After Marrying the Evil God - Chapter 12

“So it’s Young Master Tao! Greetings, Young Master Tao. I’m also from South City.”

“What does your father do? Which company? Maybe I’ve heard of it,” Tao Beizhi asked.

Zheng Jie looked a bit embarrassed. “My father is just an ordinary employee; he doesn’t own a company.”

Tao Beizhi let out a disdainful scoff. “Uncle Zhang, bring the stuff out.”

Uncle Zhang stepped forward with several luxuriously packaged bags. “These are the latest models of phones and computers. Our Young Master has a bit of a temper, so please be patient with him.”

Zheng Jie quickly accepted the gifts. “It’s a small matter, really! Young Master Tao, my name is Zheng Jie. This is Xie Chouzhuang, he’s a local. And that’s Peng Bo, he’s from Jincheng. Young Master Tao, I’ve started a dorm group chat; I’ll pull you in.”

“Sure.” Tao Beizhi took out his phone and joined the group. Seeing that Zheng Jie had transferred the “Group Admin” status to him, he gave another scoff.

“I have a lot of quirks. Since you’ve taken my things, you have to follow my rules!

No one is allowed to eat in the dormitory. Nothing at all.

I like to play games at night; you must remain quiet and not disturb me.

When I sleep, you must sleep. You aren’t allowed to disturb my rest.

I like to go out and have fun. If there’s a roll call in class, you have to cover for me.

When you get up early for class, don’t wake me up. You must move as quietly as possible.

I’ve already had someone top up ten thousand yuan for the electricity and water bills, so you don’t need to pay, but you must follow these five rules. I haven’t thought of anything else yet; I’ll add more later.”

Zheng Jie’s face stiffened, but he forced a smile. “Understood, understood.”

“Hey, you two over there. Did you hear what I said?” seeing that Xie Chouzhuang and Peng Bo were ignoring him, Tao Beizhi became annoyed.

Peng Bo jumped in startle. “I… I understand.”

“What about you?” Tao Beizhi looked at Xie Chouzhuang.

Xie Chouzhuang let out a helpless sigh. It seemed staying in the dormitory was indeed going to be a problem; he’d run into a total eccentric on the first day. “I’ll be moving out after military training. But during the training period, I’m afraid I cannot follow your rules.”

“Are you a fucking idiot?”

“Young Master, watch your language,” a bodyguard reminded him softly.

Tao Beizhi looked at him with contempt. “What kind of people are you? Dressed in off-brand junk, even your phone is a piece of trash. I thought Hua Ting was full of wealthy people; I didn’t expect to run into a pauper. You really think you have the money to move out?

A pauper is a pauper a person with no worldly knowledge. When you graduate, you’ll understand: being in school is your only chance to get to know someone like me. Since you dared to offend me, I’ll make sure you suffer!”

Xie Chouzhuang’s clothes and belongings were all custom-made by his elder brother’s contacts, so he really hadn’t paid attention to brand names. Tao Beizhi’s explosive rant made Xie Chouzhuang laugh in frustration.

“First of all, I came here for university, not to compete with you over clothes. Secondly, I have zero interest in your identity. I don’t care what you do, and I don’t particularly want to see you. Finally, this school isn’t owned by your family; you have no right to boss me around.”

“Fuck your mother!” Tao Beizhi flew into a rage and rushed forward to kick Xie Chouzhuang, but the bodyguards frantically held him back.

“Young Master, calm down! You don’t want to get into a fight on the first day and have the Chairman find out, do you? It’ll be hard to explain.”

“Dammit, if it weren’t for being at school…” Tao Beizhi glared at Xie Chouzhuang with pure malice. “You pauper, just you wait!”

“Your Young Master’s manners need improvement,” Xie Chouzhuang said, his patience wearing thin from the repeated provocations. “This is Hua Ting, not your tiny corner of South City. Be careful not to offend someone and drag your old man down with you!”

“You’re cursing me!”

“Young Master, calm down,” a bodyguard pleaded. “Your classmate is right. If you offend the wrong person, the Chairman’s illegitimate sons outside might take the chance to move into the house.”

Tao Beizhi’s expression shifted instantly. He kicked the bodyguard. “Then hurry up and get my stuff organized!”

“Yes, yes, right away!” The bodyguard quickened his pace with a miserable look on his face.

A Call from Home

Xie Chouzhuang asked Chen Shu about the cafeteria and headed to the nearest one, where he ordered a bowl of plain noodles. Just as he finished and stepped outside, his phone rang. It was Xie Yuanxian.

“Have you eaten?”

“Just finished.”

“How are the roommates? Easy to get along with?”

At the mention of this, Xie Chouzhuang felt it was a long story. “Brother, I’m moving out right after military training.”

“Fine. I’ll have my secretary find an auntie to cook for you.”

“No need, Brother. The food at the cafeteria is actually quite good.”

“I’ll send you some more money; buy whatever you need.”

“Brother, I’m not short on money.” Xie Chouzhuang’s dividends over the years had reached a massive sum. His parents gave him red envelopes for every holiday, and his brothers sent him money constantly. He couldn’t spend it all.

“The money you have and the money I give you aren’t the same. It’s already sent.” Xie Yuanxian transferred another 100,000 yuan directly. “I have a meeting now. Take care of yourself.”

With that, Xie Yuanxian hung up immediately.

Dorm Life Tension

When Xie Chouzhuang returned to the dorm, the bodyguards were gone. Tao Beizhi was sitting at his desk playing games, swearing constantly. Zheng Jie looked at him, hesitant to speak, and then silently pointed to the gift sitting on Tao Beizhi’s desk. It turned out that after Xie Chouzhuang left, Tao Beizhi had taken the gift back.

As Xie Chouzhuang entered, Tao Beizhi slammed his headphones down. “Are you blind? I told you I want silence when I’m gaming! SILENCE!! Now I’ve lost are you happy?!”

“I entered the room normally. You lost because your own skills are lacking.”

“Dammit, pauper! Give me money! I said I paid the dorm fees, but that doesn’t include yours.”

Without a word, Xie Chouzhuang took out his phone and sent 30 yuan to the group chat.

“Are you tipping a beggar?” Tao Beizhi laughed at the amount.

“I’ve already checked. Hua University provides a free monthly allowance for water and electricity. Fees are only charged for the excess. I believe 30 yuan is more than enough.”

“A pauper is a pauper, so petty even with money. No wonder you’re so poor; you’ll probably never amount to anything in your life,” Tao Beizhi mocked.

He failed to notice Peng Bo, who was silently clenching his fists. Peng Bo was from a small county town where his family struggled; his parents earned a living from street stalls. He could only afford Hua University because of subsidies. Tao Beizhi’s words stung him deeply. He also felt the rules were unreasonable, but he didn’t dare to argue. He couldn’t afford to offend these wealthy people and only wanted to study in peace.

To be honest, he truly envied Xie Chouzhuang for having the courage to fight back so openly.

“Whether I have money or not has nothing to do with you. Stop interfering so much. If you aren’t ‘poor,’ why are you being so persistent over 30 yuan? Are you trying to extort me for more? It seems you aren’t that rich yourself.” Xie Chouzhuang picked up a book from his desk and began to read silently.

Tao Beizhi’s face turned red with rage. He kicked his chair violently. “You damn pauper, you’re destined to be a pauper for life!”

Tao Beizhi stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.