Jiang Nannan: I'll never be able to repay Gao Ren's kindness!
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When he learned that Jiang Nannan had come to repay his kindness, Gao Ren smiled and replied, "Nannan, it was just a wave of the hand for me. It really wasn't worth going to all this trouble.
"You're one of Shrek's core disciples. This isn't where you should be putting your focus."
"It is worth it!" Jiang Nannan shook her head fiercely. "Right now, nothing matters more to me than repaying your kindness!
"Mom is the only family I have left! If it weren't for you, she might have...!"
Jiang Nannan didn't dare finish that sentence. She was too afraid of being left all alone in this world.
Her mother was one of the few pillars holding up her spirit.
Hearing Jiang Nannan's answer, Gao Ren gave a wry smile. After she'd put it that way, what else could he say?
If he kept arguing, he'd only seem affected... His original intention had simply been to enjoy helping someone. He'd never expected anything in return.
"In that case, why don't you try working here for a while first, Nannan?"
After agreeing to let Jiang Nannan work for him, Gao Ren asked how much she wanted to be paid.
"Nannan, how much would you like in wages?"
At that, Jiang Nannan's expression suddenly turned serious. "Didn't I just say I came to repay your kindness? If that's why I'm here, how could I take wages from you?"
"That wouldn't be right, would it?" Gao Ren paused, then shook his head. If word got out, he might end up with a reputation as a heartless rich man. "Nannan, if you're putting in the work, you deserve something in return."
"If anyone should be giving something in return, it's me."
"But I never said I wanted you to repay me, Nannan." For the first time, Gao Ren found himself thinking that Jiang Nannan was very stubborn.
"You can choose not to ask for repayment, but I can't choose not to repay you. My conscience wouldn't let me."
Jiang Nannan was utterly resolute. She took a money pouch out of her Storage Soul Tool. It held all her savings.
"I have money of my own. You don't need to pay me. If you insist on paying me, I'll pay to work here instead! I'll give you money!"
Gao Ren: Making an employee pay to work? That's just twisted!
"Fine. Do whatever you want." Gao Ren was speechless.
Who had taught Jiang Nannan to act so shamelessly? Wasn't she supposed to be a gentle, graceful beauty?
And so, Gao Ren gained his first employee-one who worked for free and even wanted to pay for the privilege.
Time skipped ahead two days, to three days before classes officially began.
"Gao Ren, isn't it that time again today?! I almost forgot!"
At Jiang Nannan's reminder, Gao Ren glanced at the calendar, then nodded. "Yes, it's that time again. If you hadn't mentioned it, I'd have forgotten too."
The "time" Gao Ren and Jiang Nannan referred to was actually a promotion he had established shortly after he began selling Overlord Drumsticks.
Every Thursday, Gao Ren would pick three lucky people in the dining hall, one each at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and give each of them two Overlord Drumsticks.
These so-called lucky people were actually students who had never eaten an Overlord Drumstick before, with new students receiving special consideration.
He had learned this trick from the marketing tactics of his previous life.
Almost everyone who tried an Overlord Drumstick wanted another.
Those who couldn't afford one would save up, and those who had saved enough would buy again.
Twenty-five Gold Soul Coins apiece was certainly expensive, but after a taste, their motivation to save would multiply.
Gao Ren's move was the equivalent of casting a long line to catch a big fish.
What? What if someone only tried the freebies and never bought one, even by the time they left Shrek Academy?
Then they didn't buy one. All he lost was a tiny bit of soul power, anyway. No harm done.
It was lunchtime, and the dining hall was packed with people.
When Gao Ren emerged from the kitchen through the staff entrance, carrying the free promotional meal, every returning student turned to look at him.
They were curious to see who would be today's lucky one!
With the start of the term at Shrek Academy approaching, quite a few new faces had appeared in the Outer Court dining hall.
Gao Ren deliberately headed to the first-year dining area, looking for a fish to catch with his long line.
He scanned the first-years' white section and soon settled on a target: a girl sitting in a corner.
Her head was lowered, and all she had before her was a serving of stir-fried greens and a bowl of plain rice.
Even so, the girl ate with great relish, as if she'd never had food like this before.
Gao Ren: Isn't that a little exaggerated? If I actually let you try my Overlord Drumsticks, wouldn't you be so happy you'd take flight?
As Gao Ren approached her, he noticed that the girl was extremely thin. Her uniform was clearly a size too large for her.
Now Gao Ren wanted her to try his Overlord Drumsticks even more... She was so pitifully thin that he couldn't help feeling a pang of compassion. He wanted to give her some proper nourishment with his Overlord Drumsticks.
Gao Ren carried the plate over and sat down across from her.
Two golden, glistening Overlord Drumsticks appeared opposite the plain rice and stir-fried greens.
The sudden gesture gave the frail girl quite a fright, like a startled little animal.
"D-do you need something?" Her voice sounded rather shy.
Only when she raised her head did Gao Ren get a clear look at her face.
Although her face was very thin, her features were finely formed, and her eyes were astonishingly beautiful. It was the first time he'd ever seen a human with eyes so lovely.
"The dining hall is running a promotion today, and you've been picked as today's lucky one." Gao Ren smiled at her, then gently pushed the Overlord Drumsticks toward her. "These two drumsticks are your gift."
Looking at the wonderfully fragrant drumsticks before her, the girl froze. She could hardly believe this was real.
She had never eaten a drumstick before, let alone one as large as these.
"These two drumsticks really are for me?" she asked Gao Ren to make sure. When she was little, she'd been the victim of a similar prank.
"Yes. You're so thin it hurts to look at you, so these should help build you up." Gao Ren smiled. "Don't be shy. Eat. This is how we say hello in the Outer Court dining hall."
Tears seemed to glimmer in the girl's eyes. Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she simply lowered her head and said, "Thank you..."
"You're welcome." Gao Ren stood up with a smile and introduced himself. "I'm Gao Ren, the person in charge of the Overlord Drumstick counter. If you ever want drumsticks again, you can come to me."
The girl wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, then smiled through them. "My name is Huo Yuhao. I'm a first-year student at Shrek Academy."
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