Old Zhang Bookstore—this was the name of the shop back when Lu Yushan’s grandfather was still alive.
It was also the only memento the old man had left him.
Even though the crushing debt left Lu Yushan struggling to breathe, he had never once considered abandoning this home.
Lu Yushan stood before the mottled rolling shutter door, took a deep breath, bent down to grip the bottom edge, and pulled it up forcefully.
Rattle—
The harsh metallic sound of the rolling shutter broke the quiet of the street.
The afternoon sunlight slanted through the dusty glass door, illuminating the ash-covered floor.
Dust particles danced within the beams of light.
The shop wasn’t large.
Bookshelves were packed with old books, and the air carried an aged but comforting scent of paper.
Lu Yushan walked to the front counter and picked up a slightly yellowed photo frame.
In the photo, a kindly old man was smiling so widely his eyes had almost disappeared, holding a dazed-looking little child in his arms.
“…I’m back.”
Lu Yushan murmured softly, carefully wiping the dust off the frame with his sleeve.
Buzz—
His phone vibrated, instantly shattering the moment of warmth.
[78 Bank] You have received a deposit of 200,000.00 yuan. Note: Gu
The final payment from Gu Lingyue had arrived. Seeing the string of numbers, Lu Yushan’s brows relaxed slightly.
Buzz—
[78 Bank] You have made a payment of 200,000.00 yuan.
Although the money was transferred away almost immediately.
Lu Yushan had just turned off the screen.
Thud— Thud— Thud—!
An impatient knocking suddenly came from the door.
The old wooden door rattled noisily, sending dust cascading down.
“Lu Yushan! Time’s up!”
It was the debt collectors from yesterday, but a different person was leading them this time.
The new leader wore a flashy patterned shirt with a thick gold chain around his neck.
He had a brutish face, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and strolled in arrogantly.
He blew out a smoke ring and looked around the store with a mocking expression.
“So, kid? Got the hundred thousand ready? If not, my brothers are gonna have to get to work.”
He didn’t believe a student could come up with a hundred thousand overnight, especially since this guy was already infamous among all the loan companies.
Using new loans to pay old ones? No way out.
“I don’t know what you gave Old Three yesterday to make him give you an extra day.”
The leader sneered, his eyes cold and vicious.
“But I’m not as easy to deal with.”
There was nothing to discuss with people like this.
Lu Yushan silently reached under the counter and pulled out a heavy briefcase. He unzipped it and flipped it upside down.
Clatter—
Bundles of tightly wrapped red banknotes poured out like bricks, slamming onto the counter with heavy thuds and forming a small red mountain.
“Count it.”
Lu Yushan spoke coldly.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a chilling intensity that made one’s heart tremble.
The cigarette in the leader’s mouth shook, dropping a clump of ash onto the floor.
The several subordinates behind him who had been ready to get rough also froze, eyes filled with shock.
“This… this…”
They stared at the pile of money in disbelief, then at the expressionless Lu Yushan.
Did this kid rob a bank?
The leader quickly regained his composure and put on a ferocious sneer, trying to salvage his dignity.
“Hah, putting on an act? Using fake money to fool me?!”
He grabbed a bundle, his fingers rifling through the bills rapidly, producing crisp sounds.
“Kid, let me make one thing clear—if there’s even one fake bill, I’ll break one of your fingers.”
Although his words were tough, facing Lu Yushan’s calm, rippleless gaze made him inexplicably uneasy.
It couldn’t actually be real, could it?
At the leader’s command, his subordinates took out portable counterfeit detectors and got to work.
Whirrr— Whirrr—
The only sound left in the bookstore was the monotonous, grating noise of the money counters processing the bills.
It was long and endless.
Time passed minute by minute.
The air was filled with the cheap tobacco smell and body odor from the group, making Lu Yushan frown slightly.
The burly leader stared at the red bills being spat out by the machine, his nicotine-stained fingers tapping irritably on the table.
Lu Yushan’s gaze unconsciously drifted to the leader’s neck.
If I kill him, I won’t have to pay back the money.
The thought flashed through his mind.
The next second, Lu Yushan forcefully suppressed the impulse.
No.
Even if he killed him, then what?
Of course he could run away, disappear without a trace, and never have to worry about paying debts again.
He was even confident that he could live very well and very freely as a magical girl.
The reason he had never done so was simple.
He couldn’t bear to part with this bookstore.
He couldn’t bear to give up everything here.
Beep—
The last banknote passed through without a single alarm.
“Boss, all this money… it’s real…”
The subordinate put down the now-warm machine, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and reported quietly.
The air grew tense.
The leader looked at the pile of money, then at Lu Yushan.
Where did this kid get so much cash? And he didn’t even blink when threatened.
He’s a ruthless one.
“Tch, guess you’ve got some skills after all.”
The leader took a deep drag of his cigarette, then viciously ground the butt into the floor.
As if trying to reclaim some face, he pointed fiercely at Lu Yushan.
“Since the money’s all here, we’ll let you off this time.”
He collected the money, signaled his subordinates, and turned to leave.
But at the doorway, he stopped and looked back with a sinister smile.
“But don’t get too cocky. This was just this month’s payment. If next month’s money is even one minute late… I’ll tear this shitty bookstore down anyway!”
“Brothers, let’s go!”
The group had arrived aggressively, but left in a somewhat hasty and dejected manner, their footsteps noticeably quicker than when they came.
As the sound of the car engine faded into the distance, the world finally became quiet again.
Lu Yushan looked at the flattened cigarette butt on the ground and let out a long breath.
It felt as if the sword hanging over his head had been lifted just an inch for now.
One hundred thousand in thirty days.
Another cycle.
Lu Yushan knew that according to those bloodsuckers’ calculations, at least half of this hundred thousand was just interest.
He opened his phone.
Several small loan platforms had already been paid off with Gu Lingyue’s final payment.
What remained were the larger ones starting from tens of thousands.
One of them stood out particularly.
–Total Outstanding: 2,404,514.00
Looks like I need to put a visit to the General Bureau on the schedule soon.
Forget it. I’ll deal with that later.
Lu Yushan put away his phone and looked at the dusty bookstore before him. He rolled up his sleeves.
It was time for a long-overdue deep cleaning.
Wiping windows, organizing bookshelves, mopping the floor.
It was tiring, but as the dust was gradually cleared away, his heart felt incredibly grounded.
He hummed an old-fashioned tune, put down the rag, and walked behind the front counter.
There sat an old rocking chair—something his grandfather had loved dearly in his lifetime. He had cleaned it thoroughly at the start of the cleaning session.
But when Lu Yushan walked up to it, his steps suddenly halted.
?
There was someone on the rattan chair.
It was a girl who looked to be about the same size as his transformed self.
Snow-white silver hair cascaded casually across the rocking chair.
On her head sat a comically oversized wizard hat—the kind only seen in fantasy works—with a wide brim that covered most of her face.
She was curled up in the chair, hugging a thick hardcover book to her chest, sleeping soundly.
Sunlight spilled across her delicate, doll-like profile. Her breathing was steady and soft, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Beautiful.
Harmonious.