Old Man Ji didn’t give Chen Fan any time to reply. He then continued after taking a quick glance at Chen Fan.
“You are indeed an outstanding lad to have gained so much fame at such a young age. I have heard of your name even in Zhong Hai. They say you have incredible divine powers and have an awful temper. Is that right?”
Old Man Ji’s sentence started as a compliment but quickly turned sour as a cold light came up in his eyes.
“Grandpa Ji, there must be some kind of misunderstanding.” Fang Qiong took a step forward and tried to ease the tension. Chen Fan had made himself the enemy of the Nin and the Tang family so she really didn’t want to see the Ji Family getting involved. Plus, she wagered that the Ji Family was likely more mad at her than Chen Fan, so she had to stand up for herself.
“Are you Fang Qiong?” Old Man Ji looked over at the girl as a smile surfaced on his face. “What a fine lass! No wonder the Su Family praised you so highly. If you are willing to get married to my grandson Luochen, I will make you in charge of the Ji Family’s business. What say you?”
Su Qian’s eyes turned green with envy after hearing the old man’s promise.
Although the total wealth of the Ji Family of Zhong Hai was not as great as the Su Family, it would be enough to make one a member of the top ten richest of the Province. Fang Qiong was presented with such an opportunity at the young age of nineteen no wonder Su Qian was brimming with jealousy.
“I am sorry, Grandpa Ji, I already have a boyfriend.” Fang Qiong managed a smile and replied.
“He is just a boyfriend, isn’t he? Nothing is set in stone yet, so why don’t you give my grandson a chance? You will be very impressed by him I am sure. He is already a CEO of a public company and if you two join forces, the next richest person in Zhong Hai might as well be you!” Old Man Ji pressed on. He didn’t seem to care that the girl was already seeing Chen Fan.
Ji Luochen also let out a warm smile at the girl.
Fang Qiong was suddenly at a loss as words got stuck in her mouth.
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and said: “Fang Qiong is my woman. Tell your grandson to fuck off. He is not worthy of being my competitor.”
The smile froze on Old Man Ji’s face after he heard Chen Fan’s reply.
Ji Shoujuo had never thought that Chen Fan dared to be so rude to him. It was as if the prestige of the Ji Family meant nothing to him. Nin Chendong jumped out of his seat and flung back at him: “Shut your trap! Respect your elders. Didn’t your parents teach you that?”
“Just so, Master Chen. Lord Ji is a well-revered elder and you shouldn’t talk to him like that.” Tang Jianfen chimed in.
Su Zhengde let out a cold snort and looked to Su Susu.
“Su Susu, look at the kind of person you have chosen for your daughter. Rude and uncouth, an insult to the Su Family’s reputation.”
Su Susu panicked and was not sure what to say
Suddenly, a swell of castigation rose in the room. Chen Fan was at the receiving end of their blams and reprimands. Su Yanghao had closed his eyes slightly, letting the resentment fester. Su Xiao kept quiet and studied Chen Fan curiously from behind Su Yanghao.
She had been curious about her cousin’s partner ever since she met him. No one, however arrogant he was, would challenge the Nin, Tang, and Su Family at the same time. She started to suspect that Chen Fan was either more powerful than anyone thought he was, or he was a delusional idiot.
After a while, Old Man Ji finally shook his head and replied: “Young lad, I am impressed by your achievements but I also have to warn you that there is always someone better than you. This is not Jiang Bei, so choose your words carefully.”
Despite the old man’s calm voice, everyone could sense the chilling intent in his words.
Any ordinary tycoon from Jiang Bei would have been shaken to the core after receiving such a stern warning from Old Man Ji. He was well connected and had many strings that he could pull to do great harm to anyone. He might even be able to topple the Sheng family if he wanted to. However, Chen Fan was unfazed. He answered with a great measure of levity.
“What is so special about Wu Zhou and Zhong Hai? I can be as rude as I want on this planet and no one would raise an eyebrow. What makes you think you can bark at me like that?”
Chen Fan’s words set he already tense atmosphere on fire.
“Nonsense.”
“Shame!”
“He has no idea what he is talking about.”
Nin Chendong grunted and refuted: “Lad, who gave you the audacity to speak to us and Lord Ji in such an unacceptable manner? The combined might of our families can crush ten Master Chens at once. Do you really think your meager influence at Jiang Bei would scare us?”
Su Zhengde and the other elders nodded in agreement.
Master Chen of Jiang Bei was just an empty title and meant nothing to the top dogs in Jiang Nan Province. The only variable about Chen Fan that the Su Family was still uncertain of was his connection with the undoing of Gao Tianmin. If Chen Fan was proven to be unrelated to that incident, the Su Family would call the Law enforcement and throw Chen Fan into jail in a heartbeat. Despite the grandiose title, his influence was limited to the grey area of the society that was borderline criminal and was a far cry from the real influencers of society.
Ji Luochen straightened his glasses and cracked a smile. “Uncle Nin, you might be aware that Master Chen is actually from the Chen family of Jin City and his mother is the owner of the Jin Xiu Group.”
“Chen family of Jin City? Jin Xiu Group?” Nin Chendong snorted and didn’t even seem to recognize the names.
The Chen family had just rose to prominence in the last half a year, and its power was still relatively insignificant compared to the Nin Family. As for Jin Xiu Group, its wealth was far behind that of the Dong Chen Group owned by Nin Chendong before the real estate boom.
“Of course those two are not Master Chen’s only benefactors. I have learned that Master Chen has earned the Old Man Wei’s trust after curing his ailment” Ji Luochen continued.
“Old Man Wei? Which Old Man Wei?” Su Yangzhi asked abruptly.” Do you mean Wei Fu of Jiang Bei?”
If the name made the listeners feel concerned, they didn’t show it on their faces.
Wei Fu used to be a general in the military, but he had been retired for over a decade now. The most successful member of the family was Wei Changsong who ranked far below Gao Tianmin in the government. The Wei Family would pale in comparison with even the Su Family much less the Ji Family whose current family lord was in charge of an entire province.
“Do you think you can do whatever you like because of our connection with the Wei family?” Su Zhengde asked coldly.
The Wei family ranked at the most number five in the province, they were far behind the Su Family when it came down to overall strength. Even when Wei Fu was working in the military, Su Yanghao had been his supervisor. So Chen Fan’s connection with Wei Fu wouldn’t give him an edge in this situation.
“Of course that is not all. Master Chen has an even bigger supporter: Li Wuchen.” Ji Luochen removed his glasses and glared at Chen Fan.
Ever since he caught a whiff of the relationship between Chen Fan and Li Wuchen, Ji Luochen was convinced that the general at the military was Chen Fan’s trump card. Without Li Wuchen’s involvement, Gao Tianmin would never be removed from his position because none of Chen Fan’s other benefactors had that much power.
“Li Wuchen?”
The name caught everyone’s attention.
He had serviced the military as a General for decades. Of all the political heavyweight, only Lou Jinhui packed the same clout as him. The name unsettled Su Yanghao.
While he was working in the government, his rank was slightly higher than Li Wuchen, but the latter had much greater control over political matters. Plus, he had been retired for many years, but Li Wuchen was still in his prime.
“Xiao Fan, how do you know Li Wuchen?” Even Fang Qiong was taken by surprise. She asked Chen Fan in disbelief.
Jiang Nan Province was under Li Wuchen’s direct supervision, and therefore, his protection over Chen Fan was a real threat to Nin and Ji Family if they want to carry out their revenge. As reality sets in, Nin Chendong, Tang Jianfen, and Su Zhengde’s faces all turned sour.
The Ji Family did not fear Li Wuchen since Ji Yuanhong was also a government official of a similar level. However, Ji Yuanhong was not in charge of Jiang Nan Province and might not be able to interfere with matters out of his jurisdiction.
By then, realization finally dawned upon Su Qian.
“No wonder he is so full of himself. He had the protection of Li Wuchen.”
Even Zhao Baofen’s father, Zhao Xun works for Li Wuchen as his assistant. With such a powerful benefactor, Chen Fan must have felt that he could do anything he wanted.
“Li Wuchen was a powerful man that is for sure, but I beg to differ with you if you think his power in Jiang Nan Province is unbridled.” To everyone’s surprise, Ji Luochen let out a smile and looked over at the middle-aged man behind him.
The man wore a spiffy outfit that had no wrinkles. He hung a smooth smile on his face and looked just like an ordinary man despite his refined features. However, as soon as Su Zhengde recognized the middle-aged man, he nearly jumped out of his seat and hurried to come over to him.
“Director Xue, welcome.”
The leaders of the Su Family all rose to their feet and bowed to the middle-aged man. Even Su Yanghao exclaimed in excitement.
“Is that Director Xue Changnin?”
The middle-aged man’s smile grew warmer as he came closer to the old man “Lord Su, Boss Luo was preoccupied with other matters, so he asked me to send his greatest regards.”
Su Yanghao stood up, beaming from side to side: “Please tell Boss Luo that I really appreciated it.”
Director Xue received such an overwhelming welcome because he was Boss Luo’s secretary. That made him the closest person to the most powerful man in Jiang Nan Province. Even the Ji Family with its incredible political asset had to speak carefully when talking to Director Xue.
Nin Chendong and the others heaved a sigh of relief after seeing Director Xue.
Lou Jinhui was way out of Chen Fan’s league that even the notion of comparing the two seemed comical. Unlike Gao Tianmin, Lou Jinhui had direct control over nearly all aspects of life in Jiang Nan Province. He was also the final arbiter of many high-level disputes. He was the only person who was as powerful as Li Wuchen, although the two presided in different areas of government.
Su Susu and Fang Qiong were unnerved by the development.
They had never thought that that the Ji Family would go so far as to ask help from their most powerful benefactor.
Nin Chendong, Su Yanghao, Tang Jianfen, and Ji Shoujuo.
The combined might of all these men might be overshadowed by that of Li Wuchen, the involvement of Director Xue and the power behind him quickly tip the scale by canceling out Li Wuchen’s influence. Chen Fan was suddenly on his own to face his powerful foes.
“Master Chen, is there anything else you want to add?”
Ji Luochen fiddled with the glasses and asked with a smirk.