"Old Man Qian? What are you doing here?"
Gu Yuan thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He remembered that when he was released, this old man was still being held in the detention center.
Qian Rushan hurried out of the car, followed by his son, Qian Jinyuan.
"Hehehe, Mr. Gu, after you were released this morning, I had breakfast in the detention center and was released shortly after," Qian Rushan said with a grin, showing no airs at all. "Son, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Gu Yuan, Mr. Gu. My old life was saved thanks to him."
Qian Rushan had gone to prison intentionally. The Qian Family suffered from a hereditary illness that no renowned doctor in the world could cure. Later, through rumors, he heard that several extraordinary people were being held in the Tiannan City detention center, so he volunteered to go to prison to see if he could find a stroke of fortune and save his life.
It was there that he happened to meet Gu Yuan, who was just beginning to hone his skills.
"Thank you, Mr. Gu, for saving my father's life!" Qian Jinyuan knelt down immediately and kowtowed to Gu Yuan.
"Uncle, what are you doing? Get up, quickly!" Gu Yuan hurriedly helped Qian Jinyuan up. To be honest, he felt a bit ashamed; he had only used Qian Rushan for practice back then and hadn't truly set out to treat him. It was just a stroke of luck that he had been cured.
"Mr. Gu, you deserve this kowtow from my son!" Qian Rushan chuckled and then gave his son a wink.
Qian Jinyuan immediately pulled a gold token from his pocket and offered it to Gu Yuan with both hands. "Mr. Gu, this token is called the Golden Token; it is the symbol of the President of the Tiannan Chamber of Commerce. Holding this token grants you authority over all enterprises in Tiannan City."
With this token in hand, the power of life and death over every business in the entire city was in Gu Yuan’s grasp.
Just as Gu Yuan was about to refuse, Qian Rushan cut him off. "Mr. Gu, with your great talents, a minor position like this is beneath you, but it is a small token of gratitude from the Qian Family. If you don't accept it, my son and I will just stay kneeling here."
Gu Yuan, feeling he had no other choice with this old man, finally tucked the Golden Token into his pocket.
"Mr. Gu, there is one more thing I would like your help with," Qian Rushan pleaded.
Having accepted such a grand gift, Gu Yuan found it hard to refuse. "Old Qian, speak your mind. As long as I can help, I will certainly do my best."
The father and son's faces lit up with joy. "You can definitely help. My granddaughter has the same illness as I did, and her body is too weak to hold out much longer. I beg you to save her."
In truth, when Qian Rushan had initially sought out masters in prison, it wasn't to save himself, but to find a way to save his granddaughter.
"Alright, let's not delay. Let's go now!"
"Right, yes! Mr. Gu, please, get in the car!"
...
Watching Gu Yuan walk away, Li Xiuqin and her son Lin Lei gritted their teeth.
"Sister, are you just going to let him go like that? He beat me up until I'm disfigured!"
"What else can you do? Can you beat him?" Lin Xiangyu asked, glaring at her younger brother in frustration.
"Let's go. I'm taking you to the hospital."
Lin Xiangyu drove her Maybach toward the hospital. Inside the car, Li Xiuqin, having completely forgotten the pain in her face, became increasingly excited. "Daughter, Young Master Gao is taking you on a date tonight. Eight o'clock, Alice Hotel. If we board the Gao Family’s ship, the Lin Family will be able to walk sideways through half of Tiannan City!"
"So soon? But what about Wen Hao? Are we just going to keep him on the side?" Lin Xiangyu felt torn. One was a wealthy young master, the other her most trusted subordinate. Both were excellent—thousands of times better than Gu Yuan.
"Wen Hao is just your subordinate. Use him while you can, but our family’s rise depends on Young Master Gao!"
Lin Xiangyu pondered for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I will go to the date tonight!"
At that moment, Lin Lei, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly let out a startled cry, trembling with excitement. "Oh my god! Sister, look! A Rolls-Royce Phantom! A limited edition one! That is my dream car!"
"Why are you making such a fuss? When your sister marries Young Master Gao, I'll buy you one too!" Li Xiuqin said, glancing at her hopeless son.
"Sister, will you really buy me a Rolls-Royce Phantom?"
"That car is the exclusive vehicle for the President of the Tiannan Chamber of Commerce. It's a symbol of status. Even with our current wealth, I wouldn't dare buy that car!"
"Holy cow, the President of the Tiannan Chamber of Commerce? I heard he holds a Golden Token that can control the fate of every business in the city?"
Lin Xiangyu nodded in affirmation. "That is true. So, we still have a long way to go. In front of true power, our Lin Family is still just like ants."
Lin Lei’s heart churned with shock. He had thought the Lin Family was already powerful, but it turned out this was only the threshold to the truly elite. He stared at the Rolls-Royce Phantom moving alongside them, and suddenly, he saw a familiar silhouette in the back seat.
"I... I... holy crap! How is that guy Gu Yuan sitting inside a Rolls-Royce Phantom?"