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After watching the two return to the shop, Ye Fan felt a twinge of regret. If Brother Huang had still bought the stack of banknotes in his hand at fifty times their face value, he could have earned another 100,000 yuan today!

“Kid, still staring? Sister Chen isn’t a woman you can just fantasize about!” The balding middle-aged man appeared beside Ye Fan like a ghost, his tone mocking, startling Ye Fan.

“Don’t be fooled by how Sister Chen acts around Brother Huang. She’s actually the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family, the top family in Dragon City!”

“The Lin family?”

“Yes, that Lin family! Do you still dare to dream?”

“No way! Impossible! Don’t say such things!” Ye Fan quickly denied it three times.

Though he had just entered society, he knew the reputation of Dragon City’s premier family well. Although he’d heard the Lin family had declined in recent years, they were far above someone like him.

Besides, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family and Brother Huang exchanging glances… such a high-society scandal was better left unknown. If he knew too much and got silenced, what then?

With that thought, he casually tossed the banknotes onto the balding man’s feet. “Then take them.”

“Well…” The man scratched his balding head awkwardly. “If they were a bit newer, it’d be better. I suggest you just deposit them in the bank.”

Ye Fan scratched his head too. Indeed, these bills were from the 1980s and quite wrinkled, so it was understandable no one else wanted them.

But he didn’t plan on banking them; he intended to return them to Li Yaoyao, who could use them to buy silver coins or antiques.

Having earned thirty thousand today, he was already content.

Without further ado, Ye Fan got up to leave.

“Wait, young man! Leave me your contact info first. My surname’s Luan, just call me Old Luan. Our boss said whenever you want to sell that jade pendant, just tell us—we’ll offer the highest price on the market!”

“All right.” Ye Fan added Old Luan on WeChat and left the shop.

He didn’t head straight home but decided to browse the nearby small goods market.

Since he and Li Yaoyao planned to help the villagers prosper, they couldn’t simply bring food to feed them.

They had to give the villagers hope so they’d wholeheartedly follow Li Yaoyao.

He aimlessly wandered through the market, buying some cookware and daily necessities, plus a few sets of solar panels, planning to first impress the villagers with electric lights.

“This is my home address. Just leave it at the door!”

Ye Fan had bought so much that he rented a small van to deliver the goods back to the shop.

Watching the van drive away, his eyes caught a store selling pepper spray.

Might as well buy two bottles for Li Yaoyao’s protection. The ones he ordered online weren’t refundable, and he figured Li Yaoyao’s village could still use them.

He’d heard that most young people from Li Yaoyao’s village had gone to work elsewhere, leaving only the elderly and children behind. If that thug Sanwan showed up, they’d be no match.

But with pepper spray in hand, the old men and women could each spray the gang—what a beautiful scene that would be. The thought made Ye Fan chuckle.

Feeling pleased after making thirty thousand from a wealthy mark, he decided to indulge in a lavish dinner tonight!

With that settled, he hailed a cab to a nearby “luxury restaurant” located on the top floor of Dragon City’s tallest building, the Golden Dragon Tower. It was a revolving restaurant, and group tickets cost 298 yuan per person.

Ye Fan remembered his high school graduation dinner had been held there, with everyone splitting the bill, but he had no money to pay and had missed out.

Now that he had money, he planned to make up for that regret.

The Golden Dragon Tower’s decor was truly magnificent—walls, ceiling, and floor all gleamed with gold, radiating an unmistakable aura of wealth. The enormous chandelier in the lobby, said to be crafted by an international master, complemented the fountain below, creating an exquisite overall design.

Ye Fan marveled as he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

The building was divided into several functional areas. The revolving restaurant he was heading to was among the more affordable sections; the best ocean-view presidential suites were far more expensive, rumored to cost tens of thousands per night!

Of course, those floors required keycard access, which Ye Fan didn’t have.

“I must trade antiques well enough to stay in a presidential suite for a year and buy the Golden Dragon Tower within three years! Then when I dine at the revolving restaurant, I’ll eat a bowl and pour out a bowl in celebration!” Ye Fan fantasized as the elevator stopped on the 88th floor.

This was not the top-floor restaurant but a high-end private dining room where the wealthy entertained guests.

Curious, Ye Fan looked up as the elevator doors slowly opened, revealing a splash of red.

Chen Shuting?

What a coincidence to see her again today.

Ye Fan raised his hand to greet her but noticed Chen Shuting’s rosy face was tinged with anger.

“What’s wrong?” he wondered.

Before he could ask, Chen Shuting grabbed his arm, swiped her card, and pressed the button for the 90th floor.

This was the Golden Dragon Tower’s guest room floor.

When the elevator opened, young female attendants in suits and vests immediately knelt before him and helped take off his smelly sneakers.

Ye Fan, dressed in cheap sportswear, felt completely out of place and awkwardly watched them remove his shoes.

Chen Shuting pulled him inside a guest room and slammed the door shut.

“Tonight, you’re keeping me company!”

…

Li Yaoyao opened her eyes again late at night.

In the flickering lamplight, she saw herself lying in bed, with two people standing by her side.

There was Yang Haiying and the village women’s director, Yang Haiyan.

Both were women.

“You’re awake?” Yang Haiying immediately noticed and hurried over with concern.

“Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

“I’m fine, just a sore throat and want some water…” Li Yaoyao weakly replied.

Yang Haiying quickly got up. “I’ll get you some water!”

As she spoke, she poured water, tears welling up. “What kind of misfortune is this? How did our little Li suffer so much?”

Her tears began to fall.

The women’s director, Yang Haiyan, was in her forties with a broad, dependable face.

She patted Yang Haiying’s back, signaling her to stop crying, then turned to Li Yaoyao.

“Comrade Li Yaoyao, what happened tonight was our fault. That Wang Dahua is a local thug. Because her husband was injured on a construction site and became disabled, the village has been lenient with them out of pity.”

“But this time, she went too far. The village committee has already decided to report her to the city police first thing in the morning and have her arrested!”

After speaking, she took the hot water from Yang Haiying and helped Li Yaoyao sit up, feeding her water.

“So don’t worry; no one will bully you anymore!”

Just as Yang Haiyan finished speaking, a commotion erupted outside.

“That educated youth clearly bullied my wife first, so why aren’t they arresting her?”

The voice startled Li Qingqing, who nearly dropped the tea cup she was holding.

Yang Haiyan stood up abruptly, her face darkening, while Yang Haiying furrowed her brows and cursed, “It’s Wang Dahua’s husband—I think he deserves a beating too!”

The two women walked outside together.

“She has so many instant noodles, why didn’t she give any to my family?”

“The village is struggling now. Li educated youth has distributed some noodles to everyone. Why didn’t she give you any?”

“Nonsense! My wife clearly saw a whole room full of noodles in their house! She sells them instead of giving them to us. One box of noodles isn’t enough to eat!”

The noise outside grew louder, with several men’s voices, including Village Chief Yang Dachang and Xue Ke’ang, seemingly fighting Wang Dahua’s husband.

Listening to the brawl outside, Li Qingqing felt deeply wronged.

“How did it come to this?” she wondered, wiping her tears secretly.

Those instant noodles weren’t even hers originally; Ye Fan had given them to her to help her make money. Giving food free to villagers was charity, so how had it turned into a crime?

She glanced at the corner of the room where the boxes sat and resolved to explain everything properly to Ye Fan.