Chapter 40

Previously, Chu Nan was still thinking about how to get into this Cold Willow Hall for a look, and then this opportunity came along.

No one knew how Chu Nan felt at that moment. Now, as he recalled, he was still a bit fearful.

If he had hesitated a bit earlier and accepted that one million, his entire life’s fortune would probably have taken a completely different turn.

A single thought could truly make a person’s future life drastically different.

"..." Taking a deep breath, Chu Nan finally accepted the business card, "Then I... will give it a try."

Immediately after, the two exchanged a smile.

Ye Shengge found that Chu Nan was a young man who really suited his taste, and Chu Nan also quite appreciated Ye Shengge’s way of handling things. The two had quite a lot in common, especially regarding some traditional Chinese things, which Ye Shengge was very interested in. After a discussion, he discovered that Chu Nan seemed to have a broad knowledge, both of astronomy and geography.

Of course, whenever it came to modern technology, Chu Nan appeared to be somewhat clueless.

After talking with Ye Shengge, Chu Nan increasingly felt that he really needed to understand more about high-tech things, at least to know a bit about them, so that he wouldn’t be seen as a fool in the future.

Especially when Ye Shengge told Chu Nan how he used surveillance footage to record the crimes of his fox spirit secretary, Chu Nan pondered. — What if someone wanted to secretly film him? Wouldn’t that mean he had no privacy?

"Hmm? If I install a surveillance camera in Xia Yuechan and Li Mengru’s rooms, wouldn’t it be more effective than the clumsy traps I set?"

Chu Nan thought, but then shook his head. Xia Yuechan was too smart; she might easily discover it, and with her meticulous mind, she might already have some anti-interference equipment.

"Huh? Little Chu, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing Chu Nan lost in thought, Ye Shengge asked.

"Oh... nothing." Chu Nan smiled awkwardly, "Anyway, Uncle Ye, thank you for providing me with this job opportunity."

"Hehe, don’t worry about it, it’s what I should do. If you don’t mind, consider me a friend for life."

...

After chatting with someone like Ye Shengge for a while, Chu Nan felt quite good. From Ye Shengge’s words, it wasn’t hard to tell that he was a rather capable person. Although his business hadn’t been doing well in recent years, his connections in the entire capital were quite extensive. He was a typical all-rounder, and many things could be handled with his help.

Originally, Ye Shengge wanted to take Chu Nan directly to the Cold Willow Hall to say hello, but Chu Nan refused. He didn’t want to trouble Ye Shengge too much and went by himself, easily passing the interview. There was no special process, and he started work that day.

"Hey, beautiful, has our store always been called this? Has it never changed its name?"

Chu Nan asked a female colleague who looked rather unappealing.

"It’s only been open for a few days, and it’s always been this name, never changed." This female colleague saw Chu Nan as just a poor boy, though he looked decent, she didn’t bother with such a poor boy. — Unfortunately, this woman didn’t know that Chu Nan was introduced by Ye Shengge. If she knew, she would probably have pounced on him in a heartbeat.

There was no way around it; Beijing was a city full of temptations, where too many souls had sunk. No matter what kind of ideals you came with, once you chose to compromise and survive, you would be buried in endless materialism.

Of course, there were still some exceptions.

Like Chu Nan, this oddball.

He didn’t mind the female colleague’s attitude. He knew that no one in this world was obligated to treat him well.

Starting work that day, after spending the afternoon at the Cold Willow Hall, Chu Nan could confidently say — damn, he guessed wrong.

This Cold Willow Hall had nothing to do with the Hanliu Hall he was looking for. According to what he learned, the name of the Cold Willow Hall was a gimmick created by the parent company. Among the most famous traditional Chinese medicine families in the entire country, there was one called the "Liu Medical School." This medical beauty institution relied on Chinese herbal water therapy, steam, and acupuncture to serve customers, so they took the "Liu" from "Liu Medical School." As for "Cold," it was because the major investor of this medical beauty institution produced a female health product called "Cold Frost Pills." Thus, the name was born.

So...

Chu Nan waited until the end of his shift, enduring the female colleague’s cold glares, and returned to the school direction with a disgruntled look.

"Ugh... what a letdown. Why did they have to call it Cold Willow Hall?" Chu Nan smiled bitterly, his eyes somewhat lost as he looked out the bus window at the passing street scenes, "The clue of the three characters 'Hanliu Hall' left by my grandfather... how can I find it... Will I be able to find the murderer of my parents if I find it?"

The images of his parents and grandfather slowly appeared in his mind, and Chu Nan felt a lump in his throat, his eyes slightly moist.

This most vulnerable side of Chu Nan was only seen by himself, his bitter smile reflected in the bus window. But soon, he again showed a seemingly carefree and overly optimistic smile.

If anyone saw this scene, it would probably break the hearts of many sensitive girls.

In the end, Chu Nan was just an orphan who lost his mother at a young age and started practicing medicine and earning a living independently at the age of thirteen. Now, at eighteen, he was adrift in a big city like Beijing, with no relatives. On his shoulders, he carried the burden of revitalizing traditional Chinese medicine, restoring the glory of the Chu family, and investigating the family’s mysteries. Even if it were any forty-year-old adult, they would probably be crushed under such weight.

But Chu Nan would not give up.

He knew this well.

Never giving up was a good habit that Chu Nan had cultivated from a young age, and this good habit played a crucial role at certain times.

At the market.

"Kid, these cabbages won’t make me much profit, just nine yuan, not a cent less."

Chu Nan’s eyes flashed with a never-give-up determination, and he shook his head seriously, "No, eight and a half yuan, not a cent more."

The vegetable vendor couldn’t argue with Chu Nan and gritted his teeth, "Damn, kid, you’re tough! Eight and a half yuan it is!! I’ve never seen anyone haggle like you!"

...

"Ding dong."

At the Yanyun Apartment, Room 2107, Chu Nan, carrying bags of meat and vegetables, rang the doorbell.

"Coming~~" A pleasant and beautiful voice came from inside the room.

"Click." The door opened, and Li Mengru’s beautiful face appeared before Chu Nan, but the next second, her beautiful face turned pale, "You... you big pervert?!!"