Lin Hai and Guang Tou Qiang drove two cars, one after the other, out of the villa and headed straight for Jinbi Huihuang.
The upscale, luxurious decor, the elegant and quiet atmosphere, and the attentive service had all left a deep impression on Lin Hai.
He hadn’t been back since the last time he treated his classmates to a meal there. Now that his parents had arrived, taking them there for a meal was the first thing that came to mind.
In less than twenty minutes, they arrived at the entrance of Jinbi Huihuang.
“Huh?” The moment he got out of the car, Lin Hai was completely dumbfounded.
What the heck? Why is it sealed up? There were even official seals plastered on the doors.
“Hey there, what happened here?” Lin Hai stopped a passerby and asked.
“You haven’t heard? The Hu Group turned out to be the lair of some evil organization, and the government shut them down. Jinbi Huihuang was one of their properties, so it got sealed up too.”
Whoa. So Jinbi Huihuang actually belonged to the Hu Group.
Lin Hai hadn’t expected that. A hotel run this well was actually owned by those obviously sketchy guys like Hu Lai.
Since it was sealed, they obviously couldn’t eat there. Lin Hai had to find another decent restaurant instead.
After the meal, Lin Hai had Guang Tou Qiang take Liu Xinyue home while he drove his parents and Lin Yun back to the villa.
As soon as they returned, Ah Hua came wagging its tail, circling around Song Qin affectionately, making her incredibly happy.
Lin Wen just grunted and sat in the living room watching TV.
His parents and sister were tired from the day of travel. After a shower and a bit of TV, they all went to their rooms to sleep.
Lin Hai went back to his own room and saw Chu Lin’er lying on his bed, intently playing a game of Gomoku on her phone.
“Hey, you’re sharing my bed day and night, and you refuse to leave. Is it because you think I’m handsome and irresistible? Do you have some kind of scheme for me?”
Lin Hai flopped onto the bed, resting his head on his arm.
“Don’t flatter yourself. With your looks, you’re nowhere near good enough for this princess.” Chu Lin’er didn’t even take her eyes off her phone, speaking casually.
“Tch, talk about being insincere.” Lin Hai rolled his eyes at her, then stripped down to just his boxers.
“Hey! Can you please put some clothes on!” Chu Lin’er sat up with a start.
“I’m in my own room. Why would I need to wear clothes?”
“You…”
“What about me? What, you don’t like it? Then you take yours off too! Come on, come on, let’s both get naked and see who’s more embarrassed.” Lin Hai reached his hands out towards Chu Lin’er.
“Hmph! Pervert!” Chu Lin’er turned her head away in anger.
Lin Hai lay there and suddenly remembered what Liu Liang had told him about the upcoming auction of the Hu Group’s assets.
Damn. Since Jinbi Huihuang got sealed up, it’s definitely going to be auctioned too. Why don’t I just buy it and become the boss myself?
That way, he could eat whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted! Wahaha, just thinking about it is awesome.
Deciding to go for it, Lin Hai pulled out his phone and called Peng Tao.
“Hello, Mr. Lin.” Peng Tao’s tone was very polite.
“Director Peng, I have a question. Are the Hu Group’s assets going to be auctioned soon?” Lin Hai got straight to the point without any small talk.
“Yes, probably sometime next week.”
“Oh? Is Jinbi Huihuang Hotel included in the auction?”
“Jinbi Huihuang? Yes, that’s the flagship property of the Hu Group. A lot of people are interested in it.”
“Oh? I want to acquire Jinbi Huihuang. Any idea how much it would cost?” Lin Hai sat up abruptly.
“You want Jinbi Huihuang?” Peng Tao sounded a bit surprised. “Mayor Guan from the city government is handling the specifics. The court manages the auction, so I’m not too clear on the price.”
Lin Hai frowned. Peng Tao was the only official he knew. If Peng Tao couldn’t help, this would be difficult to arrange.
“If you’re interested, Mr. Lin, I could try to set up a meeting with Mayor Guan. But I should warn you, Mayor Guan isn’t the easiest person to deal with.” Peng Tao paused for a moment before adding.
“Oh?” Lin Hai raised an eyebrow. “Then I’ll trouble you, Director Peng, to help arrange it. Whether he’s easy to deal with or not, as long as I can get a meeting, there’s a chance.”
“Alright. But Mayor Guan is very busy, so I can’t say for sure when he’ll be available. I’ll give you a call when I hear something.”
“Thank you.” After hanging up, Lin Hai frowned again.
Even though he was pretty well-off now, he was still far from having enough money to acquire a hotel as large as Jinbi Huihuang.
Damn. Where am I going to get that kind of money?
Ding!
Just as he was thinking, a WeChat notification sounded.
Lin Hai opened it and saw it was from Tie Guai Li.
Tie Guai Li: Honorable Immortal, it’s time for this month’s payment. (followed by a row of drooling emojis)
Crap. I almost forgot about this.
Little Confused Immortal: Hang on a sec.
Lin Hai wasn’t the type to default on a debt. Besides, he respected Tie Guai Li. He went out to the car, took a carton of cigarettes, and sent it over to Tie Guai Li.
Tie Guai Li: Thank you, Honorable Immortal. Oh, by the way, Honorable Immortal, the Old Man of the South Pole came to visit me recently and was extremely interested in these cigarettes. He even asked me for your WeChat.
Oh? The Old Man of the South Pole? Isn’t that the Star of Longevity?
Little Confused Immortal: Okay, got it.
Lin Hai put his phone down and lay back on the bed, continuing to think about the money issue.
“Oh? Wait, crap. How did I forget about that?” Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Lin Hai.
He opened his phone and sent another message to Tie Guai Li.
Little Confused Immortal: Do you still have the recipe for your dog-skin plaster?
Tie Guai Li: The recipe? It’s included in my inheritance of the Medicine King, isn’t it? It’s that Gu Ling Gao.
Uh… Lin Hai broke out in a cold sweat. Damn, so that Gu Ling Gao is it. I thought it was just called dog-skin plaster.
With a thought, the formula for Gu Ling Gao appeared in Lin Hai’s mind.
“It doesn’t seem that special, does it?” Lin Hai looked it over. They were all common Chinese medicinal herbs.
Little Confused Immortal: Do you just mix these herbs together? Is it that simple?
Lin Hai felt he should double-check.
Tie Guai Li: Though the ingredients are simple, the difficulty lies in controlling the heat and the proportions of the ingredients. Even a slight mistake could turn it into poison.
Whoa. That serious?
Little Confused Immortal: Alright. I’ll try making a batch and see.
The next day, Lin Hai met up with Liu Xinyue, and they spent the day accompanying his parents and Lin Yun on a sightseeing trip. The two elders were very happy.
Throughout the day, Liu Xinyue walked arm-in-arm with Song Qin, chatting and laughing, and occasionally drawing Lin Wen into the conversation so he wouldn’t feel left out. This made Lin Wen and his wife absolutely adore her, and they insisted she stay for dinner that evening.
After dinner, Lin Hai drove Liu Xinyue home.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Liu Xinyue unconsciously started humming a little tune.
“Oh? Someone’s in a good mood, huh?” Lin Hai teased from the driver’s seat.
“Hmph! Of course!” Liu Xinyue pouted her lips, looking quite proud.
“Hey, you don’t think you’re all set just because you got past the future in-laws, do you?”
Liu Xinyue was taken aback, then grabbed Lin Hai’s arm nervously.
“Lin Hai, is Yunyun unhappy with me? It didn’t seem like it, did it?”
Lin Hai found this hilarious. “You have way too much imagination.”
“If it’s not Yunyun, then…”
Sigh, Lin Hai shook his head. “You forgot the most important person.”
“The most important?” Liu Xinyue was confused for a moment, but then, seeing the mischievous smile at the corner of Lin Hai’s mouth, she suddenly understood.
“You’re so annoying.” Liu Xinyue playfully punched Lin Hai’s arm, pretending to be mad.
“I’m being serious, you know.” Lin Hai put on a deliberately solemn face.
“Then… what will it take to make you happy?” Liu Xinyue lowered her head and said quietly.
Seeing her shy and blushing expression, Lin Hai’s heart stirred.
“Hehehe…” Lin Hai didn’t say anything.
“Ah, stop it! Focus on the road.” Liu Xinyue gently pushed Lin Hai away.
“It’s fine, I…”
“Watch out!” Liu Xinyue screamed.
Screech! Lin Hai slammed on the brakes, breaking out in a cold sweat!
