Li Corporation

Qing Chen had seemingly made skipping class a habit.

By all rights, after skipping so many times, his parents should have been called in.

But the key issue was that his homeroom teacher, Du Yihong, had been on leave this entire time. Since the transmigration incident began, the man hadn't shown his face once, and the other teachers wouldn't bother with Qing Chen.

So, when he could skip class, he skipped without hesitation.

As the workday ended, the narrow Xingshu Road was already bustling. Vendors selling roasted sweet potatoes, watermelons, and cold dishes had set up stalls along both sides of the road.

When he was little, his mother, Zhang Wanfang, would visit her parents, and his father would lazily take him to the street for a bowl of 1.5-yuan rice noodles.

Back then, Qing Chen felt his father was too perfunctory, but looking back now, perhaps those were the best times of his childhood.

His father hadn't started gambling yet, his parents hadn't divorced, and his maternal grandparents hadn't looked down on him.

The 1.5-yuan rice noodles then had now become fifteen yuan, and it seemed like everything had gone back to how it was.

After he entered Courtyard No. 4, he suddenly noticed two men squatting by the roadside, smoking.

The sky was gradually darkening, and Qing Chen couldn't see their faces clearly, only the red embers of their cigarette butts flickering on and off.

Initially, Qing Chen thought they were from a mysterious organization watching and looking for him, as their demeanor seemed unusual, and they kept glancing around.

But later, he realized they didn't react at all when he walked past.

As Qing Chen entered the building, he smelled the aroma from upstairs. Li Tongyun was already waiting at his doorstep. "Brother, Mom's almost done cooking. She told me to wait here for you."

"What if I'm in evening study hall? You don't have to wait for me," Qing Chen said, patting Li Tongyun's little head.

"You haven't been to evening study hall these past few days," Li Tongyun said, pulling his sleeve and leading him upstairs.

As soon as he opened the door, Qing Chen saw that the furniture they had broken before was gone. The room, which had previously looked dilapidated, was now completely changed, as if many things had been replaced with new ones.

Jiang Xue, busy in the kitchen with an apron tied around her waist, said without turning her head upon hearing the door open, "Is that Qing Chen? Come in and sit down. We just need the soup."

Qing Chen looked at the dining table. Sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried beef, pickled beans with minced meat, and hot and sour shredded potatoes – they all looked delicious and appetizing.

Compared to the bland meals in Prison No. 18, this was a true improvement in their diet.

"Aunt Jiang Xue, what exactly are we celebrating?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

Jiang Xue came out with the soup pot, her face beaming. "I told you before that I opened a mechanical limb clinic in the Inner World."

"Yes, you mentioned it," Qing Chen said, getting up to help her by taking the soup pot and placing it on the table.

Jiang Xue turned back to the kitchen to get rice and chopsticks. "This clinic really worried me before. Because when you transmigate, you don't inherit memories. So, when people came to me to modify their mechanical limbs, I had no idea how to do it."

Qing Chen listened quietly.

Then Jiang Xue continued, "The people who came to modify their mechanical limbs all looked fierce and intimidating. And the security in City No. 18 is particularly bad at night; walking on the streets after 8 PM isn't safe, so I was always quite worried."

This was why Jiang Xue had wanted to entrust Li Tongyun to Qing Chen temporarily, as she herself didn't know if she would be able to return after transmigrating.

"But it's better now," Jiang Xue said with a smile. "I don't know how it happened, but people from the Li Corporation suddenly found my small clinic and said they wanted to invest."

"Li Corporation..." Qing Chen muttered to himself.

"I've told you before, in the Inner World, corporations are like gods. As long as a corporation invests in an industry, all the criminals will steer clear of it," Jiang Xue said excitedly, sitting down at the dining table. "They not only gave me a sum of money but also replaced my holographic neon sign with one bearing the Li Corporation's logo. Now I'm much safer in the Inner World."

Qing Chen smiled. "With the Li Corporation's help, it's indeed something to celebrate."

"Now I don't have to trouble you, and Xiao Yun's maternal grandparents don't have to leave their homes," Jiang Xue said, very satisfied with the current situation. She even said to Qing Chen with a smile, "You used to envy Transmigrators, didn't you? If you ever transmigrate, come find me in City No. 18. Aunt Jiang Xue might not be able to do much else, but I can protect you."

Qing Chen sighed inwardly. He was indeed in City No. 18, but unfortunately, his situation was something ordinary people couldn't help with.

The struggle for power within the Qing Clan's Shadow organization and the inheritance of the Knight Organization were matters that had long surpassed the understanding of ordinary Transmigrators.

"By the way, Aunt Jiang Xue," Qing Chen asked, "have those men in black contacted you again?"

"They haven't contacted me, but I contacted them," Jiang Xue said. "After entrusting Xiao Yun to you last time, I thought about contacting them to see if I could get their help in the Inner World."

Jiang Xue continued, "However, they stated that their organization had just been established and couldn't play much of a role in the Inner World, so they were unable to help."

After the meal, Jiang Xue went to wash the dishes, leaving Qing Chen and Li Tongyun sitting at the table.

At that moment, Qing Chen suddenly asked, "You're a Transmigrator too, aren't you?"

Li Tongyun blinked her eyes and asked, "What are you talking about, Brother Qing Chen?"

"Last time, you specifically asked for your mother's clinic's name, and this time the Li Corporation invested in her clinic and provided such thoughtful protection," Qing Chen said. "You can deny it, but I can also tell your mother these clues."

Li Tongyun immediately got scared. "Don't tell Mom!"

Qing Chen breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn't guessed wrong.

Before returning yesterday, he had reviewed all his recent memories and discovered something strange.

When Li Tongyun learned that her mother had opened a clinic, her first reaction wasn't curiosity about the Inner World, but rather asking for her mother's clinic's name. This was clearly an intentional question.

That's why yesterday he had used a transaction opportunity to ask Li Shutong for the list of members of the Li Corporation.

Li Tongyun's name was indeed on it.

Traversing between two worlds, his name and body were his own; there was no mistake about that.

Qing Chen asked in a low voice, "Why didn't you tell your mother?"

"Not many people dare to control me in the Inner World, but if Mom found out, she would definitely control me in both worlds," Li Tongyun said timidly. "Don't tell my mom, I can give you money. I have a lot of pocket money in the Inner World."

Qing Chen said without hesitation, "I'm not a Transmigrator, why would I want money from over there?"

Seeing that he said it so readily, Li Tongyun asked in confusion, "Aren't you a Transmigrator?"

"Of course not," Qing Chen denied. "That... how much pocket money do you have in the Outer World?"

Li Tongyun froze for a moment. "You want to scam a kid out of their money too!?"

Qing Chen: "..."