At Ziyun High School, Le Mulans phone screen displayed a photo.
In the picture, Zhang Yu stood smiling at the entrance of a small grocery store, giving a thumbs-up to the camera.
The caption below read: "Peak Stationery Store, the best stationery shop near Songyang High. The owner is super nice, and the prices are great. Highly recommended!"
Two slender fingers stretched the screen, enlarging the photo until Zhang Yu's face filled the entire display.
After a while, a new set of photos appeared.
The first one showed Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen posing arm-in-arm in front of Bailong High School's gate.
The second photo featured Bai Zhenzhen holding a massive bottle of energy drink.
The third photo depicted Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen sitting back-to-back, surrounded by empty drink bottles, with Song Hailong looking exasperated in the corner.
The caption read: "Back at Bailong High again. Their energy drinks are strong and delicious. I always bring back a few barrels. I'm a monthly subscriber here. DM me if you want some."
The slender fingers zoomed in on Zhang Yu's face in each photo before moving on to the next set.
This time, the photos captured the night view of Songyang City, seemingly taken from a building in the suburbs.
The centerpiece was the towering Central Tower, reaching into the clouds, with the under-construction Oasis Tower nearby.
Surrounding them were skyscrapers adorned with neon lights, fading into the darker outskirts of the city.
The caption read: "Songyang at 4 AM. You can choose to slack off for three years or work hard for three years. If you slack off, you might suffer for over a hundred years. But if you work hard, get into university, and successfully build your foundation, you'll only have to endure another two hundred years of hardship."
A soft chuckle escaped as the fingers continued scrolling through Zhang Yu's social media.
Suddenly, a message popped up at the top of the screen.
Lian Tianji: "Holy first place, are you kidding me? You want me to buy something from Zhang Yu???"
The slender fingers quickly tapped a reply.
Le Mulan: "I'm not kidding. Please, I'll pay you extra."
A transfer of 2000 credits was sent and accepted.
Lian Tianji: "It's not about the money. Why don't you just ask him yourself?"
Le Mulan: "If you don't want to, I'll step on your head every day in class."
Lian Tianji: "Do you need it delivered, or should I bring it to you personally?"
Seeing Lian Tianji's reply, Le Mulan nodded slightly.
"As expected, being firm works better with these lower-ranked classmates."
Returning to Zhang Yu's social media, Le Mulan murmured, "Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, these two poor kids are always together."
She didn't care much about it, though, just casually scrolling through his posts.
Under the glow of her phone screen, Le Mulan's lips curled into a satisfied smile as she continued to look at Zhang Yu's photos.
"All my efforts these past few days haven't been in vain. Looking at Zhang Yu's photos now, I barely feel anything."
"Next, I just need Lian Tianji to bring me Zhang Yu's clothes."
"Once I get used to the clothes, I shouldn't feel so uncomfortable around Zhang Yu anymore."
Le Mulan thought to herself that it would soon be time to face the poor Zhang Yu head-on and completely overcome her inner weakness.
In the cafeteria, Bai Zhenzhen couldn't stop thinking about the message Lian Tianji had sent to Zhang Yu earlier.
Zhang Yu, meanwhile, brought a new tray of food to Bai Zhenzhen, his mind preoccupied with how to bring up the topic of illegal tutoring with her.
He didn't notice the strange look Bai Zhenzhen kept giving him.
After eating, Zhang Yu said to Bai Zhenzhen, "Zhenzhen, come with me to the rooftop. I have something to talk to you about."
The two made their way to the rooftop, one of their secret training spots on campus.
Over the past few days, they had poured countless hours of effort into their training here, witnessing each other's growth.
Once they arrived, Zhang Yu spoke first.
"Zhenzhen, I have something to tell you. You've noticed I've been making some money lately, right?"
Noticed? I even saw the message your client sent you!
Bai Zhenzhen's face twisted slightly, her heart racing.
"Is Zhang Yu about to tell me the secret behind his recent earnings? His secret with Lian Tianji?"
Bai Zhenzhen knew that every year, some high school students, under financial pressure, would take this path.
Some looked down on them, thinking, "What business do poor people have cultivating immortality?" Others admired their determination to pursue the path of immortality.
But Bai Zhenzhen never expected Zhang Yu to take this route, especially with someone like Lian Tianji.
"Zhang Yu, you've gone too far. I can't keep up with you."
"And why Lian Tianji? He only made it to the top eight in the martial arts tournament. He's not even worthy of you."
"Couldn't you find a real top student? Even Song Hailong would be better... No, Song Hailong's physical strength is too high. The medical bills might not even cover it."
"If it were Le Mulan paying, even my mom would accept it more easily!" Though her thoughts raced, Bai Zhenzhen quickly regained her composure.
She tried to control her expression and said slowly, "So, what you want to talk about... is related to how you've been making money lately?"
Zhang Yu nodded.
"Yeah, I have a way to make money, and I want to bring you along. It's in the outskirts. I've been there a few times, and it seems safe..."
Bai Zhenzhen's face changed, her expression twisting like a bitter melon as she looked at Zhang Yu. Is Zhang Yu trying to drag me into this too?
At that moment, Bai Zhenzhen realized she wasn't prepared for this at all.
Her first instinct was to refuse.
Thinking this, she couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration for Zhang Yu.
"Zhang Yu's grades are already better than mine, and after school, he's still making money in other ways, going to Lian Tianji for 'tutoring,' working hard to save up for cultivation resources. I admit my determination isn't as strong as yours. This time, you win."
She took a deep breath, patted Zhang Yu's shoulder, and said, "Thanks, buddy, but really, it's not necessary. You can enjoy this money-making opportunity yourself. I'm not ready for this yet."
"Lian Tianji's physical strength isn't low either. Be careful not to get hurt and end up in the clinic."
Zhang Yu looked puzzled.
"What does Lian Tianji have to do with this?"
Bai Zhenzhen sighed softly, turning her head away with a look of resignation.
"I accidentally saw the message Lian Tianji sent you at noon today."
"But don't worry, I turned off your phone screen. Only I saw it. Qian Shen and Zhao Tianxing don't know."
"I'll keep this secret for you."
Zhang Yu frowned, pulling out his phone.
The moment he saw Lian Tianji's message, he felt like smashing his phone.
"That bastard! I thought he was my friend, and he's trying to pull this on me?"
Then, remembering Bai Zhenzhen's earlier reaction, he quickly explained, "Nothing happened between us!"
He showed Bai Zhenzhen his chat history with Lian Tianji.
"Look, it's all clean. Nothing happened."
Bai Zhenzhen subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously, "Then why does Lian Tianji want to buy your used clothes?"
"Who the hell knows what's going on in his head?" Zhang Yu angrily started typing a reply.
"I'll ask him how much he's offering and decide how to respond based on the price."
Unconsciously, Zhang Yu had grown more accustomed to the lifestyle in Kunxu, developing a habit of reacting differently to different numbers.
Bai Zhenzhen watched curiously as Zhang Yu typed: "How much?"
Lian Tianji replied: "Any piece of clothing you've worn will do. 2000 credits."
Bai Zhenzhen suggested, "Try asking for 5000."
After a moment, Lian Tianji agreed.
Bai Zhenzhen laughed.
"Haha, you can make 5000 just like that?"
But Zhang Yu still felt uneasy.
"What does he even want with my clothes?"
Bai Zhenzhen patted his shoulder.
"It's 5000 credits for a piece of your clothing. Who cares what he does with it?"
Zhang Yu's eyes lit up.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot what I wanted to tell you earlier. I wanted to introduce you to a way to make money."
At that moment, the doll quietly resting on Zhang Yu's chest, disguised as a black prayer bead, spoke up.
The doll's voice echoed in Zhang Yu's mind, warning him, "Zhang Yu, I've told you before, the most important thing in this line of work is to trust no one. Even a son can betray his father. Are you sure you want to tell this woman?"
But Zhang Yu didn't hesitate.
He turned to Bai Zhenzhen and said, "Zhenzhen, have you heard of the underground tutoring world?"
After Zhang Yu's explanation, Bai Zhenzhen finally understood that Zhang Yu's recent earnings came from tutoring.
Her expression grew complicated.
Good news: My son didn't sell himself out.
Bad news: My son joined a gang and is doing work more dangerous than robbery.
Bai Zhenzhen, after all, was a top student from a prestigious high school, raised with a deep respect for the law and corporate authority.
Hearing that Zhang Yu wanted to bring her into the gang life made her nervous.
"Is this really safe? If the company finds out, won't we be enslaved for life?"
Zhang Yu explained, "I had the same worries at first, but after going there, I found out that the Dark Study Gang is a legitimate organization that pays taxes and worships the gods. As part-timers, we only need to focus on teaching. We don't have to worry about fighting or killing."
"And the pay is really good. I make 6500 credits an hour there."
Zhang Yu paused, then added with a hint of helplessness, "And in Kunxu... it's too hard for us poor people to make money in legitimate ways. Only places like the underground tutoring world can give us a decent income and a better chance at getting into the top ten universities."
When Bai Zhenzhen heard "6500 credits an hour," her heart raced.
She finally understood why people joined gangs.
Hearing Zhang Yu's final remark, she nodded in agreement, thinking to herself, Yes, for poor people like us, if we don't take some risks... how can we climb up?
With that, Bai Zhenzhen firmly nodded and said, "Okay, I trust you. Just tell me what I need to do."
*Tomorrow, I should be able to gather enough chapter fragments to repay the monthly ticket debt.
Please keep voting for monthly tickets.*
(End of Chapter)