Ch 4: Those who wronged me are now begging me for mercy

Anger Hurts the Liver, Late Nights Cause Baldness

The loan shark was genuinely losing his mind over Rong Ziyin.

In the world of private lending, you have to have some solid backing to operate. He had managed to build a big business thanks to a well-connected young master. Over the years, he had made a name for himself. Forget about dealing with a poor student like Rong Ziyin—even when facing tough opponents, he had never been so humiliated.

From the moment he set the trap, things had been tough. When he tried to close the net, Rong Ziyin almost slipped away, leaving him in a mess.

Now, all he could do was send threatening text messages, which was already frustrating enough. But he never expected Rong Ziyin to go out of his way to provoke and mock him.

The more he thought about it, the more he fumed. He grabbed his phone, ready to call and unleash his anger.

Owing 200,000, and the first payment is sixty yuan, split into two installments? Who does this guy think he is?

But a friend nearby patted him on the shoulder, “Calm down. Who do you think you’re gonna kill?”

“That damn student! I swear I’m cursing his ancestors!”

“Take it easy,” the friend quickly pulled him back. “This guy’s got nothing to lose. Last time, when things blew up and went to the police and the courts, your higher-ups almost had you shut down. Do you really want to stir up more trouble?”

“I’m his damn creditor! He should be calling me Daddy!”

“Yeah, right! If it weren’t for that young master pulling some strings and finding you a good lawyer, the guy could’ve sued you for extortion, and you wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on. You’d be sitting in a cell right now.”

The friend’s blunt words were harsh but true. The loan shark listened and quickly calmed down, setting the beer bottle down.

Seeing this, the friend guided him back to his seat and poured him another drink to help him cool off.

This friend was also in the same business, which is why he understood that Rong Ziyin was a tough nut to crack. It wasn’t just the loan shark who had it rough—his higher-up, the young master, wasn’t doing well either after the incident.

It was purely by coincidence that this young master happened to be in the same dormitory as Rong Ziyin. Their academic performances were worlds apart, which only fueled the young master’s disdain for Rong Ziyin, who was favored by the professors for being a top student. The young master was always looking for ways to stir up trouble for him.

During the first three years of university, the young master rallied the rest of the dorm against Rong Ziyin, but Rong Ziyin never took the bait. Later, when Rong Ziyin joined his professor’s research team, he practically lived in the lab, making it impossible for the young master to get at him. The young master’s resentment simmered throughout their junior year, only intensifying his dislike for Rong Ziyin.

Then came the matter of the guaranteed graduate school placement. The veterinary department only had one spot, and Rong Ziyin, being top of the class and having been involved in research since his sophomore year, was the clear candidate. The young master, despite having no real need for the spot given his wealthy background, became determined to fight for it just to spite Rong Ziyin.

Unable to compete academically, the young master resorted to tarnishing Rong Ziyin’s reputation, ultimately framing him and saddling him with a 200,000 yuan debt. However, against all odds, Rong Ziyin managed to claw his way out of the mess, though he couldn’t fully clear his name. In the end, neither of them got the coveted spot, and the young master ended up taking a significant hit.

Had Rong Ziyin been disqualified, the young master only needed to finish in the top five of his class at the end of junior year to secure the spot. But somehow, Rong Ziyin managed to get the young master caught cheating during the exams, leading to a full investigation into his history, including allegations of hiring others to take his English proficiency tests. He almost got expelled and was even punished by his family when he returned home. This deepened the feud between them, with the young master now fixated on making Rong Ziyin’s life hell over the 200,000 yuan debt.

Despite his intense desire to ruin Rong Ziyin, the loan shark knew better than to call him directly. Rong Ziyin was meticulous, always able to find the smallest loopholes in any confrontation, which made the loan shark cautious about saying anything that could be used against him, even avoiding insults.

Holding his phone, the loan shark sat back down and took a sip of his beer, the cold liquid soothing his earlier rage. But every time he thought about those two 30-yuan payments, he felt utterly humiliated.

Meanwhile, Rong Ziyin, after finishing up with his culture plates, washed his hands, changed out of his lab coat, and prepared to go to bed.

Seeing how relaxed Rong Ziyin was, the system couldn’t help but sigh again, “When are you ever going to pay off this debt?”

Rong Ziyin smiled, “Don’t worry. It might be sooner than you think.”

He habitually checked his coin balance—4,700, with the bulk coming from the veterinarian who framed him and the loan shark. He was only 300 coins short of 5,000, enough for a five-spin draw. Given his poor luck, he decided against single draws, figuring he might as well wait.

Considering his long-term prospects, Rong Ziyin decided it wouldn’t be wise to keep relying on the same sources for coins. So, he called the night-shift vet at the neighboring village’s animal station.

“Hello?” Wang Dazhuang, overwhelmed amidst a noisy background of chickens, ducks, and geese awaiting inspection, answered the phone. He was clearly exhausted.

Rong Ziyin remained silent for a moment before saying, “Get some rest.” Then he hung up.

Wang Dazhuang: ???

That instant, Wang Dazhuang’s frustration value shot up by 1,000, just enough for the five-spin draw.

Rong Ziyin happily activated the five-spin draw and even prepared a basket, clearly expecting more salted duck eggs.

The system, somewhat resigned, didn’t expect much. But to its surprise, the normally dull gray wheel suddenly lit up. After four salted duck eggs, an enormous “SSR” appeared in the center of the wheel!

At the same time, a grand door materialized in front of Rong Ziyin, its ancient design contrasting sharply with the playful wink of an eye and a microphone etched at the center.

From any angle, it looked far from serious.

System: What the heck is this?

Rong Ziyin opened it and fell silent.

SSR Skill: Thunderstrike—Celestial cultivation power

Why does a flat instruction manual suddenly have sound?

Rong Ziyin’s head was instantly filled with the booming rhythm of a rap anthem, leaving the system speechless for a long moment.

However, upon examining the skill description, it turned out to be quite useful. It significantly enhanced Rong Ziyin’s veterinary knowledge and granted him a unique ability that not only improved his diagnostic skills but also accelerated the recovery rate of any animal he treated.

But how much faster?

The vagueness of the description bothered Rong Ziyin. Just then, there was a loud knock at the door.

“Dr. Rong, Dr. Rong, are you home?”

“Who’s there?” Rong Ziyin opened the door to find a dirt-covered teenager standing outside. The moment he saw Rong, the boy grabbed him, pulling him along urgently.

“Dr. Rong, please help! There’s trouble at my house.” The boy, despite his fear, quickly explained the situation.

His family was one of the village’s major pig farmers, and they had a particularly strong boar used for breeding. Nowadays, artificial insemination was common, so although the family owned nearly twenty pigs, just two boars were enough to impregnate all the sows. Everything had been fine until that night when the boar went into heat. Not only did it escape during a collection attempt, but it also injured someone.

“When I left, my dad was already down and couldn’t move. The boar was tied up by our neighbors, but it’s still struggling like crazy. We can’t keep it restrained.”

“Dr. Rong, please come take a look.”

The boy was clearly terrified, dragging Rong Ziyin along as he ran home.

Rong Ziyin stumbled but managed to grab his medical kit before being pulled out the door, not even having time to change clothes.

When they arrived, a crowd had already gathered around, and there was even a tractor ready to transport the injured man to the county hospital.

“Dad, Mom, I brought Dr. Rong!” The boy’s shout instantly quieted the chaotic scene.

Embarrassment Level: +300

Rong Ziyin glanced around and immediately understood why.

They were in the process of loading the boy’s father onto the tractor. The man was bleeding from his abdomen, and his left leg was twisted in an unnatural position, clearly unable to move.

The boy froze for a moment and then realized his mistake. His parents had originally asked him to fetch the village clinic doctor, but being a bit of a literal-minded kid, he heard “doctor” and went straight to find Rong Ziyin, who was actually a veterinarian.

Seeing that the man was still bleeding and with a potentially broken leg, it was clear they couldn’t just wait around. Even with the tractor ride to the county hospital, the man might not make it without losing a lot of blood.

So, Rong Ziyin stepped forward and took over the emergency care.

The wound on the abdomen looked bad, but it wasn’t deep. After cleaning and stopping the bleeding, Rong focused on the leg, which appeared more serious. After a quick examination, he realized it wasn’t a full fracture, just a bone crack. He stabilized it enough for the man to endure the bumpy ride, and then told them to hurry to the county hospital.

“Hey! It really doesn’t hurt as much now! Our young Dr. Rong is amazing, a true scholar,” the man said, his face much less pale as he quickly thanked Rong Ziyin. The gratitude earned Rong a solid 1,000 points in his system.

An honest man indeed.

“Head to the town hospital, and take it slow,” Rong Ziyin said as he sent them off, shouldering his medical kit and preparing to head back home.

As he passed the pigsty, the tied-up boar was still grunting, its overhead caption reading, “Let me go, I want a lady.”

System: Tsk! Scoundrel.

Rong Ziyin: No worries, they’ll probably bring it to me for castration tomorrow.

Whoa! Just like that? The system was stunned, while Rong Ziyin calmly explained.

Raising boars for breeding wasn’t easy. To keep them healthy, they needed regular exercise, at least two hours a day, and a carefully managed diet to maintain their reproductive drive. It was as challenging as caring for a sow after giving birth.

Because of this, large-scale breeders were particular about the temperament of their boars. Aggressive boars that hurt people were usually culled. With the owner going to the hospital tonight, he would likely return by morning or, at most, after a few days. Left with just his wife and son at home, the man would probably decide to have the boar castrated the next day to prevent any further incidents.

“So, you’re going to cut off its… you know?” The system suddenly felt a chill down its non-existent spine.

Rong Ziyin: Do systems have genders?

The system was speechless, feeling deeply wounded and deciding to “break up” with Rong Ziyin for half an hour. However, if Rong Ziyin were to coax it, the system might consider ending the cold war early.

But as a straight guy, Rong Ziyin didn’t pick up on this subtle mood, and even after the half-hour silent treatment ended, he still didn’t try to make amends. The system only felt more like a fool.

As for Rong Ziyin himself, he peacefully settled into bed after a shower, ready to sleep.

Although he spent a couple of hours out late, the rewards were significant.

Not only did he help someone, but he also earned over 3,000 gratitude points from the entire pig farming family. And the points kept trickling in, tens and hundreds at a time.

Clearly, they were all good people, unlike that petty loan shark.

Just as this thought crossed Rong Ziyin’s mind, the system notified him of another 200 anger points from the loan shark.

So the loan shark was still angry?

Rong Ziyin thought for a moment and decided to send the loan shark a message.

“Anger damages your liver, and staying up late causes hair loss. Get some sleep; I promise I’ll pay you back.”

After sending the message, Rong Ziyin felt like something was missing, so he sent another one: “Brother, I didn’t realize you’re such a sentimental guy.”

Satisfied, he turned off his phone and closed his eyes.

Five minutes later, as the system watched the points skyrocket by 3,000, it suddenly had an odd thought: Was Rong Ziyin planning to annoy the loan shark to death?

Though not the traditional method, it was indeed an alternative approach to the task. After all, the loan shark issue was a trap set for Rong Ziyin from the start.

Later that night, Rong Ziyin slept soundly, but both the hospital and the loan shark had a rough time.

The situation at the county hospital was quite unusual.

The pig farmer, who initially couldn’t move his leg at all, found that after Rong Ziyin’s first aid and splinting, he barely felt injured. By the time they arrived at the county hospital, he was even able to hobble in on one leg.

The doctors at the county hospital, after examining him, were similarly puzzled.

The X-rays showed it was just a bone crack, which could heal with rest and medication. As for the rest… Rong Ziyin had done such a good job that the doctors didn’t need to do much more.

They simply advised, “Just have the dressing changed by your village doctor. No need to make the trip to the county hospital again; the journey could worsen the injury.”

After hearing this, the pig farmer and his wife, along with their neighbor, all looked a bit embarrassed.

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