BXBX NOVEL Chapter 425: The Adult
Chapter 425: Chapter 425: The Adult
"What a surprisingly wonderful morning, Miss Lin from Yulei. I believe I haven\'t mistaken you," said Stephen, with his silver-gray hair and thin but spirited face, making a gentlemanly gesture to Lin Ruoxi without attempting a handshake as most people would.
In fact, in such social etiquette, a woman can initiate a handshake, but it\'s impolite for a man to do so, as it can be seen as presumptuous or seeking advantage. This is a subtle aspect of Western etiquette that many people only partially understand.
Being from an old noble family, Stephen was evidently exemplary in manners.
Lin Ruoxi didn\'t have much thought to observe the Western man\'s etiquette as she was still pondering how to begin.
As Stephen sat on the leather-bound redwood sofa, Lin Ruoxi placed her bag down and gave a professional smile, which still appeared cold to others.
"Mr. Stephen, you know me?" Lin Ruoxi asked casually out of curiosity, as it was her first time meeting this man.
Stephen gave a shy smile. "It\'s somewhat embarrassing to say, but I attended Yulei\'s banquet at the Emperor Building last year. I watched you from a distance for a while. I swear, it was purely out of admiration. You are a very charming woman, Miss Lin. I remembered you at a glance."
Stephen spoke candidly, causing Lin Ruoxi\'s face to flush slightly. It was somewhat unsettling for her to be "admired" by someone who could be her father, given that this British man was at least in his fifties.
"Is that so? Because our company\'s PR department handled the banquet, I didn\'t get to remember all the guests well. I apologize for that," Lin Ruoxi said courteously, having something to request. "I suppose Mr. Stephen already knows why I\'m here today."
Stephen\'s smile remained unchanged as he replied tactfully, "Just before you came up, I looked at your company\'s news. I understand that you urgently need a large amount of cash. However, I think you know very well that our Swiss Bank does not provide loan services. Moreover, with Yulei International\'s prestigious brand, being a Fortune 500 multinational company, why not seek loans from other banks with whom you have cooperative relationships?"
Stephen\'s lengthy speech essentially meant that even Lin Ruoxi couldn\'t be an exception.
"I am fully aware of that," Lin Ruoxi said, rubbing the ring on her finger with her left hand. "To be honest, Mr. Stephen, it might be due to personal reasons. I have many enemies. This time, my opponent is very powerful and has extremely strong official backing. All the large banks we have partnerships with have chosen to avoid this contest."
Stephen pondered for a moment, frowning. "But why do you think of coming to us? It\'s not about whether we fear your opponent; we simply do not provide loans. Miss Lin, you should understand Swiss Bank\'s adherence to rules."
Lin Ruoxi mustered up her courage and slowly raised her right hand, revealing the dark-colored ring on her middle finger.
"Someone told me that with this ring, Swiss Bank would make an exception and provide me with the necessary loan."
Stephen was taken aback, a thoughtful look in his eyes. After contemplating for a moment, he stood up from the sofa. "May I take a closer look at your ring?"
"Of course," Lin Ruoxi said, removing the ring and handing it to Stephen.
"Miss Lin, I need to verify some information with our headquarters in Switzerland. Please wait for a moment," Stephen said, walking towards his desk with the ring in hand.
Lin Ruoxi felt a slight unease.
Stephen mentioned needing to verify information, which implied that if the verification was successful, he might actually grant her the loan. This indicated that Swiss Bank indeed had loan services! However, this might be an internal service of Swiss Bank, not publicly known, and possibly had many hidden implications.
Could what Yang Chen said be true? While Lin Ruoxi felt a glimmer of hope, the figure in her mind grew increasingly mysterious.
Stephen returned to his desk, his expression now very serious, meticulous, and even somewhat grave.
After a series of keyboard taps, the computer screen on Stephen\'s desk connected to the Swiss Bank headquarters\' page. After entering his identity verification information, he accessed the bank\'s internal system page.
On a straightforward and clear database page, Stephen clicked on the option for "Unconventional Service Clients."
Then, Stephen retrieved a set of electronic scanning devices from a safe behind him. After connecting them to the computer, he conducted iris, voice, and fingerprint scans.
The complex verification procedures left Lin Ruoxi, who was watching Stephen\'s busy actions from a distance, in a state of bewilderment.
What kind of information requires such stringent verification to access?! At this moment, Stephen looked up and gave Lin Ruoxi an apologetic smile. "Miss Lin, the situation is quite special. Please wait a moment."
After speaking, Stephen entered the next page, which had a silver-gray background filled with various ancient Roman texts.
In the entire Swiss Bank, fewer than ten people could understand these letter arrangements, and Stephen happened to be one of them.
Muttering something to himself, Stephen rearranged some Roman characters on the page by dragging them with his mouse. After over three minutes, the letters formed a long poem.
"Phew, in a few more years, I\'ll need to be replaced. My brain can hardly remember anymore," Stephen muttered to himself as the computer screen changed.
The entire screen went black, and after three seconds, a white line appeared in the middle. The page was then torn open from the center, revealing the actual content inside.
There were a total of three and a half pages of pictures and textual descriptions. Each picture depicted a small object, including necklaces, rings, bracelets, and some peculiar items like golden cards and ancient pipes.
Stephen started examining the third page, which contained ten items. After thoroughly checking each item, he shook his head and moved to the second page.
The second page had only five items. Stephen carefully examined two pictures of rings, comparing them to the ring on the table, and shook his head again.
Taking a deep breath, Stephen turned to the first page, which contained only two items.
Almost instantly upon turning to the first page, Stephen\'s pupils constricted.
Even though he had a feeling earlier, he had not dared to believe it until now. Seeing the picture on the computer screen, which was identical to the ring before him, he suddenly realized!
Could this really be that item?!
Lin Ruoxi, feeling a bit tense on the sofa, noticed Stephen\'s expression of shock and excitement. She couldn\'t help but feel uneasy. It was hard to imagine what kind of object could cause such a reaction in this dignified, elderly gentleman.
For about five minutes, Stephen repeatedly verified that the ring matched the picture and read the textual description more than ten times.
Finally, after confirming that the five letters "pluto" on the inner wall of the ring were exactly the same, Stephen made a sign of the cross on his chest, prayed devoutly, and then exited the system on the computer.
"Mr. Stephen, did you find out the result?" Lin Ruoxi rarely asked for results directly because she was always calm, but at this moment, she couldn\'t help it.
Stephen solemnly held the ring with both hands and walked slowly to Lin Ruoxi, presenting the ring to her with both hands. "May I ask, the person who gave Miss Lin this ring, is he...?"
Stephen had already disregarded Lin Ruoxi\'s presidential status.
Lin Ruoxi bit her thin lip, feeling a bit shy but still meeting Stephen\'s gaze directly. She replied clearly, "He is my husband."
Stephen\'s body visibly trembled. He took three steps back and then immediately knelt on one knee!
"Lady Persephone, it is an honor to serve you." Stephen\'s eyes were filled with reverence.
Persephone? Lin Ruoxi felt a headache coming on. What was that?
Before she could think further, Stephen had already stood up, his smile now holding a hint of flattery, completely different from his earlier gentlemanly demeanor.
"Madam, may I ask how much cash you need? I will get it for you immediately," Stephen said, bending slightly.
"Wait...," Lin Ruoxi felt bewildered. How did she suddenly become "madam"? "Mr. Stephen, who is Persephone? Why do you call me that?"
Stephen was stunned but then seemed to realize something. He smiled gently and said, "Madam, since that noble being has not explained, I have no right to explain on his behalf. Please just give your orders. As the holder of the \'Hades Ring,\' you can obtain up to one hundred billion euros in cash from Swiss Bank at any time. How much would you like to withdraw?"
After hearing Stephen\'s words, Lin Ruoxi could no longer contemplate what was happening. Her beautiful eyes widened, and a single thought dominated her mind: What?! One hundred billion euros?!