By the time Lucy arrived at the address written on the card, her expectations had already lowered considerably.

Still a small part of her retained a bit of hope.

After all, wealthy young founders sometimes operated differently from ordinary people.

Perhaps Mr. Benny had connections too.

Like a private financing group of wealthy acquaintances.

That sort of thing wasn’t uncommon among rich circles.

People with money often lent money to each other privately, though usually through proper contracts and legal channels to avoid future trouble.

That was what Lucy had been hoping for.

But the moment she lifted her head and saw the building, the last traces of hope quietly died.

"..."

There was no company sign, nor corporate branding.

It was simply just an aging five-story building squeezed between a pawn shop and a suspiciously quiet karaoke bar.

The windows were tinted dark. The stairwell entrance smelled faintly of cigarettes. And several rough-looking men stood near the doorway smoking silently.

Lucy stopped walking.

For a brief moment, she seriously considered turning around and pretending she had never come here.

Because this place...

This place practically radiated the words loan shark.

Not even subtle loan shark energy either.

This was the kind of place police dramas used whenever they needed background scenery for illegal debt collection scenes.

Lucy slowly lowered her gaze toward the business card in her hand again.

"Mr. Zhang."

There was no company title, just a phone number and address.

At that moment, Lucy finally understood why Mr. Benny had looked so happy after securing the financing route yesterday.

Because normal banks probably would’ve rejected Autumn Investment within five minutes.

"..."

She closed her eyes briefly.

Honestly speaking, at this point, she no longer cared whether the company survived or not.

She was now more concerned about whether she herself would survive the month.

Still...

Professionalism won in the end.

Lucy quietly inhaled once before stepping toward the entrance.

The men outside glanced at her briefly but didn’t stop her.

Inside, the atmosphere became even stranger.

The hallway lighting was dim despite it being daytime. The walls carried old smoke stains.

And somewhere deeper inside, muffled shouting could occasionally be heard before abruptly stopping again.

Lucy walked calmly despite the growing discomfort in her chest.

Eventually, she reached the second floor. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

A metal door stood at the end of the corridor.

Unlike the rest of the building, this door was newer.

A security camera hung above it.

And beside the entrance sat two heavily built men playing cards silently.

One of them slowly looked up at her.

"...Who are you looking for?"

Lucy maintained her composure professionally despite every survival instinct in her body screaming at her to leave immediately.

"I’m here to meet Mr. Zhang."

The two men exchanged glances and then one of them stood up and knocked twice on the metal door behind him.

Several locks clicked open from inside and the door slowly creaked apart.

Lucy silently tightened her grip on the document folder.

Then, she stepped inside.

The moment Lucy stepped inside, the atmosphere changed completely.

The outside hallway had looked rough yet the interior office was surprisingly refined.

Dark wooden flooring, leather sofas and heavy glass tables.

Even the air smelled faintly of expensive tea instead of cigarettes.

The contrast was so abrupt that Lucy paused for half a second.

Several men in black shirts stood quietly near the walls, clearly acting as security, but beyond that, the room looked almost like a legitimate private office.

Sitting leisurely at the center of the room, Zhang Qiang pouring tea for himself.

He looked up the moment she entered, then his brows lifted slightly.

"...You’re not the kid from yesterday."

Lucy immediately understood who he was calling kid.

She stepped forward politely.

"Good morning. My name is Lucy. I’m Mr. Benny’s assistant."

The man stared at her for two seconds before subtly nodding.

"Assistant?"

He leaned back slightly in amusement.

Lucy remained silent professionally.

The man then gestured toward the seat across from him.

"Sit."

Lucy complied carefully and as she sat down, her eyes quietly observed the office further.

Financial ledgers, contract files, multiple phones.

Everything looked organized.

This clearly wasn’t some random street thug lending money casually.

This was an actual operation.

The man poured another cup of tea before finally speaking again.

"Zhang Qiang."

Lucy nodded politely. "Mr. Zhang."

He pushed the tea toward her casually. "So. The little boss sent you to handle the financing?"

Little boss...

Lucy resisted the urge to correct the nickname.

"Yes," she answered calmly. "I’m here regarding the operational loan discussed yesterday."

Zhang Qiang gave a faint smile.

Honestly speaking, he had expected the young man from yesterday to disappear after thinking things over overnight.

After all, most people became much calmer after sleeping on major financial decisions.

Yet not only had Benny not backed out, he had sent an assistant immediately the next morning.

Not a lawyer, but an assistant.

Interesting, very interesting.

Zhang Qiang slowly leaned back into his chair.

"Your boss..." he began leisurely, "is either very brave... or very stupid. No in between."

Lucy: "..."

At this point, she honestly wasn’t sure herself.

Zhang Qiang tapped the armrest lightly. "So tell me."

His gaze settled directly onto her.

"Does Autumn Investment actually have a business plan?"

Lucy froze briefly.

Business plan?

Does the company even possess one? Perhaps Mr Benny has one. Had anyone ever shared it with her? No.

"..."

For the first time in her professional career,

Lucy genuinely didn’t know how to answer.

After several painful seconds, she finally spoke carefully.

"The company is currently... in its expansion phase."

Zhang Qiang stared at her, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Even the bodyguards nearby looked away slightly.

Lucy maintained a calm expression while internally dying.

Zhang Qiang wiped the corner of his eye before shaking his head in amusement.

"You know," he said, "you’re surprisingly loyal."

Lucy silently lowered her gaze as she could basically hear him call the company a mess with that comment.