Facing Life, Hasagei

More than half an hour later, Noah got up to take his leave. He came here to express the Kuli Lan City's emphasis on investors and his desire to establish a personal relationship with Lin Qi.

Politicians always criticize the ugliness of capitalists in front of the whole country on television, but as soon as they are away from the camera lens, they are very likely to be sitting happily at the banquet hosted by capitalists.

The two are at odds, but sometimes they need to rely on each other.

Lin Qi thought Noah was a very interesting "young man" who was more proactive in some ways than the mayor of Sabine City and more aggressive than Ferral —or rather, more blatant.

"Is he a big shot?" Catherine came out of the bedroom after Lin Qi saw Noah off.

Lin Qi nodded. In the conversation just now, Noah had clearly hinted to Lin Qi that he could easily change the mayor's attitude and thoughts, which made it possible to continue discussing some issues, but not now.

Both sides expressed interest in deeper contact, but there was still one test left for them: the auction on Friday.

Catherine had no idea what the two had talked about during those half hour; she only felt that Lin Qi had changed so much that she couldn't ignore the feeling of unfamiliarity he brought to her life.

Just a few months ago, Lin Qi was thinking all day about how to find a suitable job, or simply do nothing at all. But now, these important figures have taken the initiative to visit him.

This stark contrast surprised the girl, but it also gave her a strange feeling: the current Lin Qi was nothing like the Lin Qi she used to know.

If the two weren't so familiar with each other, she might have mistaken the person in front of her for someone else.

After a fleeting look of confusion in her eyes, the girl stopped dwelling on these things. Her attention was now focused on the upcoming university life, which was her future battlefield.

but...

"Aren't you planning to go back to school?" Catherine asked at the dinner table that evening, the question they had been most eagerly anticipating for some time: going back to school.

They made a pact that if one of them found a good job first, they would fully support the other person to go to school and pursue their dreams.

However, reality is cruel, yet dramatic, destroying their dreams while simultaneously bringing them to where they are now.

In Catherine's opinion, Lin Qi should also go to school, after all, that was their past pursuit and dream.

Lin Qi put down his knife and fork, picked up a napkin to wipe the sauce from the corner of his mouth, placed the napkin on the table, and leaned back in his chair. "Of course, but not now. Maybe next year or the year after I'll choose a place to study, but not now. I don't have that much time."

These words calmed something within Catherine that she herself didn't understand, and a smile appeared on the girl's face. "What school are you planning to choose? To go with me?"

Meeting the girl's expectant gaze, Lin Qi gave an answer she hadn't expected, "I might go to the Saint and Harmony Society Alliance Colleges; studying there would be better for my future!"

There is a conspiracy theory within the Federal that the Saint and Harmony Society controls the entire Federal's economy and politics, and that almost all of the Upper Class capitalists and politicians come from Saint and Harmony Society Alliance Colleges. They are linked together by the Saint and Harmony Society and have been one from the beginning.

What's even more frightening is that these social elites will also have their children join the Saint and Harmony Society, becoming the new generation of elite members. In some long-established families, it's common for not only three generations, but four or five generations, or even more, to be members of the Saint and Harmony Society, and they take pride in it.

He took to heart everything the mayor of Sabine City and Lin Qi said at the dinner table. Sometimes society is just that cruel. Even if you have better abilities than others, if you lack a ticket, it's enough to keep you circling outside the "house" for the rest of your life.

But once you have this ticket, this key, the people inside the house won't need you to open the door yourself; they will open it to welcome you.

To gain entry into true Upper Class, one first needs a badge of an elite student from Saint and Harmony Society Alliance Colleges, and then become a full member of the Saint and Harmony Society.

It's too late this year. Running this business isn't as simple as just spending money; otherwise, the Federal economy wouldn't have declined so quickly.

Initially, some foreign capital forces also wanted to integrate into the core group of the Federal, but these core members, who considered themselves superior, rejected the intrusion of foreign forces, which led to these foreign capitals lacking a sense of belonging in the Federal.

Without a sense of belonging, there is no sense of security, which is why they yearn to return to places where they feel safe, even if they may not receive any economic returns in the next five to ten years.

Next year, once Lin Qi's plans are nearly complete and he has enough resources to command people to serve him, he will be able to easily obtain an admission invitation from the Saint and Harmony Society Colleges Alliance.

"The Saint and Harmony Society Alliance?" The girl's tongue flickered between her lips, not like a grimace, but rather something that stirred a sense of desire. "That place might only be suitable for someone like you!"

She made this remark, having learned a little about the meaning and value of the Saint and Harmony Society Alliance Colleges from the book "《How to Quickly Integrate into University Social Circles》." The female protagonist in the book was an ordinary person who made waves in this school. So, naturally, in order to make people realize how powerful this school was, the author also popularized the Saint and Harmony Society Alliance Colleges and the power of the Saint and Harmony Society.

Just thinking about the scheming and backstabbing scenes in the book terrified the girl.

It's exhilarating to see the protagonist in a book win through scheming and intrigue, but to experience it firsthand is incredibly painful. She felt she wouldn't survive more than three pages in that kind of environment.

Lin Qi smiled. Actually, it wasn't that scary. They were just a bunch of fledglings who were just beginning to experience society. In his eyes, students of this level were not much different from Elementary School.

After the two finished their meal Lin Qi took the girl to browse the shopping mall on the second floor of the hotel. The second floor had many high-end and mid-range luxury brands. These shops were essentially prepared to make it convenient for guests who were used to not carrying luggage to have a change of clothes anytime, anywhere.

Of course, they don't object to ordinary people coming in to spend money, since they're just idling around anyway.

Lin Qi took the girl to order several sets of summer and autumn clothes, and registered the girl as a member.

These stores update their member information every so often, including the body shape and size of members for the current season. When a member has a need to order new clothes, all they need to do is make a phone call, and after a while, a designer will visit them with some design drafts to ensure that the clothes they order fit their body perfectly.

Throughout the entire process, the girl was very generous and did not feel ashamed or timid at all because her clothes totaled less than twenty yuan when she entered the store.

She behaved very appropriately, which Lin Qi found amusing. He stood aside and watched the girl calmly stand in front of the mirror, accepting the measurements and recording of her body details by the shop assistants—all of whom were women.

Research suggests that female shop assistants are more likely to be forgiven by customers when they make mistakes. Meanwhile, a relatively new term has emerged in this society. "Beauty-driven consumption."

This is a concept proposed by a Federal sociologist: people find it hard to resist beautiful girls, including female customers. Therefore, the more upscale the business, the more attractive female employees there are.

Lin Qi walked over after the girls had finished taking notes.

Catherine casually supported his arm, but actually carried most of her weight on him. "Hold on, my legs are a little weak. Do you usually do this when you buy clothes?"

Lin Qi couldn't help but burst into laughter. He helped the girl to the sofa and sat her down. "I thought you wouldn't react. When I looked at you just now, you didn't seem like your legs were weak."

She couldn't help but laugh. "I was just pretending!" she exclaimed, then paused. "And what am I supposed to do next?"

"Don't look like you're about to be hanged. You can choose some styles you like later, and you can also suggest modifications." Lin Qi took a piece of candy from the table, tore it open, and put it into the girl's mouth.

Sugar can calm people down. The girl popped a piece of sugar into her mouth and suddenly complained, "You must not have washed your hands; your fingers are a little salty."

Lin Qi's movement had caused her to slightly touch his fingers. Unexpectedly, Lin Qi put his finger, which was only slightly damp at the tip, into his mouth and sucked on it. "The taste of steak!"

Amidst their playful bickering, the girl's emotions completely calmed down, and her legs stopped feeling weak.

Before long, a pretty female shop assistant came to their side. She deliberately sat on Catherine's side instead of Lin Qi's side to avoid the customers misunderstanding her purpose.

Some people are always suspicious, and many people in Upper Class are somewhat hysterical. They can explode over the smallest things. To avoid this, employees in upscale stores undergo extremely rigorous training before starting work.

She placed two catalogs on the coffee table in front of them. They were about an inch thick and made up of pages in various colors. "Sir, Madam, these are our designers' latest designs for this summer and autumn. The different colors represent different designers. You can choose the styles you like, or we can modify them according to your requirements, or redesign them."

"There are only two designers in the state right now, so if a complete redesign is needed, it will take about two to three weeks..."