Chapter 169
Chapter 169: We Got Played, We Got Played—Finally We Can Slaughter the Wolves’ Wallet
Lang Yin Feng and Lang Luo Feng’s hearts practically burst with delight.
Their smiles widened, their expressions full of sweet, oily gratitude that didn’t reach their eyes.
“Oh, Li Xin,” Lang Yin Feng said warmly, “you like our daughter? We’re truly happy. We were worried she might look different in person than in her photos, and you wouldn’t like her.”
“Yes,” Lang Luo Feng added quickly. “We’re so relieved.”
“And buying a mall for her…” Lang Yin Feng sighed as if it pained him to accept such generosity. “That’s really not necessary. But as for cooperation between our families on mining—”
Xiong Li Xin waved a hand like it was nothing. “Cooperation? Fine. I’ll talk to my grandfather tonight.”
Then he brightened. “And don’t say buying a mall isn’t necessary. It’s necessary. I like her. I want to have cubs with her. I’m happy to spend money for her.”
“My grandfather already told me our money exists for me and my future wife and our future cubs.”
“I spend it now or later—it’s the same.”
He leaned forward, impatient. “Stop standing around. Hurry and go. If we’re too slow, she won’t see how sincere I am.”
Lang Yin Feng and Lang Luo Feng practically floated.
They’d used Jiang Tea Tea as bait, and the fish had swallowed the hook clean.
Rare mines were practically waving at them from the future.
In the flyer ahead, Mo Jing Chun drove the trip like it was a parade. Behind her, Cheng family bodyguards followed in two smaller flyers.
In the passenger seat, Cheng Mian focused on flying, calm as stone, while Mo Jing Chun radiated bright, unstoppable energy.
In the back, Jiang Tea Tea and her team of eight leaned close, listening to Lang Yin Feng and Lang Luo Feng’s conversation with Xiong Li Xin through their earbuds.
They exchanged looks.
They tried not to laugh.
Some of them failed.
Sui Xuan Chu’s eyes slid toward Jiang Tea Tea with wordless alarm.
Commander-in-Chief Chong Ming hadn’t even officially dragged her into the golden dragon family, and someone was already trying to buy a mall for her and propose cubs.
Bold.
Very bold.
Behind them, Lang Xin Rui watched her parents leave with Xiong Li Xin—without even glancing back at their triplets.
The second they were gone, her expression collapsed into cold realism.
She summoned her own flyer from her storage button and snapped, “Get in. We’re going home.”
Lang Xin Chong frowned. “Aren’t we supposed to follow Dad and Mom to the mall?”
“We’re going home to pack,” Lang Xin Rui shot back. “We take everything valuable. Tonight we leave Barley Star.”
The ship from Barley Star to Capital Planet only ran twice a day. Today’s was already gone, but there were ships to other planets tonight. They could transfer from there.
If necessary, she would even apply for a temporary leave from school, or transfer. Anything to get away from Jiang Tea Tea.
Lang Xin Chong looked stunned. “But Dad and Mom don’t suspect us. Why are you tearing everything apart first?”
Lang Xin Rui stared at him like he was brainless.
“Why?” she repeated. “Because to Dad and Mom, we’re already trash.”
“Jiang Tea Tea shows up and suddenly they can lock down mining rights on the Xiong family’s rare planets and capture the Xiong family’s only heir.”
“They don’t care about us.”
“If we don’t go home and take what we can now, what do you think happens when Jiang Tea Tea tells them we stole her credit and we’re enemies?”
She leaned closer, voice quiet and lethal. “Do you think Dad and Mom will side with us, or with her?”
Lang Xin Chong opened his mouth, then shut it again.
Lang Xin Ping moved first. “I’m going. Sis, I’m with you.”
Lang Xin Chong hesitated one breath too long.
Lang Xin Rui and Lang Xin Ping climbed into the flyer and shot upward, pushing it to full speed.
Lang Xin Chong was left standing there, staring up at empty air, suddenly unsure whether to chase his parents, chase his siblings, or do nothing at all.
Barley Star’s population was around a hundred million. Canine and feline lines were the most common, mixed with smaller races and humans.
Each group had its own territory, its own district, its own architecture—built to taste, power, and pride.
The mall sat at the center of Barley Star, the most prosperous district. High-tech lights, wide streets, sleek buildings. Anything from the Zhen Lin Empire, anything from other star systems—if you had money, you could find it here.
Mo Jing Chun didn’t need the mall, not truly.
As a VIP of countless brands, she could send a message and have racks delivered straight to her home, waiting for her to choose.
But she liked the ritual.
The moment she stepped into the mall, every brand’s senior representative received the alert. They swarmed like bees, welcoming her with smiles bright enough to blind.
They escorted her to the highest-tier VIP suite, where tea and snacks appeared instantly, and staff hovered with perfect attentiveness.
Mo Jing Chun and Cheng Mian were opposites: she was loud, affectionate, blazing; he was calm, steady, quietly powerful.
But they shared one thing—they loved children.
And if their child loved someone, they loved them too.
Mo Jing Chun didn’t do “one small gift each.” If these kids worked their bodies to the bone at military academy, then when they finally had a break, they should come out of it looking stunning.
So she went all in.
Styling. Skincare. Hair. Outfits.
Racks of clothing rolled in.
Models lined up.
Accessories glittered under soft lights.
Mo Jing Chun loved everything.
“This is perfect.”
“Oh, that suits you.”
“Try that one too.”
She looked at her group of eight and practically beamed like she’d collected them herself.
They were cadets—long legs, wide shoulders, strong proportions. Even in casual clothes, they looked sharper than the models.
When they changed outfits and came out one by one, Mo Jing Chun laughed so hard she couldn’t close her mouth.
Brand representatives leaned in, flattery flowing like water.
“Madam Cheng, where did you find these handsome young men and beautiful young women? They’re more striking than our models.”
“And those two girls—look at their healthy glow, their proportions. Their smiles are like sunlight.”
“And the young men—each one looks at least 1.85 meters. Even from here you can feel their ability ranks.”
Mo Jing Chun lifted her chin, smug and delighted. “They’re my son’s classmates.”
She waved a hand grandly. “But they all call me Mom.”
She pointed at the crowd like it was obvious. “If they call me Mom, then they’re my children. And of course my children are gorgeous.”
The representatives nodded like their necks were made of springs.
“Madam Cheng is blessed. Other people have one or two cubs. You have eight.”
Then someone suggested, “Madam Cheng, should we bring jewelry for the girls? Girls like sparkling things.”
Mo Jing Chun’s eyes lit up. “Bring it. Seasonal. Beautiful. Collectible. All of it.”
Items began to arrive in shining waves.
Lang Yin Feng and Lang Luo Feng arrived partway through the chaos, smiles still glued to their faces.
Mo Jing Chun didn’t want to see them, but Cheng Xiao Ting gave her a look that said, Play nice for the mission.
So she let them in.
She didn’t sit with them. They took one sofa. She and Cheng Mian took another, like a deliberate line had been drawn.
Two full hours passed.
Jiang Tea Tea and her team changed outfits until their bones felt tired. They tried jewelry, removed jewelry, tried again.
It was more exhausting than training.
But when it came time to verify and package everything, it was worth it.
At the counter, as the bill came up, Lang Yin Feng pressed his hand over it immediately.
“Sister Jing Chun,” he said warmly, “how can we let you pay for Tea Tea? I’ll cover it.”
Lang Luo Feng nodded quickly. “Yes. Tea Tea is coming home today. You brought her out. We can’t let you pay.”
Mo Jing Chun arched a brow. “You’re paying? Are you sure? This isn’t a small number.”
Lang Yin Feng’s jaw tightened for a split second, then he smiled again. “Of course. To celebrate Tea Tea’s return, I’m willing to spend.”
“Really?” Cheng Xiao Ting surged forward like he’d been waiting for this exact moment. “Uncle Lang, you’re really paying for Jiang Tea Tea?”
He leaned in, eyes bright with perfectly innocent greed. “And… you’ll pay for the rest of us too, right?”
Lang Yin Feng cleared his throat. “Of course.”
Cheng Xiao Ting clapped once. “Great!”
Then he turned to Jiang Tea Tea like a helpful friend. “Sister Tea, remember that big-cube storage button you wanted before but couldn’t afford?”
He looked back at Lang Yin Feng, smiling. “Uncle Lang, if you’re paying, can she pick a big-cube storage button?”
“And another thing,” he added smoothly, piling on. “She doesn’t have her own training mech. The custom skeleton mech she won at the championship doesn’t match standard training levels. Can she buy a few mechs of different grades for practice?”
Clothes and jewelry were expensive, but manageable.
A big-cube storage button could be tens of millions, even hundreds of millions.
Combat mechs could start at millions and climb into absurdity.
Lang Yin Feng had insisted on paying.
If he backed out now, he’d be laughed at—and he’d slap his own face in front of the Cheng family.
So he smiled through the pain.
“Buy,” he said, voice tight but still warm. “If Tea Tea likes it, if she needs it—buy it.”
Cheng Xiao Ting turned instantly, calling out with exaggerated excitement. “Sister Tea! Come on! Uncle Lang is buying storage buttons, combat mechs, combat suits, helmets, even a new flyer. Hurry—let’s pick!”
Jiang Tea Tea stepped forward with the others and put on her sweetest, most hesitant face. “No… that’s too much money. I can make do with the school’s shared equipment. We don’t need to spend like this.”
Cheng Xiao Ting took the cue and pushed harder, voice loud and righteous. “What do you mean, ‘too much’? This is military academy. You spend now so you can protect the country later. That’s honor!”
He turned to Lang Yin Feng with sparkling eyes. “Uncle Lang, you’re happy to spend money for her, right?”
Lang Yin Feng felt like he’d tied himself to a fire rack and couldn’t climb down.
He could only smile and nod.
“Yes,” he said, forcing warmth into every word. “Tea Tea, don’t save for us. If you lack something, buy it. If you want something, buy it. Dad and Mom earn money to spend on you.”