Betel Nuts and Cigarettes Beat Being an Immortal

Having gained supernatural powers, Chen Hao was so excited that he barely slept that night.

He experimented with his Heavenly Eye Art in every way he could in his rented room. He ended up straining his eyes and exhausting himself, and did not wake up until noon the next day.

After a quick wash, Chen Hao hurriedly picked up his phone and checked WeChat.

What he saw when he opened WeChat nearly drove him mad.

It turned out that the God of Wealth had sent several red packets to the group early that morning.

At that moment, Chen Hao felt as though he had missed out on billions.

He plopped down on his bed and, with nothing better to do, started scrolling back through the group chat.

As he scrolled, Chen Hao suddenly saw Chang'e questioning Alchemy Boy. "Alchemy Boy, what was wrong with that Youth-Preserving Pill you gave me yesterday? Was it expired? After taking it, I've been itching all over. It's unbearable."

Chang'e's message immediately sent the group into an uproar.

Marshal Tianpeng said, "Chang'e, give this immortal a moment. I'll come over right away to help with your urgent problem."

The Bull Demon King said, "Hehe, Chang'e, where does it itch? How about I come over and scratch it for you?"

Princess Iron Fan immediately chimed in. "You damned bull! I just flayed you yesterday, and you're already itching for more? Just you wait!"

A crowd of immortals egged them on, enjoying the spectacle.

After a long while, Alchemy Boy replied, "I'm sorry, Chang'e. I may not have controlled the heat properly while refining it. I'll make you another one soon."

Immediately afterward, Supreme Lord Lao spoke up. "You little brat! Slacking off on your pill refining again! Just wait until I get back from my business trip!"

Reading this, Chen Hao broke into a cold sweat on Alchemy Boy's behalf.

He hurriedly sent him a message. "Alchemy Boy, are you there?"

Before long, the reply came. "Yes. What is it?"

Even from those few words, it was clear that Alchemy Boy was being harshly scolded by Supreme Lord Lao and was in a terrible mood.

Although Alchemy Boy was only a minor attendant of Supreme Lord Lao, he was still an impossibly lofty figure to Chen Hao. Building a good relationship with him certainly could not hurt, so Chen Hao asked, "What difficulties have you been having with your pill refining? Perhaps this humble immortal could lend you a hand."

At those words, Alchemy Boy immediately perked up. "Really? Fellow Immortal Little Charlatan, are you also proficient in pill refining?"

Uh...

Chen Hao paused. To avoid exposing himself, he could only play along. "I wouldn't say proficient. I just know a little."

Alchemy Boy explained frankly, "I don't know what's gotten into me lately. Whenever I refine pills, I get sleepy, and I've ruined a lot of them because of it. Sigh..."

Immortals get sleepy too?

That was Chen Hao's first reaction. But his eyes soon lit up as something occurred to him, and he quickly replied, "Boy, I do have a way to keep you from getting sleepy."

Alchemy Boy was delighted when he saw the message. "Oh? Is that really true?"

"Give me a moment!"

After sending that reply, Chen Hao rushed downstairs to a small roadside shop. "Boss, give me a pack of Chunghwas and a bag of betel nuts."

After paying, Chen Hao opened WeChat's scan function and scanned the items over to Alchemy Boy.

Upon receiving the cigarettes and betel nuts, Alchemy Boy asked, "Esteemed Immortal, what are these two things?"

Chen Hao replied, "First chew a betel nut, then light a cigarette and take a puff. I guarantee you'll feel as happy as an immortal."

As soon as he sent it, Chen Hao felt something was off. Wasn't the other guy already an immortal?

"Oh? Then I'll try them right away." Alchemy Boy did not dwell on it, though.

Chen Hao had only just closed WeChat and had not even gone upstairs when Alchemy Boy sent another message. "Something's wrong, Esteemed Immortal. This betel nut is terribly hard to chew, and it has no flavor. It even cuts my mouth. As for this cigarette, it gives off black fumes. Does it have something to do with demons?"

Chen Hao was baffled. Betel nuts were indeed a little tough to chew, but surely they were not tasteless. And why would a cigarette give off black fumes?

"Boy, could you send me a few pictures so I can take a look?"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two pictures arrived. When Chen Hao opened them, he nearly laughed himself breathless.

Alchemy Boy had not removed the betel nut's wrapper before chewing it. How could he possibly bite through that? The cigarette was even worse. He had burned away more than half the filter, and wisps of black smoke were still rising from it.

Damn, this boy is hilarious.

Chen Hao hurriedly explained, "Boy, you need to tear off the betel nut's wrapper. Try lighting the other end of the cigarette."

"Oh, thank you for the reminder, Esteemed Immortal."

Back in his rented room, Chen Hao changed clothes, then hailed a taxi to go see Sun Jiaqi.

Since Sun Jiaqi did not have time to come over, he might as well go and surprise her.

Arriving at the office building where Sun Jiaqi worked, Chen Hao did something he rarely did: he entered a café and ordered a cup of coffee he would normally have considered too expensive.

Sitting by the window and watching the people outside rush around to make a living, Chen Hao finally understood, for a moment, the joy of being rich.

He was still just one of the countless young people struggling to get ahead in Zhonghai City, with no money, power, or status.

But things were different now. He had a whole group of immortals behind him. Chen Hao firmly believed it would not be long before he rose to wealth and success.

Chen Hao sat in the café, planning his future as he waited for Sun Jiaqi to get off work.

He had thought Sun Jiaqi would work overtime until late, but to his surprise, he spotted her not long after the regular workday ended.

Holding a bouquet of flowers, Chen Hao secretly followed Sun Jiaqi. He had wanted to give her a pleasant surprise, but the surprise turned into a shock.

His sudden appearance was clearly the last thing Sun Jiaqi had expected.

"What are you doing here?" There was no joy on Sun Jiaqi's face at seeing Chen Hao. Instead, there was a barely perceptible trace of panic.

Noticing Sun Jiaqi's strange expression, Chen Hao asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me?"

Sun Jiaqi froze for a moment, then shook her head. "It's not that. You just didn't tell me beforehand, so I'm surprised."

"Life needs a few surprises. Otherwise, how boring would it be?" Chen Hao teased as he placed the flowers in Sun Jiaqi's hands.

Only after Sun Jiaqi's expression eased a little did Chen Hao ask, "Didn't you say you'd be working overtime until late? How come you finished so early?"

Just as Sun Jiaqi was about to speak, several sweet, affected voices suddenly sounded behind them.

"Oh, isn't that Sun Jiaqi? Is this your boyfriend?"

"Your boyfriend is so romantic! I'm so jealous."

Chen Hao looked back and saw three women in office attire smiling at them, their arms linked. He could tell at a glance that they were Sun Jiaqi's coworkers.

Chen Hao gave them a polite smile, but Sun Jiaqi looked a little embarrassed, as though being seen by them was utterly humiliating.

Chen Hao had been wondering what was wrong with Sun Jiaqi today. Only when the three women's whispers drifted faintly to his ears did he understand.

"Tch, as if I'd be jealous of her. He's just a delivery guy. Why is he putting on this romantic act here? Isn't he embarrassed?"

"Exactly. I'm embarrassed for her."

"Keep your voices down. What if they hear us? Come on, we've got a company dinner. Let's not be late."

Watching the three women walk away, Chen Hao was speechless.

That was how society worked these days. Those three women might not even earn as much as Chen Hao did delivering food.

Yet simply because he worked out on the streets, people who sat in air-conditioned offices all day felt an inexplicable sense of superiority. Who knew where they got that confidence?

Still, Chen Hao did not want to stoop to their level. He smiled faintly and dismissed their remarks as so much hot air.

"Come on, let's eat. We'll treat ourselves to something nice today." Smiling, Chen Hao took Sun Jiaqi's hand and started toward the nearby mall.

Although reluctance was written all over Sun Jiaqi's face as Chen Hao pulled her along, she could only follow.

They had barely taken a few steps when a car horn suddenly caught their attention.

Chen Hao looked over with a frown and saw a black Mercedes parked by the roadside. The driver was waving at them.

At first, Chen Hao was puzzled. But once he got a clear look at the driver's face, his expression gradually darkened.

The man was named Liang Hong. He was Sun Jiaqi's immediate supervisor, and Chen Hao had dealt with him a few times before.

Those few brief encounters had shown Chen Hao that the man was extremely petty and seemed interested in Sun Jiaqi, so Chen Hao did not have a good impression of him.

Just then, Sun Jiaqi spoke from behind him. "Chen Hao, I'm sorry. I lied to you."

Chen Hao paused. "What happened?"

"We weren't actually working overtime today. It's a company dinner. I was afraid you'd get the wrong idea, so I didn't tell you the truth."

Seeing Sun Jiaqi's aggrieved expression, Chen Hao smiled faintly. "Silly, it's just a company dinner. Why would I get the wrong idea? You didn't need to lie to me at all."

While they were talking, Liang Hong got out of his car and came over to them.

"Chen Hao, long time no see. Do you still remember me?"

Looking at Liang Hong in his immaculate suit, Chen Hao gave him a perfunctory smile. "Of course."

Liang Hong smiled, then looked at Sun Jiaqi. "Jiaqi, since your boyfriend is here, why don't you bring him along to the company dinner? It'll be a good chance for everyone to meet him."

Sun Jiaqi smiled and said, "It's all right. I'll sit this dinner out."

"Don't do that. This is a company team-building activity, a chance to show our team spirit. Everyone has to attend, or I'll dock your performance pay," Liang Hong said, half joking.

At the mention of losing her performance pay, Sun Jiaqi visibly hesitated.

Seeing Sun Jiaqi's troubled expression, Chen Hao naturally wouldn't put his girlfriend in a difficult position. "All right, let's go together, then."

Hearing that, Sun Jiaqi's expression grew even worse.

But the decision was no longer hers to make. Her immediate supervisor had already spoken. Refusing to go now would mean snubbing him.

"Come on, we'll head over in my car."

And so, Chen Hao and Sun Jiaqi got into Liang Hong's Mercedes.