An Youyi

That evening, Uncle Wang drove Xiaoman and Kang De back to the city.

The security cameras and door locks have all been replaced.

Less than ten minutes after I got home, two managers from the property management company knocked on my door and apologized sincerely in an extremely humble manner. After all, given what had happened, the property management company couldn't escape responsibility no matter what.

Kang De, however, did not hold it against him; instead, he generously expressed his understanding.

If those thugs had sneaked in, that would be one thing, but they got access cards and even borrowed parking spaces through intermediaries, which is completely in line with the community's security procedures. So there's no need to be too harsh on them or cause the community's security guards to lose their jobs—those guys are all pretty nice.

"Although what happened yesterday was an extreme case, we still need to learn from it."

He simply said those words.

The property manager who came to apologize nodded and said, "The company takes this incident very seriously. We will strengthen training and improve security. For example, since those criminals could drive into the underground parking garage with access cards, in the next phase, we will consider adding license plate registration and recognition, reminding residents not to lend their parking spaces, and even adding facial recognition at the access control points between the parking garage and the first floor of the residential building..."

That's about it.

Ultimately, the most important things are attitude and apology.

Everyone knows perfectly well that in such an ordinary community with a large number of residents, no matter how strict the security and procedures are, they cannot stop those who have been planning for a long time and will always be able to sneak in.

Fortunately, the bad thing that happened last night was highly unlikely.

Kang De didn't bring it up; he wasn't particularly concerned about it. After chatting for a while, and after the other party offered another sincere apology, he escorted them to the elevator.

For at least the foreseeable future, the home will be safer than ever before.

Both the property management and the police will pay closer attention to this area.

He turned and walked towards his house. At that moment, Xiaoman, Xiaoman lived next door, pushed open her door. Kang De saw a large wolfhound squatting under the bright light in the entryway, baring its mouth and swishing its big tail.

Xiaoman's father specially called the factory to send this dog over temporarily for peace of mind. It's one of the security officers in the company. I heard it was trained by a retired trainer hired at a high salary using methods for training military dogs. I don't know if it's true or not, but it is indeed very obedient and intelligent. It knows who can be trusted and who to be wary of.

As soon as Kang De beckoned, the aloof and responsible security officer immediately forgot his work and came running over eagerly. Even though it was the first time he had met Kang De, he fawned over him and started rubbing his head against Kang De hand.

Xiaoman was initially surprised, but then she remembered the last time she went back to her hometown with Kang De, when all the chickens, ducks, dogs, and geese in the village were terrified and ran around in panic, and even the dogs kept at her hometown were scared like crazy—so she understood.

Tsk, what kind of bloodline has been enhanced? Rank suppression really does allow one to do whatever they want.

She closed her own door and followed Kang De into his house. "Did the property management come to apologize?"

Kang De sat down on the sofa, started rubbing the dog's head in frustration, and casually replied, "Yes."

Xiaoman wanted to sit down, but then remembered something and her expression turned disgusted. "Aren't you going to replace the sofa?"

Kang De picked up the large wolfhound and started poking and stroking it. The security officer, completely disregarding his pride, stretched out his hooves and wriggled on Kang De's thighs, clearly enjoying himself. "Don't worry, it's all brand new. You might not find it disgusting, but I certainly do."

Xiaoman then sat down next to Kang De, reached out and scratched the security officer's chin, and looked at the dog's affectionate expression, a smile appearing on her lips, "You didn't scold them?"

Kang De said, "This is beyond our control, and they are quite wronged. Why should I be so harsh? If I persist in pursuing this to the end, those guys might lose their jobs, to say the least."

"Oh, you're so kind-hearted." Xiaoman recalled Kang De's attitude towards Xie Liqian and pouted, "Why weren't you this tolerant and generous during the day?"

"Don't say that; advising someone to be magnanimous is like inviting lightning strike."

Kang De laughed and said, "The situation is different. Xie Guangjun hired people to beat me up, took photos and videos, and even injected me with that stuff. If an ordinary person suffered like that, and then the criminal's family came to apologize, would they calmly say it's okay? Not hitting them is already considered good manners, but they would at least kick them out immediately, right? Even if they managed to escape by chance, they would definitely be scared and angry inside, right?"

"Even if it's called forgiveness, it's only because of the other party's power, status, or other factors that one has to swallow their anger—or because the other party offered too much money."

He shrugged and said, "I don't care about those things, so of course I'll say what I think. Even if I were just an ordinary person, wouldn't I have the right to vent my anger and lingering fear?"

"Since Xie Liqian is going to apologize on behalf of his son, he should be prepared to bear the consequences for his son. He thinks that he must be forgiven just because he apologized. That's too arrogant. There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Xiaoman clicked her tongue, gradually realizing what was going on. But looking at Kang De's smug, "I'm always right" expression, she refused to admit he had a point. "But you're still being a bit too aggressive..."

Kang De blinked and said slowly, "If Xu Fei came to your junior high school reunion this year and said that she was immature back then, did something wrong, and hurt you, asking you to forgive her, would you?"

Xiaoman immediately jumped up, startling the security officer.

"Screw her! She bullied me, isolated me, and that thing haunted my precious high school memories for a whole year. Now she comes to me and apologizes and thinks it's over? Pah! No way! Only a bastard would forgive her, I'll never forgive her in my life!"

Kang De gestured for her to sit down. "Do you understand?"

Xiaoman pinched his arm angrily. "You're reopening old wounds!"

Kang De clicked his tongue and said, "How heartless! I'm your benefactor. If I hadn't made a scene at school and at home, forcing my mother to agree to let me transfer to your class, you'd probably be Lin Daiyu by now."

After the two bickered for a while, Kang De pinched Xiaoman's nose. "So, not forgiving is the victim's right, and others have no right to criticize or interfere, understand?"

"I know, I know, you think you're so smart, you always think you're right."

Xiaoman furious, but thinking of Kang De's blunt words during the day, she was still a little worried. "You didn't give Xie Liqian any face at all... To be honest, I don't think he's a kind-hearted person."

Kang De smiled smugly, "Coincidentally, neither am I."

Xiaoman nudged him. "We're talking about serious matters."

"I was just stating the facts. What did I say during the day? I was just sarcastically remarking that he was a bad father and that his son deserved to end up like this. What's wrong with the victim saying that?"

"I didn't say anything like 'fuck your mother, you stinking bastard, your whole family will die tonight and your ancestral graves will explode,' did I? His son did such a bastard thing, so what's wrong with him being scolded a couple of times? What right does he have to be angry and dissatisfied? Any father with a sense of shame and self-respect would feel ashamed and embarrassed, right? Does being rich and powerful make his self-respect and face more precious? Are ordinary people not even allowed to be sarcastic or angry?"

Kang De said, "So what's the problem? Does he really want to kill me just because I said those few words? Would it be perfectly justified for me to kill him?"

Xiaoman rolled her eyes and said, "This is a bit like entrapment."

Kang De rolled his eyes. "What kind of entrapment is this? A fish caught on this kind of hook deserves to be torn to pieces and boiled in oil."

Xiaoman said he was speechless, and after a long while, he didn't know what to say.

Kang De nudged her with his shoulder. "Alright, the main thing is that we're looking at things from different perspectives right now. It's a difference caused by our personal experiences, so it's normal that you can't quite grasp it right now. If it were me in the past, I would most likely have tried to smooth things over and not been so aggressive."

Xiaoman curled her lip upon hearing this and said, "Yes, how can a mere mortal like me compare to your Master Kang's mindset of a powerful figure, decisive in killing and quick to avenge wrongs, able to confront whomever he wants?"

"It's not some kind of 'strong mindset,' it's just four simple words: 'Speak your mind,' that's all."

Kang De said, "It's just four simple, ordinary words, but in modern society, it's a very rare and precious power, so it feels really good to do... But that's okay."

He reached out and tapped Xiaoman's chin, giving her a wicked smile, "Once I take you flying, you'll experience how refreshing it is to speak your mind."

Xiaoman didn't pick up on this joke.

She whispered, "I'm just a little worried. Xie Guangjun, you did a great job this time, but if you kill Xie Liqian, it will definitely cause a huge upheaval..."

"Alright, it's nothing," Kang De said. "I know what I'm doing and won't do anything reckless."

What else can Xiaoman say?

She could only pray silently, hoping that the "knowing what's going on" that the powerful beings of the infinite world meant was the same "knowing what's going on" as understood by ordinary Earthlings...

"However, to be honest, the security in this neighborhood is really not very good... After all, it's a fairly mainstream residential area, so it's impossible to be very strict."

Kang De pondered for a moment and said, "I'd like to move to a more upscale villa area, at least with better security. Money is secondary; the real question is how to explain it to my parents?"

Given the outrageous housing prices in H City, a decent villa would easily cost at least ten or twenty million yuan. If someone were to buy one without making a sound, there would only be two reactions from Kang De's mother when she returned and found out.

First, he was overjoyed, believing that his son had finally seen the light and had swiftly won over Wang Xiaoman. With remarkable efficiency, the son began to leech off the Wang family and plot to seize their assets. In a short period of time, he had acquired a large house, proving he was truly his own son.

Secondly, it was about upholding justice even at the cost of family ties, believing that his son had embarked on a path of crime.

"... Given Auntie's shrewdness and her understanding of you, there's only one plausible explanation."

Xiaoman said helplessly, "I'll try to get someone to introduce me to buying lottery tickets. For example, if someone wins five million, you can spend five million to buy that ticket, which is like paying taxes for them. Although you lose a bit, at least you can use it to appease Auntie... But I don't have that kind of connection. If I ask my dad for help, you'll have to explain it to him too."

This is another dead end.

Kang De and Xiaoman looked at each other, then shrugged and sighed in unison.

Jewelry, handicrafts, and gold from another world can be sold for money, and even some special products from that other world can be exchanged for unimaginable wealth on Earth... But all of this requires time to manage and arrange.

Otherwise, acting rashly might cause trouble.

"Think about it yourself..."

Xiaoman said this, then suddenly became alert. "Speaking of which, you wouldn't be thinking of making a move on Xie Liqian, would you?"

Kang De shook his head. "Even if he actively compensates me and pays me a large sum of hush money, it still wouldn't be enough to buy a villa."

Xiaoman glanced at him and said, "Didn't you ever think of forcing him to give you more so you could get more for yourself?"

Kang De chuckled, "Who does Xie Liqian think he is, to think he's worthy of letting me use his money?"

Xiaoman was speechless and could only shout "666, awesome!"

Looking at the time, she realized it was almost time and stood up. "Go to sleep. You should go to bed early too. Oh, right, I almost forgot, I'm treating someone to dinner tomorrow, and you have to come too."

Kang De asked curiously, "Who is it?"

Xiaoman replied, "An Youyi, do you remember this person?"

After a moment's thought, Kang De envisioned a flamboyant, unconventional woman—well, calling her unconventional is a bit of an exaggeration, but her style of dress and makeup was indeed quite wild. In short, she had a domineering, queen-like aura, was quite beautiful, and like Xiaoman, was a rich second-generation.

When Kang De thought of her, his first impression was of her lips painted with black lipstick.

Kang De didn't know what that makeup style was, but he certainly couldn't appreciate it.

"I remember you, but we didn't seem to click."

"Yeah, we broke up," Xiaoman said. "Last night she was drinking with Xie Guangjun and heard that he was going to mess with you, so she immediately texted me. Even though you'll be fine, she doesn't know that. We should definitely remember this favor."

"Besides, she was there last night and witnessed the whole thing, from Xie Guangjun's outburst to the car accident. She was reportedly quite frightened, and as a witness, she had to go to the police station overnight to cooperate with the investigation and give a statement, which was quite a hassle. So, both morally and logically, we should thank her and offer her some comfort."

Upon hearing this, Kang De's expression suddenly changed. "That woman is her."

The nightclub was dimly lit, and he was only focused on Xie Guangjun at the time, so he didn't really notice An Youyi. He only saw a woman with long legs, who seemed pretty and dressed like a typical nightclub girl sitting next to Xie Guangjun, drinking and talking with him, so he naturally assumed that she was just a bitch.

--And so her anger toward Xie Guangjun intensified considerably.

I never expected it to be this woman.

He nodded and said, "I see. Then we should be grateful, and since she's been affected too... we should treat her to a meal to thank and appease her."

Xiaoman nodded, exchanged a few more words with Kang De, and arranged a time.

He then took the security officer home.

After seeing Xiaoman off, Kang De went over the day's events again, and finally realized there wasn't much to think about. Compared to the events he had experienced in the other world, this was really nothing.

So he washed up and went to bed—he hadn't slept much last night, so this was a good opportunity to catch up.

The next morning, after heating up breakfast, Xiaoman knocked on the door. Uncle Wang was busy with his business and had left early, leaving only the security guard behind to keep Xiaoman company.

"I've already made the call."

At the dinner table, Xiaoman drank her milk while glancing at Kang De with a meaningful, even subtly ambiguous, expression. "Little brother, you're quite capable."

Kang De tilted his head and asked, "What?"

"An Youyi was frightened and spent half the night at the police station, so she was quite shaken. When I offered to treat her to dinner, she initially refused, saying she didn't have much of an appetite. I suggested a visit to express her gratitude, but she said she was a bit tired. However, when I said that I also wanted to thank her, she immediately agreed."

Xiaoman snorted, "No wonder. We had a falling out, and she told me this was risky, but she still did it. Now it seems it was all for you... You two only met two or three times, how could she still be thinking about you?"

Kang De frowned and said, "I didn't have any interaction with her back then, that can't be."

Xiaoman was still humming, looking a little annoyed. "Who knows? We'll see when we get there."

The agreed time was 10:30 a. m., but it was only a little past 8 a. m., so there were still two hours left. Kang De was dragged out of the house by Xiaoman, and the two drove to the luxury goods store that Xiaoman frequented. After all, it was a visit to express gratitude, so they had to bring something that was appropriate for her style and status.

After all, An Youyi is a second-generation rich kid, her family is very wealthy, it's really too much for her to bring a box of eight-treasure porridge.

Even so, seeing Xiaoman's earnestness in choosing and weighing things, Kang De felt that she wasn't just expressing gratitude... Was it just a misperception?

The purchased items were beautifully packaged and accompanied by elegant blessings.

And the signature.

Kang De and Xiaoman's names were both written down.

So formal, so elegant, so classy—is this the world of the wealthy?

It was almost time, so Xiaoman drove Kang De to An Youyi's house. It wasn't a short distance, as she was also a class enemy living in a large villa in the best and quietest part of H City.

Security is naturally very strict, after all, it is a top-tier community serving a small number of wealthy people. Security guards even have to call the residents to confirm before letting them in.

After driving into the villa area and going for a kilometer, winding around several times, we finally arrived at An Youyi's house.

The two men spotted the woman waiting at the door immediately.

It was indeed An Youyi herself, but unlike her usual flamboyant personality, she didn't have that sharp, dark makeup, nor did she dress in a wild and avant-garde style. She simply wore light makeup and ordinary home clothes, with her hair gathered to one side, giving her a natural and elegant look. It was unexpected that she could also be so gentle and graceful.

His face was slightly pale, he looked somewhat haggard, and there was even a lingering sense of panic.

Xiaoman stopped the car and immediately went to greet him, "What are you waiting outside for? Aren't you feeling unwell?"

An Youyi smiled at Wang Xiaoman, but the smile seemed forced. She then turned to look at Kang De, bit her lip, her expression complicated. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.

"Last night..." she whispered, "Xie Liqian came to see me."

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PS1: Ah, 5,000 words... Speaking of which, I've been posting 5,000 words every day for the past few days, so that counts as an extra update. Oh well, I'll try to post two chapters tomorrow anyway. Just trying. (Looks into the distance)