A Spring Breeze

"I said... what are you going to do?" Mr. Jonathan shifted his body uneasily, so much so that the loose parts of the chair beneath him creaked as they rubbed together.

The young man smiled at him. "Don't be nervous, Mr. Jonathan. This is just a routine procedure. You know, it's like whenever you want to do something, someone will always ask you why you're doing it. It doesn't mean anything; it's just a procedure, but it's a necessary one."

As the young man spoke, he opened the file folder and took out the documents. While checking the documents, he continued to ask questions such as, "Mr. Jonathan, are you sure you are conscious right now?", "Can you do a simple calculation of... the result of these numbers?", and "Are you aware of your rights?"

After answering a series of questions, the young man finally took out his business card and handed it to Mr. Jonathan. "Mr. Jonathan, this is my business card. I'm here today on behalf of the Sabine City branch of Jinhui Bank to discuss some matters with you..."

Mr. Jonathan picked up the business card and looked at it. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, and he nodded.

"Mr. Jonathan..."

Over the next period of time Mr. Jonathan began to experience symptoms such as palpitations, tinnitus, and dizziness. He felt that his head was getting bigger and bigger, and that the whole world could not contain his head. As the young Bank Special Envoy kept talking, his head might explode at any time!

During this extremely painful process, he understood what the young man meant: because he had violated the loan agreement with Jinhui Bank, the bank decided to terminate their lending relationship and recover all the loan and the interest accrued during the lending process.

To put it simply, the bank discovered that Mr. Jonathan did not have enough funds to pay off his debts to the bank, so Federal law now gives the bank the power to auction off Mr. Jonathan's properties.

The special envoy is here to tell Mr. Jonathan that he has nothing left but this apartment, including his factory, his products, and his dreams, all of which will be Foreclosure Auction to repay bank loans.

Many people may not know what it feels like to have high blood pressure, and Mr. Jonathan didn't know either.

However, at this moment, he understood.

It felt like there was a high-pressure water pump inside his body, constantly pumping blood to the top of his head. Waves of blood assaulted him, and he could feel the blood vessels in his head about to burst at any moment.

He experienced more severe auditory hallucinations, vaguely hearing his wife, who was almost thirty years younger than him, fabricating stories and smearing his abilities in front of the media.

He heard his deceased father calling him from not far away, asking what he still longed for and why he didn't leave with him.

His vision began to blur, and his blood pressure caused his intraocular pressure to rise, making his eyes bulge and become blurry.

At that moment, only one thought crossed his mind: he was finished.

Decades of life, a lifetime of dreams, the perseverance to this point—it's all over! Looking at the Bank Special Envoy before him, whose form was beginning to contort, a destructive and self-destructive impulse was brewing in Mr. Jonathan's heart. This made his expression terrifying and ferocious. He wanted to kill this young man who had ruined his beautiful morning, then jump off the building to end this utterly pointless life! Just as he gripped the pen on the table, preparing to do something he had never imagined he would do, he suddenly froze.

The tinnitus and auditory hallucinations had almost completely disappeared, and his blood pressure was dropping rapidly. He rubbed his eyes, then slapped his cheeks, looking at the Bank Special Envoy with a hint of fierceness. "What the hell did you just say?"

The Bank Special Envoy took a step back without making a sound. "What I just said is that if we go through the formal Judicial Process to auction off your property, the proceeds may not be enough to cover the money you owe the bank. The bank may then force you to work for certain companies to repay this debt."

Mr. Jonathan shook his head. "No, not that. I think I heard you say something else..."

The special envoy immediately showed a knowing look. "Our conversation ends here. May I turn off the recording?" He nodded to Mr. Jonathan, gave him a friendly smile, and made a listening gesture to his ear.

Mr. Jonathan immediately realized, "I think so, our conversation is over."

After the young correspondent turned off the recording, he said to him, "As I just mentioned, Mr. Lin Qi is very concerned about these local businesses that are about to be liquidated. I heard that he is planning to acquire some businesses to help business owners settle their loans with banks. Perhaps this is your opportunity."

He looked at Mr. Jonathan meaningfully. At this point, Mr. Jonathan had completely ignored the envoy's implication and hurriedly asked, "Is it Mr. Lin Qi, whom everyone knows?"

As the young Bank Special Envoy packed his things, he nodded in agreement, "It's the one you're talking about, the Young Leader, Mr. Lin Qi."

"Listen, although I work at a bank, I don't want anyone to be unhappy; it won't do me any good."

"I've looked at your properties. They might have been worth something when the market was good, but right now, they're not even worth half of what you owe the bank. Even if you sell them, you'll still owe the bank a huge sum."

"You've lost your factory, you've lost your hope, and your future is bleak..." The Bank Special Envoy looked at Mr. Jonathan and stopped what he was doing. "You can't resist the bank. I know their methods very well. Rather than letting this huge debt control your life, you might as well try your luck with Mr. Lin Qi."

By putting yourself in the victim's shoes and considering things from their perspective, you can easily gain their approval. At least that's how Mr. Jonathan felt; he found the young envoy less unpleasant after all.

But he was also a little confused at this moment, "But look at me now, will Mr. Lin Qi see me?"

The special envoy looked him up and down, and nodded with some agreement. "Indeed not very good..." he said, taking out two ten-yuan bills from his pocket. "Consider it a loan from me. You can thank me, and I will accept your thanks."

"Life is hard enough already, I just don't want any more tragedies to happen because of this!"

At that moment, Mr. Jonathan felt that the world was full of truth, goodness, beauty, and love!

Later that evening, Mr. Jonathan took a bath and rented a set of clothes from the street—a business that some people in poor areas specialize in, renting out clothes that aren't actually that high-end to poor people on a daily basis.

People always have good luck, or encounter things related to good luck. For example, they may receive an interview invitation from Grand Duke or university, but they lack a set of clothes that are not exactly presentable, but just passable.

At that point, they could rent a set of clothes from these people that were absolutely ill-fitting, but at least superficially acceptable.

This was the most embarrassing moment of Mr. Jonathan's life, as he appeared outside the luxurious villa wearing clothes that had been worn by countless others and had a greasy collar.

He had never felt so out of place in this kind of life. The cold wind blowing from the lake not far away gradually pulled him out of his unrealistic fantasies.

Now he's thinking about what the special envoy told him: sell the factory to Mr. Lin Qi, get rid of the bank debt as much as possible, find a job, or start a new business, start a new life, and say goodbye to the past.

In the morning, he thought Mr. Anderson was stupid, but now he thought Mr. Anderson was smart; at least he had started a new life, while he was still struggling.

After waiting for about five minutes, a servant whose attire made him ashamed of his own appeared before him. "Mr. Lin Qi is waiting for you in the Side Hall. Please come with me..."

With his head down, he followed the maid through the luxurious rooms, feeling somewhat numb from the slaps between reality and his ideals.

Finally, he met Mr. Lin Qi.

Lin Qi was on the phone. When he saw Mr. Jonathan, he pointed to the door behind him and looked at him.

With just a glance, Mr. Jonathan understood that Mr. Lin Qi wanted him to leave for a moment. He politely suppressed his helplessness with a very understanding and ingratiating smile, and bowed as he left the room.

He never realized he had done it; he thought he would never bend over in his life.

He didn't know how long it took, maybe three to five minutes or a little longer, when the door opened. When he turned his head, he saw Lin Qi, who looked as young and energetic as he did on TV.

"Mr. Jonathan, I'm very sorry, I had a very important phone call just now, and I have to ask you to leave. I hope you can forgive my rudeness."

Lin Qi's words, demeanor, and smile at that moment made one feel as if they were basking in the warmth of spring on a wild hillside, slowly running down the slope. The drop in elevation meant that running didn't require much physical exertion, and the breeze on their face dispelled the chill of winter, blowing into their hearts and scattering the gloomy gloom...

In an instant, a smile appeared on Mr. Jonathan's face. He humbly bowed slightly and reached out to firmly grasp Lin Qi's hands. For such an important person as Mr. Lin Qi to apologize for his behavior was a sign of good manners!

"It is a great honor to meet you, Mr. Lin Qi!" he said, with a mixture of gratitude that preserved his self-respect and a hint of indescribable sigh.

In contrast, Lin Qi stood tall and straight, his spine like a pillar reaching to the sky. With a proper, polite smile on his face and his eyelids slightly lowered, he looked down at the man in front of him who was old enough to be his father, and said in a very ordinary tone, "You're too kind, Mr. Jonathan!"