Chapter 001: The Brother and Sister in Distress

  In the dead of night, in a damp and gloomy underground room, a voice like a mournful cry echoed: "Does this thing really exist? Five years have passed, and I've finally burst out with it! Hahahaha... Heaven, Old Ma, you've finally opened your eyes!"

  Yue Chuan, who was dancing with joy, accidentally knocked over the bucket of steaming hot instant noodles on his computer desk. He then let out a loud wail in an octave higher than usual, "Damn it! My dinner! My computer!"

  Frantically grabbed something from the bed that was either underwear or socks to wipe it off, but didn't expect a strong flash of light on the computer screen, followed by an ear-shattering explosion.

  Yue Chuan was a true otaku, and after repeatedly hitting a wall in his job search, he ended up becoming a professional gamer in the rented basement. Although the basement didn't see daylight, it had the advantage of being cheap, and by being frugal, the income from games could barely cover expenses. Occasionally, when he had a burst of good luck and got some good equipment, he could even save some money. But with that loud noise, everything changed - Yue Chuan's mind was filled with memories of "Wumengte Lize", in other words, he transmigrated into Wumengte Lize.

  Although Umonto Reze was not a noble son, he was born into a wealthy merchant family. He lost his mother at a young age, but his father, who was good at business, provided him and his siblings with a comfortable material life and good etiquette education. Umonto thought this peaceful life would continue forever, but fate had other plans, and their happy life came to an abrupt end just over a decade ago, followed by endless sorrow and hardship.

  The family's caravan was ambushed by bandits outside, and more than 120 guards, drivers, and servants in the group were killed. When the news arrived, the merchant guild of Starn Castle was in an uproar, because there were also investments from other merchants in the caravan, and the loss of the caravan meant that everyone would lose their investment.

  After Old Reze's death, several of the people in charge held a meeting and divided up the family property, leaving Umonte and his young sister with very little, but all of the debt.

  Those merchants who had once fawned on the Umont brothers and sisters, even flattering them, now brutally took away their shops, houses, furniture, and belongings. The relatives of those who had met with disaster also ran to the Umont brothers and sisters, wailing and crying out in grief, then ransacked the siblings' gifts, bedding, clothes, and even the food on their tables.

  "Brother..."

  A soft voice floated from the house, interrupting Yuechuan's contemplation. It was Umonte's sister and his last relative, Cici Leize.

  She has three points of English spirit from her father and seven points of gentle beauty from her mother. Although she is only twelve years old, she already shows the outline of a beautiful woman. It's not hard to see that when she grows up, she will be a stunning beauty who can topple cities. Unfortunately, she was born blind in both eyes, this single flaw covers all her brilliance, and from small to large, she can only live in seclusion in a small courtyard, the only people she comes into contact with are her father and brother.

  Yue Chuan turned around with difficulty, a sense of guilt arose, after all, Yue Chuan had taken everything from Wumengte, making Xixi change from relying on her brother to being alone and helpless. Although he knew Xixi was blind, he always felt timid in his heart and didn't dare to face her.

  "Brother, is it... no money again?"

  Yue Chuan's emotions were indeed in disarray, but not because of money, rather it was the shock of experiencing life and death and the ups and downs of traversing. After sorting out his memories from two lifetimes, Yue Chuan couldn't help but scold his predecessor, saying that the current predicament was caused by Wu Meng's foolishness and naivety.

  Businessmen take risks and opportunities coexist, it is possible to become rich overnight, but also may lose everything. Those who do business with Lao Leizi have no excuse to "ask for debt". After all, they are shareholders, not lenders. When making a fortune, everyone shares together; when going bankrupt, everyone bears the burden together. Wumengte was young and ignorant, and had not been in contact with the family business, so he didn't understand the ins and outs of it, that's why he was cheated by them.

  Let's talk about family matters. Although Old Leize is gone, there are still several loyal guards and servants in the family. If Wumengte can quickly take control of the situation and stabilize the hearts of the people, the Leize family will suffer some losses, but it won't be completely divided up like now. The reason for this is that Wumengte was flustered and at a loss at the time, which allowed those in charge to take advantage of the situation and use their power to empty out the family's assets.

  As for the guards and drivers of those merchant teams, they were either mercenaries hired with money to risk their lives, or slaves who had signed a contract with the Reze family, serving as oxen for life. Their relatives had no reason to come to Umont to demand compensation. Among them, most were just some rascals pretending to be relatives, trying to make a fortune by muddying the waters.

  What's even more infuriating is that Wumeng doesn't have his father's way of making a living, but instead has a belly full of bad ideas. The brother and sister have no means to make a living, and Wumeng actually set his sights on Xixi.

  Wumeng traded a string of walnut wood carvings for Xixi's wrist platinum diamond cuff, which was worth over 1,000 gold coins and was sold for over 100 gold coins before being seized by the "debt collector". Then there was the eighteen magic pearls strung into a necklace around Xixi's neck, followed by the purple crystal hairpin on Xixi's head. Finally, Xixi wrapped up the long dress with golden and silver silk embroidery featuring beautiful butterfly patterns and put on a coarse linen shirt commonly seen in the streets.

  In Wumeng's mind, anyway, his sister couldn't see anything, and even the most exquisite items were useless, so it was better to exchange them for something practical. So, he was at peace with himself, taking away every item from his sister's body, now Xixi really had nothing left, not even a single thing worth remembering.

  Yuè Chuān carefully recalled Xiǎo Xiǎo's behavior and expression over this period of time. He knew that Xiǎo Xiǎo wasn't the kind of foolish girl who could be easily deceived, on the contrary, she was clever and clear-headed, understanding her brother's actions as clear as day. However, clever as she was, she didn't expose the truth, instead, she cooperated fully, hoping to help her brother get through the difficult situation. What Xiǎo Xiǎo didn't know was that Wū Méng Tè's actions were just like throwing gold bricks into the water, making a loud noise but having no real significance.

  The corners of his mouth curled up in a bitter smile, and Yue Chuan said softly: "Qian Qian, it was my fault before."

  Upon hearing these inexplicable words, Xixi was taken aback at first, then tears uncontrollably rolled down from the corners of her eyes. Two streams of clear tears, one stifled sob.

  "Brother, you're not wrong, it's Xianxian who is useless and can't share your burden, instead adding a lot of trouble for you."

  Yuè Chuān held Xiǎo Xiǎo in his arms, stroking her soft long hair with his palm, and said in a low voice: "Xiǎo Xiǎo... Brother swears that from now on, you will never suffer any more grievances. Brother will work hard to earn money, redeem the family's property, and restore the family's glory."

  Qianqian sobbed audibly, burying her face in tears. The rift that had existed between the siblings for a while dissolved into thin air, and their two hearts came into close contact, as if they could hear each other's heartbeat.

  "Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock......"

  The sudden crash of the door was like a broken gong in a nocturne, and the beautiful atmosphere disappeared instantly.

  "Lei Ze's kid, if you don't open the door for your grandfather, your grandfather will come in by himself."

  With a loud crash, the door panel fell heavily to the ground, and several burly men swaggered into the room.