Chapter 29: Cell Phone Ringtone

In the Great Xia Kingdom, seniority and connections are everything. As an eighteen-year-old, if I claimed to be able to solve people’s problems, they likely wouldn't believe me. The old man, on the other hand, though he might look a bit disheveled, has age on his side, which gives him a much better initial impression. Plus, he has been knocking around the Ancient Capital for years and knows plenty of people. If that weren't the case, I would have gone solo long ago; why would I bother partnering with him? It’s settled, then!

Liu Qingya’s apartment rents for twelve hundred a month. She originally didn't intend to charge me, but I refused. Although she has many properties, they are hers, not mine. We aren't married, so how could I live in her place for nothing? I wouldn’t feel right about it. As for the twelve-hundred-yuan rent, it really was an act of kindness on her part. I checked the surrounding market rates, and a three-bedroom apartment would cost at least three or four thousand. Liu Qingya was only charging me about a third of that. I was already taking advantage of her enough as it was.

...

In the afternoon, the old man started getting busy with the apartment. It was already fully furnished, so the main tasks were buying daily necessities and acquiring tools for storing ritual artifacts. The old man was very diligent about these things, so I didn't stay idle; I just ran back to the dormitory to sleep. And so, for the next few days, the old man kept busy with those preparations, and the day for me to start classes finally arrived.

Military training had officially ended. Back in the dorm, I had remarked that as a college student who missed out on military training, I felt a bit of a void. Naturally, Fatty Wang and the others accused me of "humble-bragging" and insisted on ganging up to bleed me dry by making me treat them to a meal. Fortunately, the food around the school isn't expensive; it only cost a couple hundred yuan to feed everyone.

My major is Financial Management under the Department of Economics and Management. The freshman curriculum is quite relaxed. Our counselor is a woman in her forties who is rumored to be very difficult to deal with. The one thing the Economics and Management department isn't short on is girls. There are forty of us in the class, twenty-nine of whom are female. It’s a case of too many wolves and not enough meat! Once we entered such a class, Fatty Wang stopped pestering me to have Liu Qingya set him up with her friends.

"By the way, Jiang, how about we organize an orientation dinner tomorrow?" Fatty Wang leaned over during class and asked.

"So keen on organizing? Trying to run for class monitor?" I retorted.

"What are you talking about? I just thought it would be nice for everyone to get to know each other," Fatty Wang said with a sheepish grin. "Though, if I did end up becoming class monitor, that wouldn't be bad either."

*Ding-dong!*

Just as I was about to reply, my phone, tucked away in my desk, suddenly chimed. My phone hadn't seen a message in ages, and I’d forgotten to set it to silent for this class. As soon as it rang, the entire class subconsciously looked over, leaving me incredibly embarrassed. I kept my head down and glanced at the message on the screen. It was from Li Yiran. I quickly silenced the phone and opened WeChat.

Li Yiran: [The team is ready, and we leave at eight tomorrow morning. Your fee is 100,000 yuan. You can take a 30,000 yuan deposit now, or take it all at once after the job is finished.]

Damn, she’s wealthy and generous! Last time, she produced 20 million without blinking, and now she’s just as swift with the service fee. I wasn't worried about her not paying; after all, she has such massive assets.

I quickly typed a line on the screen: [No problem. By the way, can I bring someone along?]

[Suit yourself, just don't let him hold us back. Also, if anything happens, we will save you, but we won't save him. You brought him, and I won't be paying him any extra salary.] Li Yiran replied.

???

I had just complimented her generosity, and this girl’s attitude shifted instantly? She expected me to pay him out of my own cut! Sigh.

[Is there anything I need to prepare?] I continued.

[Nothing else is needed; I’ll handle the preparations. Just remember to wear sportswear and sneakers.] Li Yiran replied.

Sportswear? Sneakers? It sounds like we’re either heading into the mountains or to some extremely remote location.

"Hey, Jiang, what do you think?" Fatty Wang leaned in again. "Let’s get together and build some camaraderie."

"I might not be able to make it. I’ve suddenly got something to take care of tomorrow," I said.

"Not available? Come on, Jiang, you’ve got to be a pal. Never mind the others; you’re in my dorm, you need to show up and support me!" Fatty Wang insisted.

"I really can't. I have an urgent matter tomorrow, and I might need to take leave for a while." I didn't have the time to keep bickering with Fatty Wang, so as soon as class ended, I went to find the counselor to request leave.

...

The counselor’s office was quite a distance from where I had my class. When I arrived, she was still chatting with other teachers.

"Counselor, I’m a student from Financial Management Class 2. I need to request a leave of absence." I bit the bullet and handed over the leave request form.

I hadn't attended military training, and now I was asking for leave on the very first day of class; I felt quite awkward. But then I thought about that 100,000 yuan! There was no helping it; it was too tempting. If I could land a few more big jobs like this, I might be able to afford a place in the Ancient Capital before I even graduated!

"Leave of absence? You’re Jiang Chen, right? Asking for leave as soon as school starts?" The counselor paused, looking surprised. "Did something happen at home?"

"No, it’s just a personal matter," I said quickly.

"If it’s a personal matter, I can’t help you. Have your parents call me," the counselor replied flatly. "What kind of trouble could a student possibly have? Is anything more important than your studies?"

"Don't try to pull any fast ones on me. I’ve been a counselor for many years; do you think I don't know what you freshmen are thinking? You just arrived and you're already itching to go out and play. Did your parents pay your tuition for you to slack off? What will you do if you can't graduate or find a job later?"

"You ask your family for thousands of yuan in living expenses every month—do you think that’s fair to them? I see in your file that you’re from the countryside. Do you think it’s easy for your family to earn money just so you can squander it?"

"..."

I had only said one sentence, and the counselor launched into a relentless lecture. Even a Gatling gun couldn't fire that fast; no wonder they said this teacher was difficult. And she wanted me to contact my parents? If I went to Jiang Yuanshan and told him I wanted to take leave, would he even agree? Besides, I couldn't bring myself to ask him. Forget it, I’d better go to Principal Huang; he’s more reliable.

I sent a WeChat message to Principal Huang.

A moment later, I saw the counselor pick up a call, all smiles and pleasantries. Afterward, she called me into her office. "So, you’re quite close with Principal Huang? Really now, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You want to request leave, right? How long do you need?"

How long? I’d forgotten to ask Li Yiran, but I didn't expect it would be too short.

"A week, I suppose!" I said.