CHAPTER 359: CHAPTER 359: THE OLD FOX

Ji You finished reading through several messages, a slight smile lifting the corners of her lips.

This——

Is what companionship feels like?

Ji You raised her hand, gently touching her thumping chest; it felt warm there, a warmth that lingered constantly.

Three days later, she was set to officially challenge all the students from the Material Department in the first and second years, in the department’s auditorium. This matter had already been confirmed, and what Ji You urgently needed to take care of was negotiating the use of the auditorium.

This auditorium was not just a venue for the Material Department’s activities, but also a common space for student interaction, self-study... and the like, which were generally free of cost.

But if Ji You wanted to use the auditorium for an entire day, she had to apply through the Academic Affairs Office. Only if the school agreed could she rent it for her own use.

To rent——

As the name suggests, it would cost money.

To avoid any unexpected issues, Ji You did not rush back to her dormitory. Instead, she hurried to the Academic Affairs Office.

When Ji You arrived, Director Wang was on duty.

Seeing the balding Director Wang, who wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, a bitter taste began to swell in Ji You’s heart:

What a stroke of bad luck!

Encountering this greedy snake.

Greedy snake——Director Wang, apart from Principal Hong, Mu Jianling, and the staid old professor Ye Hong, was the fourth infamous faculty member at Lanyue Star Military School. Why did he alone have such a unique nickname, a ’greedy snake’?

Of course, it was because Director Wang was exceptionally adept at plucking feathers. Whatever passed through his hands, he always managed to shave off a bit of money. Although Director Wang was greedy and loved money, it wasn’t for personal gain. The money he amassed didn’t go into his own pocket. Instead, it all entered the school’s finances and was used for various school expenses.

Over the past ten years, Principal Hong, in charge of external affairs, and Director Wang, managing internal matters, elevated the initially less-renowned Lanyue Star Military School into a top-ten prestigious institution within the Alliance. It was clear how capable the two were and how much effort they had put in.

Therefore, despite the faculty and students grumbling openly about Principal Hong and Director Wang, deep down they all held great respect for them.

...

Ji You had just approached the Academic Affairs Office and hadn’t yet had the chance to knock when Director Wang, seated in his office chair, caught sight of her. His face beamed with a smile straight away:

"Yo—Who have we here?" Director Wang greeted Ji You warmly, raising his hand, "No need to knock, just come on in."

Seeing his smile, Ji You felt a chill run down her spine; Director Wang seemed to have anticipated her arrival, looking as though he had long been waiting.

—This... this is bad.

With trepidation, Ji You took a step forward and said, "Director Wang, hello, I’m from class 131 of the self-funded..."

She was only halfway through when Director Wang cut her off, his eyes smiling warmly: "Ji You, no need for formal introductions. I have all the student records here, and despite the thousands of students, I still recognize each one instantly."

Ji You: "..."

It’s not a matter of you not recognizing me, but rather that you do.

A wave of despair washed over Ji You internally: She had been singled out.

Ji You moved her lips hesitantly, saying, "Director Wang, the thing is, I came here today wanting to—"

Before she could finish, Director Wang raised his hand yet again, interrupting her with a beaming smile: "No need to say more, I know why you’re here. You want to rent the Material Department’s auditorium, right?"

Ji You forced a stiff smile: "...Yes, that’s correct. You really are well-informed, Master."

Director Wang smiled radiantly, his entire demeanor as benevolent as the Maitreya Buddha, and said affably, "The students at the school are all like my children, how could I not know what concerns my children?"

Ji You: "..."

As if blind to Ji You’s frozen face, Director Wang still said with a smile, "As for the matter of renting the auditorium, there’s no need to apply to other leaders. I can give the green light right here."

Upon hearing this, Ji You’s eyes lit up instantly, and she hurriedly said: "Then I really have to thank Director Wang... I’m so grateful, then... since it’s all settled, I won’t delay your work, I’ll take my leave now."

The best way to avoid getting fleeced is to make a quick escape.

But—

Ji You’s butt hadn’t even moved from the seat when she heard Director Wang say with a chuckle, "No rush, according to the procedure, it’s not approved that quickly. Ji You, please wait a moment."

Ji You: "..."

As expected—

I knew it wouldn’t be so easy to flee.

Ji You had no choice but to sit down again with a bitter face, staring at Director Wang with a resentful look and asked bluntly, "Director Wang, please be straight with me, how much will renting the auditorium cost?"

Director Wang, still smiling, said, "Talking about money is so crass."

Ji You, with a strained smile, echoed: "Yes, yes, it’s really crass! Utterly unbearable..."

Director Wang laughed: "Still have to talk about it though, crass or not."

Ji You: "..."

Director Wang continued with a smile: "Don’t look at me with that expression, the money is definitely something we can’t just gloss over."

Ji You: "..."

Ji You took a deep breath and asked, "How much?"

Director Wang looked at Ji You, eyes beaming with kindness, and said, "Not much, just 500,000."

Ji You’s eyes bulged: "500,000???"

Ji You gaped: "Just that???"

Director Wang said with a smile, "Don’t be shocked just yet, this 500,000, I’m not overcharging you. Let me ask you, since you are going to hold a tournament, there will be a lot of people, right? So—don’t you need to maintain order within the venue? These students who maintain order will be arranged by our Material Department’s Student Affairs Office, but you at least have to pay them a service fee, right?"

Ji You stammered, "... right...that seems correct."

She hadn’t anticipated this aspect.

Then.

Director Wang continued, "The auditorium is so spacious, it can accommodate at least 50,000 people. If no one maintains order with that many people, any accident could cause chaos, so— you’ll have to hire at least 500 people to keep order, right?"

Ji You mumbled, "Yes... yes."

Director Wang said with a beaming smile, "500 people, working for one day, excluding lunch and dinner time, would work at least 10 hours for you. According to the Alliance Labour Law, this is considered serious overtime; you have to pay them triple overtime wages. It comes to at least 1,000 credit points per person, right?"

Ji You: "..."

Ji You clenched her teeth and mustered the courage to ask: "Director Wang, is the Student Affairs Office hiring? Would someone like me have a chance to be recruited on the spot? Rest assured about the work, I’m especially diligent, particularly good at maintaining order and such tasks."

Goodness me!

Why bother organizing a public tournament at all, when you can simply go work as a security guard to maintain order?

With 1,000 credit points for a day’s work, such a lucrative position should be snatched up fast, why leave it for someone else?

As soon as Ji You said this, Director Wang’s smiling face suddenly froze for a moment, but quickly, he resumed his kind smile and said, "It’s not hard to get into the Student Affairs Office, but it’s rare to find a big spender like Ji You willing to hold a tournament in the auditorium."

Ji You: "..."