High School Student with Immortal Race System

Yang Shen stood by the roadside, silent, just watching the middle-aged woman.

’Hmm... mostly because he had no idea what to say...’

’One more word and he’d be utterly humiliated.’

It wasn’t until the middle-aged woman left sullenly, flinging one last sentence over her shoulder: "If I don’t get the rent by tomorrow morning, I’m bringing people to lock the door and clear this place out. You figure it out!"

After the woman left, Lin Yuebai let out a long sigh. "That was terrifying... I felt like she was about to drag me away..."

Yang Shen pulled his hand away. "Using me as a shield—just this once. Zhuzi, that was a previous business associate."

Lin Yuebai looked at Xu Bamboo, only now realizing she was with Yang Shen. She said awkwardly, "Is this your girlfriend? Please, don’t get the wrong idea. I was just panicking... My relationship with Yang Shen is purely... financial."

Xu Bamboo blushed and waved her hands. "I’m not his girlfriend..."

With a single sentence, Zhuzi was flustered again, leaving only the wronged souls of the floor tiles with no one to comfort them.

’But this girl’s skin is so fair and delicate... like porcelain. And her clothes are so unique...’

Yang Shen glanced at "Lin’s Pharmacy." "How did your shop get so run-down?"

’It’s been ages since Jin Wu’s funeral, and you’re still struggling on the brink of collapse?’

’You’re this pathetic. Is it possible it has nothing to do with your competitors, and you’re just naturally this bad at it?’

Lin Yuebai wailed, "I couldn’t help it! First, Jinkang was suppressing my business and blocking my supply orders."

"And then? Didn’t Jinkang go under?"

"Later... later, when Jinkang was about to collapse, the entire herb market celebrated with firecrackers, discounts, and promotions! I finally managed to get some stock and thought my big break had come..."

"I spent all the money I earned from you on herbs, painstakingly prepared a few formulas... I even had buyers lined up, just waiting to pick up their orders the next day."

As she spoke, Lin Yuebai looked so aggrieved that tears started to well up in her eyes. "And then the power went out! Can you believe it, the power went out! All my concoctions spoiled in the freezer! I forgot to pay the electricity bill!"

Yang Shen: ...

’Your luck is truly awful!’

He had taken traditional medicinal concoctions himself; they had to be refrigerated or even frozen, or they would spoil within a few hours if left out...

Previously, Yang Shen had made tens of thousands selling his herbs, and Lin Yuebai’s commission was a good few thousand. After subtracting what she spent on her fragrant tossed noodles, she had thrown all of it into this one venture.

At most, she had enough money left for a few sanitary pads...

She had gone through hell and high water to get this shop, but had only managed to prepay less than a quarter’s rent to the landlord. That had run out in the last two months, and with rent due quarterly, she was now completely broke.

Lin Yuebai shook Yang Shen’s arm. "President Yang, do you have anything else for me to sell? I have clients! Really!"

Yang Shen pulled his arm away for the second time. "Your shop is about to go under... I’d have to be crazy to partner with you..."

’Besides, his volume was huge now; the previous model was no longer suitable.’

Lin Yuebai lowered her head in dejection, her fair neck finally bent by the weight of her life.

But then he thought about Lin Yuebai’s professional knowledge of herbs and concoctions, and how she also seemed to have a vague understanding of the ways of Witchcraft.

Suddenly, Yang Shen felt... maybe it was a good thing her shop was failing. He made a proposal:

"You need to be more flexible. Running a shop with no customers is just a burden. You should do something else."

"I’m planning to register a company. Do you want to come work for me?"

Lin Yuebai shook her head instantly. "No, I can’t do that. I have to revitalize the Lin Family!"

"Does revitalization require having your own shop?"

"You’re not in this business, you don’t understand. Only with a shop can you be called a Medical Family. Without one, you’re just an itinerant physician. Besides, this is the last pharmacy bearing the Lin Family name. If it closes... everyone will know the Lin Family has fallen."

Yang Shen: ’And you think they don’t know now?’

’He couldn’t figure this girl out. She seemed to have some kind of obsession with running a shop... What was the difference between an unprofitable shop and a prison sentence?’

’Actually, there was a difference. At least you don’t lose money in prison!’

Yang Shen looked up at the shop. "If you work for me, who knows, I might open a shop in the future too. I’m planning to get into the herb business for real."

Lin Yuebai pouted. "That’s different. If you open a shop, it’ll be your shop, not my shop..."

Yang Shen nodded, gave Lin Yuebai a cupped-fist salute, and said, "Farewell!"

With that, he took Xu Bamboo’s hand and started to leave.

’Do you even have money for sanitary pads next month! And you’re being picky!’

Lin Yuebai grew anxious. "President Yang... let’s talk some more. How much is the salary?"

Yang Shen didn’t break his stride, casually replying, "3,000."

Lin Yuebai was tempted... ’That high?!’

’Wouldn’t that mean fragrant tossed noodles with a sausage on the side? Life would be amazing!’

Lin Yuebai followed them, not even bothering to close her shop door. It’s not like there was anything left inside to steal anyway...

Her shop was well and truly done for. Its Life countdown ended tomorrow morning...

"A monthly salary of 3,000... If your company opens a shop later, could it use the ’Lin Clan’ name?"

Yang Shen rolled his eyes. "Of course I’d use the ’Yang Clan’ name."

Lin Yuebai said, "The ’Lin Clan’ brand is very prestigious! Back in the day, we used to charge others to use it, and they had to pass a review first. I’ll let you use it for free, how about that?"

Yang Shen continued to shake his head. "I don’t need it. I don’t see how prestigious the Lin Family brand is. If it were even a little bit famous, you wouldn’t be on the verge of closing down."

"Can you pay me a lower salary...? Just cover my three meals a day. The budget for each meal can’t be less than 10 yuan..."

Yang Shen remained unmoved... he just sifted through the herbs at other stalls.

Lin Yuebai held her tongue for a long moment, then her clever, mischievous eyes darted around.

"Your herbs aren’t actually wild-harvested, are they? I thought so before. The quality of your ’Jade Marrow Grass’ is too good, and their characteristics are too similar. They must have been propagated from the same single plant... Have you mastered some special cultivation method?"

Yang Shen finally stopped walking, but the look he gave Lin Yuebai now held a different meaning.

"The herb business is all about pedigree and heritage. The Yang Clan has no reputation in this field, nor does it have large-scale cultivation bases or related patents under its name, yet large quantities of herbs keep appearing out of nowhere... It’s hard to even cook the books. People might get suspicious about your sources."

"But if you put a buffer in the middle of your herb company, with the ’Lin Clan’ handling distribution for you... since we’re an established name, it’s normal for us to have special channels. No one would care about these minor details."

"Besides, even though the established names scheme against each other, there are still rules. Look at me—even though I was being suppressed, Jinkang didn’t dare to make any real moves. When I first came back, they hypocritically invited me for tea. A whole group of uncles and elders from the medical world were sitting there; even Jin Wu had to play by the rules."

Yang Shen asked, "So you’re saying if a pauper like you suddenly reopens her shop, people *wouldn’t* be suspicious?"

Lin Yuebai replied instantly, "Then I’ll just say I met a benefactor! Many old brands have financial difficulties and get revived by backers. In reality, the ’brand rights’ aren’t even in their own hands anymore; they’re just working for their sponsors. I think I can do that too!"

"I just don’t want to be the one who lets the Lin Family name disappear."

Yang Shen squinted, studying her for a long moment. A term popped into his mind:

"Vassal family"...

’It could be useful, I suppose...’

It was basically a freebie, after all. All he had to do was pay Lin Yuebai a salary... and in return, he’d get the facade of an established brand.

’If she’s useful, I’ll keep her around. If not... I’ll just kick her to the curb...’

"Is there anyone else in your family? I don’t want a dozen aunts and uncles popping out of the woodwork to cause trouble later."

Lin Yuebai put her hands on her hips and said proudly, "Absolutely not an issue. I am the last living member of the Lin Family!"

After saying this, her expression turned sorrowful, and her large eyes filled with a trace of nostalgia and sadness.

"If there really were other Lin family members, I’d be overjoyed... Across two worlds, I don’t have a single relative... I’m all alone."

’And she’s doing a miserable job of it, too...’

Even Xu Bamboo felt a pang of sympathy, feeling that Lin Yuebai’s plight was on par with her own. She kindly patted the back of Lin Yuebai’s hand.

The girl gave Xu Bamboo a pitiful smile, then turned to Yang Shen. "Believe me, I will work my heart out for you. I only ask that the Lin Family name not disappear completely..."

A new idea suddenly popped into her head:

"Or... if you’re still not convinced, we can add ’Yang’ to the name. With me here, everyone in the industry will know it’s the legitimate lineage. From now on, how about we call it the ’Mrs. Lin of the Yang Clan Pharmacy’?"

Mrs. Lin of the Yang Clan...

Xu Bamboo: ?

’Are you playing me?’

==Portal==

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