Return of the Celestial King

Qin Tuo shook his head seriously and pushed the money back.

”Mom, you don’t need to give me money. I have my own. You should keep this for yourself and spend it on something nice!”

But Luo Xianglan frowned, asking doubtfully,

”Son, you just started working. Where would you get so much money?”

Qin Tuo smiled and explained,

”Don’t worry, Mom. I have enough money to spend. You and Dad don’t need to worry about me!”

Luo Xianglan’s expression suddenly turned stern.

”Son, even though you and Manni will get married sooner or later, you two aren’t officially registered yet. You shouldn’t always be spending Manni’s money. That’s not right!”

Hearing this, Qin Tuo felt helpless.

So, without further explanation, he had no choice but to accept the money from his mother, Luo Xianglan.

Afterward, Qin Tuo left the Half Moon Bay Villa and drove to Hong Lou in the city center.

As soon as he arrived at Hong Lou, Long Wu got the news and immediately scurried over.

”Celestial King, is there anything I can do for you?”

Long Wu had a guess, but he wasn’t certain. A hint of anticipation flickered in his eyes.

Qin Tuo slowly took out a small red pouch and tossed it onto the nearby table.

”Long Wu, inside are twenty Small Rejuvenation Pills that I refined overnight!”

”Oh? You really refined them! And twenty of them in one go?”

Long Wu was ecstatic.

He knew that if something this miraculous were put up for auction in Medicine City, it would likely fetch a sky-high price!

Long Wu himself had once witnessed a similar treasure being frantically fought over by everyone, with the price ultimately driven to an absurd level.

Looking at these twenty Small Rejuvenation Pills, Long Wu felt as if he were staring at a gold mine.

Qin Tuo instructed,

”Long Wu, first find a channel to sell these twenty Small Rejuvenation Pills and see what the response is. If it’s good, I’ll refine more for you to sell.”

Long Wu nodded repeatedly and agreed.

”Yes, Celestial King. Rest assured, I will definitely help you sell them at the highest possible market price!”

Qin Tuo was relatively confident in Long Wu’s ability to get things done. He suddenly thought of something else and said,

”Oh, right. Long Wu, one more thing. Arrange a private room for me here at noon. I’m treating my family to a meal.”

The moment Long Wu heard it was to treat his family, he didn’t dare to be neglectful.

”Rest assured, Celestial King. I’ll make a call right now and have them reserve the best room, the Emperor’s Hall!”

However, Qin Tuo thought for a moment and shook his head.

”No, Long Wu. The Emperor’s Hall isn’t necessary. A regular private room will be enough.”

Qin Tuo’s reasoning was very direct. For treating his uncle Qin Hongjian’s family to a meal, the Emperor’s Hall seemed a bit wasteful.

Qin Tuo even felt that treating them to a meal at all was already more than fair.

After all, Qin Hongjian’s family had been so outrageous back then. It was only because his parents were big-hearted that he was even bothering with them. Otherwise, Qin Tuo wouldn’t have given that family the time of day.

Long Wu nodded in agreement and hurried off to arrange the private room.

As for Qin Tuo, he simply stayed in Hong Lou, waiting for his parents and Qin Hongjian’s family to arrive.

Qin Tuo made a call home to tell his father, Qin Hongguo, that they would be eating in a private room at Hong Lou.

As lunchtime approached, the whole family arrived.

When they entered the private room, Qin Tuo saw it wasn’t just Qin Hongjian and his wife, but also their son Qin Jun, their daughter Qin Wenwen, and their son-in-law Fang Hao. The whole family was pretty much all there.

Qin Tuo didn’t even go up to greet them. After all, he didn’t have a good impression of any of them.

When he was imprisoned, not a single one of them had come to check on his parents. There were also many other outrageous incidents during that time that Qin Tuo didn’t even want to recall.

Furthermore, Qin Tuo had heard that Qin Hongjian had now become the office director of the city’s Food Bureau, which meant he looked down on Qin Tuo’s family even more.

Qin Hongjian’s family sized up the private room, unable to stop themselves from frowning slightly. They were clearly a little dissatisfied.

”Come, everyone, please sit. I had Qin Tuo specially arrange this room!”

Qin Hongguo and Luo Xianglan played the enthusiastic hosts.

However, Qin Hongjian’s entire family had stern faces, without a trace of a smile.

The moment they sat down, Zhang Caixia said sarcastically,

”Honestly, sister-in-law! Your family lives in such a nice house, yet you invite us to a room like this to eat?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly became a little awkward.

Luo Xianglan rubbed her nose, embarrassed, and said,

”Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry. How about we treat you to a meal in a better room next time?”

But Zhang Caixia just snorted coldly. She clearly looked down on Luo Xianglan, thinking she was just bluffing and didn’t have the means to eat somewhere better.

Just then, Qin Wenwen suddenly said in a snide tone,

”Mom, they’re just borrowing the place. It’s not like it’s their own. With their family’s resources, how could they possibly afford a house worth hundreds of millions?”

Apparently, when Qin Wenwen first found out Qin Tuo’s family was living in a villa, she was shocked. Then, unwilling to accept it, she had done some digging and learned a lot of inside information.

So now, she openly mocked Qin Tuo’s family without any reservations.

Zhang Caixia chimed in with a grin,

”My dear daughter, you’re right. Your second uncle’s family is dirt poor. If they weren’t borrowing someone else’s villa, I’m afraid they’d be renting a place right now.”

Her words were laced with contempt for Qin Tuo’s family. The mother and daughter exchanged a glance and smiled smugly.

Meanwhile, Qin Hongguo and his wife sat beside them, their faces flushed red with embarrassment, but they couldn’t find a way to retort.

Qin Tuo shot a cold glance at the mother-daughter duo, feeling utter contempt.

’This mother and daughter are still the same as ever,’ he thought. ’They look down on people and are so sharp-tongued and harsh.’

At this moment, Zhang Caixia suddenly stood up and began to introduce Fang Hao, who was beside her, in a very showy manner.

”This is Fang Hao, my wonderful son-in-law. His family is quite something!”

Zhang Caixia’s face was full of pride, as if Fang Hao wasn’t her son-in-law, but her own son.

Trying to diffuse the tension, Qin Hongguo asked with a smile,

”Oh, sister-in-law, what’s his family’s background?”

Zhang Caixia had been waiting for Qin Hongguo to ask. Now, with a look of immense pride, she said,

”Fang Hao’s father is the director of the Food Bureau, Mr. Fang Zhengliang! And Fang Hao himself has a boundless future. Promotion and wealth are just around the corner!”

After she finished speaking, Fang Hao, sitting beside her, adjusted his collar. He wore an indifferent expression, not even bothering to look at Qin Tuo’s family of three.

Meanwhile, Qin Hongguo and Luo Xianglan offered endless praise, which made Zhang Caixia smile very smugly.

A look of realization dawned on Qin Tuo’s face.

So that was it. Qin Hongjian had managed to become the office director of the Food Bureau by riding the coattails of his in-laws.