There are many children in small counties who can't afford to go to school, and the principal has seen plenty of them over the years, but this is the first one who volunteered and negotiated terms with himself.

Moreover, his composed demeanor was not like that of a sixteen-year-old, but rather more like that of a twenty-six-year-old, or even a thirty-six-year-old, successful person. He showed no signs of financial distress or insecurity.

He seemed to radiate confidence from the inside out, even with his innocent, boyish smile. What a strange classmate. Could he be a young master from a fallen family?

As a principal, he naturally had a wide experience with people. Putting everything else aside, he saw Shang Lin as a promising talent and immediately decided to hire him. Moreover, he actually gave him a subsidy of 20,000 yuan, which was quite generous.

When the students at No. 1 High School found out, the two principals almost got into a fight. Unfortunately, the principal of No. 1 High School didn't even get to see Shang Lin before he was poached—no, he volunteered to leave. It was truly tragic.

However, because Shang Lin left No. 1 High School, Lin Shengqi, a barely qualifying student, was successfully admitted to No. 1 High School. He didn't even need to ask, because when he received the notification, the teacher said, "Student, you are really lucky. The top scorer in your county's preliminary exam has been poached by No. 2 High School. You have been successfully admitted to No. 1 High School. Remember to report on time."

Lin Shengqi was stunned when he heard this. He just subconsciously said "Goodbye" to the teacher and then subconsciously hung up the phone.

Completely baffled by the unexpected turn of events—she had performed exceptionally well and gotten into No. 1 High School, only to find that Shang Lin had gone to No. 2 High School—she immediately called Shang Lin to ask him what had happened.

Shang Lin was busy buying raw materials, so his answer was very simple and clear: "First, all fees at No. 2 Middle School are waived; second, I have to commute; and third, I can't participate in military training."

Lin Shengqi, "..."

He was truly speechless. If he could also be exempt from everything, he would also choose No. 2 Middle School. Unfortunately, he wasn't the top student and didn't have that qualification.

Then Lin Shengqi said, "Then I'll come to your house to do laundry this weekend."

Remembering this, Shang Lin immediately smiled and said, "There's really no need for that. My rented apartment has a washing machine. You've been admitted to No. 1 Middle School, so your studies are very demanding. You should focus on your studies. We're still young, and there's plenty of time for everything."

"But……"

"No buts, I have other things to do. Let's talk when the four of us arrive."

"Oh well."

Shang Lin delivered the first batch of raw materials to the processing plant and explained in detail to the production workshop manager, "There are several medicinal herbs that I must deliver and use immediately, otherwise they will lose their efficacy and directly cause the whitening and spot-fading cream to become ineffective."

The workshop manager was very cooperative, saying, "I understand. The boss has already told us, and we have been cooperating with Mr. Bai's family for many years. We have always been very trustworthy."

"Yes, Uncle Bai also mentioned it." Just as Bai Jingxuan was mentioned, Shang Lin received a call from him. "Hello, Uncle Bai."

"Is the matter at the contract manufacturer settled? If so, let's have dinner together."

Shang Lin didn't know why Bai Jingxuan was looking for him, but he immediately agreed, "Okay."

After the processing plant finished, Lin, the first batch of herbal medicine merchants, immediately went home. Although this meant she would have to keep going back to the processing plant, it was unavoidable for the sake of the final product's effectiveness.

Unless one day they can produce and process cosmetics themselves in the Dragon Spirit Tower, which is basically impossible because they don't have the ability to do so now, and when they do, they won't need to do the cosmetics business anymore!

See, that's how contradictory things are in the world.

After taking a shower and resting at home, Shang Lin went to keep the appointment. Bai Jingxuan did not come alone; he also brought his daughter, Bai Yansheng, a straightforward name that spoke of the deep affection between the parents.

Bai Jingxuan explained first, "My daughter also studies at No. 1 High School in City C. You'll be alumni from now on. She's in her second year of high school, one year ahead of you. Since you're alumni, I thought having a meal together would be a good way for you to get to know each other. I hope Xiao Shang won't mind?"

When Xing's father told Shang Lin, "You two live close by, so it'll be convenient for you to do anything," it really was true. Although they weren't in the same city, they were in the same province. Even their processing plant was in City C, as if it had been "tailor-made" for him.

However, in front of the young people, Shang Lin tried his best to imitate their behavior, so he obediently replied, "Of course I don't mind, but I'm not in No. 1 Middle School, but No. 2 Middle School."

Bai Jingxuan was taken aback. "It's all over No. 1 High School. You were the top scorer in your county's preliminary exam, how could you not be at No. 1 High School?"

Bai Yansheng also cast a questioning glance, and chimed in, "Yes, that's what I heard about it."

Shang Lin gave a slightly awkward laugh, "The Second Middle School recruited me, and they'll waive all my fees for the next three years."

"Wow?" Bai Yansheng immediately looked at him with admiration. "You're so amazing!"

Bai Jingxuan disagreed, saying, "The teaching levels of No. 1 Middle School and No. 2 Middle School are quite different, and the learning environments are also different. You can't delay your studies just to save money, especially since your family is not short of money."

The rich kid persona has crumbled! How am I supposed to respond to this? So Shang Lin immediately changed the subject, "Uncle, did you call me here today for something?"

"Oh, is that so?" Bai Jingxuan's attention was successfully diverted. "Actually, I wanted to ask you, among those secret formulas you haven't revealed yet, are there any weight loss methods that are effective yet harmless to the body? You know, most people are overweight these days, and losing weight is extremely difficult. Our beauty salon also offers this service, but the results are generally mediocre. Of course, the main problem is that the weight rebounds not long after you lose it. Compared to products for removing blemishes, acne, or wrinkles, this has a much larger market potential, a wider target audience, and naturally, more money to be made."

Well... there aren't any fat people in the cultivation world either. It's mainly because cultivators basically abstain from grains, so it's not easy for them to gain weight. Shang Lin could only shake his head regretfully, "There aren't any at the moment, but I'll consider it."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Bai Yansheng asked, "Junior, is your family in the technology development business? Where is it located? Can I come and take a look?"

Seeing Bai Yansheng's probing eyes, Shang Lin immediately smiled and said, "No, my family just has a few secret recipes."

Bai Yansheng was very puzzled. "I've only ever heard of ancestral medicine recipes, I've never heard of ancestral secret recipes for cosmetics."

“It’s not a family secret recipe,” Shang Lin explained calmly. “It’s the result of my parents’ research. We originally planned to make it ourselves, but unfortunately they both passed away, so we couldn’t. As for my sister and me, we both have to study, so we don’t have the time. Besides, we’re not cut out for business, so it’s better to find someone to cooperate with.”

Bai Yansheng, "..."