Chapter 90: Borrowing Too Much
During lunch break, Yan Zhen discreetly made his way to Instructor Yu Xuan’s private office. He was there to borrow money.
Asking for a loan, especially when one was truly strapped for cash, could be a blow to one’s pride. However, for Yan Zhen, this was simply a matter of following the script. He felt no shame.
Upon hearing his request, Instructor Yu Xuan smiled gently, as if she had been expecting this. She retrieved ten crystal cards from her storage ring and placed them before him.
“This is practically all my savings, Yan Zhen. Ten million crystal coins in total. Is that enough? If not, I have some valuable items I can pawn.”
Ten million?! Yan Zhen’s eyes widened in shock.
In the script, she had only lent him a hundred thousand, just enough to cover one batch of ingredients. He had been incredibly grateful. Why was she offering him ten million now?
Right, for some inexplicable reason, she had developed feelings for him. Their current relationship was far more intimate than the typical student-teacher dynamic described in the script. They were practically on the verge of… that. But to lend him almost all her savings… it was incredibly touching! Where could he find such a wonderful instructor?
No, I can’t give in! The protagonist shouldn’t be swayed by money!
“Instructor, I don’t need that much. Besides, you have your own expenses. I’ll just take a hundred thousand.”
“Are you sure a hundred thousand is enough?” She suspected he needed the money to purchase alchemy ingredients. “Why don’t you take a million for now? If you need more, just let me know.”
She pressed one of the crystal cards into his hand, her smile as warm and comforting as spring rain.
His heart swelled with gratitude. He abandoned his pretense of reluctance. “Thank you, Instructor. I’ll pay you back as soon as possible.”
“Silly, you don’t need to pay me back.” She chuckled. “You won first place in both monthly assessments and even claimed the top spot on the Nine Star Rank. I received a generous bonus, and you brought me a lot of recognition.”
“That’s what you deserve, Instructor.” He met her gaze, his expression serious. “I know you care about me, but we should be clear about money matters. Otherwise, I might become greedy and take advantage of your kindness.”
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing.” She lowered her voice, her cheeks flushing slightly. “If you’re willing, I can take care of you from now on.”
Yan Zhen’s face burned crimson, the heat spreading to his ears. His entire head felt like it was on fire.
Seeing his reaction, she giggled, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
This isn’t in the script! he thought frantically. Wasn’t her character supposed to be gentle, virtuous, and elegant? Why is she so good at flirting?!
He was about to make a hasty retreat, clutching the crystal card, when Yan Meng’er, Yan Ruyu, and Mi Xue’er appeared, followed by Xiao Xinyan, who still seemed to consider herself above associating with “mere vases.”
“Cousin! Found you~”
“See? I told you Little Brother Yan Zhen would be here enjoying Instructor Yu Xuan’s air conditioning.”
He wasn’t surprised to see them. He greeted them awkwardly.
It wasn’t feigned awkwardness. It was genuine.
Mi Xue’er approached him, her hand resting on his shoulder as if to say, “Gotcha!” She noticed the lingering blush on his face. “Little Brother Yan Zhen, your face is so red! Are you alright?”
Yan Meng’er joined them, peering at his face. “It’s hot out. You might be getting heatstroke. Be careful, Cousin.”
He rolled his eyes. “Heatstroke? I cultivate the Fire Mystic Power!”
His exasperated retort made them laugh.
“Yan Zhen, is that Instructor Yu Xuan’s…?” Yan Ruyu’s sharp eyes zeroed in on the crystal card in his hand. “Did you run out of allowance?”
He quickly hid the card behind his back, feigning guilt. “There’s a reason for this.”
“There’s no reason to borrow from Instructor Yu Xuan…” Mindful of his pride, she didn’t say the word “money” directly, but her disapproval was clear. “I have some extra. How much do you need?”
“It’s fine. You don’t have much yourself.”
“Just tell me!”
“Ahem, the more the better.”
“You… what do you need so much money for?” She eyed him suspiciously, then retrieved a crystal card from her storage ring. “I have about five hundred thousand left. You can have half.”
He rubbed his cheek. “I couldn’t possibly…”
“Take it!” She pressed the card into his hand.
He accepted it, storing it in his storage ring.
— Two down, two to go.
“Cousin, are you short on money? Why didn’t you tell me?” Yan Meng’er proudly presented a piggy bank, shaking it vigorously. It was filled with crystal cards. “I’ve saved up a lot! If you need it, you can have it all! Five hundred thousand!”
Yan Zhen stared at her in disbelief. “Where did you get so much money, Meng’er?”
In the script, she had only given him fifty thousand, which was already all her allowance, excluding her food expenses. She usually spent all her money shopping with Mi Xue’er. She was practically a shopaholic.
When did she become wealthier than her cousin? And where did she get a piggy bank? She saved money? That was a joke!
“Heehee, didn’t I tell you, Cousin? I bet all my allowance on your victory in those three duels! And I won a lot!”
He was surprised. He had thought she was just exaggerating. He hadn’t realized she had actually bet everything.
— Actually, it was more than that.
Using her knowledge from her previous life, Yan Meng’er had also placed bets on several other Nine Star Rank duels, winning a fortune. The bookmakers dreaded seeing her, fearing she would bankrupt them.
“Me too, me too! I won a lot too, Little Brother Yan Zhen! You can have it all! It’s free money anyway! A million!”
“…”
He was speechless. Their contributions were supposed to be meager, barely enough to make a dent in his expenses, totaling maybe a hundred or two hundred thousand at most. How were they all offering him so much?
As he pondered this, Xiao Xinyan, who had been sitting quietly, spoke up, her voice soft and hesitant. “I… I have about a hundred thousand left. If you don’t mind taking such a small amount, you can have it.”
She offered him a crystal card, her eyes downcast, as if begging him to accept it.
He didn’t know how to react. He appreciated her offer, but this scene wasn’t supposed to involve Miss High-and-Mighty!
Instructor Yu Xuan had given him a million, Mi Xue’er a million, Yan Meng’er five hundred thousand, Yan Ruyu over two hundred thousand, and now Xiao Xinyan was offering a hundred thousand. That was almost three million! Enough to cover his expenses for nearly a year! This was hardly a “drop in the bucket”!
Why was even this minor plot point deviating from the script?
Well, it didn’t matter. He didn’t need the money anyway. He was already wealthy.
He would just borrow a small sum from his Beautiful Sect Master later to complete this scene.
— This is so frustrating! I’m loaded, but I have to pretend to be broke and borrow money from girls! This is humiliating! If the Special Trump Card I get for this mission is useless, I’m going to complain to the system!
He pocketed the crystal cards and quickly left the office.
