"How is that possible?! WFC Club was perfectly fine this morning. It hasn't even been that long—how could it suddenly go bankrupt?!"
Chloe Qin picked up the phone from the ground and demanded angrily.
But in truth, she already had a pretty good idea what had happened.
When the WFC Club owner came earlier, he had acted arrogant on purpose—clearly putting on a show for her. So the bankruptcy was probably deliberate as well, a way to bypass the contract and allow Stella Club to swallow the entire club. And the force behind it was almost certainly Stella Club.
[Miss Qin, we've investigated. WFC Club had actually been acquired by Longteng Group some time ago… After purchasing Purple Lightning, they dissolved all the club's drivers and Mecha Girls, keeping only the logistics team. Now the club is basically an empty shell, so they declared bankruptcy.]
"Where were you people earlier?! Why didn't you find this out before?!" Chloe Qin gritted her teeth.
[Miss Qin, this information was only released just now. Before that, no one knew WFC had been acquired. There wasn't even a hint of it… We're sorry!]
Chloe Qin hung up the phone, feeling like she was about to explode.
A sharp, needle-like sensation pulsed repeatedly from the back of her neck, forcing her to regain some clarity. She steadied her breathing and tried to calm herself down.
"Hoo—! Since things have already reached this point, there's nothing else I can do."
She took a deep breath. Purple Lightning being bought by Stella Club was already a done deal. The contract had been signed in black and white—there was no room for regret now.
All she could do was stick to her original plan, spend every bit of money where it mattered most, and make sure the provincial race track project was absolutely flawless.
"So what if they bought a club? I can do that too!"
Chloe Qin muttered to herself, her eyes hardening with determination.
...
Stella walked toward the club entrance, feeling both confused and expectant.
She first glanced into the business van. No one was inside—clearly they had already entered the club.
Even though she could hardly believe it, a ridiculous thought popped into her mind.
Could it be…
While she was fast asleep last night, had Master secretly pulled some kind of trick behind her back? Otherwise, how could WFC Club's vehicle be parked outside the door?!
Normally she was very alert while sleeping. If Derek Su moved even a little, she would notice. But yesterday's training had been exhausting. It felt like even thunder and lightning outside wouldn't have woken her.
Which meant…
Even if Derek Su had done something to her last night, she probably wouldn't have reacted much.
Unfortunately, Derek Su slept like a dead animal. Aside from breathing, he didn't move at all. Whatever position he fell asleep in was the exact same position he woke up in the next morning.
The kind of midnight "raid" described in novels simply never happened.
Sure enough, some things only exist in fiction.
Stella sneaked into the club like a suspicious little dog. Before she even reached the lobby, she heard a buzzing murmur of voices. Peeking around the corner of the wall, she saw the hallway packed with functional Mecha Girls—at least a dozen of them at a glance.
The ones wearing white coats were healing types.
Those dressed in work pants and tank tops with berets were modification types. They were mainly responsible for post-race maintenance for the racing Mecha Girls, as well as tire changes and emergency repairs during competitions.
Why were there so many functional Mecha Girls?
There hadn't been any when she left this morning.
Could this be the legendary "draft selection"?!
Since it was a draft, then as the Empress she naturally had to pay attention. Of course, this was really just Stella's excuse to overcome her social anxiety around crowds. After convincing herself, she boldly stepped out from the corner and walked through the group of chattering functional Mecha Girls.
Under their curious and admiring gazes, she also carefully sized each of them up.
Hmm… this year's draft candidates are all top-tier!
Very nice, very nice!
When she reached the reception room door, she poked her head inside.
Stella's eyes instantly locked onto Purple Lightning, who was sitting stiffly on the sofa with her hands clasped between her knees and her head lowered nervously.
Oh ho~ The beautiful Consort Purple Lightning is eye-catching no matter where she goes.
Just as expected!
Stella narrowed her eyes.
Last night, Master had acted like he didn't care at all.
But in reality, he had already prepared everything to bring Consort Purple Lightning into the palace.
Huh? So this is the so-called imperial strategy…
Better remember this. Study it carefully!
Pushing those messy thoughts aside, Stella finally felt relieved the moment she saw Purple Lightning.
She didn't know exactly what Derek Su had done, but since Purple Lightning was here, she probably wouldn't be sent off to Xibin City anymore.
Right now Derek Su was discussing matters with the WFC Club owner.
She'd better not interrupt.
Instead, she might as well go to the supermarket next door and buy a bottle of chili oil—perfect for adding some extra fiery stimulation to Tunbao's taste buds.
With a sly chuckle, Stella quietly slipped out of the club again.
...
Inside the reception room.
Purple Lightning was still a little dazed.
She had already fallen into despair, convinced she would never see Derek Su or Stella again.
But before the WFC Club convoy had even left the city, the WFC owner sitting in front suddenly said in a strangely apologetic—yet somewhat fake—tone, "Oh dear~~ Sorry about that, we've gone bankrupt~"
Then he slammed on the brakes, made a U-turn, and drove straight to Stella Club.
Even when she stepped out of the car, she still felt like she was dreaming.
"Mr. Derek Su, thank you and Longteng Group for supporting our WFC Club."
The owner shook Derek Su's hand politely, even with a hint of flattery.
WFC had actually been struggling to continue operating for quite some time. The club had never produced any successful Mecha Girls or drivers, so there was no incoming investment. Relying solely on his own passion to keep the club alive had been extremely difficult.
This was the fate of most clubs.
New clubs would always emerge with enthusiasm and hope, and old ones would inevitably be crushed by the rising tide of newcomers.
The strength and good fortune of Stella Club was something he had always admired.
So when Longteng Group approached him with an offer to acquire the club, he didn't hesitate for even a second before selling the whole mess.
The only ones he felt sorry for were the functional Mecha Girls.
Once the club was dissolved, they would have to return to the Intelligent Machinery Island and wait for reassignment. Some might be purchased by other clubs, some might be assigned to medical stations, but most would likely have to wait a long time.
The number of functional Mecha Girls had already reached saturation. Employment opportunities were scarce.
As for the drivers and racers, there was less concern.
Those with talent would join stronger clubs. Those with less ability would move to ordinary ones. There would always be somewhere suitable for them.
"No need to be so polite. WFC's logistics team is excellent—I like them a lot… And thank you for delivering a top-tier Mecha Girl to me as well. I've had my eye on this one for a long time, but because of some conflicts with BSC it wasn't convenient for me to make a move."
Derek Su glanced at the still-dazed Purple Lightning and happily shook hands with the WFC owner.
After Stella whispered her pillow talk the night before, he had tossed and turned in bed for a long time.
Waiting for Purple Lightning to slowly repay her contract penalty might lead to unexpected complications.
But if he paid it off directly for her, it would hurt Purple Lightning's pride.
Right before falling asleep, inspiration suddenly struck him. He remembered that the wealthy sponsor had recently acquired several clubs, so he sent a message to ask about it.
Sure enough, WFC Club was among them.
The logistics team from WFC was actually a gift the sponsor had already promised him. They were also scheduled to arrive in Tianyuan City today.
So in the middle of the night, the two men stayed up discussing the matter.
In the end, they came up with this flawless plan.
A perfect way to bring Purple Lightning over.
As for the extra money involved, the sponsor guy had only said one thing:
"At my level, efficiency matters more than money!"
...
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