Chapter 39: In Advance Part 1

A series of over ten transfer notifications crashed down, leaving Tao Zhi dumbfounded, speechless, and frozen like a wooden chicken.

What the hell was wrong with him all of a sudden?

Fu Zheng had always been wealthy, but he had never acted like this before—silently transferring money without a single word.

It was as if he wanted to smother Tao Zhi with cash.

And Tao Zhi really did feel a bit dazed from the onslaught.

Ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand, forty thousand, fifty thousand…

Hiss, he couldn’t even count them all; the screen kept scrolling.

Tao Zhi took a while to snap out of it and stop him, quickly sending Fu Zheng a message: 【What are you doing?!】

Tao Zhi: 【Stop transferring more.】

Tao Zhi: 【Did something happen to you? Why are you suddenly going crazy?】

The other side retracted a message.

Tao Zhi: 【Did something happen to you? Why are you suddenly acting like this?】

Tao Zhi: 【Didn’t you say men turn bad when they have money, and you couldn’t give me too much or I’d go astray and not listen to you?】

Tao Zhi: 【So what are you doing now? Not afraid I’ll go bad?】

Tao Zhi: 【Fu Zheng, say something! Stop just sending money.】

Tao Zhi: 【This is really scary.】

Tao Zhi: 【Fu Zheng!!!】

Tao Zhi’s messages clashed with Fu Zheng’s transfer notifications like they were in a fight—one for one, neither yielding.

And Fu Zheng didn’t say a word from start to finish. Tao Zhi’s heart ached terribly.

With two or three tens of thousands, he could think Fu Zheng was just trying to win him over, giving a little incentive to make him work harder. But over a hundred thousand? He absolutely couldn’t accept that.

He could only look, not accept. Tao Zhi clutched his phone for a long while, his gaze unfocused.

When he finally came back to his senses, Fu Zheng had stopped.

Tao Zhi’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly as he first scrolled through the screen to count the total.

Two hundred and thirty thousand.

Terrifying.

Tao Zhi swallowed hard.

Fu Zheng just kept sending money without a word, and Tao Zhi had no idea what he meant.

After hesitating for a long time, a guess finally formed in his mind.

Tao Zhi: 【Fu Zheng, were you hacked?】

Fu Zheng: “…”

Seriously.

Before making money, Fu Zheng had anticipated every possible reaction from Tao Zhi—message bombardment, panic, speculation about his intentions, worry, or even calling to confirm.

But nope.

Good grief.

Just “were you hacked?”

So the hacker was a philanthropist now, huh? Specifically hacking his account to send money to an idiot.

Fu Zheng gritted his teeth when he saw that message.

What was even worse was that Tao Zhi hadn’t even called to ask what was going on.

Fu Zheng couldn’t help but give Tao Zhi a thumbs-up.

Well done.

Fu Zheng wasn’t in the mood to reply to Tao Zhi.

His original plan had been to bombard him with money until Tao Zhi was full of question marks and confusion, prompting him to call first—while Fu Zheng ignored him completely.

He wanted Tao Zhi to feel that inexplicable bewilderment.

Fu Zheng stuck strictly to his plan.

But he was still pissed.

Especially since he was in a noisy bar private room, with flashing ambient lights overhead irritating him. Fu Zheng’s face was cold as he leaned forward to grab the Marlboro Ice Bead pack from the low table.

He treated that blue bead like Tao Zhi, crushing it with extra force—crack—and the cool mint exploded. He took another sip of whiskey before leaning back against the sofa.

“The Second Young Master seems pretty pissed today,” someone nearby teased.

Fu Zheng didn’t react.

Ever since Fu Si Heng had taken it upon himself to clean up his social circle, his old friends basically ghosted him.

This guy was someone he’d met in university, unknown to Fu Si Heng.

But Tao Zhi knew him.

They’d sparred a few times, gotten familiar, and he’d seen Tao Zhi several times—they were even friends on social media.

Whatever this guy posted, Tao Zhi could see.

That was why Fu Zheng had agreed to come out.

Otherwise, who would want to be in a place this noisy?

Fu Zheng hadn’t been to a bar in ages and still felt unadapted and annoyed.

He fiddled with his lighter, gave a perfunctory grunt. Seeing his low enthusiasm, the guy chatted briefly and left.

No one bothered him after that. Fu Zheng glanced at his phone again.

He picked it up and thought for a moment.

Whatever.

What was the point of getting mad at an idiot? He’d just end up fuming while the other stayed clueless, maybe asking blankly, Fu Zheng, what’s wrong? Why are you suddenly mad? You’re so weird.

Then apologize.

Even without understanding, he’d apologize obediently, making you even angrier—like punching cotton, all your strength wasted, left stewing in your own frustration.

Practically killing himself with anger.

During this period of being “ignored” by Tao Zhi, Fu Zheng’s mood had gone from sulking, to rage, to calm (on the surface), and now to holding a breath, waiting to see when Tao Zhi would finally notice something was off.

He didn’t speak, just flung over two hundred thousand, and if Tao Zhi still didn’t get it… Fu Zheng planned to drag him to an eye doctor and brain scan after school started.

He’d get him checked out, one way or another.

Fu Zheng exhaled smoke with a cold face.

…

Tao Zhi truly hadn’t noticed.

He sat cross-legged on the bed right now, staring blankly at those twenty-plus transfer notifications.

It couldn’t really be a hack, could it?

Otherwise, it didn’t make sense.

Fu Zheng would never give him this much money normally.

So weird.

And even weirder, Fu Zheng wasn’t replying to his messages.

Tao Zhi scratched his head, unsure what to do, thinking maybe he should ask Fu Si Heng. Just then, the phone in his palm finally buzzed.

Ding.

Tao Zhi looked down.

Fu Zheng: 【What’s wrong, my money too hot to handle? Don’t wanna accept?】

That sarcastic tone was unmistakably Fu Zheng.

Tao Zhi knew him too well. He breathed a sigh of relief and typed quickly: 【It’s really you.】

Tao Zhi: 【You weren’t hacked.】

Tao Zhi: 【So what are you doing?】

Fu Zheng: 【.】

Fu Zheng: 【A hacker sending you money isn’t hacking; that’s a big philanthropist.】

Tao Zhi: 【…】

Tao Zhi scratched the tip of his nose, a bit embarrassed.

He changed the subject: 【Why send me so much money?】

Fu Zheng: 【’Cause I feel like it. I have plenty.】

Fu Zheng: 【I’m tossing it for you to play with.】

Tao Zhi: “?”

That didn’t add up.

Fu Si Heng had just said Fu Zheng barely had any money left and was worried about him owing debts! Suddenly dropping over two hundred thousand—Tao Zhi found it odd and was concerned, so he pressed: 【Where’d you get so much money?】

Fu Zheng: 【?】

Fu Zheng: 【That’s a lot?】