Chapter 139: The Final Battle

The next day, they arrived at the company first. The production launch ceremony was scheduled for the following afternoon, and Yang Fan and the others would be heading over that day.

Besides Yang Fan, there were also Zhang Chen and Xu Tao. One was the general manager of the film and television subsidiary, while the other managed the agency subsidiary. Their presence was indispensable at the launch ceremony.

Xu Zihan would be going with Jing Tian’s group, with Lin Xi accompanying her. As for Ai Xiaomei, since that girl refused to behave, she was left behind at the Girls’ Academy.

In truth, this was also a way of leaving Ai Xiaomei in charge. With her there, anyone reckless enough to cause trouble at the academy would probably suffer terribly. Besides, Zhao Jing was in Tianning as well, so there should be no problems.

Since the eleventh, Lin Ruo and Lin Xi still were not entirely at ease about Zhao Jing, but their attitudes had softened considerably.

A new year brought a new atmosphere. It was a good beginning.

Yang Fan received a call from his mother while they were on the road. Ai Xiaomei had evidently complained about him. Yang Fan gave a laugh.

“That’s the only trick you’ve got, you little rascal…”

“My mother said she wants us to come home for the New Year,” Yang Fan said.

“Fine. I’ll go back with you!”

“Then which identity will you use, Lin Ruo’s or Lin Xi’s?” Yang Fan began teasing Lin Ruo again. The journey ahead was long, so they might as well find something amusing to do.

“Of course I’ll be Lin Xi. What kind of explanation would it be for you to bring your wife’s elder sister home?”

“Then you might as well let me take Lin Xi home directly. Wouldn’t that be less trouble?” Yang Fan pursed his lips.

“Have you had too few women outside, or what? Now you’re setting your sights on my little sister again. I’ll say the same thing as before: once you and my sister are legally married, you can take her home. That’s a matter of principle!”

“Isn’t that only a matter of time? Plenty of people get on the train first and buy a ticket afterward!”

“You really are a bastard, thinking about nothing but those things all day!” Lin Ruo scolded him.

…

“There’s no point in taking you home anyway. I can’t even touch you!”

“How dare you say you’ve never touched me?” Lin Ruo’s expression turned icy in an instant, the chill in it penetrating to the bone.

How could there be such a bastard in the world?

“I was only joking. Why are you getting so angry?” Yang Fan knew exactly when to stop. If he went any further, Lin Ruo truly would lose her temper.

“Don’t joke with me like that again,” Lin Ruo said coldly.

“Life would be too dull without jokes.”

“That’s because you don’t do anything worthwhile. Think about serious matters and you won’t feel bored.”

“What serious matters?” Yang Fan asked.

“Do you really have no idea what you’re supposed to do every day?” Lin Ruo reprimanded him sharply.

“Why don’t you put me through another round of special training?”

“Get lost!”

“That counts as serious business too! Really, I find it very practical. I can’t afford to fall for someone else’s beauty trap!”

“Fine. You said it yourself. If you want more training, I can take you there right now. But think carefully: for an entire year, you won’t be allowed any contact with the outside world. There will be only the two of us. Do you dare?”

“Then forget it.” Yang Fan felt miserable.

At that moment, Yang Fan’s phone rang. It was Liu Haoyu calling. When he answered, Liu Haoyu told them to wait for the others, because Lin Ruo had been driving too fast.

They waited where they were for more than ten minutes before hearing horns from behind. Yang Fan turned around and saw another car approaching, with Jiang Huai getting out.

Zhang Chen, Xu Tao, and Liu Haoyu soon drove over as well.

“You drive incredibly fast. The three of us couldn’t catch up no matter how hard we tried!”

Liu Haoyu and the others waved at Zhang Chen before each driving on ahead. Jiang Huai got into Yang Fan’s car, rolled down the window, and spoke to his driver and secretary, telling them to take good care of Bai Tiantian.

At the speed Lin Ruo drove, Bai Tiantian would probably be frightened half to death.

“Young Brother Yang, your car is going far too fast. My driver was chasing you from behind, but he couldn’t catch up at all.” Jiang Huai sounded miserable.

Yang Fan laughed. He had long since grown accustomed to Lin Ruo and Lin Xi’s speed.

“Drive a little slower, Lin Ruo. Don’t frighten Brother Jiang,” Yang Fan said with a smile.

“That’s right, Sister-in-law. Slow down a little,” Jiang Huai added.

Lin Ruo and Lin Xi had originally been bodyguards Jiang Huai had hired at great expense. But ever since Yang Fan had erased Jiang Huai’s memories of hiring them, he was no longer particularly familiar with them.

Lin Ruo nodded silently and, this time, maintained a steady speed.

“Brother Jiang, I thought you wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow!”

“There wasn’t much going on at home, so I thought I’d take her out for a change of scenery. Staying home and seeing Jiang Bo every day was making me feel suffocated.”

“You should get out more. By the way, has Jiang Bo been behaving himself these past few days?”

“He’s been fairly quiet. These past few days, whenever I stayed home, he stayed home too,” Jiang Huai replied.

“He hasn’t gone out at all?”

“No.”

“That’s strange. Surely he should have met with someone by now. After all, we ruined his plans that day.” Yang Fan pondered the matter but could not make sense of it.

“This is what I find strange too. I know someone is helping him from the shadows, and I keep feeling as though something terrible is about to happen. It’s as if a pair of eyes is watching me from behind.” Jiang Huai’s expression had turned grim.

He had probably been badly frightened these past few days. This was psychological warfare, especially since he had to look at Jiang Bo’s smiling face every day.

“Call the car ahead and tell Bai Tiantian not to sit in that vehicle. Also, have your driver and secretary get out,” Lin Ruo suddenly said.

Yang Fan and Jiang Huai both froze.

Indeed, there was no guarantee that Jiang Bo would not dare to make a move here.

“Call them now!” Yang Fan urged.

Jiang Huai had reached the same conclusion. He hurriedly pulled out his phone and made the call. Yang Fan also told Liu Haoyu to stop and have Bai Tiantian ride in his car instead.

Jiang Huai’s driver and secretary took Xu Tao’s car, while Xu Tao and his secretary moved into Zhang Chen’s vehicle. There was no telling whether Jiang Huai’s driver and secretary had already been compromised.

The arrangement also served to isolate them. In the face of enough money, loyalty was nothing more than an empty promise.

The cars ahead soon called back. Following Lin Ruo’s instructions, Yang Fan told Liu Haoyu and Zhang Chen to leave the main highway and take a detour.

When they reached a nearby county, they changed vehicles twice before taking the Tianhai Expressway.

Only then did Jiang Huai truly feel a chill run through him. What if the people beside him had already been bought off by Jiang Bo? He had been far too careless. If one of those people suddenly turned against him, the result could be fatal.

“Lin Ruo arranged all this as a precaution. Whether they’re loyal or not, we’ll know once we test them,” Yang Fan explained.

His Memory Pupils could not be used at present, which meant his most effective means of detection had failed. They could only resort to this method.

“I understand. I was still too careless!”

“Let’s keep going along this route. To go fishing, you need bait. First, we’ll test whether your driver and secretary are loyal. Second, we’ll see whether Jiang Bo really intends to make a move here.”

As for the car Jiang Huai had been driving, they simply left it there. It had cost several million, but Jiang Huai did not care. His life was what mattered most.

Lin Ruo set off again, waiting for the fish to bite.

Whether there were any fish or not, they would know once they tried.