Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Conditions

Li Chang’an nodded, indicating that he understood.

’Principal Wang had earnestly and patiently gone on for quite a while, but the gist of it all was basically: find a rich woman, say you’re desperate, and get yourself a sugar mama…’

’But how could he, a dignified transmigrator with his own built-in cheat, do something so shameless?’

After murmuring a few more words at the door, the two returned to the information registration center.

When they returned, all the staff members in the room had been cleared out, leaving only Su Ruobing, who was frowning in deep thought.

The two walked up to the long table and stood there once more. Su Ruobing lifted her clear, cold eyes and stared intently at Li Chang’an, exuding an immense sense of pressure.

After a long silence, she let out a slow breath and said in a cool tone, “Since Li is unwilling to state his conditions, I’ll have to be the one to make the first offer.”

Evidently, while Principal Wang had taken Li Chang’an out of the room, she had done some homework of her own.

After organizing her thoughts, Su Ruobing continued, “I can grant you territory in the suburbs of Linjiang City—you can choose the specific location. I’ll also offer an annual salary of one hundred thousand Rebirth Points. And if you make other contributions to Linjiang’s overall development, I’ll provide an additional three thousand pounds of Spiritual Food and two… no, three instances of Extra Reincarnation Authority!”

She spoke very slowly, and with every condition she offered, her eyes remained fixed on Li Chang’an, trying to discern his inner thoughts from his expression.

After all, negotiation is a psychological game. If you can figure out the other party’s expectations during the process, you can gain a significant upper hand.

However, it was clear her efforts were in vain.

Li Chang’an’s expression remained unchanged throughout, making it impossible to tell whether he was satisfied with the offer or not.

After hearing all the conditions, Li Chang’an was just about to say something.

Just then, however, an aggressive young man’s voice suddenly came from outside the door. “My dear student, I can arrange a territory for you in either Kyoto or Shanghai. And I can double every benefit Ruobing has offered you!”

The young man was only in his early twenties, draped in an expensive-looking fur coat. He walked with a powerful, imposing stride—quite a striking figure, all things considered.

However, the arrogant, untamed air about him, as if he looked down on everyone, made everyone present frown instinctively.

The young man strode in as if no one else was there. His gaze swept the room but didn’t land on Li Chang’an; instead, it fell directly on Su Ruobing, who was seated in the main chair.

His eyes were filled with undisguised possessiveness.

The moment Su Ruobing saw the young man, her expression shifted multiple times. After a long moment, she spoke, her voice seeming to be squeezed through her teeth, “Gu Ruilong? Who let you in?”

“I came to see my fiancée. Who would dare stop me?” Although the cold fury on Su Ruobing’s face was practically palpable, the young man called Gu Ruilong clearly didn’t care.

He even casually walked over to the long table, intending to sit next to Su Ruobing.

However, Su Ruobing wasn’t about to give him that chance.

Seeing him approach, she immediately stood up and took a few steps back, saying with a humorless smile, “Hah, who’s your fiancée?!”

Seeing her face darken, Gu Ruilong quickly made a gesture of surrender, but his voice was full of amusement. “Our bet isn’t over yet, is it? No need to deny it so quickly.”

Hearing the word “bet,” Su Ruobing’s face turned pale then livid. After taking several deep breaths, she ground out through clenched teeth, “So this is how you’re competing with me?”

Gu Ruilong looked as if it were the most natural thing in the world and laughed. “This is just fair business competition. You want to recruit this outstanding student, and so do I. So let’s see who’s more capable!”

Su Ruobing was so angry the roots of her teeth ached. She took several deep breaths to barely calm herself down.

After a cold snort, she looked directly at Li Chang’an and said seriously, “I can’t match the terms this guy is offering. If you want to go with him, I can’t stop you. The choice is yours.”

Su Ruobing’s words were frank, but anyone could see that her accumulated anger at Gu Ruilong’s unreasonable and despicable tactics was about to boil over.

Even so, she didn’t try to make empty promises to Li Chang’an, nor did she deign to slander her competitor Gu Ruilong for his contemptible behavior.

Clearly, she was a proud woman, like a peacock perched on an iceberg, with her own principles and integrity.

Principal Wang had a look of someone who wanted to speak but was holding back. He quietly tugged on Li Chang’an’s sleeve several times, as if he had something to say.

However, Li Chang’an paid him no mind.

He wasn’t interested in whatever grudges or drama existed between Gu Ruilong and Su Ruobing. Besides, he was a complete stranger in places like Shanghai and Kyoto and had no intention of going there.

With a talent like Heaven-defying Comprehension, he believed he could thrive anywhere, so he hadn’t even considered going to other cities.

The only reason he had been posturing in front of Su Ruobing was that he had one core request.

At that moment, he stopped hesitating and spoke directly, “Chairman Su, I think the conditions you’ve offered are quite good, but I have one additional condition. I wonder if you would be willing to hear it?”

Su Ruobing had already assumed that Li Chang’an would side with Gu Ruilong. Her heart was bleeding at the thought of missing out on a genius and, worse, handing him over to her most hated rival.

Now, suddenly hearing Li Chang’an’s words, her first reaction was to think she was hearing things. She let out a slightly puzzled nasal sound, “Hm? What additional condition?”

Li Chang’an said, “I need an extra temporary reincarnation authority, but my current Citizen Level and Evolution Level aren’t high enough. Can you help me get one?”

Hearing the phrase “extra temporary reincarnation authority,” Su Ruobing looked somewhat puzzled.

After thinking for a moment, she asked with some uncertainty, “You mean the temporary reincarnation authority that can be used to designate an ordinary person to enter the Rebirth World?”

Li Chang’an nodded.

“What do you want with something so useless?” Su Ruobing looked him up and down but didn’t press the issue. She continued, “That item isn’t expensive, but the requirements to purchase it are very high. I don’t have one on hand right now, but I can ask around for you. I can probably get one.”

Hearing this, Li Chang’an breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Chairman!”

“Any other requests?” Su Ruobing asked.

Li Chang’an shook his head. “That’s all!”

His attitude made Su Ruobing a little unsure of herself. She asked tentatively, “So… we sign the membership contract?”

Li Chang’an nodded.

Su Ruobing immediately broke into a smile. She stood up, took out the prepared membership contract from the table, and shot a defiant glance at Gu Ruilong.

Seeing things take such an unexpected turn, Gu Ruilong, who just moments before had been smug and confident that everything was under his control, saw his expression instantly darken.

Ever since he had walked into the room, his gaze had been fixed on Su Ruobing.

This was the first time he turned his head to look at Li Chang’an. He said, his tone heavier, “Student, I can get you that authority too. And all other conditions will be double what Ruobing offered. This is an exceptional package, even for top-tier geniuses. Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”

…