Lin Mengmeng was indeed a night owl. It was past one in the morning, and she was still sitting in the living room watching a drama, occasionally stuffing a snack into her mouth. When Gu Ting carried the little girl into the apartment, panting for breath, this immersive television-watching scene was exactly what met her eyes.
Gu Ting had no mind to care about anything else. At this moment, her sole thought was to set down the burden in her arms—the little girl—as quickly as possible. Having carried her all the way from the residential garden, heaven only knew why a child weighing just a few dozen pounds could feel so heavy.
Her first instinct was to place the little girl on the sofa. But as she stood beside it, looking at the pristine white sofa and then at the little girl, who resembled a muddy kitten, she hesitated. She could only call out to Lin Mengmeng for help. “Mengmeng, help me grab the pajamas from the chair in my room, thanks.”
Lin Mengmeng moved her body from the sofa toward Gu Ting’s room, but her head remained rigidly turned in the direction of the television. Given the late hour, Gu Ting couldn’t help but think of a horror movie. “Mengmeng, have you ever seen The Exorcist?”
Lin Mengmeng mechanically handed her the pajamas, her eyes still not leaving the television screen for even a single second. After a while, she replied with a single word, “No…”
Gu Ting placed the little girl on top of her pajamas, using the other half to casually cover her stomach and legs. Then, she slid over to sit down beside Lin Mengmeng. “What is this? Is it good?”
As if she were experiencing a blackout, Lin Mengmeng spoke haltingly, “A variety show… good… watch together?”
While she was speaking, Gu Ting was already sucked in. She quickly socialized into the same state as Lin Mengmeng. The two sat together on the sofa, their eyes glued to the television screen like nougat, barely blinking. Only their occasional movements to grab snacks proved that they hadn’t fallen asleep.
During her university days, apart from working part-time and attending classes, Gu Ting also loved watching variety shows in her spare time to relax her mind. In the year since her transmigration, she had missed out on many high-quality programs, so she took this opportunity to catch up.
When the little girl got up from the sofa, the first thing she saw was the two of them watching with rapt attention. Curious about what kind of show could captivate them so deeply, she followed their gaze, only to see… a group of people harvesting rice, with several individuals arguing until their faces were red just to compete over a harvester, bickering for ages.
The little girl: “…” Excuse me, but what exactly is so interesting about this show?
However, the two people sharing the room with her now were older sisters—beautiful older sisters at that, who happened to be obsessed with a farming show. They didn’t look like bad people, so she gradually let her guard down.
Thus, she intentionally made a noise as she climbed down from the sofa. After waiting for five seconds, neither of the two on the sofa turned their eyes even a fraction.
The little girl: “…”
The little girl plucked up her courage and walked over. “Big sisters, did you carry me back? Thank you.”
Gu Ting, possessed by a sloth, took a long time to reply, “You… are… welcome.”
Lin Mengmeng experienced a brief lapse in concentration and asked Gu Ting, “Where did the kid come from?”
Gu Ting looked straight ahead. “Picked her up from the neighborhood bushes.”
Lin Mengmeng: “Oh.”
Then the two adjusted their postures and continued to watch the television with great relish.
Feeling like she was invisible, the little girl took a deep breath to encourage herself. “Big sister, my tummy is so hungry…”
Lin Mengmeng pointed toward the kitchen. “Instant noodles, eat whatever you want.”
The little girl stared with wide eyes, completely incredulous. “Big sister, I’m only seven years old.”
Three seconds passed, and Gu Ting added, “Eggs, add them as you like.”
The little girl: “!!!”
Still not giving up, she said, “Big sister, I want to take a bath.”
Gu Ting raised her hand and sluggishly pointed in a direction. “Bathroom, wash however you want.”
The atmosphere fell into silence. A few seconds later, the little girl said with a resentful gaze, “Big sister, I don’t have any clothes to wear.”
Gu Ting left her with just one line: “Find them yourself, wear whatever you want.”
At this moment, the little girl’s sense of fragility felt practically tangible.
She encouraged herself in her heart: I must be strong, I cannot cry, I must be strong…
But the little girl was young after all. How could she hold it in? Her mouth puckered, and she burst into a full-throated, wailing cry.
“But I’m just a kid, adult clothes are too big, and my tummy is so hungry. I can’t even lift the kettle, what am I supposed to do? Waaah…”
With such an earth-shattering commotion, Gu Ting and Lin Mengmeng could no longer ignore her. They could only tear their gazes away with immense difficulty. One reluctantly went to the kitchen to prepare the instant noodles, while the other lingeringly went to the bedroom to find clothes that a child could manage to wear.
After completing their respective tasks, the two huddled together and muttered in low voices, “She’s already a mature child. Shouldn’t she make her own noodles, find her own clothes, and take her own bath?”
Gu Ting agreed completely. “Yeah, looks like we need to do an evaluation next time before picking someone up.”
The little girl, who heard them perfectly clearly: What kind of people has she run into?!
However, after wandering outside for the past few days, the little girl finally understood what it meant to bow one’s head under someone else’s roof. She could only wash her hands and reluctantly sit on the chair, using a plastic fork to eat the “junk food” she had never touched in her life.
With the first bite, the little girl’s expression changed from aggrieved and reluctant to a sudden sparkle in her eyes. Her chewing speed accelerated noticeably, and she didn’t lift her head for a long time while eating.
Gu Ting and Lin Mengmeng couldn’t very well go back to the sofa to watch television, so they stayed nearby to chat and pass the time.
Gu Ting: “I’ve gotten hooked on the TV show. Do you have the property management’s number? Hand her over to them so we can keep watching.”
Lin Mengmeng: “Want to pull an all-nighter? Don’t have the number.”
“I have to dance tomorrow, let’s do tomorrow night instead. Then ask the landlord for it?”
“Sure. The landlord… must be fast asleep at this hour. Their kid is preparing for exams, so it’s not right to disturb them late at night, is it?”
Gu Ting shrugged. “Then we can only call the police.”
As if a keyword had been triggered, the little girl immediately set down her instant noodles and said excitedly, “I’m not going to the police station! Not even if I die!”
Seeing that she was finally willing to put down her noodles, Gu Ting asked her, “What is your name? Are your parents from our neighborhood? Do you remember their phone number?”
The little girl twisted her neck away, leaving them with only the back of her head. “My dad is a bad man, I’m not going back!”
Gu Ting and Lin Mengmeng exchanged a glance and smiled. “Not letting us call the police, and refusing to contact your family—heh, looks like you’ve fallen in love with wandering. I heard that recently, some kids were caught by bad people and had their kidneys harvested?”
Lin Mengmeng caught on. “More than that! Those kidneys, hearts, corneas, blood… so fresh and tender, they’re all prized goods!”
The little girl’s eyes gradually filled with grievance and fear, but she still gritted her teeth and held her ground. “My dad treats me badly, I don’t want to go back! If you look for the police uncles, big sister, I’ll leave right now!” As she spoke, she jumped off the chair and made for the door.
Gu Ting began to fret. How had she managed to bring back such a little troublemaker?
But since she had done a good deed in a moment of impulse, what else could she do except see it through with tears in her eyes?
She grabbed the little girl. “Alright, alright, alright, we’ll do whatever you say. Hurry up, finish eating, wash up, and go to sleep. I’m about to collapse.”
With a bit of teamwork between Gu Ting and Lin Mengmeng—helping her bathe and blow-dry her hair—they finally got the little girl cleaned up and settled. They discovered that as long as they didn’t mention looking for her father or calling the police, the little girl was quite cooperative. The two took this opportunity to learn some information about her.
The little girl’s name was Pan Ruoling, and she was seven years old. Her mother had passed away, and it seemed that because her father was planning to remarry, his mind was entirely focused on the stepmother. He neglected her terribly, leaving her in the care of a relative who treated her poorly. Consequently, she seized an opportunity to run away from home.
Though it was just a few brief sentences, the little girl’s background could certainly be described as miserable.
Gu Ting felt sympathetic for a moment, but ultimately couldn’t help but feel sympathetic for herself. At least this girl still had a father. As for her, she didn’t even know if her parents were good or bad. When it came to comparing misery, Gu Ting almost never lost.
Once she confirmed that Pan Ruoling was asleep, Gu Ting pulled out her phone and dialed 110. She relayed all the information about Pan Ruoling that she had just fished out. When she finished, she requested that the police officers come first thing tomorrow morning, as she still had to go to work.
Hanging up the phone, Lin Mengmeng looked at her with amazement. “Do you have any integrity left?”
Gu Ting pinched her fingers together to show a tiny gap. “I do, but not much.”
Lin Mengmeng: “I bow to your superiority.”
Gu Ting forced a justification for her dignity: “Integrity? Or the worried heart of a father? What I’m doing is sacrificing the small self for the greater good.”
Lin Mengmeng applauded. “Even the Buddha passing by would have to give you a round of applause.”
After all the tossing and turning, both Gu Ting and Lin Mengmeng were exhausted. Agreeing to continue their show tomorrow night, they returned to their respective rooms to rest.
Gu Ting adjusted her sleeping position, preparing to switch tonight’s dream-world regular programming from After Striking It Rich Overnight… to Those Years When Long Aotian Dominated the Cultivation World. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, her phone rang incessantly.
Seeing an unfamiliar number, Gu Ting answered with resentment, snapping quite irritably, “It’s the middle of the night, are you summoning a ghost?”
When the other side remained silent, Gu Ting’s temper flared even more. “What the fa—”
“It’s Chang…”
Gu Ting’s tongue nearly tied itself in knots as she barely managed to swallow her next words. “…mysterious fate! I was just thinking about contacting you, Emperor Chang!” Probably in her dreams.
Who could understand? She had actually thrown a 1.2 million yuan deal to the back of her mind and nearly missed it. From this, it was self-evident who the truly noble person was—someone who viewed money as dirt.
Emperor Chang remained silent for a second. “List it on the platform, then send me the link when it’s ready.”
“Right away.”
“List the other three weapons as well. My friend will take them all.”
Gu Ting didn’t expect an unexpected pleasant surprise to be waiting for her. She couldn’t help but rejoice and asked, “Sure. And the price?”
“A package deal for the three, 2 million.” Emperor Chang spoke lightly, as if it weren’t 2 million yuan, but 200 yuan.
Gu Ting’s eyes went wide as she heard this, wondering if she had fallen asleep and was dreaming. “This… does your friend want to bargain a bit? This price is truly a tiny bit inflated.”
Emperor Chang’s answer was concise and clear: “If it’s not the most expensive, my friend is too lazy to want it. Consider it yourself.” With that, he hung up the phone.
Gu Ting was left bewildered in the wind: Listen to what he’s saying. If it’s not the most expensive, he doesn’t even look at it, as if lowering the price is an insult to his character?
It turned out that rich people had their own troubles too. Their trouble was having too much money, and if they didn’t rack their brains, they simply couldn’t spend it all!
As a former member of the Young Pioneers, Gu Ting kept the values of courtesy and virtue close to her heart. Naturally, she would respect the other party’s habits and enthusiastically help them fulfill their wish to spend money. Without delaying for a second, she logged into her account and listed all five weapons on the platform.
Three minutes later, the five weapons were sold out, and 3.2 million yuan arrived in her account.
Gu Ting, who was already fighting off sleep, felt a bit troubled for the first time. It was one thing for this Wealth God buff to take effect during the day, but it was still operating in the middle of the night. This couldn’t help but give her a slight headache. After all, who wouldn’t want a good night’s sleep?
Gu Ting couldn’t help but begin to consider that she ought to spend some money to acquire some things. As long as the cash on her person wasn’t too abundant, she figured she wouldn’t feel that tiny bit of lack of enthusiasm when money came during the night.
That night, Gu Ting’s dream was neither After Striking It Rich Overnight… nor Those Years When Long Aotian Dominated the Cultivation World, but rather The Domineering Money Falls for Me, She Flees, the Money Pursues, She Cannot Escape Even with Wings…
A few hours after Gu Ting fell asleep, the doorbell rang. Yawning, Gu Ting went to open the door, only to find two police officers standing outside.
“It’s you again, Miss Gu? What a coincidence.”