This Is a Transaction

The Lu Corporation?

To a high school senior in Anhe County, that name seemed as distant as a myth from another world.

Lu Ruoxi's brows furrowed even tighter. "I don't know you. What do you want?"

Lu Chenyuan slid a prepared document folder toward her.

"Business," he said succinctly. "The Lu Corporation has a 'Youth Talent Support Initiative,' aimed at identifying and funding promising students from underprivileged backgrounds. Your profile was recommended by your school."

Lu Ruoxi didn’t touch the folder, her eyes filled with suspicion. "I don’t need it."

She had never believed in free lunches.

Every gift came with a hidden price tag.

"This isn’t charity."

Lu Chenyuan seemed to read her thoughts, his tone still calm. "This is an investment. We’ve evaluated your mock exam results from the past three years, along with your teachers’ assessments. The conclusion is that you’re worth this investment."

Investment?

The word caught Lu Ruoxi off guard.

"Take a look," Lu Chenyuan gestured. "All terms are clearly outlined—strictly professional. You can review it carefully or consult a teacher you trust."

After a few seconds of hesitation, Lu Ruoxi finally reached out and opened the folder.

Inside was an impeccably crafted sponsorship agreement.

Party A: Lu Corporation. Party B: Ye Ruoxi.

The terms were straightforward, each clause brimming with irresistible benefits yet devoid of any hidden traps.

It was almost… too good to be true.

"Why?" Lu Ruoxi looked up, repeating the question.

This time, her voice carried a faint tremor.

"Because of your worth," Lu Chenyuan replied, his tone so detached it bordered on cold.

"For an investment firm, an asset capable of delivering consistent, exceptional returns is always a rare find. Your mind is the asset we’re after."

"This agreement is an advance payment on your future value. So, don’t overthink it, and don’t feel grateful. Just prove with your results that our investment wasn’t a mistake."

His words shattered the last remnants of Lu Ruoxi’s doubts about "pity" or "handouts."

He wasn’t pitying her. He was making a transaction.

For the first time, her tightly wound pride relaxed slightly.

Just as she was about to pick up the pen, a shrill, venomous voice cut through the cafeteria.

"Ye Ruoxi! You useless girl, slacking off again! Get back here and help me!"

Zhang Cuilan stormed over, hands on her hips, her face twisted in anger.

The school had arranged for Zhang Cuilan to work part-time in the cafeteria, a small but steady income to support them both—a kindness considering their hardships.

Yet Zhang Cuilan often forced her daughter to do the work instead.

It made many wonder if Ye Ruoxi was even her real daughter.

When Zhang Cuilan spotted Lu Chenyuan sitting across from Lu Ruoxi and Lin Yuan standing nearby, she froze momentarily before her eyes flashed with greed and wariness.

"Who are you? What are you doing with my Ruoxi? Don’t think you can trick her—she’s just a student!"

Lu Ruoxi’s face paled, her hands instinctively moving to hide the documents.

Lu Chenyuan’s frown was barely perceptible.

He didn’t even stand, merely lifting his gaze to meet Zhang Cuilan’s. His eyes were calm, yet carried an authority that silenced without words.

"Madam," his voice turned icy. "Mind your tone."

Zhang Cuilan faltered under his stare, but the thought of money emboldened her again.

"You—who do you think you are? This is my daughter! How I discipline her is none of your business! If you’re offering her something, you deal with me! Any money goes to me, her mother!"

She lunged for the folder, but Lu Ruoxi shielded it desperately.

"Stop!" Lu Ruoxi cried, her voice trembling with frustration.

Before Zhang Cuilan could grab it, Lin Yuan stepped in smoothly, blocking her path with practiced ease.

"Madam," Lin Yuan smiled professionally, though his tone left no room for argument.

"We’re legal advisors for the Lu Foundation. This agreement is solely for Ye Ruoxi. Any interference—harassment, coercion, or theft—will result in legal consequences."

The words "legal advisors" and "consequences" stunned Zhang Cuilan into momentary silence.

Lin Yuan continued, "That said, as a goodwill gesture, the program does provide a stipend for the guardian."

At "stipend," Zhang Cuilan’s eyes gleamed with greed, and her aggression vanished.

Throughout it all, Lu Chenyuan never spared her another glance. His focus remained on Lu Ruoxi.

"The choice is yours." He placed a Montblanc pen atop the agreement, his voice steady.

"Sign it, and your future is in your hands. Refuse, and we’ll leave as if we were never here."

He gave her a choice—and with it, dignity.

Lu Ruoxi looked at the contract, then at her mother, still muttering but no longer daring to approach.

For the first time in eighteen years, a real chance to grasp a brighter future lay before her.

Without hesitation, she picked up the weighty pen and signed her name—firm, deliberate strokes.

—Ye Ruoxi.

As she finished, she met Lu Chenyuan’s gaze and said solemnly,

"Thank you. I won’t let you down."

"I don’t care about disappointing me," Lu Chenyuan replied, collecting the agreement as he stood.

"I care about ROI. Your future is yours—don’t let anyone take it from you."

With that, he turned and left, Lin Yuan following, their departure leaving the cafeteria in stunned silence.

Even after the black Phaeton disappeared down the street, Lu Ruoxi stood rooted in place, clutching the pen, her palms damp with sweat.

She looked down at her hands—hands once marred by chilblains and labor, hands that had washed dishes, threaded skewers, endured the cold.

From today onward, these hands would hold a pen.

They would climb the peaks of knowledge.

They would build a future truly her own.