You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

Chapter 512 High School Villagers

Just as Tang Yin was about to turn and leave this strange village, a sudden sound stopped him in his tracks. The village radio suddenly started playing, and a strange melody played. The music was more eerie than pleasant.

Tang Yin looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old speaker hanging from a utility pole at the entrance of the village, playing this strange melody. The music was mixed with some strange noises, like the low growl of some unknown creature, or the whimpering of wind passing through a cave.

"Is this the village's unique morning broadcast?" Tang Yin wondered. But the unease woven into the melody made his heart beat faster. The music seemed to hold a mysterious power, as if summoning something.

As the music continued, Tang Yin felt a sense of inexplicable confusion and uneasiness gradually envelop his heart. He began to doubt whether he should continue to explore the secrets of this village. Perhaps leaving now would be the wisest choice.

Just when Tang Yin was hesitating, his sight suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure at the entrance of the village. This discovery surprised him greatly: it turned out that this seemingly deserted village actually had people living in it!

Slowly, the figure became clearer. It was an old woman who appeared before Tang Yin's eyes. Her image was unforgettable. The old woman was short, hunched over, and limped as she walked. She wore a tattered gray robe covered in strange patches, each embroidered with indecipherable symbols.

The most striking thing was the old woman's face, completely covered by a dirty white cloth, revealing only a pair of cloudy eyes. Those eyes, sunken in wrinkled sockets, held a dull, lifeless gaze. Her hands were as dry as branches, and her nails were long and black, looking as if they hadn't been trimmed in years.

The old woman sneaked out of a small hut, her movements slow and cautious, as if she was avoiding something. Tang Yin noticed that at the door of that hut, there was also a wolf-shaped statue. Although much smaller than the one in the center of the village, the shape was almost identical.

The old woman slowly walked to the wolf sculpture and suddenly stopped. She lowered her head, clasped her hands together, and stood there motionless. From her posture, it seemed as if she was performing some kind of pious prayer ritual.

This scene gave Tang Yin a chill. He realized that this strange village might have some unique culture or belief, and this culture seemed to be closely related to the wolf-headed human statue.

Fear surged through Tang Yin's heart like a tide, and he could no longer control his emotions. He instinctively took off running, not caring about the risk of being discovered, wanting only to get out of this strange place as quickly as possible. He stumbled through deserted huts and abandoned construction sites, finally returning to the apartment, breathless.

Back in relative safety, Tang Yin struggled to calm his rapid breathing and sort out his thoughts. He carefully recalled his conversation with Wang Lina last night and suddenly realized a detail he had overlooked. Every time he mentioned the village where Wang Lina lived, she would subconsciously change the subject, as if deliberately avoiding something.

This discovery made Tang Yin aware of something unusual. He began to wonder if Wang Lina knew something but was unwilling to tell him? Was she also part of this mysterious village? Or was she just an innocent outsider, like him, caught up in this strange vortex?
……

When Tang Yin returned to Wang Lina's apartment, he discovered that the strange broadcast had stopped without him noticing. Silence fell once again, as if everything that had happened before was just an illusion.

Tang Yin stood in front of Wang Lina's door and began knocking repeatedly. The knocks echoed in the corridor, but there was no response from inside. He knocked several times, the sound getting louder and louder, but still no response.

As time went on, a strong sense of unease began to creep into Tang Yin's heart. Various possibilities flashed through his mind: Had something happened to Wang Lina? Or was this whole situation an elaborate trap?

"Could this Wang Lina be some kind of strange romantic trap?" Tang Yin couldn't help but wonder. "Or, is something dangerous going to happen here?"

This thought gave Tang Yin a chill. He suddenly realized that he knew nothing about this place, Wang Lina, or even the whole story. In this situation, it would be extremely dangerous to continue staying here.

After a brief thought, Tang Yin made a decision: to leave immediately.

His plan was simple: avoid the villagers, find the cliff where he fell last night, and then leave the village immediately. Although this method seemed troublesome, it was undoubtedly the safest option under the current circumstances.

Before leaving, Tang Yin decided to do one thing. He took out 300 yuan from his wallet and carefully slipped it into the crack of the apartment door. "After all, I accepted his shelter last night," he thought, "so I'll just consider it a toll."

Just as Tang Yin put the money away and prepared to leave, a sudden sight froze his blood. In a room not far from Wang Lina's, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared through the crack of the door. Those eyes were wide open, staring intently at Tang Yin, as if they were still unaware of death.

This sudden scene frightened Tang Yin so much that he couldn't help but scream. What surprised him even more was that the other party seemed to be frightened by his reaction and started to scream as well. This series of shocks made Tang Yin slip and fall directly to the ground.

"What's wrong? What happened?" At this moment, two high school-aged boys suddenly jumped out. They were wearing standard high school autumn uniforms, one tall and the other short.

Seeing the two boys, Tang Yin breathed a sigh of relief. He was relieved to find that the two boys did not have any strange masks on their faces, which meant that they were probably ordinary people who could communicate normally.

The tall high school student was the first to ask, "Uncle, who are you? Are you okay?"

Tang Yin tried to calm his breathing and replied, "I'm fine, I was just scared."

The short high school student looked like a mischievous little kid. He asked directly, "Sir, are you Sister Lina's friend?"

The tall boy continued to ask, "Are you guys from college? She didn't bring any friends back with her, did she?"

Faced with this barrage of questions, Tang Yin couldn't help but scratch his head, unsure how to respond. He took a deep breath and tried to organize his words. "No, well, this is a long story." He paused, realizing his explanation might make people even more suspicious, and quickly added, "Although it may seem suspicious, I'm definitely not a suspicious person."

……

In this awkward atmosphere, everyone decided to introduce themselves to each other first to ease the tense atmosphere.

The tall high school student spoke first: "My name is Qin Ming, and I'm a villager of this village." His voice was deep and powerful, giving people a sense of calmness and reliability.

Then, the short high school student also introduced himself: "My name is Tong Xiaoliang, and I'm also from the village." His voice sounded much more childish in comparison, but there was a hint of liveliness in his tone.

After hearing these two seemingly normal young people introduce themselves, Tang Yin felt a little relieved. He finally met some normal-looking people, which gave him some comfort.

At this moment, Qin Ming turned around and pointed at a girl hiding behind him: "Her name is Gao Mei."

Only then did Tang Yin notice the girl. Gao Mei's appearance was quite eye-catching: she had dyed blonde curly hair that sparkled in the sun. She was dressed very fashionably, wearing a tight pink T-shirt with an oversized denim jacket on top. She wore a high-waisted miniskirt that revealed her long legs. Her face was delicately made up, with dark eyeliner on her big eyes and light pink lip gloss on her lips. She looked youthful and fashionable, not at all like a girl from a remote village.

Tang Yin then realized that it was this girl who had been hiding at the doorway, staring at him furtively, which had startled him. Gao Mei timidly poked her head out from behind Qin Ming, her large eyes shimmering with curiosity and vigilance. "...Who are you..." Her voice was thin and trembling.

Faced with Gao Mei's question, Tang Yin decided to tell the truth: "I am a traveler from another place. I fell off a cliff nearby. Thanks to Miss Lina's help, I was saved."

Hearing this explanation, Gao Mei's expression suddenly changed. Her cheeks instantly turned red, and her eyes widened. "So, did you stay in Sister Lina's room last night?" Her voice was filled with obvious surprise and a hint of disbelief.

Tang Yin was stunned for a moment, then nodded, confirming Gao Mei's guess.

Gao Mei's reaction was even more intense. She suddenly screamed, her face turning redder, almost bleeding. "No wonder it was so noisy last night! What were you thinking? Staying at an unmarried girl's house is so filthy!" Her voice was filled with anger and shame.

Facing Gao Mei's accusations, Tang Yin subconsciously complained: "If I don't stay overnight at an unmarried girl's house, do I have to stay overnight at a married girl's house?" There was a hint of helplessness and humor in his tone.

As soon as these words were spoken, it seemed to trigger a reaction. At this moment, the live broadcast room was filled with comments like "Hahaha, that makes sense!"

Seeing Gao Mei's increasingly confused and angry expression, Tang Yin realized that his joke might have gone a bit too far. He scratched his head and tried to lighten the mood. "Forget it, I won't tease you anymore. Actually, I'm also hesitant about whether to accept Nana's kindness."

However, this sentence seemed to add fuel to the fire. Gao Mei's expression instantly changed from anger to shock. "Nana! You're calling us so intimately!" Her voice rose an octave. "No wonder Sister Lina hasn't come out yet. The fight you had last night must have been fierce!"

Gao Mei's words plunged the entire scene into an awkward silence. Tang Yin felt his face begin to heat up; he hadn't expected his casual remark to be misinterpreted in such a way. Qin Ming and Tong Xiaoliang looked at each other, clearly unsure how to react.

Tang Yin took a deep breath and tried to explain: "You misunderstood, things are not what you think. The relationship between Miss Lina and I is really just an ordinary rescue relationship. We slept in different rooms last night."

However, his explanation didn't seem to have much effect. Gao Mei still stared at him with suspicion, and Qin Ming and Tong Xiaoliang also showed thoughtful expressions.

……

In this awkward atmosphere, Tong Xiaoliang's sharp eyes suddenly noticed something. He squatted down and pulled out three neatly folded hundred-yuan bills from the crack in Wang Lina's door.

"This is..." Tong Xiaoliang's voice was full of doubt.

At this moment, the three people opposite—Qin Ming, Tong Xiaoliang, and Gao Mei—all showed expressions of shock. Their eyes flickered back and forth between Tang Yin and the three hundred yuan, as if trying to comprehend the absurd scene before them.

Tang Yin couldn't help but sigh when he saw this. He knew that no matter how he explained, the current situation looked very suspicious. But he decided to give it a try: "If I said that this was just a thank you fee for staying overnight, would you believe it?"

However, his explanation didn't seem to have the desired effect. Gao Mei's face showed even more shock, and her voice trembled as she said, "A night out... only three hundred yuan. How could Sister Lina's body be so cheap!"

Tong Xiaoliang also nodded and said seriously, "Young people nowadays are really decadent." His tone was full of disappointment in this "degenerate" society.

Just when Tang Yin was at a loss as to what to do, Wang Lina's door suddenly opened. She walked out of the room, a look of sleepiness on her face. "Why is there such a noise at the door so early in the morning?"

Tang Yin saw Wang Lina, as if he had seen a savior. He hurriedly said, "Miss Lina, you've come just in time. Please explain to everyone quickly."

However, Wang Lina's reaction was beyond everyone's expectations. Her expression suddenly became extremely heavy, and she said in a low voice, "I'm sorry... everyone in the village, I've made a fool of myself. I can't get married anymore."

This statement was like a bombshell, instantly petrifying the three high school students. Their expressions shifted from shock to disbelief, and then to a complex mixture of emotions.

Tang Yin felt his face turn pale. He hurriedly said, "Wait, you're just going to cause misunderstandings if you say that, right?"

At this moment, Tang Yin noticed that Wang Lina's mouth couldn't help but curl up. She was obviously very satisfied with this prank, and there was a cunning light in her eyes.

Seeing that everyone had laughed themselves silly, Wang Lina smiled and explained the truth to everyone. She described in detail how she had rescued Tang Yin from the cliff last night and why she had let him stay overnight at her home.

After hearing the truth, Tong Xiaoliang laughed and said, "As expected of Sister Lina, she is really a simple-minded person when it comes to doing things." There was a hint of helplessness and relief in his tone.

Qin Ming said more rationally, "It's not that we can't understand your behavior, but we don't know if the village elders can accept it..." Then, he turned to Tang Yin and asked, "By the way, Brother Tang Yin, where did you meet?"

Tang Yin didn't think much about it and answered casually, "It's in the shallows under the cliff of the mountain at the entrance of the village..."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the three high school students opposite him suddenly became serious. A strange sense of tension filled the air.

Qin Ming hesitated to speak: "That..."

Tong Xiaoliang continued, "This is troublesome..."

Gao Mei murmured softly, "Two people for two consecutive days..."

Tang Yin felt his heart sink. The reactions of these three people made him realize that he might have accidentally touched upon a taboo topic. He asked tentatively, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with that place?"

However, when he asked for the specific reason, the three high school students remained silent in unison. Their expressions became even more solemn, as if they were trying hard to hide some unspeakable secret.

This sudden silence made the atmosphere in the corridor tense again. Tang Yin felt uneasy, realizing that this seemingly peaceful village might be hiding a more complex secret than he had imagined. And he seemed to have been unknowingly drawn into the vortex of this secret.

(End of this chapter)