Xia Henao returned and sat down in a chair with a swagger, looking at Meng Tianya before him. Meng Tianya was unnerved by Xia Henao's stare and asked, "A price? What price?"
Xia Henao held Shen Yu's hand and adopted a nonchalant attitude, "What do you think? To maintain a peaceful and harmonious environment, I willingly took the blame for something. On this basis alone, don't you owe me some compensation? That doesn't make sense."
"Compensation? What compensation do you want? You awakeners have been making a fortune this past year, is there any rare treasure that can catch your eye?"
Xia Henao spread his hands, "Awakeners are one thing, Xia Henao is another. Public and private matters cannot be mixed. If I casually used the awakeners' money, it would be outrageous. Besides, I took the blame for something that had nothing to do with me, so I should receive some compensation, shouldn't I?"
After hearing Xia Henao's words, Meng Tianya pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "Theoretically, you could say that, but as the invigilator for this exam, how can you say it has nothing to do with you?"
Xia Henao poked the table with his chopsticks, "Look at what you're saying. Invigilating is just a temporary duty, not a permanent position. The alliance and I cannot be linked through the identity of an invigilator. It's like when you brag to others, you usually say I'm a teacher at such-and-such university, who the hell is this/
Meng Tianya reached out and took the wine bottle from the table, "Permanent position? If that's the case, then you can't ask for money at all, you have a permanent position."
As Meng Tianya finished speaking, Xia Henao slammed the table, "Don't try to confuse me. Are these the same? I am indeed a teacher at Liuling University, but so what? This is an internal matter of Liuling University. If my sister Xiao Xiao doesn't want me, then she doesn't. That's between me and Liuling University. We are discussing the matter between me and the alliance, and I need the alliance to cover my expenses for these years."
Meng Tianya glanced at Zheng Xiaoxiao, only to find her chatting with Tong Ruo, accompanying Shen Yu. They were saying things like, "It's okay, we'll support you, you don't need to worry too much about Xia Henao or anything like that," clearly indicating they didn't want to get involved in their negotiation. Meng Tianya also knew that if Zheng Xiaoxiao got involved, she would definitely side with Xia Henao, so her current stance was quite clear.
"How is your issue with Liuling University not an issue with the alliance? Liuling University is also a university under the Elf Alliance. This connection can be made in any way. So, from this perspective, you must be an alliance staff member."
Xia Henao pondered, "If you say it like that, then you have even more reason to compensate me. Alliance staff members voluntarily take the blame, you can't let others be disheartened."
"Look at what you're saying. Take a look at the alliance regulations. It clearly states that any adverse effects on the alliance caused by the personal relationships of alliance staff members will be the sole responsibility of that staff member. The alliance will not bear responsibility or provide subsequent support."
"Meaning the alliance doesn't care, but this rule applies to internal alliance staff members. I'm not one of them, I was collateral damage from your AOE. How can I not be compensated?"
Hearing this, Yu Longdu put down his wine glass, "You just said you were, and now you say you aren't. That's not how things are done."
Xia Henao glanced at the wine glass filled with red wine, "What I said earlier was, if you say it like that, it's based on a hypothesis. The hypothetical condition must not affect the facts, and the fact is that I am not officially employed. So, what we need to discuss is the condition of being collateral damage."
Meng Tianya fiddled with his wine glass, "Your 'if' is based on a hypothesis?"
"Of course. I am not a teacher at Liuling University. Although the entire Liuling University treats me as a teacher, and I receive teacher's benefits, I am actually just a teaching assistant. To this day, in the official capacity of Liuling University, I am still just a teaching assistant. Do you understand what I mean?"
The word "teaching assistant" was quite peculiar. Although all universities in Long Country had teaching assistants, digging deeper, teaching assistants and teachers were two completely different things. This meant that when it came to disputes, teaching assistants were in a Schrödinger's state of employment – they could be employed or not employed as one wished. Xia Henao was currently in a state of "not employed" by his own volition.
Meng Tianya glanced at Zheng Xiaoxiao, who smiled and said, "Indeed, I benefited a lot from this. Just in terms of reputation, I would be ranked in the top three in Minglong Country now. I originally planned to hire Xiazi when he turned eighteen, but it was delayed, and now this has happened."
Meng Tianya smacked his lips, then said, "No, I distinctly remember seeing an offer letter!"
Xia Henao pulled up an image on his phone, "Are you referring to this? Take a closer look before you speak."
Meng Tianya took the phone and after a long look, returned it to Xia Henao. He had indeed seen an offer letter on the phone, but the content of the offer letter was as follows:
"This letter hereby appoints Mr. Xia Henao as a teaching assistant at this institution..."
This was an offer letter for a teaching assistant! Go and ask any university in Minglong Country if they recognize this. It was like a substitute teacher, all temporary staff.
"So, I have nothing to do with the Elf Alliance, and you must give me sufficient compensation."
"You are the main person in charge of this martial arts examination..."
"But there's no official document. The one posted online doesn't even have a seal, how can you argue?"
...
They argued back and forth for a long time, but in the end, Xia Henao remained undefeated. After all, he was the most suitable person to take the blame. Otherwise, the blame would have to be placed on Meng Tianya and those above him, which was absolutely out of the question. However, this blame could only be passed on through unreasonable means. Because from beginning to end, Xia Henao was merely a suggester, and there was no official document that turned the suggester into the person in charge. As long as Xia Henao wanted to make a fuss, it would immediately become a crisis of trust for the alliance.
Xia Henao spread his hands, "The alliance, people are becoming lazier and lazier. This serves as a wake-up call, they need to be more careful in the future."
Since it was decided to appease Xia Henao, they had to discuss how much to give him. According to Xia Henao's wishes, they would reimburse him for all his expenses, right? He had shed blood for the alliance, he had made contributions to the alliance!
But Meng Tianya flatly rejected Xia Henao's idea, "Are you blinded by greed for money? Reimburse everything? Why don't you just rob them?"
Xia Henao spread his hands, "Look at what you're saying. How is this slower than robbing money? Besides, if I robbed money, I wouldn't dare to spend it. With this, I can spend it with peace of mind."
Meng Tianya drained the red wine in his glass, "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? If you were to donate eight hundred million or a billion to the Minglong Country Wild Elf Rescue Committee, do you think the alliance would be a fool?"
Xia Henao applauded, "Great strategy, I absolutely have to try this approach."
"Don't even think about it. I'm telling you, we can reimburse you at most this much per month."
Saying that, Meng Tianya extended a finger. Xia Henao thought for a moment, "Ten percent? Isn't that a bit too stingy? Only one dollar reimbursed for every ten dollars spent. What can be done with the money saved?"
Meng Tianya shook his head, "Don't overthink it. It's not ten percent, it's ten thousand. I can reimburse you at most ten thousand."
Hearing that Meng Tianya would only reimburse ten thousand, Xia Henao slammed the table, "Are you kidding me? What can ten thousand do? Don't you think about it, how much does a Pokémon ball cost these days, not to mention all sorts of elixirs? Can a trainer at my level manage with ten thousand a month?"
Meng Tianya smacked his lips, "Your level?"
Xia Henao cleared his throat, "If you say ten thousand, it's better to reimburse me ten percent."
Although Xia Henao's combat power was very strong, looking at the official records, he hadn't achieved any particularly high titles yet.
"Ten percent? You spend lavishly and then resell it for a ten percent profit, right?"
"Nonsense. If I go to the secret realm, how can I not make a fortune? If I only get ten percent, am I still Xia Henao?"
Xia Henao was engaged in a battle of wits with Meng Tianya. The four women nearby were stunned. What was the bottom line? You two had none of it, and you could use any underhanded or malicious tactic. This meal was truly eye-opening. After intense negotiation, Xia Henao finally reached a relatively satisfactory price, then kissed Shen Yu on the cheek and left, swinging the recently signed document in his hand. After Xia Henao left, Meng Tianya waved his hand, and the wine bottle in his hand shattered against the wall, the wine dripping down, making a mess everywhere.
Zheng Xiaoxiao stood up and patted his shoulder, then left with Shen Yu. Mu Zhishui also got up to say goodbye.
Shen Yu got into Mu Zhishui's luxury car with Zheng Xiaoxiao. After the car started, Tong Ruo and Zheng Xiaoxiao both laughed, and even Mu Zhishui, sitting in the front, couldn't help but chuckle. Only Shen Yu, still confused, was thinking hard.
"Alright, stop thinking. All of that just now was for the alliance to see."
"Ah?"
"If Xiazi had left directly just now, those people in the alliance would have started overthinking, such as thinking that Xiazi would resort to extreme measures. But by accepting money, or forcefully demanding money, it becomes a transaction, mutually beneficial, and there will be no other problems. As for Meng Tianya smashing the bottle, that was just a show. He is an official, and he has to show something after being extorted by Xia Henao. Even if the act is very obvious, it doesn't matter, the alliance wouldn't dare to do anything to him."
Although Zheng Xiaoxiao explained, Shen Yu couldn't help but worry about Xia Henao, "Will the alliance..."
"No, if the alliance was a one-party dictatorship, then we wouldn't be having this dinner tonight."
"So that's how it is."
...
While Shen Yu was speeding through the night in Mu Zhishui's car, Xia Henao circled the building where he was brought and then drove away.