"An investment?"
Su Yan took another look at the sophisticated and intellectual Yuriko Takagi standing before him. "That is certainly an interesting way to put it."
Despite having an impressive character model, Su Yan never believed his charm was so overwhelming that someone would fall hopelessly in love with him at first sight.
While that might be possible with naive young girls who hadn't seen the world, it was a different story for a mature woman nearing her thirties who had managed the intricate affairs of a great family.
Yuriko Takagi was definitely not that shallow.
Otherwise, the Takagi family would never have become one of the top families in Tokonosu City under her guidance.
However, if her reasoning was that she wanted to 'invest' in him, then it actually made sense.
It had to be said that Yuriko Takagi truly lived up to her reputation as a powerful woman who once stirred up storms on Wall Street.
Her intuition was incredibly sharp.
Even though he hadn't intentionally shown off, she had still perceived his extraordinary nature and decisively chose to abandon the Takagi family, betting her own life and future on him.
Her decisiveness was particularly impressive.
It was truly remarkable.
After all, not everyone could act so resolutely upon seeing an opportunity. If they could, the world wouldn't be full of people wishing for a way to undo their regrets.
She possessed vision, capability, determination, and the courage to stake all her chips at once.
Most importantly, he wasn't a 'maxed-out account' yet.
Yuriko Takagi gazed at Su Yan, not shying away from his look in the slightest, fully projecting the charm of a sophisticated mature woman.
'A woman like this!'
Su Yan was genuinely tempted.
However, whether it was Shizuka Marikawa, Saeko Busujima, Rei Miyamoto, or even Rika Minami—whom he had decided to contract the moment he saw her—he had always been the one in control.
Furthermore, those decisions had been driven mostly by emotion.
Yet Yuriko Takagi's blatant approach—choosing to invest everything in him because of perceived benefits—was something he found difficult to adjust to for a moment.
From a rational perspective, taking in a capable woman like her would be immensely beneficial for their future.
From an emotional one, it might sound a bit pretentious, but Su Yan did feel a certain level of resistance.
"I don't trust you,"
Su Yan said bluntly. "You might choose to invest in me today because you see my potential, but who can guarantee you won't choose to betray me tomorrow for someone else you find more promising?"
"Fair point."
Yuriko Takagi wasn't surprised by his statement at all. After all, they had just met for the first time today; mistrust was only natural.
If Su Yan had easily granted her his trust based on a few words, she would have actually thought less of him.
But the fact that he said those words meant he was interested in her.
And as a qualified investor, isn't the most important and practiced skill the ability to persuade the stakeholder?
Yuriko Takagi continued, "I can't even guarantee that myself."
"Even though I can say I am absolutely devoted to you right now, who can say for sure what the future holds?"
"However, I recall there is a term in your East: a pledge of loyalty."
"Why don't you set a trial for me? You can consider accepting me after I pass it."
"Or perhaps you can hold some kind of leverage over me—something I could never endure the consequences of if I were to betray you?"
"A pledge of loyalty? A trial? Leverage?" Su Yan thought about it carefully before asking, "What about the Takagi family?"
"The Takagi family?"
Yuriko froze for a moment, then realized what he meant and laughed. "You might have misunderstood something. I don't have that strong of a connection with the Takagi family; I was merely repaying a debt of gratitude. Besides, the Takagi family isn't worthy of me voluntarily offering up leverage."
Hearing this, Su Yan nodded slightly in agreement. Then he spoke, "In that case, let's leave this question to fate."
"Fate?"
Yuriko Takagi blinked, not quite understanding Su Yan's meaning.
Su Yan explained, "That's right. Next, I will attempt to awaken your Nen. If you can successfully master the ability and prove your value, I will accept you. If you die, then it all ends there."
He had thought about it seriously and felt that Yuriko was right; both a trial and leverage were good options.
However, for someone he might contract in the future, a 'pledge of loyalty' involving leverage wasn't appropriate.
So, only the trial remained.
Spending some effort, Su Yan explained the basic knowledge of Nen to Yuriko Takagi and what awakening truly meant.
"Nen? Awakening? Little Su Yan, you truly are giving me more and more surprises."
After listening to Su Yan's explanation, Yuriko Takagi subconsciously licked her lips, her heart rate quickening.
Even her way of addressing him had shifted from the formal 'classmate' to the much closer 'Little Su Yan.'
Seeing returns before even starting the investment—any investor would be dying of envy over a project like this.
As for the risks?
What in life doesn't have risks?
You could even choke to death while drinking water.
"If you fail, you will die." Su Yan intentionally exaggerated the consequences. "Are you sure you still want to go through with it?"
"Of course."
After speaking, Yuriko Takagi's pale violet eyes locked onto Su Yan's. She gave a faint smile, her eyes curving like crescents. "Besides, I believe Little Su Yan wouldn't have the heart to let his big sister die like that, would he?"
Checkmate!
Indeed, awakening Nen wasn't necessarily fatal.
After opening the body's aura nodes, as long as the nodes were closed before the person's life energy drained away, their life wouldn't be in danger.
However, doing so would mean the person would never have the chance to awaken Nen again.
After all, the first attempt at awakening was the most effective. If one couldn't learn it then, there was no hope for the future.
It was equivalent to trading the future for a shortcut to the summit; failure meant losing the possibility of ever climbing that mountain again.
Seeing that Yuriko Takagi had seen through him, Su Yan didn't hide it and told her everything.
Firstly, he wanted to tell her that there was only one chance, thereby putting pressure on her.
Secondly, he was telling her that if she couldn't learn Nen and lost her value, whether or not he saved her would depend entirely on his mood.
The fake trial: Successfully awaken Nen to prove her value.
The real trial: Whether she was willing to place her life in his hands even while knowing it was in danger.
That was why Su Yan didn't tell her that even if she failed the awakening, she could still learn Nen normally later with the help of a Nen Seed if she signed a contract with him.
Su Yan looked at Yuriko Takagi quietly, waiting for her answer.
Faced with Su Yan's calm gaze, the smile on Yuriko Takagi's face stiffened.
Her intuition told her that what he said was likely true.
If she failed to master Nen and prove her value after he opened her nodes, she might truly... die!!
Yuriko Takagi swallowed hard and steeled herself. "Do it!"
"Good!"
Su Yan said no more. A mass of Nen gathered in his palm as he slowly pressed it toward Yuriko Takagi's head.
Watching Su Yan's palm get closer and closer, even Yuriko Takagi, who considered herself a veteran of many storms, couldn't help but feel her heart race.
This feeling of having her life held in someone else's hands was truly a first for her.
Yuriko Takagi stared intently at Su Yan's face.
If she succeeded, the joy of success would rush to her heart.
If she failed and he saved her, she would still feel an intense sense of relief.
Therefore, she knew clearly that within such a drastic emotional rollercoaster, she had a high probability of falling for him, regardless of whether this trial succeeded or failed.
In psychology, this was known as the suspension bridge effect.
However, she didn't dislike the feeling at all.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]