175: Question setter

The female receptionist's thought process underwent an epic leap in just three short seconds.

Her gaze at Lin Yu completely changed.

It was no longer scrutiny, no longer assessment.

Instead, it was a complex glow filled with awe, pity, and a fervent ambition.

A love child forgotten by a wealthy family, now finally mustering the courage to come and claim his kinship.

These ordinary casual clothes weren't a sign of poverty, but proof of his turbulent life!

This excessive calm wasn't confidence, but a disguise, having seen through the world's cold realities!

And he chose today, this un-booked afternoon, to come alone.

Behind this, what kind of stirring, love-hate drama of a wealthy family must be hidden!

As for why he just said his name was Lin Yu... well, he's a love child!

Besides, a nephew and an uncle should have the same surname.

This further confirmed her thoughts.

The professional smile on the female receptionist's face instantly became incredibly sincere, even carrying a hint of perfectly appropriate humility.

"Sir, please come this way to the VIP lounge to wait."

Her address changed from "you" to "Sir," and the respect in her tone increased by more than one level.

Lin Yu nodded indifferently.

The female receptionist immediately took small, quick steps, personally leading the way and escorting Lin Yu to a private area separated by frosted glass. The sofas here were imported Italian leather, and the air was filled with the scent of high-end aromatherapy.

"Sir, please have a seat. I'll go make you some tea."

She didn't go to the pantry for the teabags served to ordinary guests. Instead, she walked to a locked cabinet behind the front desk, entered a password, and carefully took out a small tin tea caddy.

Director Wang's private collection of Cloud Peak White Hair tea.

It was said that a gram of it was more expensive than gold.

In the entire company, besides Director Wang himself and his top VIP guests, only the chairman's secretary had the authority to use it.

Today, she made an exception.

This was an investment.

A gamble that staked her entire career!

Director Wang had no son, only a daughter. This gamble might not be impossible!

Soon, a steaming cup of clear tea, emitting a refreshing orchid aroma, was respectfully placed in front of Lin Yu.

"Mr. Lin, please try it. This is Director Wang's favorite tea." She bent at the waist, her voice so soft it could drip water.

Lin Yu picked up the teacup, blew on the hot surface, but didn't drink.

His patience was being consumed by these meaningless procedures.

But it was still good, at least this little receptionist was very respectful.

Seeing this, the female receptionist immediately tactfully retreated to the side, picked up the internal communicator, and dialed the number for the chairman's secretary's office on the top floor.

She kept her voice very low, but also made sure that when Lin Yu looked her way, he would see that she was diligently working.

"Hello, is this Secretary Zhang? I'm Xiao Li from the front desk."

"It's like this, there's a Mr. Lin downstairs who says he's... Director Wang's family, and he wants to meet Director Wang."

She deliberately blurred the specific identity of "nephew," replacing it with the more imaginative "family member."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone; the two seemed to be confirming, but their tone was more like gossiping.

A moment later, the secretary responded.

"Alright, I understand. I'll report to Director Wang immediately."

Hanging up the phone, the female receptionist let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that her performance just now was nothing short of perfect.

She walked back to Lin Yu, her smile even brighter.

"Mr. Lin, Secretary Zhang is already informing him, please don't rush."

She tentatively tried to extract more information from this "prince" to pave the way for her future promotion.

"You and Director Wang... haven't seen each other for a long time, have you? You look like you've just returned from a long journey."

Lin Yu finally looked up and glanced at her.

Just that one glance.

Calm, indifferent, without any emotion.

The female receptionist's heart skipped a beat.

That wasn't the gaze a down-and-out love child should have.

It seems... he's a love child with some status!

"Mm."

A simple syllable came from Lin Yu's throat.

But the female receptionist felt that all her little schemes had been seen through by that one glance.

She dared not say more, only smiled awkwardly and retreated to the side.

If that was the case, too much would be counterproductive; this level was just right now.

Director Wang was so smart, and Little Director Lin certainly wouldn't be far behind.

And in these few short minutes that Lin Yu was waiting.

On the other side of Linzhou City, in a secret conference room of the Ministry of Education building.

The question-setting department was waiting for the results of all the students' tasks. They were responsible for setting tasks, balancing resources, allocating manpower... The air was thick with smoke, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

An old, white-haired teacher, the leader of the question-setting team, tapped on the table.

"Everyone, guess, what's the situation like this year? How many seedlings above seven stars will there be?"

A middle-aged man next to him, wearing glasses, pushed them up and sighed.

"Hard to say. Good seedlings have long been snatched up by those big companies in advance, signing sky-high contracts and giving top resources, like raising gu worms, just waiting to make a splash in the College Entrance Examination."

"Isn't that right?" A younger teacher chimed in, his tone full of sarcasm, "Fengxing Technology's 'New Star Project' alone signed two hundred contracts of A-level and above..."

"These capitalists are really getting more and more unscrupulous." The old team leader shook his head.

Compared to real universities, these companies signing contracts aren't aiming to cultivate talent... they're aiming for return on investment.

One could only say, one signed, one wasted.

But it also had to be said, children with early resource support and those without it had completely different Growth rates.

"Alas... 'Bottom line'? In their eyes, those children aren't people, they're walking stock codes."

Everyone fell silent.

They were the question setters; it sounded like they had great power, able to decide the fate of countless examinees.

But they themselves knew that this power was temporarily granted by the state, it was illusory.

The real rules were written by those colossal capital groups.

"Let's not talk about this, it's unlucky." The old team leader waved his hand, changing the topic, "Have you found out what that anomaly in the north of the city a few days ago was? A city-wide lightning net, gosh, I've lived for sixty years and never seen such a spectacle."

"Who knows? The official report was 'rare atmospheric electromagnetic phenomenon,' but only a ghost would believe that."

"I guess it was some top powerhouse breaking through, or fighting with something. That level of energy fluctuation, at least eighth-tier and above, possibly even a ninth-tier big shot."

"Maybe it was a legendary immortal undergoing tribulation, hahahaha."

"It has nothing to do with us; we just manage our own small patch."

"Oh, right," a female teacher suddenly remembered something, "Have you heard about the Old Ghost Hall's potions on the black market recently? The effects are incredibly good, I heard they're even better than the internal special supplies of the three major companies, and the price is cheap."