CH 15
As soon as I left the police station, I headed straight to the bank. According to what was said on the Underworld show cell phone’s inbox, everything I had exchanged using my redemption points should have been locked in my personal safe deposit box. Although I didn’t know what a personal safe deposit box was, I trusted that the underworld show wouldn’t deceive me in this regard.
Covered in mud and with torn pants, I felt like a refugee fleeing for safety as I arrived at one of the largest banks in Jiangcheng.
“Sir, what kind of business can I help you with?”
“I want to retrieve something from my personal safe deposit box. The card number is 622843…”
“Personal safe deposit box? I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t offer that service here. Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?” The bank teller’s tone was polite, but the other people in line waiting to conduct their own business weren’t as patient.
“Who does this country bumpkin think he is? Personal safe deposit box? Does he think the bank is his own personal property?”
“Maybe you’re in the wrong place, buddy. The rural credit cooperative is right next door.”
“Hurry up, hurry up. I’m running out of time.”
As the group of people continued chattering behind me, I had already grown accustomed to them. “Could you please check again? My card number is 622843…”
The bank teller looked troubled, and the security guard at the door started walking over. “How about this? I’ll ask the manager for you. If she doesn’t know either, then there’s nothing else I can do.”
I believed that this bank teller was a recent college graduate who was interning here. Otherwise, If it were someone else, they would probably have lost their patience by now.
“Hey, our time is valuable.”
“Hey you, country bumpkin, step aside.”
After a short while, the bank teller hurriedly ran back to the window. She didn’t say anything, but just placed a sign indicating that their business had been temporarily suspended on the counter.
“What does this mean? You’re neglecting your duties. Watch out, we’ll file a complaint against you!”
“Yeah, where’s your branch manager? I want to make a complaint!”
After more than ten seconds, not only the window in front of me but also the next three counters behind me all suspended their business. The staff hurriedly ran to the back room.
“What’s going on? Is this some kind of anti-terrorism drill?”
I was wondering what was happening when suddenly a sweet voice came from the VIP channel, “Mr. Gao, please come this way!”
“The VIP channel? For transactions of over a million? Just for him?” A group of people stared at me with their eyes wide open, as if they wanted to poke holes through my body. They whispered to each other, while the beautiful branch manager called out again, “Mr. Gao, please come to the VIP lounge.”
As I looked around at their surprised looks, I, who usually only had a three-digit balance in my account, was finally able to hold my head up high. “Oh, sure, but I’ve been standing for so long, I’m a little thirsty.”
“I’m deeply sorry. Do you prefer Longjing or Pu’er tea?”
“Don’t bother, just bring me a bottle of chilled Coke first.”
For my first time entering the VIP lounge, I never thought that there would be such a luxurious reception room inside the bank.
“This place is nice, and this sofa is made of real leather, right?”
“You flatter us.” The head manager accompanied me on the side. After more than ten minutes, the young teller came over with a tray in her hands. “Sir, here are the keys to your safe deposit box.”
In the center of the tray was a pure black bank card, whose material and reflection could not be discerned, appearing very modest and low-key.
“Your safe deposit box is located underground. Do you want to go and open it now?”
“Of course.” With four staff members accompanying me, I entered the underground vault, swiped my card, inputted my password, and opened the safe before retrieving the item wrapped in black cloth. The entire process felt like a scene out of a movie, and even when I walked out of the bank holding the package, it felt like I was dreaming.
“Wow, this is really something. What kind of organization is the ‘Underworld Show’?” I mused, but while opening the package. “Ding!” A golden object fell out and attracted the attention of countless bystanders.
“The color… the shape… that dazzling feeling…”
“Oh my god, it’s a gold bar!” I picked it up and didn’t even look back, rushing to a taxi. “Driver, step on it!”
Sitting in the passenger seat, I secretly put the gold bar in my pocket and flipped through the General Outline of Inner Eye practice manual. “One point can be exchanged for a whole gold bar. This General Outline of Inner Eye practice manual cost me three points; it’s definitely not ordinary.”
My eyes shone as if I were opening Pandora’s box. “X-ray vision, my god, I’m actually a bit excited just thinking about it.”
The book was bound in thread and looked quite ancient. As I turned to the first page, a few grandiose characters caught my eye: “Sparkling drops of clear and bright insight, with five sharp senses, merge the realms of both light and night. Sight and sound can reach a million miles, and in the universe we are but a small boat amidst its vast exiles.”
“Great writing; profound and extensive. The author has depicted the essence of humanity in a precise and insightful way!”
I was so excited that I almost stood up and applauded, but when I turned to the second page, I exclaimed, “Blank page?”
The second page was completely blank, without a single word.
“This might be a printing error. Everyone makes mistakes; well let’s just try to understand the other pages then.”
However, an ominous feeling began to build up in my heart as I continued flipping through the pages, only to find more and more blank pages.
With frustration building up, I slammed my fist onto the seat, startling the bewildered driver. I frantically flipped through the pages, only to realize that the entire book, except for the first page, was completely blank.
“Hey man, buying a pirated book shouldn’t lead to this kind of situation, don’t you think?” The taxi driver voiced his bewilderment.
“Pirated book?” Three gold bars worth almost 70,000 yuan—can your pirated book sell for that price?
I forcefully resisted the urge to tear it apart and re-wrapped it with the packaging. “I don’t know if the underworld show gives refunds or not…”
After a day and a night without much sleep, I finally made it back to my small shop, exhausted and worn out. “I can finally get a good night’s sleep now, right?”
As I got out of the taxi, I soon realized that I was too naive. Three people were already waiting for me outside the small “Peak of Happiness” store, one standing, one sitting, and one squatting.
“What the hell? Are you waiting for a windfall? Is this just one more stroke of bad luck like when it rains on a leaking roof?”
One of them leaned against a BMW X1, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a sharp suit and holding a red letter.
The other looked to be in his mid-forties, but still sturdy and strong, with a tall and lean figure. His eyes were covered with a layer of black cloth, and he held a carrying pole with a fierce expression, squatting outside the adult store.
As for the third person, she was much cuter, holding a school bag and timidly sitting on the side, occasionally glancing over at the other two.
“How did these three come together?” I actually knew all of them. The one wearing a suit and driving a BMW was the secretary of the general manager of Jiangjin Real Estate Company. He was quite well-known in Jiangcheng.
The one holding a carrying pole with a fierce look on his face was Blind Liu. Judging from his hostile expression, I guess the matter involving the thunder talisman has been exposed. As for the cute and shy high school girl, she was Xia Qingzhi, who was worried about her brother’s safety.
“Hehe, the arrival of you three really brightens up my small shop. However, due to my current physical condition, I won’t be open for business today. So, excuse me…”
As I turned around, a gust of wind brushed past my cheek, and I heard a loud “bang”. Blind Liu’s seven-foot pole had landed just an inch away from my feet, and the pavement tiles beneath it had even cracked a little.
My throat tightened as I realized the gravity of the situation. Never mind the other two, but Blind Liu had definitely come looking for a fight with me today.
“Old Liu, what are you doing? This is a society governed by the rule of laws. We can talk things out without resorting to violence,” I said with a bitter expression on my face as I pulled out my keys.
“Everyone, let’s not stand outside. It doesn’t look good. Let’s go inside and talk.”
“I won’t bother you any further,” said the man in the suit, pushing his glasses up with a professional smile on his face. “This is an invitation to young master Jiang and Miss Ye Bing’s wedding. We hope you can make it despite your busy schedule. Not just Miss Ye Bing, but young master Jiang also wants to meet you.”
“Meet me?” That guy, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, wanted to meet a poor guy like me at his wedding nonetheless? This maneuver was probably just to step on my face and show Ye Bing who the most suitable candidate was.
I could already predict what would happen at the wedding. A group of sycophants would surely mock me, flatter Jiang Chen, and try to make me look bad. But I couldn’t back down now. I had promised Ye Bing that I would attend.
“What a petty man,” I muttered to myself. “But it doesn’t matter. I promised Ye Bing that I would be there.” There were some things I had to say to her face.
“Very well, we’ll be waiting for your arrival,” said the man in the suit as he handed me the gilded invitation and drove away in his BMW.
“One down, two more to go,” I said as I opened the door to my shop and hung the “closed” sign. I then invited Blind Liu and Xia Qingzhi inside.
Covered in mud and with torn pants, I felt like a refugee fleeing for safety as I arrived at one of the largest banks in Jiangcheng.
“Sir, what kind of business can I help you with?”
“I want to retrieve something from my personal safe deposit box. The card number is 622843…”
“Personal safe deposit box? I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t offer that service here. Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?” The bank teller’s tone was polite, but the other people in line waiting to conduct their own business weren’t as patient.
“Who does this country bumpkin think he is? Personal safe deposit box? Does he think the bank is his own personal property?”
“Maybe you’re in the wrong place, buddy. The rural credit cooperative is right next door.”
“Hurry up, hurry up. I’m running out of time.”
As the group of people continued chattering behind me, I had already grown accustomed to them. “Could you please check again? My card number is 622843…”
The bank teller looked troubled, and the security guard at the door started walking over. “How about this? I’ll ask the manager for you. If she doesn’t know either, then there’s nothing else I can do.”
I believed that this bank teller was a recent college graduate who was interning here. Otherwise, If it were someone else, they would probably have lost their patience by now.
“Hey, our time is valuable.”
“Hey you, country bumpkin, step aside.”
After a short while, the bank teller hurriedly ran back to the window. She didn’t say anything, but just placed a sign indicating that their business had been temporarily suspended on the counter.
“What does this mean? You’re neglecting your duties. Watch out, we’ll file a complaint against you!”
“Yeah, where’s your branch manager? I want to make a complaint!”
After more than ten seconds, not only the window in front of me but also the next three counters behind me all suspended their business. The staff hurriedly ran to the back room.
“What’s going on? Is this some kind of anti-terrorism drill?”
I was wondering what was happening when suddenly a sweet voice came from the VIP channel, “Mr. Gao, please come this way!”
“The VIP channel? For transactions of over a million? Just for him?” A group of people stared at me with their eyes wide open, as if they wanted to poke holes through my body. They whispered to each other, while the beautiful branch manager called out again, “Mr. Gao, please come to the VIP lounge.”
As I looked around at their surprised looks, I, who usually only had a three-digit balance in my account, was finally able to hold my head up high. “Oh, sure, but I’ve been standing for so long, I’m a little thirsty.”
“I’m deeply sorry. Do you prefer Longjing or Pu’er tea?”
“Don’t bother, just bring me a bottle of chilled Coke first.”
For my first time entering the VIP lounge, I never thought that there would be such a luxurious reception room inside the bank.
“This place is nice, and this sofa is made of real leather, right?”
“You flatter us.” The head manager accompanied me on the side. After more than ten minutes, the young teller came over with a tray in her hands. “Sir, here are the keys to your safe deposit box.”
In the center of the tray was a pure black bank card, whose material and reflection could not be discerned, appearing very modest and low-key.
“Your safe deposit box is located underground. Do you want to go and open it now?”
“Of course.” With four staff members accompanying me, I entered the underground vault, swiped my card, inputted my password, and opened the safe before retrieving the item wrapped in black cloth. The entire process felt like a scene out of a movie, and even when I walked out of the bank holding the package, it felt like I was dreaming.
“Wow, this is really something. What kind of organization is the ‘Underworld Show’?” I mused, but while opening the package. “Ding!” A golden object fell out and attracted the attention of countless bystanders.
“The color… the shape… that dazzling feeling…”
“Oh my god, it’s a gold bar!” I picked it up and didn’t even look back, rushing to a taxi. “Driver, step on it!”
Sitting in the passenger seat, I secretly put the gold bar in my pocket and flipped through the General Outline of Inner Eye practice manual. “One point can be exchanged for a whole gold bar. This General Outline of Inner Eye practice manual cost me three points; it’s definitely not ordinary.”
My eyes shone as if I were opening Pandora’s box. “X-ray vision, my god, I’m actually a bit excited just thinking about it.”
The book was bound in thread and looked quite ancient. As I turned to the first page, a few grandiose characters caught my eye: “Sparkling drops of clear and bright insight, with five sharp senses, merge the realms of both light and night. Sight and sound can reach a million miles, and in the universe we are but a small boat amidst its vast exiles.”
“Great writing; profound and extensive. The author has depicted the essence of humanity in a precise and insightful way!”
I was so excited that I almost stood up and applauded, but when I turned to the second page, I exclaimed, “Blank page?”
The second page was completely blank, without a single word.
“This might be a printing error. Everyone makes mistakes; well let’s just try to understand the other pages then.”
However, an ominous feeling began to build up in my heart as I continued flipping through the pages, only to find more and more blank pages.
With frustration building up, I slammed my fist onto the seat, startling the bewildered driver. I frantically flipped through the pages, only to realize that the entire book, except for the first page, was completely blank.
“Hey man, buying a pirated book shouldn’t lead to this kind of situation, don’t you think?” The taxi driver voiced his bewilderment.
“Pirated book?” Three gold bars worth almost 70,000 yuan—can your pirated book sell for that price?
I forcefully resisted the urge to tear it apart and re-wrapped it with the packaging. “I don’t know if the underworld show gives refunds or not…”
After a day and a night without much sleep, I finally made it back to my small shop, exhausted and worn out. “I can finally get a good night’s sleep now, right?”
As I got out of the taxi, I soon realized that I was too naive. Three people were already waiting for me outside the small “Peak of Happiness” store, one standing, one sitting, and one squatting.
“What the hell? Are you waiting for a windfall? Is this just one more stroke of bad luck like when it rains on a leaking roof?”
One of them leaned against a BMW X1, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a sharp suit and holding a red letter.
The other looked to be in his mid-forties, but still sturdy and strong, with a tall and lean figure. His eyes were covered with a layer of black cloth, and he held a carrying pole with a fierce expression, squatting outside the adult store.
As for the third person, she was much cuter, holding a school bag and timidly sitting on the side, occasionally glancing over at the other two.
“How did these three come together?” I actually knew all of them. The one wearing a suit and driving a BMW was the secretary of the general manager of Jiangjin Real Estate Company. He was quite well-known in Jiangcheng.
The one holding a carrying pole with a fierce look on his face was Blind Liu. Judging from his hostile expression, I guess the matter involving the thunder talisman has been exposed. As for the cute and shy high school girl, she was Xia Qingzhi, who was worried about her brother’s safety.
“Hehe, the arrival of you three really brightens up my small shop. However, due to my current physical condition, I won’t be open for business today. So, excuse me…”
As I turned around, a gust of wind brushed past my cheek, and I heard a loud “bang”. Blind Liu’s seven-foot pole had landed just an inch away from my feet, and the pavement tiles beneath it had even cracked a little.
My throat tightened as I realized the gravity of the situation. Never mind the other two, but Blind Liu had definitely come looking for a fight with me today.
“Old Liu, what are you doing? This is a society governed by the rule of laws. We can talk things out without resorting to violence,” I said with a bitter expression on my face as I pulled out my keys.
“Everyone, let’s not stand outside. It doesn’t look good. Let’s go inside and talk.”
“I won’t bother you any further,” said the man in the suit, pushing his glasses up with a professional smile on his face. “This is an invitation to young master Jiang and Miss Ye Bing’s wedding. We hope you can make it despite your busy schedule. Not just Miss Ye Bing, but young master Jiang also wants to meet you.”
“Meet me?” That guy, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, wanted to meet a poor guy like me at his wedding nonetheless? This maneuver was probably just to step on my face and show Ye Bing who the most suitable candidate was.
I could already predict what would happen at the wedding. A group of sycophants would surely mock me, flatter Jiang Chen, and try to make me look bad. But I couldn’t back down now. I had promised Ye Bing that I would attend.
“What a petty man,” I muttered to myself. “But it doesn’t matter. I promised Ye Bing that I would be there.” There were some things I had to say to her face.
“Very well, we’ll be waiting for your arrival,” said the man in the suit as he handed me the gilded invitation and drove away in his BMW.
“One down, two more to go,” I said as I opened the door to my shop and hung the “closed” sign. I then invited Blind Liu and Xia Qingzhi inside.
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