After saying that, Lin Fan didn't hesitate. He directly shoved the yellow-haired punk out the door.
From a young age, Lin Fan had done all sorts of tough, exhausting jobs.
His very first job after leaving the orphanage was moving bricks on a construction site.
It was backbreaking work—but it also paid the best.
Even now, he still remembered the strange and funny things that happened there.
Of course, that wasn't all.
He had worked as a sanitation worker.
A door-to-door salesman.
An air conditioner repairman.
He'd worked in factories where time and youth were ground into dust.
He'd done almost every job under the sun—until finally, he landed a position in a small company.
At first, it seemed like a step up. He was dressed more decently.
But in truth? The pay was lower, and the work was even more draining.
But Lin Fan had always believed one thing:
As long as you're making an honest living, there's no shame in any job.
No work was inherently noble or lowly.
Everyone's just trying to survive.
So when he heard the yellow-haired punk mocking sanitation workers—he snapped.
Without them, who would clean the streets?
Lin Fan's outburst scared the man stiff.
He stood there frozen, not daring to utter another word.
The others around them also went quiet, staring at Lin Fan with unease.
There's an old saying: The tough fear the crazy, and the crazy fear the fearless.
Seeing that Lin Fan wasn't someone to mess with, they didn't dare speak up again.
Lin Fan didn't bother wasting any more time. He picked up his new phone and walked toward the door.
But after taking just a few steps, he paused.
Without turning his head, he said coldly,
> "One last piece of advice—
Use your brain. Don't let others fill it with garbage.
Otherwise, you'll just be another leek cut down by spring's first harvest."
The room fell into stunned silence.
Some looked at each other, suddenly understanding what he meant.
---
Leaving the phone store, Lin Fan pulled out his phone and made a call.
The line connected quickly.
A tired, female voice answered on the other end.
"Hello, this is Zhou Xiaoqing. Who's calling?"
Lin Fan smiled faintly.
> "I'm Lin Fan. Miss Zhou, I know your current situation is difficult.
I have a way to help you."
At that moment…
Inside a high-rise office building, Zhou Xiaoqing sat at her desk, brows tightly furrowed.
She had thought it was a call from the finance department—
But it turned out to be a stranger.
Someone claiming to "help" her?
Zhou Xiaoqing didn't believe a word of it.
Still, as if compelled by some strange instinct, she asked, "And how do you plan to help me?"
Lin Fan chuckled.
> "It's simple—money."
Money.
Zhou Xiaoqing's face darkened. Several black lines slid down her forehead.
Of course she knew money could solve things.
But the problem was—she didn't have any.
And the company's board was already gutting her authority, bit by bit.
Right now, she was hanging by a thread.
She hung up without another word, feeling both annoyed and bitter.
Now even scammers were trying their luck with her?
Did they think she was that desperate?
Zhou Xiaoqing stood up and began pacing.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the entirety of Shanghai sprawled before her.
She used to enjoy this view.
But now? She felt nothing.
She was frustrated. Angry.
Right now, those shareholders were in a meeting room discussing how to further strip her of power.
And all she could do was wait.
Wait—and be humiliated by random calls from supposed "saviors."
What a joke.
It felt like misfortune had moved in and brought all its relatives with it.
For a moment, she even felt like giving up.
But then… she remembered her father's final words.
Her gaze firmed.
She clenched her fists and murmured,
> "Dad, don't worry. I will protect the orphanage—no matter what."
"I will never bow to this pack of wolves."
"Looks like I have no choice but to ask Momo for help now..."
---
Meanwhile…
Lin Fan stood on the street, dumbfounded.
She hung up on me?
She didn't believe him?
Did he sound like some telecom scammer?
Lin Fan shook his head and started walking aimlessly.
Zhou Mu had only given him Zhou Xiaoqing's number—no address, no company name.
Now she didn't even want to listen.
And he had no idea where to find her.
So what could he do?
Suddenly, he tried asking in his heart,
> "System, don't you have a search function? Help me find Zhou Xiaoqing's location."
No response.
Looks like the search function could only be used when the conditions were met.
With a sigh, Lin Fan pulled himself back to reality.
Just as he turned the corner, his steps came to a halt.
Xiao Rou?!
It was her. The cute girl he had met at the hotel that night.
The one who had left such an impression on him.
Back then, full of excitement after earning his first real money using the System, Lin Fan had lost control.
He had left her a generous sum and walked away.
But deep down… he had always felt guilty about it.
Seeing her now, guilt surged up like a tide.
He didn't walk over immediately. Instead, he stood quietly at the side and observed.
This was a lively commercial street, close to a university.
Students strolled by, hand in hand.
Xiao Rou was manning a small lottery stall.
Top prize—100 yuan.
But no one was paying much attention to her stall.
Right next to her, a shirtless man with bulging muscles had a lottery stall of his own—
With far flashier prizes, like a desktop computer.
His place was crowded with students.
One draw cost 300 yuan.
Yet no one had won the big prize.
Still, the temptation was strong.
Compared to that, Xiao Rou's little stall looked pitiful.
Xiao Rou rubbed her eyes in frustration.
And just then, the burly man walked over, squatted in front of her, and stared intently.
> "Xiao Rou, your stall's no good. You can't compare to mine."
"But what I said before still stands—sleep with me once a week, and I'll give you 3,000 yuan a week."
"That's over 10k a month! Didn't you say something happened at home and you needed money?"
"I'm helping you here."
The man's tone was earnest, but his eyes were filled with lust.
He'd been eyeing Xiao Rou for a while.
When she disappeared for several weeks, he thought she'd left for good.
Now that she was back—there was no way he was letting her go again.
He licked his lips.
Today, she would be his.
---