Xiao Yufan himself wasn’t even sure what his feelings toward Lan Yue really were. It was obvious that Lan Tianyuan cherished his younger sister deeply. Even a rabbit wouldn’t nibble on grass right outside its burrow—now the two of them were practically on the same side. Xiao Yufan should have had some thoughts about this girl…
Even so, how could he possibly bear to take advantage? He understood Lan Yue’s feelings—he wasn’t blind—but he had always been used to burying such emotions deep inside his heart, just like he had once done with Qing Luan. If he hadn’t broken through that inner barrier back then, maybe the two of them would never have ended up together.
Lan Tianyuan’s expression was strange. Lan Yue was the campus sweetheart of the Finance Department at Beiqing University—wasn’t she good enough for Xiao Yufan? But then again, thinking about all those outstanding women already surrounding Xiao Yufan, he hesitated. Was he really ready to send his sister straight into the tiger’s den?
“If I’m not mistaken, Yue’er must be in the Finance Department, right? You’ll be graduating next year. I was wondering if you’d be interested in working at Huihuang? That way, you and Brother Tianyuan could look after each other…”
Coughing lightly, Xiao Yufan broke the awkward silence, a faint smile on his lips.
“Even at Beiqing University, working at Huihuang would be a great honor. Of course I’d love to come, but I’m just afraid some people might not want to accept me!”
Lan Yue’s face flushed slightly as she smiled and nodded. The reason she had rebelliously sought out part-time jobs was simply because she didn’t want to live forever in her brother’s shadow. But Xiao Yufan was different—he had already slowly crept 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.
“Just a younger sister?” Lan Yue’s beautiful eyes flickered with a hint of sadness, but she quickly recovered, murmuring softly under her breath, “My heart is actually quite big, you know. Just being a sister won’t satisfy me at all.”
Xiao Yufan hadn’t heard her whisper. He looked helplessly at Lan Tianyuan, who could only sigh. Matters of the heart couldn’t be forced. Perhaps their time hadn’t come yet—if fate brought them together, they would naturally end up side by side, without needing anyone to push them.
“I’ll go back and prepare something first. There are still a few things I need to handle at Lingyun Enterprise.” Knowing that staying any longer wouldn’t help, Lan Tianyuan waved his hand and left the office directly, clearly wanting to give the two of them a chance to be alone.
“I… I’ll go find Elder Sister Tianxuan too…” Meeting Xiao Yufan’s gaze, Lan Yue suddenly felt awkward and uneasy. As soon as Lan Tianyuan left the office, she quickly walked out as well.
The entire office suddenly felt empty. Xiao Yufan rubbed his temples, deep in thought. Although it was great news that Lingyun Enterprise had decided to join Huihuang, Lan Yue’s feelings were giving him quite a headache. Women, indeed, were a mysterious species…
A vision of Huihuang’s future appeared in his mind. The Beijing Club was history. Huihuang’s development was destined to break through bottlenecks and accelerate even faster. But how could Xiao Yufan stop here? His goal was to build an empire of his own.
With Kuanghu Gang’s enterprises and Lingyun Enterprise joining, Huihuang’s momentum had grown stronger. The circle it formed had already surpassed the former Beijing Club. But this was clearly not enough. To break through economic barriers and climb higher, he had to free himself from Beijing’s constraints.
As for Tian Group and Kuanghu Gang, Xiao Yufan handed them all over to Tianyi. Partly because Tianyi was both loyal and capable, and partly because Xiao Yufan clearly understood that the underworld and the business world couldn’t be mixed. Otherwise, if one suffered a major setback, the other would collapse along with it.
Naturally, Xiao Yufan had no intention of gambling. Don’t be deceived by the current calmness of Huihuang—it was only surface-level. The reason the authorities had covered up the incident at Boya Xuan wasn’t just due to pressure from the Situ family, but also because they weren’t ready to target Huihuang yet.
But once Huihuang truly crossed that line, everyone would come out of the shadows. Therefore, after careful consideration, Xiao Yufan chose to become the true puppet master behind the scenes, entrusting all covert forces to Tian Group to assist him in building a commercial empire. Of course, behind this empire stood an underground dynasty known as the 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 tearful appearance, Xiao Yufan’s heart skipped a beat. She had always been cheerful—what could have made her so upset?
“No one bullied me. I just… missed my brother a little…”
Gently wiping the tears from her eyes, Qing Luan’s lips trembled slightly. Gone was the usual air of a strong, capable woman; she looked more like a fragile girl in need of comfort. Hearing her words, Xiao Yufan relaxed slightly. Other than the matter involving Qing Yuanfeng, what else could possibly make her this sensitive?
“Even though Fengyun Enterprise has lost its strong pillar, with Qing family’s support, it won’t be hard for them to rise again. He shouldn’t be defeated by temporary setbacks, right? Otherwise, Huihuang would lose another rival. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”
Though unsure of what had happened, Xiao Yufan could only comfort her like this. Even though Qing Yuanfeng had been completely defeated, Xiao Yufan believed he hadn’t lost his fighting spirit completely. That was the basic understanding he had of the man.
“Brother has become completely listless. He’s no longer the same strategic, passionate person he used to be. I hate him, but I don’t want him to stay like this. Brother Yufan, can you help him?”
Qing Luan had learned about Qing Yuanfeng’s recent condition from her parents, which made her worry. She knew the real reason wasn’t entirely because of her, but she still felt guilty. She didn’t want her brother to remain in despair forever.
“If my wife has spoken, of course I must help out my big brother-in-law. Whether he appreciates it or not—that’s up to him.”
Without hesitation, Xiao Yufan readily agreed. From An Guan, he learned that Qing Yuanfeng also had some connection with Hu Yingluo. If he wasn’t mistaken, Qing Yuanfeng had once been one of Yingluo’s admirers. Perhaps through him, Xiao Yufan could discover something about Hu Yingluo’s whereabouts…
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