Return of the Celestial King

In the taxi, Han Zilin looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated, as if she wanted to explain.

But she opened and closed her mouth, unable to get a single word out.

Qin Tuo immediately understood her predicament and took the initiative to ask:

”Zilin, did you take out an online loan?”

Han Zilin gasped in surprise.

”Brother Tu, how did you know?”

Not even her mom knew about this, and she had never told a single one of her friends.

With his superhuman hearing, Qin Tuo had just heard everything crystal clear.

He not only knew Han Zilin was in debt from an online loan, but also that she had been forced to entertain a client today for that very reason.

But Qin Tuo just smiled and explained:

”Don’t I know your personality? I figured you must have run into some trouble, otherwise you wouldn’t be doing that. So I guessed you might have taken out an online loan, and it looks like I was right.”

Han Zilin bit her lip and nodded with difficulty, admitting it.

Qin Tuo immediately asked again:

”Zilin, how much do you actually owe?”

Han Zilin sighed, her voice pessimistic.

”Brother Tu, I owe two hundred thousand!”

”Two hundred thousand?”

Qin Tuo was surprised; he hadn’t expected it to be so much.

Han Zilin hurriedly explained.

”Brother Tu, I didn’t borrow that much! I only borrowed a few thousand at first, but with the compounding interest, it ballooned to two hundred thousand in no time. They’re so crooked, and I didn’t know what else to do...”

After overhearing, the taxi driver couldn’t help but sigh.

”Sigh, these online loan sharks are truly heartless, cheating even young girls out of their money. The other day, a student jumped off a bridge outside the city and committed suicide. I heard they also owed several hundred thousand from online loans.”

Hearing the driver say this, Han Zilin finally broke down and started to cry.

Qin Tuo quickly patted Han Zilin’s shoulder and gently pulled her into his embrace.

”Don’t worry, Zilin. I’ll figure out a way to pay back this two hundred thousand for you.”

Han Zilin abruptly sat up straight and shook her head.

”Brother Tu, you just got out of prison. You haven’t even found a job yet. How could you have that much money?”

Qin Tuo smiled.

”Silly girl, your big brother is more resourceful than you, isn’t he?”

Han Zilin said firmly:

”No, Brother Tu. I just hope you don’t tell my mom about any of this. I’ll figure out a way to get the money myself.”

’Sigh, what a silly girl!’

Qin Tuo gave a wry smile.

He thought Zilin was just too naive. This was two hundred thousand—it wouldn’t be that easy to pay back.

But seeing Han Zilin so proud and determined, Qin Tuo didn’t press the issue, simply continuing to comfort her.

Just then, Qin Tuo remembered the black card Chen Wenxiong had given him.

’I wonder what the limit on that card is. But since it came from Chen Wenxiong, I’m sure withdrawing two hundred thousand shouldn’t be a problem...’

At this thought, Qin Tuo felt much more at ease.

When they arrived at the entrance of their old residential complex, Qin Tuo was about to pay, but the driver waved his hand.

”No need to pay, you two. This one’s on me. Oh, and young lady, remember not to do anything foolish again in the future!”

With that, he drove off.

Qin Tuo was momentarily stunned. ’Looks like there are still plenty of good people in this world!’ he couldn’t help but think.

As the two were about to walk into the complex, they saw Han Zilin’s mother, Han Guixiang, and Qin Tuo’s parents up ahead, out for a stroll together.

”Hey, Sister Luo, look! Isn’t that your Qin Tuo? Hmm, why is he with my Zilin?”

Han Guixiang had sharp eyes and spotted them at once.

The three of them were all taken aback for a moment before hurrying over.

Qin Tuo and Han Zilin quickly went up to greet them.

Han Zilin quickly wiped her tears and called out obediently, ”Mom! Uncle! Auntie!”

Seeing Han Zilin and Qin Tuo standing together, looking so well-matched, Qin Tuo’s parents were filled with satisfaction, nodding repeatedly in approval.

Luo Xianglan stepped forward with a radiant smile and teased:

”Son, if you wanted to sneak off to see Zilin behind our backs, you could have just said so! Why make up excuses? Oh, right, were you trying to give us a surprise?”

Although her words held a hint of gentle scolding, she was still quite happy to see Qin Tuo and Han Zilin return together.

Qin Tuo opened his mouth helplessly, not knowing how to explain the situation.

Just then, Han Guixiang noticed with surprise that her daughter looked pale and had obviously just been crying.

And when she sniffed carefully, she could actually smell alcohol on her!

Han Guixiang’s expression immediately darkened.

”Zilin, you tell your mom the truth. What’s going on? Where have you just been?”

Han Zilin’s face instantly went pale, and she trembled, unable to speak.

Having always been such a well-behaved girl, she couldn’t even think of an excuse.

An idea struck Qin Tuo, and he quickly jumped in to explain:

”It’s like this, Aunt Han. Zilin went out looking for a job with her classmates, and I happened to run into her, so I brought her back with me.”

Hearing this, Han Guixiang’s expression immediately became anxious.

”Oh my goodness, dear! Looking for a job is one thing, but why were you drinking? You know you don’t have a strong constitution. What kind of classmates are these?!”

Han Zilin finally couldn’t take it anymore and began to sob.

Seeing her daughter cry, Han Guixiang became even more flustered.

She assumed Han Zilin was crying because she’d hit a wall with her job search, so she quickly tried to comfort her.

”It’s okay, silly girl. You haven’t even graduated yet. Besides, jobs aren’t that easy to find. It’s not too late to take your time and look later!”

Luo Xianglan hurried over to help console her.

”That’s right, Zilin, don’t cry. If worst comes to worst, you can have your Uncle Qin take you job hunting tomorrow. He’s also asking someone for a favor to find a job for our Qin Tuo. You’re a college student; you won’t have to worry about finding work!”

Qin Hongguo also nodded in agreement.

”No problem, Zilin, leave it to your uncle! The person I’m going to see is a big shot. Getting you a job will be no problem at all!”

The elders were all consoling her with good intentions, but Han Zilin only cried harder.

The three elders looked at each other, all a bit baffled.

Standing to the side, Qin Tuo sighed softly. Only he knew what was really going on, but he couldn’t reveal the reason.

After chatting for a while longer, Han Zilin was still crying her heart out. Han Guixiang hastily said her goodbyes and took her daughter home.

Watching the mother and daughter leave, Qin Hongguo couldn’t help but sigh.

”Sigh, that girl is just so thin-skinned. After all, she hasn’t really entered the workforce yet. She can’t take the slightest setback.”

Qin Tuo suddenly asked curiously:

”Dad, what connection did you find? You’re planning to get me a job?”

Hearing this, Qin Hongguo’s face lit up.

”Oh, him! He’s an old classmate of mine, name’s Zhou Dahai. You know how I became a civil servant after graduation? Well, he chose to go into business. I hear he’s done very well for himself these past couple of years, even started his own company!”

Qin Tuo hesitated. He really didn’t want to work a nine-to-five office job.