A roomful of big shots with nowhere to stand

"No problem!" Luo Jinglin blurted out almost the moment Wei Cang made his proposal. "Lin Hao is from Jiang City in the first place. There's absolutely no problem with building the research center here."

At this, Shen Ce and Chen Jingshan both felt a surge of delight.

Just moments ago, they had both thought there was no way they could keep Lin Hao this time.

They had never expected City Lord Wei Cang to breathe life straight back into a deadlocked game with this move.

Yan Rusong's face immediately darkened as his mind raced for a solution.

Wei Cang ignored him and turned to Lin Rongshan and his wife. "Mr. Lin, Ms. Li. In addition to everything Wansheng has offered, Jiang City will further improve its previous offer.

"The annual dedicated cultivation fund will increase to twenty million, and the provided residence will be upgraded to a detached villa in the south of the city, complete with a private martial arts training room and potion laboratory. The monthly living allowance will also increase to one million."

Lin Rongshan and Li Xiulan exchanged a glance, each seeing interest in the other's eyes.

They were born and raised in Jiang City, and all their relatives and friends were here. Naturally, they hoped their son could stay close to them.

Besides, the joint offer from Jiang City and Wansheng was already better than Qingyang City's.

Lin Rongshan took a deep breath. "We'll still have to wait for Xiao Hao to come back and let him decide these things himself."

Just then, footsteps sounded at the door again.

Uncle Fu of the Su Family entered with another member of the family, each carrying a red sandalwood gift box.

He walked into the living room and bowed slightly to Yan Rusong. "Secretary-General Yan."

Seeing him, Yan Rusong shook his head with a smile. "Uncle Fu, you're here too."

"Our young master asked me to visit Lin Hao." Uncle Fu smiled, his gaze sweeping over Wei Cang and Luo Jinglin, his tone calm. "I heard what everyone said from the doorway just now. Whatever Wansheng can offer, the Su Family can offer too. We're willing to provide the same equity stake, the same research center, and the same profit share."

He turned to Yan Rusong. "Secretary-General Yan, the Su Family is willing to cooperate with Qingyang City. Qingyang City will oversee Lin Hao's martial arts affairs, and the Su Family will oversee his potion affairs. All potion proceeds will be split seventy-thirty between Qingyang City and the Su Family.

"We only ask that Lin Hao serve as the Su Family's honorary pharmacist. We won't interfere with any of his freedoms."

Yan Rusong's eyes lit up. He had been worrying just moments ago, but now that the Su Family had approached him of their own accord, he had the advantage again.

As for giving the Su Family a share of the profits, City Lord Tao Jingtong would probably agree.

After all, the Su Family was a local organization in Qingyang City.

"Agreed," he said with a nod.

Then he looked at Lin Rongshan. "Mr. Lin, now that Qingyang City and the Su Family have joined forces, what we can offer Lin Hao is no less than what Jiang City and Wansheng can offer-and more.

"Besides, Wansheng talks about freedom, but hasn't their usual practice always been to keep exclusive sales rights in an iron grip?

"In the future, how Lin Hao's potions are priced and sold will all be up to Wansheng.

"Qingyang City and the Su Family are different. Lin Hao can brew however he likes and sell to whomever he likes. We will never interfere."

Luo Jinglin's face darkened. This was indeed how their Wansheng trading firm had always operated.

At this point, Lin Rongshan no longer knew how to respond either.

Looking at the roomful of noisy people, he felt his head buzzing.

He glanced up and saw that around twenty pairs of shoes had already piled up on the shoe rack by the door.

Just then, footsteps triggered the stairwell's sound-activated lights again, and several more people walked in.

They wore Yun City badges on their chests.

Just as they were about to speak, two more people squeezed in behind them-the vice presidents of the Lin City Pharmacists Association.

Lin Rongshan and Li Xiulan felt as though the entire room was full of people. They could barely even make out what these important figures were saying anymore.

Then people from the various cities poured in wave after wave, packing the already small apartment to the brim.

Lin Rongshan frowned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He looked beside the sofa, where people were already packed together. Some could not squeeze inside at all and had to stand by the door.

The cardboard boxes originally piled in the corner had been moved to the balcony at some point, and even beside the TV cabinet stood two young men wearing glasses.

Someone even nearly knocked the family portrait off the wall by accident, then scrambled to steady it while apologizing repeatedly.

Li Xiulan tried to get up to pour everyone some water, only to discover she could not move her feet.

In the stairwell, Qian Mingyuan had just stepped onto the fourth-floor landing when his feet rooted to the spot.

Looking at the crowd already standing outside the fourth-floor doorway, he felt his throat tighten.

Behind him, Liu Wan marveled inwardly. Lin Hao truly was a rare student. His influence was simply enormous.

She felt incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon such a heaven-sent bargain.

Zou Jianmin braced himself against the wall, his face pale.

Remembering what he had said to Lin Hao in the classroom that day, and how he had personally expelled this genius in two fields from the school, he felt his heart clench, the pain leaving him unable to breathe.

Zhou Lie stood at the very back, his brows tightly knitted.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the residential complex was also bustling in a way rarely seen.

Military off-road vehicles, Wansheng Pharmaceuticals' business vehicles, Qingyang City's Bingli, and Yun City's Baoshijie surrounded Lin Hao's building, one after another.

The nearby residents gathered around, many standing on tiptoe to peer inside as they chattered among themselves.

"What's going on? Did something happen?"

"Could someone have borrowed from loan sharks and had debt collectors block their door? With a turnout like this, they must owe a fortune."

"Are you blind? Those are military vehicles! And that Maibahe-there are barely any in all of Jiang City! Who could possibly manage to owe that much money?"

"I just counted. There are license plates from six different cities alone! Have people from all six cities come?"

"Oh! I know! Are they here for Lin Hao? My nephew works at the General Administration. He just told me that the mysterious champion of the Six-City Young Pharmacists Competition is Lin Hao, and he's already been certified as a one-star martial artist!"

"I heard too. Apparently, the higher-ups in all six cities are in an uproar. At first, I thought he just had the same name as Lin Rongshan's boy, Lin Hao. From the looks of it now, it really is that boy."

"Seriously? The Lin Hao who always came dead last on his exams? Didn't No. 2 High School expel him?"

"What expulsion? He just couldn't be bothered to stay at No. 2 High School!"

"My heavens! The Lin family's ancestral graves must be billowing green smoke! They always seemed so ordinary. Who would have thought they'd raise such an incredible son!"

Carrying several large bags of groceries, Lin Hao entered the complex and overheard these remarks.

Looking at the densely packed vehicles and the crowd so thick not even water could pass through, he tightened his grip on the groceries.

He had expected his strength being exposed to cause a stir, but he had never imagined it would grow this big.

Almost all the forces from the six cities had come. Even the military had sent people.

It seemed he had still underestimated just how much weight an eighteen-year-old who could brew a Beyond-Perfect-Grade Primordial Qi and Blood Potion and kill a Wind-Rending Swift Leopard in three moves carried in this age of rampant demonic beasts.

Lin Hao took a deep breath, lowered his head, pushed through the crowd of onlookers, and strode toward the building entrance.

Fortunately, the nearby residents had rarely paid him much attention and did not recognize him at once, allowing him to enter the stairwell without trouble.

He climbed step by step, his heartbeat quickening involuntarily.

He felt both a little nervous and a little expectant.

I wonder what Mom and Dad's expressions will be, seeing a roomful of important figures packed so tightly they can't even turn around.

The fourth-floor sound-activated light came on at the noise.

Qian Mingyuan and the other three turned to look toward the stairs.

The footsteps drew closer and closer.

Finally, to their surprise, Lin Hao came into view.

They had never expected that, despite all the important figures sitting in Lin Hao's home, Lin Hao himself had not actually been home at all and was only now arriving.