Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 68: The Two Young Masters

Chu Tianyu took Bai Lei to his room. Along the way, Bai Lei was extremely friendly, greeting everyone he met warmly, so enthusiastically that it seemed like he was meeting an old friend he had grown up with. As soon as they entered the room, Bai Lei immediately dropped his cheerful expression, grabbed Chu Tianyu’s neck with both hands, and said viciously, “Alright, Third Young Master, you’re really sneaky—hiding it so well! You’re actually the third young master of the Chu family. Damn it, how much more have you hidden? Spill it now!”
Chu Tianyu rolled his eyes and pointed at Bai Lei’s hands, which were still gripping his neck, making it clear he could hardly speak.
Bai Lei then remembered and released his grip, but still boasted, “Hehe, sorry about that. I forgot I was choking you. But you have to understand—I’m just that straightforward. I hate evil and uphold justice; it’s who I am!”
Chu Tianyu, still rubbing his neck, said helplessly, “Second Young Master, don’t talk like that about me! You’re the legitimate golden boy of Xunlei Technology and the Xiao Xiangguan chain restaurants—aren’t you any better than me? Haven’t you also hidden things?”
“Damn it! I tell people all day long that I’m a rich young master, but no one believes me!” As soon as this topic came up, Bai Lei acted as if he’d suffered a great injustice, complaining loudly.
Chu Tianyu smiled slightly and didn’t argue. Instead, he said calmly, “Oh, is that so? I seem to have read a saying in a book: ‘The great man hides in the crowd.’ With your loud voice, do you also follow the same principle?” He even winked at Bai Lei after saying that.
Ignoring Chu Tianyu’s teasing, Bai Lei picked up a large banana and started eating it, puffing out his chest as he said, “Let’s not talk about this. Luckily, I’m smart. After returning to Shanghai, I heard about some arrogant guy who held such a grand engagement party at a young age. And the male lead happens to be named Chu Tianyu. Hehe! Thinking back, you even dared to wear the same $100 supermarket outfit as me—how fake! And you quietly took all the good things for yourself. With Qin Nianran, one of Peking University’s beauties, you didn’t even spare Li Rou, the purest girl in the school. You’re such a beast!” At this point, Bai Lei looked furious, even more heartbroken that it wasn’t him the beast…

Chu Tianyu opened his mouth, eager to tell him about Ouyang Ziyi from Peking University right away. After all, their relationship wouldn’t be hidden for long after school started. But seeing Bai Lei gritting his teeth and looking visibly upset, Chu Tianyu swallowed his words. He didn’t want to say anything that might further irritate him!

It took a while before Bai Lei calmed down. Seeing this, Chu Tianyu quickly handed him another banana.

“Stop it. Don’t try to be nice now. What were you doing back then? It’s too late. Let me tell you…” Bai Lei said, taking the banana without hesitation, peeling it, and eating it.

Chu Tianyu really didn’t know what to do with him. He had to change the subject. “Our Bai family’s young master wouldn’t have come all the way here just to hold me accountable during the New Year, would he? Calm down. We can use these days to take a good tour of Nanjing. I haven’t really explored it much myself.”

“Don’t change the subject! Take a tour of Nanjing? I grew up here! Just admit your mistake and tell me how you’ll compensate me. Because of your concealment, my pure thoughts have been tainted, and my young heart has been hurt. And also…”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Chu Tianyu quickly interrupted Bai Lei’s endless ranting and asked directly, “Alright, cut the nonsense. What kind of compensation do you want?”

Hearing this, Bai Lei immediately perked up, his eyes shining. His earlier tantrum disappeared, replaced by excitement as he said, “Hehe, it’s not much. You just need to promise to teach me some martial arts—preferably internal energy or lightness skills, something truly extraordinary like the Nine Yin Manual or the Nine Yang Divine Art. If not, even the Nine Yin Bone Claws will do. I won’t mind!”

“To be honest, I mind you!” At that moment, Chu Tianyu realized that this guy had been determined to hold him accountable from the moment he entered. It turned out he was after this all along. So, he retorted without hesitation.

But as soon as he said that, seeing Bai Lei about to go crazy again and try to strangle or pinch him, he quickly stopped joking and said seriously, “Wait! Let me ask you something first. Where did you get the idea of teaching me martial arts? Did you go crazy reading martial arts novels these past few days?”

“You’re the one who’s stupid! Alright, Third Brother, it seems I have to show you some evidence before you’ll give up! To be honest, from the moment I met you, I had a strange feeling—that you’re not ordinary. Taking you as my underling was purely an impulsive idea on my part to test you, and I never expected you to actually agree! With an ordinary person, they’d either think I’m crazy or sick. And then, those big bags—I didn’t even know how heavy they were, yet you carried them so easily. With your strength, it goes without saying that it was probably you who brought us three back that day while we were drunk, right? You must have used some kind of energy to make us drink, right? No need to explain—I’ve seen all this on TV!”
But in this regard, Bai Lei was really wrong about Chu Tianyu’s drinking capacity.
Spitting words while watching Chu Tianyu’s expression, and seeing no reaction from him, Bai Lei had to drop another bombshell: “What I said earlier is just speculation. I know I can’t expose you, so don’t worry. Now I’ll get to the most crucial part. The key lies in the mistake you made while practicing in the early morning!”
Seeing Chu Tianyu finally show signs of confusion, Bai Lei grew proud. Without saying a word, he took out a very small box from his bag, fiddled with it a bit, and instantly created a holographic image in the air. He adjusted the angle further. This time, Chu Tianyu could clearly see it—it was the scene of him practicing swordsmanship on the playground every morning.
“What, is this your so-called bombshell? It’s completely normal! If there’s anything unusual, it’s why you secretly took pictures of me for no reason. Do you have some ulterior motives? Could it be that you’re…” Chu Tianyu sneered.
“Tch~~” Bai Lei curled his lips and pressed a button on the box. The image instantly changed into a special energy pattern. Chu Tianyu appeared to be surrounded by a red mist, moving faintly, with the sword also covered in this red mist. As Chu Tianyu moved, the mist would shoot out from time to time, forming an energy wave.

There was no need to look any further. Bai Lei’s loud voice rang out again, “Kah kah, this is also the luck of a genius. I originally just wanted to sneak a peek at your moves so I could practice later, in case I needed to impress some girl someday. Who would have thought that this camera I casually brought from home has this energy display function? I’ve tried it—ordinary people definitely can’t produce that red mist you have. So, there’s only one explanation left! Hehe, I don’t need to say more, right? Well, are you convinced now?”
Seeing Bai Lei’s smug expression, Chu Tianyu wasn’t too surprised. He just hadn’t expected such a coincidence to happen to this guy. It seemed no explanations would work, so Chu Tianyu simply said, “I’m convinced! Tell me, exactly what do you want me to do?”
Bai Lei rubbed his hands excitedly after hearing this and said earnestly, “Hehe, see, we’re… what? Brothers! Since we’re brothers, how could I threaten you? Although I can’t control my own mouth, don’t worry, Third Brother. If I learn your amazing internal strength or legendary skills, I’ll definitely be able to keep my mouth shut. Trust me, I’ll take good care of it! Hehe…”
After saying that, Bai Lei looked at Chu Tianyu with a sly smile, pretending to be humble, but in his heart, he was already planning how to take advantage of the situation.
Chu Tianyu didn’t answer right away, remaining calm with an unchanged expression. This made Bai Lei, who thought he had succeeded through cunning, feel uneasy. “Um, Third Brother, if your sect keeps those legendary skills secret and doesn’t pass them on, don’t force it. Just teach me some basic techniques or acupressure points—maybe that’ll help me keep my mouth shut!”
“Since you make such a good case and your reasons are solid, and more importantly, you even know how to use high-tech! Then there’s no point in denying it anymore. Yes, I do know a bit about those legendary skills…” Chu Tianyu replied.
Hearing this, Bai Lei was overjoyed, his mouth trembling with excitement. “There really are legendary skills? That’s great, haha…”
But his laughter was cut short by Chu Tianyu’s “But…”. Seeing Chu Tianyu’s mysterious expression, Bai Lei felt a chill and had a badpremonition. He could only blink a few times, pretending to listen to what came next.

Chu Tianyu changed the subject and didn’t continue speaking. Instead, he said, “A while back in the online game ‘All Creatures 2,’ the system posted a notice saying that a set suitable for any class, ‘Star Thunder Cloud Movement,’ had appeared. It’s said to have been acquired by that so-called legendary top mystery master. Hehe, boss, look—my level is still so low now. I started much later than others. Without any special equipment, it’s really hard for me to stand out. Hehe… Look at this… Hehe…” As he spoke, Chu Tianyu raised his hand at the best position within Bai Lei’s line of sight, rubbing his thumb against his index and middle fingers repeatedly!

Bai Lei listened, sweating profusely, growing increasingly anxious. In the end, he gritted his teeth and asked boldly, “Third brother, let’s cut through the nonsense. I just want to know—how are you so sure it’s me the top mystery master? There’s no clue at all. It’s impossible for you to trick me out of thin air.”

Only then did Chu Tianyu leisurely lower his hand and say, “It seems someone just now said that everything they say is the truth, yet no one believes them—not even their own mother. Actually, aside from one person, and that’s me, I believe them! So when that person claimed to be the top master in ‘All Creatures 2’ and got embarrassed while trying to flirt with a girl, I knew right away. And later, even though the equipment you gave me, Da Ge Xu, and Bao Cai were just ordinary stuff, being able to get such things in ‘All Creatures 2,’ where survival is the top priority, is already quite remarkable. Besides, you’ve always acted alone, claiming your level is higher than ours. So…”

Bai Lei looked remorseful and said, “Oh, so it’s just for that reason?”

Chu Tianyu ignored him and continued, “Hehe, look—what are we? Brothers! Since we’re brothers, how could I possibly threaten you? Although I can control my mouth, I can’t control my hands. What if, while writing a class notice, my hand trembles and I make a mistake? That wouldn’t be good! But don’t worry, boss. With that ‘Star Thunder Cloud Movement’ set and any rings or jewelry you might not need in the future, it will definitely boost my ‘Strength’ and ‘Wisdom.’ I’ll definitely hold the chalk well and use it properly. You can rest assured! Hehe…”

It was as if he could hear Chu Tianyu knocking on the bamboo sticks. Now, Bai Lei finally understood what it meant to use the same tactics against someone who had used them against him. His heart ached terribly. In the game, although everyone knew an excellent set of equipment had appeared, only he truly understood its value and how hard it had been to obtain it. Even his so-called status as the top player didn’t mean he hadn’t gone through countless hardships to get it.

“Deal!!!” Bai Lei had lost the sense of satisfaction he had felt earlier when thinking he was taking advantage of others. His mood became extremely heavy, and he said in a low voice, as if making a firm decision.

“OK!” Chu Tianyu finally replied, relieved.

Just as Bai Lei was about to ponder his losses, he suddenly seemed to remember something. His eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, “Third brother, I suddenly have a bold idea! An idea where we can both benefit!”

“Go on.”

“Think about it. In the game, as the top player, I need to keep a low profile. Otherwise, I don’t know how many people I’d have to deal with all day. Plus, the game doesn’t allow forming guilds yet, so I can’t openly lead thousands of subordinates. So sometimes, especially during intense battles, I have to think about hiding my strength, which is really annoying. And sometimes, when using advanced weapons, I need someone to cover for me…”

“In reality, as a top player, I also need to act discreetly. Otherwise, becoming the target of everyone would be utterly foolish. If only someone could help me act arrogantly at such times…” Chu Tianyu also said, his eyes shining as he followed Bai Lei’s train of thought.

After saying that, the two looked at each other. Bai Lei then said, as if suppressing his excitement, “Then in the online game, we…”

Chu Tianyu continued with the same enthusiasm, “In reality…”

After a pause, the two almost simultaneously burst into laughter and shouted, “It’s fucking awesome… Hahaha…”