"Are you short on money?"
Only after reaching a preliminary judgment did Xia Xu speak thoughtfully.
The brief, silent scrutiny had left Zou Jin looking more nervous and ill at ease. At Xia Xu's question, he immediately said, "Y-yes, but if this puts you and Miss Tang in a difficult position, I..."
"Finding you a job is a small matter. Even money is a small matter to me."
Xia Xu raised a hand to interrupt him and said evenly, "Youxin just told me a little about your situation, actually. I'm very willing to help, too."
But then his tone shifted. "Still, my money doesn't grow on trees. From the look of your situation, you probably won't be able to pay it back. So what can you do, or rather, what can you offer me?"
Generally speaking, when seeking someone's gratitude, it was best not to seem so calculating. It could easily make the other person feel it was a transaction, diminishing the weight of the favor.
But Zou Jin's deadly loyalist fate profile stated it clearly: he was a loyal man who kept his word. Rather than gratitude, loyalty and promises were what could truly bind him.
So instead of appealing to his feelings, it was more reliable to make a transaction and have him pledge his loyalty and his life. Besides, if he truly valued affection and kindness, a transaction at such a desperate moment would still be an enormous favor.
Often, when people were trapped in desperate circumstances, never mind praying to gods and Buddhas-they would gladly sell their souls to the devil. True despair was finding that there was not even a devil in this world willing to make a deal with you.
At the edge of the abyss, all he lamented was having no door to