Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

"No need." Lin Ran swallowed his food and casually refused, "I don't need it."

He needs a lot of resources; a few million won't make much of a difference.

It's not that he thinks the money is too little, it's just that this amount of money really doesn't mean much to him.

"Whether you need it or not is your business, whether I give it to you or not is my business," Song Yishu said, cutting off all communication.

Lin Hongbo chimed in, "Your mom's right! Your parents can't offer you much support in other areas, but when it comes to money, you absolutely shouldn't skimp!"

In response, Lin Ran wanted to say that if they really didn't need to save money, the entire Lin family probably wouldn't be able to gather enough cultivation resources for him.

However, no one would believe him if he said that, so he didn't say anything more.

Lin Zhiwan sat across the table, her gaze lingering on Lin Ran for a moment: "You did well on the exam! Even better than your second sister was back then!"

Lin Ran looked up at her, but before he could speak, Lin Zhixia's voice drifted over from the side.

"Many martial arts academies have accessed your match videos, and the Secret Service is also keeping an eye on it."

She maintained a cold expression, but her words were clearly meant to show concern for Lin Ran.

"It seems my identity as a genius can no longer be hidden!" Lin Ran said seriously.

Lin Zhiyao, who was engrossed in eating, couldn't help but ask, "What genius? An F-level genius?"

Song Yishu glared at her: "Even eating can't shut you up!"

"Hmph!" Lin Zhiyao poked at the rice in her bowl and said reluctantly, "But it's really impressive that you got first place."

Lin Ran glanced at her and said teasingly, "Thank you for the compliment."

"I'm just telling the truth!" Lin Zhiyao immediately lowered her head and continued eating, her ears turning slightly red.

Lin Haozhe sat next to Lin Zhiyao, constantly picking up food with his chopsticks.

He was afraid that if he stopped, he would lose control of his emotions.

Mom and Dad were praising Lin Ran, her eldest and second eldest sisters were praising Lin Ran, and even Lin Zhiyao was praising Lin Ran.

He felt he was being marginalized.

A feeling called jealousy was spreading in his heart.

He picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and chewed it vigorously, as if he could bite Lin Ran to death if he used enough force.

After finishing his meal, Lin Ran stood up from his chair, intending to go upstairs to get his backpack, but was stopped by Lin Hongbo.

"Wait a minute, I have something to ask you."

Lin Ran retracted the foot he had stepped out with, turned around, and leaned against the sofa: "What?"

"I heard you gave the prize you won to the Bai family's girl?" Lin Hongbo asked solemnly.

Lin Ran thought to himself, "The news travels really fast. It just happened this afternoon, and it's already reached Lin Hongbo's ears."

"I simply couldn't stand Wang Defa's attitude and wanted to disgust him on purpose," he said truthfully.

Song Yishu walked over carrying a pitcher of cold water: "So, you have no feelings for the Bai family's girl at all?"

"Why are we bringing this up again? Didn't we already talk about this last time?" Lin Ran took the kettle and poured a glass of water.

Lin Hongbo reached out to take it, but saw Lin Ran pick it up and drink it herself.

"Ahem..." Lin Hongbo looked slightly embarrassed, picked up the kettle, and poured himself a cup.

He took a sip of water and continued, "I've already spread the word about you and the Chu girl, so you can't change cars halfway through."

Lin Ran put down his cup and casually replied, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"What a pity." Song Yishu's tone carried a hint of regret. "I've met the Bai family girl before; she seems quite quiet and reserved."

"Cough cough cough..." Lin Ran coughed twice, took the tissue Song Yishu handed him, and wiped his mouth. "Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the word 'gentle and quiet'?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yishu looked slightly puzzled: "Isn't that right? I noticed she doesn't talk much, she's quiet, and she's quite a pretty young girl."

"I didn't say she was bad. It's just... the word 'quiet' definitely doesn't fit her at all."

Lin Ran thought about the scene of Bai Ruolin fighting with someone in the ring, and then about how she publicly rejected Wang Defa in the training hall. Was she gentle?

I don't talk much usually, probably because I have a reserved personality and don't like talking to strangers.

As for Wenjing, Lin Ran didn't notice anything amiss.

"It seems you still prefer the Chu family girl," Song Yishu concluded. "That girl is quite nice too, um... rather naive."

Within just a few days, Song Yishu had already met with Bai Ruolin and Chu Xining, clearly taking the matter very seriously.

Lin Ran shrugged: "I'm just a little more familiar with her."

Based on all the memories he inherited, apart from Lin Qinghe and Grandpa Zhang at the welfare home, only Chu Xining had a relatively deep connection with him.

Former classmates and playmates seem to be just passersby, only staying in his world for a short while.

It was only after he transmigrated that he came into contact with the Lin family and made friends with Bai Ruolin and Zhao Meng.

In terms of the amount of time they've spent together, he and Chu Xining are indeed quite familiar with each other.

Lin Hongbo placed the teacup on the table: "I'll handle the Chu family no matter what. As for the Bai family, forget about them; our Lin family can't control them."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran suddenly became interested: "So, the Bai family is very powerful?"

"You've met the president of the Martial Arts Association, and you should know that your school's principal's surname is Bai." Lin Hongbo glanced at Lin Ran.

"The deputy director of the New Sea Special Intelligence Bureau is surnamed Bai, and the honorary vice principal of the New Sea Martial Arts Academy is also surnamed Bai. Do you understand the key to this?"

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow, connecting these identities in his mind.

Bai Zhenting, president of the Martial Arts Association, is at the Tongxuan Realm.

Bai Jingchuan, principal of Xinhai No.1 Middle School, is a transcendent being.

The remaining two are in the Special Affairs Bureau and the Martial Arts Academy, respectively. Judging from their identities, they are at least at the Transcendent Realm.

All four people share the surname Bai, so the answer is self-evident.

"A local bully?" Lin Ran blurted out.

Lin Hongbo glanced at him: "Although it's not quite right to say it that way, the meaning is about the same."

Rather than calling them local bullies, they were more like local tyrants.

Lin Ran couldn't help but press further: "Which family is stronger, the Sun family or the Bai family?"

Both families have martial artists at the Tongqiao Realm, so the Sun family should be no weaker than the Bai family, right?

If that's the case, Lin Ran will really have to put in some effort to deal with the Sun family.

"There is no comparison."

Lin Hongbo leaned back on the sofa and shook his head slightly: "Although the highest combat power of both families is at the Tongxuan Realm, the Sun family is just a martial arts family and does not get involved in the official level."

"Really?" Lin Ran asked, puzzled. "The Lin family has the military as their backer, but the Sun family doesn't have any official connections at all?"

"It's not that we lack connections, it's just that the Sun family itself hasn't been involved in the official sphere. The Sun family's patriarch, Tongxuan, taught in the capital in his early years and should still have some old acquaintances."

Lin Hongbo said calmly, "However, these relationships are several layers apart, and they are not the same concept as the Bai family, who have directly established themselves in the Xinhai officialdom."

Lin Ran nodded in agreement.

When things are going well, everyone is a friend or relative; when trouble comes, money will probably have to pave the way.

"Speaking of which, what are some of the major families in Xinhai?" Lin Ran asked casually.

The original owner was a quiet person who never paid attention to the situation in Xinhai City and had to ask Lin Ran to find out for him personally.

"Actually, you probably already know this." Lin Hongbo held up four fingers: "The Bai family, the Zhang family, the Sun family, and our Lin family."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran raised an eyebrow: "What about the Zhao family?"

When Zhao Hao wanted to take action against Ping An Welfare Home, he didn't directly intervene out of respect for Zhao Meng, but he always had this matter on his mind.

I now think it's important to know yourself and your enemy, so that if we face each other again in the future, we'll have a better understanding of the situation.

"Hehe, there are many families like the Zhao family." Lin Hongbo's tone carried a hint of arrogance.

"The Zheng family, the Liu family, the Wang family, the Qin family, the Zhou family, and the Li family—these families either have an extraordinary martial artist in their family or have connections in the government."

He carefully chose his words and continued, "It can only be said that they all have some foundation, but they will not affect the overall situation of Xinhai."

"So, the Sun family can influence the political landscape of Xinhai?" Lin Ran said, slightly puzzled.