Chapter 289: Qing Luan’s Request

Xiao Yufan himself couldn’t quite figure out his feelings toward Lan Yue. It was obvious that Lan Tianyuan cherished his younger sister deeply. Even a rabbit wouldn’t graze too close to its burrow—so to speak. The two of them were practically on the same side now, and Xiao Yufan really shouldn’t have any particular thoughts about this girl…

Even so, how could he possibly bear to hurt her? He wasn’t blind to Lan Yue’s feelings, but he had always been accustomed to burying such emotions deep inside, just as he had done with Qing Luan in the past. If it hadn’t been for breaking through that emotional barrier back then, perhaps they would never have ended up together.

Lan Tianyuan’s expression was rather strange. Lan Yue was the campus beauty of the Finance Department at Beiqing University—was she not good enough for Xiao Yufan? Yet, thinking about all the outstanding women already around Xiao Yufan, he hesitated, wondering whether he was sending his sister straight into the tiger’s den…

“If I’m not mistaken, Yue’er must be from the Finance Department, and you’ll be graduating next year. Would you be interested in working at Huihuang? That way, you and Brother Tianyuan could look after each other,” Xiao Yufan said with a slight cough, breaking the awkward silence with a faint smile.

“Even at Beiqing University, working at Huihuang is considered a great honor. Of course I’d love to come, but I’m just afraid some people might not want to take me in!”

Her face slightly flushed, Lan Yue nodded with a smile. The reason she had rebelliously sought out part-time jobs was simply to escape living under the shadow of her brother’s achievements. But Xiao Yufan was different—he had already slowly and steadily made his way into her heart…

“Nonsense! You’re Tianyuan’s younger sister, so naturally you’re my younger sister too. What’s yours is mine, right?”

Xiao Yufan didn’t want to give Lan Yue too much hope. This girl deserved her own happiness, and there was no need for her to stake her entire future on him. With Qing Luan, Tianxuan, and others already by his side, he felt that was more than enough for him…

“Just a sister?” Lan Yue’s beautiful eyes flickered with a touch of sadness, though she quickly recovered her composure. In a barely audible whisper, she murmured to herself, “My heart holds such big feelings—how could being just your sister ever be enough for me?”

Unaware of her soft murmur, Xiao Yufan shrugged helplessly as he looked at Lan Tianyuan, who could only sigh in response. After all, feelings couldn’t be forced. Perhaps their time hadn’t come yet. When the moment was right, even without saying a word, they would naturally find their way to each other.

“I’ll go back and prepare some things first—there are still a few matters to handle at Lingyun,” Lan Tianyuan said, knowing there was no point in lingering. He waved his hand and left the office directly, clearly wanting to give the two of them a chance to be alone together.

“I… I’ll go find Big Sister Tianxuan too…” Lan Yue met Xiao Yufan’s gaze, suddenly feeling awkward and unsure of herself. As soon as Lan Tianyuan left the office, she quickly walked out as well.

The office instantly felt empty. Xiao Yufan rubbed his temples, deep in thought. Although it was great news that Lingyun had decided to join Huihuang, Lan Yue’s situation was troubling him. Women were indeed a mysterious species…

A vision of Huihuang’s grand blueprint appeared in his mind. The Beijing Club was now history, and Huihuang’s growth was bound to surpass its bottlenecks, developing even faster. But how could Xiao Yufan possibly stop here? His goal was to build an empire of his own.

With Kuanghu Gang’s enterprises and Lingyun joining his ranks, Huihuang’s momentum had grown even stronger. The circle it formed had already surpassed the former Beijing Club, but it was clearly still not enough. To break through economic barriers and reach greater heights, he had to break free from Beijing’s constraints.

As for the T-Group and Kuanghu Gang, Xiao Yufan entrusted them all to Tianyi. One reason was Tianyi’s loyalty and strength, and the other was that Xiao Yufan clearly understood that the underworld and the business world couldn’t be mixed. Otherwise, if one suffered a major blow, the other would collapse alongside it.

Naturally, Xiao Yufan had no intention of gambling. Don’t be fooled by the current calmness of Huihuang—it was only surface-level tranquility. The reason the authorities had covered up the incident at Boyaxuan wasn’t only due to pressure from the Situ family, but also because they weren’t ready to target Huihuang yet.

But once Huihuang truly crossed that threshold, all kinds of forces would immediately emerge. After much consideration, Xiao Yufan decided to become the true power behind the scenes, entrusting all covert operations to the T-Group to assist him in building a commercial empire. Of course, behind this commercial empire stood an underground kingdom known as Anmen—the Hidden Gate.

The door creaked open slightly, pulling Xiao Yufan’s thoughts back to the present. Before he could speak, Qing Luan had already walked in, her eyes slightly red, as if she had just been crying.

“What’s wrong? Who dared to bully my wife…” Seeing Qing Luan’s delicate and pitiable appearance, Xiao Yufan’s heart skipped a beat. She was usually so cheerful—what could have upset her so much?

“No one bullied me. I just… missed my big brother a little…”

Gently wiping the tears from her eyes, Qing Luan’s lips trembled slightly. She no longer carried the air of a strong, capable woman, but rather that of a delicate, vulnerable girl. Hearing her words, Xiao Yufan relaxed slightly. It must have been related to Qing Yuanfeng—nothing else could have made her this sensitive.

“Although Fengyun has lost its strong pillar, with Qing family’s support, it won’t be hard for it to rise again. He shouldn’t be defeated by this temporary setback, right? Otherwise, Huihuang would lose a worthy competitor. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine…”

Though unsure exactly what had happened, Xiao Yufan could only comfort Qing Luan this way. Even though Qing Yuanfeng had been completely defeated, Xiao Yufan believed he hadn’t lost his fighting spirit entirely. That was the basic understanding he had of the man.

“My brother has become completely dispirited—he’s no longer the strategic, determined man he once was. I may resent him, but I don’t want him to stay like this. Yuge, can you help him?”

Qing Luan had learned about Qing Yuanfeng’s current state from her parents and couldn’t help but worry. She knew the real reason wasn’t entirely about her, but she still felt a sense of guilt, not wanting her brother to remain in this state forever.

“Since my wife has asked, naturally I’ll help out my big brother-in-law. Whether he appreciates it or not—that’s up to him…”

Xiao Yufan himself was unclear about the exact nature of his feelings for Lan Yue. It was evident that Lan Tianyuan cherished his younger sister deeply. As the saying goes, “Even a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its burrow.” Now that the two of them were on the same side, Xiao Yufan should have had some thoughts about this girl…

That being said, how could Xiao Yufan bear to act on it? He wasn’t oblivious to Lan Yue’s feelings, but he had grown accustomed to burying such emotions deep within his heart, just as he had done when facing Qing Luan in the past. If he hadn’t broken through the barriers in his heart, perhaps the two of them would never have come together.

Lan Tianyuan’s expression was rather peculiar. Lan Yue was the belle of the finance department at Beiqing University—how could she possibly be unworthy of Xiao Yufan? However, considering the many exceptional women surrounding him, Lan Tianyuan hesitated, wondering whether it was wise to send his sister into the lion’s den…

“If I’m not mistaken, Lan Yue is in the finance department, right? She’ll graduate next year. I wonder if she’d be interested in working at Brilliance. That way, she and Tianyuan can look out for each other…” Xiao Yufan broke the awkward silence with a light cough, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Even at Beiqing University, working at Brilliance is considered a great honor. Of course, I’d love to! I’m just afraid some people might not want to take me on,” Lan Yue replied with a blush, nodding with a smile. Her rebellious pursuit of part-time jobs had been her way of stepping out of her brother’s shadow. But Xiao Yufan was different—this man had already quietly found his way into her heart.

“How could that be? You’re Tianyuan’s sister, which makes you my sister too. Your matters are my matters, aren’t they?” Xiao Yufan didn’t want to give Lan Yue too much hope. This girl deserved her own happiness; there was no need for her to tie her life to his. With Qing Luan and Tianxuan by his side, he already had more than enough.

“Just a sister?” Lan Yue’s beautiful eyes flickered with a hint of loneliness, but she quickly regained her composure. In a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, she murmured, “My heart is much bigger than that. Being just a sister could never satisfy me.”

Unaware of her whispered words, Xiao Yufan glanced at Lan Tianyuan and shrugged helplessly. The latter could only sigh. Matters of the heart couldn’t be forced. Perhaps their fate hadn’t yet arrived. If it was meant to be, they would come together without any intervention.

“I’ll head back to prepare. Lingyun Enterprises still has some matters to handle,” Lan Tianyuan said, realizing that staying longer would serve no purpose. With a wave of his hand, he left the office, clearly giving the two of them a chance to be alone.

“I… I’ll go find Tianxuan and the others,” Lan Yue stammered, her eyes meeting Xiao Yufan’s. Feeling flustered, she quickly followed Lan Tianyuan out of the office.

The office suddenly felt empty. Xiao Yufan rubbed his temples, lost in thought. While Lingyun Enterprises joining Brilliance was a cause for celebration, Lan Yue’s situation weighed heavily on his mind. Women, indeed, were a mysterious species…

In his mind, a blueprint for Brilliance’s future began to take shape. The Beijing Club was now a thing of the past, and Brilliance’s development was poised to break through its bottlenecks, accelerating at an unprecedented pace. But Xiao Yufan had no intention of stopping there. His goal was to build a commercial empire of his own.

With the backing of the enterprises under the Wild Tiger Gang and Lingyun’s entry, Brilliance’s momentum grew stronger. The circle it formed had already surpassed the former glory of the Beijing Club. But this was far from enough. To break through economic barriers and reach greater heights, they needed to free themselves from the constraints of Beijing…

As for the Heaven Group and the Wild Tiger Gang, Xiao Yufan entrusted them entirely to Tianyi. On one hand, Tianyi was both loyal and capable. On the other, Xiao Yufan understood that the underworld and the business world couldn’t be mixed. If one suffered a heavy blow, the other would inevitably collapse.

Xiao Yufan had no intention of gambling. While Brilliance appeared calm on the surface, it was merely an illusion. The authorities had suppressed the incident at Boya Pavilion not only due to pressure from the Situ family but also because they weren’t ready to move against Brilliance yet.

But once Brilliance truly crossed that line, everyone would jump out of the woodwork. After much deliberation, Xiao Yufan chose to remain the true mastermind behind the scenes, entrusting the dark forces to the Heaven Group to assist him in building his commercial empire. Of course, behind this empire stood an underground dynasty known as the Dark Gate…

The door creaked open slightly, pulling Xiao Yufan’s thoughts back to the present. Before he could speak, Qing Luan stepped in, her eyes slightly red as if she had been crying.

“What’s wrong? Who’s been bullying my wife?” Xiao Yufan’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at Qing Luan’s delicate appearance. This girl was usually so cheerful—who could have made her so upset?

“No one’s been bullying me. I just… miss my brother a little,” Qing Luan replied softly, wiping her reddened eyes. Her usual strong demeanor was gone, replaced by the vulnerability of a woman in need of comfort. Hearing her words, Xiao Yufan felt a sense of relief. Aside from matters concerning Qing Yuanfeng, nothing else seemed capable of affecting her so deeply.

“Although Fengyun Enterprises has lost its strong pillar, with the support of the Qing family, it’s not impossible for them to make a comeback. He shouldn’t be defeated by a temporary setback. Otherwise, Brilliance would lose another competitor. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine…”

Though he didn’t know the details, Xiao Yufan could only offer words of comfort. Despite his complete defeat, Qing Yuanfeng wasn’t the type to lose his fighting spirit. That much, Xiao Yufan knew.

“My brother has become completely dispirited. He’s no longer the strategic, high-spirited man he once was. I may resent him, but I don’t want to see him like this. Yufan, can you help him?”

Qing Luan had learned of Qing Yuanfeng’s current state from her parents and couldn’t help but worry. She knew the real reasons went beyond her, but she still felt a sense of guilt and didn’t want her brother to remain in this state.

“Since my wife has asked, of course I’ll help my brother-in-law. Whether he appreciates it or not is up to him…”

Without hesitation, Xiao Yufan agreed. From Butler An, he had learned that Qing Yuanfeng and Hu Yingluo had some history. If he wasn’t mistaken, Qing Yuanfeng had once been an admirer of Yingluo. Through him, Xiao Yufan might be able to uncover some information about Hu Yingluo…