Collecting Rent From All Realms, Even Empresses Must Pay Tribute
Ch. 63 - A Giant Money Tree

-Silver Mountain Academy-

"ChuanChuan, did you know? I heard Huang Haotian hasn't been to school these past two days," Luo Xi said as they walked along the school path, remembering something. 

The Taekwondo Club members had been playing hooky since their defeat in the duel.

(ED: "Playing hooky" translates to "旷课 (kuàng kè)" in Chinese. This phrase directly means "to skip class" or "to be absent from school without permission." )

"So? Doesn't matter to me." Ye Chuan wasn't interested. After all, Huang Haotian was less than an ant to him—

He was like a paramecium.

Yeah, that's it.

"Ah, Xiaoyu." Luo Xi saw An Shiyu in the distance and called out, "Morning, Fishy."

"Yo." An Shiyu, wearing purple cat-ear headphones, saw Ye Chuan and Luo Xi together and said lazily, "The little couple is as lovey-dovey as ever."

"We're not a couple, he's my son," Luo Xi said with a grin.

"Bullshit," Ye Chuan said.

"He is!" Luo Xi kicked Ye Chuan's butt, and he immediately retaliated.

"Hey, you got my skirt dirty!"

Seeing Luo Xi and Ye Chuan bickering, An Shiyu twitched her lips. What a sickeningly sweet couple.

As if remembering something, she also kicked Ye Chuan lightly. "Hey, Ye Chuan, I have something to tell you."

"What?"

"The Taekwondo Club incident seems to have gone viral," An Shiyu said. "The video has a lot of views, so… you might be in some trouble."

"Trouble?" Ye Chuan thought for a moment. Who would cause him trouble after he defeated the Taekwondo Club? He asked, "Who posted it?"

"Me," An Shiyu said with a deadpan expression. "Earning money from views"

"So you're the one causing me trouble?!" Ye Chuan glared.

"Want a cut?"

"That's more like it. How much?" Hearing that he could earn money, Ye Chuan's mood improved.

"Thirty yuan."

Ye Chuan: "..."

Resisting the urge to punch An Shiyu, Ye Chuan asked, "So, what kind of trouble are you talking about?"

"The former president of the Taekwondo Club, Kim Jong-hee, is coming back to challenge you," An Shiyu said calmly. 

"I heard he's some kind of Taekwondo heir. You ruined the club's reputation, so he won't just stand by and do nothing."

"Don't worry, Chuan Chuan will definitely take him down with one punch!" Luo Xi raised her fist. "He's super strong!"

"Didn't you have no faith in me before?" Ye Chuan asked, amused, seeing Luo Xi's reaction. 

She had been terrified during the duel, but now she wasn't afraid at all.

"You single-handedly defeated the entire Taekwondo Club, of course I'm not afraid now," Luo Xi said.

After a few seconds, she added softly,

"Even if you lose, it's just a few punches."

Ye Chuan: "..."

The morning classes were uneventful, and soon it was lunchtime.

"ChuanChuan, I'm going to the broadcasting room, see you later," Luo Xi said. 

As a member of the broadcasting club, she often went to the studio to play music or read listener submissions. Her voice was very pleasant and quite popular at school.

"Okay."

Ye Chuan looked at An Shiyu. "Want to grab lunch together?"

"No way, what if people think we're a couple?" An Shiyu seemed disgusted.

"..." He was so handsome, wouldn't she be the one benefiting?

Ye Chuan went to the cafeteria alone.

Silver Mountain Academy had many cafeterias. Ye Chuan chose the one closest to his classroom and quickly arrived at the rice noodle stall. 

"Auntie, two servings of beef brisket noodles, with all the toppings."

Carrying a large bowl filled with toppings, Ye Chuan found an empty seat, satisfied.

It was good to have money.

He didn't have to save that single piece of beef brisket for last anymore.

As he was eating, he noticed someone sitting down in front of him, their voice filled with surprise. "Ah, senior—"

Ye Chuan looked up, mid-chew, and saw the person's face. He twitched his lips. "..."

It was Wang Yanran, wearing the Silver Mountain Academy uniform, her face filled with surprise. "You eat here too?"

"I have no money," Ye Chuan said bluntly.

He had spent most of the one million yuan and couldn't afford to return it. He had a feeling this girl wasn't here for a friendly chat.

Wang Yanran froze, then realized.

She hadn't paid enough last time!

"I still have over eight hundred thousand, I'll give it all to you, senior," Wang Yanran quickly said. "I'll transfer the rest as soon as possible."

Ye Chuan was taken aback, sensing something was wrong.

What was going on?

Why was she giving him more money?

So she wasn't here to ask for a refund?

"Just say what you want. I don't think this is a 'coincidence'," Ye Chuan said calmly. 

He wasn't stupid; there was no way this was a coincidence.

"Well, it's actually my grandfather's intention, that is, the Wang family… hopes to establish a good relationship with you," Wang Yanran said honestly. 

She felt that there was no point in hiding her intentions; they were easy to guess.

It was better to be upfront.

"I don't really understand the matters of you superpowered warriors," Ye Chuan said.

Wang Yanran's eyes widened in realization.

Her grandfather was right!

He had said that the cultivation systems of ancient families and sects were different from those of secular families, so they wouldn't understand the matters of superpowered warriors!

This senior was definitely a young expert from an ancient family or sect!

"Huh?" Ye Chuan felt a bit strange. Why was this girl looking at him with even more fervor after he said that?

"Superpowered warriors are martial artists with supernatural abilities, such as controlling flames, lightning, ice…" Wang Yanran explained. 

"Our Wang family specializes in controlling ghosts and spirits."

Ye Chuan felt that it sounded similar to cultivation.

Weren't these just different spiritual root attributes?

"You think I'm strong, so you want to establish a connection with the family behind me, is that it?" Ye Chuan asked.

"No, the Wang family simply wishes to befriend you," Wang Yanran said.

She knew that the power behind Ye Chuan was immense and couldn't be compared to the small Wang family. 

If possible, establishing a connection with such a promising young talent would be a great opportunity.

An angel investor?

Ye Chuan seemed to understand.

Wait, wasn't this just a giant money tree?

"Sure, sure," Ye Chuan immediately smiled. "So… Wang Yanna, right? Sit down, let's have a chat."

"Senior, it's Wang Yanran."

"Oh, it's fine, it's fine."

Wang Yanran: "?"