236: Chapter 236 The Arrogant Letter of Invitation

Bvlgari Hotel, the top luxury landmark of the Imperial Capital, the presidential suite on the top floor.

Xiao Ye stood in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city soaked in power and wealth.

The crushing defeat in the financial market seemed like just a minor interlude in his journey, leaving no trace on his face.

"President Xiao, we should now..." A subordinate stood behind him, his tone filled with unconcealable anxiety.

The capital chain had been severed, and hundreds of financial brokers used for money laundering had been rounded up in one fell swoop.

In anyone's eyes, this was a dead end with no way out.

"Should what?" Xiao Ye turned around, slowly and methodically adjusting the cuffs of his Armani suit. "Panic is the privilege of the weak."

He interrupted his subordinate.

"A visiting card made of pure gold." Xiao Ye's voice carried a bone-chilling coldness. "I will personally deliver it to Chen Fan."

Half an hour later, a motorcade of three black Mercedes-Benzes stopped before the simple yet ancient vermilion gates of the Chen family's Courtyard House in an extremely arrogant manner.

This was the true heart of the Imperial Capital; every inconspicuous neighbor in the alleyway could be a hidden high-profile figure.

Yet this motorcade didn't even bother to honk, stubbornly blocking the entire entrance to the alleyway.

A bodyguard in black leading the group got out of the car, holding a heavy red sandalwood box in his hands.

He walked up to the main gate, and instead of knocking, he used his foot to kick the door knocker heavily.

"Clang!"

A piercingly loud bang broke the tranquility of the Courtyard House.

"Mr. Xiao Ye has come specifically to pay a visit to Mr. Chen Fan!"

The bodyguard's voice was loud and clear, carrying blatant provocation, ensuring that every corner of the surroundings could hear him distinctly.

The gate opened with a creak.

The one who walked out wasn't Chen Fan, but Chen Haoyu.

He was still in his eternal outfit—a simple black training uniform—his eyes as calm as a deep pool of water.

"Something the matter?"

"Our President Xiao wishes to invite Mr. Chen Fan to attend the 'New Economy Forum' tomorrow to discuss the future of China's manufacturing industry." The bodyguard let out a snort and thrust the wooden box forward.

"This is the visiting card."

Chen Haoyu did not take it.

The muscles on the bodyguard's face twitched, and he simply opened the box himself.

A blinding golden light burst out instantly.

It was a visiting card crafted from at least two kilograms of pure gold, with a line of large characters carved in a wild script:

Invitation to the New Economy Forum.

Signed: Xiao Ye.

"Our President Xiao said that antiques from a bygone era belong in a museum." The bodyguard held his chin high. "This world, after all, belongs to us young people."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dark shadow flashed past his side.

Inside the courtyard, a member of the Shadow Guard, who had been standing as still as a post, moved.

There were no wasted movements, just a simple and direct whip kick.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The 180-pound burly bodyguard flew backward like a tattered sack, soaring over the roofs of the three Mercedes-Benzes before slamming heavily against the wall at the end of the alley. He slid down, motionless.

The entire process took less than a second.

The red sandalwood box, along with the pure gold visiting card inside, had already landed steadily in Chen Haoyu's hands.

The remaining bodyguards were so terrified that they scrambled back into the cars, slammed on the gas, and fled in a panic.

Inside the study.

Chen Muyang looked at the pure gold visiting card, his face ashen with anger.

"Dad! He's declaring war on us! On our own turf in the Imperial Capital, he's being too arrogant!"

"This is no longer just business competition; he's slapping the Chen family's face in front of everyone!"

Chen Fan was sitting by the window, a small screwdriver in hand, intently repairing a half-worn-out 4WD toy car—the favorite of the second of the triplets, Chen Star.

He didn't even look up at the visiting card.

"It's just a visiting card; why are you so worked up?" Chen Fan blew on the newly oiled gears. "The man spent so much money, with gold and a motorcade, just to make us angry, didn't he?"

"If we actually get angry, wouldn't we be playing right into his hands?"

"But..." Chen Muyang's fists clenched until his knuckles cracked.

"This Xiao Ye, I've looked into him. He's quite an interesting young man." Chen Fan finally looked up and placed the repaired 4WD car on the floor.

"All his methods, all his tactics, are imitations of mine."

"Unfortunately, he only learned my 'techniques' but not my 'way'."

"He thinks that with money he can do whatever he wants, but he doesn't realize that true power is never the numbers written in a bank account."

Chen Fan stood up and patted Chen Muyang's shoulder.

"You go to this forum."

"Dad?" Chen Muyang was stunned.

"He's already set the stage. If we don't even send someone to show support, wouldn't we seem too petty?" An inscrutable smile appeared on Chen Fan's face.

"Keep this visiting card safe. When you go tomorrow, return it to him in front of all the media."

"Tell him that the Huihuang Group's way of hospitality emphasizes reciprocating in kind."

Chen Muyang looked at his father, the anger in his heart gradually subsiding, replaced by a cold fighting spirit.

He understood.

His father wanted him to completely crush Xiao Ye on the very stage he was most proud of.

"Yes, Dad!"

After arranging everything, Chen Fan took off his loungewear.

Su Wanqing, thinking he was going out, brought over a crisply ironed haute couture suit.

But Chen Fan waved it away, pulled out a faded tracksuit from the bottom of the wardrobe, and changed into it.

He walked to the door, and instead of going to the garage for the bulletproof Hongqi, he pushed out a dusty 28-inch bicycle.

"I'm going out for a bit."

"Where to?" Su Wanqing asked, puzzled.

"Auntie Wang at the wet market said that the Napa cabbage is cheap today, only twenty cents a catty." Chen Fan hopped onto the bike and looked back with a smile. "I'm going to grab a couple."

Su Wanqing watched her husband's back disappear around the corner of the alley, shaking her head in a mix of helplessness and amusement.

In this world, only Chen Fan would likely set aside a hundred-billion-level business war just for a twenty-cent Napa cabbage.

Just then, the old person's phone hanging on the bicycle's handlebars rang abruptly.

He held the handlebars with one hand and picked up the call with the other, skillfully pinning it with his shoulder.

"Hello, Muyang."

From the other end of the line came Chen Muyang's voice, thick with suppressed anger, against a backdrop of noisy media clamor.

"Dad, I've arrived at the forum. There are ten times more media here than expected."

"The more people, the livelier it is; it makes it easier for him to put on his show." Chen Fan pedaled slowly, swerving to avoid a playing child.

The other end was silent for a few seconds before Chen Muyang's voice came through again, this time with a hint of cold killing intent.

"He just sent someone to pass on a message, saying he's prepared a 'great gift' that can make Huihuang Group's stock price drop to zero tomorrow, and he wants me to open it personally in front of the global live broadcast."