Boss's name is William Young. No one knows if his ancestors have any connection to that Yang Dingtian from Jin Yong's novels, but just judging by the name, Boss's name is clearly more striking than Yang Dingtian's—straightforward, easy to understand, and memorable. From the literal meaning, it also implies that Yang is, well, quite great. However, every time Boss is introduced by others, no one ever explains the true meaning of his name in detail, so Will has become Boss's official nickname both in and out of school, used by everyone, young and old.

Will's parents were originally ordinary factory workers, but his mother had sharp vision, boldness, and attention to detail. When Zhonghai Securities was first established, the factory where his parents worked was restructured and listed. Back in the late 1980s, people didn't really understand or accept the new concept of stocks. They always felt safer keeping their money in the bank or at home, so no one wanted to spend money to buy shares, and only bought a tiny amount when forced to.

At that time, his mother stood firm against the family's objections, borrowed over a hundred thousand yuan from her own family, and bought up a lot of the factory's stock from her colleagues at the original price. After the company went public, she made a good profit. Later, when the stock market started to heat up, she carried several sacks of ID cards, hired people to stand in line, and bought a lot of subscription certificates to speculate. This series of actions allowed her to complete the original accumulation of capital.

After that, William Young's family withdrew from the stock market and started a company, focusing on foreign trade. When the Soviet Union collapsed, they even chartered a whole train to ship goods to Russia—a big move. Although Will's parents weren't highly educated, in today's bustling city, they could be considered quite influential.

Back in the 90s, there wasn't really a saying about "second-generation rich kids being useless," but because Will's parents had suffered a lot from their lack of education, they were determined to give their son the best upbringing. They put all their effort into raising him and sent Will to a prestigious university. As for why he majored in accounting, it was because when his parents first started their business, they often made mistakes with the accounts—either giving people too much change or not collecting enough money—so they really suffered from it!

Because he was quite accomplished and brought honor to his parents, Will was also pretty well-off financially. When he started college, he already had a "big brother" mobile phone—a huge, black brick. Back then, it was still a 9-series analog number, and mobile calls were really mobile. You'd often see Boss wandering around the stairs with his black brick, looking for a signal.

Among the five brothers, Ryan Bennett was the youngest, but he was diligent, steady, honest, and loyal. He often helped the others copy notes, answer roll calls, and so on. So after four years, the group was as close as real brothers. Ryan Bennett was able to get a job at the pawnshop thanks to a favor from Will's mother.

……

“Heh, Uncle David, you’re here too! My dad bought a painting a few days ago and was just saying he wanted you to take a look at it. You know how my dad is—last time he insisted that Tang Yin and Tang Bohu were two different people. I argued with him about it and almost got hit with a broom! With his level of knowledge, now he insists on collecting antiques—he’s totally clueless!”

William Young and Uncle David were also well acquainted, and as soon as they met, he started poking fun at his own dad.

“You brat, is that any way to talk about your old man? But Old Yang is something else. I told him last time, if you want to play in this field, you need to watch and listen more and act less. I bet he got fooled by someone’s story again this time. Alright, I’ll find some time to go take a look.”

Uncle David scolded William Young with a smile, then turned to Ryan Bennett and his mother and said, “Little Ryan, sister-in-law, I won’t see you off. Next time Little Ryan comes back to Zhonghai, you should come stay too! Living together will let Little Ryan show his filial piety, and you’ll have someone to look after you.”

After Ryan Bennett saw Uncle David out, William Young was already helping him pack. A few days earlier, Ryan Bennett had asked him to help buy train tickets. The Spring Festival travel rush had already started, and if you didn’t book in advance, you probably wouldn’t be able to get home for the New Year. The train was at 1 p.m., and they should arrive in Pengcheng around 11 at night.

“Little one, you’re still recovering and can’t eat anything too greasy. Auntie Zhuang, last time you came to Zhonghai, I didn’t get to treat you. Let’s go have some local Zhonghai snacks for lunch! Come on, we’re brothers—no need to be so polite. The hospital bill will be settled by your company, and everything’s packed. Let’s go!”

Most of the things in the special care ward were provided by the hospital for free, so Ryan Bennett didn’t have much to pack—just a backpack, which William Young carried in his hand as he turned to Ryan Bennett.

Ryan Bennett opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. He already owed Boss too many favors, and just saying thank you wouldn’t be enough. He decided to keep it in his heart. At this moment, Ryan Bennett felt that in four years of college, learning knowledge was only part of it; having a few true friends like this was the greatest treasure.

Walking out of the hospital, Ryan Bennett felt a bit of regret, because he hadn’t seen Nurse Foster, who had taken care of him for more than ten days, before leaving. He had just gone to the doctors’ duty room to thank Nurse Foster, but was told that Nurse Foster was on leave.

Actually, in Ryan Bennett’s heart, saying thank you was secondary. He was still thinking that if what he saw that morning was real, then that person must have been Nurse Foster. But now there was no more chance. Zhonghai is such a big city; there would probably never be another opportunity to meet. Besides, even if he did, he wouldn’t recognize her!