Chapter 132
Chapter 132: Damn It, Plastic Friendship?
Tang Yun De couldn’t shake the feeling something was off.
Normally, with the gap in status and age between them, a student would be stiff in front of him.
But Qian Qi acted like they’d been drinking together for years—too familiar, too casual, and not even a little polite.
And her voice…
It nagged at him.
“Classmate Qian Qi,” he said slowly, “have we met before?”
Liang Yu Ting and Zhang Feng exchanged a look so strange it nearly counted as a group statement.
This chairman’s flirting skills were tragic.
Qian Qi hopped down from the table and fiddled with the light-brain like he’d asked the dumbest question on earth. “What are you talking about? Look at our status gap. How would we ever have met?”
No. He was sure.
Tang Yun De stared at her until the lazy, streetwise swagger clicked into place in his mind.
“You’re Chen Tong.”
“What Chen Tong?” Qian Qi widened her eyes innocently. “My name is Qian Qi. Two-Hundred-Bucks Qian Qi.”
Tang Yun De’s eye twitched.
It would’ve been better if she hadn’t mentioned money. The second she did, he remembered the 12,600 he’d lost.
No—now it was 1,012,600.
He forced himself to stay focused. “Fine. Then tell me—what does berserk powder actually do?”
Now Qian Qi finally looked pleased. She pulled a small packet of powder from her hospital gown pocket and tossed it onto the bed in front of him. “Did you look into me before you came? The hemostatic magic potion everyone’s been buying like crazy was developed by the Magic Plant Department.”
Tang Yun De nodded. “I’ve heard of it. And there’s also a defense fruit, right?”
“Exactly.” Qian Qi’s smile sharpened. “And now we’ve developed berserk powder.”
She gave him a clean, quick rundown of what the powder could do. Then she leaned back like a merchant finishing a sales pitch. “We’re looking for a buyer.”
Tang Yun De stared at the tiny packet in his hand. It was hard to believe something so small could give power to ordinary people and awakened ones alike.
His brain jumped ahead immediately—what this meant, what it could change, and how badly it could be abused.
And he blurted out, “How much?”
“Oh, it’s not expensive.” Qian Qi sounded almost gentle.
She pulled up her blanket, sat cross-legged on the bed, and propped her elbows on her knees. Her fingers laced together in front of her lips.
Then she smiled.
Not a nice smile. A villain smile.
“Two sets of B-rank defensive armor,” she said slowly. “That’s the opening bid.”
“Opening bid?” Tang Yun De frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.” Qian Qi’s eyes narrowed into happy little crescents. “I’m holding an auction at school. I’ll invite every faction. The berserk powder formula goes to the highest bidder.”
Tang Yun De’s expression hardened instantly.
If the formula landed in the hands of capitalists, it would become a luxury sold at a price designed to strangle people.
It couldn’t be allowed.
“As if I’d sell it to those capitalists.” Qian Qi waved a hand like she was swatting a fly. “So I’ll give the Dungeon Association and the Awakeners Association priority bidding rights.”
“The Awakeners Association?” Tang Yun De’s face turned ugly.
He knew exactly what kind of rotten beast that organization was. Behind the shiny surface were experiments, trafficking, madness—things that made capitalists look tame.
But he couldn’t say that to a student. The interests ran too deep. Even he would get skinned if he stepped wrong.
And he absolutely couldn’t drag Qian Qi into it.
“You can’t sell it to them,” he said, voice low and firm. “Classmate Qian Qi—be honest. What’s your top price?”
Qian Qi lifted one eyebrow. “No top price. It depends on how much you two sides are willing to pay.”
She’d heard both associations were rich. This was shaping up to be the kind of payday that made people religious.
On the side, Grandpa Sun and Uncle Li turned their heads away in perfect unison.
“Old Li,” Grandpa Sun said cheerfully, “nice weather today, huh?”
“Sure is,” Uncle Li replied. “Wonton soup at noon?”
Tang Yun De: …
Damn it. Plastic friendship?
He glanced at Si Kong Wang, searching for even a shred of support.
Si Kong Wang, mid-bite of stinky tofu, caught the look and immediately understood.
He reached over, picked up a box, and offered it with a perfectly innocent expression. “Chairman Tang, want some?”
Tang Yun De: …
So none of you are reliable.
Fine.
His eyes dropped to the smallest person in the room—Little Min.
“Little girl,” Tang Yun De said, forcing warmth into his voice, “what’s your name?”
Little Min blinked at him and asked, dead serious, “Old Grandpa… are you really poor?”
Tang Yun De froze.
Little Min continued, innocent as a knife. “Director Mom said if you don’t have money, you don’t have to buy things. You should spend within your means.”
Tang Yun De pressed two fingers to his temple.
What kind of teachings was that woman handing out?
And he wasn’t poor. He just didn’t want to get fleeced.
He finally accepted reality: in this whole room, he couldn’t find even half a person on his side.
“Fine,” he said through his teeth. “I’ll wait for your message.”
Then he exhaled and added, “One more thing. I want you to join the Dungeon Association and help me deal with the public backlash from the Yan Jiao dungeon.”
That had been his original reason for coming. Now it felt like the secondary problem.
“Sure,” Qian Qi said easily. “For the million.”
Tang Yun De paused, almost thrown by how quickly she agreed. His mood recovered a fraction. “Then I won’t disturb your rest. Take care of yourself.”
He stood to leave.
“Wait,” Qian Qi called.
Tang Yun De’s heart sank. Here it comes. She’s changing her mind—
“My berserk powder!” Qian Qi pointed sharply. “Why are you walking off with it? Don’t take advantage of me!”
Tang Yun De’s face went black.
He threw the packet back onto the bed like it offended him, yanked open the door, and stormed out.
The moment he left, Liang Yu Ting stared at the packet and asked, fascinated, “So that’s berserk powder?”
“Nope.” Qian Qi said, perfectly serious. “That’s hemostatic magic potion powder.”
Liang Yu Ting’s mouth fell open.
Zhang Feng stared at her. “So… you were bullshitting the chairman?”
“What? No.” Qian Qi waved both hands, scandalized. “How could I lie? I’m an honest person.”
She leaned forward, eyes shining with confidence. “I just haven’t made it yet. We still have two months, right? I’ll definitely make it by then.”
Zhang Feng and Liang Yu Ting exchanged a look.
Absurd confidence. Completely unreasonable.
And yet… she had made the hemostatic magic potion. So maybe she really could pull it off.
“But you told the reporters you were holding an auction at school,” Zhang Feng said. “Why did it turn into selling to the two associations first?”
Qian Qi shrugged. “Come on. Why would you believe what I said one second ago?”
She flicked her wrist like she was dismissing the laws of physics. “Plans change. You have to adapt.”
Zhang Feng stared at her.
“Didn’t you just say you don’t lie?”
Qian Qi nodded solemnly. “Exactly. So don’t believe what I said one second ago.”