Chapter 35: Sigh! Money & Capitalism

The morning light carried a cool bluish tint.

Lin Zhiyan sat at the dining table, feeling somewhat at a loss.

It was breakfast time. Two servants stood beside her with their heads lowered, never allowing her to catch their gaze, yet somehow they could accurately sense her every thought. The moment her eyes shifted, someone served her food. If she frowned, a dish was immediately removed. The instant she pressed her lips together, a glass of water at the perfect temperature was presented.

Lin Zhiyan: “…”

No wonder the Celestial Dragons loved making people read their expressions. There really were entire groups of people dedicated to analyzing every little look.

Breakfast ended quickly.

A servant escorted her to a car. Before long, it stopped in front of an exceptionally beautiful villa district.

Confused, Lin Zhiyan looked around.

“This is Mr. Zephy’s residence,” the servant explained.

“Oh.” Lin Zhiyan nodded. “I thought we were going to a hospital.”

“Mr. Zephy has complete medical facilities and specialists at home.”

The servant answered politely.

So basically a private underground clinic, huh?

I should report them for practicing medicine without a license later.

Lin Zhiyan ground her teeth resentfully.

After passing through countless luxurious buildings and layers of security clearance, she finally arrived before a building.

Before she entered, two familiar figures emerged.

As expected, it was the Solent sisters again.

They seemed permanently attached to each other, always appearing as a pair.

Lin Zhiyan couldn’t help thinking that as the sisters noticed her. One smiled warmly, gratitude visible in her eyes. The other stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder.

Looks like this one is the elder Solent.

“Hello,” Lin Zhiyan greeted.

One million.

Lin Zhiyan gazed at the elder Solent eagerly.

Soon, she received a smile.

The elder Solent spoke softly and melodiously. Her hand moved from Lin Zhiyan’s shoulder to her cheek.

Lin Zhiyan felt somewhat uncomfortable, but the woman gently brushed aside the hair along her face and said warmly,

“My child, thank you very much for everything you did last night. I should properly sit down with you and discuss how to repay you. However…”

However?

Crap.

Are they going to back out?!

Lin Zhiyan’s heart skipped a beat.

The elder Solent’s icy gray eyes curved into crescents.

“However, I have many matters to handle today and probably won’t have time. I also don’t want to waste yours. So when I visited Zephy earlier, I already told him that you can discuss compensation directly with him.”

Then she leaned closer, her perfume and soft voice drifting beside Lin Zhiyan’s ear.

“If Zephy tries bargaining with you, come find me. You are a benefactor of the Solent family. I won’t allow anyone to shortchange you.”

Lin Zhiyan felt weak all over.

She blinked blankly.

Seeing her reaction, the elder Solent laughed softly, a playful glimmer in her eyes. Beside her, the younger Solent raised a brow and wrapped herself even more tightly around her sister’s arm.

Lin Zhiyan nodded.

“I’ll do that.”

The sisters departed like a passing breeze.

Lin Zhiyan shivered.

What terrifying charm.

Still, the relationship between those sisters felt a little strange.

But she didn’t dwell on it.

Her heart pounded wildly.

Every heartbeat seemed to flash stacks of money before her eyes.

Moments later, she marched proudly toward Zephy’s room, fully prepared to burst in and shout:

“Bring me my one million!”

Yet the moment she opened the door, she was met by a wide-open window.

Morning sunlight streamed into the room.

The curtains swayed in the cool breeze.

Ivy climbed along the window frame.

Zephy sat propped against the hospital bed.

The oversized patient gown made him appear somewhat thin. He gazed quietly out the window. His long silver-white hair cascaded like a waterfall, and the sunlight made his pale, refined features resemble polished jade.

Medical tubes wound around his arms. Monitoring devices covered his chest. His loose hospital gown exposed a large expanse of pale skin, revealing the faint contours of muscle beneath.

Hearing the door open, he slowly turned toward her.

His beautiful face carried traces of illness.

A handsome man looks even better in mourning clothes.

The saying really wasn’t wrong.

Lin Zhiyan sighed inwardly.

Zephy, however, immediately looked away.

She didn’t care.

Walking to the bedside, she asked,

“How are you feeling?”

“Not bad.”

His voice was hoarse and quiet.

“You handled things well last night. Li Siheng has completely regained consciousness.”

Lin Zhiyan noticed a plate of exquisitely prepared fruit on the bedside table.

“Give me some.”

Zephy frowned.

“Help yourself.”

Without hesitation, she picked up the plate, sat beside him, and stabbed a piece of fruit with a fork.

“Alright, let’s skip the fake politeness. I want one million.”

Zephy raised a brow.

“One million?”

The instant she heard the question, negotiation mode activated.

“Your lives are worth more than that, aren’t they? I worked pretty hard last night saving you and bringing Li Siheng back to his senses. Doesn’t that deserve compensation?”

She gestured with the fork while speaking.

“And originally there was plenty of time, but you people kept breaking agreements over and over. I haven’t even charged you an emergency fee yet!”

Fruit juice splattered.

A few drops landed on Zephy’s blanket.

His fingers curled slightly.

His gaze moved to the fork, then to the faint scratches on her hand.

Almost immediately, he looked away as if burned.

“You misunderstand.”

His voice remained calm.

“My point is that what you will receive—”

Lin Zhiyan’s heart skipped.

“What do you mean?”

She immediately began chewing fruit to hide her excitement.

Zephy’s gaze drifted toward the window again.

“You can have the one million. It will be transferred immediately. In addition, all educational expenses during your six years at the academy—including books, facilities, housing, and meals—will be reimbursed by the Solent family.”

The chewing stopped for several seconds before resuming.

Lin Zhiyan’s voice trembled slightly.

“That sounds pretty good.”

“Furthermore, all companies under the Solent family will provide internship opportunities throughout those six years. You’ll be able to build an impressive résumé. We can also write recommendation letters allowing you to participate in projects at firms such as Moria Consulting, Giant Fitt Associates, Deli Advisory, and others. If you’re more interested in politics, opportunities in parliament or the cabinet can also be arranged.”

Lin Zhiyan felt as though fireworks were exploding inside her head.

By this point, only an idiot wouldn’t understand.

The Solent family and the companies he mentioned were all internationally renowned organizations. Most of those positions existed purely to polish the résumés of wealthy heirs and political families.

Someone as calculating as Zephy would never give such things away for free.

“That doesn’t sound like compensation,” she said. “It sounds like bait.”

Zephy fell silent for a moment.

“Last night, you successfully awakened Li Siheng. The last time his condition became that severe was after he returned from District Sixteen. Back then, he remained unable to fully regain consciousness for nearly half a year. I originally thought it was coincidence. Last night proved otherwise.”

After several seconds of silence, Lin Zhiyan stood up and drove the fork into a piece of fruit.

Juice splashed.

This time, it landed near Zephy’s lips.

Looking down at him, she asked calmly,

“Don’t tell me you people think I’m some kind of medicine that can control Li Siheng, and now you want me to be his babysitter—or his mistress.”

Zephy paused.

“If your concern is reputation, don’t worry. No one will know about your relationship with Li Siheng. You may do whatever you wish, date whoever you want. All we ask is that you keep his condition stable.”

Lin Zhiyan laughed in disbelief.

“So even after I get married, I’ll still have to keep taking jobs?”

Zephy clearly hated her crude phrasing.

His beautiful brows drew together.

“This is simply a transaction. Both sides get what they need.”

Lin Zhiyan raised an eyebrow.

She put down the fruit plate and leaned closer.

Zephy’s expression turned cold. Danger lurked in his eyes.

“Lin Zhiyan,” he said quietly, “between coercion and temptation, I doubt you’ll prefer the former. I can give you that one million today. Or, two days from now, I can ensure you lose far more than one million.”

Perhaps because of his illness, he wasn’t bothering to hide himself today.

He hadn’t smiled once.

All his coldness and aggression were laid bare.

Yet Lin Zhiyan wasn’t intimidated.

Instead, she reached out and touched the hair beside his cheek.

His pupils contracted instantly.

Hatred flashed through him.

Turning his face away, he snapped,

“Get your hands off me.”

Lin Zhiyan ignored him.

She tucked the loose strand behind his ear.

Smiling, she said,

“If this is really a transaction, then perhaps we should renegotiate.”

Zephy narrowed his eyes.

A vein twitched in his neck.

He could smell the faint sweetness of fruit on her breath. He could feel her fingers combing through his hair.

Her voice was gentle.

“You know, after thinking about it, being Li Siheng’s secret lover isn’t exactly a loss for me. But the way you phrased it was really unpleasant. It hurt my self-respect.”

Her fingers moved slowly through his hair.

The warmth of her touch spread across his scalp and down his back.

Zephy felt both furious and strangely unsettled.

At the same time, memories from last night resurfaced and filled him with shame.

Twice he had been treated like a prop while she flirted with someone else.

And while half-conscious, he had even intertwined his fingers with hers.

The memory disgusted him.

Yet all the medical equipment attached to his body prevented him from doing anything.

His breathing grew heavier.

A faint flush appeared on his pale face.

Even his usually cold gray eyes looked slightly misted.

Unaware of how he appeared, he lifted his chin.

“It’s good that you’ve figured it out. Compared to meaningless personal dignity, tangible benefits are what matter. Isn’t that right?”

“Absolutely.”

Lin Zhiyan smiled.

Then she suddenly tightened her grip on his hair and forced him to look at her.

“My demands are simple. Keep the one million. Forget the internships. Forget everything else. I only want one thing.”

She leaned closer.

Her breath carried the scent of fruit.

Her hair brushed across his face like cool silk.

“Be my lover.”

Zephy froze.

Every other emotion vanished beneath the sheer humiliation of those words.

For several seconds, his mind went blank.

Finally:

“What did you say?”

“What’s wrong?” Lin Zhiyan smiled. “Isn’t this a fantastic deal? Just like you said, benefits matter more than dignity. All you’d have to do is sleep with me occasionally. In exchange, your brother stays mentally healthy for the rest of his life. No need for internships, recommendations, or any of that effort. Just take your clothes off. Sounds pretty convenient.”

As she spoke, she deliberately moved closer.

Their noses were almost touching.

Zephy’s lashes trembled.

Darkness flooded his eyes.

Through clenched teeth, he said,

“Get out.”

He was furious.

His chest rose and fell sharply.

His face flushed deeper and deeper red.

Even the tip of his nose glistened with sweat.

Lin Zhiyan released his hair and stepped back.

“What a pity. Think it over.”

Then she turned and left.

Next up:

Convince Li Siheng to transfer schools.

Even after all this, she still remembered her mission.

Lin Zhiyan was honestly impressed by her own professionalism.

As she approached Li Siheng’s room, her terminal vibrated.

She glanced down.

A message appeared:

[Central Bank of the Ringstar Empire: Your account has received a transfer of 1,100,000 Ringstar Credits.]

Lin Zhiyan’s eyes widened.

She started counting the zeros.

By the time she reached one million, her mental state had become somewhat unstable.

A laugh escaped her throat.

Then she saw the next message.

[Central Bank of the Ringstar Empire: The transferred 1,100,000 Ringstar Credits have been placed into a five-year fixed-term savings account. Principal and interest may be withdrawn after five years. Early withdrawal requires authorization from both the account holder and the transferring party. Thank you for your cooperation.]

Lin Zhiyan: “…?”

What the hell?!

That bastard did that on purpose!

Why lock her money in a fixed deposit?!

Did he have to turn every reward into a carrot dangling in front of a donkey?!

She was speechless.

But moments later, she suddenly realized something.

Zephy had no way to deal with her.

That’s why he’d resorted to such petty revenge.

The thought nearly made her burst out laughing.

Before she could, however, the door to the room opened.

Li Siheng stood there with a raised eyebrow.

“How long are you planning to stand outside?”

Then he added,

“Does seeing me require that much mental preparation?”

Lin Zhiyan put away her terminal and walked inside with a smile.

“Just handling some business.”