Chapter 142: Workdays of the New Year

The current structure of Fanmei is an integrated operation encompassing film and television, luxury goods, live streaming, talent management, and resorts. The resort sector, in particular, operates through a "six-point linkage" system.

The business model centers on the resort, supported by five satellite estates. Overall, this resort stands independent from the rest of the Fanmei system and is named the Fanmei Resort Estate. It occupies a vast area, most notably featuring a towering office building. Originally known as the Furong Building, it was the resort’s most famous landmark, but after Yang Fan took over, he repurposed it into the headquarters for the six-point linkage system.

This is the central hub of the Fanmei Resort Estate, featuring an amusement park, a large cinema, a resort hotel, the Wanghai Garden villa district, taverns, cafes, couples' villas, a shopping mall, and a large convention center. It caters to all ages and has everything one could desire.

This development occupies only seventy percent of the Huanjiang District; the remaining thirty percent is still available for development. One can only imagine the immense influence Sister Ying must have held within Redemption to have been granted this resort. Yang Fan has certainly walked away with a massive bargain.

"Yang Fan, we’ve been waiting for you! Zhang Chen and the others arrived over half an hour ago; what took you so long?" Liu Mingfeng, President Qian, and President Chen were waiting right at the main entrance.

Yang Fan chuckled, "Are you three planning to retire here? You haven't even gone back to your own homes!"

"President Jiang!" the three men greeted with smiles.

"Gentlemen, it has been quite a while!" Jiang Huai replied, holding Bai Tiantian’s hand.

"We’re just here to enjoy ourselves," President Chen said with a laugh. "We’ve left the heavy lifting at Tianning to Yang Fan; he’s young, so we’ll just focus on the leisure!"

Yang Fan rolled his eyes. *I’d like to enjoy myself too!*

"Come, let me introduce you. Yang Fan, this is Ye Bing, the general manager of our Fanmei Resort Estate. She’s a top-tier graduate from a prestigious university we hired!" Liu Mingfeng explained.

Yang Fan let out a long sigh. *You didn't even spare a student from a top university!*

"Manager Ye, this is President Yang, the head of the Fanmei Group!"

"Nice to meet you, President Yang!" Ye Bing possessed true elegance and was well-suited for the role. With everything kept within their own circle, Liu Mingfeng handing the position to her likely meant their relationship was official.

"Nice to meet you," Yang Fan replied.

"And this is President Jiang from the Jiang family, the biggest investor in our Fanmei Group’s film and television division."

"Nice to meet you, President Jiang, and Mrs. Jiang!"

Zhang Chen and the others stood in the background, watching Liu Haoyu, who looked miserable—his stepmother was the same age as he was.

"Come, President Jiang, please, come in. Jiang, Lin Ruo, and I are already starving!" Yang Fan gestured.

"Yes, yes, please! You’re the last to arrive. Your people arrived last night!" Liu Mingfeng said as they walked.

...

Seeing the interior in person was vastly different from just looking at it from the outside. Once inside, the sensory experience was much more direct, and even Jiang Huai couldn't help but marvel. As for the staff, Yang Fan had retained everything except for services he deemed inappropriate. Consequently, the waitresses remained as they had always been—stunningly beautiful.

In the grandest hall of the resort hotel, the group took their seats. Lin Ruo did not sit with them, but Ye Bing and Bai Tiantian did.

"President Jiang, how do you like it here? After we eat, I’ll take you for a tour."

"It’s excellent. It seems Fanmei’s business is growing ever larger. When we decide to invest, don't go complaining that we're getting in your way!" Jiang Huai joked, gesturing to his group.

"How could that be? Just ask President Liu, President Qian, or President Chen. The four of us would welcome it warmly. To be honest, we’ve been afraid to invest in the remaining thirty percent of the area due to limited capital," Yang Fan laughed.

This was the truth. Liu Mingfeng had his "Four Seasons Anthem" and several music halls, plus a large convention center currently under renovation. With the "Star Creation Project" underway, the scale of the convention center had to be massive. President Qian was in a similar position; the Qian and Liu families were on par, and he had poured his capital into the convention center as well. While President Chen was wealthy, his other industries were numerous, leaving the development of that last thirty percent stalled.

"If there’s thirty percent left, we’ll definitely invest," Jiang Huai and the others decided. Jiang Huai was determined to bind his fate to Yang Fan’s. Money was trivial; what mattered was survival. He didn't care about the potential returns of that thirty percent; he believed in Yang Fan. Besides, once he defeated Jiang Bo, the Jiang family would be his, and this small investment would be insignificant.

"If you ask me, you should hold your wedding with Bai Tiantian here. It comes with a seven-day honeymoon package—how perfect is that!"

"Then it’s settled!" Jiang Huai declared immediately.

After the meal, everyone took a tour. The environment was elegant, surrounded by the river on three sides, with yachts drifting across the water. Yang Fan spotted Zhao Mengnan and her team scouting for a shoot. He waved, and Zhao Mengnan blew him a kiss. As soon as Yang Fan turned back, he saw Lin Ruo glaring at him.

*How bitter,* he thought. *How am I going to get the money for Wang Yun’s gift out of Lin Ruo?*

Their accommodation was in the Wanghai Garden viewing villas, reserved for the highest-end clients, with prices varying by location. One villa was specifically reserved for Yang Fan. Jiang Huai took Bai Tiantian to rest, while Zhang Chen, Xu Tao, and Liu Haoyu went off to enjoy the resort. They tried to drag Yang Fan along, but he had matters to attend to.

He still hadn't secured the money for the gift. When he entered the villa, Lin Ruo went straight to her room before he could even speak.

"Lin Ruo, wait! Let’s talk about this!" Yang Fan chased after her, but Lin Ruo didn't want to hear a word.

"Get out!"

"Just make an exception this once!" Yang Fan pleaded, feeling miserable. This wasn't just a matter of a few hundred or a few thousand.

"Do you think that's possible? Let’s look at the facts: Lin Xi and I live in the Garden Residential Complex. The place where Zhao Jing lives isn't even as good as that. And Yufei lives at the Women’s Academy, doesn't she? Didn't Wu Qian sell her villa to donate to the academy?" Lin Ruo retorted.

"But that’s because she’s far away!"

"So what if she's far? Does distance grant privileges? Get out, I need to change!" Lin Ruo had no interest in further discussion.

She was likely still angry about the incident in the car. Yang Fan retreated to the living room, feeling dejected. After waiting for a long time without Lin Ruo emerging, his phone rang—it was Wang Yun.

Yang Fan answered tentatively. He could hear the sounds of traffic on the other end, and in the background, he could even hear Zhang Chen cheering on the river.

"Where are you?" Yang Fan asked.

"At the resort! I’ve come to pick you up. Hurry down, I’m right in front of the resort hotel," Wang Yun said.