Meanwhile, on Ye Aotianâs end, Xiao Lan and Zheng Shaoyang had just arrived.
âHaha! Welcome, financial genius Zheng Shaoyang. With your help, Iâm sure my company will soar.â
âItâs an honor to have earned your trust. I promise I wonât let you down.â
Ling Xiaoyun entered, carrying a tray of fruitâall green, a subtle hint of things to come.
âIf I give you money, how quickly could you cause Chen Fanâs stock to drop?â
âNot long at allâI can start now.â
âReally?â
âAbsolutely. Manipulating stocks isnât that difficult. It just depends on what outcome youâre hoping for.â
âWhat if I want to bankrupt the company completely?â
âI can do that. But wouldnât it be more interesting for you to acquire it and take a seat on its board?â
Ye Aotian laughed hard, clutching his side as his wounds reopened.
âPerfect! Go ahead. I trust you.â
Ling Xiaoyun watched Xiao Lan stand silently to the side, resigned to saying nothing. Heâd overheard Xiao Lan and Zheng Shaoyangâs âencounter,â but felt there was no point in mentioning it. Even if he told Ye Aotian, he had no evidence.
It wasnât all good news for Ye Aotian. After examining him, the family healer had grimly concluded that continued use of the
would completely destroy his kidneys, leaving him unable to perform in the future. They advised him to take it easy, but Ling Xiaoyun knew that Ye Aotian would never settle down, always seeking out women, from Lin Qingyue to Jin Lan.
Today alone, heâd been musing about his many âconquests,â even commenting on Ling Xiaoyunâs sister.
Finally, Ye Aotian handed over a million dollars. âTake it and get to work.â
âYouâre not worried I might run off with it?â
âI donât doubt people I trust. I see ambition in your eyes, and I believe you have great potential.â
Ling Xiaoyun silently gave him a thumbs-up.
Xiao Lan helped Ye Aotian stand, steadying him. âHowâs your recovery going?â
âPerfectly fine. Donât worry.â
Satisfied, Xiao Lan watched as Ye Aotian, now able to move, took slow, careful steps. Meanwhile, Zheng Shaoyang kept his ambitions hidden, watching Ye Aotian with a calculating gaze.
Later, around eight in the evening, Chen Fan had prepared some items in his roomâall cheap imitations. In the novel, Chen Fan often destroyed things when angry, so heâd stocked up in advance, even picking up a knife to add a bit of ârealism.â
But as he attempted to slice his palm, he found it was more challenging than expected.
After some effort, he managed to squeeze out a few drops of blood, enough to create the intended effect.
He then started smashing things around the office, letting his frustration out. Soon, the butler rushed in.
âYoung Master, whatâs wrong?â
âWhatâs going on with the company? Why is the stock crashing? Call an emergency meeting now. I want answers.â
The butler nodded, and soon, the two were in the conference room with the companyâs executives.
Chen Fan glared at them. âI want an explanation. Why has our stock plummeted?â
No one answered, though everyone knew the reason. The pharmaceutical companyâs stock was tied to Chen Fanâs reputation. Any negative press about him would inevitably affect the share price, but no one dared speak up.
âIf I donât get an answer, you can all consider yourselves fired.â
One brave soul finally spoke. âSir, itâs because of you. Your conflict with Ye Aotian has been a public spectacle, and now people think youâve lost your edge.â
âYou think Iâve lost my edge? Youâre fired. Get out.â
The man glared at him. âYouâre going to drive this company into the ground. Ye Aotianâs constantly releasing new products while weâre doing nothing.â
Chen Fan thought.
Still, he had to play his role, firing key employees and shifting the blame.
âLeave. Anyone else want to blame me?â
An older man stood up. âI donât need to stay. Your mother worked so hard to build this company, and youâre going to destroy it.â
âFine, you can go too. Anyone else?â
Another executive spoke up. âSir, we canât lose Mr. Huang. Heâs our only certified TCM practitioner.â
âOut! If youâre sticking up for him, then you can go too.â
Chen Fan savored the sense of power as he fired employee after employee, relishing the villainy.
At that moment, his secretary entered the room. âSir, Lin Group has offered to invest and help stabilize the company.â
Chen Fan thought.
âI donât need charity from a woman. If Lin Qingyue wants to help, she can keep dreaming. Tell her sheâll pay for this, and so will Ye Aotian.â
He smirked. âOne day, Iâll grind him into dust.â
Chen Fan returned home and, without a word, immediately began to report the situation. Since the storyline seemed off, he might as well push it along himself.
As for Ye Aotian and Lin Qingyueâs trivial matters, Chen Fan no longer cared. He was genuinely exhausted and only wanted to keep the plot moving forward. Frankly, even if they became enemies, Chen Fan couldnât be bothered to think about it.
The core idea was that he was the protagonistâs âexperience feederâ â his role was to play this part well, as for how the two of them might develop, Chen Fan didnât know. Just today, Lin Qingyue even actively gave him money and wanted to save his company.
At this moment, Lin Qingyue looked at the money that Chen Fan had returned and sighed helplessly. It seemed he truly held a grudge against her. But Lin Qingyue didnât believe that Chen Fan was heartless. She had already made such an effort, yet he hadnât responded at all. She still believed Chen Fan had feelings for her but was only pretending due to the plot requirements.
Just then, an email arrived. Lin Qingyue opened it.
âI know now that nothing happened between you and Chen Fan that night. I understand that you actually lied to me for my sake.â
Lin Qingyue cursed inwardly, loathing herself for not having trained in martial arts and not knowing how to disable someone. If sheâd learned, sheâd castrate him next time, no question. Furthermore, Xiao Lan was someone she had truly misjudged; she hadnât expected her to cheat on Ye Aotian.
Thinking of this made Lin Qingyue laugh uncontrollably. This protagonist was indeed quite pitiful.
Continuing, Lin Qingyueâs anger flared up again.
âWait for me. I will make Chen Fan fall completely, and then I will marry you. You will no longer have to suffer.â
âIs anyone here?â Lin Qingyue called out, and her new secretary walked in, saying, âWhat do you need, boss?â
âContact the PR department and spread a rumor that Ye Aotian doesnât have a medical license.â
The secretary froze for a moment before saying, âBoss, are you sure? If we do this, Ye Aotian is bound to find out.â
âI donât care. I want him to know. If he couldnât find out, I wouldnât bother spreading it.â