"Welcome back, my lady."
Huang Zihuan walked out onto the balcony just as the large black bird sliced through the northern sky. He knew—the lady of the house had returned.
"Uncle Huang! I brought back tons of snacks!"
Tang Yeye didn't wait for the black bird to land. Her small figure jumped down from its back clutching a huge bag stuffed full of snacks.
"You need to eat your meal first..."
The elderly butler laughed dryly as he stared at the sheer quantity. A rough count revealed over thirty bags. If this child ate all of them, she'd be too full to eat anything else all day.
"How did it go?"
Huang Zihuan walked over to receive Bai Fanxian, who descended from the bird's back gracefully. The lady of the house nodded in acknowledgment, then glanced at her watch. "Good. Wu Jia still hasn't come out?"
The old man gave a wry smile. Everyone in the house knew where Wu Jia would be when he wasn't working.
"...I really should set a time limit for how long he can stay in my workshop."
Bai Fanxian sighed. She knew Wu Jia practically haunted her workshop every night.
"Go fetch him. It should be time to open the clinic."
She walked toward the clinic beside the house. The crowds had thinned compared to the first few days. Partly because once people realized they weren't among the day's ten slots, they'd give up and return the next day instead.
This wasn't a restaurant—those who'd been treated and recovered had no reason to keep coming back.
But today's scene looked different. The people waiting in line stared through the glass door into the clinic with surprise.
Bai Fanxian followed their gazes. Inside, Zhu Jinming sat sipping tea, breathing in the life force-filled air with a blissful expression. Since his wife was a patient with overnight privileges, he could come and go as he pleased.
People had been shocked when Sword Master Zheng Renyi first let the business tycoon pass through the door he guarded. Normally, anyone else trying to force their way in would face the old man's stern obstruction.
"Why does that guy get to go in?"
"Isn't that Mr. Zhu? The real estate businessman?"
Hui'er hurried to the entrance as well. The child had already changed into fresh clothes after returning. She opened the door to welcome patients every morning. Seeing her approach, those waiting began lining up in their queue order.
"Sorry for being late... We're opening now."
Hui'er pushed the door open. Sword Master Zheng Renyi shifted to the side. Those with queue tickets entered to wait inside.
Today's ten treatment sessions passed smoothly. Evening arrived. Hui'er saw off the last patient with a smile and was about to close the door when someone else walked in.
"Hello there... I hope I'm not intruding?"
An elderly woman who'd received treatment here days ago greeted Hui'er. If the little girl remembered correctly, her name was Luo Xintao.
"Grandma, hello!"
Hui'er greeted her with a smile. She liked this elderly woman, who'd helped solve a problem for her lady before.
Old Lady Luo smiled fondly at the girl, then remembered something and held out a box of pastries.
At first Hui'er felt awkward, she thought of the enormous pile of snacks still sitting at home—but after some insistence, she accepted them to share with the others later.
"Oh, Ms. Luo! Hello!"
But before the two could continue their conversation, Zhu Jinming happened to pass by and called out a greeting.
"Mr. Zhu?"
Luo Xintao raised her eyebrows in surprise. She'd come today because she missed this place's atmosphere and life force—just breathing it in made her feel years younger. She hadn't expected to run into Zhu Jinming.
Did he feel the same way?
Possibly. But why was he dressed so casually, like he was at home...?
Her suspicions weren't unfounded. Zhu Jinming had just emerged from his rented lodging nearby. He'd been strolling the beach to absorb the overflowing life force before visiting his wife—hence the shorts and comfortable shoes.
"Excuse me..."
The real estate tycoon didn't realize he was raising her suspicions. After a few more words, he prepared to check on his wife.
He'd practically spent the entire day at this clinic. He only stepped out briefly when subordinates needed documents signed.
"Wait, Mr. Zhu... Do you have time to chat for a bit?"
Before he could leave, Luo Xintao pulled him back. Hui'er watched in confusion as the middle-aged man was dragged away...
.
.
.
"Grandmaster Bai... I'd like to stay here overnight too."
Minutes later, all three ended up on the reception sofa in Bai Fanxian's clinic.
Luo Xintao had made up her mind. She'd heard Zhu Jinming's wife had permission to stay here. She hadn't known there were patient beds on the second floor, so she'd never considered it before.
"I won't cause trouble. I'll take care of my own meals. So don't worry."
The old woman tried to persuade her, even politely bowing her head to this much younger woman to make her request.
"...This again?"
Bai Fanxian sighed. But before she could refuse, Tang Tianjie appeared in the doorway. He'd been absent for days dealing with clan business.
"Grandmaster Bai, how about this..."
Everyone turned toward the old man.
"I've spoken with the Xie clan. We've purchased nearly all the land around here. We're planning a project."
His words caught Bai Fanxian's interest. The area was mostly forest and empty land. After the Little Red Dragon's rampage damaged much of it, land prices had dropped significantly, making it affordable for the clans to buy in large quantities. Both had been slowly acquiring parcels. By now they'd accumulated substantial area adjacent to the clinic.
"If Grandmaster Bai is interested... we can build a housing development or residential condos here."
He watched her expression, interested but not quite, and quickly signaled the former head butler who knew him so well.
Huang Zihuan laughed softly and decided to help.
"My lady, even including Mr. Zhu's payment, we're still short by several billion..."
"..."
He dangled the island as bait. Bai Fanxian thought about it. At this pace, she might own that private island in about a month.
"I think I can wait..."
"But what if that island gets sold first? I doubt the new owner would sell it easily."
"..."
"Even if you do this project, won't it take months?"
Bai Fanxian stayed logical, raising her teacup for a calm sip.
"We can sell pre-sale contracts."
"..."
The elderly butler had every angle covered. Bai Fanxian glared at Huang Zihuan, who refilled her tea while laughing.
"If you can recreate this clinic's atmosphere in those new homes, they'll sell themselves. Mark my words—people will be fighting to buy them. You won't be able to build fast enough to meet demand."
Zhu Jinming, listening all along, jumped in. Luo Xintao brightened with the same thought.
"If that's really the case, I'm ready to be the first resident."
"..."
Bai Fanxian let out a resigned sigh. "...Fine then. But when would the project start...?"
"Right now!"
Tang Tianjie beamed. He pulled out his phone to call the Xie clan leader. The plan they'd laid out would finally begin.
"I'll help out too... but save me the unit with the best view."
Zhu Jinming laughed. As a southern real estate tycoon, he had connections to source quality materials at reasonable prices.
"That helps tremendously."
Tang Tianjie laughed. He and Zhu Jinming walked off to discuss details, while Luo Xintao brightened at the prospect of living in this area.
"If there's anything I can help with, just let me know. I'll bring my son during the holidays so he can promote it to his friends and acquaintances."
The old woman's words might sound ordinary. But her son was the country's Minister of Health. That changed everything!
In the next room, Wu Jia read through medical records and wondered what kind of people would end up living here.
The first two residents weren't ordinary. If this place attracted powerful figures from across the country, within ten years its prosperity would certainly surpass even the capital.
Tang Tianjie returned to bid farewell to Bai Fanxian. But she still had one question.
"Wait—aren't your accounts in the red??"
They needed to rapidly develop their clans, so the Tang and Xie accounts didn't look great. Bai Fanxian understood that. So she'd been puzzling over this massive investment decision.
"Don't worry about that. I've sold off our hospital chains. The Xie clan sold off businesses too. We're ready to go all-in on this project..."
"..."
"...You have nothing left?"
"Actually, there's a bit left... but if it's not enough, I'm ready to sell those too."
"...Aren't you afraid this project might fail?"
"Haha! With Grandmaster Bai here, what do I have to worry about?"
"..."
...So all the pressure falls on me?