Chapter 230 - 229: Lucky Day

Chapter 230: Chapter 229: Lucky Day

Yan Ling drove Yu Zhiming and the others around the valley in a tour cart, finally stopping in front of a large complex of buildings.

Yu Zhiming got out of the cart, took out his phone, and, just as expected, saw a new message.

It was from Deputy Director Jin Feng.

Yu Zhiming sent all the information he had just overheard, along with the photos, to Jin Feng.

This was as much as he could do.

He knew he had a bit of a knack for attracting trouble, just like Conan, but he wasn’t foolish enough to play detective like the Junior Detective League. He wouldn’t risk his own neck to investigate, dreaming of being the hero who swoops in to save the day at the last second.

Professional matters should be left to the professionals.

"Received. Reporting to superiors!"

Yu Zhiming deleted the reply and walked into the large, auditorium-like building before him...

As Yan Ling explained, Yu Zhiming learned that there were five different restaurants here, including both Western and Chinese cuisine.

"Speaking of restaurants..."

Yan Ling asked with a smile, "Regarding lunch, Dr. Yu, and everyone, have you made a decision?"

"Some dishes need to be prepared in advance."

Gu Qingning spoke up on Yu Zhiming’s behalf. "Housekeeper Yan, do you have any recommendations?"

Yan Ling chuckled and said, "October is the perfect season for lamb."

"Just this morning, we had several dozen genuine Sunit Sheep flown in from the Inner Mongolian Grassland."

"They’re absolutely fresh and absolutely delicious."

The moment Yu Zhiming heard "flown in," he knew it wouldn’t be cheap. He quickly asked, "How much is it per pound?"

Yan Ling smiled lightly. "We charge by the sheep. You can have it prepared multiple ways—roasted, hot pot, stewed, and so on."

"Dr. Yu, since your group isn’t too large, you could order half a sheep. That would be around two or three thousand."

The price was a bit steep, but it was still within what Yu Zhiming could mentally accept.

He consulted with Fourth Sister, Xiaoxue, Qingning, and Zeng Yan, and they decided on a grand lamb feast for lunch...

Yu Zhiming’s group followed Yan Ling through one building after another, surprised to find that while there weren’t many guests, the facility had a complete range of functional buildings.

There was a gym, an indoor swimming pool, a small movie theater, an arcade, a bowling alley, a billiards room, karaoke rooms, a beauty salon, massage rooms, and more.

Besides the various restaurants, there were also bars, cafes, a Pingtan teahouse, and a small theater that could seat thirty to fifty people.

Yan Ling made a point of gesturing to the small theater as she explained.

In addition to arranging private performances of various traditional operas or crosstalk comedy shows at guests’ requests, they could also book private concerts with major celebrities.

Yu Xiangwan asked curiously, "If I wanted to hear the famous singer Rao Yi perform, could you arrange that too?"

Yan Ling nodded slightly. "Five million for six songs. We can arrange it within five days."

"If it’s a rush order, for example, if you wanted Rao Yi to come and perform tonight, the price would have to be negotiated separately."

The comment made Yu Zhiming wince inwardly.

’No wonder Professor Qi Yue said you could burn through ten million in one night here.’

’Hire two big stars to sing, and ten million is gone just like that.’

Fu Xiaoxue pressed, "Housekeeper Yan, can you really book any celebrity in the country, no matter how famous?"

Yan Ling replied with a beaming smile, "I wouldn’t say all of them, but we can probably get the vast majority."

"It’s just that everyone has a different appearance fee, and it also depends on the status and identity of the person making the invitation."

Yan Ling added flatteringly, "As a renowned doctor, Dr. Yu, I doubt anyone would refuse an invitation from you."

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "I’m just a poor man. I can’t afford their exorbitant fees."

As they spoke, they arrived at a gift shop area.

There were counters for gold jewelry, jade, handicrafts, and various other luxury goods.

Yu Zhiming gave the counters a cursory glance and found that while every item was exquisite, the price tags were dazzlingly high.

Especially in the jade section, a single bracelet was priced in the hundreds of thousands, even millions.

One translucent, fully green bracelet, labeled "Imperial Green," was priced as high as eighteen million.

’A single bracelet worth as much as a mansion... I wonder what kind of person would buy that?’

Just as Yu Zhiming was muttering this to himself, Zeng Yan’s excited voice rang out.

"Uncle, Uncle, come look! They even have stone gambling here—the ’one cut to rags, one cut to riches’ kind!"

Yu Zhiming strode over to Zeng Yan’s side and saw a five-tiered shelf next to the counter, displaying one or two hundred stones ranging in size from a fist to a football.

A sign hung on the shelf: "Raw Jadeite. All sizes, 1,000 each. Free cutting and polishing."

"Uncle, your ability to examine bodies and pick out good watermelons and durians—can you use it to pick raw stones?"

"If you can, we could strike it rich!"

Yu Zhiming smiled and shook his head. "Just think about it. Is picking a durian the same as picking a stone?"

Just then, a stuffy, nasal voice spoke up.

"Aha, I thought I recognized you from a distance. If it isn’t my dear classmate, the proud and prickly miss."

Following the voice, a young man with a large nose, a slicked-back hairstyle, and a slightly pale complexion strode over. He was about 1.7 meters tall and was accompanied by a petite, glamorous woman.

The large-nosed young man first glanced at Gu Qingning, then turned a critical eye on Yu Zhiming.

"Gu Qingning, when you rejected me, didn’t you say you wanted to choose a captain of industry, someone who could set sail and conquer the business world?"

"So how did you end up choosing a doctor for a boyfriend? Don’t tell me you caved to a family arrangement."

Gu Qingning stepped forward and linked her arm with Yu Zhiming’s, looking intimate. "Lin Qingyan, I didn’t cave at all."

"What can I say? Besides being a brilliant doctor, my Zhiming is also tall and handsome."

"And his voice is so pleasant to listen to."

"I was so charmed I completely forgot my original principles."

Lin Qingyan looked vexed. "Gu Qingning, that’s a low blow. Praising your boyfriend while dissing me at the same time."

"For a man, things like height, looks, or whether his voice sounds good don’t matter."

"What’s most important is ability."

Gu Qingning scoffed, a look of contempt on her face. "When it comes to ability, my Zhiming is several times better than you, if not more."

She then looked at the glamorous woman beside Lin Qingyan and smiled. "Lin Qingyan, you’re certainly consistent with your principles. Every woman you’re with is the petite type."

As Gu Qingning finished speaking, the glamorous woman next to Lin Qingyan puffed out her ample chest, which seemed ready to burst from its restraints, and glanced pointedly at Gu Qingning’s own chest in a gesture of defiance.

Lin Qingyan patted the woman’s waist.

"Go pick out your raw stones."

"Pick ten. If you can’t find a single piece of jadeite, it just means your luck is bad, and there’s nothing I can do."

Lin Qingyan turned to Yu Zhiming and extended a hand with a smile. "Lin Qingyan. Gu Qingning’s university classmate, and a long-suffering victim of her sharp tongue."

Gu Qingning’s almond-shaped eyes widened. "Lin Qingyan, are you looking to die? How dare you keep spouting nonsense."

Yu Zhiming also smiled and lightly shook his hand.

"Yu Zhiming."

Lin Qingyan chuckled softly. "Dr. Yu, I’ve long known of your great name. Your ability to diagnose illnesses with your hands is masterful, second to none."

"Hey, Dr. Yu, since we’ve met by chance, could you possibly check me out? See if there’s any hope for improving this voice of mine."

"Everyone says I have a droning voice, like a man in his seventies or eighties."

Gu Qingning couldn’t help but mock him. "Lin Qingyan, didn’t you just say it doesn’t matter whether a man’s voice sounds good?"

Lin Qingyan shot her a look, then turned back to Yu Zhiming with a sycophantic smile.

"Dr. Yu, would you?"

Gu Qingning also spoke up. "Zhiming, for my sake, just be charitable and give him a look."

"His voice really is awful."

Yu Zhiming took a pair of surgical gloves from his pocket, put them on, and then lifted Lin Qingyan’s chin.

"Say something..."

Lin Qingyan opened his mouth and made a few "AH, AH" sounds. Just as he was about to think of some words, Yu Zhiming pulled his hand away.

The next moment, Yu Zhiming pressed his hands to the sides of Lin Qingyan’s nose and said again, "Say something."

Lin Qingyan opened his mouth and let out two more "AH, AH" sounds.

Gu Qingning jeered, "Lin Qingyan, can you say anything besides ’ah, ah’?"

At that moment, Yu Zhiming once again removed his hands.

Lin Qingyan explained, "Of course I can say other things. I was just a little caught off guard and forgot my words."

After a pause, he asked expectantly, "Dr. Yu, is there any hope for my voice?"

Instead of answering, Yu Zhiming asked a question of his own. "Before you lost all your baby teeth, did you have some kind of accident involving your teeth?"

Lin Qingyan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded eagerly. "Dr. Yu, you’re incredible! You could tell even that?"

"When I was seven, I got into a pretty nasty fight and had seven or eight of my teeth knocked out."

"Luckily, they were all baby teeth, and they all grew back later."

He then asked, puzzled, "Dr. Yu, could my voice be related to that accident?"

Yu Zhiming reached out and pointed to Lin Qingyan’s lower left jaw and his right nostril wing.

"You have two ectopic teeth in these two spots. Their positions are affecting your laryngeal muscles and your nasal cavity."

"This is affecting your pronunciation to some degree."

"I suggest you see a dentist about your teeth..."

Simply put, ectopic teeth are teeth that haven’t grown in the normal direction—they’re crooked, or even inverted.

This is often related to childhood jaw injuries or the abnormal loss of baby teeth.

Lin Qingyan couldn’t help but squeeze his own cheek, his voice filled with indignation. "So my bad voice was all because of that fight when I was seven."

"I’ll get my teeth fixed first, and then I’m going to find those two guys and settle old and new scores all at once..."

Just then, Lin Qingyan’s companion sidled up to him and said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Brother Yan, I’ve picked out the raw stones."

Lin Qingyan said, "Oh," then, with a smile on his face, he addressed Gu Qingning and Yu Zhiming’s group. "It’s rare to see an old classmate, and to have Dr. Yu’s miraculous hands diagnose my problem."

"Today must be my lucky day."

He declared magnanimously, "Everyone here, pick out some raw stones. Ten stones per person. It’s on me."

Seeing Xiaoxue and Zeng Yan looking at her eagerly, Yu Xiangwan nodded. "Go ahead and pick. Pick out my ten for me, too."

Lin Qingyan asked, puzzled, "Dr. Yu, why don’t you try your luck?"

Then it dawned on him, and he exclaimed, "Hey, Dr. Yu, can your diagnostic ability be used to examine raw stones?"

Yu Zhiming shook his head. "It doesn’t work on them!"

"I’ve always had terrible luck with this kind of thing. It’s better to leave it to the lucky ones."