Fanxing Grand Hotel.
Early in the morning, Lin Shoucheng and his wife were already standing at the entrance of the private room.
As one of Dongning City’s most upscale hotels, Fanxing was expensive, but beyond that, no one could fault its service or the quality of its food.
Choosing this venue for the banquet to celebrate their son becoming an Evolver was a true testament to their face.
“Uncle Tang, you’ve arrived.”
“Please, sit over here, sit over here.”
“Is this your daughter? She’s grown so much in the blink of an eye.”
“Mr. Nian, please, watch your step. Come this way. If it weren’t for you back then, I wouldn’t know where I’d be now.”
Lin Shoucheng never had a moment to rest as he continuously exchanged pleasantries at the entrance of the private room.
Half an hour later.
Almost everyone had arrived.
The family banquet officially started.
Everyone began to settle down and enjoy the food and drink.
Lin Yuan sat at the head of the table, his chopsticks never stopped moving.
Fanxing had become so successful in Dongning City not only because it had strong backers but also due to its excellent offerings.
Many of Fanxing’s ingredients came from other planets, and a lot of the meat was rare exotic beast meat, which in quality and taste, crushed the locally farmed meat from Dongning City.
The energy contained in these meats, although nowhere near as effective as high-grade nutrient fluids, still exceeded ordinary meals, and Lin Yuan ate with great enjoyment.
At the banquet.
Apart from Lin Yuan, no one was entirely focused on eating.
The emphasis was still on mingling and chatting.
And among them, those who were doing well were certainly the most active.
Lin Shoucheng’s distant cousin, Lin Jieye, had caught the wind of opportunity in Dongning City by purchasing several plots of land in the suburbs, which were later developed by the government, earning him a hefty profit and making him quite proud.
“Let me tell you, I have met the owner of Fanxing a few times, and she’s a woman. It is said that…”
Lin Jieye immediately began to show off his connections and insights.
His words indeed captured the attention of most people present.
The owner of Fanxing was always a mystery, rarely seen by anyone. Everyone was curious about which big shot it could be.
“Right.”
“Shoucheng, what are your plans for Xiaoyuan in the future?”
After talking about the owner of Fanxing for a while, Lin Jieye suddenly turned his attention to Lin Yuan, who was enjoying his meal.
As soon as he spoke.
All eyes immediately fell upon Lin Yuan.
After all, this family banquet was initiated using Lin Yuan as the pretext.
And Lin Yuan becoming an Evolver had indeed exceeded the expectations of the relatives.
Putting other things aside, just considering Lin Yuan’s future prospects, he would definitely not be a small figure, and most of the relatives present could only look up to him.
“I don’t have any particular plans yet, just taking it one step at a time,” Lin Yuan replied after a pause, setting down his chopsticks to speak the truth.
That was actually the truth, since so far Lin Yuan really didn’t have any specific goals.
If he had to say something, it would be to get as strong as possible, but mentioning such an intent would be equivalent to saying nothing–who wouldn’t want to become stronger?
“Why don’t you come work at my company then? Although my company isn’t very big, if you join, I’ll pay you twenty thousand a month,” Lin Jieye offered confidently, patting his chest.
Twenty thousand a month?
The relatives around them began to show envious glances.
Twenty thousand a month, which amounted to two hundred forty thousand a year, was considered a high salary. A normal citizen’s regular monthly wage was typically around two to three thousand.
“How about it?”
“Don’t feel like it’s beneath you.”
“We’ve also hired an Evolver in our company to handle security matters.”
“If you come over, not only will you get a monthly salary, but you can also consult him about evolution-related questions,” Lin Jieye said confidently.
To the average person, Evolvers were extremely rare.
But in the eyes of wealthy employers, there were channels specifically for hiring Evolvers.
Of course, those who were hired were unranked Evolvers; higher-ranked, bona fide Evolvers were not something that small employers like Lin Jieye could afford.
Even so.
Lin Jieye’s words substantially boosted his status in the eyes of the relatives present.
Soon someone inquired, “Jieye, is your company still hiring? My kid is currently looking for a job.”
“We don’t need twenty thousand for the salary–five thousand is enough.”
“Five thousand? Auntie, your son didn’t graduate from any prestigious institution, how can he ask for five thousand?”
“Jieye, my daughter is pretty and has a good figure. She would be perfect as a receptionist at the front desk of your company…”
Unknowingly, Lin Jieye replaced Lin Yuan as the center of attention at the banquet.
And Lin Jieye himself appeared very gracious, beaming with joy amidst the flattery of his many relatives.
Lin Yuan didn’t mind at all and once again picked up his chopsticks, continuing to eat while watching Lin Jieye’s ‘performance.’
For all of Lin Jieye’s seeming generosity and the “leave it to me” attitude on display now, he might very well feign ignorance once the banquet was over.
Just moments ago, Lin Yuan had used his Second-Class Citizen access to briefly check Lin Jieye’s financial status online.
It was true that he owned a company, and he had employed an unranked Evolver.
But this Evolver had voluntarily resigned years ago.
The reason was that Lin Jieye repeatedly deducted his salary, which almost led to a dispute at the Evolver’s Association.
One could imagine that Lin Jieye might have been wealthy once, but now his financial situation was definitely not that good.
How could he afford to hire an evolver again?
Of course, Lin Yuan saw through it but kept silent, whereas Lin Shoucheng and Lu Qiong believed the other party, occasionally striking up conversation with Lin Jieye to inquire about his work in detail.
At this point, Lin Hao, who was seated at the head of the table, suddenly spoke up, “Xiaoyuan is still so young. Even if he has become an evolver, he doesn’t need to enter the workforce so early.”
As soon as Lin Hao spoke, the room fell silent.
Even Lin Jieye, who had been talking up a storm, immediately shut his mouth.
Among all the participants of the family dinner, Lin Hao held the highest status without a doubt.
As the secretary to a certain director in Dongning City, Lin Hao’s attendance at this family dinner had even shocked Lin Shoucheng.
“Brother Hao, what do you mean?”
Lin Shoucheng asked in a low voice.
“Our bureau has a slot this year for further study at a higher education institution, which only evolvers can apply for.”
After some contemplation, Lin Hao said, “Here’s what we’ll do. Xiaoyuan can participate in the bureau’s interview in a while, and once he’s hired, I’ll transfer the slot to him.”
Studying at a higher education institution as an evolver would certainly result in a tilt in resources from the institution itself, a treatment completely different from that of ordinary students.
Therefore, this slot was highly coveted, eyed by several evolvers in Lin Hao’s bureau.
However, it was Lin Hao who had the final say in the matter. Though he was not an evolver himself, he was the director’s secretary and managed a few evolvers.
Originally, this opportunity was intended for Lin Hao’s own son.
But his son, unimpressive as he was, failed to become an evolver despite being tutored by several evolvers.
Now it seemed that the slot might fall into the hands of other evolvers in the bureau.
Then, to hear that a distant relative’s family had unexpectedly produced an evolver?
Lin Hao’s thought process was simple: since his own family was out of the running for the slot, it would be better to give it to Lin Yuan than to the other evolvers in his bureau.
At the very least, Lin Yuan would remember his help from his distant cousin in the future.
After all, they were still family no matter what.
“Ah? Won’t that be very precious?”
Lin Shoucheng was somewhat puzzled.
He might not be an evolver to comprehend the difficulty of obtaining a slot for advanced studies at a higher education institution.
But becoming a student at such an institution was extremely difficult for ordinary people, and now, with just a word from Lin Hao, his son could get in?
“It’s no problem.”
“Just do as I say when the time comes.”
Lin Hao said with indifference.
Giving the slot to Lin Yuan was like keeping the water in one’s own field rather than letting it flow into others’.
Who could blame him when his own son had failed to impress?
Thinking this, Lin Hao glanced at his son, who accompanied him to the family dinner.
“Thank you, Brother Hao. Thank you very much,” Lin Shoucheng immediately rose to express his gratitude, his heart filled with joy.
“Xiaoyuan, aren’t you going to thank your cousin?” Lin Shoucheng glared at Lin Yuan.
“Thank you, cousin,” Lin Yuan spoke out.
After all, it was a favor from his cousin, who at least thought of benefiting him.
“Hmph, scoring such a big favor and all you say is thanks?” Lin Yan, who had been sitting beside Lin Hao and kept silent, felt exceptionally disgruntled inside.
By all rights, that slot should have been his, as he was Lin Hao’s son. If such a significant advantage wouldn’t be given to him, then to whom?
However, things did not go as planned, and he didn’t become an evolver.
That should have been the end of it, and Lin Yan had prepared himself for the slot to go to someone else.
But to his surprise, his father ended up offering the slot to a distant relative instead.
Just thinking about Lin Yuan going to a higher education institution for advanced studies, enjoying what should have been his, made Lin Yan feel extremely uncomfortable.
“You worthless good-for-nothing, always blaming others,” Lin Hao’s brow furrowed as he glared at his son, as if he were about to slap him.
The others, upon hearing this, showed expressions of curiosity.
This was clearly an internal issue within the Lin Hao’s family, but now it had involved Lin Shoucheng’s family, turning into quite a spectacle.
Lin Shoucheng’s face turned slightly red, unsure of what to say.
Under normal circumstances, he should have immediately said that his family did not need the slot.
Such a response would ease the tension between Lin Hao and his son.
But Lin Shoucheng couldn’t bear to let go of that slot.
The atmosphere had become awkward for a time.
Just then.
A staff member from the Fanxing rushed in.
They looked a bit anxious as they said, “Excuse me, is Mr. Lin Yuan here?”
The question immediately disrupted the mood in the room.
“He is here.”
“What’s the matter?”
Lin Shoucheng stepped forward to answer.
The staff quickly said, “Someone wishes to visit Mr. Lin Yuan.”
Lin Shoucheng felt baffled by the statement.
Someone wanted to visit his son? Hadn’t all the family dinner attendees arrived? Who could it be at this time?