131. Chapter 131: Possessed by a Ghost

Zhang Yang thought for a moment and then made a video call to Pei Xiaoru.

Where is he/she?

"Me? I went back for a while." In the video, behind Pei Xiaoru is a huge farmland. She stands in the open field, her hair blowing wildly in the wind.

"I've transferred the money to you, please check your account."

"You didn't come home just for this, did you?" Zhang Yang felt a little guilty looking at the scene.

"Hmm, it's alright, don't worry about it." Pei Xiaoru smiled gently. "Although I know what I can do is just a drop in the ocean, it might still make a difference, right?"

"It works, of course it works!" Zhang Yang smiled.

He had just received a text message that Pei Xiaoru had transferred 350,000 yuan to him, and in the blink of an eye, the system returned another 35 million yuan in cashback.

There's still 15 million worth of freebies left. I'll just let things take their course; I don't necessarily have to get them.

"I'm glad it worked. I'll hang up now." Pei Xiaoru seemed to have something to do and ended the video call.

After ending his call with Pei Xiaoru, Zhang Yang casually opened the local real estate website in Pengcheng to look at the houses and learn about the local real estate situation.

I recall Pei Xiaoru mentioning that she originally intended to send that money back to her parents to buy a house.

Now that I want to come here, I obviously can't buy a house anymore.

No problem, Zhang Yang can easily help Pei Xiaoru fulfill this wish.

···

Far away in the countryside of Pengcheng, Pei Xiaoru put down her phone and walked towards a village house not far away.

This is her grandparents' old house.

This time when she came back, she had to plead and beg to get the money she had previously transferred to her parents to buy a house back. As for the reason, she just made up a random excuse.

Before returning to Magic City, she made a special trip to the countryside to visit her grandparents.

"Xiao Ni, come, sit down."

Inside an old house in the countryside, two elderly people were sitting on small stools, busy with their work.

"Okay." Pei Xiaoru said obediently and sat down, helping her grandparents with their chores for a while.

"Xiao Ni, when you came back this time, your parents said that you seemed to need money urgently? You took back all the money that was originally intended to buy a house?" Pei Xiaoru's grandmother had a kind face, and her rough hands never stopped moving.

"Huh? My parents already told me about this?" Pei Xiaoru brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, slightly embarrassed.

"If you need money, why didn't you tell us?" The old man winked at Pei Xiaoru's grandfather.

The old man beside her stood up, supporting himself on his knees. After a moment, he returned with a cloth bag. "Xiao Ni, your grandma and I don't have much money here, just 30,000 yuan. Take it and use it first."

Pei Xiaoru was taken aback and immediately stood up.

"This money... I..."

"Here you go. You've always been a reliable little girl. We know you must need this money urgently. Take it and use it." Pei Xiaoru's grandfather smiled and placed the money in her hand without hesitation.

"Then you..." Pei Xiaoru held the retirement money that her grandparents had saved up here and there, and felt a mix of indescribable emotions.

"Your grandma and I can still work in the fields now, and we're still healthy. We'll talk about it when we're too old to move," the two old people said with a smile, exchanging a glance.

At noon, Pei Xiaoru had a nice lunch at her grandparents' house, and then prepared to go back home in the afternoon.

"If you see a boy you like, remember to bring him to your grandparents to see." Before leaving, Pei Xiaoru's grandmother held Pei Xiaoru's hand and kept reminding her.

Upon hearing this, Pei Xiaoru's cheeks flushed, and her eyes seemed to drift off.

Seeing this, the two elderly people understood what was going on, and their smiles became even more kind.

In the afternoon, not long after Pei Xiaoru left, a middle-aged couple hurriedly arrived in the countryside.

"What? You gave all your retirement money to this little girl?"

"Can you two calm down? We're giving money to our granddaughter, what's the big deal? Look at you two like this." Pei Xiaoru's grandfather wasn't all smiles when facing his own son.

"Oh dear, you don't understand." Pei's father frowned, feeling uneasy.

"Dad, that's not what we meant. We're just worried that Xiaoru might be scammed out there. We're definitely not comfortable with a young girl like her." The middle-aged woman stepped forward, offering a few words of reassurance before expressing her concerns.

"How could I not know my granddaughter? You're all just worrying unnecessarily." Pei Xiaoru's grandfather waved his hand, not wanting to say anything more.

The middle-aged couple exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.

After a short while, the two walked to the side and spoke in hushed tones.

"We felt something was off when this girl came back. We were almost ready to pay the down payment, what could be so important that she had to come back?"

"Don't let her meet some unscrupulous person outside. She might be bewitched and listen to everything they say, and end up being swindled out of everything, including her money!"

"No, we can't just let this happen. Should we go and take a look?"

That makes sense.

After a brief discussion, the couple immediately decided to take the earliest high-speed train to Magic City that afternoon, without telling their daughter, to see what was really going on.

If the money really was embezzled by some boy, they would absolutely not allow it.

This is outrageous!

Around 3 or 4 pm, the couple boarded the high-speed train and headed straight for Magic City.

···

The next morning, Zhang Yang went to the private banking center of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and applied for the American Express Centurion Black Card, which had been circulating for a long time and frequently appeared in various novels and street literature.

It's a very light card, and it's not made of the metal material you might expect, but rather a PVC plastic card.

Annual fee of 18,000, credit limit of 10 million.

Well, it's better than nothing. Zhang Yang mainly values its various rights and benefits, after all, he's now a young tycoon with assets of over two billion yuan.

Although they can't compare to the old money and can only be considered part of the newly rich, as a wealthy person, shouldn't they have what they're entitled to, even if they don't use it?

In the future, when I go out, flashing my Centurion Black Card will be a symbol of my status.

Simply flashing your car key or a flashing watch is a bit too simplistic, crude, and deliberate; it lacks a fresh and natural feel.

"Mr. Zhang, are you free at noon? I'd like to invite you to lunch to thank you for your support of my work." The elegant and beautiful private banking manager looked at the incredibly handsome Centurion Black Card client in front of her and couldn't help but ask softly.

"Dinner? No need, right?" Zhang Yang checked his phone; Pei Xiaoru had just contacted him to meet up.

"Looks like you have plans for lunch," the private banking manager said with a smile. "This time, I should be able to take your friend spot, right? I've added you so many times before but you didn't accept."

"Okay, add her. I'll approve it later." Zhang Yang glanced at the dignified private banking manager in front of him, and then casually glanced at her stockings.

The enthusiasm of this private banking manager truly exceeded his expectations.

He lowered his head and casually accepted the friend request.

"Let me see." The private banking manager leaned in close, and only smiled with relief when he saw that the friend request had been accepted.

After leaving the bank, Zhang Yang glanced at a message sent to him by the private banking manager.

They said things like, "It's an honor, I'm happy to serve you," and added, "I'm available 24/7 if you need anything."

Zhang Yang blinked and casually scrolled through her WeChat Moments.

Hmm... she really loves life. Traveling, food, every photo, seemingly ordinary, is actually very exquisite, from the background to her appearance in the photo.

It's clear that she's putting a lot of effort into managing her WeChat Moments.

Zhang Yang glanced at it and put it down. He didn't have much time to study it further because he had to meet with Pei Xiaoru right now.

After a brief separation of just a few days, he truly hadn't expected Pei Xiaoru to actually go back.

About half an hour later, at the same coffee shop where we first met:

As soon as Zhang Yang walked in, he saw Pei Xiaoru.

She rested her chin on her hand, looking around listlessly, stirring her cup of coffee several times.

"Have you been waiting long?" Zhang Yang walked straight over and sat down, asking with a smile.

"Hey, you're here!" Upon seeing Zhang Yang, Pei Xiaoru's eyes lit up with joy, and she couldn't contain her smile. "I just got here too."

Zhang Yang nodded, looked at Pei Xiaoru's fair and slender hand, thought for a moment, and then stepped forward to hold it in his hand.

The hand I held was soft and warm, and it trembled slightly.

"What are you doing, grabbing my hand right away?" Pei Xiaoru said lightly, letting Zhang Yang hold her hand. "By the way, tell me, was my action a timely help?"

Lying is something Zhang Yang isn't good at.

But at this moment, he could only nod shamelessly, after all, one lie requires a thousand more to cover it up.

"That's good. Oh, right, this is for you." Pei Xiaoru took out a paper package from her bag. "There's 30,000 yuan in here. I didn't have time to deposit it and transfer it to you, so you can just take it. Don't look down on it."

Before Zhang Yang could react, he suddenly had 30,000 yuan in his hand.

The system faithfully provided feedback.

Another three million in cashback came in, leaving only twelve million in unclaimed benefits.

"Your money?" Zhang Yang glanced at the old newspaper, vaguely sensing...

"Oh, don't worry about it, just take it and use it," Pei Xiaoru said with a smile. "Now you know how generous I am, right? Hurry up and turn things around so you can pay me back as soon as possible."

All in all, it's already close to 900,000.

Zhang Yang held the money, feeling somewhat conflicted. What should he say when the time came?

The main point is that he only meant to make a casual joke based on Pei Xiaoru's guess, but he didn't expect to trigger a system event. For the sake of that huge cashback, he had no choice but to agree and go all the way.

Now, things are looking up. He's almost done fleecing everyone, and he's made a fortune.

The truth should be revealed eventually.

"Actually, I..." Zhang Yang was about to say something.

Beside her, Pei Xiaoru glanced down at her phone, then suddenly her expression changed. "Um... Zhang Yang, something came up, I have to go back first. We'll contact you later."

"Okay." Zhang Yang, still puzzled, could only nod. "Then you can go ahead and get busy."

He watched Pei Xiaoru's hurried departure, completely unaware of what had happened.

··

Pei Xiaoru hurriedly left the coffee shop, and then saw her parents with solemn expressions in a fast food restaurant not far away.

"Dad, Mom," Pei Xiaoru sat down a little guiltily, "Why are you here?"

"If we hadn't come soon, they'd probably have sold you off, and you'd be counting the money for them." Pei's mother snorted. "You little brat, do you think we came home needing money urgently? In the end, you're just giving it all to boys, aren't you? I think you've lost your mind."

"Xiaoru, tell me, what happened?" Pei's father asked in a deep voice from the side.

"What? What happened? What did you say?" Pei Xiaoru whispered. "My friend is in trouble, and I want to help him."

"Is this how you help someone? You've given him all the family's savings?" Pei's mother couldn't help but say again.

"You don't know, this money... actually..." Pei Xiaoru wanted to explain, to tell her parents that a significant portion of this money was earned because of Zhang Yang, but unfortunately, her parents wouldn't listen to anything she said at that moment.

Mother Pei took a deep breath and gazed at her daughter, who had grown from a tiny baby in her arms to the graceful young woman she was today.

When will I pay you back?

"I don't know." Pei Xiaoru shook her head without hesitation. "Can't you pay me back whenever you have the money?"

"You don't know?" Mrs. Pei asked incredulously. "Was there an IOU?"

"Mom, please stop asking these questions, okay? I gave it to him voluntarily, why would I ask him for an IOU?" Pei Xiaoru said, shaking her head.

Mr. and Mrs. Pei exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"Are you still going to buy that house?" Pei's mother asked, her voice a little hoarse.

Seeing her parents' helpless expressions, Pei Xiaoru finally felt a pang of pity. "Mom and Dad, he will pay it back. You must believe me."

"That's all in the distant future," Pei's mother said in despair. "From childhood to adulthood, your parents have always known you have your own ideas and opinions, but this time, this money is a matter of life and death. How can your parents trust you and feel at ease?"

"You know how hard your grandparents worked to save their retirement money, and you actually gave it to them." Mr. Pei slammed his fist on the table, his lips trembling with anger.

Pei Xiaoru truly hadn't expected her parents to react so strongly.

"Xiaoru, let's do this, your parents won't pressure you. Since you trust that young man so much, the relationship between you two must be more than just casual." Pei's mother tried her best to remain calm.

Pei Xiaoru's cheeks flushed slightly, and she remained silent.

Seeing her daughter's appearance, Pei's mother sighed inwardly, "Just as I thought."

"Then, could you arrange for him to meet with us? Mom and Dad swear they won't do anything to embarrass him in front of us."

Pei's mother grabbed Pei's father's hand under the table and continued speaking to Pei Xiaoru in a calm tone.

"You know, this is such a big thing, and you've kept your parents completely in the dark. This is going to kill them."

Pei Xiaoru hesitated.

"Let me think about it some more, okay? By the way, have you eaten? Let's go back to my place first," Pei Xiaoru said, standing up.

Mr. and Mrs. Pei exchanged a glance and nodded.

"Okay, let's go back to your place first."

A moment later, they arrived at Pei Xiaoru's current residence.

Pei Xiaoru said she needed to think about it. After discussing it, Pei's mother and father felt that given Pei Xiaoru's personality, they couldn't force the issue, otherwise it would backfire.

Therefore, the two of them tacitly refrained from mentioning it for the time being.