"Wait, why did Lin Qingzhu suddenly call me on WeChat...?"
Ning Wangshu was lounging on the sofa, scrolling through short videos to pass the time when Lin Qingzhu suddenly called him on WeChat.
He froze for a moment, then couldn't help wondering, Could her grandfather have regretted spending two million on those Jade Pendants and asked her to get a refund?
I've already spent that money on a house. I don't have anything left to pay him back with...
But that doesn't make sense! Her grandfather must have sensed the Spiritual Qi contained in those two Jade Pendants. To someone who cultivates like him, they're priceless treasures. How could he possibly regret buying them?
Besides, his cultivation has already reached the bottleneck at the Forming Yuan Stage Peak. With those two Jade Pendants, he might have a chance of breaking through to the Golden Core Great Path!
Or maybe her grandfather still hasn't given up and wants her to sound me out, to find out whether I have any more Spirit Jade...
Ning Wangshu wasn't sure what to make of it.
Still, he answered Lin Qingzhu's call right away...
"Hey, Lin Class Beauty, what made you call me out of the blue?"
Ning Wangshu asked casually.
"Ning Wangshu! Was your College Entrance Examination score really hidden?"
Lin Qingzhu's voice came through at once, full of disbelief.
Uh...
Ning Wangshu paused. He hadn't expected her call to be about that.
"Did Old Teacher tell you?"
He quickly figured out how she'd heard. Apart from him and his younger sister, Ning Ruoxuan, only Teacher Qin knew.
"Yeah! Teacher Qin called just now to ask about my College Entrance Examination score, and happened to mention it."
Then she couldn't help asking, "Ning Wangshu, your score really was hidden by the system? Doesn't that mean you're among the top scorers in the province?"
Ning Wangshu smiled. He didn't bother hiding it. "Yeah, that's right. The results page says I'm in the province's top fifty. I won't be able to check my actual score until the twenty-seventh."
Hearing him confirm it, Lin Qingzhu drew in a sharp breath, stunned. "Top fifty in the province... My goodness, Ning Wangshu, you're incredible!"
"That's the top fifty across the whole province! Does that mean you're a shoo-in for Qingbei?"
Ning Wangshu gave an amused smile but didn't confirm or deny it. "Top fifty is top fifty, but whether I'll get into Qingbei... that's not certain."
Lin Qingzhu didn't catch his implication and simply assumed, "With the number of places Qingbei offers students from our province, you don't need to worry. You'll definitely get in."
"It'll just come down to which university you choose..."
Ning Wangshu didn't explain. Instead, he smiled and changed the subject. "Lin Class Beauty, you didn't call just to confirm that, did you?"
"What else would it be?"
Lin Qingzhu shot back.
"Fair enough!"
Ning Wangshu chuckled and shook his head. "By the way, what about you? What did you score?"
"Me? I got a little over 680. Better than I expected, though of course I can't compare to you. But I'm very happy with it. That score should be enough to get into either Jiangnan University or Jinling University."
Lin Qingzhu replied.
"Nice! You got what you wanted, then. Have you decided which school to put as your first choice?" Ning Wangshu asked casually.
"I'm leaning more toward Jiangnan University. Jiangnan City is closer to our Linchuan, after all. But I haven't decided for sure yet. I'll see when the time comes."
"Heh, fair enough."
Ning Wangshu replied with a smile.
But he was thinking that if Lin Qingzhu did apply to Jiangnan University and got in, they would end up at the same school...
After chatting with Lin Qingzhu for a little longer, Ning Wangshu soon ended the call.
A little after five that afternoon, his younger sister, Ning Ruoxuan, came home from school.
As soon as she entered, she saw Ning Wangshu busy in the kitchen preparing dinner and went over to help.
After they spent a while making dinner, the siblings sat down to eat, chatting happily. Just then, Ning Wangshu's phone rang again.
He picked it up and saw that Zhang Yong was calling. He figured Zhang Yong had probably arranged a meeting with the big shot he'd mentioned.
So Ning Wangshu answered...
"Hello, Brother Ning."
Zhang Yong's voice came through as soon as the call connected.
"Yeah, Manager Zhang. Tell me when and where we're meeting." Ning Wangshu got straight to the point.
Zhang Yong hurriedly said, "Brother Ning, that big shot wants to meet you as soon as possible, so he's set it for three tomorrow afternoon. I hope that works for you?"
"Three tomorrow afternoon? That works. Where?"
Ning Wangshu asked.
"At the Blue Mountain Club."
"The Blue Mountain Club?"
"Yeah. The big shot owns the club, and it's not open to the public. Only members are allowed in."
"Brother Ning, I'll drive over and pick you up tomorrow. The big shot gave me a membership card specifically so I could take you there."
Zhang Yong said.
"Sure. Just come by whenever you're ready tomorrow. I'll be at home."
Ning Wangshu replied casually.
"Great, great. I won't keep you any longer, Brother Ning. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
When Ning Wangshu put down his phone, Ning Ruoxuan, sitting beside him, couldn't help asking, "What was that about, big brother?"
Ning Wangshu smiled. "Nothing much. I have to meet someone tomorrow. If it goes well, I might make a fortune. If it doesn't go quite so well... I'll still make a small two million."
"T-two million? And that's small?"
Ning Ruoxuan's eyes widened in astonishment.
To her, two million was an enormous sum. Yet her brother considered it small? Then how much was the "fortune" he'd mentioned?
Seeing his sister's shocked expression, Ning Wangshu smiled. "Yeah. The guy who just called said he wants to take me to meet some big shot and discuss something."
"If I'm willing to go, he'll pay me two million for my time and travel expenses, whether we reach a deal or not."
"Two million just for travel expenses? Big brother, what exactly does he want you to discuss? That's outrageous!"
Ning Ruoxuan's mouth hung open.
"I don't know yet. I'll find out when I get there. But judging by how things look, if we can reach an agreement, I should be able to get ten or twenty million."
"Of course, it depends on the situation. Money is one thing, but what they want is another. Your big brother isn't so cheap that he'll do anything just because someone offers him money!"
"It's just that I need some money right now. If what they ask isn't too difficult, I might as well make a little on the side."
"As the saying goes, making money isn't shameful!"
Ning Wangshu smiled as he spoke.
Ning Ruoxuan couldn't help giggling.
But then she was struck by another thought and silently marveled. Her brother was talking about millions as if money weren't money at all.