Chapter 127: The Heads of Both Families

In the office, Ajiu, Scarface and the other four men, along with President Han, all rose to greet them.

“President Yang!”

“Boss!”

…

“Everyone, sit down!” Yang Fan waved a hand and took his seat. Wu Qian came in as well and stood behind him.

“How has everyone been lately? I only just finished dealing with everything, so I thought I’d call you all together for a little gathering.”

“How are things with you, President Han?” Yang Fan asked with a smile.

“About the same as always. Lately, I don’t even feel like moving,” President Han replied.

“You should get out and walk around more. You’ve made plenty of money; it’s time you enjoyed life properly.”

“President Yang is right.”

President Han was now on the same side as Yang Fan. Moreover, just as Yang Fan had predicted, the police had not pursued the matter against him. Since many wealthy businessmen had been taken down by the police, the Han family had been able to acquire several businesses. They had not only avoided losses but had made a profit as well.

The same was true in Tianhai. Ajiu and the others had received the news, and they too had gained enormously from the reshuffling.

Of course, this was not a matter of exploiting loopholes. They had only acquired the businesses of minor tycoons. As for the major ones—especially those ranked among Tanning’s top two hundred—only a symbolic few had been eliminated, as a warning to the rest. The wealthy businessmen were expected to conduct their affairs properly.

After all, disturbing one part could shake the whole structure. These wealthy families were the foundation of the entire city.

“And what about you? How have things been lately? You must have made a fortune!” Yang Fan asked, looking toward Ajiu and the others.

Of the five businessmen, two were in real estate. Ajiu’s company dealt in trade, Scarface’s business was a supermarket chain, and Zhou Liang specialized in seafood processing.

“Everything’s going well. We came here this time to visit you, Boss, and then take the brothers back with us.”

Ajiu and the others worshiped Yang Fan completely. This was truly a path to glory and wealth!

“Good. Our businesses should join forces. President Han in particular—you can expand your operations into Tianhai City as well. Don’t keep your eyes fixed only on our side,” Yang Fan said with a smile.

“Then I’ll be counting on everyone’s support.”

“President Han, there’s no need to be so polite. These five are all family. And if you need anything from me, just say so directly.”

That was simply Yang Fan’s nature. He disliked being constrained, and he disliked constraining others.

With a wave of his hand, all the restrictions placed on them were lifted. Those restraints had only been imposed because he had feared they might prove unreliable.

As for the other two men in Tianhai, Yang Fan gave them the antidote directly. By now, of course, none of them dared harbor any ulterior motives.

“President Yang, this is…”

Each of them took out a bank card, and Yang Fan accepted them without the slightest hesitation.

“All right. Enjoy yourselves while you’re in Tanning. I won’t see you out. We’ll keep in touch from now on, and when there’s money to be made, we’ll make it together.”

“President Yang is right.”

“By the way, Boss, how did the interrogation of the people from Redemption go?” Ajiu asked.

“The trial won’t begin for a few more days. The key figures will certainly receive the death penalty. As for those on the periphery, they’ll probably get life imprisonment.”

“That bunch should have been killed long ago!” Scarface said.

…

After President Han and the others left, Yang Fan handed the six cards to Liu Haoyu. The amount in each card was certainly well above ten million.

The more he earned, the more he made. This was the power his supernatural abilities had granted him. In only a few short months, Yang Fan had gone from eating instant noodles with Ai Xiaomei to making hundreds of millions at a time.

He had to take the Heavenly Separation Pill. It could turn an ordinary person directly into a supernatural being, but the pill was covered by a protective membrane on its outermost layer, and that membrane would not fall away for two months.

This was another one of the system’s tricks. Because of it, Ai Xiaomei had managed to swindle him once again. That girl truly could find a way into anything.

“President Yang!” Wu Qian called.

“What is it?”

“Wang Yun came last night, so I didn’t go home.”

Wu Qian nodded vigorously. No matter whom Yang Fan was with or where he went to handle some matter, he would always tell everyone.

“You didn’t bring her home?”

“She stayed at Sister Xi’s place last night. I’ll look for her again in a few days when I go to Tianhai.”

Three days later, Yang Fan attended the trial as the founder of the Girls’ Academy and the legal guardian of the more than three thousand girls. The parents who had already confirmed their daughters’ identities attended as well. Their daughters had suffered so terribly, and naturally, they wanted justice for them.

The crime was exceptionally vile. The senior members of Redemption were sentenced to death in court. More than fifty core members received the same punishment, while the rest were sentenced to life imprisonment. The nature of their crimes had reached a level that aroused the fury of both heaven and humanity.

Whether in public or private, according to reason or emotion, they all deserved to die.

Outside the courthouse, the girls’ parents wept uncontrollably. Yang Fan and Xia Yufei spent a long time comforting them. These poor mothers would also enter the Girls’ Academy. They wanted nothing more than to care for their daughters.

At Yang Fan’s request, special approval was granted for the girls to be registered in the household records. Officials from the household registration office began handling the matter, but all the girls declared in unison that they wanted to bear the surname Yang—the same surname as Yang Fan. In their hearts, their master was Yang Fan.

Officials from the province came down, and senior officials from Tanning and Tianhai visited to inspect the girls’ condition. There was still no sign of improvement. Just as the experts had said, if their condition worsened, it could last for decades.

Yang Fan pondered the matter. After discussing it with the orphanage director, he arranged for the orphans to begin interacting with the girls they regarded as older sisters. The results of the first meeting were quite encouraging.

This was the Girls’ Academy. After officials from the household registration office became involved, Yang Fan used the excuse that he needed Lin Ruo to supervise him and argued with her at length until she finally agreed to follow him.

Otherwise, if Lin Ruo happened to investigate on a whim, his marriage would be exposed immediately.

Before anyone realized it, the year had already reached its end. As the New Year approached, Yang Fan’s greatest wish was that these girls could forget the past.

“Master, I want a kitten, just like the principal’s—but even smaller.”

“All right. Tomorrow I’ll give each of you a kitten. But let’s make one thing clear first: you must take good care of them!”

“No problem,” Yang Xin said.

Yang Xin was a girl’s name, belonging to one of the girls who had originally lived in the Imperial View Villa.

“What’s wrong, Yang Rui?” Xu Zihan asked when she saw a girl standing motionless.

“I don’t like cats. I prefer dogs!”

“I want a dog too—and it has to be a really cute one!” Ai Xiaomei said. She had truly been enjoying herself during this period. Here, whenever Yang Fan told her to go home, she refused!

“You should be satisfied if you can take care of yourself,” Yang Fan said irritably.

“Hmph!” Ai Xiaomei puffed up angrily.

“Yang Rui, I’ll give you a puppy tomorrow.”

Yang Rui was overjoyed. Soon, more and more girls began asking Yang Fan for various small animals. He agreed to everything immediately. Since there were so many of them, he simply memorized the kinds of animals they wanted.

“I think teaching them how to care for others is actually a good thing,” Xu Zihan said.

Yang Fan chuckled. Tonight was the final night of the year, and everyone was gathered there. On the mountains outside, officials from the province, Tanning and Tianhai stood on high ground, looking down from above. All they could see were the sounds of laughter and celebration rising from the Girls’ Academy.

“May all the unhappiness come to an end. I only hope they can gain a new life!”

Zhang Chen and the others were even more impatient. Since it was only eight o’clock, they immediately made a trip back to Tanning and brought back every cat, dog and other pet they could find in the pet shops.

Ai Xiaomei happily claimed two puppies and ran off to play with them.

Scene after scene moved everyone deeply.

“Listen, everyone! We’re going to shout as loudly as we can and pray for the coming year!”

“Ten!”

“Nine!”

…

The entire crowd shouted together. This was a night of rebirth.

“Five!”

“Four!”

The numbers were called out one by one. With every leap of time, all those hellish, disaster-filled days were washed away.

“One!”

Fireworks burst across the night sky. They were the most beautiful fireworks of all, streaking across the hearts of everyone present.

Every girl clasped her hands together and made her most beautiful wish.