Chapter 55: The Banquet (4)

Zhao Ying rolled her eyes at his retort. More often than not, she found herself drawn to that wicked, confident smile tugging at the corner of Lin Fan’s lips, so much so that she would forget he had killed several people right before her eyes; she would forget the coldness behind his smile, even forget that he had managed to dodge a sniper’s bullet while saving her. Just how many secrets was he hiding from her? Zhao Ying knew that the man before her was certainly not some mere scoundrel who only knew how to act unscrupulously. With a man like him, revenge was likely the last thing he’d ever fear.

“It’s better to offend a gentleman than a villain, so you’d best be careful,” she advised softly. She had expected that Jin Million would seek revenge, but she hadn’t imagined it would come so swiftly.

“Very well, let’s have Mr. Lin then. I’ve only just arrived in town and know few people here—I’ll take what I can get.” As he spoke, it was as if he had only just caught sight of Lin Fan. Smiling, he emerged from the crowd: “I see your glass is already empty. Clearly, you know your drink. How about we have a little fun together?”

Close on Jin Million’s heels was Wei Liang, who was now looking at Lin Fan with a smug and provocative expression, his gaze darting from time to time toward Feifei. But Lin Fan didn’t spare him a glance—for in Lin Fan’s eyes, there was nothing to see in a dead man.

Zhao Ying’s face changed ever so slightly; she hurried forward, wanting to intervene, but Lin Fan gave her no such chance. Rotating the empty glass in his hand, a faintly confident smile on his lips, he regarded Jin Million and said, “So, how do you want to play this?”

“It’s simple. The essence of wine tasting lies in discerning its historical heritage. Let’s see who can more accurately name the vintage—the winner is the one who gets it right.”

“No problem.” Lin Fan nodded, then spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: “After all this circling, isn’t your goal simply to embarrass me? I’m surprised you managed to hold back until now. But let me tell you, win or lose, Ying’er will always belong to me—always.”

A provocation—bare and undisguised. Ignoring the souring expression on Jin Million’s face, Lin Fan continued coolly, “I’ll take your bet. So, what’s at stake?”

“Three million per round—best of three. Naturally, since we’re here for the auction tonight, if I win your money, I’ll give it all to Ying’er at the auction—no, I should say, to Officer Zhao.” Jin Million took a deep breath and sneered. In his view, Lin Fan’s ability to come up with three million was questionable—let alone nearly ten million.

“Three million is too little, isn’t it? As the young master of Haitian Group, with its international standing, I imagine money is no object for you. Let’s make it thirty million per round—best of three. What do you say?” Lin Fan curled his lip, his eyes full of scorn and challenge.

The implication was clear—if all a rich second-generation scion could muster was three million, he really ought to be ashamed. If you can’t keep up, you might as well scurry back to Shanghai.

Jin Million was caught off guard, clearly not expecting Lin Fan to be so audacious. Looking at Lin Fan’s expression, he gave a disdainful smile, treating Lin Fan as beneath his notice, and then replied coldly, “Thirty million? You? Do you even have that kind of money? Or will you be borrowing it from Ying’er—or rather, Officer Zhao?”

Lin Fan’s lips curved slightly as his gaze swept the room. “Thirty million is no small sum for me, but it’s not beyond my means. If you don’t believe me, Young Master Jin, we can wager one round first. If I lose, you get thirty million. If I win, I’ll have sixty million—enough for the remaining two rounds. Of course, if you’re afraid, we can stick to your three million per round.”

Everyone present was an old fox in their own right. Seeing the tension in the pair’s words and bearing, they sensed the undercurrent of hostility, the air thick with gunpowder. One by one, they paused what they were doing, watching with great interest—stakes of several million, perhaps even hundreds of millions, were not to be missed.

They were all familiar with Jin Million’s arrogance and pride. But where had this unknown upstart come from, daring to challenge the heir to Haitian Group with a thirty-million-a-game bet? Wasn’t this poking the tiger’s whiskers?

Those quick-witted enough glanced at Zhao Ying, who stood next to Lin Fan with a worried expression, and vaguely guessed at the reason. But compared to Zhao Ying, Feifei was much more composed. After all, Zhentian Group’s status was well known. Even if Lin Fan were betting three hundred million a round, Zhentian Group could easily cover it—and besides, Lin Fan might not lose!

Zhao Ying, perhaps too concerned for Lin Fan, hadn’t noticed Feifei’s demeanor—but Feifei had certainly noticed hers. She was sure Zhao Ying still didn’t know her brother’s true identity—at least, not that Lin Fan was the real owner of Zhentian Group.

Up on the balcony, a woman in professional attire watched Lin Fan below and smiled. Since when had her younger brother become so bold? This was the first time Lin Yan had seen Lin Fan like this—especially that confident smile at his lips, which even made this hardened businesswoman pause in surprise.

Compared to Lin Yan, the young man beside her seemed much more composed, as if nothing Lin Fan did could surprise him. Watching Lin Fan below, he thought to himself, “Looks like the boss is about to play the fool to catch a tiger again.”

“Very well, as you wish!” Jin Million was not to be intimidated by Lin Fan. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a gold card, and declared, “There’s a hundred million in cash on here. If you win, it’s all yours. As for the remaining ten million, consider it my gift to you and Ying’er—no, to Officer Zhao.”

A gasp went up from the crowd. Though they were all wealthy and used to big scenes, few could produce a hundred million so calmly and gamble it away without batting an eye.

Now that’s what you call true power—what it means to treat money like dirt.

Seeing Lin Fan and Jin Million square off, Wei Liang sidled up to Feifei with a broad smile and patted his chest. “Feifei, if there’s anything you fancy at the auction tonight, just let me know. I promise, I’ll win it for you.”

“Save it for your retirement,” Feifei replied coldly without even looking at him, her gaze fixed on Lin Fan standing in the center of the hall.

Wei Liang took Feifei’s coldness as further reason to blame everything on Lin Fan. He had thought Feifei was attending the auction thanks to his recent efforts—flowers, gifts, and all. But he had just learned at the entrance that that was not the case at all. Coupled with the situation with Zhao Ying, Wei Liang now wished nothing more than for Lin Fan to lose to Jin Million—lose so badly he’d be left with not even his underwear.

But then again, Lin Fan was just a lowly security guard, and Feifei was only his sister. What status could they have? With a little effort, surely she’d end up in his bed—if need be, he’d just force her. This lascivious thought brought a wicked smile to Wei Liang’s face. To have Lin Fan’s sister under him—what a triumph!

“Ha! Young Master Jin’s reputation is well-deserved—truly generous, truly bold!” Lin Fan smiled lightly. “But I don’t need to put up the money in advance, do I? With so many distinguished witnesses here, it’s not as if I could run away.”

“Of course. If you don’t have the money, you can always ask Ying’er—sorry, Officer Zhao—for help. Aren’t you her boyfriend? I’m sure she’d be happy to pay your debts for you,” Jin Million replied affably.

Jin Million—always calling out Ying’er’s name before correcting himself. The thickness of his skin was astounding. Truly, it seemed that shamelessness was invincible these days, Lin Fan mused inwardly.

A hundred million—Lin Fan was tempted, even if that amount was but a drop in the ocean for him. Still, who turns down free money, especially when it’s delivered to your door? With his temperament, Lin Fan would never back down. In fact, he’d been itching to teach Jin Million a lesson, and now he could slap him hard in the face. How could he pass up such a perfect opportunity—a chance to kill two birds with one stone?

As the future heir of Haitian Group, Jin Million relished the attention, the awe, the thrill of squandering wealth before a crowd.

He sneaked a glance at Zhao Ying, hoping to see shock, admiration, excitement in her eyes—but once again, she disappointed him. In the depths of her gaze, as profound as a starry sky, there was only calm and a hint of worry—and, of course, all for Lin Fan.

Feifei, on the other hand, looked at Jin Million with unconcealed schadenfreude. Though she didn’t know whether Lin Fan could truly taste wine, she simply believed her brother would win. Alas, Jin Million was too busy watching Zhao Ying to notice Feifei.

So, she’s worried about this rude, ignorant fellow? Jin Million arrived at that conclusion.

P.S. To all readers and fellow authors, if you’re enjoying this book, please spare a moment to add it to your favorites and your bookshelf. Your support is my greatest motivation to keep writing!