No Regrets

He'd heard at the breakfast shop that the chubby guy was willing to pay a million for a bronze trophy. Now Su Bai was offering him a gold trophy for the same price?

He chuckled and took the trophy back.

"If you're not serious about buying it, then forget it. I'll keep the trophy for myself."

"Hey, wait!" The chubby guy panicked when he saw Su Bai wasn't going to sell. He immediately tried to placate him. "Brother Su, if you're not happy with the price, we can talk!"

"What's there to talk about? You're not serious about buying it," Su Bai said evenly, looking as if he didn't particularly care whether he sold it or not.

The chubby guy's eyes darted around. Then he put on a hesitant expression. "How about this, Brother Su? I'll add another 500,000. What do you think?"

"That's all the savings I've got!"

As he spoke, he took out his phone and opened his wallet, apparently trying to prove to Su Bai that he wasn't lying.

Su Bai glanced at the long string of digits in the chubby guy's wallet...and his pupils suddenly contracted!

Good grief, the chubby guy really was loaded!

It wasn't that Su Bai had never seen much of the world. It was just that he'd never had this much money in either of his two lives!

Su Bai was about to accept!

But just then, he suddenly saw a smug glint in the chubby guy's eyes, and the words he was about to say changed.

"1.5 million? Forget it. I'll keep the trophy and take it home to admire at my leisure. After all, a person can only compete in the Campus Tournament once in their life. It means a lot to me."

After saying that, Su Bai immediately started walking away.

Although he walked off without hesitation, he was nervous inside.

Five seconds... If the chubby guy doesn't call after me, I'll sell it to him! Su Bai counted down silently.

Truthfully, he was already quite satisfied with 1.5 million. But the chubby guy seemed like he might be willing to pay more.

One second... Neither Su Bai nor the chubby guy said anything.

Two seconds... The chubby guy looked hesitant, as if he was weighing his options.

Three seconds... Su Bai quickened his pace!

Four seconds... Su Bai started to panic...

Five seconds... Just as Su Bai was about to turn around and come up with an excuse to say something to the chubby guy, the chubby guy spoke first!

"Brother Su, wait!" When Su Bai heard him call out, he smiled with his back to him, then quickly wiped the expression away.

The chubby guy jogged over, looking utterly helpless.

"All right, you win. I'm willing to pay more."

Phew~

Su Bai breathed a sigh of relief.

He'd dared to play hardball because the chubby guy was still a student and didn't have as much "experience" as he did. Just from looking at his face, Su Bai could tell that 1.5 million wasn't his limit!

Besides, Su Bai, who'd been around the block, knew one thing very well: when rich people bought things, what mattered to them wasn't the price, but whether the item appealed to them.

The chubby guy was willing to spend a million Federal Coins on a bronze trophy... Su Bai was certain he wouldn't mind spending another million on a gold one!

And just as Su Bai had expected, the higher the trophy's ranking, the better. The higher the ranking, the more face it gave him!

"But..." The chubby guy changed tack, making Su Bai tense up. He thought the guy had changed his mind.

But the chubby guy's next words immediately put Su Bai's fears to rest.

"But, Brother Su, that 1.5 million is all the cash I have. If you're not satisfied, I can only offer something in exchange." The chubby guy spread his hands helplessly, then pulled a scroll from his clothes.

"This is the D-rank ninja technique, Body Flicker Technique. It's worth somewhere between 1.8 and 2 million Federal Coins. How about I trade it for your gold trophy?"

Body Flicker Technique!

Su Bai's eyes narrowed, and his heart leapt!

When he'd chosen the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique in Niu Jun's office, he'd hesitated. The reason for his hesitation had been the Body Flicker Technique right in front of him!

Back then, Niu Jun had brought out five scrolls for him to choose from. Aside from two Genjutsu scrolls and one Shadow Shuriken scroll that Su Bai had thought was useless, there had been the Body Flicker Technique and the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique.

Su Bai had actually wanted to choose the Body Flicker Technique, but he'd considered how short he was on offensive ninja techniques. With the Nine Provinces Academy exam only a few months away, he'd had no choice but to reluctantly choose the other one.

He'd regretted it ever since, constantly looking for a way to get his hands on a Body Flicker Technique scroll. After all, the Body Flicker Technique was incredibly useful. In the right hands, it was no weaker than an A-rank or B-rank ninja technique!

He hadn't expected the opportunity to come so soon. He couldn't help feeling overjoyed!

But although Su Bai was delighted inside, he didn't let it show on his face.

"Body Flicker Technique? I suppose that'll do."

"Does that mean you agree, Brother Su?" The chubby guy was overjoyed when he heard Su Bai's tone soften!

Su Bai looked at the trophy in his hand and put on a hesitant expression. "Sigh, if I hadn't been having a hard time lately, I really wouldn't want to sell it."

"Forget it. Since we're both high school seniors, I'll reluctantly sell it to you. But, chubby guy, you have to take good care of it for me. I might come asking to buy it back one day."

"Of course, of course. Don't worry, Brother Su. I'm only buying it to show off, so I'll definitely take good care of it!" As he spoke, the chubby guy hurriedly stuffed the Body Flicker Technique scroll into Su Bai's hands, as if afraid he might change his mind.

Su Bai handed the trophy to the chubby guy with obvious reluctance. The chubby guy took it and left, delighted.

"Ha! I can't believe a piece of scrap metal got me a Body Flicker Technique scroll. That chubby guy sure is a sweetheart!"

At that moment, the chubby guy's portly figure looked so...pleasing to Su Bai's eyes!

Chapter 32: No Regrets

"Now I have two D-rank ninja techniques. With the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique I've already mastered, completing the task is just around the corner!"

Su Bai rode the bus and glanced at the System Panel.

[Current Task: Master three D-rank ninja techniques (Reward: 10 usable Attribute Points)]

Those were 10 usable Attribute Points! If he put them into Chakra Level, he could double his chakra in an instant!

Or if he put them into Earth Attribute, he could raise it by at least two or three levels!

No matter how he looked at it, as long as he had Attribute Points, Su Bai could get stronger!

The only ways to obtain Attribute Points were to get one when they refreshed at midnight each day or to complete tasks. That was why Su Bai took his tasks so seriously!

"First, I'll tell my parents I won the championship. Then I'll have a meal with Xueqing and Chang Rui. When I get back tonight, I'll start training in the ninja techniques!"

Winning the championship was such wonderful news that Su Bai had decided to tell his parents in person and make them proud!

As it happened, the Chakra-Conducting Equipment factory where his parents worked wasn't far from the City Center. It would take less than an hour by bus, and by the time he arrived, his parents would be about to finish work.

The Yang City Chakra-Conducting Equipment factory was located west of the City Center, within the second ring road. It covered more than 100,000 square meters and was a modest-sized business.

The factory had just over 200 workers. Most were low-level laborers who used specialized machines to cut up Magic Beast carcasses. It was hard work, but they earned only a meager wage.

A smaller number were assembly-line workers like Lin Xiu'e. Once the laborers finished cutting up the Magic Beast carcasses, the women sorted them.

This kind of work was usually done by women. The pay was lower, but the work was easier, and they could still make enough to cover a family's daily expenses.

By the time Su Bai reached the factory where his parents worked, it was past four in the afternoon. The workers would finish for the day in another half hour.

Su Bai waited outside rather than going in. About twenty minutes later, he spotted his mother, Lin Xiu'e, and hurried over.

"Mom!"

"Xiaobai? What are you doing here?" Lin Xiu'e looked surprised to see Su Bai. It was the first time her son had come to visit her at work.

Su Bai grinned and took the little electric scooter from his mother. "I was in the City Center to meet a friend, and I had nothing else to do, so I came by. Besides, I've got good news to tell you and Dad!"

"What good news?" Lin Xiu'e asked curiously.

"Hehe, I can't tell you yet. I'll wait until I see Dad!" Su Bai kept her guessing, then asked, "By the way, where's Dad? Don't you two get off work together?"

Lin Xiu'e scolded him with a laugh. "You rascal." Then she added, "Maybe he hasn't come out yet. He's not on duty today."

"Oh, then I'll wait."

As he spoke, Su Bai parked the scooter to one side and chatted with his mother.

The two of them talked for more than ten minutes, but Su Jianhong still hadn't come out. Lin Xiu'e started to find it strange too.

"What's going on with your dad today? He should've been out ages ago."

"Could Dad be working overtime without telling you?" Su Bai asked.

The number of Magic Beast carcasses delivered to the factory varied from day to day, so overtime was common.

Lin Xiu'e shook her head. "That can't be it. Your dad worked overtime just two days ago. It shouldn't be his turn today."

"How about this? You wait here, and I'll go look for him."

"Mom, I'll come with you. I'm curious what it's like inside." Su Bai got off the scooter and spoke up.

Lin Xiu'e thought about it, then nodded. "All right. It's nearly quitting time, so no one will mind. Come with me."

With that, she led Su Bai into the factory.

Inside one of the workshops.

Four or five workers in blue uniforms, their clothes greasy, were confronting a clean-cut, middle-aged man who looked like a manager.

"Section Chief Liang, why is our team working overtime again today?"

"Yeah, we just worked overtime two days ago. It's obviously Old Liu's team's turn today. Why are we the ones doing it again?"

Two workers complained angrily. The others nodded in agreement, and Su Jianhong was among them.

Their production line had three teams, and they usually took turns working overtime. By the normal schedule, it should've been their turn tomorrow, not today.

Section Chief Liang gave the two workers a cool glance. "Why do you have so much to say? Do you still want to work here? If you don't, quit tomorrow. There are plenty of people who do!"

Section Chief Liang's name was Liang Youde. He'd worked there for more than twenty years. Thanks to his family connections and his relentless efforts to curry favor with his superiors, he'd finally made it to section chief. In the workshop, he was second in command.

The workers were making a fuss today because the team that should've worked overtime had been sent to help one of Liang Youde's superiors move things at home. So Su Jianhong's team had been made to work overtime instead.

As soon as Liang Youde spoke, the two workers fell silent and looked toward Su Jianhong.

Su Jianhong was the team leader. The workers hoped he would stand up for them and get Liang Youde to change his mind.

Su Jianhong's expression darkened. He understood what was going on and knew he shouldn't argue with the section chief.

But he was an honest, decent man. He felt that as team leader, he should speak up for the others.

Su Jianhong knew what his coworkers were thinking. They weren't lazy, and working one extra day wouldn't wear them out.

It was just that overtime wasn't paid, and now they were being made to cover for someone else. Even he wasn't happy about it.

"Chief, they're right. We shouldn't be the ones working overtime today." After thinking it over, Su Jianhong decided to speak up.

Liang Youde's expression immediately darkened.

If it had only been ordinary workers making trouble, he could have threatened to fire them and they would've backed down.

After all, there was no shortage of low-level workers in society. Without this job, they wouldn't be able to make ends meet.

But Su Jianhong was different. He was the team leader. Once he spoke up, the others would feel emboldened and band together to argue back.

Sure enough, as soon as Su Jianhong finished speaking, the four workers all chimed in, demanding that Liang Youde rescind the overtime order!

"You poor laborers think you can get away with anything? You dare talk back to me!" Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Liang Youde immediately bellowed.

Poor laborers.

It was a phrase Liang Youde liked to throw around. Whenever a worker rubbed him the wrong way, he'd curse them with it.

Su Jianhong frowned at his words. "Chief, we're all ordinary people working in the same workshop. Is there any need to speak so rudely?"

"Exactly! You're an ordinary person too. What gives you the right to talk to us like that?"

"That's right! We haven't done anything wrong today. You're the one being unreasonable!"

The workers chimed in one after another, glaring at Liang Youde.

Usually, they endured Liang Youde's insults because they needed their jobs. But now they had a legitimate grievance, and they'd already been seething. All at once, their anger erupted!

Seeing Su Jianhong riling up the workers, Liang Youde's expression changed. He stepped forward and shoved him to the ground.