We enjoyed the meal.
An hour later, Tang Ping was hunched over a roasted star-beast leg when his gaze suddenly sharpened. Among the dancers who had just taken the stage were two familiar faces: Zhang Min and Li Feifei.
They had changed quite a bit in the two years since he'd last seen them.
Zhang Min wore twin ponytails and a pink dance dress, looking sweet and adorable. Li Feifei wore a black spaghetti-strap dress and heavy makeup. Her every gesture carried a hint of allure, making her stand out in the crowd.
Quite a few customers below the stage tipped them, and dazzling virtual gift effects burst through the air.
"I heard these two are famous streamers at the academy, and they're even a lesbian duo," students at the next table murmured. "Li Feifei flirts with the viewers, while Zhang Min plays cute. Lots of big spenders are happy to shower them with gifts."
Tang Ping understood.
Streaming was indeed popular in the Virtual Universe, but the ones who truly made it big were mostly powerful experts. They streamed their cultivation, sold technique courses, and made a fortune.
Streamers like Zhang Min and Li Feifei, who relied on their looks, were limited by human standards of beauty. At most, they could become popular within a small circle of the Earth race.
He quietly watched the two on stage, with no intention of going over to greet them. After all, they had long since lost touch. Even if they really were "selling" themselves through streaming, it had nothing to do with him.
But as Zhang Min and Li Feifei scanned the audience, they spotted Tang Ping at once. A flash of delight crossed their faces, and they danced noticeably harder, their eyes darting toward him from time to time.
Following Tang Ping's gaze toward the stage, Liu Hui recognized Zhang Min and Li Feifei and hurriedly leaned close to his ear, lowering his voice. "Bro, those two are pretty popular at the academy now, and their streams are doing well. But I heard they get close to quite a few rich students in private. Their relationships are a real mess.
Your status is different now. Don't get involved with them, or you might end up giving someone leverage over you."
In Liu Hui's eyes, no matter how well Tang Ping was doing, he owed it all to Luo Xiaoyu. Put bluntly, he was "living off a woman."
If he went around getting involved with other women, getting caught and thrown out by Luo Xiaoyu would be the least of his worries. Rich people had tempers like nobody else. If one of them got truly angry, it wouldn't be impossible for them to cripple Tang Ping or even make him disappear without a trace among the stars.
In this vast expanse of space, human life could sometimes be cheaper than grass in the desert.
Tang Ping knew Liu Hui was sincerely looking out for him. He picked up the ice-cold Coke on the table and lightly clinked it against Liu Hui's cup. "Thanks, bro. I know what I'm doing. Cheers!"
They both tipped their heads back and gulped down a big mouthful of Coke.
It wasn't that they didn't want to drink alcohol. The drinks at Jiangnan Restaurant were simply too expensive, and Liu Hui couldn't afford to treat him. Tang Ping had money, but when it came to eating at a brother's expense, he had no qualms about it.
That was brotherhood: deep affection, ready to take a blade for each other! Don't ask who the blade was for.
At last, they finished their "expensive" barbecue. Liu Hui held the bill, his face scrunching up like a steamed bun.
More than 5,000 Silver Blue Coins—nearly half a month's living expenses for him. After paying, he thumped the table in pain. "Next time we get into a fight, I'm absolutely not messing with you in the Virtual Universe! I'll find an empty place in the real world and beat you up!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he deflated. In the real world, Tang Ping was a Planetary Rank ninth-level fighter, while he was only a first-level fighter. If they actually fought, he'd be the one getting beaten up.
Never mind, then!
As they parted, they agreed that once Liu Hui graduated, he'd come find Tang Ping at Black Dragon Mountain X4396. Tang Ping thumped his chest and promised, "I'll give you a generous salary then, cover your meals and accommodation, and even find you a wife!"
Liu Hui's eyes lit up. He agreed on the spot. "It's a deal!"
Just as Tang Ping turned to leave, a sweet voice suddenly called out from behind him. "Tang Ping, long time no see. I'd like to talk to you. Is that okay?"
He turned around and saw Zhang Min standing at the entrance in her Jiangnan High School uniform, twin ponytails framing her face and a perfectly sweet, innocent smile on her lips.
Tang Ping looked up and was suddenly reminded of the innocent days they'd shared in high school.
Ah, youth. It had been so beautiful once.
Noticing Tang Ping's gaze, Zhang Min secretly felt pleased. As expected, no matter how much time passed, she still held a special place in his heart. A first love was unbeatable.
But the next second, Tang Ping's words left her rooted to the spot. "Sorry, my wife keeps a close eye on me. She won't let me talk to idiots."
With that, he walked away without looking back, leaving Zhang Min standing there alone.
Zhang Min's sweet, childish expression first froze. Then her face flushed red and went pale, until it finally turned livid.
She wanted to fire back, but she didn't dare. If Tang Ping filed a complaint accusing her of harassing a customer, she could lose her job.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Zhang Min clenched her fists and screamed inwardly, trembling with rage.
When she returned to the dressing room, Li Feifei had already grown impatient waiting. The moment Zhang Min came in, she rushed over. "Well? Well? Did he agree to go out with you?
"We can secretly take a few photos together. Then we can use them to blackmail him and live off him for the rest of our lives!"
She grew more and more excited as she spoke. "It's only been two and a half years! He went from Apprentice Rank ninth level to Planetary Rank ninth level. How much money did Luo Xiaoyu spend on him? Why can't we ever meet a rich guy like that?
"The guys chasing us are either fat pigs or baldies, or stingy losers. Even when we ask them to order us delivery, they make us send them leg pictures first!"
"Leg pictures, my ass! I'll kick them so hard they'll never use their legs again! Have they never seen a woman before?" Li Feifei grew angrier with every word.
Zhang Min finally couldn't hold it in anymore. She crouched on the floor, clutching her head and sobbing, her voice full of hurt. "He didn't agree... He even called me an idiot..."
She felt so wronged! And she really did know she'd made a mistake.
She'd thought that if she crooked a finger, a rich classmate like Tang Ping would pay for everything. Naturally, she assumed she'd find someone even better and richer at university, so she'd impulsively turned him down.
She hadn't expected Tang Ping to be so ruthless. He'd demanded his money back, sent her a lawyer's letter, and even taken her to court. She'd ended up paying him back, and at university she still hadn't found anyone better than Tang Ping.
Putting the facts aside, wasn't Tang Ping partly to blame? If he'd shown a little patience, she'd be his by now, wouldn't she?
Besides, they'd been classmates. She'd only wanted to reminisce with him today, and he'd insulted her. Didn't he have even a little gentlemanly grace?
Li Feifei froze. After Zhang Min tearfully recounted what had happened, she flew into a rage too. "Tang Ping has no manners at all! So what if you turned him down? Did he really have to insult you?"
After crying for a while, Zhang Min suddenly raised her head, her eyes red. "Feifei, I heard some classmates saw Tang Ping showing off his title today, and they even took a photo of him chatting with a few female classmates... Do you think we could use it to blackmail him?"
Li Feifei's eyes lit up at once. "Great idea! I'll handle it right now!"
She immediately opened her contacts and found the classmate who'd taken the photo. In exchange for a few pictures of her bare feet, a pair of her used socks, and a meal, she got the blurry shot of "Tang Ping chatting with female classmates."
Then she drafted an anonymous email, attached the photo, and added a bunch of threats. Either he paid them one million Silver Blue Coins in hush money, or they'd send the photo to Luo Xiaoyu.
After sending the email, the two women sat in the dressing room, eagerly waiting for Tang Ping to beg them to stop.
Half an hour later, a reply finally came. It contained just two words: "Idiot!"
"Ahhh!" The two women nearly smashed their terminals in fury, completely losing their minds. Without thinking twice, they sent the photo to Luo Xiaoyu and added an exaggerated note: "Miss Luo, Tang Ping is getting involved with other women behind your back. You'd better keep an eye on him!"
Another half hour passed before Luo Xiaoyu finally replied.
The two women nervously opened the message, only to find a line of text that left them completely dumbfounded: "Thanks for letting me know. I was just thinking of taking in a few concubines for Brother Ping. Could you ask those classmates if they're interested? The salary is 10,000 Silver Blue Coins a month, and I'll arrange jobs, meals, and accommodation for their families."
"Ah?????"
Zhang Min and Li Feifei stared at each other, completely bewildered.
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