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

Chapter 582: The Past of the Hidden Mist Village

When Zhao Gang mentioned Baifeng Manor, his eyes flicked towards Hua Lu, intentionally or unintentionally. Under the moonlight, his red eyes remained as calm as water, as if he had no reaction to the name.

Zhao Gang quickly withdrew his gaze and looked up and down at Tang Yin's figure. "Looking at you, you should be able to do it, right? Okay, go up there and cut the grass." His tone left no room for doubt, as if he had already made the decision for Tang Yin.

Tang Yin rubbed his hands awkwardly, "Ah, but I've been assigned to work in the cafeteria."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Gang's expression instantly distorted, "What!!! You want to work with Sister Chen Xiang!!!" His voice suddenly rose, sounding particularly harsh in the silent night.

Tang Yin's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly thought, "This guy's reaction is too intense. It seems he's stepped on some serious landmine."

Just as the atmosphere was tense, Granny Rong suddenly spoke up, her voice full of meaning, "Zhao Gang, you're a grown man. In some things, it's better for men to take the initiative."

Zhao Gang's face flushed crimson, his hands flailing about in bewilderment. "What the hell! I don't have any serious thoughts!" He stammered, his voice growing increasingly agitated. "But if any man dares to do anything bad to Sister Chen Xiang, who has painstakingly raised our two sons and diligently taken care of everyone's food, I'll crush his head!"

Tang Yin was stunned by what he heard. This guy's imagination was too strong. While he was distracted, Zhao Gang had already taken a few steps closer, staring at him fiercely. "You kid... what tricks did you use to get so close to Sister Chen Xiang... tell me..."

Seeing Zhao Gang's jealous expression, Tang Yin secretly complained in his heart: Honestly, I really want to make up another story to piss you off like crazy. I've really been holding back. However, considering the strong man's potential for violence, he chose to tell the truth. "Ah... that... was arranged by Qin Zhi from Baifeng Manor."

“…” Zhao Gang was stunned.

The air suddenly quieted down, and Zhao Gang's expression gradually softened. "...Ah, so that's the case. There's nothing we can do."

Tang Yin hurried down the stairs, "Ah, well, I'll also work hard on my job outside!"

"Ah, it's rare that you have such a heart," Zhao Gang waved his hand. "Let's see what the situation is like first. If we ask you to do extra work, I'm afraid the higher-ups will cause trouble for us."

Tang Yin keenly noticed the anomaly in the words, "...Hey, are the higher-ups even going to control the work arrangements here?"

Zhao Gang sneered, "No, he just wants us to obey his orders all the time." His tone was filled with suppressed anger.

Suddenly remembering something, Zhao Gang looked around and said, "By the way, what are you doing here? Where is Sister Chen Xiang?"

Granny Rong sighed, "The reporter's car broke down, so they went to make a phone call."

"Ah? This is troublesome. We can't go back." Zhao Gang frowned.

Tang Yin said in a deep voice, "...the worst-case scenario is that it can't be repaired today. We have to be mentally prepared for this."

"Hmm..." Zhao Gang nodded thoughtfully.

Granny Rong shook her head, "What a hassle..."

Tang Yin looked up at the outline of the village hidden in the darkness in the distance and asked, "Are there any other empty rooms?"

Hualu's red eyes sparkled strangely in the moonlight, and her voice was gentle but commanding, "I only have that little house here."

Upon hearing this, Granny Rong looked at Hualu with a hint of surprise, "Lord Hualu, are you lending him your cottage?" There was a hint of uneasiness in the old voice.

"Well, if no one lives here, the cottage will become deserted." Hua Lu replied calmly, her slender fingers gently fiddling with the silver hair on her forehead.

Granny Rong's expression suddenly grew serious. She turned to Tang Yin, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "Tang Yin, you must cherish that little house. The previous owner of that little house... was a very great man."

Tang Yin sensed the seriousness in the old man's words and nodded quickly, "Okay, I understand!"

Unexpectedly, Granny Rong changed the subject, her expression suddenly becoming stern. "Also, it is absolutely forbidden to violate Miss Hualu there. Miss Hualu is not an ordinary person. Do you understand?"

Hua Lu's originally calm expression suddenly broke into a mischievous smile, "Oh oh oh?" She looked at Tang Yin's embarrassed expression with interest.

Zhao Gang's eyes widened. "Ah, hey, are they that kind of relationship?"

Tang Yin felt overwhelmed and miserable. "Hey, this is a 100% misunderstanding, but it's almost been fabricated into a fait accompli. I sincerely hope this will stop as soon as possible." He took a deep breath and tried to get the topic back on track. "...We've gotten off topic. What should we do now?"

There was an awkward atmosphere in the air. It would have been better if this delicate topic hadn't been pushed by the newcomer Tang Yin.

Zhao Gang's expression grew serious. "...Well, to be honest, it's not good for either side to have outsiders stay in the Hidden Mist Village." He turned to the old woman and asked, "Grandma, are there any other empty rooms?"

Granny Rong shook her head. "The one we gave to Xiaome is the last one. The other rooms either have holes or broken walls... They don't meet the requirements for the taboo."

Tang Yin listened to this and thought to himself: You are lying, aren't there empty rooms in the dormitory?

Just then, a sleepy female voice interrupted, "Um..."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young woman with long hair yawning as she approached. Zhao Gang frowned and said, "Wang Lina, did you oversleep again? Go help Mr. Gao."

Wang Lina smiled sheepishly, "Oh, sorry, sorry, I got into the habit of sleeping in while I was out here..." She suddenly remembered something, "By the way, Granny Rong, is there an empty room in the dormitory?"

Granny Rong's expression suddenly grew serious. "...Lina, you should know this, right? That's the place we finally built after much negotiation with the four elders." Her voice choked with sobs. "He wanted to at least give the children a good house near Baifeng Manor. To that end, he even poured cement steps on the hillside."

Seeing the solemn atmosphere, Wang Lina quickly waved her hand to smooth things over, "Ah, ahahaha... you're starting to talk about the past again." An unnatural look flashed in her clear eyes.

Zhao Gang looked at Tang Yin deeply, his tone filled with helplessness, "...Hey, Tang Yin, right? You see, this is the kind of place that Mist Hidden Village is."

Tang Yin nodded silently. He knew that this fog-shrouded village held many unknown secrets.

Zhao Gang rubbed his hands and cast his gaze towards the broken-down van in the distance. "Well, I hope it can be fixed." This was a problem. Tang Yin watched the sky darken, feeling a sense of unease. Dark clouds obscured the last rays of sunset, and the mountain wind grew colder.

As expected, the rescue company on the other end of the phone was tactful but firm: it would take too long to reach this remote mountain village, and even if we set off immediately, we would have to wait until late at night to reach our destination.

More importantly, the winding mountain roads at night were extremely dangerous, visibility was poor, and the roads were slippery. The rescue company suggested waiting until the next morning to deal with the situation.

The conversation inevitably turned back to where they were staying tonight, and a subtle awkwardness hung in the air.

By this time, Granny Rong had finished her lecture and turned to leave. Her hunched back looked particularly lonely in the dim light. Tang Yin noticed that the old woman's attitude towards outsiders was indeed strangely cold.

Zhao Gang, still standing there, hesitated for a moment before tactfully suggesting that the reporters spend the night in the car. His tone was a bit hesitant, but he had no choice but to make the suggestion.

Surprisingly, the two reporters actually agreed to this proposal. Tang Yin frowned. Putting aside the awkwardness of a man and a woman in the same car, the bigger problem was that there was already a large person lying in the car. Squeezing another person in was simply an impossible task. Although the van was not small, it could not withstand such a struggle.

Despite this, everyone seemed to have tacitly agreed to this arrangement. Tang Yin's heart grew increasingly uneasy. If they were really forced to spend the night in the car, they might not survive. The darkness seemed to harbor some deadly danger.

Looking around, the only people I hadn't seen were a few students, Gao Zhijie, who had gone out hunting early that morning, and the mysterious Wolf Master. Since I'd already seen everyone I could, I might as well go outside and take a look.

As night fell, Tang Yin followed the winding path to the Qian Group's headquarters. The stately building looked particularly oppressive in the twilight. In that situation, Tang Yin couldn't offer too many suggestions; that would have seemed unnatural.

Now we must find another place to stay. Tang Yin took a deep breath. Although the hope was slim, he could only try his best.

He stood in front of the gate of the Qian Group's headquarters, hesitated for a moment, and finally pressed the doorbell. The crisp ringing of the bell broke the silence of the night.

Not long after, a middle-aged man's voice came from inside the door, "...Oh, newcomer, is there something you want to talk to me about?" Qian Jin's voice sounded a little tired.

Tang Yin said respectfully, "Mr. Qian Jin, I have come to seek your advice as an elder."

Qian Jin chuckled. "You're really thoughtful, but do you think I'll be fooled by such flattery? Just be frank."

Tang Yin was stunned for a moment, secretly wondering: Was the courtesy he displayed really that unnatural? The night wind blew, bringing with it a faint mist, as if hinting at something.

Tang Yin gathered his thoughts and looked up into Qian Jin's slightly cloudy eyes. "I'm sorry for being rude, so I won't beat around the bush."

Qian Jin put his hands in his suit pockets and nodded slightly, "Yeah." His voice was low and hoarse, as if he had experienced too much vicissitudes.

Tang Yin took a deep breath and got straight to the point. "—I heard that fog will be coming soon. Is this true?"

The effect of these words was immediate. Qian Jin's slightly tired face instantly tensed, his eyes shifting unconsciously. Although he tried hard to remain calm, his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his inner unease. In the moonlight, the cold sweat on his forehead was clearly visible.

"...What's going on? Who told you that they would instill superstitious ideas in you as soon as you move here?" Qian Jin's tone was a little angry, but more of it was panic that could not be concealed.

"Hua Lu told me." Tang Yin said calmly.

Qian Jin fell silent upon hearing this, his expression even more complicated than before. Tang Yin chuckled inwardly. This man's mind was truly easy to understand. It was like an unpainted board, the grain of which could be seen through at a glance.

"Other people have told me about the fog, too. After all, it was Qin Zhi who arranged for me to move here," Tang Yin added. The night wind blew, lifting the strands of hair from his forehead.

Qian Jin's eyes lit up. "So it was Qin Zhi? He's one year younger than me. What did he say?"

"Nothing, I don't know if I heard correctly, but he said it would probably be foggy soon." Tang Yin noticed Qian Jin's expression tense again. Although it was completely unfounded, judging by the current situation, fog was indeed coming. The mountains in the distance were already shrouded in a thin layer of mist.

"Also, Hua Lu just told me a lot of rules that must be followed when fog comes..." Tang Yin paused, "Because the van has a flat tire, and now two people are trapped here, so I wonder what they should do."

"What? There is such a thing... How troublesome." Qian Jin frowned, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

"Well... let's just say that. I wonder what you think." Tang Yin deliberately showed a confused expression.

Qian Jin pondered for a moment, "Thick fog only appears in the Hidden Mist Village once every ten or twenty years in the early summer."

——Once every ten or twenty years? Tang Yin was shocked. This cycle was too strange.

"Judging from the timing... it's not impossible, but there shouldn't be any signs recently that could predict the coming of fog." Qian Jin's tone was a little uncertain.

"Really... Is fog dangerous? Everyone looks nervous." Tang Yin continued to test.

"If a thick fog comes, there will definitely be casualties in the Hidden Mist Village." Qian Jin's words were as cold as ice.

...Oh, can you say it so directly? Tang Yin's heart trembled.

As if realizing he was being too blunt, Qian Jin quickly explained, "Well, don't get me wrong, I mean the fog is much thicker than you can imagine, the kind with zero visibility."

Tang Yin thought to himself, "I know. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have imagined that there could be such a thick fog in this world. It was like a white hell that seemed to swallow everything."

"Therefore, everyone will be very cautious when it is foggy, but there will also be fools who run around and end up falling to their death." There was a hint of sarcasm in Qian Jin's tone.

"I see." Tang Yin nodded thoughtfully.

"Have you seen the site of the nearby landslide? Our family was the contractor for that project, and many people died because of the fog." Qian Jin's voice suddenly became hoarse, as if recalling some unpleasant memory. His face looked particularly pale in the moonlight.

(End of this chapter)