Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 357 Are nephews meant to be tricked?
"Leaving aside the question of who sent this, Uncle Ming, the contents of this videotape are very strange, really, extremely, extremely, extremely strange!!"

Wu Xie frowned and used three "very"s in a row to describe it.

As he spoke, he reached for the old-fashioned media player he had brought with him, intending to play the content.

"Stop messing around, I know what's inside..."

Hu Ming shook his head, stopping Wu Xie from doing so.

Who the hell would be so bored as to go see a horror movie with a single guy of the same sex first thing in the morning?
This atmosphere is absolutely inappropriate!
"you know?"

Wu Xie looked at Hu Ming in astonishment.

He was quite certain that he had never shown this to anyone other than his third uncle!
"...The reason is simple. The person who sent this was a friend of mine, an old acquaintance. I know why she sent this videotape."

"This item was originally sent to someone else, not to you. However, someone tampered with the shipment and transferred it to you."

"Oh, I can tell you very clearly, nephew, that 'ghost' in here isn't you! It's just someone who looks a lot like you. You could think of it as a similar flower?"

Seeing Wu Xie's ghostly expression, Hu Ming tossed the videotape up and down, casually saying...

"No way, Uncle Ming, I feel like you know everything? Whether it's the sender or the contents."

"What kind of tricks are you and my third uncle playing?"

Wu Xie's intuition told him that this matter was definitely related to Wu Sansheng!
"...Nephew, as a man, a real man, shouldn't you have such a keen, even more accurate, sixth sense than a woman?"

Hu Ming's face twitched slightly. He had really hit the nail on the head!
Although Wu Sansheng and Xie Lianhuan were the ones who worked on the big picture, Hu Ming was at most someone who used others to his advantage.

He used Wu Sansheng and Xie Lianhuan's plan to accomplish his own goals.

This matter, especially the part about the Snake Swamp Ghost City, is really inseparable from Hu Ming.

For a moment, Hu Ming's gaze towards Wu Xie became somewhat subtle.

This guy, he really lives up to his "protagonist" title!
Alright, I knew it was you two idiots who were secretly plotting this.
Wu Xie sighed wearily.

Everyone else seems to be causing trouble for their parents and elders, so why is it that in Wu Xie's case, it's the two uncles relentlessly sabotaging their nephew?
"Ahem, let's put that aside for now. Wu Xie, there is indeed something in this videotape. Now, I'll give you two choices."

"First, I'll just throw this thing away. You can pretend you never received it. Anyway, this matter has little to do with you anymore. It doesn't matter whether you're here or not."

Hu Ming thought for a moment and then said seriously.

"You mean I'm no longer of any use to you? And that what you and my third uncle are doing no longer requires my presence?"

Wu Xie stared with dead fish eyes.

"Strictly speaking, it was part of your third uncle's plan! Your third uncle and I are not actually on the same side."

"Besides, your Uncle Ming is a good person, a good person who cares about his nephew! See, I've given you a choice, haven't I?"

Hu Ming grinned.

To be honest, Hu Ming felt that he had taken good care of this nephew he had picked up for free all along, and he was no worse than the fat man!
The two are not related by blood, but are uncle and nephew in terms of seniority. To have done this much is already more than enough. Unlike Fatty, Hu Ming has lived up to Wu Xie's respect for calling him Uncle and his usual attitude of respect.

"Let's forget about this one. You know, Uncle Ming, I have this problem: if I don't understand something, I feel terrible."

"No matter what, whether it was my third uncle's scheme or yours, it doesn't matter."

"Since I was involved and played a role, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep soundly for the rest of my life if I don't figure out the ins and outs of this." Wu Xie sighed softly, hesitated for a long time, and finally said this.

He had a vague premonition that if he chose the second option Hu Ming gave him, his life would be completely changed.

The days when the newly graduated college student boss of Xiling Seal Engraving Society spent his days in despair are probably gone forever.

Knowing secrets that others are desperately trying to hide always comes at a price.

Wu Xie understood this.

But for some reason, Wu Xie felt a surge of anticipation.

"I understand how you feel. It's not pleasant to be kept in the dark by your closest relatives... I imagine you questioned your third uncle about it after coming down from Changbai Mountain, right?"

"Well... but I don't quite believe the truth that Uncle says. I always feel that he's hiding something and is still deceiving me."

Wu Xie lowered his head.

“There are some things your third uncle will never tell you, not even if he dies with the secret.”

"That's right, that's what he told me back then."

"Alright! You've grown up, nephew!"

Hu Ming looked at Hu Ming and sighed softly.

"..."

Wu Xie's face darkened. To be fair, he and Hu Ming had spent quite a bit of time together.

But every time I see this face, which is younger than him, speaking in such an old-fashioned way, I always feel a huge sense of incongruity.

"Alright, since you've chosen to investigate this matter no matter what, then..."

Snapped!
Before he could finish speaking, Hu Ming smashed the videotape with a single punch, leaving Wu Xie stunned.

He casually swept the broken shell into the trash can, took out a note and a brass key that was common in the last century.

"No. 349-5, Deercan Lane, Kunlun Road, Geermu City, Qinghai Province, Room 306. This is the key to the room."

"If you want to investigate, go there. There's a notebook left by my friend there with some things written in it."

"Some of what you want to know is recorded there, and if you want to continue investigating after reading those things, you will know what to do."

Hu Ming handed the two items to Wu Xie with a smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot, a friendly reminder: Qinghai Province is a high-altitude region. Be careful of altitude sickness if you go there, especially with your weak constitution... tsk!"

Finally, Hu Ming gave Wu Xie a disdainful look.

"I'm so sorry I'm so weak! Compared to you perverts, I'm just a weakling, I deserve to die!"

"Speaking of which, Uncle Ming, what exactly did you and Xiao Ge do behind that bronze door? What's inside?"

After carefully packing the two items, Wu Xie's old habit kicked in again, and he couldn't help but ask further questions.

(End of this chapter)