Chapter 152: Arrogant at First, Courteous Later

Lin Fan smiled without a word.

He had become quite experienced by now, and he fully understood that every social circle was rife with its own hierarchy of contempt. From the very beginning, because he hadn't removed the price tag from his suit, this guy had suspected him of being a fake rich kid. Even with Jin Hantang providing attentive service throughout, it hadn't dispelled the man's doubts.

Soon, the group took a commercial vehicle arranged by Jin Hantang to the pier. Once they reached familiar territory, the man in the T-shirt began to lecture everyone on yacht knowledge.

"Everyone, yachts aren't actually that expensive—not even as much as a supercar. A mid-to-large yacht that can hold forty or fifty people generally costs between five million and tens of millions. But compared to buying, renting is cheaper, only five or six thousand per hour, and it comes with professional staff."

"Small yachts, the kind with only one cabin, are as cheap as a few tens of thousands. But a large yacht like this one, with suites, a bar, and karaoke, costs twenty or thirty million. When stars and models want to throw parties, they love going out to sea—it keeps the paparazzi away and lets them have a wilder time..."

Several of the girls listened to these stories with looks of awe and admiration.

Once Jin Hantang led everyone onto a large yacht, Yu Xiawei couldn't help but offer a sarcastic remark. "I thought this yacht would be expensive, but it turns out the daily rental is only fifty or sixty thousand. That amount isn't even enough for my pocket money; I can earn that much just from one photoshoot..."

The man in the T-shirt let out a strange laugh and said, "Baby, the kind of large yachts you're talking about are superyachts customized specifically for billionaires, worth hundreds of millions. Average people can't afford that. Most of the wealthy just buy them second-hand for the novelty."

Just as the yacht was preparing to set sail, a middle-aged man wearing a hat hurried onto the boat. Seeing him, the man in the T-shirt’s eyes lit up, and he hurried over to greet him.

"Boss Sun, what wind blows you here? I wanted to grab a drink with you last time, but something came up. We have to have a blast today!"

As he spoke, he introduced the middle-aged man to the group. It turned out he was the owner of a yacht rental company and quite famous in the modeling world. More than half of the models in Shanghai who shot yacht photoshoots essentially rented their vessels from him. As a moderately well-known photographer in the modeling circle, the man in the T-shirt had crossed paths with Boss Sun many times.

Upon hearing that nearly one-fifth of the pier, and even the yacht they were currently on, were assets of Boss Sun's company, Yu Xiawei took the initiative to approach him.

"Boss Sun, we've met before, haven't we? When I do my photoshoot in a couple of days, I want to head out to sea and have some fun again. Please take care of me, Boss Sun."

"Easy, easy... Since we all know each other, just let me know next time you want to head out. I have plenty of yachts here!"

The others, seeing her openly batting her eyelashes at Boss Sun and making all sorts of suggestive hints, felt even more contempt for her shamelessness. To have a boyfriend and still flirt with someone else in front of him—it was simply too promiscuous.

However, the man in the T-shirt didn't seem to care at all. He assumed Boss Sun had been invited by Jin Hantang to join the trip. He had no idea that as soon as Jin Hantang approached, Boss Sun’s expression changed instantly.

"Manager Jin, I apologize for being late. Where is Mr. Lin? Take me to see him immediately!"

The man in the T-shirt and his friends were stunned by his respectful, bowing, and scraping demeanor. What was going on? Why would Boss Sun be so polite to a lowly deputy manager? Jin Hantang was merely a hotel manager, and a deputy one at that. In terms of status and standing, he was far inferior to Boss Sun, who owned several rental companies.

Initially, the man in the T-shirt and his friend hadn't taken Jin Hantang seriously at all, but now, seeing Boss Sun's attitude, they were bewildered. Could there be another guest on the yacht? Was it because Lin Fan knew this guest that they had the opportunity to board?

The four of them had boarded last and went straight to the top deck to look at the scenery, while Lin Fan, Zhang Yichen, and the others were in the lower suite enjoying cold drinks and ice cream. Filled with doubt, the four followed Boss Sun to the karaoke suite on the middle deck.

"Mr. Lin, Boss Sun is here."

Jin Hantang brought Boss Sun before Lin Fan. Boss Sun greeted Lin Fan with great restraint.

"Mr. Lin, hello. I am Sun Feiyun, owner of Fengyun Leasing. I heard you wanted to buy my company?"

Sun Feiyun stood hunched over, looking at Lin Fan with caution. His attitude was completely different from the confident, lecherous, and chatty persona he had displayed in front of Yu Xiawei and the others. At this moment, he acted as if he were facing a formidable figure he feared deeply, speaking with extreme politeness.

The man in the T-shirt couldn't help but ask, "Boss Sun, did you mistake him for someone else? Your company is worth five hundred million—you're just selling it like that?"

"None of your business! Don't get in my way, stay back!" Sun Feiyun glared at him fiercely.

The man in the T-shirt bit his lip in embarrassment, completely unprepared for Sun Feiyun’s sudden hostility.

He looked Lin Fan up and down, but Lin Fan didn't look like any kind of big shot. Why would Sun Feiyun be so deferential?

"Boss Sun, let's get straight to the point. Name your price."

Lin Fan sat with his legs crossed, holding an ice cream and eating it as he spoke. His demeanor seemed rather flamboyant. The other girls either stopped to watch him and Sun Feiyun or remained silent. Because Sun Feiyun’s aura was clearly different from Jin Hantang’s, and given his status as a company owner, they felt they had to show him respect. But Lin Fan seemed entirely unconcerned about who Sun Feiyun was, continuing to eat his cold drink.

"Er... this..."

Sun Feiyun was left stammering by Lin Fan’s directness. It wasn't that he feared Lin Fan, but rather that Lin Fan was too blunt. When Jin Hantang had called him to explain the situation, he had thought Jin Hantang was joking. To verify it, he had even called Wang Silas’s secretary to inquire about Lin Fan, only to be scolded severely by the secretary.

Especially on his way here, he had received a call from Wang Silas, ordering him to cooperate fully with Lin Fan and keep him happy. In front of a second-generation rich kid like the man in the T-shirt, he might be high-status and well-connected, but in front of a super-rich second-generation figure like Young Master Wang, he was nothing.

In plain terms, Sun Feiyun was just a nouveau riche; he didn't even have the qualifications to tie Wang Silas’s shoes. More importantly, his business had been struggling for the past two years. The wealthy weren't heading out to sea as much anymore, and his yacht rental company had been operating at a loss. Since someone actually wanted to buy his company today, he was naturally eager, which explained why his attitude was so vastly different from usual.

After considering for about a minute, Sun Feiyun slowly squeezed out a few words.

"Three hundred and fifty million."

"Didn't they say it was worth five hundred million? Why is it so cheap?" Lin Fan raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.

"Don't listen to the nonsense others are spouting!"