29: Chapter 29 Dad, just how rich is our family?

The river view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was unobstructed; the lights of the entire Jiangcheng seemed to be laid out beneath her feet.

Su Nianyao looked in the direction Chen Fan was pointing.

That was Tiansheng Building.

It was the landmark of Jiangcheng, towering into the clouds, with advertisements scrolling across the LED screen on its outer wall, the light pollution blindingly severe.

In the past, she had only dared to glance at it from afar; a single cup of coffee there would have cost her three days of handing out flyers.

"That is... Tiansheng Group?" Su Nianyao pressed against the glass, her breath forming a small patch of white mist on the surface. "The richest company in our Jiangcheng."

"It was."

Chen Fan walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of red wine with no label, and pulled out the cork.

"After tonight, it will be nothing but an empty shell."

The red wine poured into the glass, its color like blood.

Chen Fan swirled the wine glass, walked over to his daughter, and stood side-by-side with her, looking at the building: "Nianyao, have you always wanted to ask how much money Dad actually has?"

Su Nianyao turned around, her back against the cold glass.

She looked at the man before her, who was both familiar and strange.

A few hours ago, he was still riding a beat-up e-bike to take her to street food stalls, but now he was standing in a priceless manor, pointing out the landscape.

This sense of disconnect made her dizzy.

"Yes." Su Nianyao nodded vigorously, her fingers gripping the edge of the window sill tightly. "Dad, give me the bottom line. This manor, this car, and everything you just said... does our family have any debts? Or... is it really yours?"

She still dared not believe it.

For someone who has lived in fear of poverty, the first reaction is never wild joy, but panic.

She was afraid this was a bubble that, once burst, would leave them buried in debt.

Chen Fan laughed.

He took a sip of wine, not answering with a number directly.

"Have you heard of 'Peak Capital'?"

Su Nianyao shook her head in confusion.

She usually only cared about which supermarket had sales or which part-time job paid faster; the financial world was too far removed from her.

"True, you are still a student."

Chen Fan put down the wine glass and rested his hands on the railing, his tone as casual as if they were discussing what to have for dinner.

"Let's put it this way. The land you are standing on right now, Dragon Bay, is mine. That riverside avenue you passed by earlier was built by me."

Su Nianyao's mouth slowly opened wide.

"A couple of days ago, the news was buzzing about how the Fortune 500 company 'Huihuang Group' was fully acquired by a mysterious buyer. That buyer is Peak Capital, which is under my name."

Boom!

It felt like a thunderclap had rolled through Su Nianyao's brain.

Huihuang Group!

That behemoth, which she knew of even without following the news, a commercial aircraft carrier covering real estate, entertainment, and logistics!

"Then... how much money is that?" Su Nianyao's voice trembled, and she felt her legs turning to jelly.

"Money?"

Chen Fan turned his head, looked at his daughter's terrified expression, and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"At Dad's level, money is just a string of meaningless numbers. If I wanted to, I could make the housing prices in this Jiangcheng drop by half tomorrow, or I could have the owner of that Michelin restaurant changed."

"Peak Capital's current liquid assets are around five trillion."

Chen Fan paused and added: "The unit is in USD."

Su Nianyao could no longer hear anything.

Five trillion.

USD.

This exceeded the limits of her cognition.

She didn't even know how thick a stack of ten thousand yuan was, let alone five trillion.

She only felt the world spinning, her hands and feet ice-cold, as if she were standing on a cloud, ready to fall and die at any moment.

"Dad... you... don't scare me."

Su Nianyao grabbed Chen Fan's arm, her nails digging into his flesh. "With this much money... can we even spend it all?"

Chen Fan laughed out loud.

The laughter echoed in the spacious hall, exuding a sense of arrogance.

"Silly girl, money can never be fully earned, nor can it ever be fully spent. The point isn't spending; it's power."

Chen Fan pointed to the Tiansheng Building in the distance, which was still brightly lit.

"Just like that building. The Wang family used to walk sideways in Jiangcheng, thinking that money meant they could do whatever they wanted. They bullied your brother and humiliated that silly ex-sister-in-law of yours."

At the mention of her brother, Su Nianyao's eyes focused a bit.

"Brother? What happened to Brother?"

"It's nothing, just a small friction." Chen Fan brushed it off lightly. "That kid Wang Hao, relying on his family's money, wanted to step on your brother. Unfortunately, he kicked a steel plate."

Chen Fan's eyes suddenly turned cold. The loving father look from moments ago vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling aura of murderous intent.

"I said it just now; after tonight, Tiansheng will be an empty shell."

"I have already had people cut off their capital chain and short their stocks. Right now, that old geezer Wang Tianhua is probably smashing things in his office and crying."

Su Nianyao stared blankly at her father.

Her brain spun rapidly, finally connecting this series of information.

Huihuang Group... Peak Capital... Tiansheng Group...

"Dad, you mean..." Su Nianyao swallowed, her throat dry as smoke. "That news about acquiring Huihuang Group is true, and you... are just casually swallowing up Tiansheng Group too?"

"Not swallowing."

Chen Fan shook his finger, correcting her: "It's crushing."

"Huihuang Group is a legitimate business; I bought it so you could practice with it later. As for Tiansheng..."

Chen Fan sneered, pulled his phone from his pocket, and swiped it casually a few times.

"That is a welcome gift I'm giving you."

"A welcome gift?" Su Nianyao was stunned.

Who gives a listed company as a welcome gift? And one that's about to go bankrupt?

"Yes, a toy."

Chen Fan showed his phone screen to his daughter.

On it was a text message just received: [Boss, the acquisition of Tiansheng Group is complete, with a 51% stake, possessing absolute controlling interest. The Wang father and son have been kicked out of the board of directors.]

"I originally intended to give it to your brother."

Chen Fan put his phone away, watching the lights on the building outside the window suddenly go out halfway, like a giant beast closing its eyes.

"But since you asked, I'll give it to you."

"Tomorrow when you go to school, if that Wang Hao is still there, you tell him."

Chen Fan bent down, staring into his daughter's eyes, and said word by word:

"Now, this building's surname is Su. When you tell him to get lost, remember to have the floor mopped clean."

Su Nianyao looked at her father's well-defined face, then back at the building in the distance that seemed to have shrunk by half in an instant.

An unprecedented electric current shot from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

Is this what it feels like to be rich?

It's not buying bags, not buying cars.

It's that one sentence can decide someone else's life or death, can trample a once high-and-mighty big shot into the mud as a toy.

Su Nianyao clenched her fists, her breathing rapid.

She looked at Chen Fan and asked the last question, her voice carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling and excitement:

"Dad, does my brother... know about this?"

Chen Fan straightened up, adjusted his collar, and a wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Him?"

"That silly kid is still at the hotel wallowing in self-pity. A good show like this is only interesting if watched slowly."

Chen Fan clapped his hands.

Clap, clap.

In the shadows of the corner of the hall, two young girls dressed in black and white maid outfits walked out silently.

"Take the young miss to wash up."

Chen Fan instructed, "Get a good night's sleep tonight. Tomorrow, we go to collect that 'toy'."

Su Nianyao was led upstairs by the maids.

Walking to the stairs, she couldn't help but look back.

Chen Fan was still standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to her, holding the red wine, like a lonely king.

And beneath his feet.

The once arrogant Tiansheng Building had gone completely dark.