After Rebirth, Married to a Deadly Enemy - Chapter 16
The next morning, Bai Xiangxing, yawning and rubbing his eyes, was halfway down the stairs when he suddenly noticed three people in the living room, all staring at him intently. Bai Xiangxing was startled, and his yawn came to an abrupt halt. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, and in the blink of an eye, he switched to a warm and hospitable smile.
“Guests at home, and you didn’t tell me in advance,” Bai Xiangxing glanced at Shi Zhen with some annoyance.
Did the guests not know how to say hello? They were ruining his image.
Sensing Bai Xiangxing’s inexplicable hostility, Shi Zhen calmly replied, “Weren’t you the one who asked me to bring them here?”
“I did?” Bai Xiangxing looked puzzled.
“You asked me to find two capable Omegas to accompany you to District 64,” Shi Zhen explained.
Standing behind Shi Zhen, the two Alphas simultaneously glared at their boss. However, in Bai Xiangxing’s presence, they restrained themselves from protesting.
“What a mess,” Bai Xiangxing rolled his eyes at Shi Zhen, and then he looked the two soldiers up and down, smiling, “Don’t misunderstand, gentlemen. My request to Shi Zhen was for handsome and capable individuals, and you both seem perfectly suitable.”
The two soldiers, Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo, were quickly won over by Bai Xiangxing’s few words, and they replied, “We may not match up to Captain, but we can still rank in the top five in our unit.”
“We will definitely protect you.”
Shi Zhen watched in disbelief as Bai Xiangxing easily won over his two subordinates, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
These two individuals, Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo, were both Shi Zhen’s personal bodyguards. Bai Xiangxing exchanged a few more words with them, and then he suddenly felt hungry. He asked, “By the way, have you both had breakfast?”
“We’ve already eaten, had breakfast before coming here,” they replied.
“In that case, I might trouble you to wait a bit. I haven’t eaten yet,” Bai Xiangxing said.
“No problem, we can wait for you,” they assured him.
Bai Xiangxing thanked them and then turned to Shi Zhen, asking, “Did you prepare breakfast for me?”
While he was all smiles when talking to others, why did he look so stern when facing me? Shi Zhen felt a little frustrated but still replied, “It’s in the warming cabinet.”
Bai Xiangxing nodded and then turned to the two soldiers again, smiling, “I eat quickly, it’ll take me at most ten minutes.”
“No rush, no rush.”
Once Bai Xiangxing went to the dining room, the two soldiers exchanged glances and then looked at Shi Zhen simultaneously.
Shi Zhen frowned, “What’s wrong?”
Guān Fēihǔ cautiously asked, “Boss, did you and Young Master Bai have a fight?”
Shi Zhen had a puzzled expression, “No.”
Lín Qīng didn’t believe it, “Boss, stop being stubborn. If you didn’t have a fight, how could Young Master Bai treat you like this?”
Shi Zhen: “What’s wrong?”
Lin Qing: “Just a moment ago, he was all smiles, speaking to us so kindly and politely. But as soon as he turned to you, his expression turned cold.”
Shi Zhen: …
Guan Feihuo: “Also, you have the best skills among us, and there’s nothing pressing today. Why didn’t you personally accompany him to District 64?”
Shi Zhen felt a pang in his heart when he heard this.
Lin Qing: “Boss, Omegas need to be pampered. Maybe I should give you a few pointers?”
Guan Feihuo nodded in agreement, “Don’t look at you being the first one among us to get married, but in terms of dating experience, you’re completely lacking…”
“Shut up!!” Shi Zhen couldn’t take it anymore and let out a burst of pheromones in anger.
Both Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo immediately stopped talking and withdrew, looking chagrined. Shi Zhen regained his composure and sat on the sofa with a stern face.
Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo sighed in relief, but their curiosity got the better of them. They opened their private group chat for the “Flame Team” and began discussing.
Lin Qing: [Boss must be irritated and embarrassed.]
Guan Feihuo: [He’s taking out his frustration on us after an argument with Young Master Bai.]
Liang Chen: [What happened? Did Boss and Young Master Bai have a fight? It’s only been a few days since their wedding?]
[Did they have a big fight, even a physical one?]
…
The group chat quickly filled with messages, and it was buzzing until Bai Xiangxing finished breakfast and came out.
After leaving Shi’s residence, Bai Xiangxing first went to New Vision’s headquarters to discuss recent work priorities, mainly focusing on equipment upgrades and raw material reserves.
Wan Tong, who knew Bai Xiangxing was heading to District 64, offered to accompany him, saying, “I’m from District 64, and I’m familiar with the area. It would be more convenient if you want to find someone there.”
“No need. You stay here and work with the Finance Manager to re-evaluate New Vision’s current assets. Calculate how much more money we need to meet both equipment and raw material reserves,” Bai Xiangxing arranged.
“District 64 is very chaotic, and it’s unsafe for you to go there,” Wan Tong expressed his concerns. People from outside might perceive District 64 as a poverty-stricken area, but only those who lived there knew how dangerous it could be. Especially someone as good-looking as Bai Xiangxing, stepping into District 64 would almost certainly attract the attention of ill-intentioned individuals. Being good-looking in District 64 was a kind of tragedy.
“Don’t worry, I won’t get into trouble,” Bai Xiangxing reassured him. He had personal experience with what kind of place District 64 was. However, this time, he was going to find Xiang Rong. He could accurately locate Xiang Rong’s current whereabouts based on his past life’s memories, and taking Wan Tong along would only require various excuses. It was easier to go alone.
“But…”
“Young Master Bai, the meeting is over. Are we heading out now?” Two imposing Alphas approached them. They both exuded a subtle aura of intimidation and were clearly not ordinary individuals.
“Yes, let’s go now,” Bai Xiangxing nodded. Then he turned to Wan Tong and said, “They will accompany me. Don’t worry.”
“Okay, if you need anything, feel free to call me,” Wan Tong replied, having guessed the identities of the two Alpha soldiers.
Bai Xiangxing was now Shi Zhen’s partner, and Shi Zhen was a member of the Storm Legion. These two men were likely military personnel from the Storm Legion. With soldiers around, even the thugs in District 64 wouldn’t dare to cause too much trouble.
“I got it,” Bai Xiangxing waved his hand and then got into a hovercar headed for the nearest airport.
District 64 was located in the most remote area of the capital star. It took six hours of driving to reach the outskirts of District 64. After a quick meal, the three of them entered District 64.
To save time, they only registered their information at the administrative port before proceeding.
“I never expected the capital star to have a place like this,” contrasting the neat and clean streets outside, District 64’s streets were littered with trash. However, what they considered trash seemed to be valuable to many children who scavenged through it. These children wore tattered clothes, were covered in dirt, and were all painfully thin.
“Isn’t the Alliance supposed to provide them with a monthly allowance?” Guan Feihuo felt uneasy watching the children rummaging through the garbage.
District 64 was a slum where a group of people who couldn’t survive outside gathered. The Alliance provided them with housing and a monthly allowance for basic living expenses.
“Do you think children like them can hold onto money like that?” Bai Xiangxing asked.
Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo both froze for a moment, then simultaneously cursed.
“Do they not have law enforcement here?” Lin Qing asked.
“We’ve been walking here all the way. Have you seen any law enforcement?” Outside District 64, the law enforcement team patrolled around the clock. If you needed them, they could arrive within a minute.
“I really haven’t seen any law enforcement,” Guan Feihuo admitted.
“Yes, there are law enforcement officers, but they don’t easily get involved. If you want to get them to do something, you have to pay,” Bai Xiangxing explained.
“What do you mean, the law enforcement officers take money to do their job? Doesn’t that make them tools of the wealthy? And what about the ruling officials? Don’t they care?” Guan Feihuo couldn’t believe it.
“What kind of people do you think get assigned as ruling officials here?” Bai Xiangxing sneered, “These people have no hope of promotion and are only interested in making money. Over time, this place has become a lawless land.”
“But isn’t there anyone reporting them?” Both Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo were passionate young men in their twenties, and they were furious just hearing about it.
“Report? Do you have evidence? Even if you do, where would you report it? Even if you did manage to report it successfully, do you think replacing one ruling official would fundamentally solve the problems here?” Compared to the two’s excitement, Bai Xiangxing was relatively calm. He had lived here for a year and was accustomed to these things. “In the eyes of those outside, District 64 is just a dumping ground for the capital star. If you want to clean up this place, where do you think all this trash will go? Would the other 63 districts agree to accept it?”
Not only were they unwilling to clean up the district, but even the people from District 64 themselves found it difficult to leave. If you wanted to leave District 64, you had to find a transfer department first to move your household registration out of District 64. However, just finding this transfer department could be a lifelong endeavor for the residents of District 64. People like Wan Tong, who could leave because of attending university, were extremely rare.
In the previous life, Bai Xiangxing was so poor that he almost resorted to scavenging through garbage, and he never bothered to transfer his household registration to District 64 just for the meager monthly welfare benefits. Otherwise, it might not have been so easy for him to leave.
He had thought about changing District 64’s situation before and had worked hard for over a decade but still couldn’t make any substantial changes. The only thing he could do was to give the people here a slightly higher chance to leave.
Both of them were smart and fell silent after understanding this. The car continued to drive forward until it stopped in front of a gray building. Bai Xiangxing called for a halt.
Lin Qing parked the car by the side of the road, and the three of them got out.
Guan Feihuo asked, “Xing, is the person you’re looking for working at the TV station?” The gray building was a television station.
Bai Xiangxing replied, “No, but finding someone on TV will be faster.”
Guan Feihuo suggested, “Then let’s go inside.”
As he was about to lead the way, Lin Qing, who was on the side, couldn’t help but glance at the parked car and said, “The car is parked here. What if it gets damaged?”
With no law enforcement around, he had seen many people staring in their direction earlier. He was worried that the people here might be so desperate for money that they would dismantle the car and sell it for parts. After all, even a hover car, when taken apart and sold as components, could fetch over a hundred thousand star credits.
“Your worries are completely unnecessary,” Bai Xiangxing assured him.
Lin Qing was just about to heave a sigh of relief when Bai Xiangxing added, “I estimate that when we come back, there won’t even be a screw left on this car.”
Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo exchanged looks and then asked Bai Xiangxing, “Where’s the snacks you asked us to buy during our lunch break?”
“In the car,” during their lunch break, Bai Xiangxing had asked them to buy a large bag of snacks, mainly bread-based.
“Get them out,” Bai Xiangxing said and then turned to face an alley closest to them, waving his hand, “Kid, come over.”
The child first looked puzzled, then stared at Bai Xiangxing with caution. He didn’t approach, nor did he leave.
“Come here, I have something for you to eat.” Bai Xiangxing took a piece of bread from the bag that Lin Qing had brought.
As soon as the child saw the bread, his eyes instantly lit up. He struggled for a moment, then actually walked towards Bai Xiangxing.
Bai Xiangxing could still see the wariness in the child’s eyes, but for food, they could put in all their effort. Seeing this kind of look again, Bai Xiangxing couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart.
“Here,” Bai Xiangxing waited for the child to approach and immediately handed the bread to him.
The little boy eagerly unwrapped the packaging and took a hurried bite. The sweet taste burst in his mouth, and he closed his eyes in happiness. However, he only took one bite, chewing it for a long time, but didn’t take a second bite. He just stared at the remaining half of the bread, clearly wanting to eat more but not daring to.
Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo were wondering if the child had choked when they heard Bai Xiangxing say, “Eat this one entirely, and I’ll give you another one later.”
The child, upon hearing this, raised his head abruptly, his black-and-white eyes fixed on Bai Xiangxing.
Bai Xiangxing smiled, raised his hand, and took out another piece of bread, giving it directly to the child.
Only then did the little boy believe him and asked, “What do you want me to do?”
Children born in this place knew from a young age that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
“I’m going to be upstairs for about two hours, during which I hope you can help me watch this car. Don’t let anyone dismantle it,” Bai Xiangxing said.
“This car of yours is worth a lot. If it’s dismantled, it can fetch us several months’ worth of living expenses. I can watch it for you, but if I encounter adults, I won’t be able to fight them,” the little boy replied honestly.
“You’re only responsible for watching it. I’ll be upstairs, and if you encounter adults you can’t handle, just yell, and these two big brothers will come down and scare the bad guys away,” Bai Xiangxing continued, “If you can’t handle it alone, you can bring a few more buddies. After the task is completed, all these breads will be for you guys.”
The little boy looked at the big bag of bread, and his eyes almost lit up like searchlights.
“I’ll wait for you for five minutes. Is that enough time for you to call your friends?” Bai Xiangxing asked.
“Enough! I’ll give you the bread first, and I’ll come over later,” the little boy said. With that, he ran off like the wind.
Guan Feihuo chuckled and said, “This kid may be young, but he’s quite principled. He even returned the bread you gave him.”
Bai Xiangxing looked at the bread with a few black fingerprints and said, “He’s going to have a 60% chance of being robbed on his way back home with that bread.”
Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo: …
This feels more dangerous than a battlefield.
Five minutes later, the little boy returned with seven or eight kids about the same age as him. They all looked up with wide, black-and-white eyes, eager and hopeful.
Seeing this scene, Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo didn’t know why, but they felt a bitter ache in their hearts.
Bai Xiangxing handed the bread back to the leader of the children and said, “Lin Qing, give the bread to the kids.”
Lin Qing and Guan Feihuo distributed the bread they had bought to each of the seven or eight children. These kids devoured the bread as if they hadn’t eaten for three or four days. The only one who didn’t devour it was the leader among them.
“I’ll make sure to watch the car for you,” the little boy said with gratitude in his eyes after seeing his friends getting the bread.
“Pleasure working with you,” Bai Xiangxing extended his hand to the little boy.
The little boy hesitated for a moment before realizing that this seemed to be a gesture often made by successful people on television, indicating the successful conclusion of a cooperation.
The boy, somewhat excited, reached out his hand too and said, “Pleasure working with you!”
Bai Xiangxing smiled and shook hands with him.
The little boy grinned, his white teeth sparkling in the sunlight. In this moment, it was as if he was also one of those successful people from the outside world.
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Dou48
This district 64 is so sad. I home mc can do more in this life to help