The banquet began at eight o'clock.
At the table, Wan Yunting sat beside Fang Yanxi, facing Fang Shoushan and Fang Guowen. Against the backdrop of the three esteemed elders, Mao Tong, Xu Dehou, and Liang Maoguo, the atmosphere was harmonious.
Only Fang Xingfeng and his wife looked upon Wan Yunting with disdain.
After a few rounds of drinks, Wan Yunting, with a clear face and steady heart, had the three elders talking incoherently with their wine…
Fang Shoushan, still taking Chinese medicine, naturally couldn't drink, but he was exceptionally pleased.
Suddenly, Wan Yunting sensed Fang Yanxi’s gaze beside him. Seeing her rise and walk outside, he also stood up, saying, "Esteemed elders, I'm going out for some fresh air."
"I..."
"Dad, let the young people go,"
Fang Guowen suddenly stopped his father and, pointing to Wan Yunting and Fang Yanxi as they left, chuckled, "Actually, they already knew each other!"
"Oh," Fang Shoushan was surprised. He truly hadn't known about this.
But as parents, how could Fang Guowen and Du Xiumei not know why their daughter suddenly went abroad to study seven years ago? Although they hadn't met Wan Yunting at the time, they were still aware of this young man.
Fang Yanxi walked out of the villa and arrived at a scenic pavilion. Looking down, she saw the high-rise buildings of Huadu City, lit up like daylight, reflecting the prosperity of a metropolis.
Wan Yunting walked over slowly. "Huadu has changed so much!"
Fang Yanxi turned around and looked at the man approaching. She nodded, her expression calm.
They stood side by side, silent for two minutes. Wan Yunting turned to look at her exquisite profile, "Didn't you know I was coming?"
Fang Yanxi's delicate face remained composed, and she nodded, "Grandpa didn't tell me."
Wan Yunting smiled. Fang Yanxi turned to look at him, "Thank you."
Wan Yunting was taken aback and waved his hand, indicating it was no trouble.
In fact, as soon as he saw Fang Shoushan in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department, he recognized him as Fang Yanxi's grandfather, which was why he had offered to treat his leg condition.
They fell silent again for a minute. Wan Yunting took out a cigarette from his pocket. "Do you mind if I smoke?"
Fang Yanxi shook her head slightly, her eyes fixed on the man. She watched as he placed a cigarette between his lips, then took out a lighter and clicked it. The flame ignited the cigarette, illuminating his handsome, angular profile. But it was no longer the face of the sunny, handsome boy from her memory…
He had changed, become somewhat unfamiliar!
"How were you abroad?"
Wan Yunting glanced at her, his demeanor composed and natural, as if he were inquiring about an old classmate.
Fang Yanxi averted his gaze slightly and nodded in response, "I was fine."
"Yes, I can see that."
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile. Fang Yanxi's performance since returning to China and taking over the position of president of the Fang Group was enough to prove her business acumen.
"You've changed a lot," Fang Yanxi asked this time.
She had always been curious about how this man had spent his seven years in prison.
"Time can change a person!"
Wan Yunting exhaled a smoke ring in another direction and turned back to Fang Yanxi with a smile, "Seven years in prison taught me a lot, like the Traditional Chinese Medicine skills I used to treat your grandfather's leg."
This time, he didn't hide the fact that he learned his medical skills in prison. It was evident that Wan Yunting deeply cared about Fang Yanxi!
Fang Yanxi nodded. Wan Yunting's transformation indeed surprised her.
People who have been to prison are often labeled as villains by society, making it difficult for them to develop normally.
But Wan Yunting was extraordinary. Not only did he learn medical skills and other abilities in prison, but he even used his medical skills to connect with influential figures!
"By the way, thank you for sending a lawyer to help me at the police station," Wan Yunting suddenly shifted the topic.
Fang Yanxi's expression was calm, her gaze steady as she looked at him. "It's no trouble. I just didn't want to see you go back to prison."
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile, flicked the unfinished cigarette to the ground, and stepped on it to extinguish it, sensing that Fang Yanxi disliked the smell of smoke…
Meanwhile, in a private villa located on the outskirts of the city, in a second-floor hall, a group of fashionably dressed men and women were twisting their unrestrained bodies to the pulsating music.
Especially the women, all dressed provocatively, gyrating their sexy and alluring figures as they drank and danced with the young men. Fang Kangning was among them, with the mature and charming Zhang Li seated in his lap. Huang Dawei and a few other youths accompanied him, also surrounded by beauties, indulging in decadent pleasures.
On the villa's rooftop, Chen Tao learned from Ma Xin that since his release from prison, Wan Yunting had been working at the Southern Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, and it was he who had cured Fang Shoushan's legs.
"Wan Yunting, I truly underestimated you. To learn medical skills even in prison." Chen Tao removed his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes sharp and menacing.
Tonight, at Fang Shoushan's place, he had clearly sensed the change in Wan Yunting, suggesting that he had experienced a life in prison that others could not imagine.
"Mr. Chen."
A young man in a leather jacket approached, sporting a samurai hairstyle and sharp eyes that hinted at his unusual nature.
"Atai, when will your boss arrive?"
Chen Tao put on his glasses and turned to ask the young man, who was not Chinese.
"In three days, my boss will arrive."
Atai spoke with broken Chinese. Chen Tao nodded with a smile, "This time, I want to do big business with your boss!"
Atai nodded, and Chen Tao walked downstairs directly. Returning to the third-floor living room, the sounds of men and women making love could be clearly heard from several rooms.
"Young Master Fang…"
From one of the rooms, Zhang Li's excited voice could be heard. Chen Tao smirked, then waited on the living room sofa. Fang Kangning soon emerged, sniffing and saying, "Mr. Chen, I agree to your cooperation!"
"Good, thank you, Young Master Fang."
Chen Tao was pleased because Fang Group had logistics and transportation at the port, which was why he had approached Fang Kangning through Shen Junjie.
"I want to prove to that old geezer that I, Fang Kangning, am no less than that bitch Fang Yanxi!"
Fang Kangning sniffed again, clearly a drug addict. He also knew what Chen Tao was after by approaching him!
"Perfect, boss Kun Xiong will arrive in Huadu in three days. I'll introduce you then, and with our three-way cooperation, we'll definitely conquer the Huadu market!" Chen Tao was satisfied with Fang Kangning's shrewdness.
However, this was far from enough!
"Young Master Fang, I'm going to say something you might not like!"
Chen Tao tossed him a cigar. Zhang Li, who had emerged, coiled around Fang Kangning like a seductive beauty snake. "With Fang Yanxi's business acumen and her performance over the past three months, even your father, Fang Xingteng, might not be able to defeat her!"
Fang Kangning's expression darkened. He turned and glared at Chen Tao. Although he was rebellious, he also understood that his business capabilities were far inferior to Fang Yanxi's!
"Mr. Chen, do you have a plan?" Fang Kangning knew that if Chen Tao said that, he must have a solution in mind.
"I have a plan that kills two birds with one stone. It can both deal with Wan Yunting to satisfy your anger and allow your father to successfully take over your Fang Group's chairmanship!" Chen Tao said with sinister eyes and a sly smile.
"Oh, tell me…"
Fang Kangning's eyes lit up. Although his conflict with Wan Yunting wasn't intense, being publicly asked by his grandfather to apologize to him tonight had greatly displeased him.
But what truly interested him was what method Chen Tao had to solve his grandfather's problem!