Derek Su closed the webpage, thought for a moment, then said helplessly, "If she came to take a look, it means she wants to join. But she still didn't come in the end, which clearly means she hasn't finished paying off the penalty fee. We can invite her to join the club, but with her personality she'll probably insist on paying the penalty in full first. So we need to give her a reason to feel that joining the club isn't causing trouble for me or for us."
"Leave it to me!"
Stella sat up, patted her chest, and volunteered with a confident grin.
"I am the imperial empress. It's only proper that I welcome a worthy consort into the palace! Tomorrow I'll go find Consort Purple Lightning"
Derek Su stared at her blankly.
What was she even talking about?
He didn't understand the first half at all.
But he understood the second half.
"Alright, alright, go win her over," Derek Su said, lying down and pulling the blanket up a little. The warmth Stella had left under the covers instantly wrapped around him. "But remember—use strategy, not force. Don't think you can just drag her back here if she refuses. That would seriously hurt her pride."
"Don't worry!"
Stella lay down as well, curling up and promising confidently.
"I'm not some muscle-brained idiot Mecha Girl like Tunbao."
Despite Stella's confidence,
Derek Su didn't have much hope.
No matter what excuse Stella came up with, it would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. Purple Lightning wasn't stupid. If they really wanted to bring her over, they either had to wait until she paid off the penalty fee herself—or cut the problem off at its source.
...
"Miss Qin, the matter you asked us to handle has been taken care of. However, the driver and the Mecha Girl involved are difficult to deal with. We'll need another sum of money."
The butler stood in front of Chloe Qin, looking nervous.
After all, anyone would feel uneasy when faced with something that looked like a mechanical spider.
There were plenty of cyborgs within the jurisdiction of the Human Federation.
The technology of Mecha Island had made enormous contributions to human society. Even people born with disabilities could live normal lives. They could have mechanical limbs that were stronger than human ones and offered more functions.
But someone like Chloe Qin, with eight mechanical arms extending from her back, was something he had never seen before.
"How much more do they want?" Chloe Qin frowned.
"At least thirty million."
"Oh… then go ask my fiancé for it."
"Miss Qin."
The butler wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke carefully.
"President Wang can no longer provide you with additional financial support. The funds used for your mechanical reconstruction were taken from the group's reserve funds, and that gap still hasn't been filled. Many shareholders are already dissatisfied with President Wang. He won't be able to support your future competitions either."
"Have you heard? Longteng Group has already moved into Tianyuan City and has recently been aggressively seizing market resources. President Wang is under tremendous pressure right now."
"I see."
To the butler's surprise, Chloe Qin only twitched slightly when she heard this.
There was no outburst.
If this had happened in the past, she would have already started smashing everything in the room.
"Alright, you may leave. I'll handle the money myself."
Chloe Qin waved a mechanical arm dismissively.
The butler bowed slightly and hurried out of the room.
Now only Chloe Qin remained.
She lowered her head. After a long moment she clicked her tongue softly.
"Damn… that hurts."
She moved her neck slightly—the only part of her body she could still move freely.
The immediate problem now was where to get money.
Her family could support her somewhat. Although she wasn't as wealthy as Howard Wang, becoming his fiancée meant she wasn't from an ordinary family either.
But even with her family's help, there was still a gap of about ten million.
Her phone rang.
Chloe Qin glanced at it and saw it was the club calling.
"Hello?"
"Miss Qin, sorry to bother you. We just wanted to confirm—have you already requested to terminate your contract with Purple Lightning? There's a club interested in purchasing Purple Lightning."
"A club wants to buy Purple Lightning?"
A trace of vigilance flashed in Chloe Qin's eyes.
"What club? Stella Club?"
"No. It's WFC (Wheel Fire Club). They heard you have a top-tier Mecha Girl that's currently unused. Her performance happens to match what they need, so they want to purchase that Mecha Girl from you. Essentially, they would be buying the penalty agreement from you. As for whether they can convince Purple Lightning to join them afterward, that would be their problem."
Chloe Qin had heard of WFC.
It was a mid-sized club with fairly average influence.
She pulled out her laptop and looked up information about WFC. Nothing seemed unusual.
At first she had suspected Stella Club or Longteng Group might be trying to buy Purple Lightning.
That would absolutely not be acceptable.
No matter where Purple Lightning went, she could not end up in Derek Su's hands.
Purple Lightning was meaningless to her now, and the penalty fee was being repaid slowly anyway. That wouldn't solve her immediate financial crisis.
So why not sell Purple Lightning at a high price?
That would be equivalent to Purple Lightning paying off the penalty early, and she could even earn extra money on top of that.
Two birds with one stone.
Thinking this through, Chloe Qin quickly made up her mind.
"Tell WFC's representative that Purple Lightning isn't cheap. She is a top-tier Mecha Girl after all. They should be mentally prepared."
There was silence on the other end for a moment. She could faintly hear someone discussing things.
After a short while, the voice returned.
"Miss Qin, they're asking for your expected price."
"Thirty million."
Chloe Qin immediately named an outrageous figure.
More murmuring followed on the other side.
After a moment, the voice came back.
"Miss Qin, they say Purple Lightning has an acceleration defect. Your asking price is too high. They also know that Purple Lightning's original transaction price was only ten million. If this is the price you insist on, they won't consider the deal."
Hearing WFC bargaining actually made Chloe Qin relax.
If they had accepted the price without negotiating, that would have been suspicious. She might not have dared sell then.
"Tell them we'll negotiate the price face-to-face. I'll go to the club immediately."
Chloe Qin hung up the phone and immediately got up to change clothes.
...
Half an hour later—
Chloe Qin arrived at the BSC club and met with WFC's representative.
The two sides had a pleasant conversation, and the deal was finally concluded at fifteen million.
Just like trading professional athletes, until the penalty fee was fully paid, she still had the authority to handle Purple Lightning on behalf of BSC club.
"From now on, Purple Lightning's agreement will be transferred to you. But whether you can persuade her to join your club is something I cannot guarantee."
Chloe Qin emphasized this point several times.
She was mainly worried that Purple Lightning might ultimately choose to keep paying the penalty instead. If Purple Lightning refused to join WFC club, their boss might come looking for trouble.
After all, judging from the amount of penalty Purple Lightning still owed, WFC club was clearly making a losing deal.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't take the job if I couldn't handle it."
The WFC club owner gestured toward several functional Mecha Girls behind him, leaning back on the sofa with his legs crossed confidently.
"I believe Purple Lightning will like the big family at WFC. We have a complete logistics and medical team. And so many Mecha Girls can keep her company."
Chloe Qin curled her lips slightly but said nothing.
A trace of disdain flashed in her eyes.
Purple Lightning's psychological trauma had been caused entirely by her.
She knew very well that simply having other Mecha Girls talk to Purple Lightning wouldn't help at all.
With Purple Lightning's personality, she wouldn't become close to them. She would be like a hedgehog—anyone who touched her would get hurt.
"Oh, and remember. The agreement clearly states that you are not allowed to resell Purple Lightning. If you do, it will be considered a breach of contract and you will have to pay the penalty."
To be safe, Chloe Qin had included this unusual clause in the contract.
The WFC owner had no objection.
"We never planned to sell Purple Lightning again. She's an excellent asset for our club."
He said this with complete seriousness.
He truly believed it.
"Good."
"Then you can go pick her up at the Haitang Street black market."
Chloe Qin waved them away.
In her heart, she looked down on WFC even more.
Typical behavior from a mid-sized club.
They actually thought someone like Purple Lightning was exceptional.
Once they reached a track with long straight sections,
they would probably cry.
...
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