After Rebirth, Married to a Deadly Enemy - Chapter 19

To completely leave District 64, they needed to change Xiang Rong’s household registration as well. The next morning, the group went to the Administrative Management Office. The Administrative Management Office was located at the exit of District 64, and it was where Bai Xiangxing and the others had done their information registration when they first entered. It was Xiang Rong’s first time coming here, and he looked curious about everything once inside, though he managed to keep his composure. Bai Xiangxing glanced at him and said, “To get your household registration transferred, we need to find you a registered residence outside. I plan to adopt a child this time, so I can’t provide an additional registered residence for you right now.” Unable to get registered, Xiang Rong worried that they might be planning to abandon him. After all, he hadn’t given them the prescription yet. He hesitated and asked, “So, what should I do?” “So, you’ll need to register temporarily at my home first. When we have more time, I’ll find another place for you to register,” Bai Xiangxing explained. Xiang Rong furrowed his brow. “Your home? The Shi family’s home?” Bai Xiangxing’s eyes flickered. This kid had already secretly checked his background. “That’s correct,” Bai Xiangxing replied. Xiang Rong’s face showed a hint of disdain, seemingly very resistant to this decision. However, he also knew that the immediate priority was to transfer his household registration. Once it was done, he wouldn’t be considered a resident of District 64 anymore. Moreover, with the Shi family’s status, they wouldn’t withhold his registration. “Alright,” Xiang Rong reluctantly agreed. “Then let’s go,” Bai Xiangxing instructed, leading the way to the household registration window. Behind them, Lin Qing and Guan Longfei whispered, “Is this kid stupid? If he gets his household registration in our boss’s family, there are so many benefits waiting for him.” Not to mention the benefits in District 1 alone, just the reputation of the Shi family would deter anyone from harming him. Guan Longfei added, “He’s an orphan from District 64; what does he understand?” Lin Qing nodded in agreement. About a minute later, the four of them arrived at the household registration department. No need for a queue number or waiting in line, because the number of people transferring their household registration here throughout the year could be counted on two hands. The staff member was an Alpha in his fifties, holding a large teacup in his hand. When he saw people approaching, he lazily glanced at them and asked with little enthusiasm, “What do you want?” Bai Xiangxing directly stated, “We want to transfer our household registration.” “Who among you wants to transfer out?” The man’s gaze swept over the four people and finally settled on Xiang Rong. Among the four, only this child had the aura of District 64. “He,” Bai Xiangxing gestured for Xiang Rong to stand beside him. The official scrutinized Xiang Rong up and down, then held out his hand and said, “Give me your documents.” “What?” Bai Xiangxing asked. “The documents for the transfer. Without them, how do you expect to transfer your household registration?” The official noticed that Bai Xiangxing didn’t have the necessary documents and was getting annoyed. “According to the Alliance Adoption Act, as long as the adopter has the qualifications and the adoptee agrees, there’s no need for any documents or procedures. We can directly transfer the household registration at the household registration department,” Bai Xiangxing explained leisurely. “Adoption?!” The official paused as if just remembering this provision existed. It wasn’t entirely his fault; who would come to District 64 for adoption? “Submit both of your household registration information to me, and also pay a processing fee of 200,000 credits. It’ll take about ten minutes,” the official instructed. 200,000 credits?!! Lin Qing and Guan Longfei struggled to control their facial expressions. Yesterday, the advertising fee at the TV station was one thing, as they weren’t familiar with the station’s pricing standards. But coming to the Administrative Management Office for a simple household registration transfer and having to pay a fee of 200,000 credits? Who said District 64 was a slum? With this level of spending, even Union Generals might find it too expensive. “You’re asking for quite a bit,” Bai Xiangxing sneered. “Who’s asking for too much? I warn you, don’t speak out of turn, or I’ll report you to the authorities,” the official sternly reprimanded Bai Xiangxing. “Heh, report me right now. I’m waiting.” This old man, still so greedy. In his previous life, he had paid 200,000 credits to get Bai Xiangxing out of here. One reason was to avoid offending the other party and inviting trouble, and the other reason was that 200,000 credits weren’t a huge sum for him at the time. But now… Well, it’s better not to dwell on the account balance. Anyway, he wasn’t planning to indulge this old man anymore. “You’re an outsider, unfamiliar with the rules in our District 64. You can choose the child you want to adopt freely, but whether the child qualifies for adoption is up to me,” the old man’s gaze turned cold and landed on Xiang Rong, the orphan standing nearby. The threat was quite obvious. Xiang Rong frowned and gave the old man a fierce glare. Seeing that Xiang Rong, an orphan who hadn’t even left District 64 yet, dared to glare at him, the old man’s eyelid twitched. He secretly decided that regardless of whether the other party paid or not, he wouldn’t allow this child to be adopted. “Lin Qing, Guan Longfei,” Bai Xiangxing suddenly called out to the two behind him. “Boss,” both of them had also sensed the threat from the old man. As they stepped forward, they unconsciously released their suppressed auras. Two icy and murderous forces surged toward the old man behind the counter. The old man’s face turned pale instantly. “What are you doing? Planning to resort to violence?” He said this while surreptitiously resting his finger on the alarm button hidden on the inside of the counter. Bai Xiangxing, however, paid no attention to him and instead turned to the two approaching men. “I have a question for you both. If I encounter danger in District 64, will the Storm Legion help me seek revenge?” The Storm Legion?!! The old man’s hand on the alarm button froze. The Storm Legion, the most valiant and skilled of the three major legions in the Union?! Lin Qing glanced at the old man, who had turned ashen, and immediately understood. “If you encounter trouble here, our boss will definitely flatten District 64.” Guan Longfei was even more direct. He activated his combat suit right then and there. A set of black-gray armor swiftly equipped him with a series of clinks. In just a few seconds, he was fully geared up. Holding an energy spear, he gazed coldly at the person behind the counter, his determination clear. “No need to wait for the boss; I can flatten this place right now.” Lin Qing: Brother, it’s already over. You alone will barely manage. Guan Longfei: Anyway, it’s not like we’re really fighting. Let’s have some fun. Bai Xiangxing: These two members from the Shi family are really clever. Xiang Rong stared at the shining combat armor with keen eyes. “So cool!” Only at this point did the old man seem to realize something. Trembling, he said, “Give me… your household registration information.” Now he remembered to confirm their identities? While Bai Xiangxing disliked this place, he understood that even a cornered rabbit would bite. Seeing that the old man finally came back to his senses, he raised his hand and tapped on his neural interface, opening his household registration data. At the same time, he glanced at Xiang Rong, who was also clever enough to activate his household registration data. The old man trembled as he read the information from both of them using the system. When he saw the column for household heads, the last trace of color drained from his face. [Top Secret!] As the one in charge of household registration, he knew better than anyone what kind of files could enter the top-secret system. Any procedure conducted through top-secret documents would be scrutinized by the highest levels of the Union. He couldn’t afford to charge any processing fees. If he drew the attention of higher-ups, they could investigate thoroughly, and the District 64 administrative officer might end up in serious trouble. It wasn’t worth it for a mere 200,000 credits, which would ultimately leave him with only 20,000 in his pocket. The old man stopped talking immediately and quickly processed their paperwork. He had initially promised it would take ten minutes, but in just two minutes, he said, “I’ve completed all the procedures on my end, but it still needs to be reviewed on your side.” “Reviewed?” In the previous life, Bai Xiangxing had directly transferred Xiang Rong to his household registration, but at that time, he was still single, and it didn’t involve the military. Therefore, there was no need for this review process. Just as Bai Xiangxing was wondering if the official was once again finding excuses to make things difficult, Shizhen’s call came in. “You want to transfer someone named Xiang Rong into our household registration?” Bai Xiangxing was momentarily stunned but quickly realized. After all, Shizhen was a military man. “Yes,” Bai Xiangxing replied. “What’s your relationship with him?” Shizhen asked. “He’s my younger brother,” Bai Xiangxing said. The two of them were speaking over the phone without any intention of hiding it from the people around them. Xiang Rong naturally heard it all. When Bai Xiangxing confidently referred to him as his younger brother, Xiang Rong’s heartstrings trembled, and for some reason, his eyes welled up with tears. “…Shizhen.” When did you have a younger brother in District 64? If you really had a brother, how did he manage to survive in District 64 until the age of 12? “Got it. I’ll submit the application, but the review might take two days.” “Two days?” Bai Xiangxing had already spent quite some time in District 64, and there were a lot of matters waiting for him to handle back at the New Garrison. “The review process takes two days. You can transfer his registration to the public registry in District 1 for now; it should be processed already,” Shizhen explained. Bai Xiangxing looked back at the old man. The old man nodded repeatedly. “He’s already transferred out. Xiang Rong’s registration is no longer in District 64. If you don’t believe me, you can check for yourself.” Bai Xiangxing then looked at Xiang Rong, who promptly displayed his information. His eyes lit up, and he nodded toward Bai Xiangxing. “Then it’s settled. Hang up,” Bai Xiangxing said before ending the call. Shizhen: … As they left the Administrative Management Office, Lin Qing couldn’t help but complain as they walked. “People in District 64 are really greedy. A lowly clerk at the household registration department had the audacity to demand 200,000 star credits. That’s almost my annual salary.” Guan Longfei sympathized deeply. Soldiers like them couldn’t stand such corrupt behavior. “Boss, it’s a good thing you didn’t give him any money.” “Yeah, I wanted to, but I don’t have any money either,” Bai Xiangxing said lazily. “Your team leader is so poor, all he has left is his reputation to intimidate people. It’s a way to save money indirectly.” Lin Qing and Guan Longfei both froze simultaneously, as if realizing something. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with deep concern. “You don’t even have 200,000 credits?” Xiang Rong couldn’t help but ask. According to the information he had found, Bai Xiangxing didn’t spend less than 200,000 credits on a single piece of clothing. “That’s right.” “You’re this poor?” “That’s right. I’m relying on the fortune you’ll bring me with that prescription,” Bai Xiangxing didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed about his financial situation. Xiang Rong remained silent for a moment, then lightly tapped on his neural interface. Bai Xiangxing received an email notification and opened it, discovering that it was a prescription formula sent by Xiang Rong. He couldn’t help but smile and looked at Xiang Rong, whose cheeks turned slightly red, displaying a tsundere attitude. However, he suddenly felt that there was an unusual silence behind him. Turning around, he found that Lin Qing and Guan Longfei, who had been following him, had stopped and were whispering something to each other. The atmosphere seemed tense. “What’s going on?” Bai Xiangxing approached, curious. “We’re borrowing money,” Guan Longfei casually replied without much thought. Lin Qing, on the other hand, immediately realized the situation, realizing they were talking to Bai Xiangxing, and hurriedly woke up his comrade by giving him a slap. “Boss, Boss Xing?” Both of them quickly hid the neural interfaces behind their backs, smiling awkwardly at Bai Xiangxing. Bai Xiangxing originally didn’t think much of it, but their secretive behavior piqued his interest. “Borrowing money? Are you two in need of money?” “Yes, we… we need money,” they both nodded eagerly. “If you need money, just tell me. You’ve been accompanying me all this way, and I haven’t figured out how to thank you properly yet. How much do you need? I’ll lend it to you,” Bai Xiangxing generously offered. “But don’t you not have any money?” Lin Qing asked. “Yeah, our team leader even borrowed the meal allowance from the deputy officer this month,” Guan Longfei added. Lin Qing clicked his tongue and stomped on Guan Longfei’s foot. “Bro, you just revealed the boss’s financial situation. He already thinks our team leader is poor.” Bai Xiangxing’s eyebrows twitched, and he almost lost face. This was embarrassing. His subordinate, Shizhen, was so broke that he had to borrow money for his meals, and now everyone knew it. “You misunderstood. When I mentioned money earlier, it was because all my funds are in the company’s account. You know, I need money for the New Garrison’s operation, so I only brought about 170,000 credits with me,” Bai Xiangxing estimated that these two wouldn’t need more than 100,000 credits. After all, even their team leader, Shizhen, only had savings of around 50,000 credits, and the subordinates would typically have less. “You still have over 100,000 credits on you? That’s great; we won’t need to borrow then,” Guan Longfei said with relief. “Actually, it’s not for us; it’s for the bread allowance that’s due these days.” Lin Qing also breathed a sigh of relief and reported, “In the past few days, a lot of kids have been coming to get bread, and we’ve spent a total of 78,000 credits. Just now, the two of us managed to scrape together 30,000 credits. We were planning to ask the other brothers in the team to lend us some.” Bai Xiangxing: … Shit, he’d been a big shot for too long and even forgot about something as important as this. He couldn’t blame himself, though; when he used to give orders, he never had to provide money. He would simply instruct others to take a voucher to the finance department. But… It seemed like he didn’t have 78,000 credits in his account either. “Cough… send me the bill; I’ll take care of it,” Bai Xiangxing said, trying to save face. Lin Qing happily exclaimed and forwarded the bill to Bai Xiangxing. The two of them immediately perked up, got into the car, and set off back to District 1. In the back seat, Bai Xiangxing wore a stiff expression as he looked at his nearly empty account. He finally realized that since his rebirth, he had only spent money once: the 50,000 credits for Shizhen! During his time with the New Shi, Bai Xiangxing had enjoyed meals at the employee cafeteria, commuted using the company’s vehicles without public transportation expenses, and even when he dined at the Hua Hai Hotel for negotiations with Changsheng, the entire meal was covered by Ming Cheng’en. In the past few days in District 64, Lin Qing and Guan Longfei had also been paying for his living expenses. Damn it! When did Bai Xiangxing ever take advantage of others like this? Blame it all on Shizhen being so broke. How could he be this poor? Just as he was berating himself and mentally shifting the blame to Shizhen, a new message suddenly popped up. Xiang Rong: [Do you not have enough money to pay for the bread bills?] Bai Xiangxing was taken aback and turned to look at Xiang Rong, who was staring back at him with a neutral expression. Bai Xiangxing blinked, recalling that Xiang Rong should have some savings. While Xiang Rong couldn’t leave District 64, he had decent skills for repairing neural interfaces, and coupled with the money left to him by his brother, he had a savings of around two to three hundred thousand credits. Bai Xiangxing didn’t beat around the bush: [Help me pay the bill, and I’ll pay you back double.] Xiang Rong replied incredulously: […Are you serious?] Bai Xiangxing retorted: [You’re my little brother; I have no reason to be shy about it.] Xiang Rong stared at the first sentence, feeling his eyes well up with tears again. He reluctantly clicked on the bill and completed the payment. Xiang Rong: [You better pay me back double!] He wasn’t doing this out of kindness; he wanted to earn double the interest. Truly, he had an excellent little brother. Bai Xiangxing couldn’t help but smile warmly, reaching out to pat Xiang Rong’s furry head. “Don’t worry, kid. Big brother will take good care of you from now on.” “Let go of me,” Xiang Rong grumbled irritably, trying to pry Bai Xiangxing’s hand away, but the confined space in the car didn’t give him much room to maneuver. = When they returned to Shizhen’s residence, it was already past 7 PM. Lin Qing and Guan Longfei dropped Bai Xiangxing off and headed back to their military base. Bai Xiangxing introduced Xiang Rong to Shizhen’s brothers during dinner. Shizhen’s older brother, Shi Ning, was curious about the sudden appearance of the young boy and welcomed him warmly. “Hello, I’m Shi Ning. You can call me ‘Brother.'” “I already have a brother,” Xiang Rong replied coldly. “Then… just call me by my name,” Shi Ning said, feeling a bit embarrassed. Shizhen couldn’t tolerate anyone mistreating Shi Ning in his presence and gave Xiang Rong a warning look. Xiang Rong couldn’t withstand Shizhen’s imposing aura and immediately stiffened, his hand holding the chopsticks frozen in place. “What’s the matter with you?” Bai Xiangxing gave Shizhen the same look. Shizhen said, “…Nothing.” However, he withdrew his intimidating presence. After settling things with Shizhen, Bai Xiangxing reached out and pinched Xiang Rong’s cheek. “Why did you act tough with Shi Ning?” Shi Ning was an Omega, and Bai Xiangxing was a future Alpha. It was clear he hadn’t been properly disciplined yet. Xiang Rong stiffened his neck. “I didn’t.” Bai Xiangxing raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t? Then who are you giving that cold face to? Besides me, is there anyone else in this house who owes you money?” Xiang Rong said, “You owe me money, and yet you treat me like this?” Bai Xiangxing chuckled. “In the world of debt, the debtor is the master. Haven’t you heard that saying?” Shizhen and Shi Ning exchanged sympathetic glances, feeling sorry for Xiang Rong. He was not only owed money but was also getting bullied. Dinner became a somewhat lively affair, with tensions easing between the group in a rather magical way. That night, Xiang Rong was assigned to the guest room that Shizhen had moved into just a few days earlier. Shizhen, on the other hand, was once again allocated to the study. At first, Shizhen was reluctant and suggested that Xiang Rong stay in an external hotel, but Bai Xiangxing instantly retorted with a cold, “Do you have money?” which silenced him. With no other option, he hugged his blanket and reluctantly went to the study. Bai Xiangxing demonstrated clearly through his actions that, in his eyes, his partner was lower in status than the little brother he had just picked up from District 64. “Tomorrow, go with Shi Ning to the school to complete your enrollment formalities,” Bai Xiangxing had discussed this with Shi Ning the previous night. He had already planned to send Xiang Rong to school as soon as he could after borrowing him. Both Shizhen and Xiang Rong, who had just heard this news, looked over simultaneously. “What, are you not planning to attend school?” Bai Xiangxing asked. Xiang Rong opened his mouth but remained silent. How could he not want to go to school? Back in District 64, he hadn’t even completed primary school. Although he had some talent for mechanics and had learned a lot through the StarNet, it wasn’t systematic. He yearned for formal education to acquire more knowledge. “At your age, should you be attending primary or middle school?” Bai Xiangxing inquired. “I already know everything taught in primary school,” Xiang Rong urgently replied. After speaking, he looked at Bai Xiangxing’s face, realizing that he had inadvertently revealed too much. “You can rest assured, I’ll cover my own tuition.” He had confidence in himself. He had managed to earn money in District 64, and he believed he could do the same here. “Of course, you’ll cover it. I don’t have money to pay your tuition now,” Bai Xiangxing said, showing no embarrassment about his poverty. Cough! Bai Xiangxing didn’t mind, but Shizhen felt embarrassed. “Star, Star-ge, I still have money on me, I can give it to you,” Shi Ning offered obediently. Bai Xiangxing hesitated for a moment. Privately, he didn’t want to borrow money from Shi Ning, but given his current poverty, he had no choice. “Alright, you transfer 200,000 credits to me first, and I’ll pay you back in a few days.” If he invested that in the stock market, he could probably double it in a week. “Okay,” Shi Ning immediately transferred the money. Xiang Rong watched Bai Xiangxing sitting beside him, an Omega with a seemingly innocent and naive demeanor. Several times, he wanted to stop him. Someone like him, who owed money everywhere, could easily become a debtor. Bai Xiangxing felt that the principal was a bit low and turned to Xiang Rong. “How about you lend me some more?” “Absolutely not!” Xiang Rong wouldn’t lend any more money to Bai Xiangxing. “Tsk, Omegas are really cute.” Both of them were little brothers, and when Bai Xiangxing saw how obedient Shi Ning was, he reached out and gently patted Shi Ning’s soft little face. Shi Ning responded with a sweet smile. With a sharp snap, Shizhen broke his chopsticks. Amidst the puzzled gazes of everyone, he got up from the dining table and said, “I’m going to work.” Behind him, Bai Xiangxing was still instructing Shi Ning, “Little Ning, I’ll be busy at the company later. Take care of Xiang Rong’s school enrollment for me.” Shi Ning patted his chest confidently. “Leave it to me. I’m familiar with the school.” Shizhen hurriedly left, muttering all the way about “Bai Xiangxing being an Omega,” and headed to the military headquarters. During lunch, he ran into Lin Qing and Guan Longfei, who casually asked about Bai Xiangxing’s purpose for going to District 64 this time. The two immediately spoke animatedly, emphasizing how Bai Xiangxing had gone to the television station to negotiate a five-million-credit deal with only “tens of thousands” in his pocket and how he confidently refused to pay the bill. Shizhen: “…” Why are you speaking with admiration about such embarrassing things? “Oh, Captain, do you remember that star pirate hideout we busted two years ago in the Cancer Star System?” Lin Qing suddenly recalled something. “I remember. What about it?” Shizhen asked. “I recall that at the time, we also captured a few drug dealers who were selling drugs,” Lin Qing said. “I remember that too,” Guan Longfei chimed in. “Those drug dealers happened to be in the middle of a transaction with the star pirates when we caught them, so we apprehended them together.” “Why are you suddenly asking about this?” Shizhen inquired. “It’s because of the child Xiangxing brought back, the one named Xiang Rong,” Lin Qing explained. “I saw a photo at his house, and there’s a person in it who looks a lot like his brother, the one we caught back then. It made me wonder.” Lin Qing had a strong impression of the drug dealer because the man’s demeanor didn’t seem like that of a typical drug dealer, and he appeared quite young, almost underage. “Isn’t Xiangxing planning to transfer Xiang Rong’s registration into your family? If this child is really related to the drug dealer, Captain, you should investigate,” Lin Qing suggested. Shizhen furrowed his brow and made an affirmative sound.