Chapter 259: The Real Man

The office felt as heavy as if it had been filled with lead.

“Phew—”

Manager Qian narrowed his eyes slightly and took a deep drag from the cigar between his fingers.
Bluish-gray smoke curled upward, outlining a rare sharpness on his usually affable, smooth, round face.

“So what you’re saying is—your family followed the trend and invested in sea cucumbers behind your back, the investment failed, and they lost everything? And now you urgently need this work-injury compensation money to fill that huge hole and repay the debt?”

Lin Yu sat across from him like a withered weed drained of all moisture. His head drooped deeply, his hands tightly twisted together.

“…Yes.”

“Sea cucumber investment, huh? I know that line of work. They farm a lot of that stuff around Dalian. A few years back, it was indeed extremely profitable…”

Manager Qian stubbed the cigar out in the ashtray.
As the ember died, he let out a long sigh.

“But Xiao Lin, why would your family suddenly get into this at a time like this? Don’t they watch the news? Decades ago, when that unprecedented earthquake in Japan caused everything to sink, those coastal nuclear power plants all went straight into the deep Pacific!”

“Sure, our country’s ‘Sky-Patching Project’ is still running day and night, and those massive ocean purification systems are dealing with the deep-sea nuclear leaks…”

“And yes, due to ocean currents, most of that contaminated water drifted toward the U.S. west coast. Seafood that passes inspection is generally fine.”

“But in people’s minds, that knot is still there, isn’t it? And sea cucumbers—those things are delicate. Raise the temperature just a bit and entire ponds die off. And if the sea looks calm but a typhoon hits—boom—waves come in and wipe out the entire farm, cages and all. The risk is no joke.”

“…I know…”

Lin Yu’s voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

“But… I only found out yesterday when the bank’s debt collection call came. If I had known earlier, I definitely would’ve…”

“…Sighed.”

“Even if I had known, I probably couldn’t have stopped them.”

“Even my younger sister saw the risks and tried to persuade them not to invest so much…”

“But once they got it into their heads that they could strike it rich, they wouldn’t listen to anyone.”

“They mortgaged our old house to the bank and poured in all their lifetime savings for retirement.”

“All in all…”

“They invested a full 5.5 million.”

“Hiss—”

Even someone as experienced as Manager Qian couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

“Good lord… 5.5 million? That’s no small sum for an ordinary family. How did your parents—just regular folks—dare to put in that much?”

Lin Yu answered weakly, in a low voice:

“A relative.”

“Oh—”

Manager Qian immediately understood.

“Let me guess. That relative claimed to have connections—some insider ties with city officials or the fisheries bureau—said it was guaranteed profit, bringing family along to get rich together, right?”

“…Yeah…”

Lin Yu let out a pained whimper.

“That relative swore that before the New Year, they’d sell everything and cash out during peak season. But the technician hired by their partner was half-baked. Then this winter hit with extreme cold—because of poor temperature control, most of the sea cucumbers died in the ponds.”

“And now there’s oversupply in the seafood market. Prices have dropped again and again…”

“Even if they sell everything dirt cheap now, it won’t even cover a fraction of the bank interest. It’s a total loss.”

“Since it’s already blown up…”
Manager Qian frowned and stared at him.

“What’s your family’s attitude now?”

“…I don’t know.”

Lin Yu’s voice came muffled from behind his hands.

“Don’t know? Something this big, and you don’t know?!”

“They won’t answer me at all! They won’t even let me talk about it!”

Lin Yu suddenly lowered his hands.

“I was going crazy on the phone yesterday, but they just kept up appearances and told me, ‘This is adult business, don’t interfere!’ They said they’d handle it themselves… told me to focus on work and stop answering calls from the bank!”

“I… I really don’t know what to do anymore, Manager Qian…”

His eyes were red as he grabbed his hair tightly.

“I used to think that once I had a job, earned money, lived decently—I’d have a voice in the family too. But… it’s useless…”

“I’m twenty-seven! Almost thirty! But in my parents’ eyes… I’m still just a clueless kid!”

“I… I can’t accept it. I want to do something. I want to—”

“…Alright, that’s enough.”

Manager Qian was silent for a long time.

“I understand.”

He nodded calmly.

“So, you want to use this money to solve your family’s urgent crisis—and prove to your parents that you’re a man?”

“…More or less.”

Lin Yu lowered his head.

Manager Qian crossed his legs and didn’t answer immediately. After a long pause, he sighed.

“Xiao Lin, according to the rules, once you’ve returned to work, you can’t apply for this work-injury compensation anymore.”

Lin Yu’s body trembled violently. His face instantly turned ashen.

“Manager Qian…”

“Don’t thank me yet.”

Manager Qian raised a hand to stop him.

“Xiao Lin, as an outsider, I shouldn’t comment too much on your family matters. But today, putting aside our work relationship—as someone older, someone who’s been through life—I think you need to think this through carefully.”

“…Huh?”

Lin Yu froze.

“I understand how you feel. I understand wanting to shoulder your parents’ debts. But…”

Manager Qian leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing.

“Does being a ‘real man’ depend on how much money you repay for your family? Some people are rich and still act like overgrown children. Others have nothing, yet earn respect for their sense of responsibility.”

“I’m a father too. I understand your parents’ thinking. If you ruin your future to pay this debt, they might not respect you more—instead, they’ll only become more convinced that you’re still an impulsive child.”

Lin Yu’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t say a word.

“Speechless, right?”

Manager Qian tapped the desk lightly.

“It’s simple. You take that 5 million buyout and solve the immediate crisis. But what about later? After filling the bank’s hole, how much will you have left? With your average degree and lack of experience, without this ‘shell,’ in a city like Xinhai—can you even find a job paying over 10,000 a month? I don’t think so.”

Lin Yu lowered his head further.

“You can’t survive here—so you’ll go back home? To a small county? A village?”

“What then? Compete with thousands for a low-level civil service job? Or take a 3,000-yuan job with barely any benefits and drift through life like a salted fish?”

“Are you willing?”

“Parents who love their children plan for their long-term future.”

Manager Qian’s tone softened.

“If it were me, I couldn’t stand seeing my child destroy their future to clean up my mess. If it came to that, I’d regret it more than death.”

“If you quit and sacrifice your future to fill that hole, your parents will only feel they’ve dragged you down for life.”

“Do you think living with that guilt every day will make them happy?”

“I don’t think so.”

He shook his head.

“They’ll be touched by your sacrifice and filial piety. But deep down, they’ll only think—you’re a foolish kid who ruined his own life without thinking.”

At this point, Manager Qian suddenly stood up.

He walked around the desk and stood in front of Lin Yu.

At that moment, the usually smiling, pot-bellied man stood as straight as a soldier. An overwhelming presence radiated from him.

“If you want them to stop feeling guilty… if you want them to truly respect you—there’s only one way.”

Lin Yu slowly looked up, his empty eyes staring blankly.

“As the saying goes—build a family, establish a career. It’s ‘establishing a career’ that marks a man’s maturity!”

Manager Qian looked down at him, his voice firm.

“To prove yourself, Xiao Lin—you need a career that can truly support you!”

“And right now, the thing you’re best at, most talented at—the only thing that can turn your life around—is what?”

“Is… magic…”

Lin Yu swallowed.

“Being a magical girl…”

“Exactly!”

Manager Qian slapped his shoulder heavily.

“So, Xiao Lin! If you’re a man, don’t give up so easily!”

“Keep going in your current path! Continue your mission as a magical girl!”

“If you’re truly a man—then damn it, be a proper magical girl!”

“B-but—!”

Lin Yu’s voice shook violently, thick with sobs.

“What ‘but’? Still worried about money?”

Manager Qian frowned.

“Stop overthinking! It’s just a few million in debt. Once you pass this promotion mission and become a real B-rank magical girl, your base salary doubles. That money will be nothing to you!”

“N-no… it’s not about the money…”

Lin Yu shook his head violently, his eyes turning red.

“Then what is it?!”

“It’s because… because…”

“If I transform again…”

“I feel like… I really won’t be able to come back anymore…”

He collapsed to his knees, finally revealing the truth.

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