Chapter 2136 Giving Too Much

Honestly, before Ye Ye received the list, his mind was a tangled mess, completely lost. He couldn't imagine how the Ning family would compensate him. After all, in his mind, how could a powerful family like the Ning family, with deep roots and immense influence in China, care about an insignificant person like him?

Not to mention that he'd also clashed with the Ning family this time. Logically, they'd be merciful if they didn't take advantage of this opportunity to give him a good beating, or wait until after the incident to harass him and settle the score. How could they possibly compensate him? This was simply a fantasy, a pipe dream!

However, reality always catches people off guard. When Ye Ye actually got the list, he was shocked to realize how naive he had been. The Ning family's attitude was surprisingly friendly, which was completely beyond his expectations.

When Ye Ye saw Lu Ming and learned of his purpose and that he was from the Ning family, his first reaction was that Lu Ming must have recognized him, and that was why he had come to help him resolve this matter. After all, with the Ning family's strength, settling such a matter would be a piece of cake.

However, as Lu Ming continued to describe the situation, Ye Ye's doubts grew deeper and deeper. He began to feel that things were not as simple as they seemed, and that there seemed to be some hidden secrets that he was unaware of.

Although it was called compensation, Ye Ye secretly thought that this might not be true compensation, but rather a strategy adopted by the Ning family to avoid provoking Cui Yingying, Li Lingzhi, and Tian Qi. After all, a super family like the Ning family must have extensive and in-depth intelligence sources, so obtaining this information should not be difficult for them.

However, when Ye Ye actually saw the list, his eyes briefly lost focus. The items listed there, both in rarity and value, far exceeded his imagination. Even the usually calm system seemed to be stunned into silence at this moment.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment. Neither Ye Ye nor the system spoke. Only the list lay there quietly, emitting a jaw-dropping light. After a long while, the system broke the silence in Ye Ye's mind and uttered an exclamation.

"Ding! During the days I was away, did you become a son-in-law of the Ning family?"

Although the system's words were somewhat teasing, they also revealed a certain seriousness. After all, the compensation offered by the Ning family was so exaggerated that one couldn't help but wonder if Ye Ye had truly become the Ning family's son-in-law.

This A4-sized list looked ordinary, even a little crude. It wasn't filled with densely packed information, just a few lines of text. However, even these seemingly simple lines dazzled Liu Zhuangshi, Lu Yue, and Ye Ye himself.

The list wasn't long, just three lines. Each line listed compensation for Ye Ye, three items in total. The first was simply compensation in star coins. This figure didn't seem like much, only a mere 100,000. 100,000 star coins might be a considerable fortune for the average person, but for someone like Ye Ye, it was likely a drop in the bucket.

To be honest, this amount is indeed not small. Even in the core areas like Ningfu District or Guangming District, you may not be able to buy a house or a car. But for an ordinary family of three, this amount of money is enough for them to live comfortably for a year. Moreover, this is the most normal item on the entire list, and it is also the only one.

The item makes people feel like a compensation project given by the Ning family casually.

However, starting with the second item, things got a little outrageous.

"The Ning family actually has a starship docked here?"

Ye Ye was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth. He swallowed hard, then turned to look at Lu Yue and asked with a suspicious look on his face.

Hearing Ye Ye's question, Lu Yue was also dumbfounded. He smacked his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but was speechless for a moment. After a long while, he came to his senses and stammered out a reply.

"Should... should have... After all, the Ning family is so powerful, it's normal for them to have several fleets of their own..."

Lu Yue's voice gradually faded, becoming almost inaudible. Even he felt his explanation was a bit far-fetched, because the second compensation was truly astonishing—a battleship-class cruiser! It would be docked at the Ning family's starship dock on Morning Star. After the transfer, it would belong entirely to Ye Ye!

This should be what Lu Ming said he could only get before Ye Ye's freshman assessment...

This type of starship is the absolute mainstay of interstellar warfare, its construction and maintenance costs staggeringly high, making it unaffordable for ordinary powers or nations. Compared to motherships, which are decisive but consuming behemoths, cruisers are the core force of interstellar warfare. With sufficient logistical supplies, this class of starship can traverse the vast universe with near-unlimited freedom.

The cost of building a battleship like this was beyond imagination. Even a powerful fleet like China's Fifth Fleet only had two battlecruisers of this level. In comparison, the frigate Lu Yue received from the Supreme Starship Inspector was nothing compared to the other. The two were completely on a different level.

Moreover, among some small and medium-sized races in the universe, cruisers of this level are usually used as motherships and are the absolute core of a fleet. Now, the Ning family actually gave such a cruiser to Ye Ye so easily, which is really unbelievable.

Is this compensation for the quarrel between the two kids?

"Damn! I take back what I said. How can a son-in-law let the Ning family send such gifts? You have to be careful, there must be something fishy going on here."

Suddenly, the system's voice sounded like thunder in Ye Ye's mind, pulling him back to reality from his temporary distraction.

Ye Ye's heart tightened, and he realized that things might not be as simple as they seemed.

"what do you mean?"

He asked anxiously in his mind.

"Ding! I can sense that there are people like me in the Ning family, so maybe it can also sense my presence."

There was a hint of solemnity in the system's voice.

"Perhaps the Ning family has already set their sights on you. This is incredibly unusual. They seem to know what you need most. If they give you a cruiser like this, you don't even need to risk traveling back to the Milky Way via a warp station. You can just drive your starship directly there. Once you start warp speed, no one will be able to detect you."

Ye Ye's brow furrowed as he began to reconsider this so-called "compensation." A cruiser—it was indeed a huge temptation for him. With it, he could easily cross the interstellar space and return to the Milky Way. However, the system's warning made him doubt this seemingly generous gift.

"Then what about the third compensation..."

There was a hint of hesitation in Ye Ye's voice. He didn't know whether there was more conspiracy behind this compensation.

Ye Ye's eyes were fixed on the list in front of him, especially the brief text of the third item of compensation. His hands began to tremble slightly.

"Ninety-nine years of management rights for the second planet?"

He couldn't help but mutter to himself, his voice revealing incredible shock.

If a cruiser already made Ye Ye feel a little scalp-tingling, then the ninety-nine-year management rights of this planet were simply a powerful blockbuster bomb that completely confused his mind.

Ye Ye slowly raised his head and looked at Lu Yue, his eyes full of doubt and questioning. Lu Yue seemed to notice Ye Ye's gaze. He silently took out his computer, quickly searched for some relevant information, and then began to explain.

"I just checked, and China only has administrative rights over a dozen or so constellations. However, among these twenty or so constellations, there are several very special exceptions, including constellation number two. It is solely managed by the Ning family, and this management authority has been passed down for seven or eight hundred years. You can think of it as a selfless help given to China by those 'star-opening heroes' after they helped China gain a foothold on the Morning Star, just like the 'fiefdom' of ancient times."

"Planet No. 2 isn't far from Venus. Using a conventional shuttle's speed, it only takes two hours to reach. Furthermore, this planet is a resource-rich planet with exceptionally developed mining and energy industries. Although mining operations are nearing completion, the annual revenue generated is still staggering."

After reading this text, Ye Ye couldn't help but let out a long sigh and thought to himself.

"What is going on? What exactly does the Ning family want to do?"

Seeing this, Lu Yue on the side looked at Ye Ye cautiously and asked softly.

"Brother Ye, what do you think we should do? Are you really going to accept these things?"

There was a hint of worry in his tone; after all, the items on this list were quite tricky.

Ye Ye thought for a moment and answered without hesitation.

"Take it! Since it's already been delivered to my door, why not take it? It's just a broken ship and a planet with depleted resources. What's the big deal? If it really doesn't work out, I can entrust Li Lingzhi or Cui Yingying to help me manage it. With their status and position, once they take over, will the Ning family dare to cheat?"

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Ye Ye's eyes. How could he not eat something that was in his hands?

No matter whether the Ning family has any ideas about the system, if the Ning family wants to fish, he must let the Ning family know what it means to throw a meat bun at a dog!

Before Ye Ye could fully recover from what had just happened, Lu Ming had already quickly returned to the Ning family. He walked briskly to a house in the Ning family's main residence and gently knocked on the slightly old door.

"Bang bang bang."

The knock on the door seemed a little abrupt in the quiet courtyard. A moment later, the door slowly opened, revealing Ning Xiangtong. She stood at the doorway, her eyes fixed on Lu Ming, as if awaiting his arrival.

"Is everything done?"

Ning Xiangtong looked at Lu Ming who walked into the house and asked softly.

Lu Ming nodded, a trace of fatigue on his face. He answered as he walked into the room.

"It's done..."

Wu Yuan, who had been sitting nearby, saw this and quickly stood up. She carefully picked up the sleeping baby girl next to her and gently placed her in the crib, then turned and quickly walked back to the living room.

Lu Ming walked over to the tea table and slowly sat down, facing Ning Xiangtong. He picked up a cup of brewed tea, took a sip, then set it down and sighed.

"Isn't that too much? This guy isn't an honest man, and without knowing the relationship, he might just sell the star... He has connections with both the Li and Tian families."

Ning Xiangtong's face flickered with a strange expression after hearing Lu Ming's words. She frowned and asked in confusion.

"Sold it? He wouldn't be such a spendthrift, would he?"

"..."

Lu Ming remained silent, staring at Ning Xiangtong with a deep and slightly resentful look, which seemed to be questioning.

Don’t you know what your son is like?

"Uh...ahem..."

Ning Xiangtong cleared her throat awkwardly and explained.

"I'm worried he's short on money... and I've noticed the output of the Second Element Star is decreasing year by year. I estimate it will be completely mined in a dozen years. So just give it to him. It'll be his sooner or later anyway."

However, Wu Yuan on the side suddenly interrupted.

"Then you might as well give him some more star coins..."

"Give me some more star coins?"

Ning Xiangtong's voice suddenly rose an octave, as if someone had stepped on her tail.

"Is one hundred thousand star coins not enough?!"

Her emotions instantly became excited.

"When he was in school, his monthly living expenses were only 300 yuan, and I don't know how much his father deducted from him! But didn't he live happily every day?"

Ning Xiangtong's words were full of dissatisfaction and complaints.

"Isn't it enough to give him 100,000 yuan at once now?"

She continued, her tone revealing her doubts about the amount of money. If that were the case, then one hundred thousand star coins really didn't seem like a small sum.

"What if he becomes a bad person? What if he develops a gambling habit?"

Wu Yuan and Lu Ming held their foreheads helplessly, clearly speechless at Ning Xiangtong's concerns. What kind of perverse theories were these...

The starship element has already been given, so what's the big deal about just giving 100,000 star coins in cash... Wu Yuan muttered to herself. She felt that Ning Xiangtong's ideas were too conservative and narrow-minded.

In fact, the key to this is Ye Ye's slow reaction. If he had been more perceptive, he might have been able to associate something with the list when he saw it. After all, this behavior is almost identical to the behavior of Ning Xiangtong and Ye Min when he was growing up.

With only a few hundred yuan in pocket money a month, he could buy tens of millions of yuan worth of real estate without hesitation...