Steam from the food stalls wafted into his nasal cavity, his oral cavity, his cranial cavity, his pelvic...
Uh, anyway, several cavities all experienced the aroma of good food at once.
Yan Ningke felt surrounded by delicious smells.
Maybe I should just spend ten yuan?
No, that's ten whole yuan!
That could buy ten steamed buns, five packs of instant noodles, a big bag of dried noodles...
Yan Ningke swallowed, trying to suppress his cravings.
I'm not hungry. I'm not craving anything. I'm a little immortal who lives above worldly pleasures!
Even if I starve to death today, I absolutely won't...
Then again, after everything he had done today, barring any accidents, he would have two hundred thousand yuan in savings tomorrow!
More than he had saved in his previous life!
What did two hundred thousand yuan mean?
It was enough for a down payment on a home in an ordinary city!
He could eat all the spicy hot pot he wanted for years!
If he cooked for himself, the meals would be beyond counting!
In short, to make a short story short.
Yan Ningke slapped his thigh. "I'm eating!"
With extravagant bravado, he bought a serving of stir-fried rice noodles. Not with eggs, not with meat-just vegetables!
The first bite nearly moved Yan Ningke to tears.
So good!
He polished off the rice noodles, not even sparing the sliced garlic.
Wipe the oil out of the disposable container, and it could be used again straightaway.
Of course, that was a joke.
The second Yan Ningke threw the container away, he suddenly felt a little guilty.
What's one night of going hungry?
It's not like I've never gone hungry before. It won't kill me!
He smacked his mouth in mild annoyance. "Stupid mouth! All you do is crave food!"
The crowd bustled around him, and no one paid attention to the figure riding away on a little yellow bike.
Shao Ke, sitting in a car by the roadside, saw everything clearly.
His brow creased almost imperceptibly.
As a young master who had enjoyed every luxury since childhood, he really could not understand why Yan Ningke had agonized so long over a serving of stir-fried rice noodles.
They lived in different worlds, so naturally, he could not relate.
Yan Ningke was simply terrified of poverty.
An orphan, he had started living independently after entering middle school. His middle and high school tuition could be waived, but he had to earn his own money for miscellaneous school fees, living expenses, and supplies.
College went without saying.
To Yan Ningke, every yuan needed to be stretched several ways.
The most ordinary roadside snacks were beneath the rich and something ordinary people could eat whenever they liked.
But they were what Yan Ningke longed for.
Even if he suddenly became rich, he would still put his money to good use.
Riding his little yellow bike, Yan Ningke weighed the pros and cons for a few seconds at an intersection, then decisively chose to return to his own apartment.
He was already late anyway. A minute more or less made no difference.
Why make trouble for himself when he could get a good night's sleep?
Yan Ningke returned to his little home, took a hot shower, and burrowed under the covers, drifting peacefully off to sleep.
Wake up in the morning, embrace the sun, and fill up on positive energy.
With plenty of sleep, it was another day full of vigor.
The first thing Yan Ningke did when he opened his eyes was check his account.
As expected, Yuan Qirui had transferred the money.
Not a yuan more or less-exactly two hundred thousand!
Not even stopping to pick the sleep from his eyes, Yan Ningke hugged his phone and showered it with kisses. He had never seen so much money in either of his lives.
To him, money was like clothing.
With money, he would no longer be left barely covered.
At least with this money, he would not feel so panicked in this unfamiliar world.
After basking in delight for a while, Yan Ningke reluctantly turned off his phone and got up to wash.
There were still two masters halfway up the mountain waiting to be served.
He packed his backpack, shut the door, and went downstairs with a spring in his step.
As he left the residential complex, an old man collecting scrap happened to be hauling a heavy tricycle up the slope, his steps unsteady.
Just as it was about to roll backward, Yan Ningke darted forward to brace it and pushed hard.
The old man glanced behind him, and together, they made it up the little slope.
"Thank you, young man!"
Yan Ningke beamed. "Just following Lei Feng's example and doing a good deed."
The old man laughed heartily. "There aren't many young fellows like you these days!"
Yan Ningke was modest. "There are plenty, sir. There just happened to be no Lei Feng around here, so I got lucky!"
He amused the old man so much that all the wrinkles on his face bunched together as he laughed.
"Young fellow, you've got quite a way with words."
Yan Ningke waved and was just about to leave when something caught the corner of his eye, and he stepped back.
Ten minutes later, he set off on a new journey aboard a somewhat worn pinkish-purple electric scooter.
"Riding my beloved little scooter~"
"It'll never get stuck in traffic~"
The breeze brushed through his hair, making Yan Ningke's mood even brighter.
He counted as a vehicle owner now!
He rode leisurely all the way back up the mountain, only to find the villa gates tightly shut.
Yan Ningke did not panic in the slightest. First, he found an auspicious spot for his "little BMW" and parked it out of the sun.
Humming a tune, he rang the doorbell.
"Mr. Shao, I'm back!"
There was no response from the intercom by the gate.
Yan Ningke persisted and pressed it again. "Mr. Shao, open the gate! I know you're home!"
"Mr. Shao?"
After more than ten seconds without a reply, Yan Ningke frowned and muttered, "Strange. Is he really not home?"
That should not be right. This big shot had lived in seclusion for years, handling his daily work by phone and computer. If necessary, he would pick a time when no one was around and have his assistant come over.
He rarely went out himself.
Could something have happened?
Yan Ningke abruptly looked up and scanned his surroundings, but the high boundary walls blocked his view.
Climbing over them was even more impossible.
He had never investigated things like back doors or underground passages, either.
That left only...
Yan Ningke fixed his gaze on the wrought-iron gate with its pointed spikes!
The only way inside was right in front of him.
He looked at the iron spikes gleaming in the sunlight.
His legs went a little weak.
If anything went wrong, he really might not remain in one piece!
But at the thought of Shao Ke inside, his fate unknown, Yan Ningke was overcome with guilt.
If I'd known, I would've come back last night!
It's one thing to have transmigrated here without helping the big shot, but if I cause his untimely death...
That would be a terrible sin!
The more Yan Ningke thought, the more determined his gaze became.
"Ptoo! Ptoo!"
Standard tree-climbing procedure: spitting twice into his palms.
Gripping with both hands, Yan Ningke huffed and puffed his way up.
Getting up was easy. Getting down was hard.
Holding the iron spikes and standing on the crossbar at the top of the gate, he stared silently at the ground more than three meters below.
Excuse me, how did I get up here?
Given: the middle crossbar is a little far from me. If I miss my footing...
Then today will be the day I sail off into the great beyond.
Yan Ningke wanted to cry, but no tears came.
He tried extending one foot. Just then, a gust of wind blew, and he could not tell whether he was imagining things.
Suddenly, he felt the gate sway.
Frightened, he immediately pulled his foot back and gripped the iron spikes tightly, not daring to let go.
Yan Ningke looked up at the glaring sunlight. There was not a soul around.
He really could cry to heaven with no answer, and to the earth...
"Lars?!"
"Lars, come out! Save my sorry life!"
Yan Ningke shouted into the yard. How had he forgotten the comrade who had fought shoulder to shoulder with him?
Even if Lars could not help, at least there would be a witness when he died.
"Lars! Come out! Have you forgotten me, the one who's been so diligent about scooping your poop?"
The hope in Yan Ningke's eyes reached its peak.
Before you continue