Zhang Yang looked at Mi Xue, gently lifting her chin. Mi Xue stared deeply into Zhang Yang’s eyes, studying him intently. It was this very face that hadn't registered much upon first seeing it, yet once they were separated, it consumed her thoughts and desires every day.

Suddenly, Mi Xue’s eyes widened, as did Su Zhantao’s. Even the young girl who had just gotten out of the car, Su Wei, had her eyes round as saucers.

Zhang Yang’s face immediately darkened. Mi Xue felt a sudden coolness on her lips, which were instantly covered by something soft. Then, something softer, warmer, and wetter pushed past her cherry lips and plunged inside.

In that moment, Mi Xue could only stare, her mind utterly blank.

Even Su Shaohua stood frozen nearby, slowly shaking his head.

Young people these days were certainly far more liberated than in his era. This was a highway exit, a public place by any measure, and to engage in a French kiss in public—he himself could never do such a thing.

“Mmmph!”

After a moment, Mi Xue finally reacted, pulling back with a soft gasp.

Her small face was entirely flushed crimson. She had never imagined Zhang Yang would kiss her right there, in front of so many people.

Her heart felt sweet, yet anxious, and uneasy—a truly contradictory swirl of emotion. She and Zhang Yang hadn't even officially confirmed their relationship; how had they jumped to this point?

The pace seemed altogether too swift.

“Mi Xue, I missed you too. Be my girlfriend!”

Zhang Yang lowered his head, gazing devotedly at the lovely woman before him. Since they both held feelings for each other, he didn't want to drag things out any longer. Feelings required courage; he couldn't be like Hu Xin and Xiao Dai, who clearly liked each other but refused to be the one to break the ice.

“Mm!”

Mi Xue lowered her head again, nodding gently, her voice barely audible, like a mosquito’s hum. Thankfully, Zhang Yang’s hearing was sharp enough now to catch her reply.

“Clap, clap, clap, clap!”

Su Zhantao started applauding robustly. He was the director of this little scene. Initially, he had only intended for the two lovers to meet, rather than spending all their time just talking on the phone, longing for each other. He never expected his staging to actually result in this young couple getting together.

The Mi Xue and Zhang Yang before them were no longer just rumored lovers in the eyes of others, but truly, officially a couple.

“Are you that happy?”

Su Wei looked up, glaring unhappily at Su Zhantao. Su Zhantao grinned, completely ignoring her.

Shifting her gaze back, Su Wei also nodded slightly. This Zhang Yang didn't look like much, but he certainly wasn't timid—kissing a beauty in the open street. Several cars that had just passed had rolled down their windows to look their way.

This wasn't 2012, but even back then, a couple kissing on the street would draw considerable attention. They held up traffic at the highway entrance for twenty minutes before finally setting off.

Mi Xue naturally did not follow Su Wei and the others; instead, she got into the car with Zhang Yang. Having just established their relationship, this was the sweetest period for them.

Back at the hotel, after a brief rest, Zhang Yang began preparing his needles for Su Shaohua’s treatment.

Su Shaohua’s condition had shown significant improvement after nearly twenty days of treatment. Zhang Yang was currently employing traditional Chinese medicine conditioning, using acupuncture combined with herbal remedies. Once this current business was concluded, he would need to prepare the next batch of complex medicines, only after which Su Shaohua’s illness would be completely cured.

The treatment session was short, concluding in under an hour, just in time for dinner.

While Zhang Yang was resting, Su Shaohua had spent considerable time questioning Su Zhantao, finally gaining some understanding of the business they were involved in here.

Upon hearing they had purchased over ten million in long positions, Su Shaohua was shocked. Long positions—who would dare buy that without absolute certainty that the market would rise? If it didn't, holding it would make it hard to sell, and forced liquidation meant total ruin.

But when he learned that the long positions they held had already tripled in value, Su Shaohua’s expression shifted.

Tripling in value in just a few days—even he found that pace remarkable. Knowing that Zhang Yang was the one orchestrating it all made his astonishment even greater.

He hadn't realized that Zhang Yang was not only a brilliant TCM doctor but also a financial whiz.

From Su Zhantao’s descriptions, Su Shaohua deduced that Zhang Yang had managed to buy in just before the major players made their move. This kind of insight, vision, and sheer audacity were not qualities common in ordinary people.

Forget his daughter Su Wei; Su Shaohua himself felt a deepening curiosity about Zhang Yang.

“Dr. Zhang, this time Zhantao is here thanks to you. I offer this tea as a toast; please join me.”

Dinner was held at the finest restaurant near the hotel. As soon as they started, Su Shaohua raised his teacup to toast Zhang Yang. Su Shaohua was currently undergoing treatment, during which he was forbidden to drink alcohol as per Zhang Yang's instructions; he could only have tea.

“Mr. Su is too kind. Actually, Zhantao is the one helping me profit; I haven't invested a dime myself.”

Zhang Yang smiled slightly and downed the drink in front of him.

“Haha, Dr. Zhang, you don’t need to be so modest. I am perfectly aware of who is leading whom to profit. You lack capital right now, but if you wanted funds, there are many avenues available to you!”

Su Shaohua laughed heartily; these were his honest thoughts. Given Zhang Yang’s medical skills, raising some money wouldn't be an issue. If Zhang Yang approached him asking for a few million in loans, he wouldn't hesitate for a second. His recovery depended on Zhang Yang.

Furthermore, there was the Third Hospital; Su Shaohua had already learned from Wu Youdao that the entire hospital staff held Zhang Yang in high regard. Borrowing money from the hospital wouldn't be a problem, or at least securing some portion of it.

It could be said that a lack of capital wasn't Zhang Yang’s biggest obstacle; whoever invested with him would stand to make money.

“Let’s eat. Why is everything about making money, making money? The whole table smells of copper!”

Su Wei pouted. A journalism major at Huaqing University, she was destined to become a reporter who spent her days researching societal inequalities. In their view, almost everyone wealthy was a bad person, as if they were all self-appointed emissaries of justice.

“Alright, alright, eat, everyone eat!”

Su Shaohua smiled. Their lunch had been simple, eaten at a service area, and now he was genuinely hungry; everyone ate heartily.

Zhang Yang had gotten to know Su Wei a bit. Mi Xue had spoken highly of her earlier, but this one remark significantly downgraded Zhang Yang’s impression of her. 'Making money smells of copper'—this girl clearly had no experience with the hardships faced by ordinary people. She came from wealth and never lacked money, which was why she viewed finances so negatively. Not everyone enjoyed working hard for money, but that was the reality of the world. Money might not be everything, but lacking it was impossible. Even with his profound medical skills, he needed to seize this opportunity to earn. Only by accumulating enough capital could one live the life they desired. Ordinary people were not like this young mistress, born with everything, never worrying about finances.

Since little alcohol was consumed, dinner concluded quickly.

After dinner, Su Shaohua returned to his room to rest; he had a long-standing habit of watching television in the evening.

“Zhang Yang, come on, let’s go out and have some fun!”

As soon as he saw Su Shaohua settled, Su Zhantao grabbed Zhang Yang’s hand and pulled him toward the door. Mi Xue could only follow along hesitantly.

“Have fun? Where are we going?” Zhang Yang asked, puzzled.

“Just come with me. We’ve been here so many days and haven't relaxed once—that’s unacceptable. And since sister-in-law is here today, it’s a welcome party for her!” Su Zhantao chuckled, dragging Zhang Yang toward the elevator.

“Wait for me!”

Before the elevator doors could close, a small, pale hand suddenly reached in—Su Wei had tagged along as well.

“Where are you going?” Su Zhantao asked, stunned.

“Wherever you go, I go!”

Su Wei flicked her nose dismissively. She had overheard Su Zhantao’s comment and deliberately caught up. Truthfully, she didn't want to stay alone in the hotel, bored with the television.

“The places we’re going aren't suitable for you.”

Su Zhantao shook his head helplessly. He wanted to take Zhang Yang and Mi Xue out to relax and have some fun; he hadn't planned for Su Wei to follow—that girl was a troublemaker.

“If it’s suitable for them, why isn't it suitable for me? We’re the same age!”

This statement seemed to ignite a powder keg; Su Wei immediately exclaimed loudly. Su Zhantao quickly jabbed the elevator button, signaling her to quiet down. With so many people around, being heard going out at night might jeopardize their entire plan with Su Shaohua.

“Fine, you can come along, but you have to listen to me for everything!”

Finally, Su Zhantao conceded with a helpless nod. The four of them exited the hotel together.

Su Zhantao suddenly grinned mischievously again and pulled a set of keys from his pocket. At some point, he had managed to take the keys to the luxurious Mercedes from Su Shaohua’s driver. If they were going out for entertainment, they needed to look the part; Su Zhantao certainly wasn't going to drive his Santana.

The four headed west once Su Zhantao took the wheel. The medicinal herb market was actually in the eastern suburbs of Jiao Yi City, meaning the main entertainment areas were in the west. Jiao Yi City was merely a prefecture-level city, not very large. Ten minutes later, Su Zhantao parked the car near a place glittering with multi-colored lights.

“A nightclub?”

Looking up at the sign, Zhang Yang was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected Su Zhantao to bring them here.

“Let’s go, Zhang Yang, I know you didn't drink enough last night. We’ll have a few more here. Sister-in-law, you won’t object, right?”

Su Zhantao parked the car and pulled Zhang Yang inside. Mi Xue’s cheeks flushed again at being called ‘sister-in-law,’ but she followed them in. Su Wei, however, flicked her nose again and followed inside with a cold snort.

This nightclub was massive, the most luxurious in Jiao Yi. Su Zhantao had already booked a deluxe private room that afternoon, which only left Zhang Yang more speechless—this guy had planned everything while Zhang Yang hadn't known a thing.

……………… The guaranteed first chapter has been updated; a few brief words.

First, thank you to Wuaidang and Alliance Lord Xiao Kouzi for their red envelope rewards. Wuaidang is an old friend of Xiao Yu; I remember when this friend hadn't changed their name in my previous book, they were rewarding me daily, plus many monthly ticket rewards, and their old name still exists among the Alliance Lords from that previous book. Xiao Kouzi goes without saying; they are an Alliance Lord veteran across three books, and always the friend who supports Xiao Yu the most in every aspect.

Additionally, thanks to Fu Yan Fan Rong and Xie Feng Ye for their rewards, especially Xie Feng Ye for the 1888 coin reward. We are only a few votes away from moving from sixth place to fifth; I hope friends can give Xiao Yu a few more votes of support. I owe a bit more in terms of bonus updates now, but please rest assured, Xiao Yu will do his utmost to type, and all promised updates will absolutely be fulfilled!