Is it hard to chase the school beauty?It doesn't matter, she still has roommates

The group understood and began to get up quietly.

Zhang Ling also pretended to pick up her phone and said something.

"I'm going to go answer a message."

Liu Xiaozhi had no doubts and nodded sheepishly.

When Liu Xiaozhi finished the skewer of grilled squid and looked up with satisfaction, he found that the table, which had been full of people just moments before, was now empty except for him! Zhang Ling, Da Gang, and the others had all disappeared!

He paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked around, only to see Zhang Ling, Da Gang, and their group of seven or eight people already at the entrance of the food stall, ready to slip away!
"Lingling! Dagang! Where...where are you going?"

Liu Xiaozhi hurriedly stood up and shouted.

Zhang Ling and the others stopped and turned around. The smiles on their faces had vanished, replaced by expressions that were a mixture of disdain and mockery.

Da Gang put his arm around Zhang Ling's shoulder and said in a nonchalant manner.

"Where to? Home, of course! What, you want us to spend the night with you?"

Liu Xiaozhi was a little confused, pointing to the mess on the table.

"But...this...this bill hasn't been settled yet..."

"Bill, please?"

Zhang Ling chuckled, crossed her arms, and pointed at Liu Xiaozhi with her chin.

"Of course it's your wedding! Otherwise, why would I call you here?"

Liu Xiaozhi was struck dumb, his face turning deathly pale instantly.

"I...I'm getting married? Why me? You ate so much..."

"nonsense!"

Da Gang interrupted him impatiently.

"I called you over here so you could pay the bill! What, you won't even treat Lingling to a meal? With your stingy attitude, you still have the nerve to say you like Lingling?"

Another boy with green hair chimed in with a sarcastic tone.

"Exactly! Liu Xiaozhi, didn't you always brag that you'd do anything for Lingling? What, now you're acting like paying for a meal is going to kill you? Looks like you're not really sincere with Lingling after all!"

"I...I'm not..."

Liu Xiaozhi was sweating profusely with anxiety. He genuinely liked Zhang Ling, but... but he really had no money on him!

He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a handful of crumpled coins, which added up to less than three hundred yuan. This was all the money he would have for living expenses for the next two weeks.

"I...I only have this much..."

Liu Xiaozhi's voice was choked with sobs.

"It's really not enough..."

Looking at his shabby appearance, Zhang Ling's eyes flashed with undisguised disgust, and she snorted coldly.

"Liu Xiaozhi, you're so useless! You can't even afford a late-night snack? Are you even a man? I suggest you don't come looking for me again!"

Da Gang went even further and mocked him directly.

"You country bumpkin, you're just not presentable! You don't have money to pick up girls, so why are you trying to learn from others? You should just go back to your country and farm!"

These extremely insulting words pierced Liu Xiaozhi's heart like needles, making him feel both ashamed and angry, and causing his whole body to tremble.

Looking at Zhang Ling's face, which now seemed incredibly harsh, and then at Da Gang's smug expression as he embraced her, a surge of immense grievance and despair welled up within him.

He was caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, he genuinely liked Zhang Ling and didn't want to lose face in front of her; on the other hand, he was facing financial difficulties.

Amidst the ridicule and provocation of the crowd, he acted impulsively. In order to prove his "sincerity" and temporarily escape this embarrassing situation, he pulled out his phone with trembling hands.

The only person he could think of who might be able to help him was his sister, Liu Piaopiao. Although he knew his sister would definitely scold him, he had no other choice.

……

Not far away, Qin Luo's table witnessed everything that was happening.

Situ Rui nudged Qin Luo with his elbow and chuckled in a low voice, winking at him.

"Brother Luo, what are you looking at?"

So engrossed? Have you taken a fancy to those two young girls over there? Has your taste changed?

Qin Luo withdrew his gaze, picked up a tissue, slowly wiped his mouth, and said calmly.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I saw an acquaintance, Liu Xiaozhi, the younger brother of counselor Liu Piaopiao."

"Counselor Liu's younger brother?"

Situ Rui and Sha Qiang were both stunned for a moment.

Back then, Liu Piaopiao was the goddess teacher in the hearts of many boys in their department, so they naturally had a deep impression of her.

"Ah."

Qin Luo nodded and briefly recounted how Liu Piaopiao had taken him to find Liu Xiaozhi that morning, and how Liu Xiaozhi had angered Liu Piaopiao to the point of headaches due to his internet addiction, skipping classes, and hanging out with hooligans, before finally slipping away through the bathroom window.

Situ Rui and Sha Qiang both looked surprised after hearing this.

Situ Rui smacked his lips.

"I never expected that someone as cool and capable as Instructor Liu would have such a troublesome younger brother. Every family has its own problems."

Sha Qiang also spoke in a muffled voice.

"Yes, Teacher Liu is such a kind person..."

Just then, they saw Liu Xiaozhi being cornered by Zhang Ling and Da Gang's group. His face was flushed, and he helplessly pulled out his phone, seemingly about to call for help.

Qin Luo looked at Liu Xiaozhi, who was being manipulated by his so-called "friends" and "goddess," and shook his head helplessly.

He hadn't wanted to intervene so quickly, hoping to teach Liu Xiaozhi a lesson through some hardship. But seeing the current situation, if he didn't step in, the kid would likely be scolded even more severely by his sister, or do something even more extreme.

He stood up and spoke to Situ Rui and Sha Qiang.

"You guys eat first, I'll go over and take a look."

Situ Rui and Sha Qiang exchanged a glance, then immediately put down their skewers and crayfish and stood up.

"Let's go check it out!"

So Qin Luo walked ahead, with Situ Rui and Sha Qiang following on either side, and the three of them headed towards Liu Xiaozhi's table.

Just as Liu Xiaozhi dialed Liu Piaopiao's number, before he could even speak, he heard a slightly familiar voice behind him.

"Xiao Zhi? What are you doing here?"

Liu Xiaozhi turned around abruptly and saw Qin Luo. He was stunned for a moment, then his face showed extreme surprise and... a hint of inexplicable expectation?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. His sister had brought this man to see him that morning, and now he was here again... Could it be...?

An absurd yet hopeful guess welled up in Liu Xiaozhi's mind, and he blurted it out almost without hesitation, his voice filled with uncertainty and tentativeness.

"Sister...brother-in-law?"

His calling him "brother-in-law" not only startled Qin Luo, but even Situ Rui and Sha Qiang, who were following behind, almost couldn't help but laugh.

Qin Luo quickly realized what was happening, shook his head with a laugh, neither admitting nor denying it, but instead followed Liu Xiaozhi's words and asked with a smile.

"Your sister asked me to bring you some living expenses, but your phone was off. I happened to be eating here and saw you, so I came over to check on you. What's wrong? Are you in trouble?"

Upon hearing the words "living expenses," Liu Xiaozhi's eyes lit up immediately, as if he had grasped a lifeline!
He quickly hung up the phone with Liu Piaopiao, whom he had just connected with but hadn't had a chance to speak. He didn't even bother to find out if Qin Luo was really his "brother-in-law." He pointed at Zhang Ling and Da Gang, then at the mess on the table, and said in a wronged tone.

"They...they made me pay! I...I didn't bring that much with me..."

Qin Luo maintained a gentle smile, seemingly oblivious to the scrutinizing and slightly wary gazes of Zhang Ling and Da Gang's group.

He picked up the rather sturdy-looking tote bag he had been holding and handed it to Liu Xiaozhi, speaking in a relaxed tone.

"Here, your sister was worried you wouldn't have enough money while you're out, so she asked me to bring this for you. Take it first, pay the bill, and keep the rest as pocket money."

Liu Xiaozhi was overjoyed when he saw the heavy tote bag. He quickly reached out to take it, saying something as he did so.

"Thank you, sister... thank you, brother!"

However, perhaps because he was too excited, or perhaps because the bag was indeed quite heavy, Liu Xiaozhi didn't hold it properly when he took it, and the bag fell to the ground with a "thud".

The zipper didn't seem to be fully zipped up; it slipped open after the impact.

Stacks of brand-new, neatly bundled red 100-yuan bills slipped out of the bag and scattered on the somewhat greasy ground!
The bright red color stood out starkly against the dim lights of the night market!
Liu Xiaozhi stared at the stacks of money on the ground, then at the even more brand-new banknotes faintly visible in his handbag. He was completely dumbfounded, his mouth agape, his mind blank.

He had never seen so much cash in his life!
How much money is in this bag?!

Zhang Ling, Da Gang, and the others, who had been standing with their arms crossed, ready to laugh at Liu Xiaozhi and his suddenly appearing "brother-in-law," froze in mockery and disdain on their faces!
They stared in disbelief at the stacks of genuine hundred-yuan bills on the ground, then at the bulging tote bag.

After a brief moment of shock, Da Gang was the first to react. He forced himself to remain calm and sneered in an extremely disdainful tone.

"Tch! What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for! Who knows if that bag is full of stones or waste paper? Maybe you're just trying to fool people with some counterfeit money or a real bill on top and ghost money underneath? Liu Xiaozhi, with your penniless appearance, do you think your sister would give you that much money? You're kidding me!"

Zhang Ling also came to her senses. Although a hint of surprise and uncertainty flashed in her eyes, she still echoed her.

"Exactly! Liu Xiaozhi, you hired an actor to act in your play, right? And you really went all out, putting some real money on it? It's laughable!"

Liu Xiaozhi subconsciously bent down, frantically trying to pick up the stacks of money scattered on the ground, and also wanted to confirm whether the bag really contained only a layer of real money on the surface, as Da Gang had said, with stones or waste paper underneath.

With trembling hands, he yanked open the zipper of the handbag.

When the zipper was fully opened, revealing the contents of the bag to everyone, time seemed to stand still.

Inside the tote bag, bundles of brand-new 100-yuan bills were stacked densely and neatly! They were all uniformly red, tightly bound with white bank seals, exuding the unique, heart-pounding scent of ink and money.

This small tote bag, at this moment, seemed to everyone as a treasure trove exuding endless allure!
Liu Xiaozhi was completely dumbfounded. He squatted on the ground, looking up at the red banknotes in the bag that were enough to drown him. His brain completely shut down, and he even forgot to breathe.

He had never even seen so much cash piled up in his entire life, let alone owned it!
Zhang Ling, Da Gang, and their group of men and women all stared wide-eyed, frozen in place as if under a spell.

Their eyes were fixed on the open handbag, their faces filled with utter shock and disbelief!
one million!

This bag contains a genuine one million in cash!

This shock was too great for young people like them who were still in school or had just entered society and whose pockets were emptier than their faces!

They couldn't understand how Liu Xiaozhi's seemingly ordinary sister could casually give her brother a million yuan in cash as living expenses!

This is completely beyond their comprehension!
An absurd yet seemingly the only reasonable thought uncontrollably surged into their minds—could Liu Xiaozhi, the guy they had always mocked as a "country bumpkin," actually be a hidden, rich second-generation heir?! Was all his previous poverty and stinginess just a facade?!

Once this idea takes hold, it grows wildly like weeds.

Zhang Ling reacted the fastest.

The shock and disdain on her face vanished almost instantly, replaced by an exaggerated smile that mixed surprise, regret, and fawning.

She abruptly released her grip on Da Gang's arm and, like a swallow returning to its nest, rushed to Liu Xiaozhi, who was still squatting on the ground. She hugged his arm tightly and spoke in what she thought was her sweetest and gentlest voice.

"Xiao Zhi! Brother Xiao Zhi! I was just... I was just joking with you! How could you take it seriously?"

She shook Liu Xiaozhi's arm vigorously, her chest brushing against him intentionally or unintentionally.

"Actually...actually, I've always had feelings for you! It's just...it's just that you didn't seem to care about me much before, so I deliberately made you angry! Please don't be angry with me, okay? Let's...let's try to get along properly, okay?"

Her words were urgent and rapid, filled with undisguised utilitarianism and ingratiation, a stark contrast to her previous mean and contemptuous demeanor!
Liu Xiaozhi was taken aback by her sudden change. He felt a soft touch on his arm and heard her sweet voice in his ear. If it had been a few minutes ago, he probably would have fainted from happiness.

But at this moment, looking at Zhang Ling's face, which was shining with excitement at the sight of a huge sum of cash, and listening to her hypocritical words that were nauseating.

Then I recalled how she and Da Gang had teamed up to humiliate me, calling me a "country bumpkin" and saying things like "Don't try to pick up girls if you don't have money"...

An unprecedented feeling of nausea and anger, like a volcanic eruption, instantly shattered his pitiful illusions and affection for Zhang Ling!
He abruptly shook off Zhang Ling's hands, which were tightly gripping his arm. Due to the excessive force and his emotional state, he stood up abruptly.

Zhang Ling was thrown off balance and almost fell. She stared at Liu Xiaozhi in astonishment, still not having reacted.

The next second, under everyone's astonished gaze, Liu Xiaozhi raised his arm and, with all his might, slapped Zhang Ling's heavily made-up face hard! (End of Chapter)