Chapter 169
Chapter 169: Tricked, Tricked, Finally Time to Slaughter the Wolf’s Wallet
Wolf Yin Feng and Wolf Luo Feng were secretly delighted. Calculation flashed in their eyes, but they spoke in a fake, modest tone to Xiong Li Xin: “Oh, Li Xin, we’re so happy you like our daughter. We were a bit worried before that Tea Tea might not look exactly like her photos and you wouldn’t like her.”
“Yes, yes, as long as you like her, we can relax. Buying the shopping mall for her… that might be too much. It’s just that our family and yours are working together to mine…”
Xiong Li Xin cut off their fake hesitation with a wave of his chubby hand: “I’ll tell my grandfather about the cooperation tonight when we get back.”
“As for buying the shopping mall, who says that’s too much? It’s not too much at all. I like her, I want to have little bear cubs with her, and I’m happy to spend money on her. My grandfather said all our family’s money is for me, my wife, and our future little bear cubs to spend.”
“Whether I spend it early or spend it later, it’s all the same. You two don’t need to say anything else. Hurry up and catch up to them, or Tea Tea won’t see how sincere I am.”
Hearing this, Wolf Yin Feng and Wolf Luo Feng felt that using Jiang Tea Tea as bait to lure the fish was a very wise choice. Rare minerals from the mines were practically waving at them.
With the promise of rare mineral mines in their minds, the couple began to paint big, tempting pictures for Xiong Li Xin: “Good, good, good. Li Xin, if you like Tea Tea and want to be good to her, we as her parents can relax.”
“When Tea Tea registers her marriage with you, we’ll all be one family, and a family doesn’t talk like outsiders. With Tea Tea’s bloodline, if you have little bear cubs with her, you’ll have at least two or three cubs at a time.”
“Yes, in our White Wolf Family, the highest birth record is eleven cubs. You two together, having two a year, five in three years won’t be a problem at all. Your grandfather will never have to worry about an heir again.”
Xiong Li Xin, wrapped up in the big beautiful vision they were drawing, happily started imagining a future where he and his love-at-first-sight Jiang Tea Tea raised little bear cubs and lived a blissful life.
A large round flying device flew ahead.
Behind it were two small flying devices from the Cheng Family’s bodyguard team.
Cheng Xiao Ting’s dad, Cheng Mian, was piloting the main flying device. His mom, Mo Jing Chun, sat in the co-pilot seat.
At first, Jiang Tea Tea, Sui Xuan Chu, Cheng Xiao Ting, and the others sat in the back facing each other. Then the sound of Wolf Yin Feng, the couple, and Xiong Li Xin talking drifted into the cabin.
The eight of them slowly huddled together, squatting inside the flying device, looking at each other while trying not to laugh. Some of them used their eyes to tease Jiang Tea Tea.
[These two White Wolf tribe old wolves are ruthless. Their abacus beads are practically bouncing from the Empire all the way to the Insectoid territory.]
[And that bear guy, he already likes Sister Tea so much that he’s busy imagining their future kids. Truly impressive.]
[Is Commander in Chief Chong Ming too old to swing a knife, too weak to carry a cannon, or unable to give orders anymore? Someone dares to covet his kid’s mother. Amazing. Truly amazing.]
In the co-pilot seat, Mo Jing Chun signaled her partner to look at the kids in the back. Cheng Mian just shook his head. Not only did he not look, he raised the divider between the front and back so they wouldn’t disturb the children. He focused completely on piloting the flying device.
Wolf Xin Rui watched her parents and Xiong Li Xin, whose family had gotten rich selling honey and owned two rare mining planets, leave without saying a single word to her or her brothers.
She took out her own flying device from her space knob storage device and said to Wolf Xin Ping and Wolf Xin Chong: “Get in. We’re going home.”
Wolf Xin Chong frowned: “Weren’t we going to follow Dad and Mom to the shopping mall? Why are we going home?”
Wolf Xin Rui answered: “We’re going home to pack up everything we can carry and then catch a ship off Barley Star tonight, transfer somewhere else, and head back to Capital Planet.”
There were only two ships a day between Capital Planet and Barley Star, one coming and one going. Today’s ship from Barley Star to Capital Planet had already left. But there would be an evening flight to another planet where they could transfer.
If necessary, she would go back to the academy to apply for a leave of absence, or quickly find another school willing to accept transfer students. She needed to stay far away from Jiang Tea Tea and stop provoking her. Maybe then she could still have a halfway decent life.
Wolf Xin Chong was shocked: “Dad and Mom don’t suspect us. Why are you in such a rush to break things off and run away?”
Wolf Xin Rui felt like his brain was full of mush. He hadn’t taken in a single word of her previous warnings.
“Why? You’re asking me why? Do you really not feel it at all? To Dad and Mom, we’re just useless. We don’t matter.”
“All Jiang Tea Tea had to do was show up and they can secure the Xiong Family’s rare mining rights and lock down the Xiong Family’s only heir.”
“Right now their heads are full of Jiang Tea Tea and their own benefits. If we don’t hurry home and grab what we can, and later Tea Tea tells them that she has already fallen out with us…”
“Or she remembers that we stole her credit and tells Dad and Mom to deal with us, who do you think Dad and Mom will side with? Jiang Tea Tea or us?”
“If we don’t go back now and take what we can, are we supposed to walk away with nothing in a few days?”
“We’re their kids. Dad and Mom can’t be that cold…”
Wolf Xin Rui cut him off: “If you want to end up with nothing, that’s your business. I don’t. Are you coming with me to pack our things or not? If you don’t, I’ll go alone.”
“I’m going with you.” Wolf Xin Ping hurried over to her flying device. “Sis, I’m going back with you to get our stuff.”
Wolf Xin Chong hesitated and didn’t move. He wanted to persuade them, but before he could open his mouth, he saw the two of them get into the flying device, start the engines, and shoot into the sky.
He tried to shout after them and stop them, but it was no use. They were too scared and pushed the flying device to full speed. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
He stood there, not knowing whether he should call another flying device and head to the shopping mall to find his parents, or follow his older sister.
Barley Star had a population of about one hundred million. The most common residents were from the canine and feline families, along with other minor races and pure humans.
Living areas were divided by race. Each species had its own territory, bigger or smaller, where they built homes according to their tastes and strength.
The shopping mall was in the central district of Barley Star. It was the most prosperous area, full of a high-tech feel.
Whether it was good stuff from the Empire or things from other nations and star systems, you could find it there.
You could shop in person, or order online and have things delivered. To keep employment rates up, only sanitation and some dangerous jobs were done by robots. Sales and service staff were still all people.
The Cheng Family was one of the big families on Barley Star, a low-key big family. Cheng Xiao Ting’s bright, enthusiastic mom was a VIP at the major shopping malls.
Normally, when she wanted to buy something, all she had to do was send a message or a call. Everything would be delivered to her house for her to choose from. She never needed to come in person.
Today, not only had she come herself, she had brought a group of young people with lipstick marks on their faces, all fresh, good-looking, and full of youthful energy.
The moment this big-spending patron walked into the shopping mall, all the store managers for the brands she usually shopped at got notified. They rushed over to greet her and led her to the super VIP selection room.
Mo Jing Chun and Cheng Mian had very different personalities. One was warm and outgoing, the other mature and steady. But they both loved children and liked being around them. They also loved whoever their children liked.
Usually, when people bought gifts for kids, it was one gift per child. Mo Jing Chun wasn’t like that. In her opinion, these kids were all so good-looking, and school was so hard. Since they finally had a break and were home, they deserved to dress beautifully and look their best.
So she started from the top down. While stylists worked on their hair and skin care, she picked out clothes. The sales attendants rolled in racks and racks of outfits, and called over groups of ten models at a time.
Mo Jing Chun liked this outfit and that outfit too. She couldn’t bear to put any of them back.
By the time Jiang Tea Tea and the others finished their skin care and styling, Mo Jing Chun slapped her thigh and decided: “Forget the models. Let the kids try everything on.”
Forced by Mo Jing Chun’s enthusiasm, Jiang Tea Tea and the rest all went to try on clothes. They were all students from military academies with long legs, broad shoulders, and great figures. On them, the clothes looked even better than on the models.
They took turns changing. Every time they changed into a new outfit, they came out and showed it to Mo Jing Chun.
Mo Jing Chun watched with a grin she couldn’t hide.
The brand managers around her poured tea, served snacks, and even gave her a shoulder massage while they flattered her: “Madam Mo, where did you find such handsome young men and beautiful girls? They’re better than our models.”
“Yes, yes, Madam Cheng, look at those two little girls. What healthy skin tones, what perfect figures. Their smiles are as bright as sunlight and as sweet as fruit.”
“And those boys, every one of them tall with long legs, not a single one under one meter eighty-five. Even from here, I can feel that their supernatural ability levels aren’t low.”
Mo Jing Chun lifted her chin, eyes full of pride: “They’re all my son’s schoolmates, but they all call me Mom.”
“They call me Mom, so tell me, aren’t they all my children? Since they’re my children, of course they’re all good-looking.”
All the brand managers agreed at once: “Exactly, exactly. Madam Cheng is blessed. Other families only have one or two kids. You have eight, and they’re all good-looking.”
“Ah, look, would you like to pick some jewelry for the two little girls? What girl doesn’t like shiny things?”
Mo Jing Chun waved her hand generously: “Pick some. Get the pretty pieces, this season’s styles, and the collectible items. Bring them all over so I can choose.”
The managers’ eyes lit up and they hurried to wave their staff over to set everything out.
They had just finished putting the jewelry on display and Mo Jing Chun hadn’t even started choosing when someone came in to tell her that the Lang family estate couple had come looking for her.
She didn’t like them and didn’t want to talk to them at all. But her son Cheng Xiao Ting asked her to, so she had them shown in.
Even then, she didn’t let them sit on the same sofa. Wolf Yin Feng and Wolf Luo Feng sat on one sofa, while she and her partner sat on another.
For a full two hours, Jiang Tea Tea and the others changed into spring, summer, fall, and winter outfits, at least thirty sets in total, and tried on the latest jewelry over and over again.
They had run drills, gone to class, written theory exams and reflections, practiced physical training, supernatural abilities, and mecha armor, but none of that had ever been this tiring.
Still, the exhaustion was worth it. Once everything they liked had been checked and packed up, it was time to pay.
Wolf Yin Feng placed his hand on one of the bills and said quickly to Mo Jing Chun: “Sister Jing Chun, how could we let you pay for Tea Tea’s things? I’ll cover it.”
Wolf Luo Feng followed: “Yes, yes, Sister Jing Chun, Tea Tea came home today and you even took her shopping. We can’t let you pay this bill. Let us.”
Mo Jing Chun raised her voice slightly: “You’ll pay? Are you sure? This is not a small amount.”
Wolf Yin Feng knew it wasn’t a small sum. He treated it as making up for the eighteen years they hadn’t spent money on Jiang Tea Tea: “I know it’s a lot, but to celebrate Tea Tea’s return, I’m willing to spend it.”
“Really, Uncle?” Cheng Xiao Ting popped over excitedly. “You’re really willing to pay for my schoolmate Jiang Tea Tea’s things, and maybe help pay for the rest of us too?”
Wolf Yin Feng cleared his throat: “Of course.”
Cheng Xiao Ting’s face lit up: “That’s great. Before this, Jiang Tea Tea didn’t have money. She had her eye on a large-cube space knob storage device but couldn’t afford it. Since you’re paying for her, can she pick out a big one?”
“And also, she doesn’t have her own combat mecha armor for practice. The custom skeletal mecha armor from the last Thirty Military Academies Supremacy Tournament isn’t on the same level as normal mecha armor, and she can’t really use it for training. Can she buy a few mecha armors of different levels?”
Clothes and jewelry for eight people might come to three to five million at most.
But a large-cube space knob storage device started in the tens of millions or even went up into the hundreds of millions. And combat mecha armor of various grades started at hundreds of thousands, with no upper limit.
Wolf Yin Feng had insisted on paying. If he backed out now, not only would the Cheng couple laugh at him, he’d be slapping his own face in public.
He clenched his back molars, swallowing the ache of not knowing how much this would cost, and forced a smile: “Buy them. Whatever Tea Tea likes and whatever she needs, buy it all.”
Cheng Xiao Ting immediately turned to Jiang Tea Tea: “Sister Tea, my Uncle Lang is buying you a space knob storage device, combat mecha armor, combat protective suit, helmet, and the latest flying device. Hurry, come on, let’s go pick them out.”
Jiang Tea Tea and the other six walked over. She put on her best green tea act and refused: “We really shouldn’t. That’s a lot of money. I can make do with the academy’s public equipment. We don’t have to spend this money.”
Cheng Xiao Ting followed her lead and raised his voice like a righteous young man: “What do you mean, ‘a lot of money’? You’re a military academy student. You’ll be protecting the country someday. This is your glory. It’s also my Uncle Lang’s glory.”
“Uncle Lang is happy to spend money on you now, aren’t you, Uncle Lang?”
Wolf Yin Feng was like someone who had picked up a rock and smashed his own foot, then tied himself to a roasting spit and wasn’t allowed to shout in pain or get down. He could only smile and nod: “Yes. Tea Tea, don’t worry about saving money for me. Buy whatever you’re missing and whatever you want. Dad and Mom make money so we can spend it on you.”