The landlord never dreamed that Xie Ran actually became the leader among the Qixing students.

All along, the impression that Xie Ran had in the minds of the tenants in the tube-shaped building was that he was silent and fragile, just a good-looking face with good grades, but unable to handle trouble.

When Xie Ran was admitted to Qixing, the landlord felt both sour and indifferent. Qixing was not a place where students from ordinary families could stay. With Xie Ran’s family background and personality, going there would only make him a marginal figure, and it was questionable whether he could even last there.

In the landlord’s mind, Xie Ran would definitely be ignored at Qixing, and it would be lucky if he wasn’t bullied.

She never imagined that Xie Ran became the big brother of the Qixing students.

At this moment, the group of boys standing outside the tube building were all tall and muscular, dressed in name-brand clothes. Judging by their rough way of speaking, they were definitely experts at causing trouble.

These guys, placed anywhere among the powerful elites in Qixing, probably wouldn’t dare to be provoked by anyone. The landlord sized up her own limited connections and fighting ability and completely lost heart.

Thus, the situation instantly reversed. What had originally been the landlord and her group surrounding Xie’s parents to threaten them now turned into Xie Ran’s group of younger brothers surrounding the landlord’s group for negotiation.

After sitting at the negotiation table, the landlord finally truly understood what it meant that hooligans were not scary — what was scary was hooligans with education.

Xie Ran’s proxy lawyer was the real tough player.

By comparison, students who only knew how to use their fists were too innocent.

Lawyer Meng Feixuan effortlessly cited various public security management regulations, legal provisions, and so on, as if copying and pasting from documents, leaving the landlord and her group speechless.

Not only that, he skillfully combined practical details and seized various weaknesses of the landlord’s group, hinting fiercely without leaving any loopholes and ruthlessly piling up the landlord’s potential prison sentence to several years.

The landlord didn’t understand these things. When the other side listed each point one by one, she was dumbfounded and could not rebut a single word.

She even began to quietly feel relieved that they had settled by negotiation, because if they had made a fuss like at first, she was afraid that Lawyer Meng could have gotten the whole family sent to the police station.

Of course, her whole family was now surrounded by Xie Ran’s younger brothers.

In the end, Lawyer Meng calculated the settlement amount to be as high as fifty thousand yuan. When the landlord heard this, she was stunned. She originally only wanted to extort a few thousand yuan from Xie’s parents, never expecting that in the blink of an eye she would have to compensate so much. She immediately cried and yelled, trying to bluff her way out.

But no matter how much she cried and raged, Xie Ran remained unmoved, looking at her coldly and saying: “Then see you in court.”

After saying this, he didn’t give the landlord any chance to haggle, and was about to leave directly.

The landlord had never encountered someone so decisive and ruthless, which rendered all her usual tricks of crying and throwing tantrums completely useless.

The key was that this person had the confidence to be so decisive. Just looking at Xie Ran’s demeanor, the landlord did not doubt at all that he really would sue on the spot.

If it really went to court, the tax evasion amount listed by Lawyer Meng alone would far exceed fifty thousand yuan.

The landlord clutched her chest and collapsed on the spot: “I’ll pay, I’ll pay!”

When Xie’s parents came out of the landlord’s house, their heads were still dazed. In just a moment, not only did they not have to pay the extortionate rents in the landlord’s contract, they even received fifty thousand yuan in cash compensation.

A full fifty thousand yuan! That was about their family’s entire annual income.

Originally, the landlord wanted to use the excuse of having no cash to delay and cheat, but Xie Ran’s classmates immediately pressed down on the landlord’s brother, forcing the landlord to go withdraw the money at once. The landlord was used to having others withdraw money for her before and never thought she would have such a day herself. She wanted to cry but had no tears and eventually could only obediently withdraw the money.

Seeing Xie Ran’s classmates, Xie’s parents finally had a chance to thank them and hurriedly said: “Thank you so much, classmates.”

“You’re welcome, you’re welcome,” Guan Heng waved his hand, looking at Xie Ran respectfully: “It’s our honor to help Brother Ran.”

He had previously only thought Xie Ran was good at gaming and fighting, but he did not expect that Xie Ran was actually a highly intelligent and ruthless figure. When negotiating with the landlord, it seemed the lawyer was the main negotiator, but Guan Heng could tell that Xie Ran was the one really controlling the scene.

Though he was still only a high school student like them and even shorter, when Xie Ran sat at the table, his aura and posture were as steady as Mount Tai.

The landlord’s group was large and specialized in throwing tantrums and bullying, and their loud voices were headache-inducing, yet they were completely unable to intimidate Xie Ran.

Xie Ran steadily controlled the rhythm, while Lawyer Meng pressed step by step, demanding compensation aggressively. In the end, Xie Ran’s decision was cold and ruthless, leaving no room for the landlord to maneuver.

Guan Heng had only seen such decisiveness and skill from his family elders at shareholder meetings.

Truly worthy of being the big brother among brothers!

Guan Heng had never played with such poor people as Xie Ran before. Actually, when he first saw the tube building’s environment, he felt a little disdainful. But seeing Xie Ran calmly move through the yard, orderly directing the movers to start packing, without any embarrassment or discomfort despite the harsh surroundings, Guan Heng’s little disdain disappeared completely.

This was the real big brother aura—directing even moving as if issuing orders at a shareholder meeting!

As Guan Heng was thinking this, Xie Ran suddenly looked back at him with a faint smile and said: “Weren’t you going to pay for the move?”

Guan Heng: “…” How did Brother Ran still remember that?

Seeing him speechless, Xie Ran casually added: “Just kidding.”

He had paid to hire the moving team, so naturally these high schoolers didn’t need to exert themselves, but since Guan Heng and the others had free time, they still helped carry some things. After all, the earlier negotiation with the landlord took quite a while, and their help sped up the move.

After Xie Ran finished speaking, his phone vibrated again. He picked it up and saw a message from Meng Feixuan.

Meng Feixuan: [Sir, the family doesn’t have to move for them, but the money still must be collected. We are starting from scratch and have to budget carefully!]

Xie Ran: “…”

After a while, Meng Feixuan sent another message.

Meng Feixuan: [Forget it, I just thought about it and feel that’s a bit rude.]

Meng Feixuan: [But my manners aren’t high anyway, so it should be fine, right?]

It was obvious the AI didn’t fully understand human moral standards and was still analyzing.

Xie Ran couldn’t help but chuckle softly: “Fool.”

Seeing these big boys, obviously out of place in their tube building environment but helping with no disdain and enthusiastically calling him “Brother Ran,” and Xie Ran standing among them without any awkwardness, seeming to live this way every day, Xie’s parents felt very emotional. They looked at each other knowingly and secretly wiped their eyes: “It’s great, really great.”

Xie Ran’s decision to attend Qixing was a last resort. They were deeply in debt and needed the high scholarship Qixing offered to get through hard times.

But the environment at Qixing made Xie’s parents worry that Xie Ran would not fit in or might be excluded. Over the past year, Xie Ran always told them he was doing well and everything was going smoothly, but he never mentioned his interactions with classmates, which left his parents uneasy.

Now seeing that Xie Ran really got along well with his classmates, who even admired him, they finally felt completely at ease.

The moving crew and the big boys worked together, and the originally small tube building suddenly became crowded and lively, attracting many tenants to come out and watch.

Many had seen the landlord’s family causing trouble earlier, but because the landlord had many people and was arrogant, and tenants had to consider the landlord’s face, no one dared to intervene, and everyone thought the Xie family was doomed.

Unexpectedly, after a short while, the Xie family had started moving in a lively manner.

Those close to the Xie family gathered to ask about the situation. After understanding the details, they were all surprised and showed envy.

“The old Xie family is really moving to Ruijin? That’s a good place. I’ve delivered goods there. The community is big, spacious, and especially beautiful!”

“Xiao Ran is really capable—goes to Qixing and lives in Ruijin. The old Xie couple is lucky.”

Some were angry about the rental contract issue.

“The landlord’s contract has such extortionate clauses?”

Xie’s father was helpless: “The lawyer Meng said those clauses were written deliberately. They discriminate against tenants. If they find someone easy to bully, they cheat them. If it’s someone hard to deal with or tenants they don’t want, they act as if the clauses don’t exist. So not everyone encounters this.”

This was the landlord family’s shrewdness. Otherwise, with so many tenants in the tube building, it would have exploded long ago.

“But that’s not right. Who knows if she just thought we were easy to bully!”

“What can we do? We can’t afford a lawyer and can’t find anyone from Qixing to back us up!”

Xie’s parents sympathized deeply. Xie’s mother pulled Xie Ran aside: “Xiao Ran, where did you hire that lawyer Meng? Was he expensive? Can others afford him?”

Xie Ran glanced at the anxious tenants and said calmly: “Later I will have Lawyer Meng send you a guide for moving out.”

Everyone looked at each other and gratefully said: “Thanks, Xiao Ran.”

After nine o’clock at night, the Xie family finally finished moving.

Xie’s parents felt bad and wanted to entertain Guan Heng and the others, but it was late, and they were still focused on gaming, so they refused to stay and left after greeting Xie Ran.

After the noisy big boys left, Xie’s parents finally had time to carefully inspect their new home.

Ruijin Garden was not especially high-end, but it was already a place Xie’s parents never dared to dream of.

The community was large, green, with neat and beautiful gardens. The house had a square layout and good lighting. The whole place was clean and bright, completely different from the tube building.

Xie’s parents excitedly toured the living room and rooms, mumbling nonstop: “So spacious, good layout, looks comfortable.”

“The kitchen is big and clean. Cooking will surely be fragrant.”

They liked everything, their hearts and eyes full of joy and hope.

Xie’s mother worried a little: “Such a good place must cost a lot in rent?”

But the thought flashed only briefly, and she immediately cheered up: “Xiao Ran must live in such a place to study well. I will go find a job tomorrow…”

“Don’t think about that. I will find a way,” Xie’s father seemed stimulated and started thinking: “It would be great to buy a small apartment here for Xiao Ran someday…”

Xie Ran: “…?”

He was only renting at Ruijin now because of limited funds. It was a transitional place. Xie’s parents wanted to settle here?

And a small apartment?

He was renting a two-bedroom now, wasn’t that small enough?

But seeing his seemingly weak and incapable parents excitedly planning the future, carefully considering every step to pave the way for him, clumsy but full of hope, Xie Ran finally did not object. He paused and said to his mother: “You should rest well first. Money is not urgent.”

The hard days wouldn’t last long, but if his mother got sick worrying about money, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Xie’s father nodded: “Right, right, we just got fifty thousand in compensation today…”

Speaking of this, Xie’s parents felt like they were dreaming. They carefully took out the money and started planning its use. Xie’s father thought for a moment and took out ten thousand yuan, handing it to Xie Ran: “Xiao Ran, take this to treat your classmates. They helped a lot today. Use the rest at school.”

Ten thousand yuan was undoubtedly a huge sum for the Xie family. But seeing Guan Heng and the others’ clothing and spending habits, Xie’s parents could imagine their consumption level. If Xie Ran wanted to befriend them, he had to have some money.

Xie Ran looked at their faces full of undisguised care and suddenly thought of his parents in his original world. His emotions were usually indifferent. His parents were typical elites, and family communication was concise and efficient, rarely ever having such intimate and openly warm moments.

He suddenly became curious about what emotional state his original parents had when communicating with him.

“Okay.” Xie Ran didn’t make things difficult for his parents. Since 10,000 yuan wouldn’t affect their life, he took it casually and returned to his room.

Once he closed the door, Meng Feixuan’s practiced voice immediately came from his phone. The calm lawyer resumed his youthful brightness: “Sir, I hacked into that landlord’s router and cut off their internet.”

“I also compiled a list of cheap and affordable communities in the city and sent a copy to each tenant in the dilapidated building.” He sounded somewhat annoyed: “I was so kind, but some people thought it was a scam. It pissed me off.”

But Meng Feixuan was a strong AI and continued: “I also sent all tenants the relevant laws about the landlord’s contract traps and a lease termination guide.”

It was imaginable that the landlord’s real trouble was just beginning.

Xie Ran wasn’t interested in these things unrelated to his plan, but hearing the familiar young voice made him feel, for a moment, like he was back in his original world.

He didn’t stop Meng Feixuan from talking and paced to the window.

The view here was completely different from the dilapidated building. The window was wide, outside was the community garden, night was deep, and lights from residents shone like patches of light hanging on high buildings.

Xie Ran said: “Mark, report.”

“Okay, sir.” The young man switched to professional mode and began reporting on their layout progress in this world.

Half an hour later, Meng Feixuan finished the report. Xie Ran was about to wash up when he saw a message from Guan Heng.

Guan Heng: [Brother Ran, come back quickly, I can’t handle it alone.]

Xie Ran: [?]

Guan Heng: [qaq I just lost ten matches in a row, when will you help me rank up? I can’t do it without you.]

Xie Ran: […]

Guan Heng: [Pay for it!!]

Xie Ran thought for a moment: [I’m busy, I’ll have Lawyer Meng play with you.]

Guan Heng: [That Lawyer Meng from the afternoon? Forget it, he’s so professional, he must be terrible at the game.]

Before Xie Ran replied, Meng Feixuan swore angrily: “Damn it, I’ll show him!”

Xie Ran ignored it and replied: [I’ll let him use my account.]

After that, he put down his phone and went to wash up.

When he came out, Guan Heng’s messages flooded his phone:

[Guan Heng: Brother Ran, Lawyer Meng is amazing!]

[Guan Heng: He won back all the points we lost.]

[Guan Heng: qaq but he’s too good at swearing…]

[Guan Heng: He even forbids us from blocking in-game chat.]

[Guan Heng: Sigh, weird, how did he know I blocked in-game chat?]

Xie Ran: “…Mark?”

Meng Feixuan quickly denied: “He’s lying!! I’m a civilized green system!!”

Xie Ran paused, then replied to Guan Heng: [Lawyer Meng probably doesn’t swear.]

Guan Heng: [He didn’t swear, but he said he spilled rice on his keyboard and that even the chickens he raises play better than us.]

Xie Ran: “…”

On his phone screen, a cartoon white chicken ran around the frame, looking like it was trying hard to lose weight.

Xie Ran: [He’s telling the truth.]

Author’s note: Mark: I’m just telling the truth.

Ji Jiu: Kekekeke!

Guan Heng: Got pissed and cried.

Support translation: