thefictionvixens Chapter 248 Returning to Campus
Chapter 248 Returning to Campus
Late at night, the courtyard houses on Dongxinglong Street in Beijing were completely silent.
Lin Yan was reading medical books on the Luohan bed when a message from Alexander suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Young Master, the exchange rate in Japan is starting to fluctuate abnormally, and market panic is spreading. Should we short it and take advantage of the situation to profit?" Alexander's calm voice echoed in my mind.
Lin Yan's consciousness stirred slightly.
"Heh, no need." He said with a hint of amusement, "At this critical juncture, whoever makes a fortune in the foreign exchange market will become the most conspicuous target. The Americans are like a bull with its chrysanthemum stabbed, furious but unable to find anyone to stab it. They will likely look for clues among the vested interests in this chaos."
He paused briefly, then continued to relay the instructions:
"Inform the other four heads in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania to disperse and enter the Japanese market under different identities. The target is not financial speculation, but real industries—especially precision manufacturing companies that have been impacted by this turmoil."
"Remember a few key points," Lin Yan's orders were calm. "First, acquire the assets separately under different identities; do not integrate them for now. Second, maintain information sharing, but act independently. Third, we don't need to be the leaders; just follow behind other opportunistic capital and quietly buy what we truly need."
"Right now, the whole world wants a piece of the pie from Japan's corpse. We don't need to be the greediest one. The long-term strategy is to quietly acquire the technological foundation and manufacturing capabilities we need."
"Understood, young master." Alexander's divine sense conveyed a hint of admiration. "I will immediately notify the other four managers to enter the Japanese market through different channels."
"Go." Lin Yan slowly withdrew his divine sense, a smile in his eyes.
I was thinking about whether to go to Japan and make it rain, turning the volcanic ash into acid rain? That should be possible! But wouldn't that be too cruel? However, it seems my spiritual sense isn't enough! I'll have to do it next time!
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, just as dawn was breaking, the chill of the previous night still lingered in the courtyard on Dongxinglong Street in Beijing.
Lin San stood in the courtyard, watching Lin Yan send the still yawning Xiao Qi, Wang Yuling, and the energetic Lin Gang into his personal space one by one. Finally, Lin Yan cast an invisibility talisman on himself, and his figure gradually disappeared into the morning mist.
The next moment, he soared into the air on his sword, disappearing above the clouds, and sped towards the other side of the ocean. The city of Beijing beneath his feet gradually awoke in the morning light, and he had already begun his journey home.
More than seven hours later, the familiar villa on New York's Upper East Side came into view. Lin Yan quietly landed in his own backyard and removed his cloaking. The butler, Charles, was already waiting respectfully on the porch, as if he had never left.
"Young master, welcome back."
Lin Yan nodded, and with a thought, released Lin Gang, Wang Yuling, and Xiao Qi from the spatial storage. As soon as Xiao Qi landed, it wagged its tail happily and rolled around on the familiar lawn; Wang Yuling smiled and nodded to Charles; Lin Gang, meanwhile, had already begun to survey his surroundings, entering a guarded stance.
"Prepare hot water, I want to take a shower." Lin Yan said as he unbuttoned his coat and walked into the house.
"It's all ready, sir."
After a relaxing hot bath that washed away the dust of his journey, Lin Yan, wrapped in a bathrobe, collapsed onto the soft bed. The ten-plus-hour time difference between the Eastern and Western hemispheres wasn't a big deal for a cultivator like him, but seven hours of full-speed flight was still a bit of a burden. His ancestor's array notes said that once he advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, he could learn spatial arrays and set up teleportation arrays. Alas! The path ahead is long and arduous!
He turned over and soon fell into a deep sleep in the warm afternoon sun of New York.
February 2, New York, William C. Bryant High School.
As soon as the morning assembly bell rang, Lin Yan appeared at the classroom door on time. Before he could even see the blackboard clearly, two familiar figures rushed over with exaggerated wails, flanking him on either side.
"Lin! You're finally back!" Tom practically clung to him, his voice filled with despair.
"God, you have no idea what kind of week we've had!" Mike hugged his other arm tightly, his expression grief-stricken.
Lin Yan struggled to pull the two large ornaments off his body and watched them perform helplessly.
"Get to the point," he said succinctly.
"Lunch! Five days in a row of cold sandwiches!" Mike clutched his chest, as if recalling some terrible trauma.
"And Coach Holt!" Tom chimed in, feigning exhaustion. "He drilled us like crazy every afternoon! When I got home, my legs were shaking like...like..."
"It's like dancing disco!" Mike blurted out.
Lin Yan looked at the two clowns, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. He didn't immediately respond to their wailing, but instead slowly took out two sealed snack boxes from his bag and handed them to them.
"Alright, stop howling. This is for you to replenish your energy." He patted the two on the shoulder. "After you finish eating, keep pushing yourselves a little harder tomorrow."
Tom and Mike's expressions instantly changed. They cheered and snatched the food box, their previous "grievances" vanishing completely. Mike, his mouth full of food, mumbled, "Lin, I knew you still loved us!"
This small gesture drew envy from some of their classmates who were secretly watching them.
The school cafeteria was bustling with activity at lunchtime. Tom, Mike, and Daniel had already secured their usual corner seats. When Lin Yan walked in carrying the familiar insulated food container, he immediately spotted those three pairs of eager eyes—like three fledglings waiting to be fed.
He placed two heavy, three-tiered lunchboxes on the table, and before he could even speak, the three of them were already working swiftly. Tom grabbed the bags and distributed chopsticks, Mike tacitly set out the bowls and plates, and even the usually shy Daniel was unusually enthusiastic in helping to lay out the napkins.
"Hurry, hurry, I'm starving!" Mike urged as he opened the lunchbox lid.
A rich aroma instantly filled the air. Mike couldn't wait to pick up a piece of stir-fried lamb with scallions and stuff it into his mouth, closing his eyes in satisfaction and sighing, "Mmm—this is it! God, I've been craving this all week!"
The other two were too preoccupied to respond; Tom was engrossed in devouring a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs, while Daniel focused intently on scooping up a spoonful of Mapo Tofu with rice. The only sounds on the table were the clatter of bowls and chopsticks and the clatter of chewing.
Lin Yan watched the three guys wolfing down their food, shook his head slightly, and casually pushed the last plate of stir-fried vegetables to the center of the table.
Halfway through the meal, Tom and Mike were locked in a fierce struggle over the last piece of braised pork, while Daniel carefully guarded his plate of stir-fried shrimp. Just then, several tall 12th-grade students swaggered over to their table. Leading them was Kyle, known for his position on the football team and his penchant for causing trouble.
Kyle slammed his knuckles on Lin Yan's table, the jarring sound immediately attracting the attention of students at several nearby tables. Many stopped talking and looked over curiously.
"Hey, Chinese kid," Kyle said arrogantly, looking down at us. "I heard your lunches are pretty good." He pointed to the lunchbox. "Starting tomorrow, prepare one for us too, and bring it to our table every day. Got it?" His henchmen behind him burst into laughter.
These blatant bullying remarks caused some nearby students to frown, some showing disgust, while others watched with interest, exchanging opinions in hushed tones. Hierarchical thinking and bullying are not uncommon in high school cafeterias.
"What did you say?!" Tom's fiery temper flared instantly. He jumped up, "Who do you think you are? Why should I bring it for you? Get out of my way!"
Kyle, humiliated by being publicly contradicted, stepped forward, his chest almost touching Tom's: "Kid, you'd better know who you're talking to!"
As the conflict escalated and physical altercation seemed imminent, the surroundings quieted down considerably, all eyes focused on the table, and the atmosphere became tense. Some timid students even instinctively shrank back.
At this tense moment, Lin Yan calmly put down his chopsticks. His action seemed particularly abrupt in the atmosphere, successfully drawing more attention to him.
He ignored Kyle first and said to Daniel, "Daniel, clear the table." Daniel immediately understood, quickly covered the lunchbox, and put it aside to protect the lunch.
Then, Lin Yan quickly gave Mike a wink and turned her head towards the administration building. Mike understood immediately, slipped out of his seat like an eel, and ran quickly towards the cafeteria entrance.
Mike's running away caused a small commotion; everyone understood he was going to call the teacher. Some onlookers had expressions that said, "This is going to be interesting."
Finally, Lin Yan stood up and smoothly stepped between Tom and Kyle, separating them, and placed his hand on Tom's arm to signal him to calm down.
"Trying to cause trouble in the cafeteria?" Lin Yan looked at Kyle, his voice clear. "The dean of students will be here soon. Do you want to continue discussing lunch in front of them?"
The term "Dean of Students" was clearly intimidating. Not only did Kyle and the others' expressions change slightly, but even among the students watching the commotion, a low murmur of hisses and whispers arose. Some even began quietly clearing their plates, preparing to move away from the possible "eye of the storm."
Just then, Mike could be seen walking briskly towards them in the distance with a cafeteria manager.
Kyle spat and glared at Lin Yan fiercely: "You're ruthless, kid. We'll see!" After saying that, he and his followers left quickly and sullenly, passing through the gazes that were either contemptuous, relieved, or still curious.
The conflict subsided, and the noise level in the cafeteria gradually returned to normal, but many eyes still lingered on Lin Yan and his group's table, intentionally or unintentionally. Lin Yan patted Tom on the shoulder: "It's not worth fighting with this kind of person at school. Sit down, we haven't finished eating yet."