A Tremor

One cruel truth was—

There was no such thing as fairness in this world.

Many people worked themselves to the bone their whole lives, emptying six wallets just to afford a house in certain cities—and that was only the down payment... Yet some people could casually get their homes demolished and end up with more than twenty apartments? What kind of nonsense was that?

Li Yao felt a little jealous too.

Though he had money now, and even had Father Lin as his golden thigh.

But aside from Father Lin, that golden thigh had fallen from the sky; all his other money had been earned by Li Da Yao himself. As for Zhou Li's money, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it had fallen from the sky... Li Yao said stiffly, "Boss Zhou's family must be rich. Demolishing a house got you more than twenty apartments."

Zhou Li said, "No, I'm a farmer. The city's planning department designated my family's land for construction. More than ten mu of land got me over twenty apartments, plus several storefronts."

Heh heh.

Fuck.

Li Yao rolled his eyes internally, then remembered the construction of Xiong'an New Area outside the capital. A bachelor old man with land had instantly become a billionaire, and the people coming to propose marriage had practically worn down his doorstep.

Life—

How unfair it was.

Li Yao sighed inwardly. Good thing I'm a cheat too! Who's afraid of who? He did not linger on the subject and instead said, "I've taken over the bar next door. We'll be neighbors from now on, so please look after me."

Zhou Li said lazily, "Sure, sure. Let's all make money in harmony."

For some reason, Li Yao felt a chill run down his spine! Are you fucking planning to plot against me!? Just then, another girl jumped down from the second floor. She was petite yet curvaceous, with a childish face like a little loli—she bounced over and clung to Qi Qi. "Ying ying ying, Sister Qi Qi, hug~"

Li Yao was stunned!

There was actually a Yingying Monster hidden here! Had this become some kind of trend? Li Yao fell into thought. Did his bar also need to catch a Yingying Monster to hold down the fort...?

Li Yao swept his gaze across Midnight Bar, comparing the people here with those who had appeared on Azure Dragon Mountain that day.

Shuisheng Ge was probably the Bull Demon Warrior, the Yingying Monster was likely Little Fox, and Zhou Li and Qi Qi were both Bronze Dragons. Only The Kings were still missing.

With that information committed to memory, Li Yao prepared to take his leave.

Before leaving, Li Yao suddenly said as if in passing, "Oh, right. I heard the property tax is about to be implemented. Boss Zhou, you should watch out."

Zhou Li became melancholy.

That really hit him where it hurt, brother.

He grabbed Li Yao's arm and asked, "Brother, want a house?"

Li Yao said, "..."

Buying a house was such a solemn, celebratory matter, so why did it sound like you were selling pirated DVDs? The kind with erotic action blockbusters, too!

Still—

It was not like he could not consider it.

So Li Yao said, "I'll think about it."

Zhou Li was overjoyed. "Easy, easy. Contact me anytime you need one!"

Qi Qi and the other employees all rolled their eyes.

After Li Yao left, Zhou Li grumbled, "Look at the lot of you! Do you think being the head of a household is easy? For this family, I've worried myself sick!"

The Yingying Monster tilted her head up and asked innocently, "What did your heart do wrong to deserve being fucked by you?"

Zhou Li said, "..."

"Zhao Shuisheng! How the fuck are you raising this kid? Look what you've turned a perfectly good Yingying Monster into! Get out here! Did you hear me? Get out!"

Listening to the commotion behind him, Li Yao smiled.

They had said that the provincial capital region was under their jurisdiction, which meant they were an organized group and might even have connections with the authorities. As a mysterious power-holder operating independently, Li Yao would naturally be wary of such an official organization. For now, the masked man did not seem like a harsh, ruthless official. If they were, Li Yao would have to hide himself even more carefully.

The crime of possessing a treasure had existed since ancient times.

Fortunately—

Judging from the current situation, things were not as severe as Li Yao had imagined.

Over the following days, Li Yao spoke with several interior design companies about renovating the bar. There was not much that needed changing. The bar already had a decent foundation; they mainly needed to throw out all that stuff that was either Gothic or heavy-metal punk, then redesign the decor.

Since the renovations were minor, everything was more or less finished in around ten days.

The remodeled establishment had shed all its exaggerated dark elements and emphasized the charm of wooden decor as much as possible. The long table in the Hall of Righteous Gathering was covered with a Bohemian woven tablecloth and set with candlesticks. Above it hung a chandelier made from a wooden wagon wheel, also lit with candles.

The other decorations were likewise mostly dignified and tasteful.

All in all—

The bar's style had been completely transformed, becoming calm and understated.

At any rate, Li Yao was quite satisfied.

Before opening, Li Yao invited his friends over to have a look.

Other than his roommates, only Lin Xiaoxi came.

When Zhou Li, the owner of the bar next door, heard there was a gathering here, he happily came over to join the fun. With seven or eight people together, it was not exactly quiet.

Since they had not hired a chef yet, Li Yao ordered takeout and bought some alcohol and drinks. They were all friends, so they could just eat, drink, and have a lively time.

During the meal, Cao Rui, the richest guy in the dorm, held forth. "Da Yao's gotten rich lately! When did you take over this place? The yearly rent must cost a fortune, right?"

Li Yao waved a hand. "No rent. I bought it."

Cao Rui was stunned!

How much must that have cost? He stared straight at Li Yao, remembering the bank card Li Yao had received before. He seemed to come to some realization, but held back whatever he wanted to say and sat down.

Chen Tao stared blankly around the room, then silently lowered his head without saying anything.

The atmosphere became a little strange.

Zhou Li introduced himself without a care in the world. "I'm Zhou Li. My family got relocated, and I have over twenty apartments!"

A big shot, loaded with cash! Chen Tao's gaze darkened further.

Cao Rui snorted. "Where are all your apartments?"

Zhou Li said proudly, "Around Greenland New City."

"Oh." Cao Rui thought for a moment. "I think that development was built by my dad."

Zhou Li said, "???"

Negative emotions from Zhou Li +888...

So what if you had over twenty apartments?

The entire development belonged to his family! Li Yao also noticed that something was off with Chen Tao, but he did not say much. He simply raised his drink and told everyone to cheer up.

After several rounds of drinks, Cao Rui tilted his head. "Da Yao, what's your bar called? It doesn't even have a name."

Li Yao had no idea either, so he asked, "Do you guys have any good ideas? I think the name is pretty important."

Cao Rui immediately perked up. "Tremor Bar! Give it a tremor whenever you feel like it!"

Ever since watching Mr. Six, he had coveted that name for a long time!—After all, that shudder from Uncle Feng and Sister Xu had been quite intoxicating.

He was suddenly feeling lazy today...