My Roommate Is a Big Shot

The phone in his briefcase rang like a death knell in the deathly silent room, each ring striking Lin Fan's still-unsettled heart. He practically scrambled to it, hands and feet working together, and fumbled for his phone with trembling fingers. The unfamiliar local number on the screen seemed to carry an ominous meaning at this moment.

He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the dryness in his throat and the frantic pounding of his heart, and pressed the answer button.

"Hello? Who is this?" His voice was still hoarse, tinged with the lingering shock.

A lewd voice, deliberately lowered but unable to hide its arrogance, came from the other end of the line. "Is this Lin Fan?"

Lin Fan's heart sank. "It's me. Who are you?"

"Heh heh, don't worry about who I am." The other party chuckled. "A few of us brothers just want to have a good 'chat' with you and your friend who wears ancient costumes. You guys were pretty tough last night, huh?"

It was those thugs! Not only had they not given up, but they had also found his phone number! A chill, like being eyed by a venomous snake, crawled up his spine.

"What do you want?" Lin Fan tried to keep his voice steady, but the slight tremor betrayed him.

"Nothing much," the other party said flippantly. "It's just that we brothers are a bit short on cash lately and want to borrow some from you. And while we're at it, we want to 'learn' from your friend who can 'do magic tricks'."

'Learn'? Lin Fan sneered inwardly. This was clearly revenge and extortion!

"I don't have money, and my friend doesn't know any magic tricks. You've got the wrong person." Lin Fan attempted a firm refusal.

"No money?" The other party's voice suddenly turned sinister. "Kid, don't push your luck! We know where you live and where you work! If you don't want any 'accidents' at your company entrance tomorrow, or on your way home, then listen up obediently!"

A naked threat! Lin Fan's face instantly turned deathly pale. He wasn't afraid for himself, but he was afraid of implicating those around him, and even more afraid of what this "ancestor" at home might do if provoked, leading to an unmanageable situation. The terror of the sword light in his eyes just now was still fresh in his memory.

"You..."

"Listen!" the other party interrupted, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Tonight at midnight, at the abandoned construction site behind the residential complex, bring five thousand yuan and have your friend come along! If you dare to call the police, or if you dare not to come... Hmph, you'll face the consequences!"

After speaking, without giving Lin Fan a chance to say another word, the call was hung up, leaving only the hurried dial tone.

Lin Fan stood frozen, holding his phone, his body ice-cold.

Five thousand yuan... that was almost half a month's rent for him. How could he possibly come up with that much cash? And he had to bring Tong Tian? These people were clearly targeting Tong Tian, thinking he was strange, and wanted to extort him, or... something worse?

What should he do? Call the police? The other party had explicitly threatened him not to, and even if the police caught these guys, it wouldn't prevent future trouble. They were like maggots on bone; without a complete solution, there would be no peace.

Pay them? Setting aside the fact that he didn't have the money, even if he did, this kind of bottomless pit would lead to endless demands.

Not go? The other party had already found out his company and address; he couldn't hide forever.

Despair and helplessness washed over him like a tide. He was just an ordinary office worker, and facing the harassment of these hoodlums, it seemed there was no third option besides compromise or a fight to the death.

He slumped onto the chair, running his hands through his hair, feeling unprecedentedly tired and insignificant. Why was this world always so harsh to the weak?

Just then, a calm, even voice sounded behind him, breaking the suffocating silence.

"What troubles you?"

Lin Fan looked up sharply. Tong Tian had apparently finished his meditation and was looking at him quietly. His eyes had returned to their usual depth, but the fleeting sword light from earlier was still deeply imprinted in Lin Fan's mind, making it impossible for him to see the other person as an ordinary human.

Looking at Tong Tian, an absurd idea, yet one that sparked a sliver of hope in his despair, uncontrollably surfaced.

Perhaps... perhaps this "roommate" really had a way to solve his current predicament?

Even though he looked weak now, that sword light in his eyes... it was definitely not an illusion!

Lin Fan took a deep breath and decided to take a gamble. He told Tong Tian about the thugs' phone call and how they had been scared away last night, omitting nothing, including their demand for five thousand yuan and their specific request to see him.

"...That's the situation," Lin Fan finished, looking nervously at Tong Tian. "There are quite a few of them, and they're all thugs who would do anything. Should... should we call the police? Or... think of another way?"

He didn't dare to directly ask, "Can you handle it?" so he hinted indirectly.

After listening, Tong Tian's expression remained unchanged, as if he were hearing about the nice weather instead of blackmail and threats. He didn't even ask what "calling the police" meant, merely raising an eyebrow slightly and repeating two words:

"Ants."

The indifference and disdain in his tone were exactly the same as last night.

Lin Fan: "..." Well, to this esteemed individual, those people were probably no different from ants on the roadside.

"Where did they arrange to meet?" Tong Tian asked.

"Behind the residential complex, at an abandoned construction site, at midnight."

"Mm." Tong Tian nodded, indicating he understood, then fell silent again, closing his eyes as if resuming his mysterious "meditation."

Lin Fan, looking at Tong Tian's nonchalant demeanor, felt even more uncertain. Was this confidence, or did he simply not care about the matter?

"Um... Brother Tong Tian, are we... going tonight?" Lin Fan asked tentatively.

"We are," Tong Tian replied without opening his eyes, uttering just one word.

"And... the money?"

"Unnecessary."

Two concise words, yet they carried an absolute confidence.

Lin Fan looked at his calm profile and suddenly felt that he might have... picked up a truly formidable figure.

Although he was still anxious, for some reason, seeing Tong Tian's attitude, his taut nerves inexplicably relaxed a little. A sense of inexplicable trust began to quietly grow.

Perhaps, tonight, disaster could be averted without losing money?

For the rest of the day, Lin Fan spent his time in a state of anxious anticipation mixed with a strange sense of expectation.

He prepared simple lunches and dinners as usual—still the usual fare of instant noodles and ham sausage. Tong Tian seemed accustomed to this, eating quickly, but no longer making any comments about "turbid energy."

During this time, Lin Fan wanted to speak up a few times to discuss the evening's events further, but seeing Tong Tian in a state of deep meditation, looking like he didn't want to be disturbed, he swallowed his words.

He secretly observed Tong Tian, trying to find some trace of a "big shot" on him. But apart from an aura that was out of place in modern society, and a heart-stopping depth in his eyes whenever he occasionally opened them, he looked... like a particularly handsome, particularly quiet homebody.

Time trickled by, the sky outside darkened, and the city lights began to twinkle.

Around eleven o'clock at night, Tong Tian finally ended his long period of silent meditation. He opened his eyes, stretched his stiff neck, and a faint sound of bones cracking could be heard.

"The time is near," he said, looking at Lin Fan with a calm tone.

Lin Fan's heart leaped. "We're... just going like this? Should we... bring something for self-defense?" He looked around, finding only a fruit knife and... a rather heavy ashtray.

Tong Tian glanced at the fruit knife and ashtray in Lin Fan's hands, a flicker of almost imperceptible... helplessness? crossed his eyes.

"No need," he uttered these two words again and walked towards the door first. "Lead the way."

Lin Fan looked at his tall, composed back, gritted his teeth, put down his "weapons," and quickly followed. Since he had chosen to trust, he would trust to the end!

The residential complex was exceptionally quiet late at night, with only the streetlights casting lonely, dim yellow halos. The evening breeze blew, carrying a chill. Lin Fan followed closely behind Tong Tian, his heart pounding loudly in the silence.

After passing through a few alleys, the abandoned construction site of the unfinished buildings appeared before them. Several buildings, mere concrete frames, stood like giant skeletal remains in the darkness, appearing eerie and terrifying under the pale moonlight.

At the entrance to the construction site, a few faint red lights flickered – cigarette butts.

Seeing Lin Fan and Tong Tian appear, the shadowy figures immediately surrounded them. They were the same repulsive faces from last night, exactly four of them. The leader was a burly man with a crew cut and a tattoo on his neck, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his eyes fierce.

"Yo, you actually dared to come? Kid, you're smart!" The crew cut man exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze greedily sweeping over Lin Fan and Tong Tian. Especially when he saw Tong Tian's unusual demeanor and handsome face, his eyes became even more lecherous. "Where's the money? Did you bring enough?"

Lin Fan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said with a forced courage, "There's no money. I advise you to leave now, and we can all be at peace."

"Leave?" The crew cut man acted as if he'd heard the biggest joke in the world, and his cronies behind him burst into laughter. "Damn it, you're playing us? You dare to come without money?"

His gaze shifted to Tong Tian, who had remained silent with a calm expression, and his tone became even more sinister. "It seems we'll have to let your 'friend' here perform last night's 'magic trick' for us!"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Tong Tian's arm.

The moment his grimy fingers were about to touch the cuff of Tong Tian's white T-shirt--

Tong Tian, who had been silent like a background prop, finally moved.

He didn't dodge, he didn't block, he didn't even look at the crew cut man.

He simply, raised his eyes.

Like a slumbering ancient god, opening its eyes to gaze upon the mortal world for the first time after countless ages.

There was no earth-shattering aura, no dazzling celestial phenomena.

But the instant his gaze swept over the crew cut man--

"Argh--!"

The crew cut man let out an extremely short, sharp, and shrill scream that was not human! His outstretched hand retracted as if electrocuted, and his entire body felt as if it had been struck by an invisible giant hammer. He staggered back several steps, his face drained of all color, his pupils contracted to pinpricks from extreme fear!

It was as if he wasn't looking at human eyes, but at mountains of corpses and seas of blood, at collapsing stars, at a thousand swords piercing his heart! A terror that stemmed from his soul's instinct, incomprehensible, beyond all his cognition, like a cold tide, instantly engulfed him!

He opened his mouth, wanting to shout, but couldn't make a sound. He could only point at Tong Tian futilely, his body trembling like a sieve. His crotch quickly became wet, emitting a foul stench.

The three thugs behind him were stunned by this sudden turn of events.

"Boss!"

"What's wrong with you?!"

"Damn! What did you do to him?!"

They were both shocked and angry. Although they didn't understand what had happened, they instinctively turned their fierce gazes towards the culprit – the long-haired man in ancient clothing who remained expressionless.

One of them, the most hot-tempered, seeing his boss "ambushed," roared, pulled a gleaming spring-loaded knife from his waist, and lunged at Tong Tian!

"Damn it! Playing mysterious! I'll stab you to death!"

The blade reflected a cold gleam in the moonlight, stabbing directly at Tong Tian's chest!

"Be careful!" Lin Fan cried out in terror, his voice cracking!

However, facing this fatal attack, Tong Tian didn't even lift an eyelid.

His gaze, like an invisible sword domain, lightly swept over the thug rushing forward with the knife.

"Thump!"

The thug's forward momentum abruptly stopped as if he had hit an invisible wall. The spring-loaded knife clattered to the ground. His eyes rolled back, and without even a groan, he fell straight forward, unconscious, white foam even seeping from the corners of his mouth.

The remaining two thugs were completely dumbfounded.

They looked at their boss lying on the ground, twitching and disoriented, then at their companion foaming at the mouth and his fate unknown, and then at the man in ancient clothing who hadn't moved a finger the entire time, as if he had merely glanced at them.

A bone-chilling coldness shot from the soles of their feet to the crown of their heads!

What kind of monster was this?! Just a glance could drive someone mad, make them faint?!

Fear spread among them like a virus.

"Ghost... Ghost!"

"Run! Run!"

The two no longer cared about loyalty or money. With terrified, distorted screams, they scrambled and fled out of the construction site like stray dogs, wishing they had more legs. In an instant, they disappeared into the darkness.

On the scene, only the crew cut man, limp on the ground and dazed, the unconscious thug with the knife, and... Tong Tian, standing in place as if he had just taken a leisurely stroll, remained, along with Lin Fan, who was dumbfounded, his brain almost ceasing to function.

Tong Tian then cast his gaze, indifferently, towards the two "ants" on the ground who had lost their ability to act.

He hadn't killed them. It wasn't mercy, but disdain, and... avoiding unnecessary trouble. What he had used just now was merely a mental shock that condensed a trace of his own origin sword intent, directly acting on the soul and consciousness level of the other party. For these mortals whose mental will was as fragile as paper, it was no different from a dimensionality reduction attack. The fact that they hadn't directly suffered a mental breakdown and become idiots was already the result of him holding back significantly.

He looked at Lin Fan, his tone still flat, "This matter is settled. Let's go back."

Lin Fan stiffly turned his head, looking at Tong Tian's profile, which was as beautiful as a celestial being under the moonlight, yet carried an endless mystery and majesty. He swallowed with difficulty.

An incredibly clear realization struck his mind like a thunderclap—

My roommate...

Is a big shot!

A super big shot who can make thugs go crazy with a single glance and solve crises without lifting a finger!

All his previous doubts and anxieties vanished at this moment.

In their place was an indescribable shock, and... a faint hint of... excitement, that he himself hadn't fully perceived yet?

He quickly trotted to catch up with Tong Tian's steps, looking at the tall and composed figure ahead, feeling an unprecedented sense of security.

On the way back, the two remained silent.

But Lin Fan's mindset had undergone a sea change.

He looked at Tong Tian, his eyes filled with curiosity, reverence, and countless question marks.

Who exactly was he?

Where did he come from?

Why did he possess such unbelievable abilities?

Was his staying by his side a blessing or a curse?

Countless questions swirled in Lin Fan's mind.

However, when he followed Tong Tian back to the familiar rental building, a new discovery made him temporarily suppress all his doubts.

By the mailbox at the entrance of the building, a figure was leaning.

It was a woman.

She wore a simple and elegant long dress, her figure slender, her demeanor gentle. In the dim light, her face was unclear, but just her silhouette gave off a sense of tranquility, like bathing in a spring breeze, and... a strange sense of familiarity.

She seemed to have been standing there for a long time, tilting her head slightly to look at the night sky, as if waiting for something.

As Lin Fan and Tong Tian approached, she seemed to sense their presence and slowly turned around.

The light spilled onto her face, revealing a face of exquisite beauty, with a gentle aura like that of a compassionate observer of the world. Her eyes, like the purest spring water, contained endless vitality and kindness.

Her gaze first fell on Lin Fan, with a hint of kind appraisal, then, it passed over him, and fell directly on... Tong Tian behind him.

In her eyes, there was no surprise, no accident, only a sense of relief and comfort, as if she had finally found an old acquaintance after traversing through eons of time and space.

She nodded slightly at Tong Tian, her lips parted, and her voice, ethereal and soft, uttered a sentence that almost made Lin Fan's jaw drop:

"Tongtian Shixiong, have you been well?"