Chapter 284 - 258: Poaching the Future, Fatty An Returns
You can’t hit a man who’s smiling at you.
The man had come to recruit him, after all. And he was the vice-principal of one of the top Beast Taming Universities in the country, so Li Qian naturally behaved quite courteously.
Of course, this courtesy was only superficial.
After exchanging greetings, they all began to chat enthusiastically.
Seeing that the greasy, middle-aged vice-principal before him kept beating around the bush and refusing to get to the point, Li Qian simply indulged him, and the two chatted about everything under the sun.
’It’s not like I’m the one in a hurry anyway.’
’Worst-case scenario, I just waste a little time.’
After about half an hour of this, Yu Jinhai couldn’t take it anymore and finally cut to the chase.
Li Qian could afford to wait, but he couldn’t.
And with Li Qian refusing to broach the subject, there was no way for him to seize the initiative.
So, he had no choice but to dive into the main topic himself.
Of course, he couldn’t help but grumble internally.
’Is this really how a high school student is supposed to act?’
’He’s no different from a sly old dog who’s been navigating the real world for more than a decade.’
’In short, he’s a tough one to deal with.’
"Li Qian, it’s like this..."
After gathering his thoughts for a moment, Yu Jinhai got down to business. "Some time ago, your achievements in our very own Zhonghai City were truly astonishing."
"It’s more than enough to prove your Talent."
Without missing a beat, he continued, "Our Zhonghai Beast Taming University... I’m sure you’ve heard of it!"
"Within our Dongxia Federation, and even across the entire Ancestral Star, we are one of the top Beast Taming Universities. Even Kyoto Beast Taming University, from the perspective of us insiders, is just a little bit lacking in comparison."
Hearing Yu Jinhai’s words, the corner of Li Qian’s mouth gave an imperceptible twitch.
’What do you mean, "from the perspective of us insiders"?’
’What damn good is an insider’s perspective?’
So Li Qian roasted him in his head. Of course, he knew this was just one of Yu Jinhai’s negotiation tactics—singing his own praises and those of his university.
In reality, as far as Li Qian was concerned, Zhonghai Beast Taming University and Kyoto Beast Taming University were on the same tier; there wasn’t much of a difference.
They were only a cut above the other six major universities.
The fundamental gap between them wasn’t that large.
That was what Li Qian thought, but of course, he didn’t voice his disagreement with Yu Jinhai. In a situation like this, it was all just for show; there was no need to take it seriously.
’The real question is, what kind of offer can he make?’
Eh?
’Then again, since I’ve already chosen Shazhou Beast Taming University, this isn’t actually that important to me...’
’Might as well listen for the fun of it.’
With that in mind, he maintained his attentive posture, looking as if he were listening intently.
Seeing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Yu Jinhai’s eyes.
"Our Zhonghai Beast Taming University can provide you, Li Qian, with the absolute highest level of support and training."
"Whether it’s curriculum, resources, or anything else, we can meet your every need!"
"We can take whatever offer Shazhou Beast Taming University gave you and increase it by fifty percent!"
Li Qian was slightly taken aback by this.
A fifty-percent increase on top of Shazhou Beast Taming University’s offer—it was an undeniably sincere gesture.
After all, the offer from Shazhou Beast Taming University was already ridiculously generous for a recent high school graduate.
But even as surprise flickered through him, Li Qian couldn’t help but shake his head internally.
’The offer is certainly tempting.’
’Unfortunately, I’ve already given my word to Shazhou Beast Taming University and signed the enrollment agreement.’
’Most importantly, there’s my bond with Elder Tie. No offer, no matter how great, can compare to that...’
Just as Li Qian was about to open his mouth and refuse, Yu Jinhai spoke again. "There is one more thing I hope you will consider very carefully."
"Whether it’s the Extreme Fierce Storm Eagle, the Extreme Fierce Sky Escape Eagle, or the Tidal Sea Spirit, all of that research was conducted right here in Zhonghai City. This proves that you and our Zhonghai are bound by fate."
"Things like fate... they can be hard to explain sometimes..."
The message was clear: Zhonghai City was his lucky land of opportunity. If he left, his research might not continue to go so smoothly.
Li Qian remained polite on the surface, but inwardly, he scoffed at the notion.
’My work on the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon and the Frostfire Salamander wasn’t done in Zhonghai City.’
’So, is Lingshui City my lucky charm, too?’
’When you get right down to it, this guy is just trying to swindle me.’
Naturally, Li Qian paid it no mind.
Li Qian could even understand why a guy like Yu Jinhai would say something like that. When it came to research, some Breeders really did believe in that sort of superstition.
Ignoring Yu Jinhai’s last point, Li Qian shook his head and said with a tone of deep regret, "Principal Yu, Zhonghai Beast Taming University is the best Beast Taming University in our Dongxia Federation, and I truly feel your sincerity."
"However, a man is nothing without his word. Since I have already given my word to Shazhou Beast Taming University and signed the enrollment agreement, I cannot go back on it!"
Li Qian’s refusal was clearly something Yu Jinhai had anticipated. He replied without a moment’s hesitation, "What you say makes a lot of sense, Li Qian. However, you must have faith in Zhonghai Beast Taming University. We will resolve this matter for you. We won’t let you be saddled with a reputation for being untrustworthy."
When he saw Li Qian shoot him a questioning look, Yu Jinhai let out a soft chuckle and continued, "It’s nothing more than a simple exchange of resources between universities. In short, you have to trust that we can smooth this over for you without any damage to your reputation."
"That way, you’ll have nothing to worry about, right?"