Reborn as a high school freshman with an awakened system, a fat boy transforms into a male god.

In his previous life, the richest man in Jiangcheng was named Wang Kangrong.

Lin Bei read about his rise to wealth in an in-depth report: starting from scratch, he began in the building materials business in the 1990s, then transitioned to real estate, and later ventured into finance, technology, and cultural tourism... Every step he took was at the right time of the times.

After 2020, this person became the richest man in Jiangcheng.

And at that moment, Wang Kangrong from 2012 stood before him. In his early forties, he wore a dark blue casual suit over a navy blue thin crew-neck sweater. Slightly plump, with a gentle smile and bright, albeit small, eyes. He didn't possess the imposing, authoritative aura of Shen Wancheng, but rather a comfortable and composed demeanor.

The face was much younger than the version he remembered, which was more than ten years older; there was no gray hair, no wrinkles around the eyes. But that gentle and composed demeanor was exactly the same as the person he had seen in the picture accompanying that report.

Lin Bei subconsciously stood up straighter.

Another big shot.

But thinking about it, Shen Wancheng was a big shot to begin with, and a big shot's friend is also a big shot, so it's perfectly normal.

Shen Wancheng turned to introduce another person.

"This is Li Zeyun, the company's vice president."

Lin Bei looked at him.

He looked to be in his late thirties, a head taller than Wang Kangrong, and rather thin. He wore a dark gray suit, a white shirt, and no tie, with the top button undone. He wore silver-rimmed glasses, and his hair was neatly combed, though his temples were already showing some gray.

He also had a smile on his face, but it was different from Wang Kangrong's. Wang Kangrong's smile was gentle and comforting; Lin Bei couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he always felt that the curve of his lips was a bit... formulaic.

"Hello, Uncle Shen." He bowed slightly, his voice clearer than Wang Kangrong's. "I work under General Manager Shen. I've long heard that you're a good chess player."

The old man waved his hand: "Don't listen to Wan Cheng's nonsense. My chess skills are only good enough to bully high school students."

Lin Bei's lips twitched. "Grandpa Shen, when have you ever bullied me? You've never won more than a few games against me, and besides, I lost to you on purpose."

Li Zeyun smiled, turned his gaze to Lin Bei, looked him up and down, nodded as a greeting, and then sat down next to Wang Kangrong.

The four people took their seats. The old man sat in the main seat, Shen Wancheng sat next to him, and Wang Kangrong and Li Zeyun sat opposite him. Lin Bei stood next to the sofa, hesitating for a moment, unsure of where to sit.

Shen Wancheng glanced at him: "Xiao Lin, you sit down too."

Lin Bei nodded and sat down in the corner of the sofa.

The nanny brought out tea and poured a cup for everyone. The tea was new, not the Longjing tea the old man had brewed before, but the one Shen Wancheng had brought back. It was in a dark brown earthenware jar, and as soon as the lid was opened, a refreshing aroma of tea wafted out.

"This was brought back from Wuyishan by President Wang last month," Shen Wancheng said, picking up his teacup and smelling it. "He said it's a descendant of the original Da Hong Pao tree and can't be bought on the market."

Wang Kangrong smiled and said, "It's not that exaggerated. It was a gift from a friend, and I'm just passing it on."

The old man picked up his teacup, took a sip, and squinted his eyes slightly: "Good tea. Rich and smooth, with a quick aftertaste."

Lin Bei also picked up his teacup and took a sip. He couldn't tell the difference between the offspring of the mother tree and ordinary tea leaves, but it was indeed more mellow than Longjing tea. It wasn't astringent when it entered the mouth, and there was a hint of sweetness after swallowing.

Wang Kangrong's gaze swept over Lin Bei, then paused: "And this is...?"

"He's my granddaughter's classmate," the old man said with a smile, "his name is Lin Bei. He came to play chess with me. He's a high school student, and his grades are good; he ranked ninth in his class in the monthly exam."

Wang Kangrong glanced at Lin Bei and smiled, "Uncle Shen's judgment is spot on."

He reached out his hand.

Lin Bei shook hands. His palm was dry and strong, his grip neither too tight nor too loose, just right to make one feel comfortable. This kind of handshake strength was probably honed through countless social occasions. It wouldn't make one feel like they were testing him, nor would it make them feel like they were being perfunctory.

"Hello, Uncle Wang," Lin Bei said, trying to sound natural, but silently added in his mind, "So this is the richest man in Jiangcheng!"

"Hello." Wang Kangrong nodded, let go of her hand, and sat down on the sofa.

During the tea break, the adults started chatting. The older man didn't talk much, occasionally chiming in with a word or two; most of the time, Shen Wancheng and Wang Kangrong did the talking. Li Zeyun sat to the side, listening quietly, occasionally nodding in agreement, and occasionally taking a sip of his tea. His presence wasn't strong, but Lin Bei noticed that his gaze kept shifting between the group of people; he wasn't listening, but observing.

Wang Kangrong took a sip of tea. "Wancheng, how did you raise your Qingzhi? She got first place again in the monthly exam. I'm so envious!"

"How could I possibly have the time to train her? She might have a natural talent for learning," Shen Wancheng said.

"Qingzhi learns things quickly," Grandpa Shen interjected.

"Have you hired a tutor? My son, Wang Jun, said he failed his test again. Same class, same teachers—if it's not the teacher's fault, then it's his fault!"

Hearing this, Lin Bei was completely stunned.

Holy crap, Wang Jun is Wang Kangrong's son? The son of Wang Kangrong, the richest man in Jiangcheng in his previous life?

His mind raced through Wang Jun's memories of school: running for class officer five times, losing four times but still smiling as he stood up for the fifth time, and finally becoming the labor committee member with a smug look on his face; laughing when teased by Lao Gu, and not blushing when classmates egged him on; even with his grades at the bottom, he could still joke about "lowering expectations"...

This fat guy lives a life more insightful than anyone else.

Lin Bei looked at Wang Kangrong's expression as he spoke. He was complaining, but the corners of his mouth were curved and his eyes were shining.

This doesn't seem like the behavior of a father who is disappointed in his son.

Wait, I haven't used my superpower "Insightful Eye" yet.

"Why not use it?" Lin Bei thought to himself as he looked at Wang Kangrong and silently recited, "Break through illusion."

Lines of text appeared in my field of vision.

[The secret buried deep in his heart: Wang Kangrong knew very well that his son, Wang Jun, wasn't cut out for academics. He was of average intelligence and at the bottom of his class—he knew all this. But he never thought Wang Jun was "incapable." On the contrary, he secretly believed that Wang Jun's emotional intelligence was far superior to his peers… This child wasn't afraid of taking a loss, didn't hold grudges, was thick-skinned, and had good interpersonal skills. These qualities were far more valuable in the business world than high scores. But he dared not say this publicly. After all, parents judged success solely by grades.]

Lin Bei was taken aback.

No wonder.

No wonder Wang Jun was able to stand on stage five times in front of the whole class to run for election, losing four times, yet still smiling as he stood on the fifth time. This confidence didn't come out of thin air; it's probably closely related to Wang Kangrong's teaching.

He sighed. In his previous life, he was in such a class full of hidden talents, yet he had hardly spoken to Shen Qingzhi, nor was he very familiar with Wang Jun, and after graduation, he lost all contact with him.

Shen Wancheng put down his teacup and leaned back on the sofa: "The detailed rules for the demolition in the south of the city should be released in the next week or two. I spoke with Director Zhao from the district yesterday, and he said the compensation plan is basically finalized and just waiting for the district standing committee to approve it."

Wang Kangrong nodded, his expression unchanged: "What's the benchmark price?"

"It's still a stalemate." Shen Wancheng tapped his fingers lightly on the sofa armrest twice. "The developer's expectations and the residents' expectations differ by about 2,000 yuan per square meter. The district's idea is to take a middle ground, and both sides have to compromise, otherwise it won't move forward."

"If it's the middle value, is your profit margin sufficient?" Wang Kangrong asked.

Shen Wancheng was silent for a moment: "Enough. But not too much."

"That's enough." Wang Kangrong picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone calm. "This project isn't just about profit. Once that area in the south of the city is demolished, the renovation of the entire old city of Jiangcheng will begin. Whoever gets in first will have a say. Less profit means a first-mover advantage."

Shen Wancheng glanced at him, nodded, and said nothing more.

Li Zeyun chimed in, "President Wang is right. First-mover advantage is sometimes more important than profit. If this project goes well, the subsequent projects will follow naturally."

Shen Wancheng glanced at Li Zeyun and nodded slightly.