Chapter 8

Zheng's mother went out to buy groceries not long after Zheng Xiuyan's few sisters arrived. When she came back, she noticed that everyone in the living room looked rather strange, as if they were seriously watching TV, or perhaps lost in their own thoughts. Huang Meiying and the others seemed to want to laugh but didn't dare to. Puzzled, she asked, "What's going on?"

"Ah, Auntie, nothing." Xiahou Zhongying hadn't quite recovered from the situation. He didn't understand what Zheng Xiuyan and her sister were discussing in Korean in the room, only vaguely knowing that Zheng Xiuyan wanted Zheng Xiujing to return the money to him, but he didn't know the rest. In the end, he didn't get his money back when they came out.

"Whose money is this, and why is it just left on the table?" Zheng's mother's eyes fell on the bundle of cash still on the table.

Zheng Xiuyan and her sister immediately tensed up, feeling guilty and not daring to look at their mother. They pretended to watch TV seriously, but their ears were subtly twitching, paying attention to Xiahou Zhongying's direction.

"This is the living expenses my dad gave me. Uncle Jin helped bring it over. Oh, Uncle Jin is the driver uncle from last night. I haven't had time to put it away yet," Xiahou Zhongying explained.

Zheng Xiuyan and her sister both breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Xiahou Zhongying didn't mention that they had taken one million. If their mother found out, they would surely be in trouble. They were secretly pleased, and Zheng Xiuyan's impression of Xiahou Zhongying improved a bit; at least he was quite generous.

"Put it away quickly. Don't let money be visible, understand? When you go out, don't carry too much cash. Keep enough for your needs and leave the rest at home, hidden well," Zheng's mother advised, then went into the kitchen to prepare lunch.

"Ha ha." The girl named Lin Yuner couldn't help but laugh, and this infected the others, even Zheng Xiuyan, who smiled and gave Xiahou Zhongying her first smile ever. After all, they were in someone else's debt.

"Hi, I'm Lin Yuner," Lin Yuner said, leaning closer to Xiahou Zhongying, finding the young boy quite interesting.

"Ah, hi, I'm Xiahou Zhongying," Xiahou Zhongying replied, roughly understanding what Lin Yuner said. He introduced himself in broken Korean.

Since the girls arrived, no one had introduced themselves to each other. Initially, Zheng Xiuyan had a deep grudge against Xiahou Zhongying and wouldn't introduce him to her friends. Then, after they split Xiahou Zhongying's money, they felt embarrassed to talk to him, and Zheng Xiujing was still sulking, so she didn't pay attention either.

Among them, only Huang Meiying knew Xiahou Zhongying a bit more, having met him the previous night, but they weren't close enough for her to take the initiative to introduce him.

So, it wasn't until Lin Yuner introduced herself that Xiahou Zhongying learned the names of the girls.

The first to introduce herself was the lively girl, Lin Yuner. The girl with slightly darker skin was called Quan Yuli, and the very quiet girl who blushed even when giggling was called Xu Zixian.

After the introductions, they chatted for a bit, but soon ran out of things to say. Mainly because although Xiahou Zhongying could understand simple Korean, communication was still difficult. He spoke haltingly, often struggling to find the right words, so he used English to fill in the gaps, making his speech a mix of Korean and English, which was quite awkward. The three girls didn't know English, so they always needed Huang Meiying to translate, which was very troublesome.

After a few more words, they each went their own way. The girls formed a group and chatted among themselves. Xiahou Zhongying took out the laptop the driver had brought, logged into CS, and started playing the game.

After a while, the girls' interest was piqued. Zheng Xiujing, who had been sulking, was quickly drawn to the corner computer by the sound of gunfire. Zheng Xiuyan, who had taken 800,000 yuan from her sister, felt too guilty to interfere.

Seeing Zheng Xiujing and Xiahou Zhongying shouting and playing enthusiastically, Lin Yuner also felt itchy and ran over to fight for the computer with Zheng Xiujing.

After watching a few rounds, Zheng Xiuyan couldn't resist pushing Xiahou Zhongying, "Hey, let me play a few rounds."

"Ah!" Xiahou Zhongying was taken aback and said, "This is my computer."

"I know it's your computer, but why are you so stingy?" Zheng Xiuyan said angrily, snatching the laptop without waiting for his answer.

Xiahou Zhongying was stunned for a long time, wondering how he had become the stingy one.

Looking around, he saw that besides himself, only the little girl Xu Zixian was sitting on the sofa, not moving. Bored, Xiahou Zhongying asked her, "Why don't you go play with them? Don't you like it?"

"Brother, playing games is bad," Xu Zixian replied seriously.

"Um, occasionally it's fine, right?"

"Computers are harmful to the human body, with severe radiation pollution that can affect the circulatory system, immune system, reproductive and metabolic functions. In severe cases, it can trigger cancer and accelerate the proliferation of cancer cells. It can also affect the cardiovascular system, causing palpitations, blindness, and a decline in immune function. It's also bad for the eyes, leading to vision loss and cataracts," Xu Zixian said solemnly and seriously, "Brother, you should play less computer in the future."

"Um, are you thirsty? I'll get you a drink," Xiahou Zhongying said, breaking out in a cold sweat. This little girl... He quickly found an excuse to change the subject.

"Brother, drinking too much soda is also bad. It can damage tooth enamel, cause nighttime stomach pain, obesity, and affect children's development and height," Xu Zixian said as Xiahou Zhongying walked away, "I'll just drink water."

Xiahou Zhongying's legs went weak, and he almost fell, feeling dazed.

After getting Xu Zixian a glass of water, Xiahou Zhongying quickly moved away from her and secretly touched Zheng Xiuyan's arm, whispering, "What's up with your friend?"

"This is nothing. She even said eating hamburgers can kill you," Zheng Xiuyan rolled her eyes, having heard Xu Zixian's words earlier and not taking her too seriously.

Xiahou Zhongying decided to talk to Xu Zixian less in the future. He didn't want to be scared to death by her before being killed by computer radiation or soda.

Lin Yuner, Huang Meiying, and the others had taken time off to visit Zheng Xiuyan and had to return to the company for practice in the afternoon. After lunch at the Zheng family's house, they left with some reluctance.

Before leaving, Lin Yuner still had more to say to Xiahou Zhongying, suggesting they play together again next time. She thought they were the perfect team, unstoppable when playing as bandits.

In reality, Lin Yuner had been following Xiahou Zhongying and picking up the slack, which improved her scores significantly, making Zheng Xiuyan roll her eyes.

After lunch, under Zheng's mother's strict prohibition, no one was allowed to play games, and the room finally returned to peace.

However, Xiahou Zhongying was a restless person. After being restricted from playing on the computer, he didn't know what to do and felt extremely bored.

He tried standing up and testing his injured leg. Although it wasn't fully healed and he couldn't put full weight on it, he could walk without much problem, though he still limped a bit.

He walked back to the room, rummaged through the bag Uncle Jin had brought, and put on a cap with a large brim to cover the swelling on his forehead. He then came out and said to Zheng's mother, "Auntie, I'm going for a walk."

"Your leg is better?" Zheng's mother looked at Xiahou Zhongying in surprise.

"Hehe, it's almost better. I can't run, but walking is fine," Xiahou Zhongying said with a smile.

"You recover so well," Zheng's mother sighed, glancing at Zheng Xiuyan, who had almost the same injury but still couldn't walk properly and had to hop around.

Xiahou Zhongying's recovery speed made Zheng Xiuyan extremely jealous. Her mother's unintentional comparison made her even more depressed. She secretly cursed Xiahou Zhongying for having a cockroach's life, but she was also very envious. Being at home with nothing to do was driving her crazy.

"Brother, I'll go with you," Zheng Xiujing's eyes lit up, and she jumped up, running to Xiahou Zhongying's side and hugging his arm.

"What for?" Xiahou Zhongying was at a loss.

"You're not familiar with the area. I'm afraid you'll get lost," Zheng Xiujing said matter-of-factly.

"I won't go far, just around the neighborhood," Xiahou Zhongying said helplessly, afraid of Zheng Xiujing.

"Your foot isn't fully healed yet. I can be your crutch. You can lean on me when you're tired," Zheng Xiujing said, lying with a straight face. Anyone who knew her knew she wouldn't be so kind.

"Really?" Their voices grew fainter as they walked away.

"Brother, how can you doubt your sister? I'm your sister, and it's only natural for a sister to take care of her brother," Zheng Xiujing's indignant voice made Zheng Xiuyan feel unbalanced. "I'm your sister, and I've never seen you take care of me."

"Alright," Xiahou Zhongying seemed convinced, having no choice but to accept. Zheng Xiujing was like a piece of bubble gum, once stuck, impossible to shake off.

"By the way, brother, do you have money on you?" Zheng Xiujing's voice grew fainter but was still audible.

"I knew it. My sister, who always believes in no profit, no early rise, couldn't be so kind," Zheng Xiuyan muttered, lying on the sofa, her head on a pillow.

"What for?" Xiahou Zhongying's voice was filled with caution.

"I know of a snack shop with really delicious food," Zheng Xiujing's voice was sweet and persuasive.

"Really? What is it?" Xiahou Zhongying seemed interested in the food.

"It's..." The rest of her words were drowned out by the noise of cars outside, making them inaudible.

Xiahou Zhongying and Zheng Xiujing's conversation made Zheng's mother both laugh and cry, and she shook her head helplessly.