Tang Tiantian got off work, exhausted.
That Zhang Biao from yesterday had called her again today, threatening her over the phone to be his girlfriend, or else he'd make sure she couldn't keep working, couldn't get by in this city.
Tang Tiantian felt terrible. She was just a country girl who had worked hard to get into university, and now she had just graduated, found a job selling cosmetics at a counter, earning a decent salary, and rented a nice apartment. She had finally put down roots in this big city.
She believed that with her own efforts, she could definitely have a home of her own in this city, and when the time came, she could bring her parents over to take care of them in their old age.
Dreams are always beautiful, but reality is often cruel.
Tang Tiantian ran into scum like Zhang Biao. He had taken a liking to Tang Tiantian the moment he saw her while shopping for cosmetics with his girlfriend, and since then, he had been delivering flowers every day.
If Tang Tiantian had not seen him with his girlfriend previously, maybe she would have already been tricked by him, but the key point was, she knew Zhang Biao had a girlfriend.
For this kind of man who has his eye on someone new while still eating from his own plate, no matter how rich he was, Tang Tiantian was not interested.
Tang Tiantian took out her keys to open the door, and as soon as she walked in, she smelled a delicious fragrance.
Tang Tiantian looked towards the kitchen in surprise and saw Li Xiaoyao wearing an apron and cooking.
Tang Tiantian walked to the table and, seeing the dishes already prepared, her surprise grew stronger.
Li Xiaoyao turned off the stove and brought out the last dish. Seeing Tang Tiantian had returned, Li Xiaoyao said, "Go wash your hands, then come and eat."
Tang Tiantian responded in a daze and went to wash her hands.
At the dinner table, the two sat opposite each other, with dishes spreading an enticing aroma.
Tang Tiantian exclaimed in surprise, "You can cook, too?"
Li Xiaoyao smiled and said, "Cooking is quite simple."
Li Xiaoyao took out an envelope and handed it to Tang Tiantian.
Tang Tiantian asked curiously, "What's this?"
Li Xiaoyao replied, "I found a job today and got an advance on my salary—this is for the rent."
Tang Tiantian suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, looking at the envelope being handed to her somewhat awkwardly.
Li Xiaoyao picked some food with his chopsticks and said, "Try this, my cooking is delicious; not just anyone can get a taste."
...
After dinner, Li Xiaoyao promptly went to wash the pots and pans thoroughly.
Watching Li Xiaoyao's busy figure, Tang Tiantian suddenly felt that having such a boyfriend wouldn't be too bad.
Once he finished, Li Xiaoyao was about to enter his room when Tang Tiantian suddenly asked, "What kind of job did you find?"
Li Xiaoyao replied, "The head of the marketing department and the security department chief."
Tang Tiantian paused, asking, "You found jobs at two companies?"
"Just one company. It's just that the company is temporarily short of a security department chief, so they asked me to fill in."
"Oh." Tang Tiantian hadn't expected that this penniless man, in just one afternoon, would find a job—and not just any trivial job.
Li Xiaoyao took a shower, then returned to his room without making any particular effort to chat with Tang Tiantian.
Li Xiaoyao's attitude satisfied Tang Tiantian yet also left her with mixed feelings of contentment and apprehension.
Tang Tiantian was pleased that Li Xiaoyao was a gentleman, but also wished he would talk to her more.
Women, truly a strange creature.
Li Xiaoyao returned to his room, locked the door from the inside, then sat on the bed and closed his eyes. After a while, he opened his eyes again, and at the same time, a strange old book appeared in his hand.
Ever since Li Xiaoyao could remember, he had been living a life dodging bullets and gunfire abroad. And when he killed someone for the first time, an emotionless voice suddenly echoed in his head.
"Congratulations, you have obtained 100 Spirit Stones!"
After a long time, Li Xiaoyao finally understood something.
In his body, there was a hidden System containing all sorts of strange items, and to obtain these items from the System, he had to purchase them with Spirit Stones.
Spirit Stones were a unique thing, considered the virtual currency of the System.
And obtaining Spirit Stones was quite simple, just complete the tasks issued by the System.
Over the many years of survival abroad, Li Xiaoyao had accumulated tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, and this System was also an important reason why he was able to survive his mercenary life.
Li Xiaoyao used Spirit Stones to buy a Cultivation Manual, just like the kind used by Cultivators in novels for cultivation.
Li Xiaoyao had cultivated for many years and never displayed it in crowded places, and all who had seen his abilities ended up dead.
Li Xiaoyao was uncertain if he was the only person in the world who could cultivate, and if there was another group of mysterious people, hidden in the world, who could also cultivate, then Li Xiaoyao was in great danger.
Therefore, unless it was absolutely necessary, Li Xiaoyao would not expose his ability to cultivate.
Li Xiaoyao cultivated in his room with caution, while Tang Tiantian sat on the sofa reading a book, her phone suddenly rang.
It was her colleague Lili calling.
"Hello, Lili, calling me this late."
Lili asked, "Tiantian, what are you doing? Are you busy?"
"Nothing much, what's up?"
Lili said, "Come out to play, we're at Muse Bar."
Tang Tiantian hesitated for a few seconds before responding, "I think I'll pass."
Lili became unhappy and said, "Are you coming? You've missed several calls from me before, no, this time you have to come, otherwise I'll ignore you in the future."
Finally unable to withstand Lili's persistently cajoling and badgering, Tang Tiantian reluctantly agreed to come over right away.
She didn't like bars because she found them too noisy, but since Lili had called her several times and she had never gone, if she didn't go this time, Lili might really ignore her in the future.
After changing into a skirt, Tang Tiantian left her room, looking at Li Xiaoyao's room across the corridor, debating whether or not to let him know. After a few seconds of thought, she decided not to knock on the door.
Li Xiaoyao had already sensed Tang Tiantian's movements, her every action under his watchful eye. To Li Xiaoyao, a door might as well be non-existent, allowing him to clearly see the struggle and hesitation on Tang Tiantian's face just moments ago.
In the restroom of Muse Bar, Lili, wearing a short skirt and off-the-shoulder top, was doing something indescribable.
A few minutes later, Lili and a man came out of the restroom, ignoring the odd looks from others.
Lili leaned on the man's chest, looking blissful.
The man took her out of the bar, pulled out a stack of cash from his wallet, and said, "When you get her drunk, let me know immediately."
Lili took the cash, pouted, and said, "Biao bro, why don't I serve you together with her tonight?"
This man was Zhang Biao, the man who had pursued Tang Tiantian and ended up being slapped away by Li Xiaoyao. He waved her off impatiently, "You're like a damn public bus, don't give me nonsense, just do what I tell you to."
Lili wasn't offended by his words, she tucked the money away, and with a big smile said, "Biao bro, don't worry, I'll definitely take care of Tiantian for you tonight."