Chapter 127
Chapter 127: Hello, I’m Qian Qi, and You Need to Pay 200 Yuan to Add Me as a Friend.
By early evening, Qian Qi had finally managed to coax Xiang Wen Yun into taking the kids back to the orphanage. She kept insisting the place couldn’t run without her until Xiang Wen Yun, reluctant but convinced, led everyone out.
The moment the room fell quiet, Qian Qi swung her legs off the bed, padded to the window, and looked down.
Reporters squatted outside like they’d taken root. People drifted through the crowd with flowers and fruit baskets, looping back and forth as if they couldn’t decide whether to mourn or protest. And right in front of the cameras, a cluster of people held banners aimed like knives at the Dungeon Association for its “carelessness”—for somehow missing a D-rank instance buried under Yan Jiao Primary School.
A school. A place where parents left the thing they treasured most.
No wonder the crowd looked ready to explode.
If the Dungeon Association couldn’t even protect children, what good were they?
“That old Tang is going to have a headache,” Qian Qi muttered.
She snorted and turned back toward the bed—then the lightbrain in her hand chirped.
A new contact request. A string of unfamiliar numbers. The note read: Hello, I’m Tang Yun De, chairman of the Dungeon Association.
Huh.
Speak of the devil, and the devil texts you.
Qian Qi tapped the reply box and typed without blinking: Hello, I’m Qian Qi. To add me as a friend, you need to pay 200 yuan first.
On the other end, Tang Yun De stared at the screen.
A single question mark appeared.
Then another.
Then another.
Three bright little symbols, each one more offended than the last.
What kind of student charged a fee for adding a friend?
Tang Yun De was sitting in Principal Zheng’s office, and his day had already been a disaster. The Yan Jiao dungeon had appeared without warning, left civilians dead, and set the internet on fire. As chairman, he was getting roasted alive. Worse, the Dungeon Association had lost public trust—badly.
Which was exactly why the kid who’d killed more than a dozen D-rank magic beasts alone had become his new target.
If he could borrow Qian Qi’s “hero” status for PR, half his problems would evaporate. The backlash would soften. Trust would climb.
He’d gone to the hospital first, only to be blocked by a doctor. “Deep coma,” they’d said. “No disturbance.” So he’d dug for information and learned Qian Qi was a student at Awakeners University.
That was why he’d sprinted straight to Yan City and dragged an old junior into helping him—Principal Zheng.
“Little Zheng,” Tang Yun De said now, shoving the lightbrain forward, “look at this. What’s she trying to say?”
Principal Zheng glanced once and went silent.
His face said everything: Of course it’s her. Of course she’d monetize breathing if she could.
“You should pay,” Principal Zheng said at last, sounding tired in advance. “She likes money.”
“Likes money?” Tang Yun De’s brows lifted.
Perfect. If she liked money, then money was leverage.
He immediately transferred 200 yuan.
Qian Qi accepted the request the instant it landed.
[Chairman Tang]: Hello. Are you classmate Qian Qi?
[I’m Your Grandpa]: To answer that, you need to pay 400 yuan.
Tang Yun De: ?
He stared at the message like it had personally slapped him.
He looked at Principal Zheng. “Little Zheng…”
“She wants money,” Principal Zheng said, dead calm. “So give her money.”
Grinding his teeth, Tang Yun De transferred 400 yuan.
[I’m Your Grandpa]: Yes. I’m Qian Qi.
A wave of regret hit him so hard he almost choked. He already knew it was her. Why had he paid 200 yuan for the privilege of confirming reality?
He forced himself to breathe, then typed again.
[Chairman Tang]: Is it convenient to meet in person?
[I’m Your Grandpa]: To answer that, you need to pay 800 yuan.
Tang Yun De’s eyelid twitched.
Beside him, Principal Zheng coughed and put on a stern expression. “This kid—when she comes back to school, I’m going to educate her properly.”
Tang Yun De’s mouth pulled tight. Somehow, against all instinct, he transferred 800 yuan.
The reply arrived instantly, like she’d been hovering over the send button.
[I’m Your Grandpa]: Not convenient.
Tang Yun De’s vision went briefly white.
Not convenient?
Then why take the money?!
He wasn’t short on cash, but her shamelessness felt weirdly familiar. Like déjà vu with a price tag.
He turned sharply to Principal Zheng. “Are your students all like this? This… this level of scheming?”
Principal Zheng didn’t answer fast enough, so Tang Yun De barreled on. “Last time too! Some student called Chen Tong—he scammed me into a deal!”
“Chen Tong?” Principal Zheng blinked, genuinely surprised. “How did he scam you?”
Tang Yun De launched into the whole story: getting played into an IKD partnership, being told to complain directly to Principal Zheng if he disliked IKD’s flight service, the whole mess.
The more he talked, the stranger Principal Zheng’s expression became.
Because Principal Zheng knew Chen Tong.
And Chen Tong was the kind of guy who would pay full price for a VVVIP ticket and apologize for taking too long to count his change.
Marketing mastermind? Not in this universe.
“You’re telling me,” Principal Zheng said carefully, “he said his name was Chen Tong?”
Tang Yun De nodded. “Yes. She said she was Chen Tong.”
Principal Zheng went still.
That sealed it. It had to be Qian Qi.
“You didn’t check?” Principal Zheng asked, baffled. “Even a little?”
“Why would I check?” Tang Yun De said flatly. “That girl was annoying, but the IKD partnership wasn’t a loss. I respect cunning and guts. That’s all.”
He wasn’t partnering with her. He was partnering with IKD. There was nothing to retaliate over.
Still… students these days were something else. One was shamelessly crafty. Another was heroic and righteous. Modern youth, apparently.
Principal Zheng swallowed his explanation and changed tracks. “So what now? Qian Qi doesn’t want to see you.”
Tang Yun De thought, then said, “What about you? You’re her principal. Visiting her at the hospital should be fine.”
Principal Zheng’s head snapped in a hard no.
Qian Qi was awake and still hadn’t replied to him. That meant she didn’t want company. And there was no way he was walking into that when she was in peak ‘charge-by-the-syllable’ mode.
Also, he didn’t want to get fleeced.
He forced a polite smile. “It’s better if you go yourself. It looks sincere. And if it’s really necessary… just send her more money.”
Something about that sounded wrong even to Tang Yun De. He was willing to pay for a spokesperson, sure—but paying before any conversation felt like skipping straight past normal human procedure.
He frowned, then messaged again.
[Chairman Tang]: Is it because your body isn’t convenient? Yan Jiao Hospital’s level is average. Should I transfer you to Yan City First Hospital?
[I’m Your Grandpa]: To answer this, you need to pay 1600 + 3200 yuan.
Tang Yun De’s jaw clenched.
It doubled.
And it doubled separately.
His long-dormant stubborn streak crawled up from the grave. He rolled up his sleeves and transferred 4800 yuan in one furious slam.
[I’m Your Grandpa]: My body is fine, but I don’t need it.
Tang Yun De’s eye twitched. Then his other eye joined in.
A string of curses climbed his throat like lava.
Principal Zheng lunged in time to grab his arm. “Calm down, Chairman Tang! Calm down! She’s still just a kid!”
Tang Yun De froze.
“A kid?” he repeated, voice pitching up.
He jabbed a finger at his own chest. “I’m an old man!”
An old man!
Was it legal to bully an old man like this?!