On the other side, Xia Ruoxi brought Lin Fan into the rear garden of the Xia Family estate.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her playful lips curling slightly upward, her eyes shimmering with a trace of pride. “Well? I told you I’d help you get revenge when we ran into your ex-wife. Are you satisfied with the result?”
Lin Fan smiled calmly. “Thank you. What you said just now really cleared all the frustration I’d been holding in.”
“However, for my sake, you took out a Heavenly Pearl worth over 1.2 billion yuan to make a bet with Qiao Wanyan. If you lose, I’d really feel bad.”
Xia Ruoxi replied casually, “I’m very good at judging people. How could I possibly lose?” Midway, she blinked, then suddenly froze. “Wait… how did you know my Heavenly Pearl is called the Rainbow Hidden Heavenly Pearl? And how did you even guess its value?”
As she asked this, a wave of shock rose in her heart.
This heirloom of her family—only the closest members of the Xia Family knew its exact name. It was a rare treasure; even top appraisal experts couldn’t identify its true name. Yet the value Lin Fan mentioned was exactly the same as the estimate given by her grandfather’s close friend, the top appraiser of Sanji Province.
The more she thought about it, the more disbelief filled her eyes.
Lin Fan brushed it off lightly. “Watched too many appraisal shows. Picked up a thing or two.”
Just as Xia Ruoxi was about to press further, a message from Xia Ruoxuan came through.
“Little sister, go check the gifts and handle some documents while you’re at it. Hurry.”
Xia Ruoxi puffed her cheeks in annoyance. Her elder sister always ordered her around like a boss.
She patted Lin Fan on the shoulder and smiled. “Go to the VIP area and watch the show for a bit. My sister wants me to work. I’ll come find you once I’m done.”
Lin Fan nodded. “Alright, go ahead.”
After saying that, he walked out of the rear garden.
Watching his departing figure, Xia Ruoxi muttered, “Back then, he also saw through that Tang dynasty vase at a glance… Lin Fan, could it be that you really have the ability to identify treasures instantly?”
“What kind of identity are you hiding…”
Soon, Lin Fan picked up a plate of delicate desserts from the buffet. After strolling around for a while, he arrived at the VIP area near the garden stage.
White mist drifted across the stage. Beautiful women dressed in classical gowns played the zither and danced gracefully—an enchanting sight.
He scanned the area and noticed that the seating here was extremely particular. Each table had a nameplate, and elegant women in cheongsams stood behind to serve.
A puzzled look crossed his face.
He had actually been assigned to Qiao Wanyan’s table.
Since wandering aimlessly wouldn’t help, he simply walked over and sat down openly.
Qiao Wanyan coughed lightly and put on a stern face.
He Junhui tapped the table in front of Lin Fan and mocked him with a sarcastic tone. “Looks like you’ve really mastered the art of living off others. Just got divorced by Qiao Wanyan, and now Xia Ruoxi is already taking care of you.” This story is hosted at novelping(.)com.
“So even without money or power, you still get to sit in the front row of the VIP area. That’s quite a skill.”
Lin Fan sneered. “If you don’t want to end up getting beaten like a dog here, you’d better shut up.”
He Junhui let out a snort. “You’ve got quite the memory problem. Didn’t Xia Ruoxi just take out a Heavenly Pearl and bet on your character? Why don’t you try hitting me?”
Lin Fan sighed in amazement. “You really are despicable.”
At that moment, Qiao Wanyan’s phone rang—it was her best friend Yang Qianyu.
“Good news! I’ve received insider information from the Hundred Merchants Venture Capital Fund. The Phoenix City Project has already been submitted to the big boss for review!”
Qiao Wanyan nearly jumped up in excitement, her body trembling, causing the nearby men to swallow hard.
Only then did she realize she had lost her composure. Covering the phone, she said quickly, “Got it, got it… help me keep tracking it.”
After hanging up, her face lit up with joy as she turned to He Junhui. “Young Master He, thank you so much. Yang Qianyu just told me the Phoenix City Project has already been sent to the big boss of the Hundred Merchants Venture Capital Fund.”
He Junhui smiled modestly, though clearly pleased. “It’s nothing. I’ll have my father put in another word to make sure it gets finalized.”
Qiao Wanyan’s eyes sparkled. “That would be wonderful. Thank you—please thank Patriarch He for me as well.”
Lin Fan seemed to realize something.
Didn’t the Head of the Xia Family say that the Hundred Merchants Venture Capital Fund was secretly launched by them? If so, then this project must be decided by Xia Ruoxi…
Still, Qiao Wanyan’s matters had nothing to do with him. He simply watched the performance and ate his desserts.
Yet He Junhui continued to show off, speaking loudly to Lin Fan. “The sky is vast enough for birds to fly freely. My He Family also has its own connections. Don’t think that just because you badmouthed Qiao Wanyan in front of Xia Ruoxi, the Phoenix City Project will fall through.”
“Let me tell you, as long as I, He Junhui, am here, Qiao Wanyan’s group will still thrive. The project won’t fail.”
“Ever heard of the Hundred Merchants Venture Capital Fund? Its strength is no less than the Dingyuan Chamber of Commerce. The project manager inside is practically life-and-death brothers with my father!”
Lin Fan waved his hand dismissively. “It has nothing to do with me. You don’t need to report to me.”
He Junhui laughed angrily. “Report? Who do you think you are?”
“I just can’t swallow this on Qiao Wanyan’s behalf!”
His attitude was arrogant and aggressive. He was deliberately provoking Lin Fan over the bet Xia Ruoxi had made with the Heavenly Pearl.
As long as Lin Fan dared to make a move, the Xia Family’s heirloom would naturally fall into Qiao Wanyan’s hands.
Lin Fan understood his malicious intent, but he treated him like a clown and said mockingly, “Don’t tell me too much. Otherwise, when things go wrong later, you might end up blaming me again.”
Qiao Wanyan had originally decided to ignore Lin Fan completely, but hearing this reignited her anger.
Her brows knitted tightly as she snapped, “Lin Fan, shut up.”
“You almost ruined my project, and now you’re acting innocent. Are you afraid I don’t hate you enough?”
Lin Fan ignored her entirely. He simply watched the performance and clapped, which caused an inexplicable ache to stir in Qiao Wanyan’s heart once more.
…
Meanwhile, on the seventh floor office of White Crane Tower, the core building of the Xia Family.
Xia Ruoxi skimmed through the gift list at lightning speed.
Beside her stood Uncle Wen, the elderly butler with silver hair, dressed in a luxurious grey brocade robe, his expression kind and respectful.
He bent slightly and spoke in a low voice, “Second Miss, the white jade crab cage jointly sent by Qiao Group and Junhui Group is a fake. Yet on the gift card, it claims to be from the Treasure Pavilion, an ice-grade jade crab cage worth 30 million yuan. This…”
He stopped there, waiting for Xia Ruoxi’s decision.
Xia Ruoxi smiled faintly. The Xia Family’s treasure vault contained more than the Binhai City Museum. Yet Qiao Wanyan and He Junhui were foolish enough to use a fake item to curry favor.
Especially daring to pull such a stunt during her grandfather’s birthday—if she chose to pursue it, the two of them would likely be finished in Binhai City’s business circle.
However, after a moment’s thought, she hesitated.
On the surface, Lin Fan acted indifferent toward Qiao Wanyan. But with a woman’s intuition, she knew clearly—Lin Fan was deeply devoted, still unable to let her go.
If she spoke a single word and pushed Qiao Wanyan into ruin, it might affect how Lin Fan viewed her.
Silently, she made a plan—to gather dirt on Qiao Wanyan and let Lin Fan discover it “by accident.”
Only by making Lin Fan completely give up on her was the result she truly wanted.
“You don’t need to handle this. Keep the item. I’ll deal with it myself.”
Uncle Wen nodded slightly. “Yes.”
After he withdrew, Dong Wei entered—his figure plump, face oily, dressed in a suspender suit, holding a stack of documents. He bowed repeatedly with a flattering smile.
He was the public chairman of the Hundred Merchants Venture Capital Fund, answering only to the Head of the Xia Family, Xia Ruoxuan, and Xia Ruoxi.
Walking up to Xia Ruoxi, he carefully spread the documents across the table. “Second Miss, these are the eight projects that have entered final review. Please make the final decision.”
Xia Ruoxi glanced over them, then picked up the file for the Phoenix City Project.
She let out a soft snort. “Hmph… Qiao Wanyan again?”