Chapter Forty-Seven: The Bai Family's Schemes

"Zhao Fan!"

A sudden scream pierced the air. Zhao Fan and Zhao Haitian both turned their heads at once to see Yang Qingqing striding toward them, her face twisted with anger.

"Zhao Fan, you don't keep your word."

"Don't keep my word?" Zhao Fan repeated, questioning, "How have I not kept my word?"

"None of the conditions you agreed to have been fulfilled."

"Conditions? Are you talking about those you discussed with your father?"

"What do you think?" Yang Qingqing ground her teeth. If looks could kill, Zhao Fan would have been dead a hundred times over by now.

"Yang Qingqing, don't twist things around. The premise of my promise was that the surgery had to be completed. The surgery isn't even done yet, and you want me to fulfill those? What kind of joke is that?"

"But you clearly..." Yang Qingqing suddenly stopped, her eyes resting on Zhao Haitian. Tears welled up instantly. "Old Zhao, are you just going to let your brother bully me like this?"

Zhao Fan's temple twitched slightly. "Let's speak with evidence. When did I bully you?"

Zhao Haitian avoided Yang Qingqing's outstretched hand. "I didn't see him bully you, Qingqing. As for the divorce..."

"I don't want to hear it!" Yang Qingqing covered her ears and screamed, looking at Zhao Haitian as if he were her worst enemy. "My family is already in ruins, and you still want to divorce me. Zhao Haitian, do you have any conscience at all?"

Zhao Fan placed a hand on Zhao Haitian's shoulder and said coldly, "Your family's troubles have nothing to do with mine. As I've said, you need to do your part first before I can follow through. Otherwise, it's all off the table."

"You..."

"Big brother, let's go."

"Alright."

As they walked around Yang Qingqing, Zhao Fan suddenly paused. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you—the checks for Yuner are all clear. Come to the hospital tomorrow for an exam so we can finalize the surgery date."

Without waiting for Yang Qingqing’s reply, Zhao Fan took Zhao Haitian with him and strode away.

"Divorce was one of the conditions discussed from the start. The Yang family won't dare to drag their feet."

Zhao Haitian let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."

When they returned to the hospital room, neither spoke of Yang Qingqing's visit. One chatted with Zhao Yuner, the other discussed the surgery arrangements with their mother.

"Should I have your father come over?" Their mother frowned, having always been responsible only for caring for the child. Now, facing the prospect of surgery, she instinctively wanted someone to lean on.

Taking her hand, Zhao Fan said softly, "Of course we need him here, but afterward, Mom, you'll still be needed. None of us are any good at looking after a child."

Zhao Yuner was a delicate little girl, and the three men, all rough hands and clumsy movements, were hardly up to the task.

Their mother chuckled. "You just haven't tried caring for her. Yuner is very well-behaved."

"Yes, yes, she is, but no matter how well-behaved she is, she's still a girl. We're not suited to care for her."

"Hmph, all talk. But fine, what can I do? I'm your mother, after all."

After a bit more conversation with his mother, Zhao Fan received a call from Mu Tianrong. He stepped out into the hallway to answer, learning that the Bai family had responded.

"They've said their family head won't meet with you privately. If you want to talk business, come to the banquet. In a couple of days, Miss Sun will be getting engaged, and there’s an engagement banquet with invitations sent to many prominent families of Yangcheng," Mu Tianrong quickly explained.

Zhao Fan frowned. "The invitation..."

"I can't get one," Mu Tianrong replied.

At those words, Zhao Fan immediately understood the Bai family's intentions—they wanted to use the Sun family's banquet to put him in his place.

"So that's the Bai family's pride. How pitiful."

Mu Tianrong coughed awkwardly, not responding.

"I'll find a way to get the invitation. But just in case, I'll still need your help, President Mu. Sorry for the trouble."

"Not at all. By the way, the funds from Hong Kong have arrived. Mr. Zhao, perhaps you could come to the bank to complete the formalities?"

Zhao Fan's eyes flickered. With more than a hundred million deposited, he did indeed need to arrange for the transfer.

"I'm busy today. I'll come first thing tomorrow."

"Alright."

After hanging up, Zhao Fan rubbed his chin. The Sun family's engagement banquet... Miss Sun... His eyes landed on Yang Yuqing's number, but after a moment's thought, he decided not to call her yet.

A hospital was not the place to discuss business.

The next day, Zhao Fan went to Xia Bank. Accompanied by Mu Tianrong, he handled the transfer of the auction funds, moving twenty million to another account to serve as future operating capital.

Exiting the bank, Mu Tianrong suggested, "Shall we have lunch?"

Zhao Fan waved him off. "I still have matters to attend to, maybe another time."

"Alright," Mu Tianrong said, disappointment plain on his face. "Next time, then—you must give me the honor."

"President Mu, you're too kind."

After a few pleasantries, Zhao Fan called Yang Yuqing.

"Would you like to have lunch with me?"

There was a brief silence on the other end before Yang Yuqing laughed. "Sure. Where?"

"Lao Hong's Private Kitchen, private room three, eleven o'clock."

"Got it."

...

At eleven o'clock, the door to private room three at Lao Hong's Private Kitchen opened precisely on time. Zhao Fan rose with a smile. "Miss Yang, please have a seat."

After asking the waiter to serve the dishes, Zhao Fan poured her a glass of water.

"I didn't know if you drank alcohol, so I poured you some water first."

"Water is just fine." Yang Yuqing took a sip, met Zhao Fan’s gaze, and smiled. "Is this about Miss Sun's engagement banquet?"

Zhao Fan was startled. "You..."

Setting down her glass, Yang Yuqing said, "I overheard my father talking to Bai Yongyuan on the phone. They mentioned you and Miss Sun's engagement banquet, but that's all I know. For the details, you'll have to fill me in—if you can?"

Zhao Fan smiled faintly. "Of course."

He explained what had happened with Mu Tianrong and sighed. "Bai Yongyuan insisted, so my only option is to find a way into Miss Sun’s engagement banquet."

And his way was to seek Yang Yuqing’s help.

"If I remember correctly, you told me before that you’d let go of that piece of land. Why the sudden change?"

"Because I’m not willing to accept defeat."

"Not willing?"

"At the Yang family banquet, it was the Bai family who provoked me, not the other way around. If the item I bought had turned out to be fake, do you know what my fate would be now?"

Yang Yuqing's eyes flickered. Knowing the Bai family, if Zhao Fan had lost, things would have ended very badly for him.

"But you won."

"Exactly. Which is why I want a result I can live with."

"You’re not worried about the Bai family...?"

"This is China. I don’t believe the Bai family can behave as if they're above the law."

Zhao Fan’s tone was firm, unwavering.

Yang Yuqing opened her mouth, hesitated for a few moments, then relented. "I can give you the banquet invitation, but on one condition."

"Name it."

"No one can know that you got the invitation from me."

Recalling the phone call she’d mentioned earlier, Zhao Fan agreed without hesitation. "No problem."

He would never betray someone who helped him.

"Tomorrow. I’ll go to the supermarket, and I’ll give you the invitation there."

"Alright."

After that, the two of them said nothing more about the invitation.