Chapter 112: The Aggressive Sweaty Steed Treasure Boots

Tang Chen and Ha De left that small restaurant. Tang Chen thought it was a real loss; he seemed to have eaten nothing at all yet left two hundred bucks there. Thankfully, he had a lot of money and didn’t care much, but he hoped the Boss didn’t think of him as a sucker.

Tang Chen walked the whole way with a dark face, silent. He was pretty disappointed in Ha De. He originally thought Ha De was a real man for saying those words, but he didn’t expect him to be too afraid to even hit a person. Seems he had overestimated Ha De.

“Tang Chen, where are we going?” Ha De could also sense the tense atmosphere and spoke cautiously. Actually, he wasn’t cowardly. It was just that in the mindset he grew up with, the idea of starting a fight or beating people up didn’t exist. Asking him to attack Jiang Zhilong like Tang Chen did was genuinely impossible for him.

“Let’s find a place to rest first. It’s still early. We’ll wait to see what news comes from your parents.” Though Tang Chen was reluctant to reply, he still said it and found a small inn with Ha De to stay in.

Under the innkeeper’s knowing glance, Tang Chen and Ha De entered the room. Tang Chen leaned on the bed, deep in thought, while Ha De, seeing his silence, didn’t dare to speak either.

Meanwhile, in the city center hospital, a grim-faced middle-aged man sat by Madame Ha’s bedside. This man was Ha De’s father, Governor Ha.

Governor Ha was known for his integrity; no rumors of bribery or any other scandals surfaced during his term. He was quite respected among the citizens.

But he had one persistent worry that weighed on his mind: his wife, who behaved like a shrew. Governor Ha’s marriage to Madame Ha was hardly voluntary. When Governor Ha was young and still a low-level government clerk, working diligently, the Provincial Governor back then was Madame Ha’s father – Ha De’s maternal grandfather.

Somehow, Madame Ha met Governor Ha and fell head over heels for him at first sight. She immediately pursued him aggressively. However, Governor Ha was engaged to someone else at the time, so he decisively rejected Madame Ha.

Needless to say, Madame Ha, raised spoiled and privileged, was devastated and furious after being rejected. Think about it – she was the Provincial Governor’s daughter, a major official’s kid! Yet she got rejected by a mere clerk. How could she show her face if this got out?

Cunning and ruthless, she drugged Governor Ha at a party one time. After he passed out, she forced herself on him, took pictures, and sent them to Governor Ha’s fiancée. Unable to bear the shock, his fiancée immediately committed suicide by jumping off a building. Waking up to learn the truth also left Governor Ha utterly heartbroken.

What happened next wasn’t overly dramatic. Under pressure from Madame Ha and her father, the Governor at the time, he eventually gave in and married the Provincial Governor’s daughter. Outwardly, it brought glory to his ancestors, but only Governor Ha himself knew the truth. Every time he saw this woman sleeping beside him, he nearly choked her to death!

As the years passed, Governor Ha poured all his energy into raising Ha De. Ha De was quite promising, which became his sole source of comfort in this loveless household.

“Husband, you must rescue our son from that man who hit me! And you absolutely need to punish Chen Mingdi properly! Watching me get hit without interfering, damn him!” Madame Ha cursed angrily, as if nothing serious had happened to her.

Governor Ha said helplessly, “That’s enough. Stop it already. Don’t blame everything on others. Aren’t you faultless yourself?”

Madame Ha flew into a rage. “What fault do I have? That’s my son! What did I do wrong trying to save him? Ha Weimin! All you care about every day is your official business! Have you ever cared for your son? He is your flesh and blood! You don’t give a damn about him! Don’t think I don’t know! You avoid coming home using ‘meetings’ as an excuse? Actually, you’re off keeping a mistress, aren’t you?”

“Shut up!” Governor Ha also lost his temper, shouting angrily. “You say I don’t care? What about you? How do you show you care? I sent our son abroad to study abroad to gain knowledge, but you! Worried he’d be tired? Not only did you send him huge amounts of money every month, you had him come back to study at home! Not just that! You gamble away the family money every day! Do you really think I don’t know? Want to rescue our son? If you used a bit of brains, would our son have been snatched back right after escaping the tiger’s den? A doting parent ruins the child!”

Madame Ha pounded her fists in fury. “Ha Weimin! Now that you’re the Provincial Governor, you look down on us mother and son, don’t you? Don’t forget! When you were just a little clerk, if I hadn’t fancied you, could you have flown up the branch and turned into a phoenix? If my father hadn’t backed you as the retired Governor, you’d be nothing! A mangy cur!”

“Enough! You bitch!”

Smack!

Governor Ha slapped Madame Ha hard across the face. Her dredging up the past made him remember the fiancée whose death he caused! The pain stabbed his heart fresh.

“You hit me! Ha Weimin! You dare hit me!”

“Shut the hell up!” Governor Ha finally swore. Faced with an unreasonable shrew like this, no amount of good breeding could hold back.

“I’ll find a way about our son. If you keep spouting that vile nonsense, I’ll expose all the dirty deeds your father did over the years! We can all go down together!” Governor Ha said viciously, then pushed the door open and stormed out, slamming it shut behind him.

Madame Ha couldn’t help but burst into loud wails, her noblewoman aura completely gone.

Back at the inn, Tang Chen and Ha De had already gone out. Tang Chen simply couldn’t stand the awkward atmosphere of two grown men sharing a room. He wasn’t into that kind of thing, so getting out promptly was best.

Walking down the street, Tang Chen ignored Ha De. Ha De wisely kept quiet. Just then, the System spoke in Tang Chen’s mind: “Esteemed Host, do you wish to receive the Sweaty Steed Treasure Boots reward now?”

Tang Chen curled his lip. “You idiot! How can I accept it with this guy tagging along? Damn it! Do you want him to see me pull some ridiculous Sweaty Steed Treasure Boot out of my pocket?”

The System didn’t reply. It sensed the Host’s mind wasn’t quite right today, like he’d swallowed gunpowder.

“Hey, System,” Tang Chen continued, “what exactly is this ‘Horse Sweat Treasure Boot’? Don’t tell me it’s just a pair of elevator shoes. Otherwise, I swear I’ll fight you to the death!” The more he thought about it, the more familiar the name sounded. Suddenly, he remembered – wasn’t this those ten-centimeter elevator shoes sold online?

System: “Esteemed Host, you overthink. Even if you feel this System is unreliable, it won’t explain at length. Fairness is in the people’s minds. You will understand after seeing the style and demonstration video of the Sweaty Steed Treasure Boots below.”

Tang Chen uttered a noncommittal “Oh.” A massive LED screen appeared before him. A young woman wearing only traditional underwear walked over and said in a sugary voice, “Esteemed Host, I am Xiao Qi, the spokesperson for the Sweaty Steed Treasure Boots. I will now demonstrate their usage for you.”

Tang Chen found it utterly ridiculous. Damn, even boots have a spokesperson? He increasingly felt the System was just doing sales pitches.

Xiao Qi continued with her charming smile, enthusiastically bringing out a pair of blue high-top boots. “See? This is the first-generation Sweaty Steed Treasure Boot! While it looks identical to ordinary human snow boots at first glance, upon closer inspection, you’ll notice – this boot shines brighter! It looks more dazzling! Sleeker! It has THREE built-in features: MP3, MP4, MP5! Operates constantly 24/7! Inside the boot is a liquid gold insole! The advantage? Sweat absorption! No matter how stinky your feet are, once you wear the Sweaty Steed Treasure Boots, I guarantee they’ll be odor-free! Plus, the bootlaces are adorned with three-carat diamonds! Truly an upscale, grand look! But all this is mere decoration! The MOST crucial part… is its function!”

Tang Chen’s mouth twitched involuntarily. “You messing with me?” He thought if Xiao Qi’s chest weren’t so ample, he’d drag her out right then and beat her to death. “What the actual hell? My time is precious! I have things to do! I’m not here for some infomercial! If it’s all just decoration, why even mention the crap?”