Chapter 850
Condensed Light, You Don't Want To Either
interesting.
very interesting.
Su Chen decided to intervene.
His intentions were not purely good; rather, they were a mixture of curiosity, a morbid sense of humor, and the thought that "since we've encountered this, we might as well leave a mark."
He straightened his clothes, still wearing that inconspicuous dark-colored guest robe, and walked towards Xiao Ningguang, who was biting her lip and looking unwilling once again because she had miscalculated a small account.
“You miscalculated.” Su Chen’s calm voice rang out above her head. “The weight estimate for the third batch of scrap metal was too high. The actual selling price should be reduced by 20%, and then you should add the ‘referral fee’ you paid to the middleman. In the end, you will receive seven less Mora than you just calculated in your head.”
Of course, sometimes, by leveraging information asymmetry, distribution channels, and persuasive communication, it's possible to sell the original value for a higher price.
Xiao Ningguang was startled and looked up abruptly, her violet eyes instantly filled with vigilance, like a cat with its fur standing on end.
But when she met Su Chen's calm and unambiguous gaze, and quickly did the mental calculations again, her face immediately fell.
He was right.
I wasn't shrewd enough; I could have earned more.
"Who...who are you? How do you know?" Her voice was clear and childlike, yet she tried to imitate the composure of an adult.
"Just passing by, and I happen to know a little arithmetic and market prices." Su Chen squatted down to make himself at eye level with her. "Want to learn more accurate, faster, and more profitable algorithms? Also, how to determine which scrap materials are truly valuable, how to negotiate prices with different people, and how to leverage seemingly impossible businesses with minimal capital."
Xiao Ningguang's eyes lit up instantly, as if two tiny flames had been ignited in a flash.
But the wariness hadn't completely disappeared: "What do you want? I... I don't have much Mora to pay for tuition right now."
“I don’t want you to pay me now.” Su Chen smiled slightly, the smile half-bright and half-dim in the sunlight. “I’ll teach you things, and you can pay me back with interest when you make money in the future. However, to ensure that my ‘investment’ won’t go down the drain, we need to sign a contract.”
"Contract?" Xiao Ningguang found the word both unfamiliar and instinctively important.
“Yes, a contract. It will be written in black and white, clearly stating what I will teach, what you will learn, and how you will repay me in the future.” Su Chen magically produced a pen, ink, and a piece of ordinary paper. “Don’t worry, the terms will be very ‘fair,’ making you feel like you’ve gotten a huge advantage right now.”
In the days that followed, Su Chen became Xiao Ningguang's mysterious investor and mentor.
He taught her more complex mental arithmetic techniques, basic market supply and demand principles, simple risk assessment, negotiation skills based on reading people's expressions, and even some basic concepts about information asymmetry and brand packaging. His teaching was insightful yet easy to understand, always hitting the nail on the head regarding Ningguang's most pressing needs, allowing her to progress rapidly.
Xiao Ningguang studied with great eagerness, and her gaze toward Su Chen gradually changed from wariness to a complex light mixed with admiration, dependence, and burning ambition.
She had a vague feeling that this mysterious man was omnipotent and a benefactor who would change her destiny.
The contract was drafted under Su Chen's "professional" and "thoughtful" guidance.
The terms are written in a grand and elegant style, full of beautiful words such as "helping development", "sharing prosperity" and "promising future", but the core return terms are nested in an extremely complex and mutually referencing calculation method.
The gist is that all of Su Chen's current teachings and small amount of start-up capital will be discounted according to a certain "compound growth index" and "opportunity cost," and a "reasonable" share will be extracted from Ningguang's future commercial profits until an astronomical "total price" is paid off.
It also contains some subtle sub-terms, such as the requirement that, under certain circumstances, Ningguang must prioritize providing business services or intelligence to Su Chen or his designated agent, a fictitious "agent".
Xiao Ningguang stared wide-eyed, trying hard to understand the difficult words and phrases, but under Su Chen's gentle persuasion, "Look, you have nothing now. I'm investing in you. You'll become a great businesswoman in the future. What's this little return? This contract is mainly to give you a goal to strive for and a constraint. It will only benefit you," coupled with her trust in Su Chen and her boundless hope for the future, she finally signed her name solemnly in her childish handwriting and pressed her fingerprint.
Su Chen put away the contract and looked at Xiao Ningguang, whose face was flushed with excitement because she had signed the "guarantee of future wealth," and laughed inwardly.
Even the shrewd Tianquanxing of the future couldn't escape being fooled by the promises of a more seasoned "investor" with a time-manipulation ability when he was young.
He could almost picture Ningguang's incredible expression years later when she had achieved great success and re-examined this childhood contract.
"Alright, the contract is complete." Su Chen carefully put the contract away, patted Xiao Ningguang's head, and said, "Make good use of what I taught you. Remember, integrity is the foundation of a businessman, but wisdom is the key to wealth. We... see you in the future."
Xiao Ningguang nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with boundless anticipation for the future and deep gratitude for this mysterious mentor.
After Su Chen finished teaching Xiao Ningguang and she began to try to run a few small businesses independently using the new methods he had learned, he quietly left one day, just as silently as he had come.
The power of time pulled him back to his original path.
Before leaving, he took one last look at the small figure in the dock area—still thin, but with a straight back and increasingly sharp eyes—and chuckled to himself: No wonder Ningguang never comes looking for me now…it's because the creditor is knocking on my door, so I'm avoiding him if I can! Haha!
After returning to the timeline of the Hall of Rebirth, Su Chen, unusually, did not continue his observer's silence.
The pleasure of a successful prank, along with the curiosity to witness the "results" firsthand, drove him to take the initiative for the first time.
After making a few inquiries, he learned that Tianquan Xing Ningguang often handled affairs at Qunyu Pavilion.
He straightened his robes and headed straight for the magnificent pavilion that floated above Liyue Harbor, a symbol of wealth and power.
When announcing his name, he specifically emphasized: "I am Su Chen, a guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth. I have a past relationship with Lord Ningguang and have come to pay my respects."
Shortly after the message arrived, a woman who appeared to be a secretary hurried out, her face showing unease. She conveyed the message respectfully yet distantly: "Mr. Su, Lady Ningguang is feeling unwell today and is resting. She is unable to receive guests. Please come another day, or leave a message, and we will reply once she has recovered."
Feeling unwell? Su Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.
Why did he have to fall ill right away? That excuse is far too perfunctory.
He understood in his heart, but his face remained calm, even showing a hint of concern: "Oh? Lady Ningguang is unwell? Then I should go and visit her. I have some knowledge of health preservation, perhaps I can be of help."
Without waiting for the secretary to stop him, he walked steadily and unequivocally straight inside. "Mr. Su! Please wait! Lady Ningguang is really inconvenient..." The secretary hurriedly tried to stop him, but for some reason, Su Chen's seemingly ordinary steps always managed to avoid her obstruction. In just a few breaths, he had already crossed the front hall and was walking towards the inner room.
His calm yet unyielding aura stunned even his secretary, who was used to dealing with high-ranking officials, and she dared not forcibly pull him away.
Following the most luxurious and exquisite aura, Su Chen arrived at a heavy door carved with intricate gold patterns and inlaid with glass and gemstones.
He raised his hand and gently knocked.
Silence reigned inside the door.
Su Chen wasn't annoyed and simply pushed the door open and entered.
The interior is extremely luxurious, yet exudes an elegant taste.
Expensive agarwood furniture, authentic works by famous artists hanging on the walls, rare antiques displayed on the curio shelves, thick velvet carpets embroidered with gold cloud patterns on the floor, and elegant and expensive incense filling the air.
The room's owner was currently reclining on a soft couch covered with snow-white fur.
She was a truly stunning beauty.
Her long, light golden hair, like flowing moonlight, was tied up in layers of exquisite jeweled hair ornaments, revealing her graceful swan neck.
The jewels adorning her hair complemented her violet eyes, creating a dazzling effect with every glance.
She wore a modified cheongsam with a black and gold color scheme, and an extremely fitted and gorgeous cut. The collar, cuffs and hem were embroidered with intricate Mora and auspicious cloud patterns in gold thread. The fabric shimmered with a delicate luster in the sunlight shining through the glass window, perfectly outlining her mature and breathtakingly curvaceous figure.
Her shoulders were sculpted, her waist was slender, and the full curves of her chest seemed about to burst out from under the tight-fitting fabric.
Extending down to a slender waist that could be encircled by a single hand, the curve then suddenly opens up and tightens at the hips, forming a smooth arc.
At the slit of the cheongsam, a pair of slender, jade-like legs, encased in thin, transparent black stockings, were faintly visible, and she wore a pair of high heels inlaid with tiny gemstones.
She simply leaned there languidly, like a vibrant and luxurious painting, embodying wealth, power, beauty, and ultimate charm, leaving one breathless.
However, at this moment, this stunningly beautiful face, capable of captivating all beings, did not display its usual composed and serene smile. Instead, it carried a rare hint of panic, as if caught red-handed, and a fragile vulnerability that was being forced to remain calm.
She covered her chest with one hand, her brows furrowed slightly, her pink lips pursed, and her long eyelashes drooped, casting a small shadow. She was truly a sight to behold, worthy of pity.
“Mr. Su…” Ningguang’s voice was also soft, with just the right amount of weakness. “I’m so sorry, I’m not feeling well today and couldn’t greet you properly. May I ask what brings you here so suddenly?”
She tried to distract herself by changing the subject.
Su Chen seemed oblivious to her "sickly beauty" act, and sat down on a mother-of-pearl inlaid chair next to her, watching her with amusement. Then, he slowly took out the well-preserved, childishly written, and small handprinted old contract from his pocket.
He gently placed the contract on the small rosewood table between the two of them, and tapped the key calculation clauses and signature area with his fingertip.
“Lord Ningguang,” Su Chen spoke, his voice steady, even carrying a hint of a smile, “You can treat your discomfort later. Shouldn’t we talk about… the repayment?”
"Give me...give me back the money?!" Ningguang's delicate expression froze instantly, her violet eyes widening as she stared intently at the "contract of sale" she thought had long since disappeared with her impoverished childhood, or at least buried deep in the corner of her memory.
That piece of paper that she would grit her teeth and regret for being so naive and easily fooled when she recalled it on countless nights!
Her carefully maintained image of being sickly and pitiful collapsed almost instantly, replaced by a hint of shame and anger at having her past exposed, and immense panic at the arrival of her "creditors," especially in such an unexpected manner.
She is Ningguang, the star of Tianquan!
Wealthy beyond measure, powerful beyond measure in Liyue! How could he allow someone to pursue him for debt with a childish, frivolous contract?!
Almost instinctively, she sat up abruptly, her breathtaking figure becoming even more prominent with the movement, her full breasts rising and falling slightly with her breath.
She extended a perfectly maintained finger, painted with bright red nail polish, and pointed tremblingly at the contract, then at Su Chen. Her beautiful face shifted in expression, finally settling on a pitiful expression that was a vivid mix of grievance, accusation, and an attempt to deceive.
"You...you're bullying me!" Ningguang's voice rose slightly, trembling genuinely, and her purple eyes instantly welled up with tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice. "That...that happened so many years ago! I was so young then, I didn't understand anything! You...you're taking advantage of me! You're lying to a child! This contract is invalid!"
As she spoke, she turned slightly to the side, one hand seemingly unintentionally touching her forehead. The soft fabric of her black and gold cheongsam clung to her body with the movement, revealing the stunning curves of her waist and hips.
With her other hand, she gently tugged at the edge of the already high slit of her cheongsam, as if trying to cover up the alluring scenery that was inadvertently revealed, but it only added to her captivating charm.
She bit her lower lip slightly, glanced at Su Chen with her eyes, and her gaze seemed to say: I'm already like this, how dare you force me to pay back that old debt?
If it were an ordinary person, faced with this Tianquan star who possesses wealth, power, and beauty, and is now displaying such a pitiful appearance, they would probably have already softened their heart and wavered, throwing all contracts and debts to the winds.
But Su Chen just watched her perform quietly, the playful smile on his lips deepening.
He leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees, fingers interlaced, his gaze calmly meeting Ningguang's tearful purple eyes, and spoke slowly and deliberately:
"Oh? Taking advantage of someone's misfortune? Fooling children?" He repeated Ningguang's words, his tone calm yet carrying an invisible pressure. "It's all in black and white, signed and fingerprinted, the terms are clear. Lady Ningguang now holds the reins of Liyue's laws and economy, and values the spirit of 'contracts' above all else. Could it be... that Lady Tianquan intends to set an example and teach the people of Liyue?"
Can a childhood contract be reneged on simply because one has achieved success and fame as an adult?
His gaze swept over Ningguang's priceless jewelry and the extremely luxurious room furnishings, finally settling on her face, which, even when feigning pitifulness, could not hide her stunning beauty.
"You wouldn't want everyone to know about this, would you?"
He wasn't particularly interested in Hu Tao or Qi Qi, but Ning Guang... (End of Chapter)