Chapter 31: The Ostentatious Mothers

“You’re exaggerating way too much. Electric shocks are for death row inmates—how could they possibly use them to cure internet addiction?” Yan Yu was clearly skeptical.

“Boss, you better believe it. I have a buddy who just got out of that place…”

“Instead of worrying about your buddy, why don’t you worry about your boss here!” Yan Yu cut him off. “Fatty, you’re a local, right? Help me keep an eye out for a suitable single apartment near the school.”

Fatty looked puzzled. “Boss, are you planning to rent a place?”

“What else?” Yan Yu sighed. Although Xia Liu was eager for him to stay, Yan Yu never liked the feeling of living under someone else’s roof.

Moreover, Zhou Lide didn’t seem too welcoming either—Yan Yu wasn’t about to throw himself at a cold shoulder.

He’d barely touched the eight thousand yuan he’d wrung out of Master Cao; renting a place for two thousand a month wouldn’t be a problem.

“I know a few agents. I can help you look for an apartment, but rents are getting higher and higher these days,” Fatty said with a sigh.

Yan Yu patted his shoulder in consolation. “Don’t stress too much. Sooner or later, we’ll have to face it.”

“Me? I’m the one collecting rent—what’s there to stress about?” Fatty asked, looking genuinely confused.

Yan Yu was speechless.

Hao Zhuang burst out laughing. “Fatty’s family was relocated. When Rong City hosted the Youth Games, they razed a thousand square meters of his ancestral home. Now this guy has more than twenty apartments in the city. Collecting rent is his only form of exercise…”

Yan Yu fell silent again.

Fatty straightened up, all seriousness. “Boss, outsiders think all we relocation families do is eat, drink, gamble, and live like nouveau riche. But actually…they’re right! Who told fate to choose our family to be relocated? Hahaha!”

“Get lost!” Yan Yu roared.

Fatty was still laughing when the sound of crisp high heels echoed down the hallway. Su Han entered the classroom with a stack of test papers in her arms. “Set your breakfasts aside, everyone. Today’s morning session is a test. Anyone who doesn’t pass will stand for a whole day!”

Thud—

All three—Yan Yu, Fatty, and Hao Zhuang—collapsed dramatically to the floor.

When the test papers were handed out, Yan Yu glanced around. As expected, both Fatty and Hao Zhuang were sweating bullets, looking just as clueless as he was.

Yang Xuefei, on the other hand, was flying through the test, but she refused to let Yan Yu peek. Not only that, she even snickered from time to time. Yan Yu couldn’t figure out when he’d ever offended her.

Su Han, seeing Yan Yu’s utter despair, gave a satisfied smile and walked to the door for some fresh air.

Just then, a shadow appeared before Yan Yu. He looked up and was startled by a face pale as paper.

“Holy crap!” Yan Yu yelled, nearly jumping from his seat.

The whole class turned to stare. Yan Yu quickly apologized, then glared fiercely at the drowned ghost sitting atop his desk.

She dangled her pale feet in the air, her voice honeyed as she said, “It’s so boring in the girls’ dorm. Su Han’s busy these days. Why don’t you come over tonight? We can play some games adults enjoy.”

“I don’t believe you, you wicked woman. You’re up to no good!” Yan Yu muttered under his breath.

Only Yan Yu could hear the drowned ghost, so Yang Xuefei just thought he was talking to himself.

“Oh please, you’ve already touched my Everest. Don’t be so heartless!” The ghost pouted, giving Yan Yu a smack on the chest.

He felt as if an ice cube had hit him—what was that saying? Chill to the bone, soul takes flight…

Suddenly, Yan Yu smirked. “So as long as I keep you company, you’ll help me with anything?”

“Of course! What do you want?” the ghost asked.

“I want you to sneak a peek at the top student’s answers for me.”

The ghost pouted. “You just want to cheat? How boring.”

“I still have a Passing-On Talisman here…” Yan Yu said quietly.

The ghost rolled her eyes. Threatening to send her on to reincarnation—she didn’t want to drink that soup of forgetfulness and lose everything. She was quite content with her current existence, haunting the living, chatting with Su Han, and occasionally pestering Yan Yu.

So the ghost drifted over to the class genius, memorized the answers, and came back: “A, C, B, A, C… D, D, A, B, D…”

“OK!” Yan Yu jotted down the answers gleefully, finishing at the same time as the class genius. Back at his seat, he raised his brows at Yang Xuefei, boasting, “Yang Xuefei, from today on, the title of English Prince in our class belongs to me!”

“Oh? How are you so confident?” Yang Xuefei smiled. “The first multiple-choice answer is C—why did you pick A?”

“I…” Yan Yu faltered.

“And the second answer should be B, but I saw you picked C…”

“I…”

Yang Xuefei gave him a sympathetic look. “Yan Yu, looks like you’ll be standing in punishment again today.”

Su Han walked in, smiling, and sat down to grade the two tests on the podium. In no time, she was tearing Yan Yu’s test to shreds, shouting, “Yan Yu, you did this on purpose, didn’t you? Questions 15 to 30 are fill-in-the-blanks—who told you to answer A, B, C, D?”

“I…” Yan Yu glared at the drowned ghost beside Su Han, who was laughing so hard she could barely stand. Only then did he realize he’d been tricked again!

“Out! Stand in the hallway!”

Ten minutes later…

“At least you two are loyal,” Yan Yu said, clapping Fatty and Hao Zhuang on the shoulders, one on each side.

Both looked thoroughly dejected.

At that moment, Yan Yu’s phone rang. It was a call from his mothers.

He stepped aside to answer. “Third Mom, it’s been a while since you contacted me!”

“You rascal, you never call us either!” Third Mom said fondly. “How’s life in Rong City?”

“It’s alright, nothing special,” Yan Yu replied, truthfully—nothing much had happened this past month.

Second Mom chimed in, “If anyone bullies you, don’t be shy. If someone needs to disappear, make it happen.”

Yan Yu glanced at Su Han. In all of Rong City High, wasn’t she the only one who dared bully him?

Fifth Mom said, “Are you comfortable at Aunt Liu’s? If not, consider the Misty Mountain Villa in Guling. The scenery is good, the energy’s strong—I’ve checked it out for you. It’s just eighty million or so.”

“Eighty million…” Yan Yu patted his flat wallet. How he wished he could be a carefree, clueless trust-fund kid!

But Eldest Mom had given strict orders, and Yan Yu didn’t dare disobey. Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t ask his mothers for help.

“Is Eldest Mom there? I have something to ask her,” Yan Yu said.

“She’s here, she’s here—wait… Big Sis! Big Sis! Xiao Yu wants to talk to you!…”