After the call connected, the curly-haired woman forced out a few tears and said in a choked voice, "Brother Peng, you have to stand up for me."

  "What’s wrong? Who dared bully my baby?" the man on the other end replied unhappily.

  The curly-haired woman tearfully recounted the incident, and the man immediately exploded in anger, "That little bastard must have a death wish! Haishen Road, Huisheng Hall, right? Got it. That shop of his won’t stay open for long. But dealing with him now would be too easy. I’ll wait until his grand opening when it’s crowded, then send people to shut it down right then and there."

  "Yes, ruin his grand opening! Make him lose face in front of everyone!" the woman sneered, pleased with the plan.

  "Daring to touch my woman? I’ll make sure he regrets it!"

  The man, You Shipeng, snorted confidently before his tone turned lecherous. "Hey, baby, got anything new planned for tonight? My wife’s visiting her parents, so I’ll come straight to you after work."

  "Anything you want, as long as you come," the woman purred, licking her lips seductively.

  After all, You Shipeng was helping her—she had to return the favor.

  By the time Lin Yu finished his work at Huisheng Hall and returned home, it was already evening. Deng Jianbin called to inform him that the medical license had been processed and he could open for business anytime. Lin Yu decided on the day after tomorrow.

  Deng Jianbin asked for the exact time and assured him that both he and Director Wei would attend.

  Since the opening was imminent, Lin Yu told Jiang Yan about the clinic that night. She was utterly shocked, staring at him as if he were an alien.

  During dinner, Jiang Yan suddenly spoke up, "Dad, Mom, let me tell you a joke."

  Jiang Jingren and Li Suqin were surprised. Their usually reserved daughter was unusually talkative today. "Go ahead, we’re listening."

  "He Jiarong is opening a traditional Chinese medicine clinic." Jiang Yan kept it short. "That’s the joke."

  The elderly couple froze, exchanging bewildered glances as if they hadn’t fully processed it.

  "What, not funny? Your precious son-in-law, He Jiarong, who graduated from a technical school and picked up some half-baked medical knowledge from books, is now going to open a clinic and treat people!" Jiang Yan said coldly, shooting Lin Yu a displeased glare.

  Had she known he was planning to open a clinic, she would never have agreed to his buying the storefront.

  Truthfully, Jiang Yan wasn’t looking down on Lin Yu—she was worried. Worried that this idiot would end up in jail. Practicing medicine came with responsibility. If he accidentally harmed someone, fines would be the least of their worries. If he got arrested, his life would be over.

  She was too young to be a widow, especially now that Lin Yu was slowly finding his way into her heart.

  "Jiarong, is what Yan’er said true?" Li Suqin frowned. "I’ve heard you’ve treated a few people, but that was just luck. You’ve never studied medicine!"

  She had raised He Jiarong herself and knew him inside out. All he did in school was play games, and after graduation, he stayed home playing games. Where would he have learned Chinese medicine? Reading a couple of medical books didn’t make him a doctor.

  If that were the case, medical students like Jiang Yan, who had studied for years, would be outraged.

  "Mom, don’t worry. I won’t treat serious illnesses—just minor ailments," Lin Yu said with a smile. "I’ve already gotten my medical license."

  "Hmph. You only got that license because of Deng Jianbin. If you harm someone, he won’t take the fall for you," Jiang Yan retorted, annoyed. Couldn’t this idiot see how much she cared?

  "Well, I think it’s fine. As long as he knows his limits and doesn’t pretend to know what he doesn’t, young people should have their own careers. I support him," Jiang Jingren said with a doting smile, unwavering in his favoritism.

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  "Dad!"

  Jiang Yan glared at him, exasperated. This traitor still hadn’t repented.

  "Mom, just let me try. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll stop," Lin Yu said cheerfully.

  "Fine, go ahead. But as your dad said, only treat what you can handle. Don’t pretend to know what you don’t."

  Li Suqin nodded, then turned to Jiang Yan. "Sweetheart, let him try. A grown man can’t just idle at home forever. You can’t expect him to help his godmother sell buns for the rest of his life."

  Jiang Yan pursed her lips, reluctantly agreeing. "If you ask me, skip the grand opening. Just open quietly. Otherwise, if no one shows up, it’ll be embarrassing."

  "Nonsense! The opening must happen. If no one comes, so what? Your mom and I will rally the relatives. It’s the weekend anyway—they’ll have time. I’ll give each of them a red envelope. They’ll come," Jiang Jingren declared confidently, his pockets now deep enough to speak boldly.

  "First time I’ve heard of giving red envelopes to guests at your own opening."

  Seeing Lin Yu stay silent, Jiang Yan rolled her eyes, baffled at how he could switch from being so principled to shameless so quickly.

  ---

  A day later, Lin Yu’s clinic opened as scheduled.

  Early in the morning, the whole family arrived, with Jiang Yan taking a day off to join them.

  Lured by the promise of red envelopes, the relatives arrived enthusiastically. Some even brought firecrackers.

  This time, the turnout was huge—relatives from both Li Suqin’s and Jiang Jingren’s sides showed up. Lin Yu only recognized a few from the previous family gathering; the rest were strangers. He could only follow Jiang Yan’s lead in greeting them.

  "Jiarong, you’ve really made it! Opening your own clinic!"

  "Are you sure about this, Jiarong? Do you even know how to treat people?"

  "Traditional Chinese medicine is all about bluffing anyway. Read the *Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon* and *Treatise on Cold Damage*, and anyone can call themselves a doctor."

  "Well, at least it’s a job. Better than rotting at home."

  "Oh, come on. Jiarong’s rich now. He doesn’t need a job. That auction luck of his made him a fortune."

  The relatives chattered away, their tones laced with envy, doubt, and disdain. To them, He Jiarong was still the same He Jiarong—just one who’d stumbled into good luck.

  After the firecrackers were set off, the clinic’s entrance remained deserted except for a few curious onlookers.

  "Alright, firecrackers are done, the opening’s over. Let’s just go eat. I didn’t even have breakfast."

  "I agree. No point waiting here. Might as well eat now."

  "An opening with zero well-wishers—that’s a first."

  "Maybe Jiarong’s skills are too advanced. People are too intimidated to come."

  The relatives laughed openly. Such a pitifully quiet opening was rare.

  Jiang Jingren and Li Suqin’s faces fell. They’d hoped the firecrackers would at least draw a small crowd.

  "Anyone who wants to leave can go. But no red envelope for them."

  Jiang Yan’s icy voice silenced the crowd instantly.

  Lin Yu’s heart warmed. This was the first time Jiang Yan had ever stood up for him.

  "I told you so. Now you’ve embarrassed yourself," Jiang Yan whispered, pinching Lin Yu’s palm hard.

  Lin Yu gently held her hand and said softly, "Don’t worry. I won’t let you down. Important guests will arrive soon."

  "Since when did you become such a braggart?"

  Jiang Yan pinched him again but didn’t pull her hand away, letting him hold it.

  Since Lin Yu had announced a 10 a.m. opening, it was still early—barely 8 a.m. He invited everyone inside for tea and snacks.

  "Let’s just sit here all day."

  "I’ve got chores at home. Just give us the red envelopes, and we’ll go."

  "Come on, we’re family. If we leave, there’ll be no one left. Let’s at least keep him company."

  The aunts and uncles murmured among themselves.

  Just then, the roar of powerful engines erupted outside. A blue Ferrari and a Maybach screeched to a halt on either side of the clinic’s entrance. Shen Yuxuan and Zhou Chen stepped out.

  "Jiarong, wishing you booming business and endless wealth!"

  They presented their gifts with smiles. Lin Yu thanked them and invited them inside.

  The relatives gaped at the luxury cars outside. Since when did He Jiarong have such wealthy friends?

  "Jiarong, hope we’re not late!"

  A hearty laugh rang out as three men walked in—Deng Jianbin, Wei Gongxun, and, to Lin Yu’s surprise, Zeng Shujie.

  "Isn’t that the mayor?!" One sharp-eyed relative recognized Zeng Shujie immediately. While they might not know Deng Jianbin or Wei Gongxun, the mayor was a regular on Qinghai’s news channels.

  "The… the mayor? Impossible!" The relatives’ jaws dropped.

  "Mayor Zeng, you’ve troubled yourself by coming!" Lin Yu said politely.

  "How could I miss your opening?" Zeng Shujie chuckled. "Secretary Xie wanted to come too, but he’s tied up with an important meeting. He asked me to apologize on his behalf." “我怎么会想念你的开业？” Zeng Shujie笑了。 “ Xie秘书也想来，但他与一次重要的会议联系在一起。他要求我代表他道歉。”

  Secretary Xie? 秘书秘书？

  Xie Changfeng? Xie Changfeng？

  Xie Changfeng was *apologizing* for not coming? Xie Changfeng *为不到吗？

  The relatives gasped, their minds reeling. Was this a dream? 亲戚喘着粗气，他们的思想颤抖。这是一个梦想吗？

  "Divine Healer, booming business!" “神圣的治疗师，蓬勃发展的生意！”

  "Divine Healer, congratulations on your grand opening!" “神的治疗师，恭喜您开放！”

  "Divine Healer, great fortune awaits!" “神圣的治疗师，伟大的财富正在等待！”

  Suddenly, a crowd of over a hundred people surged toward the clinic—the same onlookers from Jishi Hall that day, including Song Zheng and Xue Qin. The once-empty entrance was now packed. 突然，一百多人涌向诊所，那天是吉西·霍尔（Jishi Hall）的围观者，包括宋郑和Xue Qin。曾经空的入口现在已经包装了。

  D-Divine Healer? D-Divine治疗师？

  The relatives stood frozen, snacks slipping from their hands, utterly stupefied.亲戚站着冰雪奇缘，零食从他们的手中滑落，完全昏昏欲睡。