"Brother Ping, how did it go? Did you choose Jiangnan Interstellar Academy too? Then we can hang out together again~"
A sickly sweet voice came from beside him. Tang Ping looked up and saw Zhang Min standing by his desk, cupping her cheeks in both hands, her knuckles tinged a faint pink.
It was her usual pose for acting cute. Her pink dress was from last month's new Star Dream Series collection. Delicate, fluorescent patterns embroidered along the hem shimmered beneath the classroom's simulated starlight. Her big eyes seemed to glisten, their corners gently curved.
Anyone who saw her like this would think she was an innocent, harmless girl.
Some of their classmates glanced over discreetly. Even Zhang Qiang, Tang Ping's deskmate, nudged him with an elbow, his eyes hinting, "You lucky dog."
After all, Zhang Min had always presented herself as "gentle and kind" in class. She had often brought Tang Ping breakfast and organized his notes, so those who didn't know the truth assumed they were already a couple.
Tang Ping simply looked away from the holographic screen and replied in a flat, unruffled voice, "No. I chose Galaxy Warrior University, jointly established by the Luo Family and the Silver Blue Empire."
"Huh?" The smile on Zhang Min's face froze. The glimmer in her big eyes gathered visibly, and the next moment they reddened.
She lowered her head and pinched the hem of her dress between her slender, pale fingers, twisting it into a little knot. Her voice trembled with hurt. "Brother Ping, you... you're abandoning Min'er? Didn't we agree we'd work hard together at Jiangnan Interstellar Academy, then join one of the Luo Family's affiliated companies?"
At her words, the murmurs around them grew louder. Some classmates looked at Tang Ping with confusion, and a few even seemed to blame him. In their eyes, he was turning down the beautiful girl right in front of him to chase after the unattainable Galaxy Warrior University. What an ungrateful fool.
Tang Ping nodded, his tone still calm. "That's right. A guy has to pursue a better life. You can't expect me to stay just because you want me to, can you?
"Oh, and one more thing. Remember to pay back the money you've borrowed from me over the years sometime in the next few days. Once I'm at Galaxy Warrior University, I might not be able to find you again."
He raised his wrist, revealing an old-model smartwatch with a worn edge. It was one of the few things his parents had left him, and he'd worn it for three years without replacing it.
He tapped the watch face, and his voice rang out clearly. "Xiao Ai, compile a record of all the money Zhang Min has borrowed from me over the years. List it in chronological order and send the bill to her Personal Terminal now, so she doesn't get the amounts mixed up.
"Also, set a reminder. If she hasn't paid me back in three days, generate a lawyer's letter template and send it to me."
"Understood, master. Retrieving financial records... Bill generated. Sending it to user 'Zhang Min's' terminal..." The smartwatch's crisp electronic voice echoed through the classroom, silencing the whispers.
A few seconds later, Zhang Min's Personal Terminal beeped.
She froze, then instinctively raised her hand and tapped it. A pale blue holographic screen appeared in front of her, filled with lines of loan records:
[April, 2266: Borrowed 50,000 Silver Blue Coins for Dragon Blood Crystal purchases;
June, 2267: Borrowed 1.2 million Silver Blue Coins for a Telekinesis Training Device;
January, 2267: Borrowed 80,000 Silver Blue Coins for her younger brother's school admission connections...]
Each entry listed the date, purpose, and transfer receipt. The total at the bottom landed like a hammer before everyone's eyes:
Total: 2.08 million Silver Blue Coins
"Gasp..." A chorus of shocked breaths swept through the classroom.
The rent for every shop along Jiangnan City's most prosperous Starlight Commercial Street came to only a little over a million a year.
"Did I hear that right? Zhang Min borrowed that much money?"
"Oh my god, all those clothes and cultivation resources she used to buy... She paid for them with Tang Ping's money?"
"She used to say Tang Ping wasn't good enough for her. Turns out she was treating him like an ATM!"
The whispers turned into open discussion, and mocking, accusing gazes landed on Zhang Min from every direction.
Her face went from pale to green, then purple. Her fingers trembled as she scrolled through the figures on the screen. Tears fell onto the desk like beads from a broken string, and her voice turned tearful. "Waaah! Tang Ping, I hate you!"
With that, she covered her face and stumbled back to her seat. She dropped onto her desk with a slap, her shoulders shaking violently. Her sobs came through her fingers, as though she'd suffered some terrible injustice.
Tang Ping smiled. "It's fine if you hate me. Just remember to pay me back."
Trashy women deserved to eat shit!
" Tang Ping, how could you do this!" An angry voice suddenly rang out. Zhang Min's deskmate, Liu Wu, shot to his feet and pointed at Tang Ping's nose as he berated him.
"You're classmates! Minmin's always been so good to you, and now you're putting her through this over a little money? Have you no manners?"
Tang Ping glanced up at him and calmly asked, "Oh? Are you going to pay her debt for her? 2.08 million. Transfer it to my terminal now, and I'll let it go."
Liu Wu's face instantly turned the color of liver. His finger froze in midair, and he stammered, unable to get the words out. "I... I..."
"If you don't have the money, stay out of it." Tang Ping turned away, not bothering to look at him again.
At that moment, Zhang Min's best friend, Li Feifei, stood up too. She pointed at Tang Ping's nose, trembling with anger. "Tang Ping, don't go too far! Minmin used to be so good to you.
"For your birthday, she went out of her way to pick out a limited-edition energy belt for you. Your dorm room was a pigsty, and she came every week to clean it. She was even willing to give up a better school just to apply to the same university as you!
"And this is how you treat her? You're a heartless bastard! I never want to see a classmate like you again!"
Her words moved some of the students around them. Even those who had blamed Zhang Min began to hesitate. After all, they'd all seen these supposed acts of kindness for themselves.
Tang Ping couldn't help laughing. "A limited-edition energy belt? I remember it was a discounted model. Its original price was only 8,000 Silver Blue Coins, and she'd worn it herself for half a month before giving it to me.
"Cleaning my dorm every week? She came three times in the entire semester, and each time she messed up the cultivation notes I'd left on my desk."
He paused and glanced at Li Feifei, whose face had gone pale. The chill in his voice deepened. "Since you think she's 'done so much' for me, I'll be generous too. I'll waive the 80,000 Silver Blue Coins in the bill's remaining balance. Call it compensation for the belt and the labor costs of hiring her to clean my dorm.
"Eighty thousand! It'd take a cleaner in Jiangnan City years to earn that much. Zhang Min's made a killing!"
"As for our classmate bond..." Tang Ping looked around at the silent students. "To be honest, once I'm at Galaxy Warrior University, I'll probably never see most of you again. So don't use 'classmate bonds' to guilt-trip me.
"Oh, except for Liu Hui. And if any of you throw a university admission banquet, don't invite me. I'm not interested."
He changed tack and suddenly looked at Li Feifei, a meaningful smile tugging at his lips. "Oh, right, Li Feifei. I remember you borrowed 150,000 Silver Blue Coins from me last year to buy nutritional supplements for cultivation. You still haven't paid it back, have you?
"Xiao Ai, compile Li Feifei's loan records too and send them to her terminal. Remind her to pay me back along with Zhang Min in three days."
"Understood, master. Li Feifei's loan records have been compiled. Sending..."
Li Feifei's face turned deathly pale. It was as if all the strength had drained from her; she staggered back into her seat, disbelief written across her face.
The classroom fell completely silent. Everyone stared at Tang Ping with awe. The boy who'd once seemed honest and easy to push around had suddenly become a different person.
Tang Ping paid no attention to their gazes. He simply lowered his eyes to the "Confirm Admission" button for Galaxy Warrior University and tapped it lightly.
"Beep~" A flash of pale blue light crossed the screen, and the words "Application submitted successfully" appeared.
Universe, here I come!
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