Chapter 516: The Storm Subsides

In front of the Fine Arts building at the Baoshan campus of Shanghai University, the black S8 slowed to a stop amidst the curious gazes of passing students.

Jiang Nansun, holding a bouquet of flowers she intended to give to her industry idol, pecked Wang Yan lightly on the cheek and held his hand. "You have things to do today, so I won't go to your place tonight. I haven't seen Suosuo in days, so I'll go back and see how she's doing."

Wang Yan nodded, helped her smooth her hair, and affectionately pinched her cheek. "Then we'll see each other tomorrow. Go on, listen well to how an architectural master became a master."

Jiang Nansun gave Wang Yan a sweet smile, opened the door, and stepped out. She waved at him, standing there happily until the car was out of sight before turning to enter the building.

The moment she turned, she saw Zhang Anren standing not far away, his eyes filled with complex, unspeakable emotions as he looked at her, along with onlookers passing by who were right at the front lines of the gossip.

Jiang Nansun's face was undoubtedly top-tier on the vast campus. Her clothes cost tens of thousands, her bag cost tens of thousands; her affluent family background was self-evident. No one would suspect Jiang Nansun of faking wealth, nor would anyone think she was someone's mistress, because her boyfriend was Zhang Anren—a man who looked ordinary in many people's eyes. Added together, even though he had already graduated with a master's degree, he still had some fame among both the student body and the faculty.

Gossip always spreads the fastest; seeing others suffer is always the most satisfying, and seeing the rich fall from their pedestal is naturally even more gratifying to watch. Thus, the news of Jiang Nansun's family bankruptcy, after fermenting for this period, was no longer a secret. But seeing her radiant and happy at this moment still surprised many.

Except for Professor Dong, no one in the school knew that Jiang Nansun had already broken up with Zhang Anren. Now that Jiang Nansun had just stepped out of a luxury car and encountered Zhang Anren, her boyfriend, some onlookers' minds had already concocted a long, salacious story about Zhang Anren being cheated on...

Zhang Anren certainly cared about his public image, but it wasn't just him; others were mostly the same. He greeted her as he approached: "Nansun, did Wang Yan bring you here? Let's go, let's go in. I'll give you the admission ticket for the lecture in a moment."

Jiang Nansun nodded. "Let's go."

Once inside the building, Zhang Anren looked at the flowers in Jiang Nansun's hand. "Are those for Daniel? You didn't reply to my messages when I asked, so I thought you wouldn't come."

"He is my professional idol, of course I would come."

After a moment of silence, Zhang Anren asked, "Have you been well lately?"

"Quite well. Eating well, drinking well, and in a good mood."

"And your uncle? How is he?"

"He's also doing very well. Every day he cooks, does some housework, takes walks, and dances in the square. It's much better than thinking about getting rich overnight all day like before. Thanks for your concern."

Listening to the impatient and perfunctory tone in Jiang Nansun's words, Zhang Anren spoke hesitantly: "Nansun, we..."

"Zhang Anren, please mind your phrasing." Before he could finish, Jiang Nansun interrupted: "There is no 'we.' You are you, and I am I. We have already broken up; don't say things that are easy to misunderstand. I can understand you worrying about what others might think at the entrance just now. But now, please don't act like we are very intimate."

Zhang Anren was certainly still unwilling to give up; he was still trying to salvage things: "Nansun, I'm sorry. I know too many things have happened recently that were overwhelming. But I thought that after this week, you should have calmed down and thought things through. Perhaps you don't know, but many things that happened recently were things I had to consider. When I consider too much, it inevitably affects my mood. It was my fault before; I sincerely apologize to you.

But please, you must believe me—you have always been the person I consider the most and value the most in my life. The things that happened recently were not within my plans. Let's give each other a chance, some time, and let's discuss things at length, okay? We can't just write off all the beauty we had together because of these recent unpleasantries, right, Nansun?"

Jiang Nansun shook her head. "I will remember the good times before, but feelings cannot be redeemed by merit. The good times of the past cannot solve the problems between you and me now."

"Nansun, my situation is good recently. I just published a new paper, and I will be promoted to lecturer faster than other teaching assistants. I definitely have the ability to give you a beautiful future, and I am working hard toward that path, walking steadily every step of the way."

"Zhang Anren, I have already made it very clear. There is not a shred of possibility between you and me anymore, so you don't need to work hard to give me a beautiful future. Let's go. After I get the ticket from you, I still need to go see Professor Dong."

Watching Jiang Nansun leave, Zhang Anren let out a long breath and hurried to keep up. Regardless of whether he truly loved her, trying to hold on was always the right thing to do. Some people couldn't open their mouths, while others could. Just saying a few words didn't really cost anything. Zhang Anren certainly had no psychological barriers to saying those words...

Soon, they reached an office upstairs with no idle people. Zhang Anren took the ticket and handed it to Jiang Nansun. Seeing her turn around to leave decisively, he couldn't help but call out to her again: "Nansun!"

Jiang Nansun, who had already reached the door, stopped and looked back at him: "Is there anything else?"

"Are you... with Wang Yan..."

"Who I am with has nothing to do with you." With that, Jiang Nansun disappeared at the doorway.

She had indeed thought about coming with Wang Yan to make Zhang Anren give up. But by now, she actually hadn't said much to Zhang Anren. Because it really had been too short a time, and things had developed too quickly. From the time her family went bankrupt until now, it had only been a little over a week. Her breakup with Zhang Anren was only a matter of two days, and yet she had rapidly gotten together with Wang Yan. Getting together wasn't the point; they had even slept together.

She certainly didn't want to say anything to Zhang Anren, as if she had been messing around with Wang Yan long before, as if she had wronged Zhang Anren. That was why she couldn't be bothered to deal with Zhang Anren; she didn't want to provoke him, and even less did she want any other trouble.

She was very satisfied with the status quo. The family atmosphere had changed completely; her man was confident, powerful, and exceptionally capable. She was about to start her doctoral studies. Life was beautiful now, and the future was even more full of hope.

The messy things Zhang Anren said still lacked sincerity. She didn't understand why she had been so obsessed before; now that she thought about it, she always felt that her past self had lost her mind...

Regardless of Zhang Anren's mood, Jiang Nansun arrived at Professor Dong's office. She knocked on the door, and after receiving a response, she opened it and walked in.

"Nansun, sit, sit." Professor Dong smiled and gestured. Noticing the flowers Jiang Nansun was holding, he said, "Are you here to listen to Daniel's lecture? Did you get the ticket?"

"Yes, I just came from Zhang Anren's; he gave it to me."

"Is there absolutely no hope?"

Jiang Nansun nodded. "Before we broke up, I thought it would be very painful after the breakup, but actually, I don't feel anything at all..."

"You young people, you always talk about 'feelings.' It's not like our time, where you'd go on a blind date, see each other once, barely say a few words, and if you looked pleasing to each other, that was a lifetime. Where would there be any talk of love? I really can't understand it..." Professor Dong shook his head with a smile, then sighed: "What do you think of Wang Yongzheng? You know, he has a good impression of you. Recently, he's even been sending me messages, asking about your situation. He even threatened me, saying he'd come back and act shamelessly at my place. I think you two are quite a match; you could consider it."

"Teacher, I have my own considerations regarding matters of the heart. Please don't worry about me. Besides, Wang Yongzheng is still abroad; we aren't a match at all." Jiang Nansun changed the subject: "Why haven't I seen Lillian lately..."

She certainly had no intention of flirting with Wang Yongzheng again. As things stood, she admitted that in the past, she had indeed felt that Wang Yongzheng was not bad, possessing a freedom, uninhibited nature, and ease that Zhang Anren lacked. But now that she had Wang Yan, the good feelings she had for Wang Yongzheng vanished instantly...

After dropping Jiang Nansun off at school, Wang Yan drove to the company in the financial center. He certainly didn't come to work; after all, there were specialized managers for fundraising and professional teams for operations; he didn't need to do anything. He just held a small meeting, looked at the performance, pointed out shortcomings in the work, and set a direction for next week's development, with a small goal.

Of course, in the process, there was no shortage of messages from Jiang Nansun, one after another. It was like ordinary dating, always wanting to know what the other person was doing, wanting the other person to know what they were doing. Wang Yan didn't have the leisure to chat with her every other second, and of course, he didn't reply at all...

Although he wasn't working, he didn't have any serious business either, so he stayed at the company in boredom until the afternoon. Only when the weekly report was done, mass-emailed to clients, and it reached the normal time to get off work, did he go downstairs and drive away.

Yang Ke was certainly not a stingy person, so he specifically found a private restaurant that excelled in Cantonese and local Shanghai cuisine, with quite good flavors. It was Wang Yan's first time there. The tables were separated by partitions and curtains; there were only about twelve or thirteen tables, some large, some small. Several tables were already occupied, and the empty ones were likely reserved. The atmosphere was quite good; after all, it was a place for eating and drinking, so it couldn't be quiet.

After everyone sat down facing each other, Yang Ke enthusiastically introduced Wang Yan: "This is my girlfriend, Pan Yueling, the CFO of Jingyan Group. She has a PhD and occasionally teaches classes on financial knowledge, so most people call her Teacher Pan. If you don't mind, you can call her that too. This is Wang Yan, the lifesaver I told you about. Like me, he is straightforward and doesn't like so much formality, so you can just call him by his name."

"Hello, Wang Yan."

"Hello, Teacher Pan."

Wang Yan politely shook hands with Pan Yueling, then looked at Yang Ke: "I heard from Apple before that you are like a man who walks through a field of flowers without a single leaf sticking to him. Seeing you today, you're something else. I didn't expect you to have such a trick up your sleeve. How long have you been together?"

"Three years." Yang Ke smiled proudly: "Ye Jingyan is indeed formidable; I learned some things from him, but there are some things I couldn't touch, while Teacher Pan could. He is Ye Jingyan's right-hand man. Now that the two of us have joined forces, that is truly a perfect match."

The Big Da Da Bo Lang looked at the surprised Wang Yan: "Didn't expect it, right? Neither did I. When Teacher Pan came over today, we were all stunned. Old Yang is still impressive; for so many years, he could hide it so well. Teacher Pan is also broad-minded; how many ambiguous girlfriends has Old Yang changed over these years? Aren't you jealous at all?"

Because Yang Ke had struck first this time, his core subordinates hadn't been poached. Although Jingyan Group later offered high prices, not many went back. Sometimes people are just that blindly obedient; once they've left, they don't want to turn back. The two people who were Ye Jingyan's right-hand men that belonged to Yang Ke, Zhou Qing and Tony, were exactly like that.

So this time, the Big Da Da Bo Lang didn't become a manager; Tony did. The Big Da Da Bo Lang and Zhou Qing both became team leaders, which counted as deputy managers. Of course, as for sales titles, everyone was a manager, so the Big Da Da Bo Lang was a manager too.

Pan Yueling turned her head and exchanged a look with Yang Ke, pushed up her glasses, and her tone was infinitely gentle: "Trust is the foundation of two people being together. I believe in him! In fact, over these years, he has never let me down."

She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had a gentle and graceful quality, and coupled with that quiet scholarly air, she had a unique charm. Yang Ke had figured it out—don't look at the skin, look at the inner beauty.

"That's great." The Big Da Da Bo Lang was very envious of the relationship between Yang Ke and Pan Yueling. She often felt sorry for herself because of her beauty and ability, unable to find a man who matched her. Wang Yan didn't count...

Wang Yan laughed: "If Teacher Pan also resigned, for the current Jingyan Group, that would truly be a fatal blow."

The CFO was the person in charge of the entire Jingyan Group's finances, Ye Jingyan's absolute confidant; otherwise, he wouldn't have felt safe handing the money bag to Pan Yueling. If they rushed to find someone to take over, the efficiency of financial work would definitely drop significantly in a short time, especially during such a critical period.

Of course, as a large listed real estate company, there were certainly some problems. In this industry, it was impossible to be truly spotless; after all, the people upstream and downstream were not clean either. Pan Yueling had followed Ye Jingyan for a long time and had mastered some things. But this certainly couldn't be said to the outside world; after all, she was the CFO, and if something happened, she was the primary person responsible—that would be mutual destruction. So, resigning while keeping her mouth shut was a logistical strike that reduced Jingyan Group's administrative efficiency.

"She submitted her resignation this morning. After handing over the work, she'll leave in a week. Teacher Pan said, the expression on Ye Jingyan's face at that time... he looked like he wanted to die." After Yang Ke finished laughing heartily, he sighed with a sense of unfinished business: "It's a pity, Jingyan Group is too large, and those rival companies don't dare to bite too hard. Who knows, maybe Jingyan Group will be able to get back up."

Wang Yan asked with a smile: "What, is there news?"

"I talked to people over there today; they'll stop next week. We've all been old rivals for many years; who doesn't have some dirt on them? Not to mention anything else, if you dig deep into taxes and audits, you can pull out a whole string. In the last two days, a lot of unfavorable news has been released. If they keep biting Jingyan and want to bring them down, Ye Jingyan will resort to mutual destruction. He cherishes his reputation, so he certainly won't go in, but it's hard to say for those other companies. Another thing is the hit to market value; no one wants to go in, and even fewer want to see their money evaporate for nothing.

But this time, Jingyan Group has been severely damaged, which is enough. With the recent stock market and losses in other projects in various places, Jingyan's financial situation is not healthy. In a while, they will have to sell off some projects to cut off their tail to survive. You say, with this incident, can Ye Jingyan continue to lead? Will he be kicked out?"

"There's a high probability he won't." Wang Yan shook his head: "Not to mention Ye Jingyan has controlled Jingyan Group for so many years, even if he can survive this crisis smoothly, that is also a capability. Giving him a chance to redeem himself is no problem. But if he doesn't pull Jingyan Group back within a certain period, that will be the time he gets kicked out. Although he is the major shareholder, being a major shareholder is nothing special. If you delay others from making money, you have to go too."

"That's a pity. I estimate that with Ye Jingyan's ability and the connections he's built over so many years, it's hard to make a comeback, but stabilizing the situation and starting over is still doable." Yang Ke shook his head regretfully. Watching the waiter lift the curtain and come in to serve the dishes, he picked up the wine that had already been opened: "Enough, enough, the food is here. Their place has good flavors. We two will drink white, and they two will drink red. Apple said you can eat and drink well; don't be a stranger today. I'll risk my life to accompany you to eat and drink well."

"Don't worry, I've never known what it means to be polite. Come, let's have a drink first."

Yang Ke could be considered the only normal person in the whole show. Just like he taught his sales subordinates, whether they knew it or not, they could at least talk. Whether it was this or that, they drank and chatted at the table, and it was quite good. Of course, the topic mainly revolved around real estate, listening to some of the views of this financial professional.

Wang Yan certainly had no views, but overall he wasn't optimistic, though he didn't know how the upper levels would land smoothly. After all, real estate was a pillar industry, and it supported too many people upstream and downstream...

That was how he analyzed it for Yang Ke, but actually, Yang Ke didn't care. He was now integrating resources and had started his own business, and there was still money to be made—it was just less profit compared to twenty years ago, but it was still profitable. As long as he made money for a few years, he could achieve financial freedom. Future industry trends would certainly affect him, but not that much; after all, he wasn't short of money, so couldn't he just enjoy life without doing anything?

That was exactly what Yang Ke thought. He was a practical person; if he could make money, he would do it. He didn't worry about the future of the real estate industry; that had nothing to do with him.

Unsurprisingly, Yang Ke got drunk. It wasn't that Wang Yan forced him, but that he had a huge sense of achievement in his heart and needed alcohol to help him celebrate, to amplify this sense of achievement, and to enjoy it.

"Old Yang is overjoyed. I was wondering why he didn't show anything these past two days; he was holding it all in." At the Big Da Da Bo Lang's home, she changed into high heels and threw herself comfortably onto the sofa.

Wang Yan smiled and went over to hug her: "It's very normal. From working for others to being his own boss, with hundreds of employees under him. The situation is stable, he'll definitely make big money in the future, and he also tricked Ye Jingyan, who has been famous for many years, severely damaging Jingyan Group and greatly reducing their strength. Of course he's happy."

The Big Da Da Bo Lang leaned into Wang Yan's arms and looked up at him: "What about you? I've noticed you don't seem to have any goals?"

"Money, it's enough if it's enough. I've already achieved financial freedom. The private equity firm under me can also ensure my money doesn't depreciate and achieves stable appreciation. The connections built through the company's clients can also ensure I can deal with most troubles, allowing me to live comfortably. That's already enough. What other goals should I have? Contentment brings happiness. I read books, drink tea, and exercise every day, striving to live a few more comfortable days. Isn't that good?"

"You see things very clearly, unlike those people who want more money when they have money, want industry influence, and want to be above others." The Big Da Da Bo Lang took a deep breath and asked: "Are you with that Jiang Nansun again?"

"Your nose is indeed sharp; you can smell the alcohol on me?" Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, telling the truth: "We've already slept together. In a while, she'll be my girlfriend."

"Oh..."

"Don't be discouraged; I didn't say I was breaking up with you. It's just a name. You also know my relationship with her father. Now that I've slept with his daughter, and it was her first time, how could I not take responsibility?" Wang Yan reached out and covered her big treasure: "You are a real estate agent; you've seen all kinds of people over the years. Let's go look at houses tomorrow; I'll buy you one."

"I really don't want it; I'm not joking with you."

"Of course, I'm not joking either. I can make two hundred million this time; it's all because you were the one who first talked to me about Yang Ke, and that led to subsequent developments. If you hadn't said anything, Yang Ke might have been sidelined by Ye Jingyan and eventually swept out the door, and then of course I couldn't have made money. It's your credit, you deserve it. It's just a house, it's no big deal. It's settled, I'll accompany you to look tomorrow."

Wang Yan was indeed very proud of this Big Da Da Bo Lang; she was very sensible. And these two hundred million were truly gained for nothing—just by opening his mouth, constantly buying and selling. A house for ten or twenty million was no big deal. And this kind of direct money-throwing would stun the Big Da Da Bo Lang.

The Big Da Da Bo Lang didn't decline again, just naturally reached out to Wang Yan's waist and smiled charmingly: "I really feel sad for Zhu Suosuo..."

Wang Yan smiled. Not wanting it is wanting it, and if she wants it, he won't give it. He didn't care about money, but he had his own standards of measurement.

He didn't care whether Zhu Suosuo was sad or not; the Big Da Da Bo Lang had already taken the initiative. That was a house, and Wang Yan was willing to buy it for her voluntarily. And based on her understanding, since he said so, it would be written in her name. How could she not be excited? Without needing to be told, she took the initiative and kissed him, starting the foreplay...

Wang Yan picked up his phone, opened the chat box with Jiang Nansun, to whom he had already unilaterally sent a bunch of messages, typed out a 'goodnight,' threw the phone aside, and leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes to enjoy...

Zhu Suosuo certainly wasn't sad; she was just exhausted. Even if she was running errands for others, running from morning until night wasn't easy. She stayed with the company through thick and thin until past ten, and only then did she take a taxi home.

Exhausted, she unlocked the door and entered. While changing out of her high heels, she looked at Jiang Nansun walking out of the bedroom and said listlessly: "Nansun, why are you back?"

"I missed you, and you've been busy lately, so I came back to cheer you on."

Zhu Suosuo curled her lips: "Forget it, I thought you had met some man these past two days and were so happy you forgot to go home."

Jiang Nansun shook her head naturally: "What nonsense are you talking about? I was just staying at home, hanging out with my aunt."

"Your complexion is good; you're radiant. You look much more energetic than before, and even better looking."

"Oh, maybe it's because I rested well."

Zhu Suosuo didn't pay much attention and lay on the sofa in exhaustion: "It's all Yang Ke's fault. You say, why did he have to make such a big deal, implicating me and making me suffer? You've rested well, but look at me, I'm exhausted, my legs are about to break."

Jiang Nansun thought for a moment and decided to tell her good sister what was actually going on: "The night before last, didn't my aunt invite Wang Yan to dinner to thank him for his help?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"My aunt has a good relationship with Ye Jingyan. Before, the stock market was so lively, and my dad mentioned this. Wang Yan said he knew Yang Ke, was friends with Yang Ke, and even made two hundred million. One day, two hundred million. I estimate he might have known in advance; after all, he is friends with Yang Ke, and Yang Ke might have told him when he left."

"What? Two hundred million?" Zhu Suosuo sat up abruptly, her eyes wide with disbelief: "No, he is friends with Yang Ke, how come I don't know? When did they get in touch?"

"You don't know, so how would I know? It was just casual chatting at the time, and I didn't ask in detail, and then I forgot. You just mentioned Yang Ke, and I remembered."

"Forget it, don't talk about it. Anyway, what should have happened has happened; what's the use of saying those things?" Zhu Suosuo let out a long breath and lay back down, her mind full of Wang Yan making two hundred million in one day...

After lying there for a while, she asked: "Didn't you tell me this morning that you were going back to school to attend some lecture? Didn't you run into Zhang Anren?"

"How could I not run into him? He still wants to make up with me, but how is that possible? He kept saying how life would get better and better in the future; I was annoyed listening to it."

"Breaking up with him is the right thing to do. With your conditions, what kind of man can't you find? Why must you follow Zhang Anren? I'm telling you, it's fortunate you broke up with him, otherwise you'd regret it later." Zhu Suosuo shook her head: "Hey, didn't you tell me about that Wang Yongzheng a while ago? What do you think of him?"

"Not much. He's sloppy all day, flirting with pretty girls everywhere."

"Nansun, you can't think like that, I'm telling you..."

Although Zhu Suosuo was lying lazily on the sofa, imparting the experience she had summarized after dating many men to her good sister, Wang Yan's stingy image hovered in her mind... ===== CHAPTER 517 =====