Chapter 159 What's the Rush

Lin Yi and Anya walked to the side, both of them appearing somewhat silent.

Anya was still troubled by what had just happened, while Lin Yi was naturally a man of few words.

Hesitating for a moment, Lin Yi broke the silence and asked, "I remember you mentioning that you came to Linda Corporation this time to apply for the agency. How is the situation?"

"It's hard to say," Anya gave a bitter smile.

Despite the confidence she had displayed earlier, in her heart, she was utterly baseless.

Today, just the families from Qing Province alone numbered over a dozen.

And the An family barely ranked at the very bottom among them.

"If you are facing difficulties, I can help you apply for this agency," Lin Yi said.

Regardless of everything else, since Anya had been willing to lend him a hand earlier, Lin Yi was naturally willing to pull her up in return.

To others, this might be a daunting task, but to Lin Yi, it was merely a matter of a passing convenience.

Moreover, Anya had a good character, and as the behind-the-scenes owner of Linda Corporation, Lin Yi naturally hoped to award the product agency to someone like her.

As for making a profit, there was certainly no need to worry about that, and Anya wouldn't be the only one.

"You?" Anya looked at Lin Yi suspiciously.

"Mm-hmm, I know Wu Da, the chairman here," Lin Yi said.

"You're not joking, are you?" Anya was somewhat surprised.

No matter how she looked at it, Lin Yi did not resemble a scion of a wealthy family; how could he possibly know Wu Da?

Even for her own An family, securing a meeting with Wu Da required making an appointment several days in advance.

"I'm not," Lin Yi said calmly.

An Feng, who had followed closely behind, shook his head and said, "Young man, that's a rather boastful claim."

Lin Yi glanced at An Feng and said calmly, "The opportunity has already been given to you. How you choose to handle it is up to you."

Anya fell into silence. She knew well that what Lin Yi said might simply be a lie, yet deep down, she desperately hoped that this lie was true.

Even if there was only a one percent chance, she had to try.

"Is there something you expect me to offer in return?" Anya asked with a solemn gaze.

If Lin Yi harbored improper intentions, she would simply pretend nothing had been said.

"No need," Lin Yi shook his head.

Although Anya was quite attractive, to Lin Yi, she was just average.

He had seen too many beauties; back when the path of immortality was thriving, the celestial maidens of various great immortal sects were countless. Beyond exceptional appearances, they possessed a transcendent demeanor far removed from the mortal world.

"Anya, you surely don't believe his words, do you?" An Feng frowned.

"Grandfather, I want to take a chance. Besides, we have nothing to lose," Anya said.

An Feng paused in silence, then patted Anya on the shoulder and said, "Since the matter of the agency has been entrusted to you, handle it however you see fit."

"Grandfather."

Anya gave An Feng a grateful look before turning back to Lin Yi. "Lin Yi, if you can truly help us secure the agency, our An family will henceforth treat you as our most honored guest."

"An honored guest won't be necessary," Lin Yi shook his head, continuing, "Just wait here for a moment. Rest assured, since I said I would give you a chance, I will certainly make you satisfied."

"Thank you, Lin Yi," Anya nodded.

Lin Yi smiled faintly, then turned and walked away.

Finding a quiet spot, Lin Yi dialed a phone number to Wu Da.

"Mr. Lin, has something gone wrong with the product launch?" Wu Da asked, feeling a trace of anxiety in his heart.

If a mishap at the product launch caused Lin Yi's impression of him to plummet, it would be utterly depressing.

"Not at all. I just wanted to ask if the agency quotas have already been predetermined?" Lin Yi asked.

Wu Da let out a sigh of relief, the heavy stone in his heart finally dropping.

"Mr. Lin, the quotas were indeed predetermined a few days ago. However, there are exceptions to everything; we've reserved two additional quotas for every province and city specifically to guard against emergencies," Wu Da explained.

"Very well, assign one quota to the An family from Qing Province," Lin Yi instructed.

"The An family? Which An family?"

Wu Da muttered to himself. Like Jiang Province, Qing Province ranked quite low among all provinces.

Yet, no matter how low the ranking, a province still contained numerous families, and many shared the same surname.

If a mistake were made here, it would turn into a ridiculous farce.

"The An family who came to today's launch event," Lin Yi said calmly.

"Oh, Mr. Lin, I'll give the instructions right away," Wu Da agreed, nodding.

...

At the launch venue.

Anya was anxiously awaiting news from Lin Yi. The launch event had already reached its final moments.

"Anya, I told you long ago not to hold out too much hope," An Feng said, watching the worried expression on his granddaughter's face.

"I know," Anya gave a bitter smile.

At that moment, Hou Boming walked over and asked, "Anya, where is that friend of yours?"

He had initially thought Lin Yi might be a disciple of some prominent family, but it turned out he was just someone from some small backwater town.

A poor nobody like that had actually dared to give him attitude just a moment ago.

If he didn't thoroughly humiliate Lin Yi today, the guy wouldn't know who he was dealing with.

"None of your business," Anya replied impatiently, having zero desire to deal with Hou Boming.

Hou Boming didn't mind and chuckled lightly, "Anya, what I said earlier still stands. Be my mistress, and I'll make sure to throw some profits your An family's way."

"Get lost!" Anya said coldly.

Hou Boming's expression darkened.

The pretty woman in his arms voiced her jealousy with venomous spite, "You stinking bitch, acting all high and mighty."

She knew Hou Boming was only playing around with her, but she simply couldn't stand Anya's attitude.

Back then, she had exerted every ounce of effort just to win Hou Boming over.

Why should this woman, who had done absolutely nothing, command so much of Hou Boming's attention?

Hearing this, Anya shot the pretty woman a cold glance.

Even though Anya possessed no martial talent, growing up in a martial arts family meant the aura she emitted was difficult for ordinary people to withstand.

Thus, the moment the woman was looked at by Anya, she felt her heart tighten, and the words on the tip of her tongue failed to come out.

This left the pretty woman deeply vexed; she lowered her head, not daring to meet Anya's gaze at all.

Hou Boming said coldly, "Very well, I want to see how much longer your An family can hold on."

The An family had long since declined, even with a single Xiantian martial artist holding things together.

To the powers of the provincial capital, they were hopelessly weak.

"That's none of your concern," Anya replied coldly.

She truly had nothing to say to a shameless scoundrel like Hou Boming.

At that moment, Anya saw Lin Yi returning and asked hurriedly, "How did it go?"

"Mm, it's settled. The agency for Qing Province this time belongs to your An family," Lin Yi nodded.

Before Anya could respond, Hou Boming chimed in with a sarcastic tone, "Such grand words! Claiming the agency belongs to your An family—you're going to make me die of laughter."

He had someone investigate Lin Yi's background; the guy was merely a penniless student, yet he dared to make such empty boasts in front of him.

Linda Corporation probably hadn't even heard of the An family from Qing Province, let alone grant them the agency rights.

Lin Yi glanced at him with indifferent eyes; there truly were too many flies in this world.

Since Hou Boming had caught the opportunity, he naturally wasn't going to let Lin Yi and Anya off so easily. He sneered derisively, "I was wondering why you were still lingering here, Anya. Having illusions is fine, but you need to pick the right person."

"Hmph." Anya's expression turned somewhat ugly as she let out a heavy huff and remained silent.

To be honest, she still harbored doubts in her heart.

Although Lin Yi had claimed he could help her secure the agency rights, without seeing the actual result, everything was empty talk.

At that moment, the host on stage began announcing the agency for Qing Province.

Holding a list in hand, the host declared, "Congratulations, the designated agency family for Qing Province this time is the Hou family!"

Hearing this, the trace of hope that had flickered in Anya's eyes instantly vanished into darkness.

"We had already anticipated this outcome, it's no big deal," An Feng sighed upon seeing Anya's disappointed expression.

"Yes, Grandfather," Anya nodded.

Hou Boming, on the other hand, arrogantly piped up, "Hey you, didn't you just say the agency would belong to the An family?"

"What's the rush? The launch event isn't over yet," Lin Yi replied with his usual nonchalant demeanor.

"Ha, we've reached this point and you're still stubbornly deflecting," Hou Boming sneered, triumph gleaming in his eyes.

Just as the host on stage was about to read the agency for the next province, a middle-aged man in a suit suddenly stepped onto the stage, whispered a few words into the host's ear, and hurried away.

The host cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, everyone, we have an impromptu announcement to make. The agency for Qing Province has been changed to the An family."

As soon as these words were spoken, many of the families from Qing Province looked startled.

The An family?

Which family was that? They had never even heard of it.

Anya's eyes widened and her small mouth parted slightly, clearly failing to recover from the sudden news just delivered.

"Grandfather, did the host just say the Qing Province agency belongs to our An family?" Anya asked her grandfather again to confirm.

An Feng first cast a deep, lingering look at Lin Yi, took a deep breath, and said, "That's right, it is indeed our An family."

"Really?!"

Anya jumped up on the spot with excitement, then threw her arms around Lin Yi in a tight hug, exclaiming enthusiastically, "Lin Yi, thank you! Thank you so much!"

Lin Yi could completely understand Anya's current mood.

In stark contrast to Anya's elation, Hou Boming's face was ashen.

He had never expected that a matter which seemed as certain as nails driven into wood would suddenly undergo such a twist.

"If the An family is the Qing Province agent, then what about our Hou family?"

Hou Boming shouted loudly toward the host on stage.

There was only ever one agency per province and city. If the An family was chosen, where did that leave his Hou family?

"I'm sorry, the Hou family has not been selected," the host replied unyielding and unimpressed.

"On what grounds?! The An family is nothing more than a tiny, insignificant clan; what qualifications do they have to win the agency?" Hou Boming demanded furiously.

"This was personally chosen by Chairman Wu. If your Hou family has any objections, you are welcome to take it up with Chairman Wu directly."

With that, the host paid him no further mind.

Hou Boming was so furious his chest felt ready to burst. Once he returned, his Hou family would undoubtedly become the laughingstock of the entire Qing Province.

"Damn Linda Corporation!" Hou Boming gritted his teeth.

Yet Linda Corporation's influence was far too formidable; even his Hou family dared not cross them.

Since he couldn't direct his anger at Linda Corporation, Hou Boming naturally shifted his rage onto the primary culprit—Lin Yi.

If not for him, how could his Hou family have possibly lost the selection?

Gazing at Lin Yi with sharp, hostile eyes, Hou Boming interrogated, "What kind of tricks did you pull to make Linda Corporation change the agent at the last minute?"

"Nothing special. I just happen to know Wu Da," Lin Yi replied casually.

"Good, very good," Hou Boming said coldly before turning on his heel to leave with the pretty woman in tow.

He had lost too much face today and had no stomach to remain here any longer.

However, this matter was far from over.