Chapter 147: 144. Inside Information (Please subscribe, please vote for monthly tickets!)

"Are you going to buy or not? If you aren't buying, stay away from me." The old man was so incensed by Zhang Ran's remark that he blew into his beard and glared.

"One hundred per character—you might as well make it one thousand per character, then it could barely be called 'a thousand gold per character'." Zhang Ran ignored the old man and spoke to himself.

Seeing that the old man was about to blow his top, Zhang Ran said leisurely: "Write a couplet for me."

"You want one?" The old man was slightly stunned.

The reason he had set such a high price was actually because he had made a bet with an old friend today.

The reason was that his old friend had complained that his calligraphy was poor; he refused to accept it, so he had staged this scene.

However, it was clear that he had overestimated his own calligraphy, or perhaps he had overestimated everyone's psychological price point for spring couplets.

If it were slightly more expensive, people would actually accept it if the calligraphy were good, just to treat it as a lucky charm.

But at this high price, there really weren't many people willing to spend the money.

"Of course, write something lucky for me," Zhang Ran said.

Although the price was indeed a bit expensive, the old man's calligraphy was truly excellent; in Zhang Ran's eyes, it was not a whit inferior to some famous masters.

"Forget it, forget it, I won't take your money, I'll give it to you." The old man waved his hand. It wouldn't have mattered if he were taking money from strangers, but since he knew Zhang Ran, he didn't want to earn this money.

"Brother, don't you regret it," Zhang Ran said with a smile.

"Rest assured, my word is my bond," the old man said crossly.

As the old man swept his large brush, a pair of spring couplets was produced: Spring fills the human world with waves of joyful song, Fortune descends upon the threshold with an air of jubilation. Horizontal scroll: Harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all things!

The horizontal scroll was changed at Zhang Ran's request; it was originally supposed to be "Five Blessings descend upon the threshold."

"Since it's free, write a few more," Zhang Ran said, pushing his luck.

The old man couldn't even be bothered to look at him, but he still wrote a few more spring couplets before chasing this fellow away.

After putting the spring couplets away, Zhang Ran took everyone to continue strolling. It had to be said that this place could be considered the most festive spot in Shanghai; basically, everything needed for the Spring Festival from childhood could be bought here.

Prince Haiman and Lin Mei were also looking at these items with great interest, occasionally taking out their own money to buy some trinkets.

As for the four little ones around Susu, they were constantly filled with laughter and joy; now, each little one was carrying many things in their hands, all of which they had chosen themselves.

Just as Zhang Ran and his group were strolling around in a relaxed manner, the atmosphere on Tian Yaohui's side was heavy and stagnant. Ever since the events of last night, he had appeared much more gloomy.

A clearly excellent situation had ended up like this, causing him to lose all face.

Especially Huo Zhiyuan's behavior; it made him very confused and very angry. Since she had already chosen this path, it was one thing not to face it with him, but she was actually causing trouble for him.

Tian Yaohui thought for an entire night, and until now, he thought of a piece of inside information he had already forgotten.

However, Tian Yaohui still needed to confirm it. After thinking for a moment, he dialed Huo Zhiyuan's number.

"President Tian, how do you have time to call me?" The call connected, and Huo Zhiyuan's voice, which seemed somewhat mocking, came through.

Tian Yaohui's tone was somewhat cold: "Huo Zhiyuan, what do you mean by this?"

"What do you mean by what? How come I don't understand what President Tian is saying?" Huo Zhiyuan said with a smile.

"Do you really think that if you do these things, Zhang Ran will let you off? Or do you think he became soft-hearted after having descendants? Don't forget, these twenty-eight years are just a fleeting moment to him; he still has his previous personality.

Do you think he really hasn't done anything for so many days? Don't be so naive. Since you've chosen this path, don't count on Zhang Ran having a sudden burst of kindness."

Huo Zhiyuan's tone also became cold and stern: "Tian Yaohui, what I, Huo Zhiyuan, do does not require your management. You had better manage yourself."

"Hmph, if I fail this time, none of you will have it easy either. To think that one by one, you chose to stand by and watch at a time like this." Tian Yaohui found it hard to understand how Huo Zhiyuan, Huang Lin, and these people were not standing with him at this time.

But in fact, if he thought about it carefully, Tian Yaohui could understand. He had already become Zhang Ran's first target and also the pathfinder for these people.

If Zhang Ran couldn't even handle Tian Yaohui, then they wouldn't need to worry; they would only need to watch quietly from the sidelines, and this way they wouldn't offend Zhang Ran to the point of no return.

Moreover, they were actually worried that if they united right now and left Zhang Ran without a shred of hope, they were afraid that Zhang Ran would truly harden his heart and choose to perish together with them.

On the contrary, this was the best way. No matter what, Tian Yaohui had already set himself in opposition to Zhang Ran. They only needed to watch, and at the same time see exactly how much Zhang Ran was still hiding, so they could make preparations at the right time.

Even if Tian Yaohui failed, it would be equivalent to casting a stone to ask the way for them, allowing them to know more of Zhang Ran's background.

As for Tian Yaohui choosing to wash his hands of it, they weren't worried about that at all; Tian Yaohui didn't have that much courage, and he couldn't bear to do so.

Actually, the most important point was that they didn't trust each other either. No one knew if there was anyone among them who had the same intentions as Meng He, just not showing it yet, so they could work from the inside and outside with Zhang Ran.

This was what they were most worried about. After all, no one could fathom the human heart; it was hard to guarantee that someone wouldn't be wholeheartedly devoted to Zhang Ran and have no other thoughts.

Tian Yaohui hung up the phone with a gloomy face. He seemed to have guessed Huo Zhiyuan's thoughts, but he was somewhat unsure.

However, the words Zhang Ran said before leaving last night made it difficult for his state of mind to calm down. Zhang Ran's matter-of-fact demeanor left him unsettled.

It wasn't that Tian Yaohui lacked his own judgment, but his impression of Zhang Ran was too profound. From his memory, he rarely saw Zhang Ran make empty boasts; things Zhang Ran was certain of were basically all achieved.

"Since that's the case, don't blame me for being heartless," Tian Yaohui thought viciously. He truly didn't dare to harbor other crooked thoughts toward Zhang Ran, but Huo Zhiyuan was not included in that list.

Immediately, he looked at Hao Yuan, who had been standing on the side, and said in a deep voice: "You know Huo Zhiyuan's former secretary, right?"

Hao Yuan said: "I know her, I've met her a few times."

He had previously come into contact with Huo Zhiyuan's former secretary a few times; although the impression wasn't very deep, he remembered her.

"Go and find her; I have some things I want to ask her," Tian Yaohui instructed.

After hearing this, Hao Yuan only nodded silently to indicate he understood.

Hao Yuan was actually feeling somewhat guilty now. Although these matters seemed to have nothing to do with him, he couldn't guarantee that if Tian Yaohui lost, Zhang Ran would be able to let him off so easily.

It wasn't that he didn't think highly of Tian Yaohui, but he really couldn't fathom Zhang Ran.

Thinking of the people who followed Zhang Ran back then, they had all become big shots in his eyes, which showed just how massive Zhang Ran's influence was at that time.

However, Hao Yuan also knew that he couldn't get off the boat now. Once he had that intention, he reckoned the Tian Yaohui in front of him could make him finish immediately.

Zhang Ran's side kept strolling until eight o'clock in the evening before returning. The temple fair at night was even more lively; if it weren't for the fact that it was truly inconvenient for Prince Haiman's side, and it was easy for accidents to happen in crowds, they wouldn't have returned so early.

Returning home, although they had already eaten outside, Liu Lu still started preparing dinner. The little ones got hungry quickly, and they were all a bit hungry now.