Chapter 5

Soon, someone brought two cups of water; the manager naturally placed both hands on his desk, fingers interlocked.

He then separated his palms, spreading his hands open. “So… what are you here for?”

The company has many operations, not all under his direct control; he couldn’t possibly know the details of every transaction.

Aierwenbuzhiruhekaikou ， Lansiquexiandeziranqingsong 。

“We ran into some trouble and need some money.”

The manager smiled. “No problem at all—that’s what we do.”

“How much do you want?”

“Two hundred.”

“Two hundred?”

“Two hundred!”

The manager didn’t think the amount was too small; this financial firm didn’t let any fish, big or small, slip away—and from a practical interest standpoint, smaller loans yielded higher returns.

A thousand might carry an annual interest rate of fifty to sixty percent, but a ten-thousand loan might only be twenty to thirty percent.

And small loans carried lower risk; the probability of someone fleeing over a few hundred was absolutely different from fleeing over tens of thousands.

Of course, before that, he needed to verify the basic information of the people before him—he couldn’t just hand out money to anyone.

That wasn’t capital turnover; that was damn charity.

“I don’t think you sound like locals.”

Blue didn’t deny it. “We’re from the Empire.”

The manager smirked. “I see news about your place all the time on the feeds—what a terrible place. So, do you have any collateral?”

“You’re not locals—if you run off, I won’t be able to find you.”

“Rather than fronting you this money, I’d rather not lend it at all.”

Blue knew this would be a hassle, so he explained: “We don’t have collateral…”—then, seeing the manager’s expression shift to “Are you fucking with me?” Blue cut in: “But we can repay.”

At the manager’s confused look, he added: “We’re fourteen people. We all work in Jincheng City. Without legal status, we can’t go anywhere else.”

“You know other places have fewer opportunities and are less safe. Other cities aren’t as tolerant as Jincheng—so we won’t run.”

The manager agreed with this logic. He opened a cigarette pack, turned it toward them, and gestured an invitation.

Blue took one; Aierwen just looked, didn’t reach for one.

The manager found Blue interesting, and pushed over a lighter—a classic desktop model. “Know how to use it?”

Desktop lighters of this era had stories behind them; they looked like the size of an adult’s palm—just the base.

On the base stood a clown statue holding a torch; pressing one of the figure’s arms made it spit a spark onto the cotton wick, igniting the torch.

Soaked in kerosene—the wick, the flint.

These desktop lighters were popular, with countless designs and price tiers.

Blue lit his cigarette, drew in a deep breath, and seemed to relax completely.

Watching Blue smoke with practiced ease, the manager lit his own. “Back to our topic—how do I know you’ll repay me?”

“We’re fourteen people. Even if each of us earns only fifteen a month, that’s two hundred ten.”

“We give you half—that’s one hundred five. In three months at most, we’ll pay you back in full.”

“And if we lose our jobs and can’t pay, we can work for you to settle the debt. We’re many—you have nothing to worry about.”

The manager nodded, convinced—but still had one concern: “How do I know I can find you?”

“Take our photos.”

A good idea—but the manager asked one more thing: “Can I ask what you need this money for?”

“For you, two hundred isn’t small change.”

Blue didn’t hide it. “We’ve got a problem—a whore’s son is trying to shake us down…”

After Blue briefly recounted the whole story, the manager grew interested. “I’ve got a new proposal. Want to hear it?”

Blue flicked ash as he spoke. “Do we have the right to refuse?”

The manager laughed loudly. “Looks like you don’t…” He paused. “I’ll handle this whore’s son for you. You still owe me two hundred—but I’ll cut the interest.”

“Actually, letting me deal with it benefits you more than just handing over cash.”

“Per company policy, for a small loan like this, we don’t charge interest. Principal plus interest, you pay me three hundred fifty in six months.”

“I’m lowering it for you: three hundred twenty total in six months—fifty-three point five per month. That’s a reward for your performance.”

Watching the manager’s confident smile, Blue didn’t accept or refuse outright. He offered a new option: “We pay you two hundred fifty total, cash in hand—no company records.”

The manager froze, then burst into loud, uncontrollable laughter.

Blue vaguely understood where the mistake lay.

“Is this company yours?”

The manager nodded, clutching his stomach. “That’s hilarious—you’re trying to bribe me to my face!”

“Hah! You’re funny—nothing like that dull idiot beside you. By the way, what’s your name?”

“Blue…” He spelled it out.

“A strange name—but you’re interesting, Blue.”

“Since you made me laugh so hard, two hundred eighty. Six months.”

“Final offer. Anyone else who tries to haggle—I kick them out right then.”

As he spoke, the manager carried an air of pride; in this cash-scarce era, whoever held money didn’t fear finding borrowers.

Some might refuse such brutal rates—but plenty were willing to gamble.

Two hundred plus eighty in interest—this rate was not expensive here, in this city, in this time.

Blue hesitated only briefly, crushed his cigarette in the ashtray, stood, exhaled his last puff, and extended his hand. “Glad we’ve reached an agreement, sir.”

After a brief pause, the manager stood and shook Blue’s hand. “You’re interesting, Blue. Now I’m your creditor.”

He called out toward the door: “Fodis! Get in here!”

Soon, a burly man pushed the door open, standing inside. “Boss, you called?”

The manager released Blue’s hand, pointed at him. “Go with him, deal with that whore’s son, then check out his workplace, and bring back some food…”

He looked at Blue. “You’re different from others your age I’ve met. Honestly—you’ve got something special. I admire you. You won’t stay ordinary.”

“I hope I still hear your name mentioned around Jincheng someday, Blue.”

“And don’t forget you owe me. If you do, I’ll send someone to remind you—you won’t like that reminder. Understood?”

He found Blue interesting—but business was business.

Girls who ran cheap operations on the street didn’t lower prices just because a customer was a regular.

If they truly liked you, they might live with you after work—but if you wanted anything during work, you paid.

After a brief warning, he let them go.

To him, two hundred eighty over six months meant less than forty-seven per month.

But many such forty-sevens built his current life.

And this time, there was zero risk—he hadn’t spent a single cent himself, and he’d met an interesting man.

Blue’s odd, out-of-place aura made the manager more tolerant, more willing to wait and see.

When Blue and Aierwen stepped out of the financial firm, the others immediately gathered around, asking for the outcome.

Blue told them it was settled, then warned them: “Each of you pays three per month—that’s forty-two. The remaining five comes from Ethan—he caused this, so he pays more.”

No one objected. Everyone followed Blue’s lead.

Fodis frowned. “We’re running out of time.”

Blue agreed at once. He told the others to wait, then boarded the company car with Aierwen , heading toward the port under Aierwen ’s direction.

The man who’d reported Ethan lived in a worker’s apartment near the port.

This was Blue’s first time riding a car in this world. Inside, it was far more luxurious than its exterior suggested—especially the walnut and calf leather trim, radiating quiet opulence.

“How much does this car cost?”

Fodis drove, not looking back. “Twenty thousand.”

Blue whistled, fell silent.

Twenty thousand—he could imagine it, but gathering it? Not easy.

The car jolted slightly; poor suspension made the ride stiff—but it was still a car, and no man could dislike it.

The car stopped outside the port worker’s apartment. Fodis followed Blue and Aierwen —mainly Aierwen —to the fourth floor and knocked on a door.

“You?” The drunk whore’s son’s eyebrows shot up at the sight of Aierwen . “You got the money?”

Blue pulled Aierwen aside. Fodis stood before the man and said calmly, “Go to the police station and drop your report. That’s the end of this.”

The whore’s son didn’t buy it—probably too drunk to think straight.

He shoved Fodis. “Who did you hire for this act?”

“You smuggler scum, don’t think your size scares me.”

“Listen: if you want me to drop the case, two hundred in my hand. Otherwise—”

He stopped mid-sentence, because Fodis had pulled back his coat, revealing the holster and gun inside. “Want to see if it fires?”

The drunk whore’s son snapped awake, stepped back, raised his hands, and retreated into the doorway. “Sorry—I didn’t realize…”