Taking a Concubine

The meal was quite enjoyable.

An hour later, as Tang Ping was bowing his head to gnaw on a roasted star-beast leg, his gaze suddenly sharpened. Among the dancers who had just swapped onto the stage, there were two familiar faces: Zhang Min and Li Feifei.

They hadn't seen each other in two years, and both had changed quite a bit.

Zhang Min wore her hair in twin tails and was dressed in a pink dance skirt, looking dainty and cute; Li Feifei wore a black spaghetti-strap dress with vibrant makeup, her every gesture carrying a hint of allure that made her stand out in the crowd.

Many guests below the stage were tipping them, with virtual gift effects exploding into brilliant displays in the air.

"I heard these two are famous streamers at the academy, a lesbian duo," a student at the next table whispered. "Li Feifei is in charge of flirting, and Zhang Min sells cuteness. Plenty of big shots are willing to shower them with gifts."

Tang Ping understood.

Streaming is indeed popular in the Virtual Universe, but those who truly break out are mostly powerhouses with real strength who livestream their cultivation or sell technique courses, earning a fortune.

Streamers like Zhang Min and Li Feifei, who rely on their looks, are limited by human aesthetic circles and can only achieve small-scale popularity within the Earth ethnic group at best.

He watched the two on stage quietly, having no intention of going up to say hello. After all, they had long since ceased to have any connection, and even if they were truly "selling" themselves via livestreaming, it had nothing to do with him.

However, as Zhang Min and Li Feifei scanned the audience, they spotted Tang Ping instantly. A flash of pleasant surprise crossed their faces; their dance movements became noticeably more energetic, and their eyes kept darting toward him.

Liu Hui followed Tang Ping's gaze to the stage, and upon recognizing Zhang Min and Li Feifei, he quickly leaned in to whisper in his ear: "Brother, these two are pretty popular at the academy right now. Their streaming is going well, but I've heard they get close to quite a few wealthy students behind the scenes. Their personal lives are a mess.

Your status is different now, so don't get tangled up with them. If you get caught in a trap, it'll be trouble."

In Liu Hui's eyes, no matter how well Tang Ping was doing, he only had what he had today because of Luo Xiaoyu—in short, he was a "kept man."

If he were to mess around with other women outside and got caught by Luo Xiaoyu, being kicked out would be the least of his worries. Those wealthy people had explosive tempers; if they were truly angered, it wouldn't be impossible for them to cripple Tang Ping or even dispose of him silently in the vastness of space.

In this boundless interstellar expanse, human life is sometimes cheaper than grass in the desert.

Tang Ping knew in his heart that Liu Hui was genuinely looking out for him, so he picked up the iced cola on the table and tapped it gently against his friend's cup: "Thanks, brother, I've got it under control. Cheers!"

The two tilted their heads and took a large gulp of cola.

It wasn't that they didn't want to drink alcohol, but the drinks at Jiangnan Restaurant were simply too expensive for Liu Hui to afford; although Tang Ping had money, he still felt justified in letting his brother treat him.

Being brothers means deep bonds and standing by each other through thick and thin! Never mind who is doing the stabbing.

Finally finishing this "expensive" barbecue, Liu Hui held the bill, his face crinkling like a steamed bun.

Over 5,000 Silver Blue Coins—it was almost half a month's living expenses for him. After paying, he pounded the table in heartache: "Next time we fight, I'm definitely not doing it with you in the Virtual Universe! I'm going to find a deserted spot in reality and beat you up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he wilted again. In reality, Tang Ping was a Planetary Rank 9, while he was only a Planetary Rank 1. If they really fought, he would definitely be the one getting beaten.

Never mind, then!

When they parted ways, the two agreed that once Liu Hui graduated, he would come to Black Dragon Mountain X4396 to find Tang Ping. Tang Ping patted his chest and guaranteed: "I'll give you a high salary, cover your room and board, and even help you find a wife!"

Liu Hui's eyes lit up at the words, and he agreed on the spot: "It's a deal!"

Just as Tang Ping turned to leave, a sweet voice suddenly rang out from behind him: "Tang Ping, long time no see. I want to talk to you, is that okay?"

He turned back to see Zhang Min standing at the entrance, wearing her Jiangnan High School uniform with her hair in twin tails, a perfectly calibrated, innocent smile on her face.

Tang Ping looked up, and memories of their naive days in high school instantly flooded back.

Youth, how beautiful it once was.

Zhang Min noticed Tang Ping's gaze and felt secretly smug. Sure enough, no matter how much time passed, she remained special in Tang Ping's heart; the "white moonlight" is always invincible.

But the next second, Tang Ping's words left her frozen in place: "Sorry, my wife is strict. She doesn't let me talk to idiots."

With that, he walked away without looking back, leaving Zhang Min standing there alone.

Zhang Min's originally sweet and naive face was stunned for a moment, then turned red, then white, and finally a deathly shade of blue.

She wanted to retort, but she didn't dare. If Tang Ping filed a complaint saying she was harassing guests, she would likely lose this job.

"Ahhhhh!" Zhang Min clenched her fists and screamed frantically in her mind, trembling with rage.

Back in the changing room, Li Feifei had long since grown impatient. As soon as she saw her enter, she rushed over: "How was it? Did he agree to go on a date with you?

We can secretly take a few photos, and then we can use them to blackmail him and live off him for the rest of our lives!"

She grew more excited as she spoke: "It's only been two and a half years! He went from Apprentice Rank 9 to Planetary Rank 9. How much money did Luo Xiaoyu dump on him? Why can't we ever run into a rich guy like that?

The ones chasing us are either fat pigs or baldies, or stingy losers. If you ask them for takeout, they want you to send them leg pics first!"

"Legs, legs, legs! I'll kick them into eunuchs! Have they never seen a woman before?" Li Feifei grew angrier the more she cursed.

Zhang Min could no longer hold it in; she squatted on the floor, buried her head in her arms, and began to cry, her voice filled with grievance: "He didn't agree... and he called me an idiot..."

She felt so wronged! And she truly knew she was wrong.

She used to think that if she just beckoned, a wealthy classmate like Tang Ping would pay her way, and she naturally assumed she would find someone even better and richer in college, so she hadn't agreed to him on impulse.

She never expected Tang Ping to be so ruthless, demanding his money back, sending legal letters, and even taking her to court. Not only did she lose the money, but she hadn't found anyone in college better than Tang Ping.

Setting the facts aside, wasn't it partly Tang Ping's own fault? If he had just been a little more patient, wouldn't she have given herself to him by now?

Besides, they were classmates; she just wanted to reminisce today, and he actually insulted her. Did he have any gentlemanly manners at all?

Li Feifei was stunned. Once Zhang Min finished stuttering through the account of what happened, she was furious too: "This Tang Ping is so ungentlemanly! It's just a rejection, was there any need to call names?"

After crying for a long while, Zhang Min suddenly lifted her head, her eyes red: "Feifei, I heard that when Tang Ping showed his title today, some classmates saw him chatting with several female students... tell me, can we use that to threaten him?"

Li Feifei's eyes lit up instantly: "Great idea! I'll get right on it!"

She immediately pulled up her contacts, found the classmate who had taken the photo, and traded a few photos of her own jade-like feet, a pair of unwashed second-hand socks, and the promise of a meal to get that blurry photo of "Tang Ping chatting with a female classmate."

Afterward, she composed an anonymous email, attached the photo, and wrote a bunch of threatening words, demanding either a 100,000 Silver Blue Coin hush money payment or she would send the photo to Luo Xiaoyu.

After sending the email, the two women sat in the changing room, waiting in high anticipation for Tang Ping to beg for mercy.

Half an hour later, the email reply finally arrived, containing only two words: "Morons!"

"Ahhh!" The two women were so angry they nearly smashed their terminals, completely losing their composure. Without a second thought, they sent the photo directly to Luo Xiaoyu, adding a malicious note: "Miss Luo, Tang Ping is getting cozy with other women behind your back; you'd better keep a close eye on him!"

Another half hour passed, and Luo Xiaoyu's reply finally arrived.

The two women opened it nervously, only to see a line of text that left them completely dumbfounded: "Thanks for the reminder. I was just thinking about finding a concubine for Brother Ping. Could you help me ask those classmates if they're interested? The salary is 10,000 Silver Blue Coins a month, with housing and jobs provided for their families."

"Huh?????"

Zhang Min and Li Feifei looked at each other, completely bewildered.