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

Chapter 586 Duel with Tong Xiaoliang

The cafeteria was filled with a faint sunlight, and the air was filled with the lingering aroma of food after lunch. Mrs. Chen Xiang wiped the kitchen utensils while introducing the situation of the Hidden Mist Village to Tang Yin.

"Here, electricity and gas bills are all paid centrally," she said in a soft and gentle voice. "Although the village has always advocated for energy conservation, everyone still supports it as much as possible so that the children can watch TV and study."

At this point, a hint of pride flashed in her eyes. "Did you know? Wang Lina is the first child from our Wuyin Village to be admitted to university. Now, my eldest son, Qin Ming, also carries the expectations of the entire village." Her tone was tinged with worry. "Everyone believes that if they can succeed, they can improve the conditions of the village."

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting mottled shadows on Mrs. Chen Xiang's slightly tired face. She paused her work and gazed into the distance, as if gazing at some invisible scenery.

"I don't want my eldest son... Qin Ming to be bound here," she said softly, "He should live freely in a wider world."

Her eyes dimmed for a moment. "As for my second son, as you can see, he's really useless, so I keep him by my side..." At this point, her tone suddenly brightened again. "But my eldest son, and I'm not bragging, is truly outstanding..."

As the afternoon sun grew lazier, Mrs. Chen Xiang's words began to reveal the weight of the past. "My deceased father was also very smart, but he had a very bad temper. As a result, my two sons inherited his brains and personality."

Her voice gradually lowered, filled with deep remorse. "It's all my fault. I didn't give birth to the child properly. The second son had a difficult birth, and we almost died there... Maybe it was because of the difficult birth that the child turned out like this..."

Tang Yin listened quietly, his heart aching. They had just met for the first time today, and he hadn't expected Madam Chen Xiang to confide such intimate details to him. Gazing at her slightly haggard yet still gentle profile, Tang Yin thought to himself, she must have endured so much.

Zhao Gang should have married her earlier, perhaps that would have made things easier for her. But then again, as a widow with two middle school-aged sons, remarriage would be much more difficult for her than an ordinary marriage. Could this be Zhao Gang's concern?
Just as Tang Yin was lost in these complicated thoughts, he casually glanced at the alarm clock above the TV—it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. It was almost time...

The wooden door of the cafeteria suddenly creaked open, and three young figures stood in the doorway, backlit by the afternoon sun. The afternoon sun poured in from behind them, casting long shadows on the floor.

Walking in front was a slender young man wearing a neat school uniform. His black hair was slightly messy, giving him a sense of unruly handsomeness. "I'm back... Oops." When he noticed the stranger in the room, he raised his eyebrows slightly, revealing a look of surprise.

Behind him, a girl with a ponytail instinctively shrank back. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she let out a small exclamation of surprise. She hid behind her companion, only half of her head showing as she peeked around.

"Stranger!" The last round-faced boy shouted excitedly. He wore a pair of black-framed glasses and had a childlike innocent smile on his face.

Madam Chen Xiang quickly put down the rag in her hand and introduced everyone with a smile: "Welcome back, he is Tang Yin who just moved to Wuyin Village in a hurry."

Tang Yin stood up and bowed slightly, "Please give me your guidance!" He noticed a scrutinizing look flashed in the boy's clear eyes.

"It's rare to see you. I'm Qin Ming." The young man smiled politely, but there was a hint of vigilance in his tone.

"You must be Madam Chen Xiang's eldest son. I have heard of your great name for a long time." Tang Yin said gently.

Qin Ming looked at his mother helplessly, "Mom, what did you say?"

Chen Xiang smiled apologetically and said, "Let him take care of my useless son."

"Really..." Qin Ming shook his head and turned to point at the two people behind him, "Ah, he is Tong Xiaoliang, and she is Gao Mei."

Tong Xiaoliang suddenly made an exaggerated gesture and said, "I am the big devil, give your life to me!" His voice was full of a middle school student vibe.

Tang Yin responded expressionlessly: "I don't want it."

Gao Mei secretly poked her head out from behind Qin Ming, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum, "Um, um, Xiaoliang, who is this person? The legendary handsome guy? So scary..." Her big eyes were full of vigilance.

Tong Xiaoliang pushed his glasses up and said seriously, "Qin Ming's appearance and personality should be better than his."

"My brother is better than him?" Gao Mei's eyes lit up.

"Better than him, better than him." Tong Xiaoliang nodded repeatedly.

At this moment, Tang Yin suddenly stood up, a sly look flashing in his eyes, "Then let's fight it out."

"Huh!?" Qin Ming looked stunned.

Tong Xiaoliang stepped forward and said, "Wait! Your opponent is me!"

Tang Yin smiled provocatively, "Alright, let's start the urine holding showdown!!"

"You're so amazing! Have you been seen through? I can't hold it back any longer!!" Tong Xiaoliang twisted his legs unnaturally.

"Actually, I've almost reached my limit!" Tang Yin also began to pace on the spot.

Tong Xiaoliang jumped and shouted, "Whoever can't hold it back wins!"

"Okay! No, that won't work!" Tang Yin suddenly realized the absurdity of this proposal.

Gao Mei finally couldn't help it, "Why don't you go to the bathroom!!" Her face turned red.

"Oh my!" Mrs. Chen Xiang quickly waved her hand to stop the farce.

Amidst the chaos, this inexplicable match was forcibly interrupted. The sun still shone warmly on the cafeteria floor, illuminating the cheerful figures of several young people. The afternoon tranquility was broken, bringing a touch of unexpected vitality.

The atmosphere in the cafeteria gradually relaxed, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the blinds, casting mottled shadows on the floor. Qin Ming looked at the two people in front of him, and couldn't help but smile: "...Tang Yin and Xiao Liang get along very well."

Tong Xiaoliang immediately puffed out his chest and proudly announced, "We are companions in holding our urine."

"That's right, but that's not right." Tang Yin was about to agree, but suddenly realized that this title was not very glorious, so he quickly changed his words.

Qin Ming coughed lightly and tried to steer the topic back in the normal direction: "...Let me introduce her again, she is Gao Mei." He pointed to the girl with a ponytail next to him.

Gao Mei lowered her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz: "...Please give me some advice." She was wearing a slightly loose pink sweatshirt and ill-fitting jeans, giving her an overall childish look.

Tang Yin took a look at Gao Mei's clothes and said politely, "Please advise me. Your clothes are very unique."

Gao Mei's face flushed crimson, and she twisted her fingers nervously together. "...What's the problem? I collected all this at the dollar store in town at the end of last year."

Looking at Gao Mei dressed like this, Tang Yin sighed inwardly: Too sad, she's not an elementary school student...

But he still maintained a gentle smile: "No, it looks very beautiful. We should be able to get along well in the future."

Hearing this, Gao Mei suddenly hid behind Qin Ming, her voice filled with obvious panic: "...Brother, brother, is this what you call picking up girls? This is terrifying."

Qin Ming was a little confused: "That shouldn't be the case, right?"

Watching Gao Mei's evasiveness, Qin Ming understood: ...It seems that even without the misunderstanding with Wang Lina, Gao Mei would still be very wary of Tang Yin. They really are incompatible, what a sad reality.

His eyes fell on the neatly arranged tableware on the dining table, and Qin Ming suddenly realized something: "Ah, the tableware has been repaired so much? This should have been my job. I'm so embarrassed."

Tang Yin waved his hands and smiled lightly, "No, no, it feels quite interesting. Besides, there's still a lot left."

Chen Xiang interrupted at the right time: "Qin Ming, don't worry about these for now, just go and do your homework." "...Oh, well, then I'll go back to the dormitory." Qin Ming nodded and turned to leave.

Tong Xiaoliang kept on shouting, "The duel isn't over yet, you piss-holding guy!"

Gao Mei quickly grabbed the corner of Tong Xiaoliang's clothes: "...Then, we'll say goodbye first..." As she said that, she dragged Tong Xiaoliang, who was still in an excited state, away quickly.

Watching the high school students leave, Chen Xiang smiled and said, "By now, I've met almost everyone in the Hidden Mist Village, right?"

"Yeah." Tang Yin nodded, but added silently in his heart: Except for one person.

He thought about it carefully and said, "Um, sorry, I didn't make it clear just now. One, two, three... Including the reporters, there should be fourteen people."

Chen Xiang counted on her fingers: "Hey, one, two... Oh, not counting you, there should be fifteen people, right?"

At that moment, the cafeteria door was gently pushed open, and a figure appeared silently at the door. ...The last person appeared at this time, just in time.

"..." The man just stood there silently, without saying a word. He looked very old, but gave people an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Chen Xiang hurriedly introduced, "Ah, you've come just in time, Tang Yin, this is Master Wolf from the Hidden Mist Village."

Looking at this mysterious old man, Tang Yin thought: ...It seems that no one knows his name.

The air in the cafeteria seemed to freeze. Tang Yin looked at the old man in front of him with a weathered face and said politely, "Hello."

"..." Master Wolf just stared straight ahead, his cloudy eyes were empty and his face had a dull expression, as if he didn't hear Tang Yin's greeting.

Tang Yin didn't care and continued, "I just moved here today. Please give me some advice."

"Here it comes..." Master Wolf suddenly muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and erratic.

——Here it comes. These two simple words stirred a ripple in Tang Yin's heart.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Tang Yin asked subconsciously.

The old man didn't answer, but slowly raised his right hand, which was covered with age spots, and gently waved to Tang Yin. His dry fingers looked particularly pale in the sunlight.

Tang Yin hesitated for a moment, then bent down and put his ear close to the old man's mouth...

"The wolf is coming!" Master Wolf suddenly raised his voice and shouted in Tang Yin's ear.

—Tactical retreat! Tang Yin's instinctive reaction made him jump back instantly.

"--Oh! I'm so scared!" Tang Yin clutched his chest, his heart beating faster. He was almost fooled by this old man.

Master Wolf still maintained that dull expression: "..."

Suddenly, the corners of his mouth rose slightly: "...Hehehe." The old man showed a meaningful smile, and a cunning light flashed in his eyes, making it difficult to guess what he was thinking.

"Hehehe, um, my stomach is hungry." Mr. Wolf's tone suddenly became like that of a child.

Chen Xiang quickly responded, "...Wait a moment, the rice balls will be ready soon."

Tang Yin was surprised to find that this was the first time he had seen Master Wolf interact normally with someone else. Although the old man's behavior was still strange, he at least expressed his wishes clearly.

Soon, Chen Xiang brought over steaming hot rice balls. Mr. Wolf eagerly grabbed one and gobbled it down, spilling the white rice all over the floor. After finishing, he staggered away, his steps shambling.

"According to Madam Chen Xiang, he has lived in the Hidden Mist Village for a long time. However, he has some problems with his brain and often causes trouble to others." Tang Yin silently recalled the information he had just learned in his heart.

...was it like this a long time ago?
Could it be that some tragic experience has caused him to become mentally ill...

Tang Yin shook his head, thinking that he might be thinking too much.

However, regarding the meaning of the code word "Wolf is coming"... Tang Yin felt that he should be right... This old man had personally experienced the Huangquan Taboo Banquet, and from the time he was a wolf boy to the time he became the Wolf Master, the fear he felt at that time must have been with him all the time.

...And, maybe he has seen that monster too.

Although I really want to ask for details, looking at his condition, communication would probably be quite difficult.

"So you've seen everything, right?" Chen Xiang asked with a smile.

"That should be it." Tang Yin nodded. Although he had chatted quite a bit with Madam Chen Xiang, his interactions with the other young people were limited to simple greetings.

...Including Wang Lina.

Let’s consolidate our relationship starting tomorrow, Tang Yin thought to himself.

"Take a break before six o'clock in the afternoon. Thanks to you, today's work was completed ahead of schedule. You've been a great help." Chen Xiang said gratefully.

"Nothing, nothing." Tang Yin waved his hand modestly. After helping to prepare dinner and being busy for a while, he could finally relax.

I glanced at the clock on the wall and it was almost five o'clock.

I didn't pay attention to the time last time, but it seems like the fog should be coming soon. This thought made Tang Yin feel a little nervous and a little anxious.

It’s okay anyway, let’s go outside and take a look first.

He gently raised his head to look up at the sky. Everything around him was dyed a warm red by the setting sun. This must be Tang Yin's last chance to see the mountains in the distance.

...No, you must live until the fog clears and the sky clears.

Then, together with the important people, he would gaze out into the distance once more and leave this place. This thought reassured him.

At this moment...

"The salt miners return from the wild waves." A childish, out-of-tune singing voice suddenly came, instantly breaking Tang Yin's tension.

"...Oh" Tang Yin turned his head and looked.

Xiao Mei skipped across the square and ran towards Tang Yin. It seemed that she had recognized Tang Yin. And following behind her silently was the girl named Hua Lu.

(End of this chapter)