Chapter 39

At midnight, Wang Fusheng logged off on time. As a soldier, some habits were deeply ingrained and hard to change. For example, how could one not skip classes in college? Even staying up all night playing games was normal. However, for someone as disciplined as Wang Fusheng, these things were almost impossible to achieve.

"Maybe playing games isn't so bad." In the morning, after washing up, Wang Fusheng looked at himself in the mirror and smiled.

Since retiring, he had been living in this bustling metropolis, encountering countless people every day. But Wang Fusheng still felt a sense of loneliness and emptiness. He knew it was because he couldn't find a sense of belonging and couldn't integrate into this society, which made him feel isolated.

However, after playing "Destiny" for a few days, although he didn't take everything in the game as his goal, he no longer wandered alone in the crowd to reduce his loneliness. The busy schedule from playing games every day gave him a different sense of fulfillment.

"Can you lend me some money, Fusheng?" Qi Tianyang repeated his surprise at seeing Ouyang Ningjing every day. But in the classroom, Qi Tianyang did something he had never done before—asking Wang Fusheng for money.

"How much?" Although it was the beginning of the month, and all students should have received their monthly living expenses, which should be the time when they had the most money, Qi Tianyang had treated Wang Fusheng to barbecue just yesterday. So Wang Fusheng was a bit puzzled by Qi Tianyang's request, but he wasn't the type to pry into others' privacy.

"How much do you have? I'll pay you back next month when I get my living expenses."

"Two thousand, that's all I have." Wang Fusheng calculated his daily expenses and then subtracted the amount he would need for the rest of the month, giving Qi Tianyang a number.

Wang Fusheng's life was very regular, and his daily expenses were fixed, with no unexpected expenses. He received three thousand yuan in living expenses each month, which was just deposited into his bank account at the beginning of the month. He had saved all his money, but he had spent it on a gaming helmet, so now he only had the money that had just been issued.

"Two thousand." Qi Tianyang's face showed disappointment. Wang Fusheng didn't say anything, just looked at Qi Tianyang with a questioning gaze. Although he didn't like prying into others' privacy, Wang Fusheng considered Qi Tianyang a friend, so he asked about his unusual behavior today.

"Um... Um... This Sunday is Zhuo Li's birthday, and I want to give her a gift, but I don't have enough money." Qi Tianyang said, looking a bit uneasy.

Zhuo Li! Hearing this name, Wang Fusheng recalled a woman with a good figure and face, with small wavy hair. She looked very youthful and innocent, but Wang Fusheng didn't like her gaze.

It was a gaze that seemed to scrutinize everything, not to understand a person's essence, but as if everything, even people, had a price tag. It was like looking at something in a store and evaluating its price.

Wang Fusheng couldn't quite remember how Qi Tianyang and Zhuo Li had met. He rarely cared about other things besides himself and was somewhat isolated in school and in the class. He only knew a little about what was happening in the school through Qi Tianyang's conversations.

"Gifts don't need to be expensive; the meaning is more important." Wang Fusheng said.

This wasn't just empty talk; Wang Fusheng truly believed it. For someone who could die at any moment on the battlefield, the value of a gift was less important than its meaning. On the battlefield, even the most valuable treasure couldn't be taken away, but the meaning could penetrate the soul.

"But... But I've been pursuing her for several months, and she's about to agree to be my girlfriend. I want to throw her a birthday party and give her a gift that will move her. That's why..." Qi Tianyang didn't continue, but Wang Fusheng understood his meaning.

"I'll ask the others if they have any money and see if they can lend you some." Wang Fusheng nodded, not commenting on Qi Tianyang's values or actions. Everyone has their own choices. Although Wang Fusheng felt that Zhuo Li wasn't the right person for Qi Tianyang, it wasn't his place to say anything.

Qi Tianyang smiled awkwardly, not saying anything. Clearly, he thought Wang Fusheng was politely refusing, and Wang Fusheng saw through his misunderstanding but didn't explain.

"Do you have any money?" At noon, Wang Fusheng said he had something to do and didn't eat with Qi Tianyang. Instead, he walked out of the school gate and knocked on the window of a car parked in a spot. The car was parked outside the school gate, from where it could clearly see everyone entering and leaving.

"How much do you need?" The car window rolled down, revealing a middle-aged man, with a young man sitting in the passenger seat. Both were holding observation equipment. The middle-aged man looked at Wang Fusheng with a calm but tense expression, while the young man looked at him with curiosity and a hint of caution.

"However much you have, lend it to me. I'll pay you back later." Wang Fusheng wasn't using this as an excuse to refuse; he really needed to borrow money. Although he didn't have many friends, he was aware that he was always being followed by many people. He pretended not to notice, but he was clear about it.

For example, the call to the police yesterday on the food street was clearly made by these people monitoring him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have glanced at them when he left. However, Wang Fusheng could only accept this. He knew his capabilities and that the country wouldn't let him live like an ordinary person. Special forces soldiers were monitored for a period after retirement, and Wang Fusheng was no exception.

"Borrow money?" The middle-aged man's face showed a strange expression, but he didn't stop, taking out all the money he had. Wang Fusheng was unsatisfied with the amount and looked at the young man in the passenger seat.

"Xiao Zhao, take out your money, consider it a loan from Brother Wu." The middle-aged man also looked at the young man. The young man seemed to want to say something but didn't know how to and took out his money.

"There are more than just the two of you around, right? Have the others lend me their money too." Seeing that the money in his hand was less than a thousand, Wang Fusheng said, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Um, if you need money, I can apply for it from above. As long as the amount isn't too large, it can be approved quickly." The middle-aged man hesitated, then asked Wang Fusheng.

The young man didn't know who Wang Fusheng was, but as the leader of the surveillance team, the middle-aged man did. Although he didn't know everything, what he did know was enough to shock Wu An. So, for someone like Wang Fusheng, as long as the request wasn't too outrageous, the country would fulfill it.

"No need, just lend me the money you have." Wang Fusheng shook his head and frowned slightly. Clearly, he knew what "above" meant. Although he lived under surveillance, he didn't want to have too much to do with "above" because some debts would eventually need to be repaid.

Wang Fusheng believed that everything he had now, including his monthly living expenses, was what he deserved for his past efforts. Although what he received was far less than what he had given, he accepted it without any burden.

But if he asked for money from "above" for Qi Tianyang's sake, it would make him feel like he owed something, and he didn't like that feeling. So he rejected the middle-aged man's suggestion.

"Xiao Zhao, go and collect money from the others, consider it a loan from me." The middle-aged man was clearly disappointed by Wang Fusheng's refusal. He knew Wang Fusheng's value and that the higher-ups would be happy if Wang Fusheng owed them more. But since Wang Fusheng disagreed, he had to follow his instructions.

"Everyone has given their money, this is all we have." Ten minutes later, Xiao Zhao returned with a stack of money, including a lot of change.

"Keep the change, hmm... a total of five thousand. I'll pay you back soon." Wang Fusheng returned the change to the middle-aged man, counted the money, nodded to the middle-aged man, and left.

"Who is this guy, so arrogant? Last time, we exposed our identity to help him deal with a classmate's dispute, and that was fine. Today, he comes to borrow money as if we're his nannies." Xiao Zhao looked at Wang Fusheng's back with dissatisfaction, feeling an urge to beat him up and make him understand his place.

"Stop talking nonsense. The task assigned by above is to monitor him while helping him solve some problems. It's a strict order not to let him handle things himself." The middle-aged man glared at Xiao Zhao, looking at Wang Fusheng's back with a puzzled expression, clearly thinking about why Wang Fusheng suddenly needed money. This was something that had never happened before, so he was considering whether to report it to the higher-ups.

"Strict order! He's that powerful?" Xiao Zhao clearly understood the meaning of a strict order and asked in confusion.

"Killing you would be a matter of seconds." The middle-aged man replied, not really focused on the question, but subconsciously answered. Afterward, he noticed something was off with Xiao Zhao and said sternly, "Put away those unnecessary thoughts and do your job. This is the minimum standard for a special agent."

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