84: Chapter 84 Poaching

8:00 AM

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A loud knocking sound came from the gate of the Imperial Dragon Residence.

"Lin Fan, you lecherous, friend-forgetting Shrewd Merchant! Open the door!"

A clear, high-pitched female voice penetrated the soundproof glass, reaching Lin Fan's bedroom.

Lin Fan's tensed muscles instantly relaxed, followed by a violent headache.

This voice was too familiar.

The loud speaker of Jianghai No. 3 Middle School, Chu Yaoyao's voice.

Why was this girl here?

"Brother, are the debt collectors here?"

From the railing on the second floor, Lin Xiaoya rubbed her sleepy eyes, still holding the pink rabbit doll.

"More troublesome than debt collectors."

Lin Fan reluctantly went to open the door.

The door had just opened a crack.

A red whirlwind crashed in.

Chu Yaoyao was wearing a red tracksuit today, her ponytail tied high.

As soon as she entered, her lively big eyes scanned the living room like a radar.

Finally, they fixed on Lin Fan.

"Well, Lin Fan!"

Chu Yaoyao put her hands on her hips, indignantly pointing at Lin Fan's nose, "I was still promoting your blind box at school, praising you as a conscientious entrepreneur of Jianghai City. But what happened? You're secretly having an underground romance behind my back!"

Lin Fan yawned, turned, and walked to the kitchen. "Early in the morning, what nonsense are you talking about? Pour your own water, don't be shy."

"Who's being shy with you!"

Chu Yaoyao clung to Lin Fan like a shadow. "Don't play dumb. Last night at Blue Note Cafe, someone saw you and Su Qingxue on a date there, and you even helped her chase away that rich brat Zhao Tai. Now the whole school is spreading rumors that you and Su Qingxue are together."

Lin Fan paused his action of pouring water.

News travels fast.

As expected of a woman with an A+ grade Wind Spirit talent, her gossip spreading speed is also A-grade.

"Didn't she tell you that was for business cooperation?"

Lin Fan handed over the water glass, looking righteous. "You know me, Qing Xue is a major client of mine. Maintaining client relationships is the service tenet of our Myriad Treasures Pavilion."

"I don't believe a word you say!"

Chu Yaoyao took the water glass but didn't drink, instead staring suspiciously at Lin Fan. "Does talking business require talking until midnight? Does it require her to personally drive you home? And does it require lingering reluctantly at the car door?"

Lin Fan: "..."

Did Chu Yaoyao install a monitor on him?

"Moreover!"

Chu Yaoyao suddenly leaned closer, her nose almost touching Lin Fan's face, her big eyes flickering with the blazing flames of gossip. "Qing Xue used to be famously aloof, and we've been best friends since childhood. Are you actually poaching her from me?"

"Lin Fan, tell me honestly, did you give her some kind of bewitching blind box?"

Lin Fan took a step back, creating distance.

"If I had such a blind box, I'd use it on you first to make you quiet."

Just then.

The roar of an engine came from outside the courtyard again.

Deep, powerful.

It was the distinctive sound of a Porsche.

Chu Yaoyao's ears instantly perked up, and an excited expression, like catching someone in the act, appeared on her face.

"She's here, your girlfriend is here!"

Lin Fan's head hurt even more.

This wasn't morning, what kind of ruckus was this?

The gate opened.

Su Qingxue walked in.

Unlike the boisterous Chu Yaoyao, she was wearing a sharp white casual suit today, her long hair tied up, and she carried an exquisite document bag.

Her aura was fully unleashed.

Like a female CEO inspecting work.

But at the sight of Chu Yaoyao, Su Qingxue's perpetually icy face clearly showed a hint of panic.

"Yaoyao? Why are you here?"

"Ha! Caught you!"

Chu Yaoyao slammed the water glass on the table, jumped in front of Su Qingxue, and circled her three times. "Oh, Qing Xue, yesterday I asked you to go shopping, and you said you needed to cultivate, to go into seclusion. So, you were cultivating at the Shrewd Merchant's house?"

Chu Yaoyao smirked, her gaze darting between Lin Fan and Su Qingxue.

"What kind of cultivation is this? Dual cultivation?"

"Pfft!"

Lin Xiaoya, who was watching the show from the second floor, spat out the apple she had just bitten.

Lin Fan was drinking water and almost choked to death.

Only Chu Yaoyao would dare to utter such scandalous words.

Su Qingxue's ears instantly turned red, but she was from a prominent family after all, with extremely strong psychological fortitude.

She calmly placed the document bag on the coffee table, ignoring Chu Yaoyao's teasing.

"Yaoyao, don't talk nonsense."

Su Qingxue's voice was cold. "I'm here to deliver information. I contacted my family's connections in Kyoto and learned some public basic information about General Ye Canglan."

"Oh, information, huh~"

Chu Yaoyao deliberately drew out the last syllable, wearing an expression that said, "I understand, I understand it all." "Who delivers information at six in the morning like a normal person? Can't you send an encrypted email? Why the need for physical delivery?"

Su Qingxue was choked for a moment.

She turned her head, her cold eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at her best friend.

"Yaoyao, are you very idle?"

"Unlike some people, busy with business." Chu Yaoyao didn't back down, puffing out her budding chest. "I'm just concerned about my best friend, afraid you'll be cheated out of money and your body. After all, a certain someone is a notoriously Shrewd Merchant."

"He wouldn't dare."

Su Qingxue sat on the sofa, her posture elegant. "Besides, I'm not someone who can be easily deceived. Unlike some people, who spend all their living expenses on a blind box, only to open a pile of cleaning agents."

Critical hit.

Chu Yaoyao's face instantly crumpled.

This was her dark history.

Last week, she drew ten D-grade blind boxes in a row from Lin Fan, and all she got was Powerful Stain Remover, which Su Qingxue mocked her for three whole days.

"That was an accident! Didn't I get a Golden Legend before?"

Chu Yaoyao bristled, pouncing on Su Qingxue with bared teeth and claws. "Alright, Su Qingxue, you've learned to protect your boyfriend now, haven't you? You're going against me for a man, you faithless woman, are you abandoning me?"

Su Qingxue fended off Chu Yaoyao's 'demonic claws' while coldly correcting her, "He's a business partner."

"I don't believe a word of it!"

The two stunning beauties twisted into a knot in the living room.

One was fervent like fire, the other cool like ice.

Lin Fan stood by, holding his water glass, feeling like an superfluous ornament.

"Brother."

Lin Xiaoya had slipped down at some point, holding a plate of sliced watermelon, and sat on a small stool, watching with relish.

"Is this melon guaranteed ripe?"

Lin Fan looked down at his sister. "Have you finished your homework?"

"Tch, boring." Lin Xiaoya rolled her eyes at Lin Fan.

"Children shouldn't watch these things."

Lin Fan pressed his sister's head, forcibly turning her face away.

But his own gaze didn't move.

He had to admit.

It was a feast for the eyes.

If he ignored the fact that he was the center of their topic.

"Enough!"

Lin Fan slammed his cup on the table with a crisp sound.

"My two heroines, please put away your divine abilities."

Lin Fan sternly pointed to the wall clock. "It's 8:15 AM. Myriad Treasures Pavilion opens in three minutes. I have to go to work."

"I earn hundreds of thousands a minute; my time is very expensive."

The air was silent for a second.

Chu Yaoyao released Su Qingxue's cheek and tidied her messy clothes.

She pouted and plopped onto the sofa. "Who cares about chatting with you? I'm here to supervise, to prevent certain people from betraying revolutionary friendship."

Su Qingxue also tidied her hair, restoring her aloof goddess demeanor.

She opened the document bag and took out a stack of materials.

"Let's get to business."

Su Qingxue continued, "General Ye Canglan issued a statement overnight last night, announcing the establishment of a new martial arts experimental base in Jianghai City, and specifically requested to inspect Myriad Treasures Pavilion's blind box samples."

"As expected, my blind boxes are too strange, especially some rare items, which caught the attention of the big shot."

"However, based on what Li Zhen said before, this General Ye Canglan seems to bear no ill will towards me."

Lin Fan tapped his fingers on the table, beginning to ponder.

"There's another piece of news."

Su Qingxue glanced at Chu Yaoyao, seemingly hesitating whether to speak.

"Why are you looking at me? I'm one of us!" Chu Yaoyao immediately straightened her back. "I'm also a VIP member of Myriad Treasures Pavilion!"

Su Qingxue sighed.

"From Kyoto, besides General Ye Canglan, someone else is coming."

"Who?"

"Qin Family, Qin Feng."

Hearing this name, Chu Yaoyao, who had been watching the drama unfold, suddenly changed her expression.

"That madman?"

Chu Yaoyao exclaimed, "Why is he coming? Isn't he at the Heavenly Pride Training Camp in Kyoto?"

"I heard it's because General Ye Canglan's evaluation of Lin Fan was too high, which caused dissatisfaction among the Heavenly Prides in Kyoto's circles."

Su Qingxue looked at Lin Fan, a hint of worry in her eyes. "Qin Feng has declared that he's coming to Jianghai to see how much the so-called 'Special Grade Combat Hero' is really worth."

"He's here to cause trouble."

Lin Fan closed the documents.

There was no panic on his face; instead, a meaningful smile appeared.

It was the smile of a Shrewd Merchant who had spotted a fat sheep.

"Qin Family? Are they very rich?"

Lin Fan asked a completely unrelated question.

Su Qingxue was startled, then nodded subconsciously. "A top aristocratic family in Kyoto, their assets are more than a hundred times that of the Su Family."

"That's good."

Lin Fan stood up and stretched.

"Since he's here to deliver money, we should prepare a good welcoming ceremony."

Lin Fan pulled out his phone and dialed Fatty's number.

"Hello? Brother Fan? I'm still in bed..."

"Don't sleep, a big business deal is coming. Get ready."

Lin Fan roared into the phone, "Find all those C-grade Strength Potions and D-grade Hardened Skin experience cards that are piled up in the store, and repackage them!"

"Price? Ten times the price. There's a big spender coming from Kyoto. Remember to put one real blind box in every ten repackaged boxes."

He hung up the phone.

Lin Fan turned around, looking at the two dumbfounded girls.

Chu Yaoyao subconsciously said, "The last time I opened 10 Powerful Stain Removers... that wasn't your doing, you Shrewd Merchant, was it?"

"Nonsense! I'll sue you for defamation! She's slandering me!" Lin Fan's expression changed. If this gets out, how will I do business!

"You are my VIP clients, how could I trick you? You just have bad luck; it has nothing to do with me."

As soon as Chu Yaoyao heard Lin Fan say she had bad luck, she instantly got angry. "I have bad luck? I think you have a black heart! You stole my Qing Xue baby, and I haven't even settled the score with you yet!"

Then, her eyes darted mischievously.

"You know, Qing Xue is my biological sister from different parents, my dearest friend and relative. I can't sleep at night without hugging her."

"Now you're poaching her from me, this won't do, unless... you pay more! Otherwise, I'll complain about you two on the school forum."

"Ten D-grade blind boxes, no, C-grade, ten C-grade blind boxes, and I won't pursue the matter of you two secretly dating."

Lin Fan and Su Qingxue both looked at her speechlessly. For the sake of opening blind boxes, why was she so dramatic?

Just then, Jianghai Lord Li Zhen called, telling Lin Fan to go to the Jianghai Lord's Mansion, as General Ye Canglan had already arrived.

General Ye Canglan specifically asked to see him.

Only then did he have a chance to escape Chu Yaoyao's entanglement.

"Alright, alright, I have important business to attend to. For the ten blind boxes, go directly to the store and find Fatty." After saying that, he quickly scurried away.