Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 365 - 4: The Nice Guy Card and the Senior Girl

Chapter 365: Chapter 4: The Nice Guy Card and the Senior Girl

"You’re not standing here because of Xue Xue, are you?" Hearing a girl say this, the passengers who had been eavesdropping on the conversation had an "aha" moment. A few boys looked at Tang Zheng and thought how well this young man played into people’s favor.

"Yes!" Tang Zheng laughed nonchalantly. If he denied it, he would hurt Xue Xue’s feelings in front of everyone. But by acknowledging it straightforwardly, people wouldn’t think much of it; they would just chuckle amiably and tease him a bit, appreciating him for his thoughtfulness.

Offered snacks as a bribe, a few girls were nice to Tang Zheng, asking him about his studying situation, what year of college he was in, and other trivial questions.

Tang Zheng answered their questions indifferently. Just when he was getting slightly impatient, his phone rang. The girls immediately closed their mouths and turned their attention to his pocket.

When they saw Tang Zheng pull out an old off-brand phone with chipped paint, the busty college senior sitting next door, who had been trying to figure out how to strike up a conversation with him, immediately abandoned the idea and returned to her lively conversation with her companions. She nonchalantly played with her newly released iPhone 4S in her hands, texting and playing games.

"Tang Zheng, have you gotten on the train? If not, I can arrange a ride for you to Qingdao." An Xiuru’s voice was full of concern. She really wanted to accompany Tang Zheng, but was afraid he would find her bothersome, so she proposed the idea in a roundabout way.

"I am on the train, and I will probably have to stay for a few more days to do some sightseeing." Tang Zheng, watching the scenery fly by outside the window, had already calculated his schedule. He planned to enter the Trojan Room in Qingdao and conduct an experiment—by completing the mission, he could teleport to any city.

"Then be careful on your way. Oh right, I just got back from the club. Three ’rich women’ liked your jewelry. They bought five pieces. Because I’m on good terms with them, I gave them a bit of a discount and only took nine million from them."

"Five pieces for nine million. Not bad." Tang Zheng wasn’t complaining; after all, it was all free for him. But if Lu Fan knew about it, he would undoubtedly grumble.

"No, it’s nine million per piece. I’m not a fool." An Xiuru’s voice was soft and slightly coquettish, making one’s nerves quiver.

Tang Zheng’s phone was old and didn’t have good sound insulation. An Xiuru’s words could be heard in a small radius through the speaker. Upon hearing "nine million," the busty college senior’s gaze returned to him. She measured him up discreetly and did a quick calculation. Forty-five million? In RMB or USD? Could this guy be a millionaire disguising his wealth?

Not only the busty college senior, but also the surrounding passengers looked at Tang Zheng a few more times out of curiosity.

"Uh-huh, I’ll hang up now. I’ll bring you a gift when I come back." Tang Zheng put away his phone. He was well aware of everyone’s glances. To avoid awkwardness, he pretended not to notice. However, Xue Xue’s companions didn’t let him off the hook.

"Who was that on the phone?"

"The woman’s voice was very pleasant. My first impression is like a gentle jade strolling under an oil-paper umbrella on a mossy stone road in the misty and rainy Jiangnan region." Xue Xue praised, asking, "Is she your friend?"

"Oh, she was my boss." Tang Zheng replied, with the girl in front of him appearing to be quite the literary type.

"Could this young man be supported by someone?" Upon hearing "female boss", the busty college senior’s first reaction was this. After all, Tang Zheng was quite attractive.

Because they were not familiar with each other, Xue Xue’s classmates continued to chat, but they avoided topics related to money.

After the train had been traveling for more than forty minutes, the conductor came to check tickets, causing a stir among the passengers in the carriage as everyone reached for their tickets. The conductor wouldn’t let any ticket evaders go, so he stopped in front of Tang Zheng.

"Carriage 7, Seat 92? But there is a seat, why are you standing here?" The conductor looked at Tang Zheng suspiciously, then glanced at Xue Xue and her friends. He rarely encountered idiots who didn’t take their seats when they had one.

The passengers’ gaze quickly shifted, realizing that indeed he had a seat of his own.

"Excuse me." Tang Zheng pointed to the front and took back his ticket.

The young woman who was calming her sleeping baby didn’t even know that she had been given extra consideration. When the passengers thought about how the young man had just said he didn’t have a seat, they suddenly felt that he was indeed a decent person.

"Yours." The conductor returned the tickets to Tang Zheng, then turned to Xue Xue and her friends. One of the girls, who had a pure and simple look about her, appeared to be in a panic, frantically searching her pockets, but found nothing.

"Lost your ticket? Search more carefully." Xue Xue frowned. A ticket to Qingdao cost more than a hundred and thirty RMB, which was almost equivalent to half a month’s food budget for Tao Lei.

The other girls also looked anxious, providing a barrage of suggestions. Hao Jing, however, didn’t find it, and started to sob on the table.

"Then you have to buy a new one." The conductor could tell that the female student didn’t evade the ticket, but he had to follow the rules. Upon hearing this, Tao Lei felt even more at a loss, reaching into her pocket with a face full of urgency and intense embarrassment.

"Let’s chip in a little." Xue Xue, who lived in the same dormitory as Tao Lei, was well aware of her family circumstances. Seeing her situation, she knew Tao Lei probably didn’t have the money for the ticket supplement.

Only two of her closer female friends responded to Xue Xue’s call. They, too, were not well-off, and could offer limited help.

"Seventy will do, I still have sixty." Tao Lei, who was very proud, was willing to accept help which meant she really was out of money.

"After reaching Qingdao, you still have to take three transfers home which will cost you over fifty. What’s your plan? Walk home?" Xue Xue sighed, stopped Tao Lei, and seeing her still wanting to refuse, she asked, "Aren’t we friends?"

"Hurry up, I need to check others’ tickets." The train attendant was helpless, this was the most he could do to help for now.

Apart from Xue Xue and her two friends, the other girls in the dorm had mixed reactions. Some criticized Tao Lei for being careless; others remained silent while few suggested they could help her find a part-time job once the school reopened. Whatever the suggestion, it just turned into meaningless noise. However, Xue Xue and her two friends managed to scrape together the fare and forced Tao Lei to take it.

The passengers were drawn in by their commotion and all eyes turned to the girls. The busty senior sneered in disdain, thinking Tang Zheng was so stingy. A millionaire? Not willing to spare more than a hundred RMB?

Some of the passengers who overheard Tang Zheng’s phone call also shot him frequent glances, their meaning clear.

"It’s nice to have good friends." Tang Zheng muttered to himself. When the attendant reached the end of carriage 7, Tang Zheng excused himself to use the bathroom and departed.

As he crossed paths with the Attendant, he nudged him and informed him that he would buy the ticket for the female student.

The busty senior got up to go to the bathroom too, following after Tang Zheng, hoping to find an opportunity to strike a conversation. After all, a handsome millionaire is not someone to give up on easily. So she clearly overheard Tang Zheng’s conversation.

"Isn’t this unnecessary? If you wanted to help, you could have just paid for her then and there." The attendant stared at Tang Zheng in surprise as they reached the gap between carriages, then he shook his head, murmuring, "There really are people who insist on doing good deeds and not leaving their names."

"The girl has a strong sense of pride, and considering her clothing, one can tell about her financial situation. Besides, I didn’t intend for her to pay me back." Tang Zheng pulled out his wallet, handed the attendant two hundred RMB, and said, "Keep the change. Just tell the girl that you will report her special situation to the train conductor and that she would not need to pay after receiving the ticket."

"No problem." The attendant was initially going to politely refuse, intending to do a good deed, but seeing the thick stack of bills in Tang Zheng’s wallet he decisively accepted it, thinking it was reasonable to earn a small tip for helping out.

"Such a good man should be easy to catch." The busty senior finished repairing her makeup in the bathroom and emerged, looking at Tang Zheng’s retreating figure with mixed feelings. She had overheard his conversation with the attendant.

Upon his return to Xue Xue’s side, Tang Zheng maintained a serene appearance. He watched as Tao Lei tightly held onto the 137 RMB, tears swirling in her beautiful eyes from time to time. Apart from feeling sorry for her, he was also deeply moved. The other female students continued to glance towards Tang Zheng, wondering why he wouldn’t help.

The passengers were no longer paying attention to them, though their gazes would still occasionally linger on them.

For Tang Zheng, a participant in the deadly Trojan Horse Game every three days, these gazes and discussions were unimportant compared to the prospect of death.

The senior stumbled as she walked past Tang Zheng.

Reacting quickly, Tang Zheng caught her with one arm. Even though she avoided falling, the senior blushed and was about to push him away when he had already let her go.

Many male passengers took this opportunity to openly gawk at the senior, muttering in envy - what a lucky guy.

The two male escorts of the busty senior witnessed this scene and seethed with jealousy, shooting angry glances at Tang Zheng.

"Sorry," Tang Zheng, who was holding the busty senior, sneezed; he was not used to the perfume she wore.

"No problem," The busty senior didn’t rush to leave. Instead, she began to use her social skills to engage Tang Zheng in conversation. From Tang Zheng’s behavior just now, she assumed he was a novice.

However, after just three sentences, Tang Zheng understood her intentions and his gaze fell on her chest. He wasn’t very interested in this type of woman.

Five minutes later, the attendant returned, as promised, delivering the news Tang Zheng had instructed him to pass on to Tao Lei. The girl immediately cheered up and began showering the attendant with thank yous.

The attendant, feeling somewhat embarrassed after accepting the money, handed over the ticket supplement to her and then made a quick exit. He felt guilty for accepting the thanks for something he hadn’t done. (To be continued... If you enjoy this work, please vote and support on qidian.com, your support is my biggest motivation.)