Upon returning to the villa, Su Qingxue's stomach was growling with hunger. It wasn't convenient to go out and eat at this hour.
Ye Fan asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Mhm, mhm!" Su Qingxue nodded, hugging a pillow. She looked so adorably helpless that Ye Fan couldn't possibly refuse a beautiful woman.
So, he immediately said, "Come eat a banana!"
Su Qingxue instantly grew angry, and Ye Fan quickly corrected himself. "My mistake! I meant I'll make you a bowl of noodles!"
He wiped away the cold sweat. The words had slipped out by force of habit, but he had accidentally blurted out his wildest fantasy. I'm internally freaking out. Still, it exposed the truth that he was an old hand at this sort of thing.
Su Qingxue waited in the living room, and before long, he brought out a steaming bowl of noodle soup. The aroma alone was irresistible, and when Ye Fan handed her a pair of chopsticks, she began to eat.
It had to be said, this was the most delicious bowl of noodle soup she had ever tasted. Although it looked simple, she could taste the sincerity in it. Ye Fan had truly cooked this bowl of noodles with all his heart. She was very moved. Thinking about it now, having a man prepare a bowl of noodle soup for her when she was starving was a true blessing.
Outside, a thunderstorm raged. The noise unsettled Su Qingxue, who had feared thunder and lightning since childhood. She could never sleep well on stormy nights, and a night like this made it impossible for her to rest peacefully.
Seeing the late hour, Ye Fan said, "Alright, my dear wife, it's getting late. You should get some rest!"
"You… where are you going?" Su Qingxue asked sheepishly.
Ye Fan was speechless. Where else could I possibly go at this hour?
So, he said with a sigh, "I'm going downstairs to sleep, of course."
"Can you stay with me? I'm scared!" As she spoke, Su Qingxue's face flushed red. As a conservative and unmarried woman, it took an immense amount of courage for her to say something like that.
Instantly, Ye Fan felt like bursting into song. Has happiness come too suddenly? I'm completely unprepared! This was a truly an unexpected turn of events. It seems Su Qingxue has finally been seduced by my handsome and extraordinary charm.
He readily agreed, "I couldn't ask for more!"
A pillow lay between them in the bed, but Ye Fan just thought to himself, What's a mere pillow? If I, Laozi, wanted to, not even an iron ingot could withstand my Vajra drill.
However, he recalled a legend—an internet joke he'd once read. A woman and a man checked into a hotel room. The woman drew a line on the bed and declared that if the man crossed it, he was a beast. That night, the man truly did not cross the line. The next morning, the woman woke up and slapped him, yelling that he was worse than a beast.
Su Qingxue must have seen that joke, too, he thought. This must be a hint. No, a clear invitation!
With that, Ye Fan confidently reached over the pillow and grabbed for her.
Instantly, Su Qingxue swatted his hand away. Ye Fan was crestfallen. That popular joke completely failed me. I'd just like a word with whoever wrote it. Get over here. I promise I won't beat you to death.
BOOM!
A loud thunderclap ripped through the air. The half-asleep Su Qingxue, terrified, threw her arms around him and clung to him tightly. At that moment, Ye Fan felt pure bliss. This is heaven.
Realizing what she had done, Su Qingxue quickly pulled away. Ye Fan could only pray for a few more thunderclaps, but just then, the rain stopped.
Su Qingxue turned on the light and said, "The rain has stopped."
What the hell does the rain stopping have to do with me? Ye Fan thought.
Out of politeness, however, he said, "If it stopped, it stopped. Now let's get some sleep!"
"No way. You can go sleep downstairs now!" Su Qingxue immediately urged him.
"Are you serious? You're just going to throw me away after you're done using me? Good heavens, is your heart made of stone?" I feel like a spare tire, he thought. No, more like a temporary human shield.
Su Qingxue replied, "No, my heart is made of ice, not stone!"
"You're ruthless!"
Ye Fan felt as if his heart were being pummeled by a cold, icy rain. He was collapsing on the inside, but at this point, even a complete internal collapse wouldn't change a thing.
「The next day」
An explosive piece of news spread: the Shen and Ji Families had gone bankrupt. Not only that, but many small and medium-sized enterprises had been caught in the fallout.
At that moment, Shen Zhehao and Young Master Ji knew they were finished. This time, they wouldn't just face the wrath of their families; their families themselves were powerless to repay the debts on stocks that had plummeted to rock bottom. The Ji and Shen Families were officially bankrupt. The once high and mighty duo now finally understood the crushing feeling of being saddled with immense debt. It was supposed to be just a small foreign-owned enterprise, but the floodgates had burst open from there.
The two young masters fainted on the spot, but fainting wasn't going to change their reality.
In America, Anderson was reporting his success to Ye Fan. "Lord King, not only did I bring down those two families, but I also transferred half of their stock to the Su family. I've taken the other half as my reward."
"Damn it, can't you use your brain? You should have sold that other half for cash and sent it to Laozi!" Ye Fan wanted to curse him. Billions! I didn't get a single cent. What a complete failure.
But on the other end, a clueless Anderson asked, "Lord King, aren't you detached and free from worldly desires? Why would you be interested in something as mundane as money?"
It sounded like a jab, but one couldn't really blame Anderson. Ye Fan himself had said such things in the past. A European country had once offered to make him their national Knight, a position that came with one-quarter of the country's total revenue, but Ye Fan had refused.
So, he could only reply awkwardly, "Just kidding, just kidding. It's nothing. Go on, get back to your work."
He hung up the phone, seething with regret. While being detached from the world is a noble realm to pursue, you still need money to even talk about it! Without money, nothing else matters. Although he had some cash on him, it wouldn't last forever. Only a massive fortune in the billions would be enough to let me live a detached life for the rest of my days!
He swore to himself that he would never run his mouth and brag again. If your lies catch up with you, there's always a heavy price to pay.
These past few days, Su Qingxue had been focusing her energy on business. With nothing else to do while she was at work, Ye Fan would go out for walks. He found that looking at beautiful women when he was in a bad mood always managed to cheer him up, a good habit he diligently maintained.
After their families were ruined, the elders kicked Shen Zhehao and Young Master Ji out to save their own skins. The last thing they wanted was to be completely destroyed by their unknown adversary. Now, the two were drinking their sorrows away, looking utterly desolate.
Having fallen from their lofty status as young masters to their current wretched state, the two were seething with rage. They swore they would ruin the Su family and make Su Qingxue and Ye Fan pay with their lives.
"This is the only two million I have left," Young Master Ji said.
"I have two million as well," Shen Zhehao added.
Young Master Ji's eyes glinted. "That's enough. Four million is more than enough to buy two lives."
"Are you talking about the Black Tiger Society?" Shen Zhehao asked.
"Exactly," Young Master Ji confirmed. "The Black Tiger Society, the number one gang in Jiangning. We'll have them take care of them!"
Young Master Ji had made his decision, and Shen Zhehao readily agreed. He might have once harbored feelings for Su Qingxue, but if it weren't for her, they wouldn't be in this situation. In his heart, he had already sentenced Su Qingxue to death. And of course, that disgusting Ye Fan had to die, too. They wouldn't be able to rest until those two were dead. However, this matter, as straightforward as it seemed, still required careful planning. This was their final gamble.