Inside the door, a voice soon asked, “Who is it?”
The driver’s mind flashed through various possibilities—delivery personnel, food couriers, water meter readers—and he looked toward Xia Yu.
“A friend of Yin Wan!” Xia Yu shouted loudly.
Upon hearing the name Yin Wan, the person inside opened the door. He glanced at the four of them and, not seeing Yin Wan, visibly relaxed.
Xia Yu also took a good look at him. This was a young man in his thirties, with decent looks and a fresh, youthful appearance, dressed plainly, clearly not someone well-off.
So now the question arose: what kind of relationship could there be between an elderly woman with money and a handsome, poor young man?
Most likely a relative, coming to seek favor.
“What do you want?” the man asked Xia Yu.
“We’re looking for Yin Shulan; we have some business with her,” Xia Yu replied.
“What business?” The man’s eyes turned wary.
Xia Yu speculated on the man’s thoughts. It was obvious—the man was after Yin Shulan’s money. He had just stepped out and felt relieved not seeing Yin Wan, probably fearing Yin Wan would come to claim a share of Yin Shulan’s wealth.
Understanding the man’s core motivation, Xia Yu had a counter: “Her money comes from us originally. Now we can give her another sum—understand?”
Upon hearing this, the man immediately beamed with joy.
“Jiefu! Jiefu!” he shouted toward the inside of the house.
Soon after, a familiar figure appeared at the door—Yin Changan, Yin Shulan’s eldest son.
Among Yin Shulan’s three sons, he was the most disrespectful. Xia Yu had previously given him a proper lesson. It was unexpected to see him back here again.
The man eagerly pulled Yin Changan over, excitedly saying, “Jiefu, these are the old lady’s benefactors.”
“What kind of benefactors? Watch your language!” Yin Changan lightly slapped his brother-in-law’s head and turned to look at Xia Yu and the others with a gaze full of curiosity.
Bowing slightly, he wore a fawning smile as he asked, “What can I do for you, esteemed guests?”
Xia Yu replied, “Your mother helped us develop a medicine last time. Now we’d like her to come out of retirement to assist in the development of a new one.”
Yin Changan’s eyes widened. He had no idea that Yin Shulan had gained her wealth through pharmaceutical research.
“May I first ask about the compensation?” Yin Changan asked, bringing up the most important question for him.
“Not less than a million. Even ten million is negotiable,” Xia Yu answered.
This price was somewhat high. The last time Yin Shulan received ten million was because Xia Yu had given her all the research results.
Nonetheless, this was a necessary investment.
With Yin Shulan, Xia Yu could first enter her body and teach her the necessary knowledge for research, just as he had taught An Siyao to play the xiao and Xu Youxiang to code. This would essentially give Xia Yu a low-end clone, greatly accelerating the research process.
Hearing the figure of a million already thrilled Yin Changan. Upon hearing ten million, he became even more excited, his breathing quickened. He hurriedly opened the door wide: “Please come in, please come in.”
The four entered the house. The first thing they saw was the villa’s courtyard. Xia Yu’s lips twitched slightly.
The courtyard hadn’t been paved with concrete but remained a simple earthen ground, with various vegetables planted on it.
“It’s just a small hobby of my mother’s,” Yin Changan tried hard to find proper words, attempting to match the dignity of someone worth millions.
“What kind of flower is this?” An Siyao curiously asked, looking at a plant she didn’t recognize.
“This isn’t a flower; it’s a vegetable,” Xia Yu pinched her cheek gently.
An Siyao blushed immediately but stubbornly said, “I was asking what kind of flower this vegetable produces.”
Her words shocked Xia Yu, who looked at her in disbelief.
She had even learned to argue back? She must be close to mastering reverse deduction now?
Under Xia Yu’s gaze, An Siyao eventually gave in: “I know I was wrong.”
If they were at home, Xia Yu would have taken this opportunity to tease An Siyao thoroughly, but now they were guests, so he had to let it go.
Following Yin Changan, Xia Yu and An Siyao arrived at the living room and saw Yin Shulan.
Yin Shulan was lying on a reclining chair watching TV, while her eldest daughter-in-law peeled an orange for her, even going so far as to place the pieces into Yin Shulan’s mouth.
Even Xia Yu had only experienced such treatment when You Xue and Xia Kek were competing for his attention.
Hearing their footsteps, Yin Shulan didn’t even turn her head: “Who is it?”
Yin Changan hurried forward, massaging Yin Shulan’s shoulders as he spoke, “Mother, they’re your previous collaborators, wanting you to come out of retirement to help with a difficult research project.”
“What do you mean by ‘mother’? Speak normally!” Yin Shulan scolded Yin Changan.
Yin Changan had to switch his wording: “It’s those people from your previous pharmaceutical work. They want you to help develop another medicine.”
Upon hearing this, Yin Shulan stopped chewing her orange. She turned her head to look at Xia Yu and the others.
She didn’t recognize Xia Yu, the driver, or the bodyguard, but she recognized An Siyao.
“Why are you here again?” Yin Shulan hastily stood up.
An Siyao’s presence reminded her of the fear of having her body controlled.
“Who sent you?” Yin Shulan asked again.
“Miss Xu Youxiang,” Xia Yu answered. He understood what Yin Shulan was thinking.
“I won’t go. The deal is already done. What else do you want?” Yin Shulan refused without hesitation.
“Just a very ordinary pharmaceutical research project. We need your help,” Xia Yu replied.
“No!” Yin Shulan remained firm.
“Mom, the salary starts at a million, maybe even ten million,” Yin Changan tried to persuade her.
“I have enough money already. Don’t push for more!” Yin Shulan still refused.
Xia Yu knew that ordinary conversation wouldn’t change Yin Shulan’s mind. He signaled to An Siyao.
Following Xia Yu’s previous instructions, An Siyao said, “Everyone, please go outside. Let us talk alone.”
“Alright,” Yin Changan dared not object.
Only An Siyao and Yin Shulan remained in the living room, while Xia Yu and the others retreated to the courtyard.
Xia Yu clicked a slot and entered An Siyao’s body. He chose the two-person mode, so An Siyao entered his body while he entered An Siyao’s.
After a brief darkness, Xia Yu, through An Siyao’s body, looked at Yin Shulan in front of him.
“What else do you want to say? I don’t need money. I won’t agree to your request,” Yin Shulan reiterated.
“Do you feel like you have a choice?” An Xiaoyu said.
The difference in tone caught Yin Shulan’s attention. Her eyes widened as she backed away, pointing a trembling finger at An Xiaoyu: “I-It’s you!”
“Correct. It’s me,” Xia Yu replied.
“You’ve already found Xu Youxiang’s body. Why come looking for me again?” Yin Shulan argued, assuming Xia Yu was a ghost trying to possess another body.
“There’s still one illness left in Xu Youxiang’s body. I must resolve this now,” Xia Yu casually lied.
“Then what about this body? If you already have this one, why do you need Xu Youxiang?” Yin Shulan asked.
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