Qing Chen's practice of skipping class in the evenings had nearly become second nature to him.
If these were normal circumstances, the teachers would have notified the parents long ago.
But the problem was that his homeroom teacher, Du Yihong, had been on leave ever since the events of the first transmigration. The other teachers didn't seem to mind because none of them were in charge of Qing Chen.
So, whenever possible, he would just get up and leave.
It was also around the time when people were getting off work, so the narrow Xingshu Road became quite noisy. On the walkways, vendors sold roasted sweet potatoes, fresh watermelons, and other delectable street foods.
When he was young, his mom Zhang Wanfang used to go back to her parent's house, and his father would get him Mixian1a type of rice noodles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixian_(noodle) for only 1.5 yuan.
At that time, Qing Chen felt that they were only having enough to get by living, but now he remembered, those were some of the best times of his childhood.
His dad wasn’t yet a gambling addict, and his parents were still together. His grandparents still loved him.
The Mixian that used to be 1.5 yuan had increased to 15 yuan, and it, just like his life, would never return to its previous state.
After he arrived at his neighborhood’s building number four, he discovered two men squatting beside the road, smoking.
Because it was already getting dark, Qing Chen couldn't see their faces properly.
Qing Chen initially thought these men were here to follow him because they kept looking around every once in a while.
However, as he passed past them, he noticed that they were not acting any differently.
When he reached the hallway leading to his apartment, he discovered Li Tongyun waiting there for him. "Brother, mom already made dinner," She said. He could already smell the delectable meal wafting from upstairs. We're looking forward to seeing you.
"What if I had stayed in school for self-study today? Next time, you don’t have to wait for me." Qing Chen said as he rubbed Li Tongyun's head.
"But you have always skipped self-study for the past few days," said Li Tongyun as they walked up the stairs together.
When Qing Chen entered the door, he noticed that the shattered furniture he had seen the previous time had vanished, and the room had changed dramatically. Almost everything looked renewed.
Jiang Xue was still cooking in the kitchen and didn't have time to look back as she heard the door open. "Is that Qing Chen? Come, please take a seat. I'm almost done with the soup. ”
Qing Chen examined the table. There were sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried yellow beef, capers minced pork, and hot and sour potato shreds. All dishes went great with rice.
Compared to the prison food served in Prison 18, this was truly a fantastic meal.
"What are we celebrating, Aunt Jiang Xue?" Qing Chen asked.
Jiang Xue brought the pot of soup and her face lit up with a bright smile as she said, "Remember when I told you that I owned a mechanical limb clinic in the Inner World? ”
"Yeah, you mentioned," said Qing Chen as he helped place the large pot on the table.
Jiang Xue returned to the kitchen to get rice and chopsticks. "I was so troubled by that clinic since I don't have any of the memories of the person that I transmigrated into, so I don't even know how to help the customers that came to seek assistance. ”
Qing Chen listened quietly.
Jiang Xue continued, "One time these people came in looking all muscular and scary, City 18 was infamous for its night robberies, so I was rather scared at first. ”
So that was why Jiang Xue wanted Qing Chen to take care of Li Tongyun if she couldn't return.
"But everything is fine now," said Jiang Xue, "For some reason, the Li Family Corporation suddenly asked for a partnership with my little clinic. ”
"The Li Family…" said Qing Chen quietly.
"Right, as I previously stated, in the Inner World, these corporations are like overlords of the cities. After my clinic got a partnership with the Li Family, these people up to no good have to give up having bad intentions on my shop." Jiang Xue was very excited as she said, "They gave me a neon sign with the Li family symbol on it, along with a ton of money. Now I'm much safer in the Inner World! ”
Qing Chen smiled, "Now that you got the Li Family's support, this is definitely worth celebrating. ”
"I don't need to trouble you anymore, and Xiaoyun's grandparents won't need to come all the way here." Jiang Xue was very happy with the change of events. She even said to Qing Chen "If you ever transmigrate to City 18, please don't hesitate to contact me." I'm not sure I can help much, but at the very least, I can keep you safe for a bit. ”
Qing Chen let out a sigh in his heart. He was already in City 18, but she wouldn't be able to help much because of his situation.
Qing Family's Fight for the Shadow and Knight's path was already beyond the control of ordinary people.
"Oh, Aunt Jiang Xue,” said Qing Chen, "Did those men wearing black come to find you again? ”
"They didn't come to me, but I tried to contact them," said Jiang Xue, "After I told you that I might need your help to take care of Xiaoyun, I called them to ask for some help in the Inner World. ”
Jiang Xue continued, "But they told me that their organization was only very recently established, so they weren't able to give much support either. ”
Jiang Xue went to wash the dishes after dinner, leaving Qing Chen and Li Tongyun at the dining table.
"You're also a transmigrator, right?" Qing Chen inquired.
Li Tongyun tilted her head and remarked, "Brother Qing Chen, what are you talking about? ”
"Last time, you asked your mom for her clinic's name, and this time she suddenly received tremendous support from the Li Family Corporation," said Qing Chen, "You can deny the fact that you are a transmigrator, but I’ll check my theories with your mother. ”
Li Tongyun chickened out instantly, saying, "Hey, please don't tell mom!"
Qing Chen exhaled a sigh of relief. His suspicions were proven correct.
Yesterday before returning, he reviewed all his memories of the past few days again and found something strange.
After Li Tongyun found out that her mom opened a clinic in the Inner World, her first reaction wasn't asking for more information about the Inner World but for the name of her mom's clinic. Something was clearly going on here.
That's why he utilized Li Shutong's favor yesterday in exchange for a list of the Li Family Corporation's names.
There, he discovered Li Tongyun's name.
Transmigrating between the two worlds, only the name and body stayed the same. That was an undeniable truth.
Qing Chen asked quietly, "Why didn’t you tell your mom? ”
"Because no one in the Inner World dares to command me." "Please don't tell mom," Li Tongyun pleaded, "because if she finds out, she'll want to take care of me on both sides." I have some cash to give you. In the Inner World, I’m very rich. ”
Qing Chen said without hesitation, "I'm not a transmigrator, what do I need money in the Inner World for? ”
Seeing that Qing Chen was so decisive, Li Tongyun asked, "You aren't a transmigrator? ”
"Of course not," Qing Chen lied, "But… How much money do you have in the Outer World? ”
Li Tongyun froze for a moment, "How dare you try to scam a little girl's pocket money!? ”
Qing Chen: "…"