Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

Back in the dorm, none of them said a word.

The room was still a mess.

A piece of the window was broken, the corner of the table was crooked, and there were still wood chips and glass shards on the floor. The upper bunk of the bunk bed on the left was also broken; a large section of the bed board was cracked, and it was lying there at an angle, looking like no one could sleep on it anymore.

Tang Wulin first put his things away properly.

The quilt was placed at the innermost part of the lower bunk, the clothes were neatly folded, and the toiletries were all put away. However, the little flower embroidered on the corner of the quilt still caught his eye a few more times. The gray stain on it had been washed away, but the thought of stepping on it earlier still made him feel uncomfortable.

Zhou Changxi stood to the side, his face grim. He tried to speak several times, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

Yun Xiao had already climbed onto the top bunk and was sitting on the edge of the bed looking down. Her gaze behind her glasses darted back and forth, clearly not yet fully recovered from the series of events that had happened today.

Xie Xie stood by the door, half of his face still swollen, looking colder than usual.

Just as things were at an impasse, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

"205".

A middle-aged man carrying a new bed board walked in, wearing the uniform of the college's logistics department. He glanced at the four people in the room, then at the damaged area, without any surprise on his face. Clearly, this was not the first time he had seen something like this.

"Make way."

As he spoke, he lifted the bed board in his hand with practiced ease, quickly removing the broken old bed board and then firmly inserting the new bed board into the bed frame.

After doing all that, he clapped his hands and then turned to look at the group.

"Who is Tang Wulin? Who is Xie Xie?"

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie looked up at the same time.

"I am."

"I."

The middle-aged man nodded.

"The windows, walls, bed frame, and labor costs totaled 34,000 Federal Dollars. The Academic Affairs Office has already registered it; go and pay the compensation as soon as possible."

"Thirty-four thousand?" Tang Wulin stood up abruptly.

He had considered the possibility of losing money, but he never expected to lose this much.

A bed board, a window, and a wall cost 34,000 federal dollars?

"Teacher, can we fix it ourselves, or buy it from outside?" he asked almost immediately.

The middle-aged man glanced at him, his tone flat.

"This is the academy, not your home. You damaged academy property, and the academy is responsible for repairs. What if you buy the wrong model yourself? Who will be held responsible then?"

Tang Wulin was speechless for a moment.

Thirty-four thousand.

When he came to Donghai City, his father didn't give him nearly this much money for living expenses. Even if he took out all the money he had, it wouldn't be nearly enough.

The thought of this gave him a headache.

The support staff clearly didn't intend to explain much to the children, leaving behind the words "handle it as soon as possible" before leaving.

Once everyone left, the dormitory became quiet again.

Tang Wulin plopped down on the edge of the bed, staring at the ground, and didn't move for a long time.

Thirty-four thousand federal dollars.

This number seemed insignificant to Xie Xie and the academy's logistics staff, but to him, it carried immense weight.

That's money.

It's not a string of numbers.

Zhou Changxi was still angry, but after hearing the amount of compensation, his face stiffened.

His family wasn't well-off, and they had to be very careful with their money. He knew better than anyone what 34,000 Federal Dollars meant. If his family were to give him that money, it would probably cause a huge uproar.

So he wisely kept quiet.

Even the initial resentment had been largely suppressed.

Yun Xiao coughed softly on the upper bunk but didn't say anything.

He was poor too.

At times like these, saying even one more word can easily backfire.

Only Xie Xie remained standing there, watching Tang Wulin's expression gradually darken, his brows furrowing as well.

After a few breaths, he finally spoke.

"I'll pay for it first."

Tang Wulin was startled and suddenly looked up at him.

"You'll pay?"

Xie Xie felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and his tone became even harsher.

"I said I'd go first."

He paused for a moment, then added, "But it's not a free lunch. Once my face has healed, we'll have another match."

Before Tang Wulin could even process the fact that "someone offered 34,000," the first thing that popped into his mind wasn't anything else, but rather—

The money is secured.

In that instant, the agitation in his eyes almost immediately dissipated by half.

"real?"

Xie Xie's face darkened.

"Would I lie to you about something like this when I'm bored?"

Tang Wulin looked at him, as if afraid he would change his mind, and immediately nodded.

"Fine, let's fight."

He agreed so quickly that even Yun Xiao couldn't help but peek at him from the top bunk.

He looked so worried just a moment ago, but now that he heard someone would provide compensation, he perked up completely.

Xie Xie was speechless, caught between his two reactions.

He had expected the guy to say something hesitant or at least stubbornly refuse. But to his surprise, the guy immediately agreed as soon as he heard someone would cover the compensation upfront.

"You're really realistic," he said coldly.

Tang Wulin, however, did not see anything wrong with it.

"That's thirty-four thousand Federal Credits." He looked at Xie Xie very seriously. "That's no small amount."

Xie Xie was speechless for a moment.

Money wasn't an issue for him, at least not this amount. But seeing Tang Wulin's expression, he suddenly realized that the other man wasn't faking it; he was genuinely worried about the compensation.

The difference between two people's lives is so great.

Xie Xie was silent for two seconds, and finally only said one sentence:

"We'll talk about it tomorrow."

After saying that, he turned and left the dormitory.

Judging from the looks of it, she probably went to treat the injury on her face first.

The three people remaining in the dormitory felt a little awkward for a moment.

It was Yun Xiaoxian who broke the silence.

"It's time for lunch," he said. "Are you hungry?"

Tang Wulin was still preoccupied with the compensation, but as soon as he said that, his stomach immediately growled in agreement.

He was indeed hungry.

And I was extremely hungry.

He's been through so much trouble – first getting into the school, then registering, then getting into a fight, and then being called to the administration office. He hasn't eaten a single thing yet.

"Hungry," he answered honestly.

Yun Xiao pushed up her glasses and climbed down from the top bunk.

"Let's go to the cafeteria first. If we don't go now, it'll get even more crowded."

Zhou Changxi stood to the side, hesitated for a moment, and then got out of bed as well.

He glanced at Tang Wulin, still a little embarrassed, but compared to his previous look of wanting to fight, he was clearly much more obedient now.

"Are we going or not?" Yun Xiao asked.

Tang Wulin nodded: "Let's go."

The three of them left the dormitory together.

The intermediate-level cafeteria is right next to the main teaching building; it's a three-story building. First and second graders are on the first floor, third and fourth graders on the second floor, and fifth and sixth graders on the third floor. The building is bustling with activity, filled with new students and their accompanying parents.

As soon as Tang Wulin entered, he smelled the aroma of food.

Then he noticed that there were no chairs in the cafeteria.

It was all long tables.

"The college rules state that you have to eat standing up." Yun Xiao noticed his confusion and explained as they walked, "It's to prevent students from being too lazy and from lingering in the cafeteria for too long."

Tang Wulin nodded.

There are three windows in total, labeled A, B, and C.

Yun Xiao quickly explained the difference to him again.

"Meal C is free and you can eat your fill. Meal B costs a little extra and the food is a bit better. Meal A is the most expensive, but also the best. Most people usually eat Meal C, and only go to Meal B occasionally to treat themselves."

Tang Wulin listened very attentively.

When he got closer, his eyes lit up when he saw the menu for today posted on the food window.

steamed stuffed bun.

And there's no limit.

Zhou Changxi, who was standing to the side, also saw it and couldn't help but turn his head to glance at Tang Wulin.

He was still a little resentful about the beating he'd received during the day, but having just been beaten, he couldn't bring himself to admit it. After hesitating for a while, he suddenly blurted out:

"Tang Wulin, shall we compete or not?"

Tang Wulin was taken aback.

"Compare what?"

"Let's have a contest to see who can eat the most steamed buns," Zhou Changxi said, raising his chin. "Whoever eats the most wins."

Upon hearing this, Yun Xiao's lips twitched.

They just finished a fight, and now they're having a steamed bun eating contest. What's wrong with the people in this dorm?

Tang Wulin did think about it seriously.

"What if we lose?"

Zhou Changxi said, "Whoever loses has to clean the dorm this month. If I lose, I'll wash all the clothes I got dirty for you."

Tang Wulin glanced at him and suddenly felt that although this guy was quite annoying, he wasn't entirely hopeless.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Of course," Zhou Changxi said. "What, you don't dare?"

Tang Wulin did not respond immediately.

He glanced again at the neatly stacked buns in the window and asked a more crucial question.

"Are you sure you can have as many steamed buns as you want?"

Zhou Changxi was stunned for a moment.

"Nonsense, there's no limit to the amount of meal C."

Tang Wulin then nodded.

"Okay then."

Yun Xiao stood to the side, suddenly having a bad feeling.

In particular, when he saw Tang Wulin exhale gently and seriously after saying those words, as if he were making some kind of preparation, his premonition became even stronger.

Zhou Changxi obviously didn't notice this and thought he had found a suitable way out.

"Then let's compare."

Tang Wulin looked at the steaming buns in the window, and his eyes were completely different now.

"Actually, I'm quite hungry."