I suggest you investigate; this person doesn't seem to be a first-time reborn individual.

Gao Xiaoming opened the door, forcing a smile onto his face.

He first addressed him respectfully as "Brother Ran".

Then, seeing Wang Zihao standing next to her carrying a red plastic bag, her face immediately fell.

Wang Zihao also disliked him, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

However, both of them had been warned in advance, so neither of them made the first move. They just snorted at each other and turned their heads away.

Lin Ran nodded to Gao Xiaoming first, and the two of them entered the reception room under the guidance of Gao Xiaoming and the nanny.

Rosewood furniture, antique display shelves, and the air is filled with the scent of sandalwood and a faint aroma of tea.

A man of about fifty years old sat in the main seat of the armchair. He was burly and had a thick gold chain around his neck that was not thin, which was mixed with a sandalwood bracelet on his wrist.

His face was rough, with deep eye bags, and his small but bright eyes would occasionally squint as he sized up the newcomer.

"Uncle Gao."

Lin Ran greeted Gao Fuyuan and took the plastic bag from Wang Zihao.

"Uncle Gao, this is my first time here. I didn't know what you liked, so I brought you two bottles of wine as a small token of my appreciation."

"Oh, come on over, no need to bring a gift, that's too formal."

Gao Fuyuan enthusiastically pointed to the sofa next to him, inviting the two to sit down, but he himself did not get up.

He instructed the nanny, "Sister Ping, put away the gifts Xiaolin brought."

"Xiaoming has mentioned you before; Lin Ran is indeed a handsome and talented young man!"

Gao Fuyuan laughed heartily, then looked at Wang Zihao beside him and asked in confusion, "Who is this?"

Wang Zihao replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Hello Uncle Gao, my name is Wang Zihao, and I am also Gao Xiaoming's classmate."

"Oh, Zihao, haha, what a handsome young man..."

Gao Fuyuan's attention did not linger on Wang Zihao.

"Come, come, please sit down! Xiaoming, don't you have any manners? Go pour some tea!"

"Uncle Gao, you're too kind."

Lin Ran was polite in words, but he naturally sat down in the host and guest seats without the slightest awkwardness.

"Try it, it's a Lao Ban Zhang tea a friend gave me." Gao Fuyuan picked up a cup of tea himself, blew on it to cool it down, and asked, "Does Lin usually drink tea?"

"I don't drink much, and it's not convenient to get tea at school."

Lin Ran picked up the small purple clay cup, first sniffed it, and then took a small sip. "Uncle Gao's tea is quite good, with a noticeable aftertaste."

"Oh?"

Gao Fuyuan's eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily: "To be able to appreciate the aftertaste at such a young age, that's impressive! I'll take two boxes back with me as a return gift for my uncle!"

Wang Zihao remembered the two bottles of Niulanshan tea in the red plastic bag, his lips curled into a smile, and he quickly lowered his head to pretend to drink tea.

After a few perfunctory pleasantries, Gao Fuyuan abruptly changed the subject, asking seemingly casually:

"Lin, you gave Xiaoming some pointers last time about my family's batch of steel... Is that provincial plan really true?"

Lin Ran slowly picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said unhurriedly:

"Uncle Gao, you're joking. I didn't mention anything to Xiaoming, let alone the province's plans."

Hearing Lin Ran's words, Gao Xiaoming, who was sitting next to him, became anxious: "Lin Ran, that's not what you said that day..."

Gao Fuyuan reached out to stop Gao Xiaoming from continuing.

"Uncle Gao was being presumptuous. Xiaoming, take Zi... Zihao upstairs for a stroll."

The message was quite clear: the area needed to be cleared.

Wang Zihao, sitting to the side, frowned and looked at Lin Ran. Gao Xiaoming didn't move either, clearly somewhat unwilling.

Gao Fuyuan's smile faded slightly. He glanced at his son, and Gao Xiaoming reluctantly prepared to get up.

"No need, we're all on the same side, there's no need to avoid each other."

Lin Ran spoke up, his tone gentle yet firm. He pointed to Wang Zihao, "I brought him here today so he can get to know Xiaoming better. They're classmates, and we'll be seeing each other often in the future."

He spoke with a smile and polite tone, but his words left no room for negotiation.

Gao Fuyuan's smile faltered for a moment. He glanced again at the unremarkable-looking Wang Zihao, then looked at his son and said with a smile, "It's a good thing for young people to make more friends."

Gao Xiaoming glanced at his father, and after receiving permission, returned to his seat, but the atmosphere began to become subtle.

The water on the tea table boiled again, and Gao Fuyuan rinsed the cups again, but this time his movements were noticeably slower than before.

He refilled their teacups, his eyes fixed on the teapot, and slowly asked again, "What does Lin's family do?"

"An ordinary working-class family," Lin Ran answered crisply. "My mother works in a textile factory in the west of the city, and my brother works in a state-owned enterprise."

"Oh..." Gao Fuyuan drawled out, his hand unconsciously starting to twirl the prayer beads.

"It seems Lin is quite familiar with the steel market, much more astute than many industry insiders. Do you have... relatives or friends in this business?"

He then circled back from a different angle.

Lin Ran smiled and said, "Uncle Gao, please don't make fun of me. I just like to read the news. I listen to all sorts of things about macroeconomics and policy guidance, and I start to overthink it. Don't take what I said to Xiaoming last time seriously."

Gao Fuyuan frowned and remained silent. He picked up his teacup and sipped it slowly, his gaze fixed on Lin Ran.

This young man speaks with perfect tact.

On the surface, every word he uttered was humble, but in reality, he left no room for further questioning.

Most importantly, he possessed a composure beyond his years. At this age, standing in front of someone of Gao Fuyuan's wealth and status, one would either be reserved and unable to act freely, or restless and eager to show off.

But he wasn't. He was relaxed but not lax, respectful but not humble, and his eyes were clear but unfathomable.

Having spent most of his life in the entertainment industry, Gao Fuyuan has seen all sorts of people. Some are like photographs, whose entirety can be seen at a glance, while others are more like deep wells, where it takes a long time to hear an echo after a stone is thrown in.

In his view, Lin Ran was clearly the latter.

The air in the tea room seemed somewhat stagnant.

Gao Xiaoming and Wang Zihao exchanged glances, feeling that the two were talking in a cryptic and unclear way, and the atmosphere was inexplicably tense.

"Uncle Gao," Lin Ran broke the silence. He took out two bright red property ownership certificates from his backpack and casually placed them on the table, as if they were unimportant things.

"I came to visit today not only to familiarize myself with the place, but also because I'd like to do some business with Uncle Gao," Lin Ran said calmly.

Gao Fuyuan squinted at the two property certificates on the coffee table, remained silent, and quietly watched Lin Ran, waiting for him to continue.

"Both of these houses are located in the old town area in the east of the city, and I am the owner."

"It's not worth much; the market price is around 600,000."

"I want to use these two houses as a deposit to ask Uncle Gao to help me purchase at least two million yuan worth of steel."