What is obtained by trickery is useless; Duan Yingjie could only offer genuine benefits.
"I was dispatched from City A. Are you also heading north? If you can sell me a car, I can find you a place and help you establish a base."
As the male protagonist of the world, and even capable of being liked by his creator, Xue Jingjing's writings portrayed Duan Yingjie as flawless.
He possessed a superior family background, extraordinary appearance, and exceptional abilities. He was always courteous and composed, demonstrating both gentlemanly conduct and decisive action. Raised in a military compound, his values were naturally impeccable. He was the model child everyone praised and was accustomed to being admired. It was rare for him to be humbled.
Therefore, he was certain that Zhuo Ran would agree to his terms.
"You'll help me?" She acted as if she had heard a joke. "I don't need your help. If you want a car, bring supplies in exchange. Five thousand jin of grain per car, today only, or it's gone."
Five thousand jin of grain for a car was already a bargain for him. In prosperous times, five thousand jin of grain wouldn't even buy a car.
If it weren't for the fact that he needed the car to save someone, Zhuo Ran wouldn't have agreed.
After speaking, she turned to leave.
Duan Mingjie quickly weighed the pros and cons. Before she could get into her car, he shouted, "I agree!"
Xue Jingjing and the others stood a short distance away and hadn't heard the conversation between the two. Hearing his "I agree" now, they understood he had agreed to something.
As expected, when he returned to the group, he relayed Zhuo Ran's demands.
Xue Jingjing's expression changed instantly.
"Five thousand jin? Is she trying to rob us?"
A young man beside her chuckled, "Of course, she won't rob. She gave away so much earlier."
These words carried different meanings for different people.
For Duan Mingjie, it implied Zhuo Ran had given away over ten thousand jin of grain for free earlier. It was understandable that she wanted to profit now. They were the ones in need, and whether they traded was their choice. He didn't blame Zhuo Ran.
However, in Xue Jingjing's ears, it meant that Zhuo Ran had intercepted her twice before and was now demanding an exorbitant price, clearly targeting them.
She was furious. "She did that to win people over. If we agree to her demands, it's equivalent to giving her tens of thousands of jin of grain for free to play the good person. Why should we?"
The young man continued to smile, "She isn't forcing anyone to buy or sell, is she, Brother Duan? I think we can manage if we squeeze a bit. As for that Professor, I think he's being overly dramatic. Why not just knock him out and throw him in? By the time he wakes up, we might have already arrived, and he could find his own way back?"
Duan Mingjie had come to pick up people and was already on his way back when he was ambushed by the Yang family, who killed their men and stole their belongings.
Later, Zhuo Ran killed Yu Xiulian and publicly executed her followers, and the possessions became hers.
Whether they were with Yu Xiulian or Zhuo Ran, they didn't belong to them.
To get them back, they either had to trade or fight.
Duan Mingjie could barely win against her subordinates, but he had no confidence in facing Zhuo Ran, who had killed so many of the Yang family in a single encounter. He couldn't win, so he had to trade.
"No." She was the first to object again. "It was already difficult to get Professor Shen to agree to go to City A. We can't let him be wronged."
The young man's face also changed. "Can't let him be wronged? And you think trading is a loss? Then what do you suggest, Miss Xue? Since you're so good at talking, why don't you go and talk to Miss Xiao yourself?"
Xue Jingjing's face turned ashen from his sarcastic remark.
Many people around her knew about the two times Zhuo Ran had thwarted her. When she joined Duan Mingjie's team, this fact naturally couldn't be hidden from others.
His intentional mention of it now was a clear jab at her.
But she wouldn't back down, and she yelled at him, "Fine, I will!"
With that, she ran towards the car that hadn't yet driven away.
A few minutes later, she was thrown back.
The young man couldn't help but mock her again.
Seeing this, Duan Mingjie had to step forward again, stating they needed to discuss it and asking Zhuo Ran to wait.
This delay caused them to drive the car back to ordinary alleyways, planning to leave the next day.
That night, an unexpected guest arrived at ordinary alleyways.
Someone Zhuo Ran wanted to kill at first sight.
Shen Qianjiao was bewildered by the hostile attitude of the person before her. While she was inwardly reflecting on when she had offended her, she discussed with her system why this powerful cheat disliked her so much.
Then, her system began to converse with 007.
5818 bowed, its voice soft and respectful: "Greetings, Senior. It is an honor to meet you. I am System 5818 from the Male Supporting Character Conquest Department of the Strategy Division."
007 had little resistance to a cute, loli voice, especially one filled with such respect. It instantly captured him.
He pretended to be reserved and replied, "Hello. We're colleagues, there's no need for such formality. You can just call me by my codename."
"That would be impolite. You are a senior."
007 happily spun around in Zhuo Ran's mind.
Then Zhuo Ran noticed.
"What are you acting up for?"