"Cough, cough, cough..."
After hearing Xu Sheng's words, Lin Ran couldn't help but start coughing violently.
Luo Qingyan, who was sitting beside him and listening, also blushed and her heart fluttered. She began to nervously rub the ribbons on her clothes.
When Lin Ran finished coughing, Xu Sheng revealed his incredibly sunny smile again:
"Brother Lin, Miss Luo, what are your thoughts?"
Lin Ran sighed and said:
"Thank you for your kind offer, Brother Xu..."
"This kind of matter, I think we need to make a long-term plan."
"I will not be taking on the Xu family's name for the time being."
"As for people, struggling in this dangerous world, it's still up to oneself."
"We'll deal with whatever comes our way."
"If others truly wish to harm me, then let them come!"
"To those who come to provoke me, I will surely leave them with a memory they will never forget!"
Hearing Lin Ran's refusal, Xu Sheng's sunny smile did not diminish in the slightest. Instead, it became even more brilliant:
"Good! Brother Lin! As expected of the man I have my eye on, you're truly bold!"
"But please accept this business card first..."
"If you ever have such a thought in the future, you can contact me anytime."
"And even if we can't become family in the future, being friends would be wonderful."
"For me, Xu Sheng, to have a friend like Brother Lin is definitely an honor!"
Saying this, Xu Sheng forcefully placed the business card into Lin Ran's chest, then cupped his fists at him and turned to leave.
Lin Ran looked at the heavy black gold business card in his hand with a wry smile:
"Alright..."
"The value of this single business card of his is probably more precious than many people's bank cards..."
A hint of disappointment flickered across Luo Qingyan's face:
"So, why did you reject him?"
"With a powerful family like theirs, wouldn't it be great to align with them?"
Lin Ran rolled his eyes:
"Do you think being the head of the Xu family is that easy?"
"And are the benefits of the Jiangdong Xu family so easily obtained?"
"As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility..."
"If you don't contribute your value to the family, they will surely discard you like worn-out shoes."
"Isn't it better for us to be two carefree wanderers? Why would we want to get bogged down in family affairs, working ourselves to death?"
"I don't want to be a beast of burden like that."
Luo Qingyan opened her mouth:
"But..."
The words on her lips turned into:
"Hey? Are you not satisfied with some clause he mentioned?"
As she spoke, she pinched Lin Ran's thigh.
Lin Ran almost spat out his drink:
"What are you talking about... How could that be..."
Luo Qingyan's pretty face finally relaxed:
"Hmph, that's good then..."
"Just don't let me find out you're up to any funny business, or else..."
Saying this, Luo Qingyan made a chopping motion with her hand towards Lin Ran's groin.
Lin Ran rolled his eyes and didn't respond to Luo Qingyan's words.
...
Time passed quickly, and soon it was 9:40 AM.
Most of the over a hundred special recruits had arrived.
The conference room was now buzzing with activity.
Everyone was looking for old acquaintances or people they seemed to connect with, chatting animatedly.
After all, this group consisted of geniuses with incredibly high potential for the future. Having more friends meant more opportunities, and it was quite necessary to build relationships early on.
Only Lin Ran's side remained somewhat desolate. Since Xu Sheng had left, apart from Luo Qingyan, no one else had approached.
It seemed they truly held a hostile attitude towards him...
Lin Ran mused.
Normally, around the top scholar, one would expect a crowd, if not a throng.
It was precisely because he was too conspicuous, yet lacked power and influence...
Just then, the conference room door opened again.
Walking in was a stern woman with short black hair, a mysterious man wearing a face mask, and a burly, tall man.
Sensing the faint aura of pressure emanating from them, the students in the room immediately fell silent.
The main characters had arrived!
As they watched the three walk onto the stage, the students secretly speculated about their identities.
However, for Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan, they were already very familiar.
Were these not Ling Shangqing, the head of the White Tiger department, Gao Xian, the head of the Vermillion Bird department, and Xu Lei, the head of the Black Tortoise department?
But before Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan could react, two dark figures flashed from the doorway with extreme speed, "swish" and settled down next to Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan.
The long-haired man and the green-haired woman...
Well, it was Lu Qiufeng, the head of the Qilin department, and Lin Miao, the head of the Azure Dragon department, who had also arrived...
This special recruitment meeting was quite a grand affair.
Seeing Lin Ran open his mouth, clearly intending to greet them and Lin Miao, Lu Qiufeng quickly stepped forward and covered his mouth:
"Shh, don't speak, we're here secretly."
"Just pretend we don't exist..."
Lin Ran was a bit dumbfounded, not knowing what these two were up to, so he could only close his mouth for now.
However, Lu Qiufeng and Lin Miao's attempts at self-deception were completely useless. Both the three on stage and the more than a hundred special recruits below saw them.
Ling Shangqing, Gao Xian, and Xu Lei's expressions immediately darkened.
These two old foxes, who claimed they wouldn't come, had still managed to sneak in and then gone to sit with Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan.
However, with so many people present, it was certainly not appropriate to kick them out.
As for the hundred special recruits below, they were curious about the identities of the two.
Ling Shangqing, standing on the stage, glanced at her bio-chip and said:
"It's already 9:55 AM. To avoid wasting everyone's time, we will begin the meeting directly!"
"From now on, the conference room doors will be sealed. Those who arrive late will not be admitted."
"First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Ling Shangqing, one of the five department heads of Qingjing Yan Yun University, and the head of the White Tiger department."
"These two are Gao Xian, the head of the Vermillion Bird department, and Xu Lei, the head of the Black Tortoise department."
"Today's meeting will be hosted by us."
"There are a total of 107 special recruits in this batch, and 104 are present today."
"Everyone, please introduce yourselves in order of your student numbers."
"Let's start with Lin Ran, who dramatically broke the dungeon record, the first person in the college entrance examination to date, and this year's top scholar!"
With that, Ling Shangqing's usually stern face finally managed a hint of a smile as she looked at Lin Ran, who was sitting in the back row.
Lin Ran stood up with a wry smile.
He finally understood that among the five department heads of Yan Yun University, except for the cunning Lu Qiufeng and Lin Miao, the other three were quite straightforward.
Ling Shangqing's words were indeed well-intentioned.
However, she had no idea how much resentment such weighty adjectives would attract for him...