Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Truly Important Client

It was, of course, Hathaway-Lina who appeared at the door. The exotic allure of her mixed heritage was unmistakable, her latest Chanel autumn suit accentuating a figure of exquisite grace. With her tall, statuesque frame reaching nearly 180 centimeters, she immediately outshone many present—men included.

Though her Mandarin was not entirely fluent, she stood there radiating a formidable queenly aura. Behind her, two rows of men in black suits stood at attention, each holding a silver-gray briefcase, further underscoring Hathaway’s extraordinary background.

Zheng Qiuyin was visibly shaken. “Why is it her?”

There was a time when Zheng Qiuyin and Hathaway were the closest of friends, sharing everything. Both hailed from the same school, with Hathaway-Lina as the foreign exchange student. After the world’s awakening to spiritual energy, both women acquired mysterious witch-like abilities and together, with Hathaway at the core, founded the Phoenix Society.

Yet, the good times did not last. A divergence of ideals drove them apart. Hathaway advanced swiftly, ascending to the third tier of transcendents, while Zheng Qiuyin seemed left behind, still only at level two. The Phoenix Society’s fame soared, while Zheng’s own business group appeared ever more ordinary by comparison.

Their rivalry only intensified in Lenghai, both vying for dominance. Wang Keng had originally belonged to Zheng’s business group, but was poached by the Phoenix Society—a clear sign of the deep rift between them.

Even Zheng Qiuyin could not deny that, in many respects, she fell short of Hathaway. As a foreigner, Hathaway had managed to secure a formidable position on Chinese soil—no small feat. To have grown so powerful that even the authorities regarded her warily was even more impressive.

Yan Yizhen did not know Hathaway, but women are naturally attuned to their own kind. Hathaway’s beauty was simply too striking to ignore. Yan Yizhen couldn’t help but glance curiously at Qin Jing, wondering about his connection to this woman.

For Qin Jing, today’s events were a minor annoyance. He didn’t fear Zheng Qiuyin or Yan Yizhen’s classmates, but he didn’t want to escalate things over such trivial matters, which only made him more irritable.

Hathaway’s arrival, however, dispelled his irritation. He resolved to make a show of things this once—not for pride, but in hopes of avoiding similar nuisances in the future.

“I have many wares. I doubt you’ve brought enough money to buy them all.”

In the face of Hathaway’s grand entrance, Qin Jing only replied with this calm remark.

To many ears, it sounded like posturing. Hathaway was obviously a wealthy, high-rolling client, and yet his first words were to doubt her means—wasn’t this mere affectation or arrogance?

But the parties involved thought otherwise. Hathaway had come prepared; today’s visit was all about forging ties. If she could curry favor with Qin Jing, not only would the threat of the Tiao gemstone be averted, but she’d also gain a large supply of magic stones—a tremendous boon. What did pride matter by comparison?

“My apologies. According to your rules, I’ve brought ten million—old notes. Would you like to count them?”

As she spoke, Hathaway gestured outside. The men at the door opened their briefcases in unison.

A collective gasp swept through the room.

They’d seen wealth before, but never on this scale. Each case was packed with bundles of cash, dozens of stacks per case by rough estimate. With ten men, each holding a case worth half a million, it indeed amounted to a full ten million.

Yet Qin Jing only frowned at the sight, his voice low. “Hathaway, you’re drawing too much attention. I run a small business; I don’t want word of this spreading.”

Damn, playing coy after scoring big?

Zhang Wei felt his blood pressure spike. He’d thought Qin Jing was a small fry, but it turned out he’d hooked a dragon. Had Qin Jing been hiding his true abilities all along?

Many shared Zhang Wei’s thoughts. Tian Qin nudged Yan Yizhen and whispered, “Not bad! Did you know all along that Qin Jing’s business was this huge? I really thought you were taken in by his little campus side hustle!”

Yan Yizhen could only smile wryly, unsure how to respond. She fixed her gaze on Qin Jing, curiosity now at its peak: Who was he, really? What kind of business was this, and what exactly did he sell?

For a moment, the room was silent, everyone stunned into temporary mental paralysis.

“Don’t worry. My people are all at the door; word won’t get out,” Hathaway said with a bright smile. Under her direction, several men in black carried the cases inside, stacking a total of twenty at the entrance. The pile towered over two meters high—a truly impressive sight.

Qin Jing didn’t bother counting the money; he knew full well Hathaway wouldn’t dare cheat him.

He nodded, then turned and pulled a small cloth bag from under his bed, handing it directly to Hathaway. “Here’s your order. Ten pieces in total. Please check them.”

Ten? That meant a million for each—what could they possibly be?

Many craned their necks, burning with insatiable curiosity.

But to their disappointment, Hathaway, beaming with delight, took the bag without even opening it, slipping it into her elegant Louis Vuitton handbag. She even gave Qin Jing a flirtatious glance.

“How could I possibly doubt you?”

Good heavens—a queenly beauty behaving like this? The crowd was thrown off, as if their understanding of the world was about to collapse.

Zheng Qiuyin was among them. She stared in disbelief before blurting out, “Hathaway, do you know about Wang Keng?”

It was only now that Hathaway seemed to notice Zheng Qiuyin. Her presence did not surprise Hathaway; she had received reports suggesting Zheng Qiuyin and Qin Jing might be acquainted.

She turned to Qin Jing for confirmation.

Qin Jing replied coolly, “Don’t look at me. This is a shop; anyone can visit. We’re all just business partners.”

With that, Hathaway understood. In her mind, she cursed Wang Keng roundly—he’d really landed her in it. If only he’d dealt with Zheng Qiuyin directly, why drag this formidable figure into the mess? Now it was clear: Qin Jing and Zheng Qiuyin had no special relationship, just ordinary business dealings. Truly…

Recalling her ordeal the previous night, Hathaway almost wanted to cry. What a pointless disaster.

“Zheng Qiuyin, are you the only one allowed to buy from Mr. Qin?” Hathaway, ever shrewd, refused to reveal her hand. She simply smiled. “Of course not. Phoenix Society isn’t as stingy as you. We place only the largest of orders with Mr. Qin. As for Wang Keng, he’s a traitor. From the moment he betrayed us, he vanished without a trace.”

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Thanks to NAKATA001 for the 1,000 reward—much appreciated.