The situation was surreal. Even though he pinched his leg several times and felt the sharp sting of pain, Xia Liang couldn't shake the feeling that he was dreaming.
He sighed, looking at his Taobao order for over 3,000 Yuan. What a waste. I bought this a week ago. 3,210 Yuan... if I hadn't spent it, it would be worth over three billion now. I could have bought an entire residential complex.
However, this regret didn't last long, as Xia Liang quickly regained his fighting spirit. He still had over a hundred thousand in savings, and the System would pay him a salary of forty thousand every month. This salary would even increase as his level went up. Thinking about this made the 3,000-Yuan order seem trivial.
An hour passed as Xia Liang browsed property listings on his phone.
Upon reaching his destination, Xia Liang looked eagerly at the driver.
"How much?"
Xia Liang's eagerness clearly stunned the driver. Who in their right mind is this excited to pay these days? Then, a thought seemed to strike him, and his expression relaxed. Of course, this is an airport. He must be picking someone up, probably his girlfriend.
"It's 84 Hao, but I'll just charge you 80. WeChat Pay or Alipay?"
The driver had no idea that odd people like Xia Liang really existed. He simply wanted to see if the money in his personal account worked the same way as the currency from the System's bank.
"Alipay."
As Xia Liang spoke, the driver pulled out a QR code. Xia Liang scanned it with his phone, and the payment interface popped up.
"Transfer to Mount Akina's Driver Liu"
Please enter the transfer amount:
Where the lamb-like symbol for RMB should have been, there was now a capital 'H'—which seemed to be the first letter of the pinyin for 'Hao'.
He entered the amount '80' and tapped pay.
DING! An Alipay notification sounded: "You have paid eighty Hao. Your remaining balance is 789 Yuan, 9 Jiao, 9 Fen, 9 Li, and 20 Hao."
???
Although Xia Liang's phone volume wasn't very high, the driver had clearly heard the notification.
789 Yuan?! Holy crap!
At the same time, a notification sounded from the driver's phone.
"Alipay transfer received: 80 Li."
The stark contrast made the driver's eyes widen as he stared intently at Xia Liang through the rearview mirror. A young man carrying a fortune of 789 Yuan... If... if I...
The driver began to breathe heavily, and his wild gasping made Xia Liang uneasy. Trying not to show his alarm, Xia Liang discreetly prepared to open the car door and bolt. At the same time, he opened the System shop on his phone and began buying a skill.
Martial Arts Secret Manual: Iron Cloth Shirt
Item Description: Upon learning, greatly improves physical strength. Can provide immunity to attacks below the Xiantian level (including conventional firearms).
Price: 100 Work Points.
It cost five months of his effort, but despite the exorbitant price, Xia Liang resolutely chose to purchase it. He understood the old saying that possessing a treasure can bring disaster to an innocent man.
Upon purchasing and learning the skill, Xia Liang felt a surge of heat erupt from his dantian and spread throughout his body. The sensation didn't last long. As the heat subsided, he felt as if his entire body had been tempered. His physique was much stronger, and the presence of the Golden Bell Shield gave him a newfound confidence. He looked at the driver with a smirk.
"Sir, we're at the airport. Could you unlock the doors and let me out?"
Hearing Xia Liang's calm voice, the driver, who had been on the verge of doing something rash, rapidly cooled down. Just then, the car behind them began honking its horn incessantly.
The driver pretended to snap back to his senses and slapped his forehead.
"Look at me, losing my head. I thought you had already gotten out. Sorry, I'll unlock it for you right now."
As he spoke, he pressed the unlock button, and Xia Liang opened the door and stepped out. It seemed the driver had regained his composure at the last second. He, too, felt a pang of fear. He had been an honest man his whole life, yet that single thought had crossed his mind. There was no helping it; the 789 Yuan in Xia Liang's account was just too tempting.
Meanwhile, Xia Liang, who had been initially alarmed, had now completely recovered. After all, with the Golden Bell Shield protecting him, the driver couldn't have harmed him.
He had just entered the airport terminal and was about to call the customer service number from before when his phone suddenly rang. A smile appeared on his face when he saw the screen.
"Hello~ Baby, are you awake? I haven't forgotten that today is Xiao Wei's birthday. I'm getting his birthday gift right now."
The caller was, of course, Yang Ying. Hearing his words, she didn't sound very happy. Instead, her tone was cold.
"There's no need. Where are you? There's something we need to discuss in person."
Xia Liang was puzzled but answered nonetheless.
"I'm at Qingyun Airport. What's wrong?"
"Hmm? You're at the airport, too?"
His location clearly surprised Yang Ying, but her impatience quickly returned.
"Forget it. It doesn't matter. Just go to the airport service desk and find any employee. Tell them to take you to the heliport and say that Manager Wang sent you."
Without waiting for a reply, she hung up.
Yang Ying's strange behavior left Xia Liang confused, and he decided to forget about picking up his package for now. He walked straight to the service desk and mentioned Manager Wang's name. After a quick phone confirmation, an airport employee led him through an employee-only passage to the area where helicopters were parked.
On the way, Xia Liang managed to find out that Manager Wang was the manager of the Human Resources department at Qingyun Aviation Group.
The employee didn't say anything more. Soon, Xia Liang saw a girl dressed in a youthful, pretty outfit. Her features could only be described as delicate. By her side stood a rather plain-looking boy who was about 1.69 meters tall.
They were none other than Yang Ying and her brother, Yang Wei.
Yang Wei was staring at a helicopter in front of him, letting out exclamations from time to time.
"Cool!"
"So awesome!"
"I'm gonna fly one of these someday!"
Seeing them, Xia Liang quickly walked over and took Yang Ying's hand.
"Baby, let's go. It's Xiao Wei's birthday, and I've prepared..."
Before he could finish, Yang Ying wrenched her hand away, shooting him a look of disgust.
"Don't call me Baby. Xia Liang, let's break up."
"Huh?"
Xia Liang was stunned. Thinking she was joking, he scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Haha, Baby, don't joke around."
"I'm not joking. Let's break up."
Seeing Yang Ying's dead-serious expression, Xia Liang froze. Disbelief filled his eyes. As far as he could remember, their relationship had always been fine. This sudden turn of events caught him completely off guard.
As he registered that she wasn't kidding, his heart sank.
"Can you tell me why? Haven't I treated you well?"
"Well? You call this good? You poor slob!"
This time, the reply came not from Yang Ying, but from her brother, Yang Wei.