Chapter 138: The Prodigy Ai Xiaomei

When Yang Fan woke up the next day, it was already afternoon. Lin Ruo, Ai Xiaomei, Lin Xi, and Xu Zihan were all at home, and the sound of a puppy barking echoed through the rooms.

Yang Fan was still groggy when the door opened and Ai Xiaomei’s little head poked in.

"Get out! I don't want to talk to you!"

"Pfft, you don't want to talk to me, but I want to talk to you!" Ai Xiaomei ignored his irritability and walked right in.

"If you have something to say, say it. If not, go out and play by yourself."

"I'll give you two thousand yuan!"

"You? That kind?" Yang Fan couldn't help but retort.

"Really, I’m not lying this time. You help me look after my puppy for one day tomorrow, and I’ll give you two thousand."

"And what are you doing tomorrow?"

"We’re going out to have fun! Tomorrow is the last day of the holiday, so we want to enjoy it," Ai Xiaomei said, swinging her legs.

"And who are you going with?"

"All of us. Think about it—Sister Yufei has been so tired every day, don't you think she needs a break? Do you have the heart to deny her that?"

"Don't give me that. You just want to go have fun yourself."

"That’s just tagging along. Just tell me, yes or no? Two thousand to look after it for a day."

"So, what you’re saying is, I’ve been abandoned again!"

"We’re all girls; it’s not convenient for a big guy like you to come along!"

Yang Fan curled his lip. It was obvious they just didn't want him there.

"Yes or no?"

"Yes, give me the money first!" Yang Fan thought, *Once you pay me, I’ll just find someone else to watch the dog tomorrow. Since you’ll all be gone, I’ll just head to the Women's Academy for the day.* It was a guaranteed win—a chance to earn two thousand yuan. Where else could he find such a deal?

"Wait right here, I’ll go get it!" Ai Xiaomei ran off happily. Yang Fan waited, but when he saw the slip of paper she handed him, he froze.

"Two thousand. It’s settled!"

"Ai Xiaomei, this is an IOU!"

"Exactly, and that’s as good as money! I’ve already committed to it, you can't back out now!"

"Ai Xiaomei, I will never believe you again!" Yang Fan collapsed back onto his bed, too defeated to even move.

"And go wash my bedsheets while you're at it!"

"They're already dry!"

...

That evening, everyone gathered for dinner at the Night Flame Hotel. Since Liu Mingfeng and the others were still at the resort, it was just the team from Fanmei Company.

Another year had passed, and the dinner was filled with anticipation for the new year. The first group of people who had followed Yang Fan now had savings, houses, and cars—they lacked for nothing. Even the ordinary staff earned far more than they could elsewhere. Everyone wanted to join such a company, but by December, Fanmei had stopped hiring externally because, in just two months, its efficiency had reached heights many companies could never have imagined.

A company of such high caliber naturally required more social experience, capability, and academic qualifications, so they began to establish a series of rigorous screening processes. Being able to join the company was a rare honor, and the original staff felt a deep sense of pride.

"Tell me, Wang Xin, Zhang Meng—have your parents finally reached an agreement?" Yang Fan asked.

"Our situation is already set in stone. You should be worried about Old Ye and his secretary, Xiaoyu!"

"Oh? Is that so? Well, Old Ye, you’d better treat us to a meal!" Yang Fan said. He had been so busy with outside affairs that he hadn't realized there were romantic entanglements within the company.

"I will, definitely!" Ye Xiao laughed. Xiaoyu, sitting beside him, blushed; this was essentially their public debut.

"Treating him is useless, you should treat me! If I hadn't assigned Xiaoyu as his secretary, who knows who she’d be with now?" Zhang Chen joked.

"Does that mean you and your secretary are almost there too?" Yang Fan teased.

"You think we’re like you? If something happens..." Xu Tao stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing the secretaries were all sitting right there.

At another table, the women—everyone except Wu Qian, who was with the others—sat together.

"What are they talking about?" Xia Yufei asked.

"Something about secretaries," Zhao Jing said with a smile.

"A bunch of reckless men!"

Someone called for Xia Yufei—it was Li Susu and the others. Zhao Mengnan had gone to the resort; she was the lead actress for the Reincarnation Cigarettes project.

"I'm going over to chat with Susu and the others!" Xia Yufei waved to the group and walked off. At the table by the door, A-Ming and his crew were drinking.

This night marked the sixth month since the super-powered Ai Xiaomei had come to Yang Fan’s side. In just half a year, Yang Fan’s life had completely transformed.

"I’m going to take my dog for a walk in the kitchen!"

Yang Fan immediately grabbed Ai Xiaomei and dragged her back. *If I let you into the kitchen, how are we supposed to eat?*

...

At ten o'clock that night, Yang Fan happily followed everyone to the Huanjiang Club. He hadn't enjoyed such treatment in months.

After a massage, he shared a bed with Wu Qian and Xia Yufei. Since the incident with the "Redemption" fire, he hadn't touched Xia Yufei, mostly because she was so busy that he couldn't bear to disturb her. But tonight, she was happy to be there. With Wu Qian on his left and Xia Yufei on his right, he was truly content.

"The Lunar New Year is in a month. I’m going home for a few days," Xia Yufei said.

"I’m going back too," Wu Qian added.

Yang Fan desperately wanted to say he didn't have the ability to clone himself.

"Are you going back?"

"I probably have to go back for a couple of days. I’ll go early, though. I need to stay here at the Women's Academy for a bit so they feel secure; otherwise, they’ll worry that I’m abandoning them."

"Then we’ll come back to be with you as soon as possible!"

"Alright," Yang Fan replied. *For the New Year, I’ll just send Ai Xiaomei home for a few days so she doesn’t stay here and keep trying to scam me.*

After a night of bliss, Yang Fan woke up late the next morning to find that they had indeed gone out to play. After a quick meal, he took Ai Xiaomei’s two dogs and headed to the Women's Academy with Liu Haoyu.

Because they hadn't seen him in a few days, the girls were ecstatic when he arrived. They were like abandoned children, and Yang Fan was the only master they had left. Even the staff felt that the smiles on the girls' faces were the most genuine they had ever seen, as their usual smiles often felt like tasks, lessons, or tools to please others.

It was, in its own way, a form of dependency.

Yang Fan didn't go anywhere else all day; he stayed there to keep them company. He was off, after all. For once, not a single phone call came in; even Huo Xinxie didn't bother him. Tomorrow afternoon, he would have to leave for the resort.

He also needed to go to Tianhai to see Wang Yun and figure out how to settle the "debt" of her first time.

That, he realized, was going to be a problem.