited about her new home and even posted a nine-grid photo on her Moments.
Last time when they were having dinner, Li Dong and Liu Zhen both added Zhu Xiaoyun on WeChat. When they saw the photos, they immediately started chatting in the dormitory. They said Tao Rui's new home was really beautiful. After looking at a few photos, they knew that the house was not small. It would cost a lot of money to rent such a nice house in the capital. Tao Rui must have made money as a star.
During the chat, they mentioned the celebration during the last meal. Guo Jin asked in confusion what they were celebrating, and unexpectedly learned that Tao Rui was celebrating the termination of his contract with the company.
When he saw Tao Rui's circle of friends talking about the termination of the contract, he thought that Tao Rui was fired by the company. He didn't expect that it was Tao Rui who proposed it. He was very happy and said that the composite photo issue was a blessing in disguise.
He'd never liked Tao Rui, so knowing he was doing well naturally made him uncomfortable. He'd been trying to coax Luo Jiaqi into giving him a break these past few days, but Luo Jiaqi always ignored him. So he told her about the situation, complaining about Tao Rui's luck, saying the scandal hadn't ruined him and had even helped him terminate his contract. Now he was happily celebrating with his girlfriend, renting a house. He felt sorry for Luo Jiaqi, saying she hadn't even had a chance to settle the score after being tricked by him.
He was the one who knew best how long Luo Jiaqi had been pursuing Tao Rui, and naturally he also knew how angry Luo Jiaqi was. He said this just to discredit Tao Rui and get Luo Jiaqi to respond.
Luo Jiaqi did reply, but all her questions were about Tao Rui. Guo Jin felt uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do but tell her everything he knew.
Luo Jiaqi was very angry. She had never been so embarrassed in her life. From that day on, she never returned to the dormitory for fear of seeing her roommates' strange looks.
It is Tao Rui's blessing that she likes him. Why does Tao Rui have the right to play tricks on her?
Luo Jiaqi asked someone to find some online trolls to blackmail Tao Rui for a higher price, but the online trolls said that the police were already investigating and they didn't dare to take any further action.
All the water armies in the industry understood what was going on. When Luo Jiaqi looked for other companies, no one took the order.
The police are checking much more strictly than usual. Who wants to take the risk now? Even if I have to stay in jail for a whole day, I don't want to.
Luo Jiaqi found a childhood friend and asked him to hire a few thugs to beat up Tao Rui. However, she didn't know where Tao Rui was, so it was difficult to do so. After thinking it over, she decided to just ask Tao Rui out and tell him that he owed her an apology.
Tao Rui went along without hesitation, much to Luo Jiaqi's surprise. They had agreed to meet at a milk tea shop not far from the school, tucked away in an alley. Before Tao Rui even entered the alley, he heard the system's warning beep.
[Brother Rui, there are people behind several doors on both sides of the alley. They look like they're hiding there to ambush someone.]
Tao Rui paused. [Could they be ambushing me? Where is Luo Jiaqi?]
[From the window of the milk tea shop, looking into the alley.]
It’s not that Tao Rui is overly suspicious, the current situation really seems like a trap dug for him.
At that moment, a traffic policeman came by, parked his motorcycle, and headed back into the alley. Tao Rui immediately followed. A traffic policeman is also a policeman, after all. Sure enough, he walked all the way into the milk tea shop without anyone trying to hit him, and he sat down across from Luo Jiaqi without any problems.
Luo Jiaqi looked at the traffic policeman who was buying milk tea in surprise. Tao Rui was sure from her glance that those people outside were all hers.
There was nothing more to say. He flicked his fingers slightly, and the bad luck charm flew from under the table onto Luo Jiaqi's legs. He lowered his head, picked up the cup, and silently chanted an incantation. The charm burned quietly under the cover of the tablecloth and soon disappeared.
He got straight to the point and said, "I admit that I made a fake confession that day just to get you to stop bothering me, but then you blackmailed me into trending topics, posted composite photos and hired internet trolls, so we're even now."
Luo Jiaqi's face darkened. "I see you're living a comfortable life now. Someone helped you prove that the photo was fake, and you took this opportunity to terminate your contract. You're so sweet with your girlfriend. Aren't you happy?"
Tao Rui spread his hands and said, "There's no point in saying more, Luo Jiaqi. It's always you who approached me, and I refused. It's just that this time the rejection was a bit harsh. I don't think I've done anything to let you down."
"You've embarrassed me in front of my classmates and you're doing me a disservice, Tao Rui. I'm telling you, this isn't over. Do you think it's that easy to make it in the capital? Or that the entertainment industry is that easy? I heard you studied so hard just to go to university in the capital? But if you don't get a diploma, huh? If you don't even have a university degree, can you still be the pride of your village?"
Tao Rui suddenly realized that Guo Jin must be the one who understood Luo Jiaqi best. Luo Jiaqi actually intended to do what Guo Jin had said that day. Of course, it was also possible that Guo Jin had said the same nonsense in front of Luo Jiaqi, which reminded Luo Jiaqi that she could deal with him this way.
Then... he won't be polite.
Tao Rui flicked his finger, and the remaining bad luck talisman fell on Luo Jiaqi's legs and quickly burned and disappeared.
When two bad luck charms are stacked together, the bad luck is doubled.
When Luo Jiaqi choked and coughed while drinking milk tea, Tao Rui put his share of the money on the table, turned around and walked out safely with the traffic police who had bought the milk tea.
Who knows why the traffic police came to buy milk tea at this time? Maybe this is the contrast between good luck and bad luck, so refreshing!
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