Xyrin Empire

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: About the Wealthy

When Sandora, Qianqian, and I arrived at the school entrance in my car, which Pandora had modified to nearly serve as a main battle tank, we saw Lin Xue and Ding Ling looking anxious and scanning their surroundings.

Upon seeing us exit the car, Lin Xue immediately rushed over, “Thank goodness, I didn’t expect you guys to get here so fast—but Chen Jun, is this your car? It’s so ugly? It’s covered in patches, it looks like a wreck—If you’re really that broke, just tell me!”

…I knew those Xyrin Technicians responsible for the design all had aesthetic senses far removed from humans!

“Let’s not talk about the car for now, what kind of trouble have you run into? You have no idea how much trouble that one request of yours has brought me…”

As I spoke, I turned to glance at Qianqian and Sandora. The two girls exchanged a look and started to giggle.

Lin Xue was clearly in a hurry, speaking rapidly, “I know, I know, I was just messing with you, but let’s not talk about that now. We should get going, we’ll take your car, I’m in a rush…”

…Have you now come to regard pestering me as an indispensable and easily achieved pastime? And even in such a chaotic situation, you’re subconsciously making trouble for me?

After such an internal exclamation, I spread my hands and said, “Alright, alright, Miss, could you at least tell me where you want to go?”

“Of course, to my home!” Lin Xue said while nonchalantly opening the car door and slipping into the passenger seat.

“Ding Ling, do you know what’s going on?” I was utterly confused (I found myself being confused a lot these days…) and turned to ask Ding Ling, who might know something.

This girl with the loli appearance, who was actually older than me, was always closest to Lin Xue. If Lin Xue was involved in something, she’d be the first to know.

Sure enough, she responded immediately to my question with her uniquely deep and husky voice, “It’s that pigheaded Liu Zicai and my idiot brother causing trouble again. Pighead told Uncle Lin about a little rascal named Chen Jun who sweet-talked his way into stealing Little Xue’s heart. Then, my idiot brother actually corroborated the story to Uncle Lin—you have no idea how much Uncle Lin dotes on Little Xue. He’s making Little Xue bring you over, and optimistically, you’re probably going to get steamed…”

Truly worthy of being Lin Xue’s bestie… That mouth!

This development was truly as trite as could be, I knew it; anything involving Lin Xue meant there was no chance of a peaceful resolution. Look at the trouble she’s gotten me into this time!

Yet I was a bit puzzled. As for Liu Zicai targeting me, that I could understand—after all, from the start, he and I didn’t get along, he’d repeatedly tried to make trouble for Qianqian and the others, and each time ended up with a bloody nose. Discovering Lin Xue’s usefulness, it made sense for him to wield her against me—it fit his character.

But Ding Ling’s brother—that I don’t remember provoking at all?

Noting my puzzled expression, Ding Ling hesitated before saying, “I’m also surprised. My brother is usually very proud and would never, or rather, disdain, dealing with ordinary people in his eyes. How did he come to target you specifically? You didn’t provoke my brother, did you?”

“Who exactly is your brother?”

I racked my brain through all the scattered memories I possessed but couldn’t pin down anyone with the last name Ding who had a grudge against me.

“You don’t know who my brother is? Although I’m not particularly fond of the guy, he’s certainly well-known, right?” Ding Ling replied with a surprised expression, as though my not knowing her brother was an unbelievable thing—okay, I believe a son of the Ding Family must be some big shot, but as for me… sorry, I really haven’t heard of him.

“Ding Bai, that guy recently leveraged his family’s power to start an international trade company that’s really making waves. And although he’s got family support, my brother actually has some real skills. Ding’s International Trade is booming.”

Ding Bai… that name does sound vaguely familiar…

But I still can’t quite place it…

Qianqian and Sandora looked equally puzzled.

Who could it be? Ding Bai… Ding Bai… What a headache this name is…

Ah!! Right! Headache! I remember now!

The guy at the welcome party for Sandora who got kicked where it counts by Pandora’s lethal loli, and then got slapped with the spy accusation by Sandora, Passerby A, suffering a double dose of pain, both physical and mental—the Headache Bro!

Seems like a man with rather small-minded grudges, huh? To target me over such a trivial matter?

Well, if Pandora had put a bit too much force into it, it might not have been a ‘small’ matter…

“Hey, what on earth are you all jabbering about? Get in the car already!” Right at this moment, Lin Xue’s voice suddenly came from behind us, tinged with obvious irritation.

It looked like this mix-up had truly given the poor girl a headache. If we didn’t resolve it, no telling how she might take it out on me later on.

Thinking about her trouble-finding ability that seemed even more extraordinary than a superpower, I shivered and promptly scrambled into the car.

Once inside, Lin Xue gave us a more detailed explanation of the whole affair. Apparently, Liu Zicai’s family and the Lin Family had some business dealings, but that connection wasn’t strong enough to lend much weight to Liu Zicai’s words in Mr. Lin’s presence. However, add Ding Bai to the mix and it was a different story. The Ding Family and the Lin Family had been close friends for ages, and Ding Bai’s sister was Lin Xue’s best confidante. So when Liu Zicai told Mr. Lin about some jobless vagrant street punk hooking up with Lin Xue, and Ding Bai was by his side, vehemently corroborating the story, the fiercely protective Mr. Lin went ballistic…

And so, I had to be tragically drawn into this godforsaken whirl of chaos, and now I had to figure out how to personally explain this mess to Lin Xue’s dad.

What a ridiculously absurd situation…

“Um… Chen Jun, where did you get this car?” At that moment, Lin Xue suddenly noticed something unusual about the vehicle she was riding in. Being a quintessential rich girl and frequently undertaking various missions, she had seen countless cars. But this car, lacking both… a fuel gauge and brakes, that was quite odd…

Upon noticing this, Lin Xue leaned in and whispered, “How come this car doesn’t even have a fuel gauge, let alone brakes… mileage counter… oh my god, you’re not planning a murder-suicide, are you? I haven’t wronged you…”

“This car was specially tailored by Pandora, following orders from her subordinates. How’s that?” I replied in a low voice, proud as could be, “Standard Noke Stone Alloy Skeleton, kinetic attack-resistant exterior, covered with Energy Reflector Coating, quadruple Ghost Energy Reactors for power, an integrated temporary battlefield command center, a spatially folded arms cache, and there are even more surprises inside this beauty’s belly. Interested? If it were produced with current human technology, factoring in the potential R&D, the preliminary cost of this piece would be seven hundred billion. That doesn’t include the priceless Micro Jump Avoidance System to humans. But since you’re my friend, I’ll give you a friendly price—just two hundred billion…”

Lin Xue gaped for a long while, then through gritted teeth whispered, “You… You’re all monsters!”

And so we sped away in this unassuming car that looked like a wreck but was actually a surreal seven-hundred-billion worth mobile fortress, until we arrived in front of a massive mansion far from the city center.

To call it a mansion is an understatement—it was more like a colossal royal garden…

I’m not exaggerating one bit. I was faced with a massive complex reminiscent of an ancient emperor’s summer palace, a place where classical and modern aesthetics merged beautifully. Peering over the tall walls, I saw towering ancient trees and lofty buildings adorned with intricate carvings and paintings, a sight to behold.

Thinking back to Qianqian’s descriptions of her ideal three-room apartment life, I couldn’t help but lament how decadent rich people’s lives were and once again felt the urge to build a Faith-class ship, then strip its cannons and refit it for affordable housing.

“In my opinion, your idea is unprecedentedly decadent…” Lin Xue’s voice suddenly rang in my mind, giving me a start—was I broadcasting my thoughts over the public channel again?

“That’s how it is…”