Business Comes Knocking

Luo Qiu habitually observed his first customer.

The man looked travel-worn. Though his eyes tried not to wander, maintaining that basic courtesy, Luo Qiu could still sense his unease. He wore a black suit without a tie, and the top button of his collar was undone.

His suit was somewhat wrinkled, faint stubble showed on his face, and his bloodshot eyes clearly indicated that he had not rested well.

Overall, this customer gave Luo Qiu the impression that he had either slept poorly the previous night or had not slept at all. He was deeply troubled.

Judging by his accent, he was also a local.

Hmm... that was probably all Luo Qiu could tell for now. He nodded to himself. Then... there was no then.

—Let's take a look at the situation here.

The customer had entered holding the club's token, which clearly meant that he knew at least something about the Trafford Buyers Club.

After silently sizing him up, Luo Qiu, the new owner, continued to remain silent... He didn't know what he was supposed to do next.

Should he... greet the customer? But how was he supposed to greet him? Make a stylish entrance like the previous owner? The problem was that he had already been sitting there when the man came in... Or perhaps he should introduce the items here and mention things others had never heard of to make himself seem impressive? But aside from having some knowledge of the Crimson Moon, he could only give a helpless laugh about everything else.

So was he supposed to discuss with this man, who was more than a decade older than him, how the Crimson Moon was actually a pair of eyes?

This was fucking awkward.

He had no idea what to do next... but the man was still waiting, looking at Luo Qiu with anxious unease, which only made him feel more uncomfortable.

"What... do you want?"

After hesitating for quite some time, Luo Qiu finally broke the silence first.

"You are..." the middle-aged man asked doubtfully.

"This is the club's owner. Please have a seat, customer," You Ye suddenly said.

Though she was only a doll, she was flawless in every respect. She even knew how to ease her master's worries. At that moment, Luo Qiu felt that the most useless thing the previous owner had left behind was that dull manual, while the most useful thing was clearly You Ye, this capable maid.

Too bad she was only a doll. Only a doll. A doll.

You Ye led the uneasy middle-aged man to the reception area and had him sit down... Though it was really just a round table near the display window.

Only after the customer was seated did You Ye walk to Luo Qiu's side and softly say, "Master only needs to listen to the customer's request, then assess whether the transaction is worth making. If you feel that the other party's payment is insufficient, it is fine to refuse."

It was a reminder of sorts. What a thoughtful maid doll.

Luo Qiu nodded. He could be nervous like ordinary people, but he would not show it too clearly. Perhaps it was simply his nature; Luo Qiu calmly walked over and sat down in front of the middle-aged man.

"You... really are the owner of this club?" The middle-aged man sized Luo Qiu up from head to toe.

"Is that strange?" Luo Qiu asked.

The middle-aged man hurriedly shook his head, as if afraid of causing offense. "No, no... It's just, it's just different from what I imagined."

Luo Qiu had always been curious, so he immediately asked, "Then what exactly did you imagine?"

The middle-aged man said, "I heard legends of this club from my ancestors. Even my grandfather, who told me about it, didn't know how long this club had existed."

At this point, the middle-aged man looked Luo Qiu over again. "According to my grandfather, he bought things here three times in his life. The owner he saw each time never changed in appearance... but he did not seem to be a young man."

"Let us discuss what this gentleman needs," Luo Qiu said blandly.

He hoped to leave the other party with a sense of mystery... Though he had no idea whether doing so would help with the transaction. He simply felt that the previous owner had given him that same mysterious impression, so perhaps he should imitate him.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man hurriedly placed the Black Card he had been clutching onto the table.

He clearly treasured this card, because ever since entering the shop, he had been holding it with both hands. "Th-this! I, I want to buy back my factory!"

And so, the middle-aged man began telling his story.

The middle-aged man was named Jin Zifu. His family had operated a large machine-tool factory for generations, and it was fairly well known in the city—though for Luo Qiu, who did not care much about the business world, this was indeed the first time he had heard the name.

Recently, Jin Zifu's factory had fallen into crisis. Without him realizing it, the factory had ceased to belong to him and had become the property of his son-in-law.

Over the past few years, his son-in-law had occasionally asked him to sign documents. Because he trusted him, he had not paid much attention. By the time he realized what had happened, the factory had already changed hands. More importantly, even his personal assets had become his son-in-law's property.

His daughter had died in a car accident several years ago, but his son-in-law had never remarried. Every day, he diligently worked at the factory and raised the child, who was barely a year old, acting as both father and mother.

It was precisely because of this that Jin Zifu had trusted his son-in-law more and more. And it was precisely because of this that he had unknowingly lost everything he owned.

"Zi Qian... no, that beast, actually plans to tear down the factory and work with developers to build a large luxury housing district on the land! The workers will only get a tiny severance payment! How many families are there? Some of them have devoted half their lives to my factory... I absolutely will not allow this to happen!"

Luo Qiu looked at the card on the table. It was completely black, with one side engraved with a golden mark. If he remembered correctly, the shape of that mark was seventy percent similar to the outline of the altar on the third basement level.

But... did the man mean to use this card as payment?

Having no idea what this card was worth, Luo Qiu felt the awkwardness returning...

"We already understand your request, sir."

You Ye came out carrying an exquisite teacup and teapot. After setting down the tray, she picked up the card and smiled. "Only one crest remains. Once this transaction is completed, it will disappear. According to the rules, you will receive a ten percent discount on the payment... Are you certain you wish to proceed with the transaction? If so, please state the payment you believe is appropriate. Of course, whether the payment is suitable will ultimately be judged by our owner."

You Ye was amazing!

"I... I know the rules." Jin Zifu took a deep breath. "Before my grandfather died, he told me the rules."

At that, Jin Zifu suddenly fell silent. Luo Qiu could see clearly that he had resolved himself to come here, but he had not yet resolved himself to truly complete this transaction.

"Half of my... remaining lifespan." In the end, Jin Zifu spoke words that greatly surprised Luo Qiu.

Luo Qiu had roughly read through that so-called owner's manual, but he still had no concept whatsoever of how the club operated. Everything was unfamiliar... and ever since coming into contact with that altar, it had all felt increasingly mysterious.

Lifespan?

He forced himself to act as a spectator. He wanted to see how You Ye would deal with the middle-aged man and watch this absurd yet realistic scene unfold.

"I understand." You Ye nodded. "For humans, lifespan is one of the most valuable forms of payment. Please wait a moment. Also, please close your eyes, customer."

You Ye suddenly extended one finger and lightly touched Jin Zifu's forehead.

Not long afterward, You Ye withdrew her hand and put back on... Actually, she had been wearing them all along—her black gloves.

"Sir, based on an assessment of your physical condition, your remaining lifespan is preliminarily estimated to be thirty-seven years. Half of that lifespan is eighteen years and six months."

"Eighteen years..." A flash of fear crossed Jin Zifu's eyes, but he gritted his teeth. "Eighteen years it is. I cannot let the employees who followed me suffer because of me. They have families, both old and young. If this factory is gone... I've decided. I'll use eighteen years and six months of my life to get my factory back!"

"I'm sorry, sir. Whether the transaction can be completed still requires the owner to determine whether the payment you offer is appropriate."

"Th-this..."

Watching Jin Zifu look at him anxiously again, Luo Qiu once more felt so damn awkward...

Assess it? How was he supposed to assess it?

"Perhaps our owner needs some time to consider it." You Ye smiled. "Customer, you may return first. If there is any news, the card in your hand will give you instructions... Then, welcome to the Trafford Buyers Club."

You Ye really was amazing...

PS: Please add it to your bookmarks.