After Supervisor Wang finished explaining, Su You finally understood. The other man had just handed him five hundred million yuan outright. Even Zhuge Tao, the legendary benefactor from his memories of his previous life, had only given Luo Feng fifty million. Supervisor Wang had given him five hundred million—a truly staggering sum.
"Supervisor Wang, this..."
Before Su You could finish, Supervisor Wang cut him off. "It's just a little money. No need to be so polite."
Just then, the woman in the white suit came over with the contract. Supervisor Wang took it, quickly signed it, then handed it to Su You.
Once Su You had signed the contract, Supervisor Wang smiled and shook his hand. "Su You, Old Kuang, come on. Let's go grab a meal together."
Does he really think that highly of me? Su You was a little astonished. He had never expected Supervisor Wang to invite him to dinner. After all, he was one of the four major figures in the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Kyoto Base City—a big shot, at least for now.
What Su You didn't know was that Supervisor Wang was being so warm toward him entirely because of President Tang Xilie's comment: in a few years, Su You had a decent chance of getting into the Elite Training Camp.
The Elite Training Camp, also known as the God of War Preparatory Camp, produced War God Rank experts without exception. Given the talent Su You had shown, even if he couldn't get into the Elite Training Camp, he still had a good chance of becoming a War God Rank expert someday. He was certainly worth investing in.
The position of supervisor came with considerable power, but plenty of War General Rank warriors coveted it. Supervisor Wang needed the support of more War God Rank experts to secure his position, so he invested in any talented youngster who had a chance of becoming a War God.
Of course, President Tang's comment had made him increase his investment this time. He had handed over a whopping five hundred million—quite a substantial sum even for him.
After accepting his hospitality, Su You couldn't very well refuse Supervisor Wang's invitation. The three of them didn't go far, though. They took the elevator straight to an upscale restaurant on the nineteenth floor of the building.
At the table, Su You couldn't help asking, "Supervisor Wang, when do you think headquarters will come to assess me?"
Supervisor Wang put on an offended expression. "Don't call me Supervisor Wang. My daughter's about your age. If you don't mind, I'll call you Xiao You from now on, and you can call me Uncle Wang."
Su You didn't stand on ceremony. He immediately called him "Uncle Wang," then casually asked for his daughter's contact information. If she was pretty, maybe they could date someday!
The smile on Supervisor Wang's face grew even broader. "The Basic Training Camp usually starts admitting students at the end of the month. But you haven't passed the combat assessment yet.
"Going by past precedent, they'll probably come assess you after you pass the combat assessment and become a true martial artist, then take you straight to Hongning Base City."
Su You nodded. He had more or less expected that.
The Martial Artist Combat Assessment was a rule established jointly by the major factions. Only after passing it would someone officially gain martial artist status and receive a martial artist identification number.
Although Su You had been recruited by the Extreme Martial Arts Hall ahead of time, he still didn't have official martial artist status. He couldn't even access the hall's internal martial artist network, and the money specified in the contract he had signed wouldn't be paid until he became an official martial artist.
Of course, he could move into the villa early.
The assessment was held twice a year, on February 1 and August 1. Today was only June 1, so the next assessment was still a full two months away.
"Xiao You, when are you moving? Would you like to move over to the main city district?" Supervisor Wang asked with a smile.
Su You hesitated. The main city district was nice, but he had grown up in Tianjin City, where his parents had spent most of their lives.
"Uncle Wang, I'm not sure yet. I'll talk it over with my parents when I get back." Su You didn't reject the idea outright, but he had already decided he wanted to stay in Tianjin City.
After eating their fill, neither Su You nor Kuang Qiu lingered. They boarded a train and headed straight back to Tianjin City.
That evening, in the little dining room at Su You's home, his mother, Gong Yanrong, carefully held the signed contract, beaming with delight.
His father curled his lip and said with a grin, "I bet your mom's going to brag to all her old friends tomorrow."
"Brag? Is that what you call it? My son earned this with his own ability!" His mother glared at him. "Just as you'd expect from my son. He takes after me—he's been clever since he was little. I always knew he'd make something of himself."
"Hah, takes after you?" His father scoffed. "He inherited my excellent genes. Got it?"
Su You hurriedly cut in before things got out of hand. Otherwise, they'd probably be at each other's throats in a minute.
"Dad, Mom, when are we moving?"
On the way back, Su You had already told Kuang Qiu that he planned to stay in Tianjin City. After they got back, he had also stopped by the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and picked up the keys to a villa in Guanglan Residential Quarter.
His mother answered bluntly, "Move? We're doing just fine here. Why would we move? Leave your villa empty for now. In a couple of years, when you get married, you can use it as your wedding home."
"Your mom's right. Moving over there would make it inconvenient for your mother and me to get to work. Keep the villa for your future wedding home."
Su You shook his head with a bitter smile. "Why are you two still working? Wouldn't it be better to move there and enjoy yourselves? The contract says the startup fund alone is one hundred million!"
"Not work? Your mom and I are barely past forty. We're not about to retire already!"
"Exactly. We're still young!"
His father said unhurriedly, "Besides, didn't you say you'd be going to Hongning Base City for training before long? Your mother and I would be bored to death keeping an eye on such a huge villa."
His mother nodded in agreement. "Exactly! It's so much nicer here. Xiao Qing keeps me company every day. Unlike you, you heartless boy—you do nothing but practice martial arts!"
"Huh? How did I become the target?" Su You stared blankly for a moment, then lowered his head and started wolfing down his food. He ate three full bowls, feeling terribly aggrieved.
His mother continued, "Take Xiao Qing out tomorrow. The college entrance exam is coming up soon, so help her relax a little. Stop by and have a look at the villa while you're out. We may not live there, but we can't just ignore it either. You should check on it from time to time."
Su You immediately understood that his mother was trying to set him up with Tang Yongqing. He grimaced. "Mom, Xiao Qing is only fifteen!"
"So what if she's fifteen? She's not even two years younger than you. By the time you finish training three years from now, Xiao Qing will be eighteen—the perfect age to get married!
"That girl is wonderful. She's clever, pretty, considerate, and sensible. You two grew up together, and our families get along well. You're such a good match!
"After you get married, your father and I will quit our jobs and help look after our grandchildren. That's all I want out of life."
Su You couldn't help gazing at the ceiling. Was this the life middle-aged women looked forward to? It was terrifying!
Before you continue