Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 367 - 6: Kind Heart

Chapter 367: Chapter 6: Kind Heart

The long-distance bus swayed, passing through several small towns as it left Qingdao. Tang Zheng also caught a glimpse of some of Shandong’s local customs along the way, such as the legendary stout Shandong men and their pancake rolls with scallions.

"Thank you, could you give me your phone number? I’ll pay you back as soon as possible." Tao Lei who only completed a year at the university, was still naive and incredibly innocent, not doubting at all whether her busty senior was speaking normally.

"What money?" Tang Zheng played dumb, successfully diverting the topic. He didn’t want the girl to feel burdened, even intentionally keeping some distance between them when sitting.

"Good acting, you could win an Oscar." The busty senior sat next to Tang Zheng with a familiar demeanor. With her potential wealthy husband once again in front of her, she didn’t want to miss out.

"How did you find out? Oh, the restroom." Tang Zheng recalled and quickly figured out the reason. Turning his head and finding Tao Lei still looking at them, he felt a bit of a headache, "You’re causing all the trouble."

"Hehe, want me to smooth things over? That’s going to cost you." The busty senior teased, extending her hand, "I’m Liu Mei."

"Tang Zheng. But you’ll soon forget my name." After saying this, Tang Zheng took out a magazine, covering his face with it, clearly showing an aloof expression.

With the bumping of the bus, Tang Zheng, who had been napping for half an hour, suddenly felt a head leaning on his shoulder. A few strands of hair even stuck to his cheek, making him feel itchy.

Tang Zheng didn’t want to provoke Liu Mei and continued to feign sleep.

The busty senior gnashed her teeth in irritation. Seeing how gentlemanly Tang Zheng was, she was even more determined to hook him. Even without money, a boyfriend with handsome looks would be very impressive.

"What is he wearing under his sportswear?" Through the collar, Liu Mei could see Tang Zheng’s firefly protective clothing. Although she could only see part of it, the high-quality fabric and intricate patterns had already captured her attention.

"What do you want?" Tang Zheng made the discussion clear.

"I want to pursue you, junior brother." Liu Mei puffed out her proudest chest, without any shyness, saying, "I’m going to graduate soon, and I’m planning for the future too."

Because of this answer, Tang Zheng finally glanced at Liu Mei up and down.

"Any problems? I think life is a series of transactions. After suffering for so many years, I don’t want to endure anymore." Liu Mei straightened up, tossing her hair, "In high school, I stayed up all night studying for university. Then I got into university and thought I could relax, but I saw others having fun while I had to study with just a steamed bun. Isn’t it normal to feel unfair about this? Finally, the most important thing was what happened last year, one of my seniors paid a high price to find a good mentor, only to be told there was an internal candidate. Do you know what she gave up?"

"I’m not a psychologist, I don’t want to hear your complaints." Tang Zheng frowned. He could tell that Liu Mei was telling the truth but her tone also betrayed her attempt to gain sympathy.

"You’re so heartless. I only wanted to negotiate a good price." Liu Mei no longer concealed her intention, seeing as they’d put their cards on the table. "Those girls are so foolish. They’re deceived by a few sweet words and a bit of money. I’m not that naïve. Besides, aren’t there enough college students going to hotel rooms and being kept nowadays? Isn’t there a rental place near every university?"

"You’re too stubborn. You can’t just deny a whole group because of a few people, right?" Tang Zheng didn’t want to engage in the conversation, "Change the topic, or shut up."

"I am still a virgin." Liu Mei leaned into Tang Zheng’s ear, delivering a heavy bombshell.

Tao Lei had been staring at Tang Zheng’s back, feeling increasingly indebted to him for his help. She was hesitating whether to ask the address again, but she looked at what was happening and immediately widened her eyes in shock. What was happening? How could he be so bold?

"Five hundred thousand." Liu Mei exhaled slowly, feeling like crying.

"Too much, at most two hundred thousand." Tang Zheng snorted, "Even if you gild yourself, you’re not worth that much."

"No, aren’t you a millionaire? Do you care about such a trivial matter?" being treated this way made Liu Mei angry, but she held it back. Wasn’t she preserving herself just for this moment?

"Two hundred and ten thousand." Tang Zheng insisted.

"Only four thousand was my living expense for the first year, and now I’m only being touched." Liu Mei immediately converted the five thousand into a number that was easier to understand. Thinking of those past days, she compromised.

"Actually, I’m a swindler. I used to trick women often with the trick of making a phone call on the train. But why are there always fools who fall for it?" Tang Zheng pretended to sigh regretfully, leaned into Liu Mei’s ear and said, "I was actually going to tell you after we’d slept together, but Tao Lei is my real target. She’s the pure girl that I’m after."

Hearing this, Liu Mei’s face turned pale. She looked at Tang Zheng in shock.

"Please..." Liu Mei started to sob. At this point, her emotions were running high, and she had lost her basic judgement. She was completely following Tang Zheng’s pace.

"You haven’t struggled in society yet, and you act on conjecture alone. Don’t you deserve to be taken advantage of?" Tang Zheng snorted, "You can’t even handle a chick like me. If you run into a big bad wolf, you’ll be completely devoured, not just losing ten thousand. Be thankful if you don’t end up losing your whole life."

"Help me." The defenses in Liu Mei’s mind had already collapsed. Afraid of being seen crying, she could only lean on his arm.

Thankfully, the bus was only half full, and everyone was tired from the long journey. Besides Tao Lei and the man sitting diagonally behind them, no one was paying attention to Tang Zheng and Liu Mei’s conversation. But the two women were also oblivious to Tang Zheng’s actions.

"There’s a certain happiness that comes with being insignificant. If you’re always envying others, aren’t you just causing yourself trouble? Living authentically, following your heart – what’s so bad about that?" Tang Zheng said, shaking his head and looking into Liu Mei’s eyes. "There are certain pleasures that some people will never understand."

"I just can’t accept that," Liu Mei bit her lip, both angry and embarrassed. Though she thought Tang Zheng had a point, she wasn’t ready to concede just yet.

"Forget it. Do whatever you think is best." Tang Zheng said, disinterested.

"You?" Liu Mei was both shamed and incensed, but she was intimated by Tang Zheng’s confidence. She didn’t dare to make a scene, especially without any evidence.

"There’s so much temptation in this world, how many people can truly stay upright!" Tang Zheng scoffed at himself. "Who am I to give others advice? I’m just a struggling crawler."

Tang Zheng took out his wallet, took out three thousand yuan from it, and put it on Liu Mei’s leg. "Take it. After getting off the bus, buy whatever you want. See if you feel at ease after you spend it, if you have no regrets or remorse. If you’re fine with it, then continue to pursue men." Tang Zheng realized he lacked the ability to speak harsh truths, thinking he should learn from Silver Trojan.

"You." Liu Mei finally understood. All along, this guy had been playing her. She felt a sudden sadness, and asked, "Have you become accustomed to playing the good guy? Being the savior? Do you enjoy looking down on others from a moral high ground?"

Tang Zheng was taken aback. He didn’t know where this was coming from.

"You pervert." Liu Mei grumbled. "Why don’t you just become a monk and save the entire human race?"

"I’m not nearly qualified enough for that," Tang Zheng said, retreating back into his restful state. He had only done all of this because Liu Mei was irritating him.

When the bus arrived at the station, Liu Mei didn’t speak another word to Tang Zheng. She clutched the three thousand yuan in her hand, sometimes tightening her grip, sometimes loosening it. She was clearly wrestling with her emotions, reflecting on her life over the past twenty-plus years.

Tang Zheng got off the bus and stretched his body. It was already past four. By the time he arrived at Lin Weiguo’s house, it would surely be nightfall. What if no one was home? What if he ended up spending the night out on the street again?

"Returning home to sleep in a tent? How miserable." Just as Tang Zheng muttered his complaint, he heard Liu Mei yell. He turned around to see the man from the bus pestering her, offering her five hundred yuan and pulling her arm.

"Why don’t we talk about this elsewhere? I can pay you more," the man said. He had thought that Liu Mei and Tang Zheng were a couple, but since they weren’t, there was only one reason why Tang Zheng could’ve possibly touched her chest. The man wasn’t about to miss out on such an opportunity, so he’d immediately blocked Liu Mei as soon as he got off the bus.

"Hey, groping around in broad daylight - what kind of behavior is this?" Tang Zheng walked back over.

"You’re not from here. This has nothing to do with you." The man in the T-shirt, speaking in a local accent, warned Tang Zheng, then tried to forcefully pull Liu Mei’s hand again.

"Tut, so arrogant." Tang Zheng bolted over, grabbing the man’s short hair and yanking it forward, slamming him into the side of the long-distance bus.

With a loud bang, blood splattered from the man’s forehead wound as he collapsed unconscious onto the floor.

"What’s going on?" The bus driver, who had been watching the spectacle unfold, rushed over and shouted, "My bus. Pay me."

Tang Zheng pulled out a hundred yuan note. The driver happily reached out to take it, but Tang Zheng grabbed his hair instead, pull him towards the side of the bus.

With a sudden bang, the bus wall seemed to enlarge in his vision before dizziness and pain hit him.

"Drive more steadily next time. Do you think you’re in an F1 race?" Tang Zheng sniffed then frowned, "And don’t drink before driving."

The woman who was the ticket seller for the bus, who was a local, wanted to call others to deal with Tang Zheng, but seeing his fierce glare, she complied with a meek smile.

Tang Zheng handed her the hundred yuan note. He wanted to give the bus driver a warning, so he hadn’t used much force. The driver hadn’t passed out.

"Old Zhang, getting a hundred for getting hit, you’re making a profit."

"And you’re still drinking. You should get rid of this bad habit."

A few heads popped out from the cars parked nearby. They were drivers who knew Old Zhang and they teased him with laughter.

"You should go home," Tang Zheng waved at Liu Mei before leaving the bus station and walking down the street. This was a county town, and he still had to take a half hour bus to his next stop.

"Tang Zheng, are you familiar with Lin Weiguo?" Tang Zheng saw Tao Lei waiting for the bus under the stop sign. Before he could say anything, she asked him first.