I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

Li pursed his lips, not refuting, but this only attracted the other party's attention.

"...Oh? You're not actually refuting me...Looks like something's really up?"

He raised an eyebrow, leaning back slightly in his chair with a contented and smug smile.

"Tell me what you need, and I'll help you depending on the situation."

"...Are there any outposts around here? Tell me where they are, I need a few people to help me."

"Fight or trade?"

"All."

"Heh heh...you've got some skills, kid."

He crossed his arms and smiled slightly.

"But you know the rules. If you want it, go find it yourself."

"I don't have time to play with you here."

"I didn't play with you either."

His smile vanished instantly, replaced by a stern tone.

“You haven’t clearly stated what you’re going to do, so I won’t offer you direct assistance. That’s the promise you made to me after you ran away.”

"........."

“You’re very angry, kid. You may not have noticed, but the way you’re looking at me now is irritating, and you can’t stop the displeasure on your face… So, I can conclude that you’re probably acting on impulse, looking for trouble with someone or something, rather than simply going to fight or make a deal as you claim.”

There is no essential difference.

"Yes, but so what? I'm in charge now. If I don't want to give you the location of the outpost, I can simply refuse to do so."

He shrugged expressionlessly, ruthlessly displaying his double standards.

"Like I said, if you want help, you can go find it yourself and get it yourself... Unless you tell me the truth, I might be kind enough to offer you some help."

"...My record player is broken."

"If it's broken, we'll just buy a new one. We're not short of money."

"I really like that record player; the songs it plays are clear and pleasant to listen to."

"Then let's find an expert to fix it. I've already said, we're not short of money."

He said it casually, as if he hadn't understood the implication in Li's words.

"...A friend of mine was beaten up."

In the end, Li sighed and gave up on using that awkward term of address.

"Oh? I see..."

He propped his face up with one hand, looked at Li meaningfully, and then burst into laughter.

"Haha... It seems you really like that [record player]. Okay, I'll have someone come find you. They'll take you to the base. You can command them as you please, just don't make too much noise. Hmm... no, making a big noise is fine too."

His lips curled slightly, a hint of danger mixed with relief.

"After all... if you break someone else's things, you have to pay for them."

"...Thanks, old man."

"Tsk, when are you going to stop calling me that? I'm still your father, no matter what..."

"Shut up, old Deng, goodbye."

"Hey! You (Italian swear word)..."

Li hung up the call immediately, and after waiting a while, sure enough, he received a message from an unknown number on his terminal.

“…I’m going out for a bit, Gin.”

"Ok, I will wait for you."

Yin nodded and watched Li leave.

After a brief silence, he reached for the candy box on the table, took out a candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.

Immediately, Yin had an idea.

With a gentle tap on the keyboard, another communication connection is established.

"Hello, Mom, yes, it's me."

"No, I'm fine, and Li is very good to me... No, I'll be going back in a while. Um, thank you for your concern."

"I wanted to ask if my family has any influence around here... I mean, around Li's neighborhood. Um... it's not that Li bullied me, I have a friend... who needs help."

"Okay, thank you, Mom. Please say hello to Dad for me. Goodbye."

"........."

After hanging up the call, Yin was in a daze for a while, which was rare. Then, a helpless smile appeared on his face, which was almost unchanged.

"This is really worrying... [the record player]."

but……

As Yin savored the sweetness of the candy in her mouth, her smile deepened.

Not bad at all.

Ah... have I been eating too much sugar lately...? I hope I don't get cavities.

Suddenly thinking of some troubling things, Yin's upturned lips fell back, returning to her original calm and expressionless state. She picked up her laptop, placed it on her lap, pulled up the data she hadn't finished processing, and continued typing.

…………

………………

That night, after everyone else had returned home, Li also went home on time. However, this time when he returned, two people followed him... But those two people left after seeing Li to the door, just like guards, leaving silently and quickly.

And all of this naturally came to the attention of others.

"...Boss, what's going on?"

"Don't worry about it, just focus on your studies."

"Boss, what are you saying? We all live together, we're all brothers and sisters, can't we solve any problems together?"

Someone curled their lip and criticized Li with obvious displeasure.

"And boss... you're very angry, and... the record player hasn't come back either, did something happen to him?"

"........."

"Li, tell them."

"...Sigh, [the record player] is at the hospital; his hand... is a little injured."

Li sighed with some frustration and helplessness, and then told the truth.

"Oh? Something really happened?"

"Damn it! Where did that jinx go?! I'm going to strangle you!!!"

"What about his match..."

"He withdrew from the competition. Given his current condition, he won't be able to make it."

"Ah this..."

"Alright, that's enough. Don't worry about the rest, I'll handle it... Go to sleep and relax. Tomorrow, get to school properly, or I'll beat up anyone who's late."

Li pushed aside the crowd surrounding him and walked towards Yin.

This time, however, the others didn't listen to him; instead, they grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey boss, this is your problem... You didn't tell us about such a big thing, making it seem like we can't help you at all."

"...You'd better not get involved."

Li Tou glanced at them with a rather stern and fierce look, his words carrying a hint of threat.

"This is not something you should be involved in..."

"Look at what you're saying, boss... We all live under the same roof, what can't we help each other with?"

One of them said with a smile, and at the same time turned his head to call out to the others.

"Brothers! We can't listen to the boss this time! Let's all rebel against him! If we don't help him, the record player will become his personal property!"

"Rebellion! Rebellion! Charge, everyone!"

As they spoke, a group of people rushed forward and pinned Li to the ground, while another group took out their terminals and began contacting their families.

"I'm sorry, boss, but the boss really went too far this time... It's not like we can't help at all. Our families are somewhat... well, we have a bit of influence, so we can help out a little."

The person who spoke first about "rebellion" gestured to the terminal in his hand towards Yin, who was sitting on the sofa and hadn't moved much, and said half-jokingly.

"After all... if you break someone else's things, you always have to pay for them, right?"

"...Yes, you are right."

Yin remained silent for a moment, then glanced at them whispering among themselves while holding their terminals, nodded, and offered no objection.

"You bunch of little brats...you've really gone against the natural order...Get out of my way! I won't stop you!"

"Ha ha……"

Amidst laughter and jokes, everyone pulled Li back up from the ground.

"You can help if you want, but... don't leave any evidence against us, and don't go too far."

"Boss, what level of 'excessive' do you mean?"

"Don't worry about that, I'll handle this part myself."

Li squinted, lightly brushed off non-existent dust from his body, and said softly.

"After all... no one knows better than us how to handle this."

…………

………………