What a heart-stirring sentence.
Lin Juan’s heart was corroded by money for a second. In that instant, he felt that just living like this with Lu Yanzhou was a pretty good decision.
But it lasted only a second.
He coughed lightly. “This isn’t great, is it? Taking your money for no reason at all—how could I accept that?”
His tone made it clear that he had tried hard to restrain himself from agreeing.
A hint of amusement flashed across Lu Yanzhou’s face. “Is our relationship really ‘for no reason’?”
What relationship do we even have?
Lin Juan grumbled inwardly.
Ours is a pure relationship. Don’t make it sound so ambiguous.
Lin Juan schooled his expression into seriousness and was about to refuse righteously when the man interrupted him. “You could always ask them first if they want you to pay compensation.”
Oh, right.
What if the people from the Anomalous Affairs Bureau were as generous as the Lu Family?
The Lu Family hadn’t asked him to compensate, after all.
Lin Juan planned to find a moment to ask Zhuang Yufeng alone.
With the hospital crisis resolved, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zhuang Yufeng finished bandaging a teammate’s wound and noticed Lin Juan standing not far away, looking like he had something to say.
He wrapped up what he was doing and walked over to Lin Juan’s side. “Does Mr. Lin need something from me?”
“Yes, one thing.”
Lin Juan’s serious expression made Zhuang Yufeng’s heart leap into his throat.
What could make this young man—who had faced a C-rank anomaly without batting an eye—look so grave?
It had to be something crucial, extremely urgent.
Zhuang Yufeng steeled himself for bad news, his face turning solemn. “Go ahead.”
“It’s just…” Lin Juan stuttered a bit. “That… I wanted to ask, earlier I smashed your pollution detector, didn’t I? You said it was expensive. How should I compensate for it?”
That was it?
Zhuang Yufeng dug in his ear, suspecting he’d misheard. He hesitantly repeated himself. “You’re asking about compensation for the pollution detector?”
“Yeah.” Now that the words were out, the rest came easier. “I didn’t pay attention to what I grabbed at the time…”
If he’d known it was something so expensive, he wouldn’t have minded the grime and just used his fist instead.
Now that he understood the issue, Zhuang Yufeng could only laugh wryly. “Mr. Lin, what are you talking about? You made major contributions this time. Far from compensation, we should be thanking you.”
Wow!
He really didn’t have to pay!
Lin Juan’s face lit up with joy.
Seeing the delight on his face, Zhuang Yufeng’s own mood brightened. “As for this incident, Mr. Lin earned great merit. We’ll apply to the bureau for a reward. Once we’ve discussed the details internally, we’ll give it to you along with the one from the previous 【Fantastical Mushroom】 incident.”
“There’s a reward too?!”
People in this world were so generous. He liked it.
“Is it bonus money?”
In his last world, he’d been left penniless and terrified. Unwittingly, Lin Juan had awakened hoarding squirrel tendencies. Even now, with the Lu Family covering all his living expenses at Lu Garden and no real place to spend money, watching his account balance grow still filled him with joy.
“Of course. The Anomalous Affairs Bureau has always been clear on rewards and punishments. We can’t chill the hearts of our heroes, can we?” Zhuang Yufeng teased.
Lin Juan nodded vigorously. “That’s a good system.”
Having left Lin Juan with a favorable impression of the Anomalous Affairs Bureau, Zhuang Yufeng mentally prioritized the reward matter. He planned to bring it up with Director Liu right away.
Their brief conversation made Lin Juan’s fondness for money obvious. For them, having a clear preference like that was absolutely a good thing.
Loving money was far easier to satisfy than all sorts of messy other affections.
Lin Juan returned with obvious delight on his face, so Lu Yanzhou knew the Anomalous Affairs Bureau folks were clever—they’d won Lin Juan over completely.
Even though Lu Yanzhou had offered to help pay off the debt—and even though it turned out he didn’t need to—Lin Juan’s favor toward him remained sky-high. He proactively shared the good news.
“Mr. Lu, I’m getting a big bonus soon!”
“Congratulations,” Lu Yanzhou said.
“Thanks.” Lin Juan returned the favor. “Once the bonus comes through, I’ll treat you all to a meal.”
Lu Yanzhou blinked. “Us?”
Lin Juan counted on his fingers. “You, Uncle Lu, Big Brother Lu, sister-in-law, Lu Mingxuan—all invited!”
With everything settled, they could finally leave.
Lin Juan pushed Lu Yanzhou’s wheelchair from behind.
The ground was littered with rubble.
It wasn’t that the hospital buildings had been destroyed. Instead, piles of the 【Impermanent Snail】’s shells lay everywhere.
“These shells are tough,” Lin Juan said, pointing out the bluish-gray, rock-hard objects scattered around to Lu Yanzhou. “It took a ton of effort to smash them.”
After the 【Impermanent Snail】 died, its “shells” were fully revealed. Aside from the ones Lin Juan had smashed, the rest stood like massive walls, enclosing the entire hospital.
To prevent panic, Director Liu had an ability user with illusion-based supernatural ability drape an illusion over the shells surrounding the hospital, hiding them from ordinary eyes.
The fragments Lin Juan had knocked down weren’t all concealed.
Those were the ones he pointed out to Lu Yanzhou.
“These things are hard?” Lu Yanzhou asked.
“Insanely hard,” Lin Juan confirmed with a nod. “Harder than any known material.”
“A fine defensive material.”
Lu Yanzhou seemed quite interested. He asked Lin Juan a few more questions, and Lin Juan answered them one by one.
Lin Juan received his bonus from the Anomalous Affairs Bureau a week later.
Along with the money came a commendation plaque.
His youngest son had woken up, and his daughter-in-law turned out to be quite capable. Old Master Lu was in high spirits amid the joy, cheerful all day long, and his health had improved noticeably.
He took the plaque from Zhuang Yufeng, his face wreathed in smiles. “Brings glory to the family—what true glory!”
“Xiao Juan, where do you want to put them?” Old Master Lu racked his brain for spots. “The hall would be perfect. Everyone who visits could see them.”
“Put them in the study in our courtyard,” Lu Yanzhou suggested.
“I’m good with wherever. You decide.” Lin Juan clutched his bonus, stars in his eyes. “Just not the bedroom.”
He didn’t want to open his eyes every morning to two plaques staring back at him.
Way too embarrassing.
What did those plaques even say?
Lin Juan thought it was over the top—too much praise. It made him uncomfortable.
Seeing his satisfaction, Director Liu smiled and spoke up. “One more thing. Would Mr. Lin be interested in working for the Anomalous Affairs Bureau?”
Hm?
Lin Juan had been in this world for a while now and hadn’t found a job yet. Curiosity piqued, he asked, “What would I have to do? Would it be busy? Overtime? What about benefits?”
Director Liu replied, “Your abilities are unique. When weird phenomena occur, you’d join the Special Action Team on missions. How busy it gets depends on the timing. No incidents means no busyness. Overtime as needed. Full benefits package, official position, housing allocation, and bonuses after each mission—the amounts vary.”
Lin Juan was tempted but turned it down. “Nah, I prefer a freer lifestyle.”
He weighed it mentally. Joining the Anomalous Affairs Bureau was like enlisting in the military. He was too free-spirited for that kind of structure.
Director Liu had expected the refusal and didn’t push. With weird events cropping up everywhere lately, civilian ability users were emerging too—not everyone was willing to join the official side.
The stronger they were, the more strong-willed.
Later, Lu Yanzhou asked Lin Juan privately, “You really don’t want to go?”
Lin Juan tilted his head. “If I’d been tempted, I’d have said yes already. What, should I pull a Zhuge Liang and wait for three visits to the thatched hut?”
Lin Juan had thought it through carefully. Joining the Anomalous Affairs Bureau would be a solid foothold in this world. But it would also bind him to the government. He didn’t mind lending a hand now and then, but he had no interest in being tied down.
He’d grown up free in the mountains and hated restraints.
Besides, the Lu Family had given him so much money. Until Lu Yanzhou’s crisis was fully resolved, he needed to stick around for safety’s sake.
What if he went off on missions and Lu Yanzhou got targeted again?
Lin Juan kept these various considerations to himself. He knew he’d eventually leave the Lu Family, so before then, he wanted to save as much money as possible.
Director Liu had reminded him, though—he needed a job independent of the Lu Family.
What could he do?
Lin Juan sought out Lu Mingxuan.
“Little Uncle, you wanted me?”
“Yeah. Do you know how to design business cards?”
“Little Uncle’s company has pros for that. Why not ask Little Uncle?” Lu Mingxuan eyed Lin Juan’s expression carefully. “Did you two fight?”
That wouldn’t do.
Lu Mingxuan was determined to protect his Little Uncle and Little Uncle’s relationship. He was ready to get the details and smooth things over.
“No.” Lin Juan felt a vein throb. “Where’d you even get that idea?”
“Good, as long as not.” Lu Mingxuan patted his chest dramatically. “Leave it to me, Little Uncle. I’ll handle it perfectly. Whose card is it for? Any style preferences?”
“For me. Director Liu plans to gradually inform the public about weird phenomena. I want business cards to take commissions for handling weird events.” Lin Juan laid out his plan.
“Oh, oh, that’s great! Little Uncle starting a studio? You could ask Little Uncle~”
“You can’t go one sentence without mentioning your Little Uncle.” Lin Juan regretted coming to him.
“Kidding. Any other requests from Little Uncle?”
“Not for now.”
Lu Mingxuan accepted the task and immediately headed to his Little Uncle, who was working in the study. He relayed what Lin Juan had said.
Once finished, Lu Mingxuan winked meaningfully. “Little Uncle, I’ve handed you the opportunity. Seize it!”
“Cheeky.” Lu Yanzhou’s tone was mild—he clearly wasn’t truly upset.
Lu Mingxuan grew earnest. “Little Uncle, I’m serious. Don’t brush this off. Little Uncle’s got the looks and the skills. Right now, he just holes up in Lu Garden without making a name for himself. Give it time, and tons of people will be chasing after him.”
He paused for breath, then gritted his teeth and delivered the clincher with emphasis. “Little Uncle, don’t fail to get the moon when you’re right by the water tower!”
