Chapter 53: I Will Seek Your Partnership (Fourteenth Update)

In the car, Yang Fan managed to get through on the phone, but his cousin on the other end sounded utterly dispirited.

The surroundings were deathly quiet.

“Cousin, where are you?” Yang Fan asked.

“I’m on Huanjiang Road.”

Yang Fan racked his brains but couldn’t remember where Huanjiang Road was. After all, he’d spent four years at university in Tianning, and such details had long faded from memory.

Lin Ruo tapped open the navigation system, and Yang Fan, not wanting to question a drunken man further, simply rented a phone tracker and instructed his cousin not to hang up.

Lin Xi started the car and headed straight over. Huanjiang Road bordered the river, hence the name. Yang Fan pointed out the direction, and at last, spotted his familiar cousin by the roadside.

A bottle still dangled from his cousin’s hand—not so much a sign of drunkenness as a loss of will.

Yang Fan stepped out. Up close, he was shocked by the sheer despair of his cousin, a young man only a year younger than himself.

What could have happened?

If he wanted, his memory-piercing gaze could reveal everything, but now was not the time for such trivialities.

“Cousin!” he called out.

“Brother!” At the sight of his real cousin, the young man lost control.

“That’s enough, you’re a grown man. No need for tears, and stop drinking,” Yang Fan said, snatching the bottle from his cousin’s hand and tossing it into the river.

“Come on, we’ll talk in the car.”

He hustled his cousin into the back seat.

“This is your sister-in-law,” Yang Fan introduced.

His cousin managed a response, and Lin Xi glanced into the back.

“Lin Xi, turn around. We’ll talk back in the city,” Yang Fan directed.

Lin Xi immediately turned the car. In the back seat, his cousin was a picture of dejection.

“So, what happened? Tell me,” Yang Fan prompted.

“I was scammed. Lost over two hundred thousand,” his cousin confessed.

Yang Fan froze. His aunt’s family probably couldn’t even scrape together so much money.

“Where did you get the money?”

“I borrowed it—from a loan shark.”

“How did you get scammed?”

“My ex-girlfriend and the bar owner set me up. They got me to invest, and I fell for it. Then I borrowed from the loan sharks. Now my current girlfriend’s been taken by them. If I can’t pay by tomorrow, my girlfriend…”

“Cousin, you really are something,” Yang Fan said, a mix of exasperation and pity—first an ex, then a current girlfriend.

“How much do you owe now?”

“It’s about four hundred thousand,” his cousin replied, on the verge of collapse.

Four hundred thousand—that could be a regular person’s savings for years, if not decades.

“I went to confront my ex, but they beat me up and threw me out. Brother, I’m really losing my mind…”

“That’s no reason to drink! Think how worried your mother must be!”

“I was thinking… maybe I’d grab a knife, anything, just to get my girlfriend out.”

Yang Fan sighed inwardly and patted his cousin’s shoulder.

At that moment, his cousin’s phone rang. The young man shrank back, clearly terrified by the number on the screen.

Yang Fan took the phone from him, about to answer when his cousin panicked.

“Brother, don’t answer!”

“It’s fine,” Yang Fan said, picking up.

“Yu Hang, I’m warning you—if you don’t pay up, your girlfriend—”

“Don’t threaten me. In this day and age, try killing someone for real.”

“Who the hell are you? Daring to butt in—”

“Cut the crap. Tell me where you are, I’ll bring you the money. But if that girl is harmed in any way, don’t blame me for what happens next.”

There was a long silence on the other end. Then the person named a location.

“Fine. Wait there, I’m coming.”

He gave the address to Lin Xi, who immediately set the GPS.

Yang Fan’s hands didn’t idle; he texted Liu Haoyu, asking him to transfer three million at once.

The money arrived quickly. Wang Yu snapped his phone shut.

“Brother, you…”

“Don’t worry. Those guys just bully the weak and fear the strong. We’ll pay them back, rescue your girlfriend, and then your cousin will help you deal with the people who set you up.”

“But brother, how do we have so much money?”

“Your sister-in-law does. Don’t worry!” Yang Fan grinned.

“Don’t worry, cousin!” Lin Xi chimed in from the front, her focus more on the title “sister-in-law” Yang Fan had just used to introduce her.

“Thank you, sister-in-law!” his cousin replied, still dazed. But seeing such a nice car, forty thousand was nothing.

They soon arrived at the designated location—a shabby ground-floor apartment with one bedroom and three living rooms.

Yang Fan, Lin Xi, and Yu Hang got out. Yu Hang was still nervous, but Yang Fan’s steady presence reassured him.

Inside were three or four burly men, none of whom Yang Fan regarded with any concern. As their eyes swept over the three, they paused when they saw Lin Xi—a chill ran down their spines.

“Where is she?”

The girl was in the inner room, guarded by one man. Lin Xi strode in and brought her out. None of the big men dared block her way.

“Yu Hang!” the girl sobbed, trembling with fright.

“Xiao Rui!” Yu Hang cried, clutching her tightly.

“There’s nothing wrong with the girl, is there?” Yang Fan asked coldly.

“No.”

“If there is, I’ll be back for you. I keep my word. Now, give me your account number.”

Yang Fan took the card, tapped a few times, and within moments, they received the transfer notification.

“My cousin’s IOU!” he demanded.

They handed it over. Yang Fan tore it up on the spot.

Just as he reached the door, Yang Fan paused and turned back. Lin Xi followed, while Yu Hang and Xiao Rui stood by, still tearful.

“Boss, is there something else?” The difference was obvious now—their attitude was entirely deferential.

“Do you have cash here?”

“How much do you need, boss?”

“Two million six hundred thousand,” Yang Fan replied flatly.

“We have it, but we’ll need to gather some—it’ll require a service fee.”

“How much?”

“Five thousand.”

“I’ll give you ten. And get some food for my cousin and the girl.”

“Of course, boss!”

They welcomed Yu Hang and Xiao Rui inside, serving tea and water, while some went to gather cash and others prepared food.

“Brother Yu, it’s all been a misunderstanding. You know how hard it is to make a living…” one of the men tried to explain.

“That’s enough,” Yang Fan cut him off impatiently.

“Boss, please sit!” None of them dared make a fuss. To be able to exchange two million six hundred thousand in cash—here in Lake City, only a rich second-generation or a powerful family could manage that. One look at their car and clothes made it clear—they were not to be trifled with.

Soon, the food was served. Yang Fan and Lin Xi weren’t hungry—they still had food at home. Yu Hang and Xiao Rui ate, and once the cash was gathered into three suitcases, Yang Fan picked them up once they’d finished.

The men stared in shock. Yu Hang was the real big shot—forty thousand was nothing.

Yang Fan was, in fact, making a statement, waiting for them to come to their senses. Sure enough, just as Lin Xi was about to drive away, the boss came out, carrying two hundred and fifty thousand.

“Boss, I think I can’t charge Brother Yu any interest. Here’s two hundred thousand back, and the extra fifty thousand is compensation for the girl. Brother Yu, miss, I’m very sorry.”

The boss bowed deeply.

Yang Fan smiled. “I’ll be looking to work with you in the future—something much bigger than this little operation.”

“Thank you, boss!”

Yang Fan left his number and strode away, telling the boss that, when he heard the name “Fanmei,” he should call that number—he’d be given an opportunity.