"Uncle!"

  As Zeng Shujie approached, Zheng Tianyi eagerly stepped forward, his face full of anticipation.

  To his surprise, Zeng Shujie merely nodded at him before walking past him straight to Lin Yu. With a smile, Zeng said, "You must be He Jiarong, Brother He, right?"

  The crowd was stunned. The esteemed Zeng Shujie was actually addressing a young man as his equal?

  "Hello, Mayor Zeng."

  Lin Yu quickly stood up. He recognized this distinguished leader of Qinghai City from TV.

  "Hello."

  Zeng Shujie shook hands with Lin Yu and said warmly, "You're quite the extraordinary figure now. Old Zheng personally came to toast you earlier, and Shen Hanshan was about to do the same, but I stopped him. Since everyone wants to toast you, I thought I’d just invite you to join our table instead."

  The surrounding crowd erupted in murmurs. Zeng Shujie was personally inviting him to the head table? Others weren’t even worthy of a toast, yet he was being asked to join them for drinks!

  Who exactly was this man?

  People stared at Lin Yu, utterly perplexed. He looked unfamiliar, and no one could recall any prominent figure in Qinghai by that name.

  "Th-That might not be appropriate..." Lin Yu hesitated.

  "Come on, don’t be modest. Xiao He, Secretary Xie Changfeng also wants to meet you," Zeng Shujie said with a laugh. He then patted Lin Yu’s back and whispered in his ear, "We’re all very grateful for what you did during the fire."

  Zeng had been at the scene that day and recognized Lin Yu. Afterward, he’d had someone look into Lin Yu’s background.

  When he discovered Lin Yu wasn’t a special forces soldier, both he and Xie Changfeng were shocked. They couldn’t understand how an ordinary person could carry a little girl out of such a massive fire unharmed.

  From the bottom of their hearts, Zeng and Xie were grateful to Lin Yu. If not for his heroic actions that day, not only would Qinghai’s national reputation have suffered, but their own positions might have been jeopardized.

  Under Zeng’s enthusiastic insistence, Lin Yu had no choice but to agree. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he followed Zeng to the head table at the far end of the banquet hall.

  The gazes around him were a mix of envy, jealousy, and confusion.

  Zheng Tianyi’s face turned beet red. His uncle had shown such warmth to Lin Yu but hadn’t even glanced at him.

  Xue Qin, on the other hand, remained silent, her eyes burning as she watched Lin Yu’s retreating figure, her thoughts complex and turbulent.

  At the head table, Zeng Shujie had a chair brought over for Lin Yu and introduced him to the others.

  However, he wasn’t quite sure how to describe Lin Yu, so he kept it brief: "This is He Jiarong, one of Qinghai’s outstanding young talents."

  The few at the table who didn’t know Lin Yu were all seasoned socialites. Though unaware of his background, they understood that anyone personally invited by Mayor Zeng must be someone special. They greeted Lin Yu warmly.

  "Xiao He, I heard from Shujie about what happened last time. We owe you a great deal. Here, let me toast you!"

  Xie Changfeng, Qinghai’s highest-ranking leader, raised his glass with a smile.

  Clearly, he was referring to the fire incident. He avoided stating it explicitly to protect Lin Yu’s privacy.

  Flattered, Lin Yu quickly stood and clinked glasses with Xie, downing his drink in one go.

  "Oh my god, did I just see Secretary Xie… toasting him?" The man in the tailcoat gaped in disbelief.

  After Lin Yu left, everyone at the table craned their necks to watch. When they saw Xie Changfeng toasting Lin Yu, they were utterly shocked.

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  "Who is this guy? What kind of connections does he have?"

  "Could he be that scion from the capital’s major family?"

  "Him? Bullshit!"

  Zheng Tianyi spat out bitterly, his face twisted in anger. "I looked into him. He’s just a useless freeloader who lives off his wife’s family. His only job is helping his mother-in-law sell buns."

  After running into Lin Yu at Shengtian Elite Club that afternoon, Zheng had ordered a background check.

  After all, know thy enemy, know thyself, and victory is assured.

  Once he confirmed Lin Yu’s identity, he breathed a sigh of relief, dismissing him entirely. He even began to suspect that Xue Qin was indeed using Lin Yu as a shield.

  Lin Yu was utterly unremarkable—no background, just a live-in son-in-law.

  Zheng had planned to show off in front of Xue Qin tonight and put Lin Yu in his place. Instead, not only had he failed to impress, but Lin Yu had stolen the spotlight entirely.

  Now, seeing Xie Changfeng personally toasting Lin Yu, Zheng was so furious he felt his lungs might explode. He stormed out of the banquet hall, went down to the lobby, and found a secluded corner to make a phone call.

  "Hey, Big Mouth Zhang, was the info you gave me this afternoon accurate?" Zheng Tianyi demanded coldly.

  "Of course it is, Young Master Zheng. I had people ask around his neighborhood. The guy’s just a worthless freeloader. But damn, his wife is gorgeous." The voice on the other end was lecherous.

  "Fuck your mother! I asked you to investigate him, not his wife! Are you sure you dug up everything?" Zheng snapped.

  "Positive. His father-in-law and mother-in-law are officials, but they’re nobodies. Compared to you, Young Master Zheng, they’re nothing!" Big Mouth Zhang assured him.

  Zheng Tianyi was puzzled. If "He Jiarong" had no background, why were Old Zheng and the mayor treating him with such respect?

  But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. No matter what, he was determined to cripple Lin Yu tonight. Even if Lin Yu had powerful connections, as long as Zheng covered his tracks, no one would trace it back to him.

  Gritting his teeth, he said, "Did you round up the men I asked for?"

  "Already done. Just give the word, and we’ll move out," Big Mouth Zhang replied eagerly.

  "Good. Listen carefully to my plan." Zheng thought for a moment. "If he leaves with Xue Qin again, follow them. When you reach a deserted spot, force their car to stop. Then, cripple that bastard and scare Xue Qin a bit—but don’t lay a finger on her!"

  "Got it, Young Master Zheng." Big Mouth Zhang nodded quickly. "I know she’s your woman."

  "Then I’ll show up in my car and ‘rescue’ her. Understood?" Zheng was getting excited just thinking about it. If Xue Qin liked heroes, he’d play the part of her savior.

  "Understood, Young Master Zheng. We’ll play our part perfectly. But about the money…" Big Mouth Zhang chuckled.

  "Don’t worry, you’ll get your money. If I win Xue Qin over, I’ll throw in an extra million!" Zheng declared grandly.

  For the sake of winning her heart, money was no object. A million? Ten million? A hundred million? He’d pay it all.

  After hanging up, Zheng returned to the banquet hall, satisfied. He could already picture Xue Qin, frightened and vulnerable, collapsing into his arms as he comforted her.

  Meanwhile, Lin Yu had grown familiar with Xie Changfeng and the others.

  "Xiao He, Old Song here has been singing your praises, saying your medical skills are peerless. I originally wanted him to examine a patient for me, but he insisted on recommending you instead," Xie said with a smile.

  "Old Song flatters me too much," Lin Yu replied modestly, glancing at Song Lao. Suddenly, he understood the meaning behind Song’s words that afternoon—forming a connection with Xie Changfeng could indeed be a turning point in his life.

  A deep sense of gratitude welled up in Lin Yu. Song Lao had gone to great lengths for him. Even if Xue Qin drove him mad, it would all be worth it.

  After setting a date with Xie, Lin Yu excused himself.

  Being invited over was an honor, but overstaying his welcome would be shameless.

  Besides, the topics these old-timers discussed held no interest for him. It was better to leave now.

  After leaving the head table, Lin Yu didn’t return to his original seat. Instead, he said goodbye to Xue Qin and headed straight for the exit.

  He’d noticed many people preparing to approach him for toasts and networking, and he had no patience for such socializing.

  "I’ll walk you out!"

  Hearing he was leaving, Xue Qin immediately grabbed her bag and followed him out of the banquet hall.

  "Why aren’t you staying longer?" Lin Yu asked, puzzled.

  "Nothing to talk to them about," Xue Qin replied, her tone unexpectedly gentle.

  "What did you and Mayor Zeng and Secretary Xie discuss earlier?" Xue Qin glanced at him.

  "Nothing much, just small talk. Secretary Xie’s brother-in-law is sick, so he asked me to take a look," Lin Yu answered casually, wondering why Xue Qin was suddenly so chatty.

  "Didn’t you talk about the Qilin Building fire?" Xue Qin raised an eyebrow.

  "Huh? Why would we talk about that? It was so long ago." Lin Yu looked at her, confused.

  "Long ago or not, they should’ve brought it up. If not for you, Secretary Xie would’ve had a hard time explaining things to his superiors, wouldn’t he?" Xue Qin’s lips curled into a sly smile.

  "W-What do you mean? What does that have to do with me?" Lin Yu’s heart skipped a beat. The way Xue Qin spoke made it seem like she knew something.

  "Still pretending? I saw Mayor Zeng whispering in your ear earlier. I couldn’t hear him, but I could read his lips. You’re the one who saved that little girl during the fire!" Xue Qin said triumphantly.

  "You must’ve misread him." Lin Yu’s heart pounded. He didn’t understand why he felt so guilty when he’d done a good deed.

  "Keep denying it. I compared your height and build to the photos—it’s definitely you!" Xue Qin’s voice brimmed with excitement. She couldn’t believe the hero everyone had been praising was right beside her.

  "Whatever, it’s not me." Lin Yu decided to play dumb.

  "Whatever, it is you!" Xue Qin huffed.

  Lin Yu turned away and fell silent. In situations like this, silence was the best policy.

  "Um… my place is just up ahead. Do you… want to come in for coffee?"

  As soon as the words left her mouth, Xue Qin’s face flushed. She didn’t know why she’d blurted that out.

  When had she ever invited a man to her home?

  Hadn’t she hated this jerk?