Gao Lvxing booked a place similar to a farmhouse, and Jiang Fan directly told him he wanted to eat Japanese cuisine, so they ended up here.
It was an exclusive courtyard with mountains, water, and bamboo forests. There were cool pavilions, small tables, sake, and kimonos.
All the waiters serving the food were dressed in Japanese kimonos, and Jiang Fan also changed into one. He took a shower before entering, as he heard it was the rule here.
And Jiang Fan hated rules the most.
Wearing the kimono with his chest exposed, he had no idea where he threw his wooden clogs. He walked in barefoot and told the manager here that if his feet got sore, it would be a problem. Unfortunately, such an incident didn't happen, which slightly disappointed Jiang Fan.
Sitting opposite Gao Lvxing, Sun Ya, who was beside Gao, acted as the attendant. Jiang Fan looked at the exquisite Japanese cuisine on the table and smirked.
"Vice President Gao has quite a refined taste. Minister Sun's kimono has a unique charm. It's just that I'm fond of black stockings."
Sun Ya smiled and served Jiang Fan, with no reluctance visible on her face. She put down her chopsticks, covered her mouth, and chuckled.
"If Jiang likes it, I don't mind changing into one."
"No! Doing things that take away others' beauty can be addictive. Vice President Gao gave me his favorite lighter just to prevent me from hitting on Minister Sun. Of course! As the ancients said, 'Courtesy demands reciprocation.' I'll also give Vice President Gao and Minister Sun a small gift?"
Gao Lvxing leaned back on a stool without legs, wearing his trademark smile. Sun Ya was curious about what gift Jiang Fan would bring. Jiang Fan smiled, picked up his phone, dialed a number, and coldly said two words.
"Come in."
Less than a minute later, a girl wearing a goose yellow kimono entered the courtyard.
Wu Sihuan was here!
Jiang Fan carefully observed the changes in the two people in front of him. Gao Lvxing looked normal, while Sun Ya, who was less cunning, slightly straightened her body. The movement was subtle, but Jiang Fan caught it clearly.
Now it was confirmed that Sun Ya didn't expect Wu Sihuan to come, and she didn't expect Jiang Fan to be related to this girl.
Wu Sihuan sat beside Jiang Fan with great poise and nodded slightly to Gao Lvxing.
"Vice President Gao."
Then she looked at Sun Ya and smiled with her eyes narrowed.
"Sister Ya Ya."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan's eyes instantly became playful. Gao Lvxing stopped smiling and frowned slightly. Sun Ya's face was somewhat stiff, but Wu Sihuan didn't bother with Sun Ya. She picked up a small sake bottle and poured a cup of sake for Jiang Fan, chuckling softly.
"If I had known that Vice President Gao and Sister Ya Ya would sit at the same table with Brother Fan, I wouldn't have agreed to be a scheming green tea bitch for a car. I always thought I was smart, but in the end, I was the most foolish one. Fortunately, Brother Fan doesn't hold grudges."
Sun Ya's face was stiff as she struggled to squeeze out a smile, unsure of what to say. Gao Lvxing didn't want to see Sun Ya in a difficult position, so he threw a cigarette to Jiang Fan. The cigarette traced an arc in the air, but Jiang Fan didn't even look at it. Wu Sihuan suddenly reached out, caught it, and handed it to Jiang Fan. Jiang Fan said softly,
"Light it for me."
Wu Sihuan used her rosy lips to light the cigarette and then put it in Jiang Fan's mouth. Then she placed her hands on her lap, lowering her head without saying a word.
Her appearance surprised Gao Lvxing and astonished Sun Ya.
It also indirectly told Gao Lvxing that Jiang Fan now knew everything and could fully cooperate with Wu Sihuan. This was also the reason why Jiang Fan asked Wu Sihuan to show up today. Smoking and sipping sake, Jiang Fan lowered his head and smiled.
"Minister Sun, don't be too tense. Calling Xiaohuan here today just shows that I don't care about the past anymore. Vice President Gao treats me sincerely, so I can't hide anything. To be honest, Li Dahai holds 20% of the shares, and the 8% I took is for Su Qing as...a breakup fee. The remaining 12% is for Vice President Gao. Do I need to elaborate further?"
Gao Lvxing looked at Jiang Fan with one eye larger than the other and smiled.
"Jiang, does Su Qing know about this?"
Jiang Fan smirked and shrugged.
"No. If she knew, she wouldn't let me take the risk. This woman's methods are too masculine and don't suit me. Instead, Vice President Gao's cunning is what I need. Additionally, acquiring Li Dahai's shares can't be done for free. It requires a huge amount of capital, which Su Qing doesn't have."
"Then how does Jiang think I have it?"
"Vice President Gao isn't honest. My connections in the city are much stronger than those behind you. You asked the government unit to withhold Tu Xiao's permit, but it's just a matter of a word from me. You handle the money, and I handle the plan and connections."
"What's the plan?"
"Has Vice President Gao ever played Hero Kill? The traitor only reveals themselves when necessary. You just need to maintain your friendly relationship with the Li family. Of course, Vice President Gao can also choose to support yourself with Li Dahai's 20%. Then I'll let my Auntie Qian Ling support Su Qing with her 30% shares."
"Threatening?"
Upon hearing these two words, Jiang Fan smiled, slowly put down his sake cup, lifted his leg and placed it on Sun Ya's lap, leaned sideways into Wu Sihuan's embrace, and looked at Gao Lvxing with a playful expression, disdainfully saying,
"Wu Sihuan's here today is a threat. Can't Vice President Gao see it? And I'm still threatening you now. Dare Vice President Gao not to accept it?"
Sun Ya looked at Gao Lvxing with a troubled expression, her eyes full of distress. Now she was really afraid of Jiang Fan.
Gao Lvxing's face gradually turned cold. As he picked up the sake cup in front of him, he couldn't help but sneer.
"Very well played."
Jiang Fan withdrew his leg, sat up straight, and chuckled.
"Vice President Gao, don't expose me so directly! Let me indulge for a while longer."
At this moment, Wu Sihuan and Sun Ya, these two women, were somewhat unclear about the thoughts of these two men. Just now, Jiang Fan was clearly insulting, but Gao Lvxing didn't get angry. Instead, he said something that made the awkward atmosphere disappear instantly.
But!
They both knew what Jiang Fan said was true, and Gao Lvxing couldn't refuse.
Jiang Fan didn't touch anything on the table and stood up, stretching lazily.
"Well, I'm leaving too! You three can chat slowly."
When Jiang Fan stood up, Wu Sihuan also stood up, smiled slightly at the two people at the table, and followed Jiang Fan out of the courtyard. When the two of them walked out of the courtyard, Gao Lvxing kicked the table in front of him.
He never expected to be completely outsmarted by this little brat Jiang Fan, forcing him to walk on this thorny path. Sun Ya stood behind Gao Lvxing, rubbing this man's shoulders and frowned.
"Should we really let Jiang Fan indulge like this?"
Gao Lvxing covered his forehead and sighed helplessly.
"This Jiang Fan is not simple at all. He has blocked all the paths. I choose to take Li Dahai's path. Qian Ling's 30% will immediately support Su Qing. Liu Shengge doesn't favor either me or Su Qing. Li Dongsheng has been transferred out of the main company. Li Dahai's current focus is on his son, and he won't be helpful to me anymore. Jiang Fan is threatening me with Qian Ling's 30% shares, coercing and enticing me. I can only do as he says."
Gao Lvxing lowered his voice, and his resentment and anger had reached their peak. Outside the courtyard, Jiang Fan was leaning against the gate, smoking and smiling as he left.
Wu Siwang sat in the driver's seat of her BMW, her forearms resting on the window as she leaned out to look at the man standing outside the car, furrowing her brows.
"You really don't need me to drive you?"
Jiang Fan shook his head with a smirk and said softly,
"Let's not get too close. This is better for everyone. And just because you're here doesn't mean I've agreed to work with you. I'll reward you based on the value you create. How much you end up with is up to you. Go now! I don't really want to see you."
Wu Siwang smiled, didn't say anything more, rolled up the window, and drove off slowly in her little BMW. She seemed to be a novice driver.
That's good. At least she's better than someone who would drive into a pole.
With his suit draped over his shoulder and a cigarette in his mouth, he left this place he didn't intend to visit again.
Today, the few women around him were unusually quiet, no phone calls or text messages. When he told Tang Wan he would be home late, she merely responded with a nasal "hmm" and hung up.
Without rushing to get a ride, Jiang Fan needed to calmly think about the connection between Gao Lvxing, Li Dahai, and Wu Siwang.
Jiang Fan had brought up the matter, and he had brought Gao Lvxing into it. Wu Siwang had come on her own. Jiang Fan had asked Wu Siwang to come here to give Gao Lvxing some reassurance. But! These two people couldn't make Jiang Fan feel at ease, so he wouldn't do anything to Li Dahai until they showed enough sincerity.
Bringing Wu Siwang here today was forcibly pushing Gao Lvxing to choose to stand with him. Even if Wu Siwang was a traitor and went back to tell Li Dahai about this, the result would only be that the scheme became overt, and the outcome wouldn't change much.
If Wu Siwang wasn't foolish, she wouldn't choose to stand with Li Dahai and Li Dongsheng. With Zhang Qin's personality, she would think that everything Wu Siwang did was to marry into their family. Such a high-and-mighty woman, huh! Is Li Dahai blind?
As a company director, couldn't he see the mistakes of his son and daughter-in-law?
Hmph.
After passing the intersection and walking another three to five li, he was almost home. Jiang Fan didn't bother getting a taxi and chose to walk home under the street lights, which was also a form of exercise. After turning right at the intersection, Jiang Fan frowned.
A woman about 100 meters ahead seemed to have encountered a small problem. It looked like her high heels were broken. She was walking unevenly, and her back was very graceful. She wore a white dress that reached her knees.
Jiang Fan walked quickly, and gradually, he found this back more and more familiar. When the distance was no more than twenty meters, Jiang Fan's face became somewhat troubled, and his pace slowed down. Initially, he only thought the back looked familiar. After approaching and hearing her voice, Jiang Fan just wanted to turn around and run.
Why did he encounter this monster?
Should he take a detour? He had walked for so long, and his legs were a bit sore. Jiang Fan really didn't want to take a detour. He took a deep breath and stood in place. But just then, this monster-like woman slipped, and the heel of her other shoe broke, and it seemed she had injured her ankle.
Jiang Fan considered himself a kind and helpful person, but he really didn't want to go forward and help now.
He was a bit scared!
He turned around!
When Jiang Fan was determined to take a detour, the monster behind him spoke.
"Jiang Fan?"
"It's me!"
After speaking, Jiang Fan lifted his hand and slapped his own face. Wasn't he just asking for it? He turned around, awkwardly scratched his head, squeezed out a smile, and forced a laugh.
"Teacher Tong, what a coincidence! We meet again!"
It was Tong Yao!
This female teacher who gave Jiang Fan a headache. Jiang Fan was not afraid of unreasonable people, nor was he afraid of reasonable people. He was afraid of those whose minds were abnormal but not insane. Tong Yao was holding her ankles with both hands, and her big eyes behind her glasses were filled with anger and tears.
Tong Yao didn't speak and stared at Jiang Fan intently, which made Jiang Fan feel a bit uneasy. He was afraid this monster would suddenly rush over and seek revenge with him. Normal people definitely wouldn't do this, but Tong Yao might!
"Uh... Teacher Tong, taking a break? You can rest. I won't disturb you."
After speaking, Jiang Fan took to his heels and ran, not to take a detour but to run past Tong Yao. He believed that if he ran fast enough, this monster wouldn't catch him. When Jiang Fan walked extremely fast past Tong Yao, she didn't react. When Jiang Fan walked one meter away, Tong Yao lifted her high heel. When Jiang Fan walked 1.5 meters away, the monster spoke.
"Waaah I knew there must be a reason why I'm so unlucky. It's all because of you! Jiang Fan, you heartless man! You just left me here like this. I'm so pretty. If someone takes advantage of me and... and does something to me, Jiang Fan, you'll feel guilty for the rest of your life! Since I met you, I've been unlucky, ahh!!
Two things were certain.
This woman's mind was a bit problematic.
The other was that she wasn't crying but howling.
Jiang Fan took a deep breath and turned around to walk towards Tong Yao. Now it seemed that Tong Yao's attire was indeed very attractive, with a white dress, nude-colored stockings, and a pretty face with tears.
Leaving her alone here, even if it was a stranger, Jiang Fan wouldn't feel at ease.
Standing next to Tong Yao, Jiang Fan frowned and said,
"What 'do something'? You're a teacher. Can you please act as a role model and set an example? Should I carry you or piggyback you?"
"Waaah... I'm already like this, and you still want to take advantage of me. Jiang Fan, you're really a wolf in sheep's clothing. Otherwise, you wouldn't be associating with people like Guan Junbiao."
"Damn it! Should I kick you like a ball and send you home? You can walk. Why did you say I left you here? Your legs aren't working well, and you blame me? What do you want! To be carried or piggybacked!"
"If you carry me, you'll touch my legs. If you piggyback me, you'll..."
"I changed my mind. Should I lift you or drag you?"
"Don't you have a car? Where's your car?"
"No car. It's rented. If you don't come, I'll leave."
Ultimately, he chose to carry her. Although Tong Yao's body wasn't as slender as Su Qing and Ji Jing, she was still much fuller than Tang Wan.
Tong Yao held her high heels and wrapped her arms around Jiang Fan's neck. She didn't feel guilty at all. Since meeting Jiang Fan, she had indeed been unlucky. Maybe it had a little relation to Jiang Fan. Tonight was Tong Yao's birthday, and she thought of inviting her colleagues from her new workplace to celebrate.
But no one expected these colleagues, more than twenty people with their families, to wait for Tong Yao to host the dinner. After eating, they also wanted to go singing.
Tong Yao didn't go singing, but she paid the bill. Her low-limit credit card was already overdrawn. She didn't want to spend money on a taxi and chose to walk back. As a result, her shoe heel broke.
If she hadn't met Jiang Fan, she wouldn't have been fired. If she hadn't been fired, she wouldn't have gone to Third High School. If she hadn't gone to Third High School, none of this would have happened today.
Jiang Fan didn't want to say a word. Meeting Tang Wan was unavoidable, meeting Su Qing was lucky, but this monster in his arms now was pure misfortune, Tong Yao said in a low voice, looking down.
"Jiang Fan, what do you do exactly?"
"I sell old ladies. I'm responsible for seducing them, and Guan Dagou is responsible for selling."
"But you're not even handsome? Is that why you rented the car?"
"Don't talk to me! You seem like an idiot."
Jiang Fan didn't take Tong Yao to her doorstep. He didn't want to have any connection with this woman at all. After entering the community, Jiang Fan let her down and conveniently found a brick for her as a weapon. When Jiang Fan turned to leave, Tong Yao said "thank you" in the gentlest tone possible, adding that if she had the chance, she would invite Jiang Fan for a meal.
Jiang Fan raised his hands and said repeatedly,
"No! Absolutely not! I don't want to see you again in the future."
"Jiang Fan, come upstairs for a cup of tea. I live alone."
"Girl, I have no grievances or enmity with you. Why do you want to harm me so much? We are far apart. Let's part here. I don't want to see you again in this life. Goodbye."
When he walked out of the community, Jiang Fan was sweating profusely.
He finally knew what terror was. If he had dared to agree just now, this monster would definitely have hit him with the brick.
When he returned home, Tang Wan was already asleep.
Jiang Fan cooked a packet of instant noodles, ate them, and then went to bed.
So tired, so tired.