"Oh dear, Director He, you've got the wrong person. This is my son-in-law."

  Jiang Jingren quickly corrected him, pointing to Lin Yu behind him.

  "What?!"

  He Jinxiang jumped up in alarm. This was serious—he'd actually mistaken the person! Wouldn't Old He be furious with him now?

  "I-I'm sorry, Old He..." He Jinxiang stammered, his words stumbling.

  "Just call me 'little brother,' Big Brother He," Lin Yu said with an easy smile.

  "Alright, alright, Little Brother He. My sincerest apologies." He Jinxiang hurried over to shake Lin Yu's hand.

  Lin Yu quickly stood up to return the handshake, puzzled. Weren’t they here to see his father-in-law? Why were they being so deferential to him?

  "Little Brother He, I was wondering if the six million annual salary I offered is to your satisfaction?" He Jinxiang asked with an ingratiating smile.

  **Six million a year?!**

  Li Xiaotian and his parents turned pale with shock, staring at He Jinxiang in disbelief. Had this man lost his mind? Offering six million to a good-for-nothing? What could he even do?

  Lin Yu was equally bewildered. "Big Brother He, I don’t understand. What are you talking about?"

  He Jinxiang was taken aback, but Jiang Jingren quickly interjected, "Ah, right! This is the CEO of Hongchang Jewelry. He called me this morning to invite you to be their product manager—only half a day of work per month. Isn’t that right, Director He?"

  "Yes, yes!" He Jinxiang nodded eagerly.

  Li Xiaotian and his parents unconsciously sucked in a breath. This was insane! Six million for just one day of work a month?

  Averaging six days a year—**one million per day?!**

  He Jinxiang, however, thought it was a bargain. If Lin Yu could help him source even one or two top-grade jadeite pieces a year, he’d make a killing.

  Unbeknownst to Lin Yu, last night’s auction had already made him a legend in Qinghai’s jewelry industry.

  Spotting one high-quality stone could be luck. Spotting two might be skill. But spotting three? That went beyond mere luck or skill.

  What’s more, Lin Yu had accurately predicted the quality and yield of all three stones. Overnight, the entire Qinghai jewelry circle had begun mythologizing him, dubbing him the **"Midas Touch."**

  Naturally, jewelry companies and wholesalers—big and small—were now scrambling to hire him as a consultant.

  The calls Jiang Jingren had received that morning were from these very companies. After all, Jiang Jingren’s contact details were easier to obtain, he was more approachable, and—most importantly—he was greedy for money.

  In other words, without Lin Yu’s knowledge, his father-in-law had already sold him out.

  Hearing the offer of **one million per day**, even Lin Yu’s eyelids twitched. Was his father-in-law being too outrageous, demanding such an exorbitant price? Little did he know, this was He Jinxiang’s own offer.

  Seeing Lin Yu’s silence, He Jinxiang panicked, assuming dissatisfaction. "No problem, Little Brother He! If the salary isn’t enough, we can negotiate—eight million, ten million, whatever you want. Just name your price!"

  He Jinxiang’s jewelry business was mid-sized in Qinghai and had been struggling recently due to fierce competition. Lin Yu’s emergence was like a lifeline in a storm—he **had** to secure him, no matter the cost.

  "I actually think the price is too high. It’s unfair to you, Big Brother He," Lin Yu said helplessly.

  "No, no! It’s not unfair at all! If you’re still unhappy, we can go higher!" He Jinxiang clenched his teeth, sweating profusely. He thought Lin Yu was being sarcastic and resolved then and there to secure him, even if it meant bankrupting himself.

  **Knock, knock, knock!**

  Another knock came at the door. Li Suqin hurried to answer it.

  A polished woman in a fitted office dress stood outside, looking to be in her early thirties. She carried herself with efficiency and greeted warmly, "Hello, ma’am! Is this Mr. He’s residence?"

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Women understand women best. The way she addressed Li Suqin as "ma’am" instantly won her over. Nodding, Li Suqin welcomed her inside.

  "Uncle Jiang, hello! I’m Sun Rongrong, the one who called you this morning." The woman smiled warmly as she shook Jiang Jingren’s hand.

  Once she identified Lin Yu, she said respectfully, "Mr. He, I assume Uncle Jiang has already informed you. I’m the HR director of Shengshi Group, Qinghai’s largest jewelry wholesale distributor. We’d like to hire you as our consulting director—no fixed office hours, **ten million annual salary**, with another **ten million bonus** if targets are met."

  On the sofa, Li Xiaotian and his parents were dumbstruck, too shocked to speak. **My God, what on earth had happened to He Jiarong in just a few short years?**

  Beside them, Jiang Yan was equally stunned. Could those tattered books under the bed really be this powerful? Every visitor was offering **millions** like it was nothing.

  But before they could recover, **another knock came at the door.**

  "Mr. He, hello! I’m the chief consultant of Jin’geli Jewelry, here to invite you as our consulting manager..."

  "Mr. He, hello! I’m from Wanfu Group..."

  "Mr. He, hello! I represent Sanjiang Jewelry..."

  "Mr. He, hello! I’m from Fortune Jewelry..."

  **...**

  In just **one hour**, the Jiang family’s living room was packed to the brim.

  Li Xiaotian’s family was forced to stand outside. His face was twisted as if he’d accidentally swallowed a giant fly—**a dung fly, at that.**

  "Haha, Jiarong has really made something of himself," Li Xiaotian forced a laugh, his expression uglier than if he were crying.

  "Not at all, you flatter him. He’s just average, really. My son-in-law has always been capable—just too humble," Jiang Jingren said, chest puffed out proudly.

  It took considerable effort for Lin Yu to send everyone away. He agreed to all their offers but insisted on **halving the proposed salaries** and **not guaranteeing profits.**

  For the salary account, he used **Jiang Yan’s bank card.** When she asked why, he grinned. **"It’s only right for the wife to manage the money."**

  Afraid more visitors might show up, Lin Yu quickly said to Auntie Sun outside, "Auntie, didn’t you want to see Old Man Song for treatment? Let’s go now."

  When in Qinghai, Song Minghui was usually at the second floor of Jishitang, so there was no need to call ahead.

  Hearing this, the already-frustrated Li Xiaotian snapped, **"He Jiarong, you might be hot stuff now with all these companies chasing you, but seeing Old Man Song isn’t something money can buy!"**

  Song Minghui treated everyone equally—whether rich or poor, as long as you queued up, he’d see you, and the consultation fee was always the same: **not too high, but not too low either.**

  Of course, every rule had exceptions—but Li Xiaotian’s status wasn’t high enough to know the kind of people who could make Old Man Song bend his rules.

  Li Xiaotian had once tried bribing someone to get an exception, but when Song Minghui found out, he **flatly refused** and never spoke to him again.

  This infuriated Li Xiaotian, but Song Minghui’s social standing far surpassed his. There was nothing he could do.

  Now, Lin Yu had the audacity to claim he could get Song Minghui’s attention. Li Xiaotian couldn’t accept it. **Fine, maybe he couldn’t compete financially—but as a high-ranking provincial civil servant, surely his connections and influence were better than a nobody’s!**

  "Xiaotian!"

  Uncle Li scolded him sharply. His impression of Lin Yu had improved drastically, especially after witnessing the reverence from those job offers.

  "Jiarong, I don’t mean to doubt you, but even if you take us to see the legendary Old Man Song, today’s no good—it’s the weekend," Uncle Li said with a strained smile.

  "No problem. Weekends are actually less busy for him," Lin Yu replied matter-of-factly.

  Uncle Li’s smile froze. Now he suspected Lin Yu was **bluffing**—maybe he didn’t even know Old Man Song.

  **Everyone in Ling’an and Qinghai knew Song Minghui’s rule: no consultations on weekends.** Apart from the exception made during Jishitang’s grand opening, this rule had remained unbroken for **over a decade.** Moreover, Song Minghui **hated** being disturbed on weekends—no one dared visit him then.

  If Lin Yu truly knew Old Man Song, he’d **never** be ignorant of this.

  "What? Uncle Li, you don’t believe me?" Lin Yu asked, puzzled.

  **"No, I don’t! No one dares disturb Old Man Song on weekends—what makes you so special?"** Li Xiaotian sneered.

  "Old Li, why don’t we just go with Jiarong and see? Maybe he really can get us in," Jiang Jingren suggested. He was now utterly fond of his son-in-law—even if Lin Yu was exaggerating, he’d stand by him.

  With Jiang Jingren’s persuasion, Li Xiaotian’s family reluctantly followed Lin Yu to Jishitang.

  Since it was afternoon, the clinic wasn’t crowded. Only two physicians were on duty—**neither of whom recognized Lin Yu.** They barely glanced at him when he entered.

  Li Xiaotian smirked. **If even the staff ignored you, how are you going to save face now?**

  "Excuse me, is Old Man Song—Song Minghui—here?" Lin Yu asked politely.

  **"No."** One of the physicians answered coldly.

  "I need to see him. Is he upstairs?"

  **"Everyone wants to see Old Man Song. Who do you think you are?"**

  "Uh... my name is He Jiarong..."

  **"I don’t care what your name is. Even if you were the Emperor of Heaven, it wouldn’t matter."** The physician glared at Lin Yu irritably. He’d recently transferred from Ling’an’s Jishitang and had no idea about Lin Yu’s past duel with Song Minghui.

  **"If you want to see Old Man Song, make an appointment and queue up."** The female physician was slightly more polite. **"Also, he doesn’t see patients on weekends. Please leave."**

  "Jiarong, see? I told you. Let’s go back," Uncle Li said with a resigned smile. Lin Yu’s boast had been easy to make, but now his whole family had come for nothing. He’d originally planned to visit relatives this afternoon.

  "Old Li, don’t blame him. Jiarong meant well," Jiang Jingren quickly defended his son-in-law. "Jiarong, if today’s no good, let’s just come back another time."

  "Uncle Li, don’t worry. I’ll just call Old Man Song and have him come down to greet us," Lin Yu said, pulling out his phone.

  **"Hahaha! Are you kidding me? Have him come down personally to greet you? He Jiarong, do you just lie compulsively?"**

  Li Xiaotian scowled in disgust. **Just because a few jewelry companies flattered you this afternoon, you think you’re invincible?**