Chapter 104 A Spontaneous Journey

Two other lackeys were already shouting that they would fetch the security guards and have Lin Fan thrown out.

Lin Fan did not want to put Zhang Yi in an awkward position, so he could only spread his hands weakly. “I’ll leave on my own. No need for you two to keep squawking here!”

Zhang Yi hurried after him at once.

“Sorry, I really didn’t know Tang Guo would tell Zhong Xingnan what I just said. Sigh... she’s changed now. She seems a little vain.”

Zhang Yi quickly apologized to Lin Fan, never expecting him to become Zhong Xingnan’s target.

“Anyone can see she’s been brainwashed by Zhong Xingnan. No matter how you try to talk to her, it’s useless. There’s an old saying: flies do not bite without a crack in the egg. People who can come to a place like this are hardly any of them decent.”

Lin Fan soothed her in a gentle voice.

But Tang Guo had only meant to show off; it had been entirely unintentional.

As for his humiliation at Zhong Xingnan’s hands, that was simply three people making trouble where there was none.

“I’ll wait outside. Still, be careful, and if anything happens, call me.”

With that, Lin Fan left in a suave manner.

Even after being humiliated by Zhong Xingnan, one could not lose elegance or confidence.

“Damn it, that guy really knows how to put on airs!”

Seeing that Lin Fan still carried himself so arrogantly, Zhong Xingnan was thoroughly irritated.

“Brother Xing, now only his girlfriend is left. How about we...”

“His girlfriend is pretty cute, even prettier than the other three, and I suspect she’s still untouched. She’s too reserved, not nearly as loose as the others!”

The other two lackeys crowded closer and whispered a stream of temptations into Zhong Xingnan’s ear.

Zhong Xingnan immediately understood the elegant meaning behind their words.

The moment he saw Zhang Yi, he had been moved.

“That pauper should be waiting outside. We need to think of a way to get to some other place before making a move!”

Zhong Xingnan muttered under his breath.

“Isn’t that easy? Brother Xing, didn’t you say you were going to South Shore in a couple of days? Why don’t we charter a jet there tonight? Even if he waits till the end of time, he’d never guess we went all the way to South Shore!”

“Good idea!”

Zhong Xingnan could not help giving a thumbs-up in approval.

By then, Zhang Yi had already returned.

Zhong Xingnan instantly transformed into an obsequious flatterer and went to greet her.

“Zhang Yi, you said just now that you really wanted to travel to South Shore Island, right? How about we take a spontaneous trip?”

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow. The city of South Shore, on South Shore Island, was the poetry and distant dream of countless women.

There was a poem about the sea and spring blossoms that referred to South Shore, the place known as the End of the World and the Sea’s Edge. It was also one of the most famous vacation destinations in the country. Especially in winter, only South Shore remained as warm as summer.

During the earlier chat, Zhang Yi had also said that if she had the time, she would definitely go to South Shore and enjoy its unique diving and deep-sea excursions.

But she quickly grew wary.

A spontaneous trip? Why did that sound suspiciously like a scam?

“I don’t have that much time. My holiday is only five days.”

Zhang Yi shook her head regretfully.

But Zhong Xingnan pressed on while the iron was hot. “I’m a regular at a private jet company. One phone call and I can charter a plane right away. After we finish the barbecue, we can leave tonight. Maybe we’ll even catch the sunrise tomorrow morning...”

Without giving Zhang Yi a chance to speak, he walked into the pavilion and told the other three girls that they would be flying to South Shore tonight.

The moment the three heard this, they were naturally delighted.

Tang Guo even pulled Zhang Yi aside and urged her to seize such a rare chance and enjoy herself properly, since she would not have to pay a cent anyway.

But Zhang Yi said she wanted to discuss it with Lin Fan first.

“Why do you need to discuss it with him? What if he objects? Are you really going to skip it then? Aren’t you making me lose face?”

“We’ve known each other for so many years. Don’t you trust me? Am I going to run off with you or something? Such a rare opportunity—leave tonight, play to your heart’s content for a couple of days, then come back. There’s no need to worry about your vacation at all!”

“That Lin Fan of yours—can he even afford a private jet? He has no sense of romance at all. If he truly liked you, he should satisfy any wish you have... Zhang Yi, you’re being far too humble. You should learn from me and live as freely as you like!”

Besides Tang Guo, the other two girls also urged her not to be so conservative. Since a rich second-generation was footing the bill, she could relax and enjoy herself to the fullest.

If she missed this chance, who knew how long it would be before she could go to the End of the World and the Sea’s Edge again!

Battered by this barrage of sweet-talking and coaxing, Zhang Yi was indeed tempted, but she still said she needed to notify Lin Fan.

Yet after calling Lin Fan twice in a row, she was told that he was already on another call.

She had no choice but to send him a message on WeChat.

Seeing that, Tang Guo began making a scene again.

“I told you this guy doesn’t value you. You call and he doesn’t answer; you message him and he doesn’t reply? They say men go bad once they have money. For all we know, he’s probably a player, hooking up with you while chasing after other girls too...”

“I’ve seen too many men like that. They were so poor before they could barely eat, and now that they’ve suddenly gotten rich, they’ll cast their net everywhere! Besides, your family is so well-off. Your parents will most likely disagree with you dating him, so you should think carefully about whether you really want to be with him...”

Hearing such narrow-minded, mercenary talk, Zhang Yi completely believed what Lin Fan had said.

Tang Guo had been brainwashed by Zhong Xingnan!

But Zhang Yi was also the type with a thin skin. The invitation was so fervent that if she refused to go now, Tang Guo might very well turn against her on the spot.

And tomorrow was Tang Guo’s birthday. If she refused after being begged so earnestly, their friendship might truly be over.

However, what she had not expected was that Zhong Xingnan would move quickly.

After making a phone call, he announced that the plane had already been arranged and they could depart at any time.

Thus, halfway through the barbecue, the group hurried off.

On the way, Zhang Yi called Lin Fan twice more, but whether his phone had run out of battery or he was busy, the calls never connected. Even her WeChat messages went unanswered.

Lin Fan really had been on the phone the whole time.

More than ten minutes earlier, after he came out of the club and got into the car, he received a call from Wang Jianguo.

Earlier, Wang Jianguo had wanted to win Lin Fan over and get him to invest in a new-energy project worth over one hundred billion.

The project had been initiated by the relevant authorities, and after Imperial Grand Group won the bid, it discovered that its cash flow was insufficient, so it planned to seek financing.

Lin Fan happened to have plenty of money, and there was even a strong possibility that he was Old Master Lin’s illegitimate son, so Wang Jianguo had developed the idea of persuading him to invest.

Some time ago, he had already spoken with Lin Fan privately several times, and Lin Fan had always said he was interested.

Today, after just returning from the capital, he still had one-third of the funds left. If Lin Fan was willing to invest thirty billion, he could transfer one-third of Imperial Grand Group’s shares.

Such a massive investment was not something Lin Fan could decide alone, so after hanging up, he immediately called Su Hanmo to ask for her opinion.

The more important reason was that if he invested thirty billion in his own name, it would not trigger the spending rebate.

So he planned to invest under Su Hanmo’s name.

In other words, if he invested thirty billion on Su Hanmo’s behalf, he could receive nearly three billion in spending rebate!

But Su Hanmo said it was such a major matter that she would need to think it over carefully.