Chapter 82: How Could It Be Her?

It seemed that every wealthy person owned a grand estate, and the Zhong family was no exception. Yang Fan gazed at the manor, pondering to himself that once he ranked among the top one hundred, he too would buy an estate—or perhaps purchase the entire area around the Flower Garden Community. After all, it was already considered the outskirts, and hardly anyone frequented it.

Of course, he already had estates: five vacation manors and a resort, but even combined, they paled in comparison to this one. The main issue was his lack of funds for proper development. Thus, his ambition was ever to advance into the ranks of the truly wealthy.

Thinking of the future lifted Yang Fan's spirits. A lifetime should be lived in such a manner. For now, though, he was still poor.

"Wow, what an impressive estate!"

"When I have money, I'll buy one too, and invite you all to stay for a couple of days," Yang Fan said.

"And me as well!"

"You can come too—and bring the police dogs from our special operations unit to let them live in luxury for a couple of days!"

"Idiot!" Huo Xinxin couldn't help but scold.

"That's my dream!"

"Your dream is terribly tacky. Why not say you'd have the special ops team serve as your security?"

"Hey, that's actually a good idea!"

Everyone was exasperated; he really dared to dream...

"The men could be security guards, the women could be service staff, and you'd all wear your special ops uniforms. From afar, people would see the spectacle!"

Yang Fan continued to share his dreams, while Huo Xinxin had lost all desire to speak to him.

They soon arrived at the manor. The head of the Zhong family didn't come out; only the butler greeted them.

Yang Fan couldn't help but curse inwardly. The Zhong family was not even on par with the Han family, yet they acted as if they were ranked among the top fifty.

"Captain Huo, the auction won't start until three o'clock. We're concerned that some unsavory individuals might sneak in and disrupt the proceedings, so we've invited you to supervise and maintain order," said the butler.

Yang Fan scoffed, but Huo Xinxin smiled and agreed. She conducted a preliminary inspection of the auction hall, arranged personnel, and then followed the butler to lunch.

As for Yang Fan, who kept a low profile, the Zhong family paid him no heed. Yang Fan belonged to the Liu family, and with General Chen and General Qian, could perhaps be ranked around one hundred and ten. To the Zhong family, he was hardly worth noticing.

There were plenty of wealthy people in Tianning; the city never lacked for them. The Zhong family's airs were simply foolish arrogance; they had no idea about Yang Fan's true background. If General Han were added, even the head of the Zhong family would have to bow his head.

Yang Fan thought it best not to act ostentatiously; if they didn't know him, so be it—he didn't know them either!

At the banquet hall, Yang Fan ate heartily.

"This auction is a sham," Huo Xinxin whispered.

"You know that?" Yang Fan asked.

"Didn't you see the venue just now? It wasn't an auction hall at all—it was clearly set up for matchmaking."

"So the Zhong family's daughter must be terribly unattractive, to arrange all this. I wonder, is it a martial contest or tossing an embroidered ball?" Yang Fan stuffed another large piece of meat in his mouth, chewing as he spoke.

"Who knows!"

"Well, it doesn't matter. Those rich second-generation kids—useless in both intellect and strength. If Xiao Liu and the others try hard enough, even if she's ugly, as long as they can tap into her family's wealth, they could keep as many mistresses as they like. With the Zhong family's assets, you'd never spend it all in your lifetime," Yang Fan said calmly.

He then patted a nearby officer and asked, "Hey, handsome, do you have a girlfriend? If not, go up and compete later!"

"Why don't you go up yourself? Aren't you richer? Couldn't you indulge as much as you want?" Huo Xinxin retorted.

"I'm not suitable. I'm the type who loves beauty, not power. Ugly women are not for me!" Yang Fan declared, and for the sake of sparing everyone a lifetime of struggle, began rallying the group.

Those married could fake a divorce, and the unmarried should strive hard—it was an opportunity not to be missed.

Yang Fan believed he had done another good deed, helping others was his nature!

They rested there until half past one. By the time they reached the manor gates, the Zhong family's bodyguards had begun setting up a cordon. An auction should look like an auction, entry by invitation only, which lent a more formal air.

The special ops unit was mainly there for show; they had nothing to do, simply standing by. What the Zhong family wanted was the special ops insignia on their uniforms.

Yang Fan was disinclined to move, watching the entrants, most accompanied by female partners—a pleasant sight, at least.

"Quite nice," he remarked.

"What's nice?" Huo Xinxin couldn't help but ask.

"The pretty girls," Yang Fan replied, his spirits high.

Huo Xinxin ignored him, and the other special ops members wished they could beat Yang Fan up. It was one thing to pursue Sister Xi, now he was seeking new targets.

Among the crowd were familiar faces—those supporting Jiang Huai, all partners of Fan Mei. The ones arriving now were minor figures; the real bosses would come later.

Yang Fan flexed his fingers in greeting, signaling that they shouldn't approach him. Standing here was embarrassing enough.

They reciprocated, leading their partners inside.

Around thirty or forty people entered, when, from afar, luxurious cars slowly approached.

"Always, the minor players arrive first; the main event comes later," Yang Fan chatted with the group.

A stir arose within the Zhong manor; all the bodyguards stood in respectful formation. Emerging from the manor was a young woman.

She walked briskly, her expression anxious. Out of curiosity, Yang Fan looked, and was stunned.

"How can it be her?" he exclaimed.

"Greetings, Miss!" all the bodyguards called in unison.

The woman waved her hand, and as she glanced around, she too was startled to see Yang Fan.

"Yang Fan?" she said in surprise.

"How can it be you?" Yang Fan couldn't help but ask.

This Miss Zhong was none other than the girl he had unintentionally embarrassed during a team-up with Ai Xiaomei at the film set—the one he publicly professed he'd sponsor.

"You..."

Miss Zhong seemed about to say more, when several cars pulled up to the gate.

One of them, Yang Fan recognized as Jiang Huai's car.

Another had a number just one digit off; he guessed it belonged to Jiang Bo, Jiang Huai's rival for the inheritance.

At that moment, Yang Fan noticed Miss Zhong's whole body tremble—a detail obvious to him, given his keen perception.

It was a sign of fear, but it made no sense.