C5 Please Call Me Time Merchant

"Dad, I acted impulsively just now," Lin Jingqiu said, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt and stealing a glance at Jiang Chen before voicing her thoughts. "Even though he can be quite spineless, I have no desire to divorce him."

"If that's the case, I don't want to hear talk of divorce again," Lin Zhenhai stated firmly.

"...Alright," Lin Jingqiu responded.

"Could you all step outside for a moment? I need to have a word with Jiang Chen," Lin Zhenhai directed.

"Husband..." Huang Wan began, but hesitated.

Lin Zhenhai let out a sigh, "Dear, I need to discuss something privately with Chen. Could you please give us a moment?"

The room fell silent after a while.

"Uncle..." Jiang Chen started, only to be cut off by a gesture from Lin Zhenhai.

"Chen, how have I treated you during your time with the Lin family?" Lin Zhenhai inquired.

"Very well," Jiang Chen answered truthfully.

He wasn't lying; Lin Zhenhai had indeed been good to him over the past two years.

Otherwise, Jiang Chen wouldn't have willingly sacrificed his own life to save him.

"Then, out of respect for me, your uncle, could you reconsider divorcing Jingqiu?"

"This—" Jiang Chen hesitated.

Lin Zhenhai sighed deeply, "Our Jiang and Li families have been close for generations. You're like a son to me; I know you well, which is why I supported your marriage to Jingqiu."

"Moreover, before Jiang left, he made me promise to look after you. If I allow you two to divorce, how could I face him later on?"

"Just do this for me, don't bring up divorce again, okay?"

"...Okay." After a brief silence, Jiang Chen agreed.

He had no choice. Lin Zhenhai was like a father to him, and he simply couldn't say no.

Had Lin Zhenhai not taken him in after his parents passed away, he might have ended up starving in the streets.

How could he turn down such a debt of gratitude?

Lin Zhenhai smiled, and after a bit more conversation, Jiang Chen stepped outside.

Huang Wan and Lin Jingqiu were waiting there, and even Huang Kai stood off to the side, hand over his mouth.

Upon seeing Jiang Chen emerge, the others quickly made their way into the room.

Huang Kai shot Jiang Chen a venomous look. "You just wait!" he snarled.

Jiang Chen merely chuckled. He had a rough blueprint in mind for harnessing his abilities.

He no longer feared Huang Kai. Once his plan came to fruition, Huang Kai would be nothing more than an insignificant pest in his eyes.

Why would he be concerned?

...

The night had deepened. Huang Wan remained at the hospital to watch over things, while Jiang Chen sat at the desk in his room, pulling out a notebook and inscribing four bold characters.

Time Merchant!

That was how he saw himself.

What do people fear the most?

Men dread poverty, women dread ugliness, and the elderly dread death!

This is particularly true for those who have achieved success; the more they possess, the more they fear death.

In ancient times, emperors yearned for Eternal Longevity.

Today's magnates are no different.

After all, with so much at stake, who would willingly let go?

Yet, the ways of Heaven are merciless.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the unyielding laws of nature that no one can evade.

But what if he could grant them eternal life?

A wild ambition began to surge within Jiang Chen.

With his unique ability, he could dictate the lifespans of these influential figures!

By holding sway over them, he would essentially possess everything they owned!

This realization made Jiang Chen's eyes gleam with intensity.

Still, he was well aware of the adage that innocence is no defense against possession of a treasure.

Even with the power to trade time, without means to defend himself, who's to say others wouldn't harbor malicious designs?

"Time Acceleration!"

At the thought, a sentence promptly appeared on his interface.

"Please select the acceleration multiplier."

"Double."

No sooner had he spoken than he sensed a shift in his environment.

Everything, from the whistling wind outside the window to the patter of raindrops, seemed to slow down.

He glanced at the clock on the desk, counting in silence.

The second hand ticked steadily, and after Jiang Chen counted to one hundred and twenty, the minute hand finally advanced.

He rose swiftly to his feet and peered out the window.

Outside, pedestrians scurried along the road, umbrellas in hand.

Jiang Chen noticed that the movements of the pedestrians seemed to be in slow motion.

"Has my own Time Acceleration sped up, causing the world around me to appear slower?"

Having grasped the concept, Jiang Chen then caught sight of his personal data.

Name: Jiang Chen

Age: 24

Remaining lifespan: 86 years, 165 days, 17 hours, 45 minutes, 47 seconds

"Time Deceleration!"

He whispered the phrase once more.

With those words, he immediately sensed everything around him speeding up—raindrops hitting the ground, wind rattling the windows, and the bustling movements of people outside.

"I see now!"

A spark of realization flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes. Once things were back to normal, he grabbed an umbrella and stepped out onto the street.

The street was bustling with hurried passersby. As Jiang Chen emerged, he accidentally bumped into a middle-aged man.

"Hey..." The man began with a hint of annoyance, but his complaint cut off abruptly!

In the faint light, he could barely make out Jiang Chen's smile.

Then, Jiang Chen took a slight step forward.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the spot!

"What the hell?"

The middle-aged man jumped, exclaiming in shock.

By the time Jiang Chen reappeared, he was already around the corner, hundreds of meters away.

"Time Acceleration can be used in such a way!" Jiang Chen chuckled to himself.

For the middle-aged man, only a few seconds had passed, but for Jiang Chen, it had been dozens of seconds!

After conducting several experiments, Jiang Chen gained a deeper understanding of his abilities.

He discovered that time-velocity wasn't limited to affecting himself; he could extend his powers to create a Time Domain.

Within this Time Domain, he was the sovereign of time, capable of dictating its flow.

Currently, the area he could encompass with his domain was quite limited. However, as his powers grew, so would the expanse of his domain.

Thrilled by this revelation, Jiang Chen wandered the nighttime streets without a hint of fatigue.

He had come to realize that he was akin to the superheroes from the movies!

Jiang Chen didn't make it back home until nearly four in the morning. The world was quiet, yet there was still a light on in the bedroom.

Could Lin Jingqiu have come back?

Without giving it much thought, Jiang Chen pushed the bedroom door open.

To his surprise, upon entering, he was met with a startled gasp.

There stood Lin Jingqiu, fresh from the bathroom, her hair damp and a bathrobe draped over her. Her fair skin was exposed, reminiscent of a classic beauty emerging from her bath.

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