Ch. 316 - My Blood Pressure Is Rising A Bit...

New Novel - Read Here

Nanjiang City, evening.

"Son, you're back?"

His parents had been waiting for Chen Shu's return for a while, having prepared a meal just for him.

Chen Shu nodded and put his luggage away.

Looking at the familiar surroundings, a sense of peace settled over him.

The family sat together in harmony and enjoyed a bountiful dinner.

Father Chen spoke up first. "Son, everything okay?"

Chen Shu took a huge bite of rice and said, "Totally fine! Lately I eat when I'm hungry, sleep when I'm tired — I'm in perfect health!"

"Was I asking about you? I was asking whether you let anything happen to anyone else!"

"..."

Chen Shu's mouth twitched. "How is that even possible?!"

"I met a Huaxia Academy professor ahead of time — he kept praising my talent and begging to take me as his student! He even bought two burgers off me at a premium, right there in public!"

"Cut the BS!"

Father Chen Ping listened, his face a picture of utter bafflement.

"Ah, right — son, perfect timing now that you're back."

His mother ladled a bowl of pork rib soup for Chen Shu and spoke up.

"Your second aunt introduced someone for you. Want to give it a try, meet her?"

"Huh?"

Chen Shu's food-shoveling motion froze mid-bite.

"Mom... I'm only eighteen..."

"You can just get to know her first. She's a young girl, same age as you. Knows how to use a smartphone, knows to run home when it rains..."

"Stop! Hold it right there!"

Chen Shu's mouth hung slightly open, his expression completely blank.

You've gotta be kidding me, right?!

"What are you even going on about?!"

Father Chen Ping cut in. "I think our son and Little Fang Si would be a good match."

His mother spoke up. "My thinking isn't quite that open-minded — I can't really accept two boys..."

"Besides, if the two of them got together, wouldn't they just blow up the whole house?"

"???"

Chen Shu rubbed his head. His brain was buzzing — for a moment, he couldn't even process what was happening.

"You two take your time eating. My blood pressure is rising a bit!"[4]

He shoveled down two more mouthfuls of rice and retreated to his room.

Chen Shu lay on his bed, pulled out his phone, and with a sly glint in his eye, posted a status update.[1]

"Thanks for the invite. Currently in Nanjiang, just got off the plane!"

"Nanjiang Bandit Chen Shu — specializing in demolition, arson, fraud, and all manner of hustles. Affordable rates. DM for inquiries!"

Chen Shu nodded in satisfaction, then opened the Beast Tamer Association Website and posted some purchase requests.

These included various Black Iron-rank medicinal materials and Silver Lord elemental-type skills.

What was the point of having money if you didn't spend it? Might as well have never earned it.

Just as Chen Shu was gaming, a message came through on SuperChat.[2]

"Hm? Business already?"

Xu Xiaoyu: "Chen Pi, you're back in Nanjiang?"

Chen Shu: "Xiaoyu, what's up?"

Xu Xiaoyu: "I'd like to invite you over to my house for dinner. There's something..."

Chen Shu: "No problem!"

Chen Shu licked his lips. Looked like she had something she needed his help with.

...

The next morning.

"Son, heading out?"

"Yeah, what can I say? Too popular. Barely back and someone's already inviting me over to her place for dinner."

Chen Shu sighed, a look of pure distress on his face.

"You little brat!"

Father Chen Ping shook his head and said, "You're grown up now. Whenever anyone invites you over for a meal, don't go empty-handed, got it?"

"Dad, I know! Don't worry!"

Chen Shu quietly opened his bag and pulled out a plastic bag.

"I'll pack some to go!"

"?!"

Father Chen Ping's mouth fell open. What kind of absurd logic was this?!

"What I fucking meant was—"

Before he could finish, Chen Shu had already bolted out the door in one swift stride.

An hour later.

Chen Shu arrived in front of a villa in the northern district of Nanjiang City.

He muttered under his breath, "Why does everyone live in villas..."

"Chen Shu!"

Xu Xiaoyu had been waiting for him for some time.

She was dressed in a white dress, her long hair flowing, smiling at him with bright, cheerful eyes.

"Xiaoyu, when did you get back to Nanjiang?"

"I only just got back a couple days ago too."

The two of them entered the villa. The courtyard was filled with blooming flowers.

A dignified middle-aged man sat on a stone stool, savoring his tea.

Xu Xiaoyu spoke up. "Dad, this is my classmate — Chen Shu!"

"Chen Shu, hello!"

The middle-aged man rose to greet him, a smile on his face as well.

"Uncle, hello!"

Chen Shu's expression remained perfectly calm, not a trace of nervousness in sight.

"Truly accomplished at such a young age!"

Xu Feng[3] smiled and ushered Chen Shu into the villa.

Aside from Xu Xiaoyu's immediate family, her maternal uncles Zhou Shi and Zhou Cheng were also present.

"Chen Shu, long time no see!"

Chen Shu broke into a grin and greeted them. "Uncle Zhou, Uncle Zhou — good to see you both!"

It was just past noon. The group moved to the dining room, where the table was already laden with all kinds of delicious food.

"Take a seat, Xiao Chen. Make yourself at home."

Xu Feng spoke as he personally pulled out a chair for Chen Shu.

All six of them sat down and began enjoying the meal.

"So, Xiao Chen — how did you spend your summer break?"

Xu Feng asked, hoping to break the ice a little.

"Just took a trip to the Capital, checked out Huaxia Academy."

Chen Shu shook his head and said, "It's way too big. Uncle Xu, honestly — I'm kind of not even in the mood to go anymore. It takes forever just to walk from the lecture hall to the cafeteria!"

"..."

"But there's a professor there who begged to take me as his student, so I've got no choice — truly, I'm a victim of circumstance!"

"Uh... well..."

The dining table instantly fell silent. Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded.

Xu Feng and his wife, in particular — when had they ever met anyone this outrageous?

They felt like their brains were short-circuiting.

Xu Feng forced out a dry laugh. "Heh... heh... Truly... one of a kind..."

His gaze shifted toward the Zhou brothers. Though he didn't speak, his eyes conveyed a single message loud and clear.

"Are you absolutely sure this guy is reliable?!"

The two Zhou brothers instinctively lowered their heads. How the hell were they supposed to know Chen Shu had gotten even more absurd than before?!

The group chatted casually for half an hour.

Chen Shu looked thoroughly satisfied and couldn't resist patting his belly.

"Xiao Chen, truth be told — the reason we invited you here is that we have something to ask of you."

"Hm? Uncle Xu, just say it!"

Chen Shu nodded and said, "I, Chen Shu, have no particular virtues — I just really love helping people!"

Xu Xiaoyu turned to stare at Chen Shu, her expression full of oddity. In the end, she said nothing.

Xu Feng coughed and spoke. "Here's the situation — our company recently terminated our contract with a previous medicinal material supplier..."

After a while, Chen Shu had more or less grasped the gist of it.

Medicinal materials had become increasingly precious these days, and companies with stable supply chains saw their status rise accordingly.

Now, aside from 666 Potion Company, another pharmaceutical company was also vying to establish a partnership with this same material supplier.

The three companies would hold a meeting — essentially a small-scale bidding session.

It all came down to which of the two companies offered better terms and higher stakes.

"The other company will have a Huaxia Academy student attending. I was wondering, could you perhaps..."

"So basically, I just need to show up and hold down the fort?"

Chen Shu stroked his chin. Huaxia Academy — the holy land of beast tamers — its status spoke for itself. Any of its students carried immense social standing.

The material supplier wouldn't just look at the two companies' offers — they'd also assess the background and influence backing each side.

Chen Shu was just about to answer when options appeared before his eyes.

[1] 谢邀，人在南江，刚下飞机 (Xiè yāo, rén zài Nánjiāng, gāng xià fēijī): "Thanks for the invite. Currently in [location], just got off the plane." A classic Zhihu (Chinese Quora) meme template used for humble-bragging. The full formula is "谢邀，人在[某地]，刚下飞机" — the poster feigns casual worldliness before dispensing supposedly expert opinions. Chen Shu, of course, uses it to advertise his criminal services.

[2] 超信 (Chāo Xìn / SuperChat): The novel's fictional equivalent of WeChat, China's ubiquitous messaging and social media app. Used for private messaging, group chats, and posting status updates to one's social feed (the in-novel equivalent of WeChat Moments).

[3] 许封 (Xǔ Fēng): Xu Xiaoyu's father and the head of 666 Potion Company. First appearance in this chapter. His name 封 (fēng) means "to seal" or "to confer a title."

[4] My blood pressure is rising (血压上来了, xuèyā shànglái le): Originated in Chinese gaming and livestream communities as a semi-joking expression of suppressed rage — "I can feel my blood pressure spiking." Chen Shu deploys it as an excuse to flee his parents' absurd dinner conversation.