Chapter 266 - 264: Deed of Sale

Chapter 266: Chapter 264: Deed of Sale

’A teacher from our class might be coming?’

Gu Nuan Nuan quickly pieced it together. Even if Lin Qiao was a top student, it wouldn’t be easy to transfer into City No. 1 Middle School from another district. Considering her family’s financial situation, they certainly couldn’t have spent a fortune pulling strings just to get her in—not unless a close relative was helping behind the scenes. Recalling what Lin Qiao had said about her uncle staying in the city and keeping in close contact with her family, she had a sudden realization. "Is your uncle a teacher or an administrator at our school?"

"Yeah, he’s the head of our grade, Teacher Yao." A hint of shyness flashed in Lin Qiao’s eyes. "Nuannuan, you’re amazing. You guessed it right away." She nervously twisted the hem of her shirt. "I originally invited other classmates, too. I was thinking that even if only one person came, everyone would quickly find out my uncle is Teacher Yao. Then they... they wouldn’t dare look down on me anymore..."

She sighed helplessly. "Unfortunately, I underestimated just how much they look down on me. They wouldn’t even come for a free meal because they think this place is too rural."

"Well, isn’t it the same now that I’m here?" Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t help but smile at Lin Qiao’s embarrassed, conflicted, and indignant expression.

"You—" Lin Qiao looked up at her and shook her head. "Sigh, forget it. I never considered relying on you to spread the word, and I’m certainly not counting on it now. After all this time, how could I not know what you’re like? Even if you’ve gotten over your shyness, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re not the type to gossip. And even if you wanted to gossip, you’d need someone to gossip with! Tell me, who have you even spoken to besides me?"

Lin Qiao rolled her eyes. "I’d be thanking my lucky stars if you could just be a little more lively in class, like you are when it’s just the two of us. I can’t ask for too much from you. Amitabha. To be honest, I was hesitant about whether to invite you. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but I know you’re shy and I was afraid it would scare you. Later, I really had no other choice, but I was worried that if I told you the truth in advance, you’d back out at the last minute. I know what I did was pretty shady... Nuannuan, can you please not be mad at me?"

"I can’t." Gu Nuan Nuan shook her head with a perfectly straight face. "You knew I was timid and shy, that I’d probably be scared seeing a teacher from our class here, and yet you insisted on inviting me. That’s just plain awful. So, it’s absolutely impossible for you to expect me to forgive you so easily. You should know, I have a temper too."

"Huh—" Lin Qiao was dumbfounded. "Then what do you want?"

"What do I want?" Seeing that Lin Qiao had really fallen for her act, Gu Nuan Nuan’s playful side emerged. "Does this mean you’ll agree to any condition I propose?"

"You say it first." Lin Qiao secretly decided, ’As long as Nuannuan’s request isn’t too outrageous, I’ll agree. It’s my fault for wronging her in the first place, after all.’

"Let me say it first so you can selectively agree... Tsk, don’t you think that shows a complete lack of sincerity?" Gu Nuan Nuan, feeling mischievous, shook her head in mock displeasure.

"..." Lin Qiao hesitated for a long moment, then looked at Gu Nuan Nuan and finally gritted her teeth. "Fine. No matter what condition you name, I’ll agree to it."

"Are you sure? Even if I sold you, you’d be willing?" Gu Nuan Nuan blinked, confirming with a wicked sense of humor.

"I’m sure." Of course, Lin Qiao didn’t think for a second that Gu Nuan Nuan would actually sell her. Hearing this, she became even more certain it was all a joke and instantly relaxed.

"Alright then. In that case, I’ll reluctantly take you." Gu Nuan Nuan gave Lin Qiao a look that said ’You’re the one getting the good end of this deal,’ not forgetting to add, "But a verbal agreement isn’t enough. You have to give me proof—write up a deed of sale and stamp it with your thumbprint. It has to clearly state that you are selling yourself to me voluntarily, of your own free will, and that from now on, you must obey my every command."

"A deed of sale?"

Lin Qiao found the idea quite novel. Not only did she see nothing wrong with it, she was even thinking, ’Nuannuan is such a great person. She’s decided to forgive me for just writing a little note that’s no different from a joke—*sob*, I have to be even nicer to her and take better care of her in the future.’ Thus, she nodded readily, finding nothing strange about it at all as she confirmed, "So if I write it, you won’t be mad at me and you’ll forgive me?"

"That’s right."

Gu Nuan Nuan nodded with absolute certainty, then gave Lin Qiao a careful, appraising look from top to bottom. She nodded again silently in her mind. ’Not bad. She’s a budding beauty, pleasant to look at. The fact that she does well in school means she’s smart, too. And in our time together, I haven’t seen her be too pedantic, stubborn, dogmatic, or so paranoid that she won’t listen to reason... Her personality is quite good.’

’If I start consciously grooming her now, she should be useful by the time she graduates from college. Hmm, with a few more years of experience after that, she might even become a great asset. Wouldn’t that make my future much easier? I have to remember that I’ll still need to travel the world collecting energy for Cao Cao, and the amount of wealth that will require is still an unknown number. Just relying on the dividends from my uncle’s side probably won’t be enough, and it’s not very convenient... When that time comes, the large movements in my fixed accounts would probably be impossible to hide from Mom and my uncle. Instead of attracting their attention every now and then, it would be better to just start my own operation.’

The more Gu Nuan Nuan thought about it, the more she felt her reasoning was sound. ’This way, once I graduate, I’ll have a legitimate occupation, and my grandparents, my uncle, and Mom won’t keep nagging me. My uncle, especially, will finally give up on the idea of pulling me into the Zhang Group. And secondly, it’s necessary to develop my own team. At the very least, it will make things more convenient in the future, whatever I do. Having people under you to delegate tasks to is always much more efficient than having to do everything yourself, right?’

"Okay, I’ll write it for you in a bit," Lin Qiao agreed cheerfully.

"Mhm." Gu Nuan Nuan was also very pleased. ’It seems this trip wasn’t a waste after all.’

"Master, isn’t it a bit wrong to trick a child like this?"

Cao Cao poked its head out and couldn’t help but cover its face, unable to bear watching the expression on Lin Qiao, who had just so easily "sold" herself. Instinct told it that one day in the future, this silly child would definitely "regret" this.

Cao Cao’s prediction was correct. Many years later, Lin Qiao did indeed regret it so much her guts turned green, just as it had foreseen. As a certain someone’s special assistant, she was in reality shouldering a burden she was never meant to carry. She toiled away miserably, spinning like a top without a moment to catch her breath, all while having to watch said person gallivant around the world, constantly being provoked by the photos they sent.

And whenever Lin Qiao was provoked to her breaking point and lodged a fierce protest, that certain someone would just watch her with a grin, then, infuriatingly, would leisurely dangle the deed of sale she’d signed in her ignorant youth, waving it back and forth in front of her. This would instantly deflate her anger, leaving her to only mutter to herself about being young, naive, and falling in with the wrong crowd, before wiping her tears and obediently returning to her hard labor—