"Look at you with your snobbish, opportunistic attitude! Always looking down on everyone, and what now?! Someone got rich, does your face hurt?!"

Guo Yuhong muttered guiltily, "Our family doesn't need to beg them..."

"How the hell would you know that? Huh?!"

Lao Liu's temper became even more volatile. "Han Lie made at least a few million as soon as he started his freshman year of college! How do you know for sure we won't need his help in the future?! You think your daughter's so beautiful that she could sweep through the entertainment industry, right?! She's going to be a big star right after graduation, right?!"

"Who could have seen that coming back then..." Guo Yuhong continued to mutter quietly. Her usual assertiveness was gone, and her confidence was completely deflated.

Lao Liu was so angry he didn't even eat. He went back to his bedroom, slammed the door, and lay on the bed, groaning in discomfort.

It wasn't that he insistently wanted his daughter to have something going on with Han Lie, but the more he thought about it, the more it got to his head. Originally, the two kids got along pretty well, and there wasn't any sign of trouble. You could just treat them as playmates, be normal towards them on the surface, and be stricter in private, right?! Once they started college and went their separate ways, their friendship would naturally have settled at the most appropriate point. But Guo Hongyu, oh no, she had to meddle. After Little Wang downstairs made a few gossipy comments, she just had to stick her nose in, treating Han Lie with utter disdain and completely ruining the relationship between the two families. Now look! Han Lie has soared to new heights, and the whole building is laughing at our family. Happy now? Never mind whether we'll need Han Lie's help in the future—just look at the present. It's so damn embarrassing!

Meanwhile, Old Dong was also at home, sighing. He couldn't understand how Han Lie had suddenly become so impressive. Had he ever shown any extraordinary talents before? Not that he could recall.

In the Han Family, Chief Xu was also trying to gather information, while Huang Yu and his wife chimed in.

"Little Lie, how did you make your fortune?"

Han Lie wanted to use them to spread some information, so he answered promptly. "On one hand, I had the help of a benefactor; on the other, I took the right path. I helped manage several asset securitization projects for others, mainly focusing on real estate. You could simplify it as helping developers with financing. I made a little money from it..."

Han Lie didn't mention private equity. He brought up real estate securitization for specific reasons. There were some long-standing issues from this trip home that needed to be thoroughly resolved. Old Xu was a potentially useful, but not essential, piece in his plan. If he played a role, great; if not, Han Lie had other methods.

Old Xu didn't understand Han Lie's underlying intentions, but he was visibly impressed, slapping his thigh in admiration. "Holy cow! You can actually do it like that? You absolutely deserve to make big money!"

Old Xu was knowledgeable. Having previously found short-term bridge financing for developers himself, he understood the gist and realized just how audacious Han Lie's methods were. Later, when he was out drinking with friends, he spread the story, adding his own embellishments.

What a novel topic for gossip!

The upper circles of Dream City weren't large. Soon, interested parties caught wind of news about a "financing master returned from Magic Capital." Some developers, desperate enough to bang their heads against a wall, began making inquiries, trying to figure out how to visit this expert.

One evening, Pan Dajun knocked over his teacup. His eyes widened in utter shock as he demanded, "Wait! Say that again! What's the name of this financing expert?!"

***

The plot points at home mainly revolve around resolving issues with his parents and, looking ahead, how to interact with future in-laws. A well-rounded story can't solely consist of high-flying strategies and ambitious career paths. There won't be too much focus on domestic trifles. Just saying.