Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

Su Qingying could only smile politely and let the enthusiastic aunt pull her upstairs.

She could feel that the mother's palms were sweaty with excitement.

The door to the room on the third floor was open, and the aroma of food wafted out.

Gu Mingzheng, wearing an apron, brought the last dish of braised fish to the table.

He was taken aback when he saw his mother leading Su Qingying in from the doorway like a hero.

The scene was completely different from the awkward interrogation he had anticipated.

"Mom, what's wrong...?"

"What's wrong with you, kid? Leaving such a nice girl all alone downstairs, surrounded by those gossipy old men, what kind of behavior is that?"

While scolding her son, Meng Xiaoyan warmly pressed Su Qingying down onto the sofa.

"Girl, please sit down. Are you tired? Have some water. Mingzi, quickly pour some water for your classmate."

Seeing his mother's completely different attitude, Gu Ming vaguely guessed what was going on.

Before he could even speak, Meng Xiaoyan's phone rang sharply.

She took out her phone and saw it was Wang Dama, a fellow card player from the card room.

Meng Xiaoyan answered the phone, her tone still carrying a hint of the hostess's reserve.

"Hey, Lao Wang, what's up... Oh, right, my son's classmate's here... Hmm, she's quite pretty..."

As she spoke, she glanced at Su Qingying, her face beaming with undisguised smugness.

On the other end of the phone, Aunt Wang's voice was fast and urgent.

Meng Xiaoyan's smile slowly froze, and her eyes widened.

"What? You mean... what kind of investment?"

Her voice changed tone.

"No, Lao Wang, don't talk nonsense. My son is still looking for a job... What? Not looking for a job? People are coming to him?"

Meng Xiaoyan glanced subconsciously at Gu Ming, who was pouring water, and then at Su Qingying, who was sitting quietly on the sofa, her mouth agape.

"Acquisition? No, investment? How much?"

"Ten...ten million?"

Meng Xiaoyan raised her voice, her hand trembled, and she almost dropped her phone.

She covered her mouth, her eyes widened, and she nodded frantically at the person on the other end of the phone, as if the other person could see her.

The phone hangs up.

The living room was completely silent.

Meng Xiaoyan remained motionless, still covering her mouth.

Gu Ming's father, Gu Yuanshan, who was reading the newspaper in the living room, finally realized that something was wrong.

He adjusted his reading glasses and looked up from behind the newspaper.

"Xiaoyan, what's wrong with you? You're so easily startled."

Meng Xiaoyan did not answer.

She slowly turned her head to look at her husband.

Then, she took a deep breath and shouted it out with all her might.

"Old Gu, our son has made something of himself."

This shout startled Gu Yuanshan so much that he dropped the newspaper to the ground.

"What are you yelling about? The guests are still here."

"guest?"

Meng Xiaoyan rushed up to him, her face flushed, and she was speaking incoherently.

"That's not a guest. That's a VIP. A god of wealth. He's here to bring us money."

She snatched the newspaper from Gu Yuanshan's hand, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it on the ground.

"Stop looking. Something terrible has happened. Aunt Wang downstairs just called to say... just now..."

She organized her thoughts and spoke in a tone that suggested announcing great news.

"The female classmate that Mingzi brought back just now announced in front of the whole courtyard that she wasn't here to play around. She's an investor from a big company in Beijing. She came specifically to give our son money. She invested ten million yuan to have our son do some big project to promote Hegang. She even said that our son is bringing honor to his hometown."

Gu Yuanshan was stunned.

He looked at his wife, who was about to jump up, and then at Su Qingying, who was still smiling on the sofa. He felt like he was dreaming.

"Ten million? Really? You've been scammed by Old Wang, haven't you?"

"How could it be fake? That girl said it herself. Everyone in the courtyard heard it. Also, those girls who hang out with our son have been hired as youth image ambassadors by the city. They're on the news."

Meng Xiaoyan became more and more excited as she spoke, pacing back and forth.

"My goodness. I used to keep nagging him, saying he wasn't doing his job properly. I was even thinking of introducing Teacher Li to him. I'm so senile."

She slapped her thigh suddenly, as if she had made a major decision.

"Old Gu, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and go change your clothes."

She pointed at Gu Yuanshan's nose and gave the order.

"We need to treat you with the best attitude today."

Gu Ming watched from the side, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He knew Su Qingying must have said something downstairs, but he didn't expect the effect to be so exaggerated after the neighbors embellished the story.

"Why change your clothes? They're fine as they are..."

Gu Yuanshan was still a little confused.

"What's so good about it? Look at yourself. Is this appropriate? He's a big boss who brought ten million. If we dress like this, won't he look down on us?"

As Meng Xiaoyan spoke, she rushed into the bedroom and began rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

The closet door was roughly pulled open, and clothes were thrown out one by one.

A few minutes later, she rushed out carrying a dark purple suit covered in a dust bag.

Those were clothes she only wore when attending important meetings or weddings.

"No. It's too late."

She looked at the clothes in her hand, then at Gu Yuanshan's wrinkled old shirt and messy hair, her face filled with anxiety.

So he made a decision, took out several hundred-yuan bills from his wallet, and stuffed them into Gu Yuanshan's hand.

"Now. Immediately. Go downstairs to the Trendy Hair Salon. Find their manager, Awei. Ask him to give you a smart haircut. Tell him money is no object."

"Then, go to the mall. Buy a new outfit. Shirt. Pants. Leather shoes. Everything has to be brand new. If you're not all dressed up, you're not allowed in this house tonight."

Gu Yuanshan was taken aback by his wife's alarmed demeanor.

But overwhelmed by the joy of his son's success, he also realized that his wife's words made sense.

I can't let my son down.

We can't let the big boss from Beijing look down on us.

"Okay. Okay. I'll go right away."

Gu Yuanshan took the money as if he had received a military order, and turned to rush out the door.

In the living room, only Meng Xiaoyan, who had changed her clothes, Gu Ming, who was both amused and exasperated, and Su Qingying, who had maintained a smile throughout, remained.

Gu Ming shrugged helplessly at Su Qingying.

"Sorry, my parents... are more enthusiastic."

Looking at the lively scene before her, Su Qingying's smile deepened.

She found this more interesting than any business negotiation she had ever been involved in.

"It's okay."

She spoke softly, her voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"I think the uncle and aunt are... very cute."