Chapter 285.2: Level Three of Qi Refinement
At that moment, Qi Yuan’s phone rang. It was Wang Xu.
—Qi Yuan, how was the blind date? Was Cui Fan's introduction reliable?
"It didn't work out." Qi Yuan recalled the woman in the tight dress whom he had borrowed quite a bit of money from.
—No worries. There'll be better ones. What about the job I recommended?
"No need. Thank you, OId Class Monitor. I've found something and I can make money."
—Make money?
He hung up. "Yeah. I'm not working for others, I'm starting a business. Talk later."
On the other end, Wang Xu was stunned. "Starting a business?"
Qi Yuan is going to start a business?
This was simply too surprising. After all, everyone knew that Qi Yuan was mentally unwell.
What business could he possibly do? What is he going to sell? His body?
However, since the call had ended, Wang Xu could not ask anymore. "Haa, I guess Qi Yuan was right. Working is way too tiring. I still have to investigate the sea monsters tomorrow and that damn Hai Xing Ya."
***
"Please have a seat, sir."
In the residential complex, a man in a high-end suit opened the car door for Qi Yuan. The car itself had been arranged by the boss. Qi Yuan entered with closed eyes. He could smell faint blood even through the suit. This man had killed someone before. Normal people would definitely be afraid of him. Of course, that wasn’t the case for Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan asked casually, "Your boss is rich, right?"
The driver paused, his mouth slightly sunken as he replied in Qin Yuan language, "Very."
"Good. Strong partners make cooperation easier."
Qi Yuan was too lazy to find more partners. He preferred having a single partner handle everything, especially gathering materials, so he could focus on cultivation.
The driver remained silent.
After two hours, the car arrived at a port.
A man in suit approached him. "Mr. Qi, please follow me. The boss is waiting on the ship."
Qi Yuan nodded and boarded the cruise. The Hai Xing Ya was a mid-to-large cruise ship nearly five hundred meters long, capable of carrying around ten thousand passengers.
The ship was now docked and at the entrance, uniformed guards stood watch. Elegant men and women entered with smiles. Nearby, young people took photos and livestreamed.
Some conversations drifted over.
"I heard this ship belongs to Prince Taier... Haa. I wonder if I will ever have a chance to meet this prince and live happily ever after."
"Stop dreaming, you have to buy a ticket. I heard one costs over ten thousand!"
"Haa, some people can get in without paying... I have a friend that went in!"
"Special channels..."
"Mm... oof, what a pity. If I had passed the physical exam, I'd have had a chance to get in too!"
Inside the cruise ship were quite a number of powerful and influential figures, which also attracted many young men and women. After all, breaking into such a high society was enough to completely change one's life trajectory.
Qi Yuan followed the man in the suit through the VIP passageway, boarding the cruise under the envious gazes of those young men and women. The ship was huge, and there were many people inside. They were all well-dressed and respectable. From time to time, guards carrying firearms could be seen patrolling.
"The ship's security is very tight. Ordinary guests aren't allowed to bring weapons, so Mr. Qi, you don't need to worry about safety," the man in suit emphasized.
"Don't worry, I'm not concerned."
His level was different from others. Nothing on this ship posed any threat to him.
The man in suit fell silent and said no more.
Qi Yuan followed the man in suit, weaving through the cruise for about twenty minutes. "Where's your boss? Hurry up, I still need to get back to practice martial arts."
"Almost there, just one more minute. The boss is waiting in the hall ahead," the man in suit said quickly.
Along the way, he had deliberately led Qi Yuan around to give his boss more time to observe him.
Qi Yuan nodded and said nothing further. "Mhm."
At the same time, not far away on the cruise, a young girl in an evening gown blinked as if doubting whether she had seen correctly.
"What's wrong, Wu Qi?"
"Nothing... I thought I saw a high school classmate. I am probably mistaken. Come to think of it, he should be my junior... he was really handsome. Back then, several girls in our class used to follow him around every day. If I hadn't been training so often, I might've tried dating him. What a pity... Now that I'm a public figure, I have to be very cautious about relationships."
Under her airy bangs and pear-shaped hairstyle was a delicate, beautiful face. Her makeup leaned toward a cool, alluring style, with heavy eyeshadow accentuating her lashes. Her black evening gown perfectly outlined her figure.
"Even if you can't date openly, you earn a lot. Aren't you still an outstanding alumna of your school? People call you a big star when they see you."
Wu Qi rolled her eyes. "Big star, my ass. I'm just a high-end service worker. Later, I still have to go in and drink with clients..."
Hearing that, her manager couldn't help but say, "If you don't want to attend, we can arrange to cancel it."
Of course, she was only saying it casually, cancellation wasn't really an option.
"No, I have to seize opportunities like this. It might lead to major resources. I don't want to stay an unknown idol forever!" Wu Qi said pragmatically, tugging her dress down slightly to reveal more of her fair skin.
The idol had personally requested to attend this knowing what it could entail. If necessary, she would even offer herself. Such situations were common across many circles, for both men and women.
Hopefully it's not some pot-bellied old man, she thought.
Meanwhile, Qi Yuan stepped into a resplendent reception hall. The hall was enormous and lavishly decorated, with no attempt at subtlety.
The man in the black jacket stood up, smiling at him. "Qi Yuan, I'm Kuang Huan.[1]"
1. 狂欢 (kuáng huān) means to revel, party wildly, or carouse, referring to noisy, energetic celebration and enjoyment. It describes a state of intense festivity, often involving loud music, drinking, or dancing... Thought this was an interesting name to share :) ☜
