Chapter 51
Chapter 51: Grandpa Who Fought for the Rise of Magic Plants
Li Shu Yun came looking for Qian Qi over the Fire Qilin Lotus.
She should have asked yesterday, but Qian Qi had been tied up with the duel match, so she’d waited until today.
After a moment of hesitation, Li Shu Yun tested the waters. “Junior, do you remember what you said a week ago? That you were thinking about selling me the planting method for Fire Qilin Lotus?”
“Oh, right!”
Qian Qi smacked her forehead. “I’ve decided. Ten million, and I’ll sell you the planting method for Fire Qilin Lotus.”
At that price, she might as well be giving it away. Once you had the method, earning the money back would take minutes.
Except Li Shu Yun’s expression tightened.
Ten million was a heavy load for both the Magic Plant Research Institute and the Li family. The institute hadn’t gotten funding in years; the Li family had been paying to keep it alive. Her parents and grandfather had fought plenty over that alone.
Still—if Fire Qilin Lotus could be mass-planted and produced, the profit would come roaring back.
She just needed Grandfather to borrow a little from friends and relatives to get through the crunch.
Li Shu Yun lowered her head. “Junior… that’s a lot. Give me one night. I’ll have my family get the money ready.”
“Sure.”
Qian Qi waved, unbothered, and headed into the dorm.
Li Shu Yun stood there for a beat. Then she went downstairs, found an empty corner, opened her lightbrain, and started a video call to Grandfather.
“Hello? Yun Yun—how’d it go? What price did you settle on?”
On the screen, Li Hong Sheng looked like he’d been holding his breath for a week.
Li Shu Yun cleared her throat. “Grandfather… she wants ten million.”
Li Hong Sheng’s eyes bulged so hard his crow’s-feet nearly ironed themselves flat. “Ten million?! That’s robbery! Even if you sold me, you still wouldn’t get ten million!”
Li Shu Yun stared at the screen. She didn’t say it out loud, but… he really wasn’t worth that much.
“Did you tell her who you are?” Li Hong Sheng demanded. “You’re the granddaughter of the director of the Magic Plant Research Institute! And the granddaughter of the director of Magic Plant College!”
“She probably knows,” Li Shu Yun said weakly. “Everyone in the college knows…”
“Then did you tell her it was me who wanted to buy the method?”
Li Hong Sheng started pacing, the image jittering as he walked. “Ten million—where am I supposed to find ten million? My institute is about to go bankrupt and shut down…”
Li Shu Yun could only sigh. “I didn’t say it was you. I thought… even if I used your identity, it wouldn’t work.”
Qian Qi didn’t look like someone who bowed to status. She’d played the principal like a fiddle before. Compared to that, her grandfather—whose whole personality was basically fight for the rise of magic plants—would be an easy mark.
If Grandfather showed up at school, Qian Qi might actually scam him into bankruptcy.
“No.” Li Hong Sheng snapped to a decision. “I’m going back to the school tomorrow. I’ll meet this Qian Qi myself!”
“Grandfather, I—”
“Set it up,” he cut in. “I have to see her tomorrow morning.”
The call ended.
Li Shu Yun rubbed her face, long-suffering.
The old man was stubborn as a mule. Fine. Tonight, she’d at least set out a new towel for him.
Hopefully he wouldn’t get bullied into tears tomorrow.
Carefully, she messaged Qian Qi.
A reply came quickly: Qian Qi agreed to meet.
Li Shu Yun finally exhaled. It seemed her junior was… reasonably cooperative. As long as money was involved, Qian Qi would show up.
That conclusion wasn’t random. Everyone had heard about how Qian Qi charged first-year magic plant students, made them sign contracts, and taught them how to grow magic plants. Even in second year, the gossip still made the rounds. Plenty of classmates were tempted to try their luck too, but busy Qian Qi had turned them down.
Even so, Li Shu Yun couldn’t help worrying about tomorrow.
“Please don’t let Junior Qian Qi lay hands on my old, proud grandfather,” she muttered on the way back to her dorm. “He’s too old to take a beating…”
The next morning, Qian Qi had barely stepped out when a classmate from her year blocked the doorway.
“Qian Qi! Save my magic plant!”
The guy looked like he was about to cry. “My seven-ridged ghostflower suddenly got white spots. Is it some kind of terminal disease?”
Qian Qi tugged her jacket closed and patted his shoulder. “Relax. Small problem. I’ll take a look when I’m back.”
The classmate blinked. “Where are you going?”
“To the office,” Qian Qi said, waving him off. “Big business. Big partnership.”
The classmate’s jaw dropped.
Office? Big partnership?
It had only been a few days. How was Qian Qi already this far ahead?
Meanwhile, the one “handling big business” yawned her way down the corridor, eyes half-lidded, and pushed open the door to the principal’s office.
The instant it opened, Li Hong Sheng—who’d been waiting inside—shot to his feet and locked onto the student walking in.
A child who could figure out the planting method for Fire Qilin Lotus had to be diligent. Polite. Gentle. Someone you could reason with, bargain with, maybe even guilt into giving it away for free—
Then Qian Qi stepped fully into view, and Li Hong Sheng’s heart sank like a rock.
Messy nest of hair. A sleeveless white T-shirt that looked permanently unclean. Baggy black shorts. Flip-flops dragging across the floor with a long, dull scrape, like she was trying to sand the tiles by hand.
The kid—no, the “kid”—yawned again, squinted with puffy little eyes, and casually picked at her ear like she was on her own couch.
She didn’t look like a proper good student at all.
And the moment she saw the principal, she went, loud and lazy, “Yo. Principal. Up early. You eaten yet?”
The rural twang made the principal quietly cover his face. He reached out and tried to tug Li Hong Sheng back into his chair—subtle, urgent.
Don’t be too enthusiastic. She’ll climb straight up your nose.
Qian Qi’s gaze slid to the old man in the white lab coat beside the principal. Something clicked. She brightened and grabbed Li Hong Sheng’s wrist with both hands like they were family.
“Aiyo! You must be Senior Li’s grandfather! Wow—look at you. So… spirited. I almost didn’t dare recognize you!”
Li Hong Sheng’s mouth twitched.
So she couldn’t think of any compliments and settled on spirited.
He studied her, forcing the words out. “You’re Qian Qi?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Qian Qi nodded hard, beaming. “So—did you bring the ten million? Let’s be quick. I’ve got classmates waiting for me to go back and answer questions!”
That blunt opener instantly shoved Li Hong Sheng onto the back foot. He’d pulled investments for years. He knew what it looked like when someone tried to seize control of a negotiation.
He pointed at the chair across from him. “This isn’t urgent. Sit.”
Making her sit in his space, in the principal’s office, was a quiet reminder of who held the high ground.
Too bad for him—Qian Qi had already looked him up. Including the parts where he was so broke the walls probably echoed.
Want to bargain?
Not happening.
Want to freeload?
Dream on.
Qian Qi waved a hand. “No need. This takes two minutes. Why sit? If you’re not in a hurry, come find me when you are.”
Then she turned like Li Hong Sheng didn’t exist and spoke to the principal. “Principal, you got anything to eat? I skipped breakfast. I’m starving. If not, at least give me some water.”
The principal’s eyelid twitched. “No.”
Li Hong Sheng stared at the girl chatting past him and understood one thing very clearly:
He’d met a hard case.