Chapter 7

Seeing that he wasn't drinking tea, Bailinglei asked if he needed anything else.

Lin Yuan slightly waved his hand, indicating he didn't need anything, then walked to the large glass window, turning his back to her and facing the sunset at the horizon.

Bailinglei walked to one side and sat down, remaining quiet, occasionally glancing back at his silhouette.

Despite the few words they exchanged, she had known him somewhat well back then. She could sense the changes in him now. The once mischievous and lively young man now gave off a calm and composed vibe.

He looked much more mature in appearance, but his attire was still rather shabby, or perhaps it was more appropriate to describe it as casual and simple.

She remembered how he used to try hard to hide his shabbiness, but now he seemed indifferent, accepting it calmly.

His silhouette, illuminated by the sunset, showed no trace of frivolity. He stood still, as serene as a maiden, exuding a mysterious depth.

Footsteps from upstairs signaled someone descending. Bailinglei immediately stood up. The bookshelves behind the office parted, and Lin Yuan turned to look back.

Qinyi, dressed in a loose skirt and with a natural look, had a unique charm. Her hair, not fully dry, blew in the breeze, revealing her fair calves and a pair of slippers.

Lin Yuan glanced up and down, then turned back to the window.

Qinyi's gaze lingered on him, particularly on his ponytail, which accentuated his sharp facial features, making him look more comfortable than his previous disheveled appearance. She then said to Bailinglei, "You can go home now."

Bailinglei was taken aback. They had grown up together, living in the Qin residence, always leaving and returning together. It was rare for one to go back alone. She glanced at Lin Yuan by the window, eventually nodded, and left.

"Your leg is better?" Qinyi asked as she walked up to him.

Lin Yuan indifferently replied, "Mm-hm."

Qinyi, carrying the fresh scent of a bath, stood beside him, arms crossed, and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing much," Lin Yuan replied, adding, "I've never seen Buque City from this height before."

Qinyi said, "It's understandable. You've only been in Buque City for thirty years, but you've been outside for three hundred. You're probably more familiar with Xiandu."

"Maybe," Lin Yuan replied.

Qinyi continued, "Uncle Chen said you left Buque City and enrolled in Ling Mountain."

"Does it matter?" Lin Yuan asked.

Qinyi replied, "It's not about importance, but it's surprising. Is the threshold for entering Ling Mountain so low? I don't think so. It's the top academy in the immortal realm. I didn't expect you, a despicable person, to have such qualifications. I underestimated you."

Lin Yuan didn't want to get into those trivial matters and got to the point, "I came here to tell you that I don't want to work for the Qin family. I'll find a way to pay you back as soon as possible. Please give me some time. I'll definitely pay you back within the year."

Qinyi said, "You've been in Ling Mountain for three hundred years and haven't graduated. With your conditions, you probably can't even find a job. How will you pay back one million pearls? I don't want money with dubious origins. It would be too complicated."

Lin Yuan replied, "Don't worry. I've been in Xiandu for many years and know a few people. I can gather the money."

Qinyi's eyes flashed with anger, and she turned and walked to the sofa by the other window, lighting a cigarette. She leaned back, crossed her legs, and held the cigarette between her fingers. "Do you think I find your words credible? If I believe your lies again, the Qin family will lose face. One mistake is enough."

Lin Yuan still stared out the window, seemingly talking to himself, "We should keep our distance. I don't want to drag you down."

Qinyi, holding the cigarette, turned to look at him, her face showing mockery. "What a joke. Who do you think you are? Do you have the qualifications to drag me down?"

Lin Yuan turned, his steps steady, and quietly walked up to her, looking down at her from above, his gaze deepening.

Qinyi's body stiffened slightly. Whether it was an illusion or not, she felt an inexplicable pressure from him.

Lin Yuan redefined his words, "The past is the past. I don't want to tarnish your reputation."

Qinyi said, "Reputation? Stop it! We have nothing to do with each other anymore. I have no other intentions. Venting the anger from the past is one thing, but I'm a businesswoman. Making money is my priority. I care about profit, not other nonsense. I give you two choices: work to pay me back, or rot in prison in Buque City. I have ways to make Uncle Chen testify... I guarantee that prison in Buque City will make you wish you were dead. Choose for yourself."

Lin Yuan said, "Qinyi, is it necessary to be so aggressive?"

Qinyi replied, "No one is forcing you. You borrowed one million pearls, and with three hundred years of interest, it's one and a half million. Is that too much? If you can pay one and a half million now, I'll pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, you'll have to face the consequences. Don't think I won't do anything just because you're a Ling Mountain student. This is Buque City, not Ling Mountain. Try leaving this door without paying, and see if Ling Mountain has the guts to openly defy the laws of the Immortal Court!"

Lin Yuan stared at her coldly, "You've changed."

"Thank you for the compliment," Qinyi said, stubbing out her cigarette and standing up. She walked to the desk and suddenly turned to ask, "Have you had dinner?"

Lin Yuan hadn't, but he didn't say anything.

Qinyi didn't press further, pressing a button on the desk.

Soon, a few people entered with trays and went into the room behind the bookshelves, where there was a dining table.

After setting up the food and drinks, they quietly left, adhering to strict rules.

Qinyi entered and sat down at the table, lifting her chin to Lin Yuan, "Come in. One thing at a time. I wouldn't let my employee go hungry, and I can't finish it all alone."

Her words made it seem like he had already agreed. Lin Yuan's lips twitched, "No, thank you."

Qinyi didn't insist, acting indifferent, pouring herself a glass of wine. "True, as a Ling Mountain student, you're a cultivator. You can go without food for ten to fifteen days."

She put down the wine bottle, picked up the chopsticks, and pointed to a corner.

Lin Yuan didn't know what she was pointing at, so he went in to look. He found a phonograph on a table in the corner.

Qinyi gestured with her chopsticks, then picked up her own and started eating.

Lin Yuan understood her meaning. This woman was particular about listening to music while eating. He walked to the phonograph, saw that a vinyl record was already placed, and played it, showing he was familiar with the device.

Outside, the land had fallen into darkness, and the stars were visible. Only from this height could the sunset's afterglow still be seen. The phonograph's gentle prelude added a touch of warmth and a unique atmosphere.

Then, a woman's voice sang: "In the quiet of the night, a melody arises..."

Lin Yuan, recognizing the singing style and lyrics, raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Qinyi, who was eating, reminding her, "This is a human thing!"

The phonograph could be considered a product of the immortal realm, like the popular vehicles, which could also be said to be from the immortal realm. The power cores and energy sources of things in the immortal realm were different from those in the human world, mostly using energy spirit stones, which were clean and didn't produce pollution.

Even the vinyl record could be considered a product of the immortal realm, but the song was clearly a human song.

In other words, this record was smuggled from the human world into the immortal realm!

The immortal realm strictly controlled the flow of its items to the human world to avoid disrupting the human order and also strictly controlled the smuggling of human items into the immortal realm.

Especially human audio-visual items, which were strictly prohibited. If discovered, they would be severely punished.

Human audio-visual items often beautified human affairs, objects, and people. The more one saw, the more one might desire the human world, potentially leading to more people wanting to descend to the human world.

In other words, it was also to prevent human items from disrupting the order of the immortal realm!

The first war god of the Immortal Court, the second son Yang Zhen, whose mother was the sister of the Immortal Emperor, had once been moved by the human world and descended privately, even having a romantic relationship with a human, causing the Immortal Court to be enraged and pursue her.

Yang Zhen's biological father was a human from the human world!

This was probably a stain on the second son's life that he could never erase, no matter how many military achievements he made, and people would always point fingers behind his back!

Where there are loopholes, there are controls, and under controls, there are always oversights. As long as there is profit to be made, someone will try to exploit it. Some smuggled items from the human world would still appear in the immortal realm, but no one dared to display them publicly.

And the president of the Qin family's chamber of commerce, Qinyi, dared to openly display smuggled items from the human world in her office!

Qinyi casually replied, "So what if it's from the human world?"

Lin Yuan said, "You shouldn't display it openly. If someone reports you and you get caught, even the city lord of Buque City won't be able to protect you!"

Qinyi took a sip of wine and turned to stare at him, "This is a great opportunity for you to get back at me. If you want to report me, go ahead. But I guarantee it will be in vain. You won't find anything here."

In fact, without hearing the song, no one could say the vinyl record was from the human world. Even if someone saw it, it wouldn't matter. She wouldn't listen to these songs in front of outsiders. She wasn't foolish enough to invite trouble.

Even if someone reported her, outsiders couldn't enter this room without permission. If they forced their way in, the security wards would destroy all evidence. A simple vinyl record couldn't withstand such destruction. So, there would be no evidence of her hiding contraband.

Lin Yuan said, "I'm not that bored. When do I start work?"

He had agreed! Qinyi tilted her head, looking at him with a barely noticeable smirk, and flicked her hair, showing a hint of allure. "Tomorrow morning!"

"Goodbye!" Lin Yuan turned and left.

Qinyi calmly raised her glass, "You didn't even ask about your salary. Are you not afraid I'll only give you one hundred pearls a month?"

What a joke? One hundred pearls wouldn't even cover expenses. It would take ages to pay back one and a half million. Lin Yuan was choked and stopped, turning back to ask, "How much are you planning to pay?"

Qinyi raised her crystal glass, "Ten thousand pearls."

Lin Yuan's expression eased. Ten thousand pearls in Buque City wasn't low; it was a relatively high salary.

Qinyi continued, "I'll actually pay you two thousand, and the remaining eight thousand will be deducted from your debt. This way, you can pay back about ten thousand pearls a year, and it will take about ten years to clear the debt. Of course, if you do well, there will be bonuses, and you might clear the debt in less than ten years. I'm not mistreating you, right?"

Lin Yuan's expression slightly relaxed. Ten thousand pearls in Buque City wasn't low; it was a relatively high salary.

Qinyi continued, "I'll actually pay you two thousand, and the remaining eight thousand will be deducted from your debt. This way, you can pay back about ten thousand pearls a year, and it will take about ten years to clear the debt. Of course, if you do well, there will be bonuses, and you might clear the debt in less than ten years. I'm not mistreating you, right?"