I Return From Hell

Chapter 175: Chapter 168: Treasure Boy, Bribing the Roommates

’So fucking embarrassing.’

Wang Shang rubbed his forehead, speechless.

SPLASH.

Xia Tian lost his footing and fell into a nearby pond.

Startled, Wang Zhe yelled, ”Brother Tian can’t swim! Quick, save him!”

The others immediately rushed over, and just as they were about to jump in...

The next moment, Xia Tian’s feet touched the bottom. He bent his knees, leaned forward slightly, then abruptly pushed off.

SPLASH.

He shot out of the water with incredible speed.

Landing on the bank.

For a moment, everyone was left even more shocked.

”You can do that?”

Wang Zhe’s eyes widened, and he froze on the spot.

A sharp glint, however, flashed in Wang Shang’s eyes. For a moment, he thought of countless commercial applications, but then... he remembered the increasing number of Mist Events and the rampant theories about the Apocalypse.

He calmed down.

He already had plenty of money.

’Right now, I need to convert it into a means for future survival.’

’I can use these little inventions of Xia Tian’s to build a closer relationship with the government and earn their protection,’ Wang Shang mused. ’At the same time, I can also train a group of people to master these little inventions as quickly as possible.’

’And...’

He quickly began formulating his next steps in his mind.

In every scenario, Xia Tian held a critically important position. The young man was nothing less than...

A treasure boy!

Getting to know Xia Tian and choosing to follow him was the best decision his son had ever made in his life.

Wang Shang felt that relying solely on his unreliable son to keep Xia Tian close wasn’t enough. He had to up the ante!

And so.

He began to think of ways to tie Xia Tian even closer to them.

’For example, should I have my niece or one of the other girls in the family date Xia Tian?’

’Or maybe set Wang Zhe up with Xia Tian’s sister?’

’That’s right.’

Wang Shang suddenly remembered something: Wang Quanzhi was pursuing Xia Yu, wasn’t he? And Xia Tian didn’t seem to be against it!

’This is great news!’

’I have to support this!’

He decided to find an opportunity to have a good chat with Wang Quanzhi’s father, to find out what stage Wang Quanzhi and Xia Yu were at and whether they needed the Wang Family’s support.

’One thing to keep in mind...’

Wang Quanzhi had joined the Special Event Investigation Bureau, and his status within the family had skyrocketed. Because of this, he would have to be polite to Wang Quanzhi and try to discuss the matter in a consultative tone.

’Right.’

’I can have Wang Quanzhi pull some strings and get me a meeting with Zhao Guohui. Then I can leverage Xia Tian’s inventions to get closer to the government and secure their protection.’

’If necessary, I could also fully support the country with donations and other means.’

’No.’

’Or rather, I should say fully support Zhao Guohui!’

”The Wang Family is destined for greatness!”

The more Wang Shang thought about it, the happier he became.

Downstairs.

Xia Tian was already back inside the villa. He had changed his clothes to avoid catching a cold and had even taken some medicine under the guidance of a private doctor.

’At this stage, every second counts,’ he thought. ’I absolutely cannot afford to get sick.’

RING RING RING.

Just then, his phone rang.

’Wang Quanzhi?’

Surprised, Xia Tian answered the phone and asked, ”Brother Zhi, what’s up?”

”Little Tian.”

”Are you and your sister going for a run tomorrow?”

Wang Quanzhi asked.

”Huh? No, we’re not.”

”My sister’s college classes have started.”

”I’m busy for the next couple of days, too,” Xia Tian said.

Wang Zhe had already told him about his connection to Wang Quanzhi, and also mentioned that Wang Quanzhi wanted to pursue his sister.

However, Wang Quanzhi didn’t know about his talent for researching and modifying machines, let alone his deeper identity.

In fact.

The only people who knew his deeper identity were Wang Zhe and Wang Shang.

”Alright then.”

”I’ll treat you to a meal when I get a chance.”

”Bye.”

Wang Quanzhi hung up.

He began to ponder.

’First, I need to find out when Xia Yu goes running at her university. I can go for a run there myself, arrange a chance encounter, offer her some pointers, and re-establish our connection.’

’It’s been too long since I’ve seen Xia Yu. That’s unacceptable. I have to see her as soon as possible.’

’Second, I need to keep winning over Xia Tian and get him to put in a good word for me. At the same time, I need to win over Xia Yu’s roommates and best friends! Sometimes, a best friend’s words are more effective than anyone else’s.’

”Time to get to work!”

Full of drive, Wang Quanzhi began asking his contacts to dig up the information he needed.

It had to be said, his network throughout Huayang City was quite extensive. In less than an hour, he had obtained the contact information for Xia Yu’s three roommates.

He learned about Xia Yu’s relationships with her three roommates.

He also found out their personalities and preferences.

He even found out that the residents of dorm room 303 had eleven different group chats.

「An hour later.」

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

”Sister Xia.”

”There’s someone downstairs who dropped off gifts for your dorm.”

”It’s a guy. He couldn’t come up, so he asked me to bring these to you.”

The door to dorm room 303 opened.

A classmate, her face full of envy, looked at the three gifts in her hands. ”Is this the newest handbag from Brand S? It’s gorgeous! This one is for Qiushui.”

”And is this the latest computer and phone from Brand C and Brand P? Sister Xia, this is for you.”

”And is this a Brand W watch? It’s worth over thirty thousand! This one is for Xiao Rou.”

Inside the dorm room.

Lin Yuxia: ”???”

Guan Xiaorou: ”???”

Of the four of them in the dorm, only Guan Xiaorou came from a relatively well-off, middle-class family. But her parents were very strict, so there was no way she could ever afford a watch worth over thirty thousand.

Guan Xiaorou rushed forward. ”Quick, give it to me.”

Lin Yuxia frowned and asked warily, ”Who’s spending so much money? And why isn’t there a gift for Xia Yu?”

”I don’t know.”

The classmate shook her head, her expression a mix of envy and curiosity.

Guan Xiaorou had already snatched the watch and was examining it from every angle, absolutely smitten.

”Where is he?”

Lin Yuxia pressed.

”He left as soon as he gave me the items,”

the classmate said.

A moment later.

SLAM.

Lin Yuxia shut the dorm door, feeling increasingly suspicious. ”Xiao Rou, stop ogling that thing. The way you’re acting, you don’t look like a little rich girl at all.”

Guan Xiaorou retorted, ”Sister Xia, please don’t insult the term ’little rich girl.’ My family’s circumstances are decent, but we’re nowhere near rich.”

Lin Yuxia asked with a look of exasperation, ”You don’t even know what his motive is, and you’re already putting it on?”

”Well, he gave it to us and left. It’s not like we can return it,” Guan Xiaorou said, still admiring the watch. ”Besides, even at the store, they’d let me try it on, right? I’m just trying it on for a second, what’s the big deal?”

Lin Yuxia: ”...”

Before she could say anything else, Guan Xiaorou spoke again. ”Sister Xia, relax.”

”He’s definitely after something.”

”He figured out all our likes and dislikes, so he must have our contact information too. If I’m not mistaken, he’ll be calling or messaging us very soon.”

”And I’m sure his motive has something to do with Little Yu.”

???

Hearing this, Lin Yuxia was completely baffled. She glanced at the three gifts; they were indeed perfectly tailored to her, Guan Xiaorou, and Shi Qiushui’s tastes.

She sat down next to Guan Xiaorou and pressed, ”Alright, Guan Junshi, give me your analysis. What does this guy want?”

”He’s trying to woo Xia Yu, obviously.”

”What? He thinks he can get with my best friend over a few gifts?”

”How crude.”

”Heh. I’m just being blunt. Am I wrong?”

Guan Xiaorou rolled her eyes and fell silent.

The next moment.

A phone rang.

A few minutes later.

The call ended.

”It’s just as you predicted.”

”He wants to pursue Little Yu and asked us to help him.”

Lin Yuxia said.

”Spending this much, he’s a bona fide rich heir. Yu should just marry him,” Guan Xiaorou said, stroking her new watch in agreement.

”Little Yu isn’t materialistic,” Lin Yuxia said. ”You know that! She wants to buy her own house and car and get promoted through her own hard work.”

Guan Xiaorou retorted, ”The reality is: working yourself to death won’t necessarily get you a house or a promotion, but it will definitely destroy your body. Especially as a woman!”

”You...”

Unconvinced, Lin Yuxia argued, ”Then she can still find someone who loves her and start a family!”

Hearing this, Guan Xiaorou laughed out loud. ”Sister Xia, don’t be so naive.”

”The reality is: dedicating yourself to your family won’t necessarily lead to a happy life, but it will guarantee you get old.”

Lin Yuxia faltered, but still said stubbornly, ”You’re too cynical.”

Guan Xiaorou couldn’t be bothered to explain further.

’She’s already a senior in college and still thinks that way,’ she thought. ’That’s not being naive, that’s being...’

’...stupid!’

’If Lin Yuxia really thinks like that, she’s bound to get hurt sooner or later.’

But those were lessons that were hard to truly believe until you experienced them for yourself, so Guan Xiaorou decisively changed the subject. ”Sister Xia.”

”I’m keeping the gift he gave me, just so you know.”

”And I’m going to help him out.”

Lin Yuxia couldn’t stop her.

After all, it wasn’t something she could control.

She glanced at the computer and phone she’d received—both models she loved—and after a moment of silence, she resolved to return them.

’If the guy is actually a good person, I’d be willing to help him out even without these gifts,’ she thought.

The sky grew completely dark.

The north wind howled.

On the athletic field, Xia Yu slowed her pace, preparing to work on other parts of her body.

Just then.

A pair of red eyes flashed and then vanished...