Checking Out a Future Partner

Greens and Cocoa: Thank you, group leader!

Greens and Cocoa: I have another question for you experts.

Unknown Person: Ask away!

Grandma Always Says: Speak.

Greens and Cocoa: I believe the stock the group leader recommended can make a lot of money, but what if I don't have enough starting capital?

Grandma Always Says: I have an idea.

Greens and Cocoa: /pitiful

Grandma Always Says: Call me big brother.

Greens and Cocoa: Big brother.

Grandma Always Says: Take out an online loan.

Chen Shu's mouth twitched. Staying in character, he typed—

Greens and Cocoa: Would that really work? /wronged

Grandma Always Says: Why wouldn't it? I take them out all the time. /blank

Greens and Cocoa: I heard the compound interest on online loans can get terrifying, especially with those illegal little companies. My teachers, classmates, and family keep telling me never to take out an online loan.

Grandma Always Says: I only borrow from the illegal ones. /blank

Greens and Cocoa: Better safe than sorry.

Grandma Always Says: What are you afraid of? /blank

Greens and Cocoa: What if I can't pay it back?

Grandma Always Says: Pay it back? Why would I? /blank

Greens and Cocoa: Huh?

Grandma Always Says: Why would I repay an illegal loan? /blank

Greens and Cocoa: You don't repay it?

Grandma Always Says: Once I've borrowed it, it's mine. /blank

Greens and Cocoa: What if they come to your door?

Grandma Always Says: You've joined this group, and you're still playing the little lamb? Isn't that merit delivering itself right to your door?

Greens and Cocoa: /shocked

Greens and Cocoa: That makes so much sense!

This guy had something going for him.

Grandma Always Says: Well? Going to borrow or not?

Greens and Cocoa: I'll think about it.

Grandma Always Says: Tell me when you're ready to borrow. I have a whole set of tricks. I can send you the links; I've tested them myself. /cool

Greens and Cocoa: Thank you, senior! /cute

Righteous Vital Energy: ...

Chen Shu closed the app.

Thanks to Professor Chen, Chen Shu had already opened a brokerage account, so he didn't need to set one up now.

He took stock of his finances again.

His commission pay for August had come through, a little over thirty thousand yuan. He had also signed the contract with Highness Cinnabar for "Thief of Time," which would bring in fifty thousand. Given Highness Cinnabar's efficiency, the money should arrive today or tomorrow. After taxes, that would leave him with around eighty thousand in total.

Chen Shu decided to buy the stock next Monday.

It wasn't much money. Losing it wouldn't matter.

When the time came, he would buy with his eyes closed, regardless of the price or whether it was rising or falling. He didn't understand stocks anyway; if he tried to outplay other people, winning or losing would come down to luck.

He could ask Professor Chen for advice, though.

Then he'd definitely lose.

Right! Professor Chen!

Chen Shu opened Feixin.

Chen Shu: Professor Chen, Azure Boat Spirit Energy. What price should I buy this stock at?

Professor Chen: Hmm.

Chen Shu: If it loses money, pretend you picked it yourself. You're used to losing anyway. If it makes money, remember to give me a cut.

Professor Chen: Get lost.

Chen Shu put away his phone with a delighted grin.

Ning Qing sat across the dining table, her manicured hand propping up her chin as she watched him quietly.

Chen Shu didn't feel awkward in the slightest. He took Qingqing's hand and kneaded it some more, grinning as he said, "Qingqing's hands are so soft..."

She pulled her hand away.

Ning Qing stood and walked into the courtyard.

Chen Shu had said today that the persimmons in the courtyard were growing nicely. Once they ripened, they could pick them and make dried persimmons.

She didn't know what dried persimmons were. She had never seen a persimmon tree in Bai City. Still, she decided to mix a bucket of potassium dihydrogen phosphate and spirit-enriching fertilizer to water the tree, hoping the fruit would grow better.

Chen Shu received another message from Supervisor Wang—

Wang Yang: Need money?

Wang Yang: There's a commission. Six thousand take-home for half a day.

Wang Yang: A young woman has been harassed by a group of thugs lately. She has a very important exam the day after tomorrow and wants to avoid their harassment while she takes it.

Wang Yang: Think carefully before accepting this kind of job.

Chen Shu stared at the messages and fell into thought.

The pay was generous.

The supervisor was pretty conscientious, too.

These jobs always seemed like a headache. He wasn't afraid of trouble; he just didn't want the hassle or the worry.

After a few seconds, he asked—

Chen Shu: How many people would I be dealing with?

Wang Yang: The client didn't specify a number. Our company investigated, and it's nothing major. Just a bunch of debt collectors. Jobs like this are common. Two people will be more than enough. We're not taking on the whole debt-collection outfit head-on, just keeping a few punks occupied for half a day.

Wang Yang: A lot of people still won't take it, though. Too much hassle. So far, only Lu Xing has agreed.

Chen Shu: Lu Xing?

Wang Yang: Yes, the one you worked with last time. What did you think of him?

Chen Shu: Pretty steady.

Wang Yang: He's been with us a long time. Very experienced.

Chen Shu: What kind of debt collectors?

Wang Yang: The kind that chase payments on online loans and the like. A bunch of petty thugs. All they do is make people miserable; they're nothing serious.

"Online loans..."

Chen Shu fell into thought again. Weren't these people potential future partners of mine?

After considering it a little longer—

Chen Shu: This won't bring trouble later, will it?

Wang Yang: You're overthinking it. We're a commission company, and you're doing the job on the company's behalf. Even if there's trouble afterward, they won't go after an employee. They'll come straight to the company.

Wang Yang: Our company's fairly big. Small companies generally won't take jobs like this.

Wang Yang: We get several of these commissions every month.

Chen Shu: Send me the link.

Wang Yang: [Link]

Chen Shu opened it and read carefully.

Job: Ensure the client is not harassed by thugs.

Payment: 30,000 yuan.

Requirements: Ensure my daughter is not harassed during her exam. The job ends once she completes the exam without disruption.

Description: I inadvertently fell into a loan trap and became embroiled in a debt dispute with Quick Loan Company. They sent people to harass my family repeatedly. I pursued legal action and won, but they have shamelessly continued harassing us, severely disrupting our lives. My daughter has an important exam coming up. I hope to receive help ensuring it is not affected.

Detailed requirements: Omitted.

Chen Shu glanced farther down. A red stamp sat at the bottom of the page:

[Investigated and verified by the company: True]

So the company was useful for something after all. He'd thought all they did was take a cut.

That put his mind much more at ease.

Chen Shu: Why do I only get six thousand? Does the company charge for investigating too?

Wang Yang: You're new. Lu Xing gets the larger share.

Chen Shu: Oh, that's fair.

Six thousand it was. He would be relying on Lu Xing to shoulder more of the work.

Wang Yang: So?

Chen Shu: I'll take it.

Wang Yang: I knew you would.

Chen Shu: Why?

Wang Yang: You students from Jade Capital and Ling'an love taking jobs like this, whether you're in the Ancient Cultivation Department or studying Martial Cultivation in the Martial Artist Department.

Wang Yang: I worked with a senior from your exact department and major before. That guy went out of his way to pick jobs like this. He wasn't even interested in other kinds.

Chen Shu: I see.

Looks like I'm the cautious one.

It made sense. Yujing University's Spell Principles Studies program was famous. Why did everyone work so hard to get into it? Surely not for the job prospects?

In this day and age, fierce confrontations were hard to come by. They had to find a little fun wherever they could.

No, not fun. Training.

Two days later.

Morning.

Azure Boat Spirit Energy opened slightly down.

Chen Shu bought in during the opening auction. He couldn't be bothered to agonize over it.

Then he went to May Commission Company to meet Lu Xing. He greeted him with a broad smile. "Brother Lu, I didn't expect we'd be working together again so soon."

"Fate brought us together."

"I'm new at this, so I'll be counting on you."

"No need. This kind of job is easier than you think." Lu Xing told him, "Just remember two things. First, introduce yourselves and the company right away. Be polite, and tell them to take any issues up with the company. Second, when you talk to them, keep your manner humble and give them plenty of room to save face. Face matters a lot to these people, especially when acquaintances are around or there's a crowd. If they lose face in front of their buddies, they won't be able to hold their heads up. Then every time someone drinks or an argument breaks out, it'll get dragged up to mock them."

"Makes sense!"

Chen Shu took his words to heart.

Lu Xing glanced at him, aware of how young he was. "If you're uncomfortable with that, I can handle the talking. As long as it doesn't turn physical, you won't need to do anything."

"We'll see when we get there."

"Did you bring a weapon?"

"I practice Spiritual Cultivation."

"That works too."

"What weapon did you bring, Brother Lu?"

"I used to be a disciple of the Buddhist Order. I don't use weapons."

"Oh..." Chen Shu knew the Buddhist Order's methods were actually fairly close to Martial Cultivation. "Why did you leave?"

"I couldn't quiet my mind enough to cultivate."

"I see."

"Shall we?"

"Sure."

The two headed out.

Lu Xing drove a company car, with "May Commission Company" written in large letters on it.

They went first to the client's residential complex.

It was near the Third Ring Road, where housing prices were middling.

They scanned their surroundings, but there were too many people to tell which ones were debt collectors. The collectors wouldn't make themselves easy to spot, either.

They followed the address to the client's door.

A very pretty young woman in her twenties answered. She had a great figure, and she was the person they were there to protect.

An older couple was inside as well.

Lu Xing went over to ask about the situation, while Chen Shu listened beside him.

The client's family had three members. The father was the one who owed the money, having been tricked by his own younger brother into taking on a huge loan without knowing it. These midsize loan companies handed out money faster and more easily than big companies. Sometimes people could even borrow with fake documents. The trade-off was that they were nowhere near as well regulated, and plenty broke the rules or the law.

This company was particularly shady.

The client hadn't even known about the loan when it was taken out. His younger brother had used his documents to arrange it. He only found out when the loan company showed up at his door. By then, the original loan of several hundred thousand had long been overdue and had multiplied several times over.

Now his brother was nowhere to be found, his family was harassed every day, and the debt collectors had even gone to his daughter's dance school and caused a scene, badly damaging her reputation.

It wasn't that he couldn't have repaid the original sum.

Salaries in Jade Capital were fairly high, and the client was a junior manager at a tech company.

But would anyone be willing to pay it back?

I wasn't the one who borrowed it!

Now the debt had ballooned again. Even if he wanted to repay it, he no longer could.

The employer had gone through the legal process and won his case, but the other side clung to him like a dead-skin plaster. Unable to find the real debtor, they kept trying to squeeze money out of his family.

They harassed the family every day, demanding payment. And because his daughter was pretty, they were always making filthy remarks about her.

Recently, his daughter's outstanding grades had earned her unanimous recommendations from her teachers. With the court victory clearing his family of the debt, she had gotten an audition with the Royal Dance Troupe.

It was a chance that could change her life.

But when the other side learned of it, they immediately demanded that the debt be paid in full before the audition, or they would ruin it.

The employer had been furious—he had nearly pulled a knife and hacked the little bastards to pieces. Fortunately, his wife talked him down. They decided to get through the audition first, then move a few days later.

He even brought out the court ruling to prove he was telling the truth.

Lu Xing nodded and handed the document back. "I understand. In my experience, they don't actually expect to get that full amount. These companies know the interest isn't legal. Of course, they'd be happy to wring that much money out of someone, but if they can't, or the debtor genuinely can't pay, they'll settle for the principal and some interest."

"But that's got nothing to do with me!"

"Of course, of course..." Lu Xing kept his tone agreeable. "We'll do our best to make sure your daughter's audition goes ahead without a hitch."

"I'm coming with you!"

"It would be better if you didn't. You might provoke them."

"Then I'll keep my distance."

"I'm also worried you might act on impulse, boss." Lu Xing paused. "I've handled plenty of cases like this. Usually, they don't cause much trouble."

"Then I can sit in the car and watch from a distance, can't I?"

"That's fine."

The audition wouldn't start until two that afternoon. The employer's daughter was still getting ready. She hadn't slept well these past few days, and her complexion looked a little poor, so she needed to cover it up.

Chen Shu sat down with Lu Xing to wait. After a little idle chat, Chen Shu looked up the loan company.

Well, would you look at that. They had their fingers in quite a few pies.

Large loans, small loans, secured or unsecured—they took them all. Right now, they were pushing small online loans.

They had just launched student loans, too, with advertisements that looked surprisingly legitimate.

Chen Shu found it fascinating.

While they waited, the thugs came up and knocked on the door once. Putting on a show of politeness, they asked whether the family was moving. Who knew where they'd gotten that information.

Chen Shu went up with Lu Xing to explain the situation.

Lu Xing did most of the talking while Chen Shu stood beside him. The thugs cursed them a few times, saying that the sons of bitches at their agency were born without assholes, then left.

The two of them simply stood there and took the abuse.

Earning money was never easy.

Lu Xing returned from the door looking unruffled and asked the employer, "Boss, who did you tell you were moving today?"

"No one."

"Then how did they find out?"

"How should I know?"

"Has someone been home the whole time these past few days?"

"My wife's been home."

"Don't rush. Think it over."

"Maybe it's because I contacted a moving company?"

"Could be." Meaning well, Lu Xing added, "But you'd better figure out how they found out. Otherwise, it could cause trouble later. You don't want to go through a whole move for nothing."

"I'll try to think..."