Chapter 26: A High-Profile Return

Qin Jun and Wang Xin accepted the paper bag with trepidation—this was half a million, after all.

“And here’s this empty wine bottle too. It should be worth another four or five hundred thousand. I’m giving it to you as well,” Liu Haoyu said.

He even carried the empty bottle, while the one in Yang Fan’s hand was the unopened one.

“Is it really worth that much?” Qin Jun forced a wry smile.

“You can list it online for a million and see if anyone contacts you,” Yang Fan said with a shrug.

Liu Haoyu had just checked on his phone—the wine bottle alone could fetch 1.2 million at auction.

In other words, the value of this wine was still on the rise. A whole bottle like this simply couldn’t be found on the market anymore.

“Let’s go, get in the car,” Yang Fan said.

Liu Haoyu knew where they were headed: the Imperial View Villas. In this digital age, buying a house might be as simple as a few taps on your phone.

On their way past the bank, Yang Fan withdrew several million in cash, leaving exactly ten million in the card.

The Imperial View Villas were three-story houses. Liu Haoyu had already paid for one. He asked Qin Jun and Wang Xin to wait in the car while he went to collect the keys. Afterwards, he bought lots of supplies at the supermarket. Entering the villa, Yang Fan released the group of girls.

He let them go wash up first. Clothes would be delivered later. He also left each of them with an embedded technique and set up the Eye of Skynet for surveillance before leaving with Liu Haoyu.

In the back seat, Qin Jun was stunned—because someone had actually made an offer, eighty thousand. Yang Fan remained calm, telling them to stay patient, since every extra ten thousand meant another five thousand for each of them.

This meant that now, both Qin Jun and Wang Xin were guaranteed to receive at least ninety-five thousand each—a significant sum. With this money, Qin Jun’s wife and child could live better, and Wang Xin could pursue his own happiness.

After a busy morning, Yang Fan met up with Zhang Chen at noon, and the purchase of the building was settled—he was now buying a property with five million in cash.

With Liu Mingfeng making introductions, the handover was scheduled for the afternoon. Zhao Jing called again, and Yang Fan answered with a video chat.

Her eyes were still red—who knows how many times she’d secretly cried that morning. Now, seeing Yang Fan, she forced a smile.

She spun her phone around, and Zhang Chen and the others insisted on greeting Zhao Jing, even dreaming of being introduced to any of her close friends.

Yang Fan glared at them. How many connections were they trying to make here? One with Xu Zihan, now another with Zhao Jing.

“Stay focused,” he scolded.

“As if it’s any of your business!” they shot back.

Yang Fan was speechless. Casting a wide net, focusing on the catch—typical scoundrel behavior.

“After lunch, we’ll wait here. Haoyu, head home! When you get there—”

Suddenly, Yang Fan remembered the man from last night. When he’d scanned his memory, he learned the man’s field was archaeology and appraisal.

“Wait a moment, don’t go home yet. Wang Jie, bring me my phone.”

“I’m chatting with your sister-in-law!”

“Let me check a number first. You can have it back in a minute,” Yang Fan said.

Wang Jie handed over the phone. Yang Fan checked the number then dialed it from Liu Haoyu’s phone.

The call connected quickly. From the voice alone, Yang Fan recognized the man who’d smashed the car the night before.

They agreed on a meeting spot, and Yang Fan and Liu Haoyu set out.

After all, the handover ceremony wasn’t until four o’clock—they had plenty of time.

It was at the man’s home. After last night’s events, the man had thrown his wife out; the marriage was over. He still wanted those two traitors to come begging to him, just as Yang Fan had said—a real man’s way.

Yang Fan and Liu Haoyu carried the jade, famous paintings, and a few antiques.

The man opened the door, and once inside, Yang Fan laid everything out. Even the man was stunned.

He knew Yang Fan was wealthy, but he had never seen so many treasures in his life.

“Incredible!”

His passion made him examine each item with the care one would grant to rare gems. His expression shifted from delight to shock, then to fear—his hands were trembling.

“Well?” Yang Fan asked.

The man took a moment to compose himself. “These are all masterpieces!”

“How so?”

“Let’s start with the jade. Most of it is ordinary, worth around two million on the market. But these four pieces are different.”

He’d already separated the four. “These are pure nine-colored jade. Each one is a rare treasure, let alone four.”

“What are they worth?”

“Over ten million,” the man replied without hesitation.

“And these antiques—honestly, next to the nine-colored jade, they’re not worth much. Maybe two million each.”

Yang Fan nodded. The man then unveiled the paintings. “These are all originals, worth between three and five million apiece.”

He checked them over and made his final assessment.

Yang Fan and Liu Haoyu silently tallied up the numbers. In truth, everything Wang Peng had ever owned had ended up as a gift to them.

“I’d like to hire you as my private appraiser. You’ll manage all these items.”

The man froze—this was an offer he’d never even dared to imagine.

Yang Fan and Liu Haoyu sat down. “Let me be honest: I’m assembling a team. Here, whatever ambitions you have, I can help make them real. I’ll also assign you some very important tasks.”

“Such as?”

“Giving back to society—helping homeless children, kids who can’t afford school, lost youth, and so on,” Yang Fan said. The greater the power, the greater the responsibility. Besides, ill-gotten gains never sit easy.

The man gathered himself and regarded Yang Fan with newfound respect—this was true virtue.

“I accept,” he answered at once.

“Good, it’s settled. You’ll take charge of these matters. I’ll give you full authority. Now, let’s go buy an office space.”

On the way back, Yang Fan bought several briefcases.

“By the way, what’s the company’s main business?” The man, whose name was Ye Xiao, couldn’t help asking.

“Film, talent management, streaming, luxury goods,” Yang Fan replied. All gold mines in their own right.

“And your wife and her boss?” Liu Haoyu asked.

“I threw her out.”

“From now on, you can have any woman you want. And her boss’s company—is it a software firm?” Yang Fan asked.

“Yes, they do internet work.”

“That’s perfect. We need that,” Liu Haoyu said. They really did need a platform.

“We can’t deal with him yet. Tomorrow, Haoyu and you will go and acquire his company. Make sure he loses everything.”

A cold glint appeared in Ye Xiao’s eyes. In less than twenty-four hours, Yang Fan had shown him heights he’d never dreamed of.

A change in perspective…

They returned to the upscale restaurant and introduced Ye Xiao to the group. The team was officially formed.

At four o’clock, Yang Fan and his party, each carrying a briefcase, entered the new company.

He had returned…