85: When it's time to back down, you have to admit defeat.

The room was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.

After a long while, Chen Li finally broke the silence that had lasted nearly half an hour:

"Liu Nansheng, how much can you earn here in a month?"

Liu Nansheng's movements paused slightly, her tone wary: "Why are you asking that?"

"One hundred thousand."

Chen Li looked straight into her eyes. "I'll give you one hundred thousand every month on the condition that you quit your job here and only wash my face from now on."

"And if I say no?" Her voice turned cold.

"If you don't agree, then I'll come here to find you every day and book all of your time."

Chen Li looked at her, his tone calm but with a firm resolve that brooked no negotiation. "No matter how much it costs, I don't want to see you washing other customers' faces anymore."

He paused for a moment, his pace of speech slowing down: "To be honest, do you really want to spend all day dealing with those people with ill intentions?"

"The way they look at you, the things they say—you know it best in your own heart."

"I admit, I'm only helping you because I'm attracted to your looks. You can think my motives are impure, but at least I have no ill will toward you."

Chen Li spoke bluntly, meeting her gaze with an honest look.

Liu Nansheng stared at him blankly, trying to discern truth from lies in those eyes.

Faced with Chen Li's rogue-like approach, she had no other choice unless she resigned.

But it had to be said, this proposal made her a bit tempted.

Working here, while the income was decent, having to put on a forced smile every day to deal with all kinds of customers really left her physically and mentally exhausted.

If she agreed to Chen Li, not only would her income increase tenfold, but she could also escape her current life and even soon afford her own house.

But the question was, could he really fulfill his promise?

Liu Nansheng pondered secretly. To be honest, she wasn't too worried about Chen Li doing anything excessive to her—

After all, face-washing services could be done anywhere. As long as the location was set in a place she was familiar with and not his private premises, she would still have the upper hand.

Thinking of this, she looked up again, her gaze carrying a bit of scrutiny and uncertainty, and asked softly:

"You just said you'd give me one hundred thousand a month... are you serious?"

"Absolutely." Chen Li nodded.

"I can agree."

Liu Nansheng took a deep breath. "You pay me one million in advance, and from now on, if you want your face washed, it can only be at a place I specify."

"No problem."

Chen Li agreed readily and then took out his phone. "Add me on wechat and send me your card number."

Two people added each other as friends, and Liu Nansheng sent the Bank card number with half-belief.

To her shock, in less than a minute, her phone received a notification from the Bank—exactly one million, not a cent less.

She looked up, and the way she looked at Chen Li changed slightly.

This boy, whom she hadn't seen since High School, could actually take out a million in cash so easily. Just how wealthy was he?

"Alright, go and quit your job now."

"Mhm," Liu Nansheng replied and turned to leave the room.

After she left, Chen Li sat up from the bed and leaned leisurely on the sofa to wait... However, an hour passed, and he neither saw Liu Nansheng return nor received any messages.

Getting a bit impatient, he took out his phone and sent a message: "What's going on? Are the procedures not done yet?"

About two minutes later, he received a reply: "Chen Li, the manager says if I want to resign, I need to pay a hundred thousand in liquidated damages."

"Where are you now? I'll come find you."

"Come to the front desk on the first floor. I'll wait for you there."

Chen Li took the elevator to the first floor and indeed saw Liu Nansheng waiting anxiously by the front desk.

He stepped forward quickly and asked, "What happened? Why do you have to pay a hundred thousand?"

While leading him toward the manager's Office, Liu Nansheng explained in a low voice: "The contract states I must work for at least two years.

If I quit early, I have to pay back training fees and various liquidated damages, totaling one hundred thousand yuan."

"Let's go talk first," Chen Li said calmly.

Under Liu Nansheng's lead, they walked into a sophisticatedly decorated Office.

Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man in a suit who looked like the manager.

Seeing the two enter, he stood up and asked, "Nannan, who is this?"

Liu Nansheng was the club's star technician; many customers who topped up their memberships came specifically for her.

Hearing she wanted to resign, the manager immediately panicked. He first offered her a raise, and seeing that the girl was determined to leave, he had to bring up the liquidated damages clause in the contract, hoping she would back down.

"Hello, I'm Nannan's classmate. I heard resigning requires a hundred thousand in compensation. I'd like to understand the specifics."

"You're the one making Nannan quit?" The manager sized up Chen Li.

"That's right."

"Do you know that Nannan is our club's star attraction? Do you know how much of a loss her departure will cause 'Jade Emperor'?"

The manager spoke excitedly. "When the contract was signed, we gave her a commission 20% higher than other technicians on the condition that she work for a full two years. Now that she's in breach of contract, we are acting according to the contract, which is perfectly reasonable."

"Can I see the contract?"

"Of course."

The manager took a document out of the drawer and handed it over.

Chen Li carefully flipped through the contract terms. Indeed, the regulations regarding liquidated damages were written in black and white.

If he really wanted to get serious, he could easily find a lawyer to fight the case.

But on second thought, making a scene in court over a hundred thousand yuan would not only be time-consuming and exhausting but might also blow things out of proportion, affecting Liu Nansheng's reputation.

Moreover, anyone who could open such a high-end club wasn't just wealthy; there was definitely something more behind them.

Someone who could open such a large establishment here was certainly no pushover.

Going head-to-head with such a person, if one day he were to be ambushed while walking down the street, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Sometimes having money isn't enough; when it's time to back down, you have to back down.

Since the contract was written clearly and he wasn't short of this hundred thousand yuan, why go looking for trouble?

"If we pay this hundred thousand, we can leave, right?"

"Mhm..." Although the manager was reluctant, he could only nod.

Without another word, Chen Li completed the transfer immediately.

Looking at the arrival notification on his phone, the manager could only sigh and sign the resignation papers.

Liu Nansheng stood to the side, watching Chen Li resolve the matter cleanly and decisively.

He transferred a hundred thousand yuan just like that, without any haggling or arguing for his rights; there wasn't a hint of hesitation throughout the process.

Did Chen Li really just want to help me?

But regardless, at least until now, he truly hadn't shown any ill intent.

[Liu Nansheng]

[Affection Level: +5]

Walking in front, Chen Li looked at the change in Affection Level that had just popped up in the system, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. Take it slow..."}],