Landlord in the Arctic

"Mr. Feng, I went to a five-year private university. The tuition was 65,000 US dollars a year, and that’s just for tuition. Living expenses were separate."

"Over five years, the tuition alone came out to nearly 325,000 US dollars."

"On top of that, there were textbook costs and all sorts of miscellaneous academic fees. Adding all those up, the total was already over 400,000 US dollars."

"And with the loan interest, the number just snowballed, getting bigger and bigger, until it became the more than 500,000 US dollars I owe now."

"You couldn’t buy used textbooks?"

Feng Shan frowned, completely shocked by the exorbitant costs Mova was describing.

He was also puzzled about the textbook situation.

’They’re just books. What are they, made of gold? How could they cost tens of thousands of dollars?’

Mova shook her head helplessly, a look of resignation in her eyes. "The textbooks are co-authored by the professors and publishing companies. You need to use your ID to access them online. You can’t buy them anywhere else. And if you don’t buy these specific textbooks, you fail the course."

"Failing a course means all your previous effort was wasted. You have to retake it, which costs even more time and money."

At this point, Mova turned her beautiful eyes to Feng Shan again. They were full of pleading, and her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"Mr. Feng, please let me ’service’ you. You can think of it as a transaction, one that won’t harm you in any way. Then I’ll be able to pay off my student loans and escape this burden of debt."

"I promise you, I will never bother you again in the future. I won’t cause you any trouble."

As she finished, she unconsciously wrung her hands, as if pinning all her hopes on Feng Shan’s reply.

"NO, NO, NO!!"

Feng Shan rejected the request without a moment’s hesitation, his tone firm and his eyes resolute.

He made it clear to Mova that such a transaction was absolutely out of the question.

Then, Feng Shan narrowed his eyes slightly. After a moment of thought, he changed the subject and asked, "What’s your current salary?"

After hearing his blunt refusal, Mova’s expression fell. The hope in her eyes instantly dimmed. She lowered her head slightly, her voice dejected.

"After taxes, it’s 4,000 US dollars a month. If there’s a flight mission, my daily pay increases by an extra 20% during that time."

4,000 US dollars a month after taxes.

In Alaska in 2017, that was a pretty good salary, better than 70% of workers.

After all, the cost of living in Alaska is relatively high, and an income like that was enough to maintain a fairly comfortable life.

However, for someone burdened by a debt of over 500,000 US dollars, it was a drop in the bucket.

The interest Mova had to pay on her loan each month probably ate up a huge portion of her income, to say nothing of paying off the principal.

Feng Shan fell into thought for a moment before speaking again.

"What did you major in at university?"

Mova seemed to resent the school that had brought her such a heavy financial burden. She pressed her lips together tightly, her tone bitter.

"Andico University. Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality Management. It mainly involves studying the application of sustainable development concepts in tourism, including research and practice in ecological conservation, sociocultural sustainability, and economic sustainability."

’What the hell was that?’

’Just a jumble of professional-sounding words he couldn’t understand.’

Feng Shan was completely baffled. He furrowed his brow, a look of confusion on his face.

As a rough guy who hadn’t even finished middle school,

those major names were not only a mouthful but also mind-boggling. He was totally lost.

But there was one phrase he did catch clearly!

Tourism services.

An idea instantly popped into Feng Shan’s head. Ouyang Xue had asked him to set up a travel agency office in Alaska, and he’d been stressing about not having anyone to run it.

’What a coincidence! Just what I needed.’

His eyes immediately lit up. He looked at Mova with an expectant gaze.

"Would you be interested in a different job? The salary would definitely be higher than your current one!"

’A different job?’

Mova froze for a second, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.

She clearly hadn’t expected Feng Shan to make such a sudden proposal.

Seeing the man before her with his eyes shining, a ridiculous idea suddenly surfaced in her mind.

’Does this man want me to be his exclusive mistress?’

’No wonder he wasn’t willing to accept me on the plane. Turns out he’s a very possessive man.’

At this thought, a wave of complex emotions washed over Mova.

As for becoming an exclusive mistress,

she was actually pretty indifferent to the idea.

When she first applied to be a flight attendant on the Petroleum, the company had sent her to a professional training institute.

There, Mova met nothing but young, beautiful women.

These women didn’t become flight attendants to fulfill a dream. One of their main goals was to meet a rich man on a flight.

In their life plan, the first goal was to make money, the second was to become a mistress, and the third was to get married.

With their good looks, achieving the first and second goals was easy. As for the third, that depended on luck.

There was once a flight attendant who met a billionaire on a flight and married him.

She later received tens of millions in the divorce settlement.

That case was practically every flight attendant’s dream at the time.

Mova, too, had fantasized countless times about having such an opportunity to change her destiny and escape her current life, crushed and suffocated by debt.

And as for the man before her, Feng Shan...

To be honest, when Mova first met Feng Shan,

she thought he was boorish and ordinary-looking. There was no love-at-first-sight feeling.

His features were a bit rugged, and his mannerisms lacked refinement, carrying more of a casual air.

He didn’t fit her image of an ideal partner.

However, the more time she spent with him, the more Mova began to sense a unique charm.

It was the wild aura unique to a man of the Far North Tundra.

It was as if he carried the biting wind and the untamed spirit of the vast wilderness.

This quality was like a fine wine; the more you savored it, the more intoxicating it became.

Moreover, through various details, Mova discovered that Feng Shan seemed to be quite wealthy.

He didn’t just own a large territory on the Tundra; he also had fishing boats. This wealth undoubtedly added to his appeal.

’If being his mistress means I can pay off my loans, it doesn’t seem so bad.’

Mova secretly weighed the pros and cons.

However...

At that moment, Mova’s cheeks flushed slightly. She lowered her head, seemingly mustering her courage.

Then, meeting Feng Shan’s expectant gaze, she spoke in a voice that was slightly shy but also very firm.

"Feng, I can be your exclusive mistress, but first, you have to help me pay off my loans. And you have to let me go after three years."

After she spoke, a complex mix of emotions showed in her eyes.

There was both a desire to escape her debt and a sense of shame about this transaction.

But right now, under such heavy financial pressure, she felt she had to make this choice.

"!!!" Feng Shan’s face went blank, his expression utterly bewildered.

’What is she talking about?’

’Did she get her head smacked by a brown bear?’

’I was nice enough to offer her a job, and she wants to sleep with me?!’

Seeing Feng Shan’s silence, Mova’s heart began to pound with panic.

She nervously wondered if her conditions were too demanding, causing him to hesitate.

Panicked, Mova quickly and anxiously added, "Feng, I just need you to help me pay off the loans, that’s all. We can change three years to five, really! I promise I won’t interfere with your life. I’ll only show up when you need me. How about that?"

"Uh..." Feng Shan finally snapped out of it, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He waved his hand dismissively and quickly explained, "I think you’ve misunderstood. The job I was talking about is a legitimate job. The kind where you get paid for your labor, not the kind you’re thinking of."

Ah!

A sharp gasp shattered the previous silence in the cabin.

As if she’d been scalded, Mova’s fair cheeks instantly turned crimson, like a sunset cloud.

Her eyes darted about frantically. She didn’t say a word, her previous elegance and composure completely gone.

She scrambled to her feet, her exquisite high heels clattering rapidly on the cabin floor.

Her figure was graceful, but her steps were hurried. She turned and quickly strode toward the cabin curtain.

Every step betrayed her flustered embarrassment.

’Now what?’

Feng Shan was stunned.

He stared, dumbfounded, at Mova’s back as she disappeared behind the curtain.

....