8: Chapter 8 Who slipped the bank card in?

The usual spot Zhang Mu chose wasn't some high-end hotel.

It wasn't even one of those hidden, soul-stirring couple-run eateries tucked away in the deep alleys.

It was just an ordinary street food stall at the end of the snack street behind his university.

The dishes were barely edible in terms of seasoning and texture, and the owner, who manned the stove, wasn't the warm-hearted type found in literature; indifferent was a better description.

His wife, on the other hand, was always smiling, and her skin was noticeably fairer than that of the other landladies on the street.

Actually, it was just okay; after all, she spent every day cooped up in a tiny, grease-filled kitchen—how good could it really be?

But her figure was truly top-tier, and she chose clothes that accentuated her curves.

The young men eating in the shop wanted to look but were afraid of being caught; eventually, they couldn't help themselves, and in the brief moments when the landlady had her back turned, they would steal a glance at her swaying waist and the rounded hips wrapped in jeans, catching a glimpse of what they were after.

Zhang Mu's senior fellow apprentice had once been one of those young men.

The senior was bolder, muttering that he wanted to marry someone like her in the future without fear of being overheard.

Whenever this happened, Zhang Mu would tug on his senior's sleeve, whispering a reminder that it wasn't polite.

Of course, the two of them had been frequenting her shop for years, not because of those youthful thoughts.

It was mainly because this was the only place on the street open 24 hours a day.

He took a taxi to the start of the street, pushed through the bustling crowd, reached the end, and sat down in the shop.

The landlady, who walked over with a menu, didn't recognize him; with so many customers a day, that was normal.

Perhaps due to the changes brought about by magic, the landlady kept glancing at his face from the corner of her eye while looking at the menu.

Zhang Mu didn't try to strike up a conversation by saying things like "I'm so-and-so, I come here often." He just ordered the few dishes he usually ate and waited.

A while later, his senior arrived with long strides.

He was still the same person he was familiar with: a buzz cut, a plaid shirt, and fabric trousers, with eyes full of high spirits.

The senior came in, sat opposite him, and stared straight at him.

"Whoa, haven't seen you for a while, you've gotten quite handsome."

"What's the matter? Did you know I offended our advisor and decided to stay far away from me? Hiding things from me when something happens?"

With a twitch of his mouth, Zhang Mu poured two glasses of plain water. Feeling a bit dissatisfied, he called him by his name: "Ye Ming, did you eat gunpowder or something?"

"Did I eat gunpowder?"

"You disappeared for half a month without a word. I ran to the department so many times, I was about to report it to the Government Officials."

Ye Ming took the glass, downed it in one gulp, caught his breath, and continued grumbling: "Actually, I did report it, but the Government Officials said you were fine. I didn't know where your new place was, and when I asked the Government Officials, they insisted I provide proof of kinship. Where the hell was I supposed to get that?"

Seemingly having vented his inner frustration, he put down the glass: "What exactly happened? If you're short on money, I have about ten thousand yuan here."

"It's nothing, I just went to a rather remote place with poor signal." Zhang Mu rested his hands on his knees. "Senior, have you solved the graduation project the old geezer gave you?"

"I'll solve the old geezer's mother!" Ye Ming filled the glass with water and downed it in one gulp. "Developing a new energy source and providing experimental data—I'd be better off researching magic; the possibility would be higher."

Zhang Mu's heart sank slightly.

Ye Ming's advisor had originally found him an eyesore, and after Ye Ming reported him for using soft and hard tactics to threaten female students into unspoken rules, the two had become mortal enemies.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Mu asked: "Is the application to change advisors difficult?"

"The old geezer has a huge background. No advisor dares to take me, and he wouldn't agree to it anyway; he just wants to ruin me right here."

The two were silent for a while, when a flash of inspiration hit Zhang Mu: Would gathering some magic for Ye Ming be worth a shot?

"Don't worry, Senior, I'll help you think of a way."

"You're not even in my major; what kind of way could you have?"

Just then, the food arrived, and Ye Ming waved his hand: "Don't worry about my affairs. If worst comes to worst, I'll drop out. A living person won't be suffocated by urine."

"Eat first."

The two stopped talking and had a hearty meal.

After eating, Ye Ming held a toothpick in his mouth: "Which company are you working for?"

He knew Zhang Mu very well and knew what kind of capabilities this guy had; there were plenty of good companies for him to choose from.

"Haven't decided yet."

He picked his teeth: "With your skills, making money isn't hard at all. Hurry up and find a girlfriend, and stop playing with 2D stuff all day."

Zhang Mu's expression turned solemn: "You don't understand!"

"Fine, fine, fine, I don't understand." He looked disgusted, stood up, paid the bill, and walked out: "I'm off to get busy."

He was only anxious to meet because he was worried about Zhang Mu; there was nothing urgent, and as long as he was fine, that was enough.

Seeing this, Zhang Mu also stood up, left the shop, went outside the street, and took a taxi to a large shopping mall.

He first bought a low-priced smartphone; it didn't need powerful functions or configurations, just enough to make calls and scan codes for payment.

Next, he browsed a kitchenware store and picked up a single burner, a portable small gas canister, a spatula, an iron pot, and miscellaneous connecting parts.

He originally planned to go home, but after pondering for a while, he turned back when he reached the mall entrance.

Potter was unwilling to teach him magic for the time being.

Zhang Mu understood this; given the harsh social environment of the Other World, it was already conscientious of Potter not to rob him.

Moreover, he had even brewed potions to help stabilize his lung cancer, but dragging it out forever wasn't good either.

Especially since the magic system was actually effective against lung cancer, he was anxious to cure himself quickly.

The Other World had extraordinary power, but its productivity was extremely poor. He felt he needed to prepare more strange little gadgets.

Perhaps Potter would take a liking to some of them, and it would be great to make a trade.

Even if that didn't work out, exchanging them for other valuable items would be fine too.

He had given up his job and needed a stable and safe way to make money. Always selling gold coins, especially those with ambiguous origins—a small amount was fine, but a large amount would definitely attract attention.

He continued strolling around, and the shopping cart was soon filled with cheap gadgets.

Things like magnets, diesel nail guns, and portable chainsaws could both be exchanged for supplies in the Other World and used for self-defense; it was perfect.

However, this way, a taxi definitely wouldn't be able to fit everything, so he called a van to take him home.

Just as he reached the entrance of the residential complex, his new phone rang.

After answering, it was a delivery guy on the phone.

He said there was a package and he was at the door.

Zhang Mu was still at the gate of the complex and would have to move the things from the van upstairs later, so he told the delivery guy to stuff the mail into the wall-mounted mailbox by the door, saving him time.

After an hour of work, Zhang Mu and the driver moved all the big and small items upstairs, then took out his phone to pay.

After the driver left, he remembered the mail and went to the mailbox with his keys.

"A bank card?"

He opened the mailbox, and inside, leaning against the side, was a document courier bag. Zhang Mu guessed it was a job offer.

He opened it, and sure enough, it was. Just as he was about to return to his room, he found a bank card lying at the bottom of the box.

He flipped it over to look at both sides; a six-digit password was written on the back with a marker.

Zhang Mu scratched his head.

Only he knew about the complex he had moved into; he hadn't even told his senior or the dean.

Who could have slipped it in?

He went out to a nearby bank and inserted it into an ATM; there was 150,000 yuan in cash on the card, which was not a small amount.

He went to the counter to check the account holder, but they wouldn't let him check without specific information like an ID card.

Helpless, he went home.

Zhang Mu took out his phone and called the dean and Ye Ming respectively. Both said it wasn't them, and no one had asked about his situation.

Sitting on the sofa for a long time, he couldn't think of who it could be.

In college, he and his senior rented an apartment together; he had no interpersonal relationships at school, and the situation with the dean was roughly the same.

Who else could it be? It couldn't be a colleague from his internship company, right?

They had gotten along okay back then, but to secretly send 150,000 yuan? It hadn't reached that level.

And there was no way they could know he had cancer, right?

Zhang Mu scratched his head, thinking he would ask again when he had time. He stood up and stored all the things he had bought into his inventory.

He looked at the wall clock; it was past nine, so he hurried to take a shower and go to bed.

The next day, he got up early.

After changing his clothes, he summoned the portal and stepped in.