Chapter 40: We Shall Expand!

Yang Fan could hardly be bothered to talk to her anymore. Out of sight, out of mind—let her make as much fuss as she wanted.

“Ding-dong, Superpowered Little Sister’s happiness level has increased by ten percent.”

“Ding-dong, Superpowered Little Sister’s happiness level has increased...”

He couldn’t deny that he was excited again. Was there really such an effect from letting Ai Xiaomei take advantage of him?

He opened the lottery wheel in his mind, and sure enough, the number of reward slots had grown to six. Besides the most basic healing and body-tempering pills, he now spotted time-limited armor and weapons appearing as prizes. Of course, Ai Xiaomei’s hair clip alone took up two slots.

Yang Fan tapped open the description. According to it, the hair clip could boost Superpowered Little Sister’s charm level, and the purpose of charm was to increase the likelihood of meeting new bondholders—in other words, himself.

So basically, this charm was just another trap.

Yang Fan considered it and decided to wait. Although he coveted that dazzling, captivating necklace, the odds of winning it were just too slim. Better to let Ai Xiaomei’s happiness rise a bit more.

He spent the whole afternoon watching the lottery wheel, but after the happiness level hit sixty percent, it didn’t budge for over an hour.

At three o’clock, Zhang Chen’s female secretary arrived. And it had to be said, when Zhang Chen and the others talked about their campus beauty, they weren’t exaggerating. Even Yang Fan, though not in much of a mood, had no objections. He asked Zhang Meng to register them and had Wu Qian show them around.

As finance also handled HR, the authority in financial matters was quite significant.

Yang Fan glanced into the office. Ai Xiaomei was getting more outrageous by the minute. The office was still fine, but in the bedroom, she was flaunting her ‘achievements.’ Xu Zihan could only shake her head helplessly—what could you do when you had a sister like that?

By six in the evening, Ye Xiao and Zhang Chen had returned, and the jade stones were already being processed for auction.

“Old Ye, you really ought to thank me. Look at the secretary I found for you—Xiao Yu.”

Ye Xiao glanced at the exceptionally beautiful girl and nodded. “Alright, I’ll thank you properly. Dinner’s on me tonight! Everyone’s invited.”

“Wait, aren’t you all going to the Liu family’s house?” Yang Fan asked.

“You have your family banquet. We won’t tag along and create trouble. Alright, we’re off.”

With that, the core team of the company was now officially complete. Yang Fan could only shake his head in resignation. When Liu Haoyu called, the three of them went downstairs.

Downstairs, Liu Haoyu had arrived, along with Lin Ruo and Lin Xi. Yang Fan called Zhao Jing to join them, and two cars set out.

The Liu family villa was brand new—a four-story mansion as luxurious as they come. In this world, where you lived was a symbol of your status.

Boss Qian was there too, though who knew whether he truly believed he was about to become in-laws with the Liu family.

Old Brother Chen had also come, bringing his granddaughter, who was about fifteen or sixteen. She was chatting animatedly with Ai Xiaomei.

Yang Fan thought for a moment, then took out a bottle of vintage red wine, a palace edition that was now discontinued.

Even Old Brother Chen was surprised. Though wine worth millions didn’t faze him, what truly interested him was that Yang Fan possessed such a bottle—and he had seen the tiger fish, too. If they could work together, it would be pure profit!

For businessmen like them, their greatest skill was digging for wealth. Where others could extract one, they could dig out tens or hundreds.

That’s why the rich are rich—there’s always a reason.

With the Liu family now branching into film and television, it was almost impossible not to make money.

“As for this wine, when I drink it, it tastes about the same as those worth just a few dozen. I honestly can’t tell the difference. Here, Brother Chen, Boss Qian, let me pour you some—give it a try.”

“This is authentic palace wine. You won’t find another bottle in the world. Look at the pattern on the bottle—it was crafted over ten years by palace artisans of the time.”

Yang Fan curled his lip. He still had plenty of bottles left, but he’d never noticed the pattern before.

Taking a closer look, he realized it was indeed there...

On the other side of the sofa, the girls were chatting away happily, especially Ai Xiaomei, who was utterly in her element. Once she started, she simply couldn’t stop.

Zhao Jing’s expression was as calm as ever. Seeing all these luxury items, she seemed as indifferent as if looking at ordinary things—making Yang Fan find her increasingly inscrutable.

Xu Zihan sat with Lin Ruo and Lin Xi, while Qian Xue’er and Liu Haoyu were deep in conversation...

Yang Fan shook his head. At their table, it was just the four of them.

“Yang Fan, I want to invest in your Fanmei.”

“Welcome! I’m in desperate need of money right now,” Yang Fan replied with a smile.

Like Liu Mingfeng, he never turned away any investors.

“My idea is to invest a portion first, then add more each year to maintain my share ratio.”

“My thoughts are exactly the same as Brother Chen’s,” Boss Qian chimed in.

“Then I’ll be glad to have you both as shareholders. With me and Brother Liu as well, the four of us are bound to make a fortune.”

“We’re looking forward to it!”

The four of them raised their glasses together. Though Yang Fan truly couldn’t taste the millions in the wine, this was a moment that called for a drink.

After chatting a while longer, Boss Qian and Brother Chen left in high spirits. Before they departed, Yang Fan even gave each of them another bottle.

Wang Peng really had ended up preparing everything for Yang Fan, who wondered if he ought to find a monk to perform a blessing for him.

“Two real shrewd ones,” Liu Mingfeng remarked, watching them leave.

“It’s fine—they want to invest, let them. We need the funds right now anyway. Oh, and I forgot to mention something.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know who Bai Tiantian is seeing these days?” Yang Fan said with a hint of mischief, as if to tell Liu Mingfeng, “You’ve got a son being raised by someone else.”

“Who?”

“Wang Huai.”

“The Wang family? One of the top hundred tycoon clans?”

“That’s the one. That idiot Wang Huai is raising your child for you. And by the way, I’ve learned something about the Tycoon Consortium.”

Liu Mingfeng sighed deeply. So Bai Tiantian really was planning to have the baby.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already erased her memories of you. Wang Huai and Bai Tiantian should be thanking me.”

“So what’s this information about the Tycoon Consortium?”

“Let’s talk inside.”

Back in the villa, they called Liu Mingfeng’s younger brother, and the three of them found a secluded reception room.

Yang Fan didn’t mince words. He took out the overcoat.

Inside the lining of this coat was a trove of secrets about the Tycoon Consortium. Of course, nothing on the top fifty, but everything after that was detailed.

There were market trends, confidential data—stuff no ordinary person could access. After all, the Tycoon Consortium essentially set the standard for consumption in Tianning.

Liu Mingfeng flipped through it casually, growing more and more astounded. With this, he was certain—they were poised to become the overlords of Tianning.

Breaking into the top hundred of the Consortium was just around the corner; even the top fifty wasn’t out of reach.

To be among the top fifty—what did that mean? That was the domain of entrenched families. The Liu family had only been around for a handful of years; this was already a badge of honor.

“I’m starting to feel a bit inflated.”

“We’re supposed to feel inflated. Tianning is a land of opportunity!” Yang Fan laughed.