Chapter 12: A Modest Gain

After a restful night's sleep, Lin Zhiwei awoke feeling refreshed and invigorated. With a spring in her step, she made her way to Lin Qiongjiu's office.

Lin Qiongjiu was not at all surprised by her early visit, clearly coming to claim credit and curry favor. He figured the young lady must have achieved something these past couple of days, and was eager to show off.

“Brother, sorry to disturb you,” Lin Zhiwei said, knocking on the door with a look of innocent obedience.

“I knew you’d come by, so I had some food prepared for you,” Lin Qiongjiu replied, flipping through the papers in his hand without even glancing up.

Lin Zhiwei was both flattered and uneasy, her expression twisting awkwardly. She felt as if she had stepped onto the wrong stage, speaking to a complete stranger. Was this meal perhaps her last supper…?

After all, the man before her was Lin Qiongjiu—the infamous, cold-hearted tyrant of legend. To call him a devil was perhaps an exaggeration, but he was at least a grim-faced King of Hell. Since childhood, when had he ever greeted her so considerately? Normally, it was a beating and nothing more.

“It was your sister-in-law who prepared it,” Lin Qiongjiu added.

Lin Zhiwei rolled her eyes inwardly. Of course…

“Has my sister-in-law returned from Huaguo? I’ve missed her so much…” she said between mouthfuls, never missing a beat as she ate and drank.

Lin Qiongjiu finally looked up, frowning at her messy eating. Unable to bear the sight, he lowered his head back to his work, his tone frosty: “Tell me what you’ve learned.”

Ah… as expected, he would never waste time on idle chat.

Brushing the crumbs from her hands and clearing her throat, Lin Zhiwei said, “I have made some progress.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Set an example with Xue Yuanyuan—kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. That’ll establish authority,” she answered seriously, her nerves taut as she watched for Lin Qiongjiu’s reaction.

“And?”

“There’s also the opportunity to win over the Zhao and Shen families. If I can secure their support before the arbitration council, my position will be relatively stable. Besides…” Lin Zhiwei’s eyes flickered with calculation as she continued, “I also want to pull the Ling family to our side. Though the Ling family is not particularly prominent in the Nameless Domain, their strength and reputation still carry weight. According to my preliminary investigation, the Ling family definitely has some connection with a certain elder, though the nature of that connection is still unclear.”

Finishing in one breath, Lin Zhiwei felt quite the genius. That should cover everything, she thought.

Lin Qiongjiu’s eyes flickered briefly with amusement. He curled his lips almost imperceptibly, though his outward expression remained cold and forbidding. The sight made Lin Zhiwei gulp.

“Very good,” he said. Those two words made her feel as though she’d just been pulled from deep water.

“Brother, when I put my mind to something, I can absolutely see it through. Heh, don’t forget what you promised me for next year!” she said, winking, hoping she’d finally satisfied him.

“You want to break into Huaguo’s entertainment industry?”

Uh…

Lin Zhiwei cursed inwardly a thousand times over. Of course the big boss could see right through her.

“That’s fine. In fact, I was thinking the same. You should go gain some experience. The Zhao and Ling families both have interests in Huaguo’s entertainment world,” Lin Qiongjiu said coolly. Lin Zhiwei’s heart lurched and tumbled like a roller coaster, but at his words, it felt as if she’d finally come to a stop.

“So, you mean… after the arbitration council, I can go?” she asked, doubting her luck. Given his character, shouldn’t there be some conditions attached? Was he really going to let her off so easily?

An unprompted favor always hides an ulterior motive…

“You’ve chosen well. The Ling family, eh?” Lin Qiongjiu gazed at her, noting the tension in her expression as she stole glances at him. He continued, “A very shrewd choice.”

She blinked. What did he mean by that? Why was it a good choice? Was there something suspicious about the Ling family? Oh no, surely not.

As far as she knew, Ling Ziheng and his difficult father didn’t get along. Ling Ziheng was hiding out in Huaguo, trying to carve his own path. His father, meanwhile, likely had some complicated ties to one of the elders in the Nameless Domain.

But as long as Ling Ziheng could establish himself in the entertainment industry, and with her persuasion, winning back the Ling family should be only a matter of time. So what was the hidden catch?

Inside, Lin Zhiwei was a picture of misery… Could her luck really be this bad?

Still, she comforted herself: at least, looking as homely as she did now, once she reclaimed her beauty, she could just pretend not to know her former self—disguise herself as someone else entirely. What a stroke of genius!

“Um, brother, could you give me a little hint? This problem’s too hard,” she muttered softly.

“That’s for you to figure out,” Lin Qiongjiu replied coldly, unconcerned.

Damn it, Lin Qiongjiu, you old fox. You know there’s a tiger on the mountain, and you still send me up there. Some brother you are…

Catching glimpses of Lin Zhiwei’s face shifting from pale to purple, Lin Qiongjiu found it all rather amusing. He was well aware of her knack for betting on the right horse—once again, she’d hit the mark. Truly remarkable; he couldn’t help but admire her.

“To make your assessment more challenging, I’ve prepared a little gift for you,” he said leisurely, signing papers as he spoke.

A challenge? A gift?

Was he even rhyming now?

What did he mean by that?

Lin Zhiwei’s first thought was that the big boss was about to throw another impossible task at her…

“Go on now. Tomorrow morning, I’ll see how you handle your gift and the assessment,” Lin Qiongjiu said without even looking up.

Lin Zhiwei had no idea how she managed to leave the office. Her mind was racing at full speed. Knowing the boss’s ways, she’d never be able to guess his intentions outright. So, she resolved to play it by ear tomorrow.