"Knock, knock, knock..." There was silence outside the door for a second, followed by louder knocks and sharp curses, "Xie Sen, are you so bold? You dare to slam the door in front of us!"
Xie Sen turned around and was about to go back to the room, but he stopped when he heard his name. Did he know him?
He thought for a moment, then reopened the door. Ignoring the two men's scowls, he politely asked, "Excuse me, who are you?"
"You're asking who we are?" the short, middle-aged man's voice rose even higher. "My son and daughter-in-law raised you. Now they're gone, and you're pretending not to recognize us, aren't you?"
He pointed at Xie Sen and cursed, "I knew you'd be an ungrateful person. I'd have killed myself to stop them from adopting you. You pretended to be a filial child while they were around, but now your true colors are showing!"
Without catching his breath, he changed the subject, "You acted so well for the past two years. Is it because you're about to graduate and have become more influential that you don't care about us anymore?"
He pointed at Xie Sen and turned his hand from Xie Sen to the inside of the house. "Do you know whose house you're living in now? Now that you've become more influential, move out immediately. We have no responsibility to support you any longer."
Xie Sen felt like covering his ears at the sharp curse. Now that he knew their identities and was now occupying the body of his previous incarnation, he forced himself to listen quietly.
His previous incarnation's notes mentioned his grandfather and grandfather, but only briefly.
"Grandfather and Grandpa don't seem to like me."
"Dad and Grandpa had a fight because of me. I blame myself. How can I make Grandfather and Grandpa like me? I will be very good."
Xie Sen looked at the two of them expressionlessly, stepping back to make room for the door. "Please come in. Let's sit down and talk."
Xie's father and Xie's father looked at each other, surprise in their eyes. Why did this ungrateful person seem different from before?
The three of them sat in the living room, and Xie Sen poured them tea. "Sorry, I just woke up and am a little confused. What are you here for today?"
Xie's father cleared his throat and said seriously, "Your adoptive father and his family have been dead for three years. We have been so heartbroken over the past few years that we haven't fully counted their property. Now that you are an adult, we need to do a thorough accounting."
Xie Sen thought about the balance in his predecessor's account, and his mouth curled up slightly. "Father didn't leave me any property."
"I know they don't have much savings," Xie's father said. "The financial aspect was accounted for three years ago. I'm not talking about savings."
Because of Xie's father's previous words, Xie Sen had a rough idea in his mind that they were probably here for the house.
Xie Sen pointed at the ceiling: "Is it a house?" He had a bad impression of the two people, but the house belonged to their son, and they deserved it. After all, he was not the real predecessor.
What's more, he had just made some money and was not too worried: "I can move out."
Xie's father was even more surprised. Xie's father looked much better: "You are quite sensible. You have lived here until you come of age. We have fulfilled our responsibilities."
Xie Sen thought that the matter would be resolved so easily, so he stood up and said, "I'll go pack my luggage."
However, things turned out to be beyond his expectations. Xie's father said, "Wait, there is one more thing."
Xie Sen sat down again, thinking and thinking, but he couldn't think of any valuable things in his previous life. He wondered: "The shuttle?"
"That's the half-adult gift your father gave you. It's yours," Xie's father said, looking at Xie Sen sharply, "Don't hide it now. Did your father and his men leave any good things at home before they went out for the last inspection?"
Xie Sen was confused: "No."
"Liar!" Xie's father glared at him, "Now the whole Star City knows it, and you still want to lie to us?"
Xie Sen was confused and resisted the urge to roll his eyes: "What are you talking about?"
"The chili pepper tree," Xie's father said gravely. "The video of you and your classmates sparring was posted online. Plant experts have pointed out that the plant you used to attack is the chili pepper tree, an extinct edible plant from Brant."
Xie's father then said, "Of course, this must have been brought back by my son and his team from their expedition. It's an inestimable treasure!"
Xie Sen was stunned. He had never imagined they'd set their sights on the chili pepper tree.
"That wasn't brought back from their expedition," Xie Sen explained. "Edible plants grow in the ground and have no offensive power."
Xie's father's face darkened. "Are you saying you don't want to give it away?"
Xie Sen was speechless. "I wouldn't take something that's yours, and I wouldn't give something that's mine."
"How shameless! What do you mean by yours? If it weren't for you, my relationship with my son wouldn't be so distant. If we were closer, why would they have left the chili pepper tree with you?" Xie's father scolded him with a sullen expression.
Xie Sen looked at him helplessly. He was clearly stubbornly convinced that the chili pepper tree was brought back by his predecessor's adoptive father and his team.
"I told you, the chili tree is mine, not something they brought back from the expedition. They are researchers at the Botanical Research Institute, and every time they conduct an expedition, they are accompanied by fellow researchers. Even if they discover a new species, they would bring it to the institute and not bring it back privately." Xie Sen said patiently.
"Hmph, don't try to fool me. Do you think I don't know that they both like to run around during their holidays? I think they got the chili tree by accident during their holidays." Xie's father was very persistent.
Seeing his attitude, Xie Sen knew that it would be useless to say more, so he stood up and said, "I will move out as soon as possible. The chili tree is mine. If you don't believe me, you can ask someone to investigate."
"Do you think I dare not?" Xie's father looked grim. "If you take it out obediently, I can give you some living expenses. It would be bad if the matter got out of hand. As an adopted son, if you fight with your elders for property after your adoptive father's death, it would be your reputation that would be damaged."
"I'm not afraid," Xie Sen shrugged. "What I said is the truth. I don't feel guilty at all."
"Aren't you feeling guilty yet? I think you have a dead pig face. You've been scolded for so long, but you're still fine. You're not afraid of being scolded at all! But have you ever thought about what people will say about your adoptive father and others if the matter gets out of hand? They discovered extinct edible plants but didn't make it public or report it to the institute."
Father Xie said excitedly, "They are role models of the institute. If this gets out, not only will their reputation be ruined, but they will also be talked about, accused and questioned. They have been dead for three years. As an adopted son, how can you bear to see such a thing happen?"
Xie Sen couldn't help but sneer. This was blatant moral kidnapping: "You're right, I can't bear it. They are dedicated researchers and will not conceal any discoveries. The pepper tree in my hand is my own and has nothing to do with them."
Father Xie choked and thought about it carefully, only to realize that he had gotten himself into trouble. He originally wanted to persuade Xie Sen to hand over the pepper tree and not make a big deal out of it. In the end, the pepper tree belonged to Xie Sen so as not to affect his son's reputation.
Xie's father scoffed, "Yours? Where did you get it? You've never been outside of Star City, there's no way you could have gotten the chili tree!"
Xie Sen didn't know how to explain himself, so he mumbled, "This has nothing to do with you. I'm going to pack my bags."
He ignored Xie's father's scolding and hurried to his room. He said he was packing, but he didn't have anything to take. He just packed some clothes in his luggage and left with it.
"Are you unwilling to hand over the chili tree?" Xie's father asked in a deep voice.
"Yes." Xie Sen nodded. It was his, of course he wouldn't hand it over. Besides, the chili tree was in the system, so he couldn't give it away.
"Don't blame me for being rude. I'll contact the relevant authorities to investigate you. I won't let my son's legacy fall into your hands."
Xie Sen waved his hand. "Whatever. Goodbye."
He flew away in his shuttle, pondered for a moment, and parked in the school parking lot. He began to ponder his next move.
How could he explain the existence of the chili pepper tree? As he pondered, he opened his wristband to connect to the Star Network and check the comments on his sparring video.
He immediately saw the top comment, a golden name 'Ma Qun': "It's a miracle! This is a chili pepper tree, an edible spicy plant that's extinct on Brant."
The comments were overwhelming, most of them puzzled: How did a student who had just reached adulthood get his hands on an extinct plant?
Many also questioned: Did Dean Ma make a mistake? Can edible plants attack people?
And of course, there were many foodies asking: What's the spicy taste like? Is it like the spicy taste of stimulating grass? Or something else? Curious!
Xie Sen was watching when his wristband vibrated. He glanced at it. It was an unfamiliar number. Remembering his father's words, he answered, "Hello."
"Hello, I'm Ma Qun from the Botanical Research Institute. Is this Xie Sen?" The voice on the other end was gentle and uncouth.
"Yes," Xie Sen gritted his teeth. This was the man who had identified the chili tree.
"I've seen your sparring video and I'm very interested in the chili tree you used to attack. Can we meet?"
Xie Sen said, "Sorry, I'm busy right now." He hadn't figured out how to explain it yet!
"That's a shame. Here's my contact number. Please contact me immediately when you have time." Ma Qun was very gentlemanly and didn't insist.
Xie Sen's impression of him improved considerably, and he readily agreed.
He hung up the call and continued to browse the comments on Star Network. Soon, he noticed that Ma Qun's most popular comment had dropped to second place, with a new one ranking first.
The commenter was also a golden-colored figure named 'Mu Lin': "Dean Ma is right, this is a miracle, but I don't think everything he said is right. I have a bold guess..."
The comments below exploded: "Oh my god, am I dazzled? The dean of the Contracted Beast Research Institute actually appeared!"
"The so-called most mysterious dean in a golden vest actually appeared!"
"What guess? Just tell me!"
"Dean Mu is still so annoying. He only says half of what he wants to say. Can't he keep people in suspense?"
"Curiosity max, ahhh, Dean Mu, come back soon, what is your guess?"
"Call Dean Mu!" "
..."
The comments below were all copied and pasted, calling out to Dean Mu.
Xie Sen thought to himself that it was no wonder there were so many comments at once. Dean Mu should write a novel. It was too harsh to interrupt the chapters.
He copied and pasted a comment while thinking. He also wanted to know what Dean Mu's guess was!!