Intrigue

I fell asleep lying down and woke up when I opened my eyes at three o'clock. I reached for my phone and saw missed calls from the landlord, an older woman. Jiang Fan called her back, and she said she was cooking at home and asked Jiang Fan and Tang Wan to come over.

Jiang Fan didn't refuse. He got up, put on some clothes, and went downstairs to find Tang Wan, but she wasn't home. He called her, and she hesitantly didn't say where she was, only telling him she would be back within half an hour.

At the municipal bureau, Tang Wan placed one of the two cigarettes she stole from Li Jinhe on the table and said coaxingly, "Uncle, just make a call to Tu Xiao. Jiang Fan and Guan Dagou had a fight, and with that dog's temper, he's sure to pick on Jiang Fan."

Li Jinhai had no qualms about accepting his niece's gift. He opened the packaging, took out a cigarette, lit it, and laughed, scolding her, "If your mom knew you stole the cigarettes she brought back from her unit for your dad, she'd fight with you! You never come to see me, your uncle, unless you need something. And when did you start caring so much about Jiang Fan? It was always us urging you to treat Jiang Fan better. What's going on now? Have you realized how good Jiang Fan is?"

Tang Wan giggled and scratched her head, saying bashfully, "I couldn't help it. Everyone keeps praising him. Xiao Er keeps calling me, asking when I'll bring Jiang Fan back. I don't know how these two became friends."

Li Jinhe chuckled after hearing this. "I really have to thank Jiang Fan for this. You've seen Xiao Er's personality when he was young. He would act willfully, relying on me, his father. But somehow, Jiang Fan managed to straighten him out. He's not arrogant anymore, and his scores on the recent exams were quite high. I even thought he was cheating. Moreover, Jiang Fan is very smart. He's written some of my annual reports. Even if you didn't ask, I would call Tu Xiao. Do you really think I can't handle him?"

"Hehe, thank you, Uncle," Tang Wan said.

"Don't be so polite, Wanwan. Listen to me, your uncle. Although Jiang Fan's background is not as good as yours, think about it. Your uncle, me, and your mom all came from poor families. Don't put too much emphasis on background. Jiang Fan's mind is sharper than many people's. To put it bluntly, he can be a great help to you and at least help you maintain your position at Changxiang. And speaking from the family's perspective, we all see how good he is to you, right? Live a good life, visit relatives more often. It's none of your business if your mom and uncle aren't talking. Also, you said he fought with Guan Dagou? Good for him, acting like a man. Have a child earlier, and then..."

Tang Wan ran away. She was most afraid of relatives asking about children.

At six o'clock, Jiang Fan took Tang Wan to the landlord's house downstairs, intending to help with dinner early. Li Jiawei opened the door. The young man enthusiastically greeted Jiang Fan as "Uncle" and called Tang Wan "Auntie."

Jiang Fan felt a little embarrassed, but Tang Wan accepted it gladly. After changing her shoes, she walked into the living room and sat on the sofa, looking like the lady of the house returning home.

The landlord's house was not small, almost 150 square meters, with three bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, one dining area, and one study. It was imaginable that Jiawei's father had indeed earned a lot of money. After entering the living room, Jiang Fan found the little girl he saw at school during the day also sitting on the sofa. It seemed that this was not her first time here.

The living room had a slightly recessed style with sofas on four sides. The little girl, Tu Kun, sat opposite Tang Wan, with a small blanket covering her legs. The little girl wasn't particularly pretty, but she already had a certain aura despite her young age.

Jiang Fan and Li Jiawei stood afar and simultaneously felt an uneasy aura. It seemed that some unclear competition had already begun between the woman and the girl. Jiang Fan said he wanted to help in the kitchen, and Li Jiawei followed closely behind.

Tang Wan knew that this little girl was Tu Xiao's daughter, and Tu Kun had also seen Tang Wan's photos. Tang Wan came from an official and business family, while Tu Kun had a somewhat gangster-like background. Both the woman and the girl, or rather, both girls, didn't like each other. Especially after Tang Wan learned that Guan Junbiao had fought with Jiang Fan.

They didn't talk to each other. Tang Wan was scrolling through her phone, while Tu Kun was playing with a magazine. After about ten minutes, Tu Kun's phone rang. It was the latest iPhone.

"Are you downstairs? Uh-huh, I see. Wait downstairs."

After hanging up the phone, Tu Kun stood up and walked towards the kitchen. She had a strong aversion to Tang Wan but was quite good to Jiang Fan. She sweetly called out to him, "Uncle Jiang," and said that some fruits and gifts she had ordered had arrived and asked if he could help her bring them up from downstairs. After hearing this, Li Jiawei offered to go, saying that Uncle Jiang was a guest, but Tu Kun told him to explain some problems to her instead.

Jiang Fan understood that this little girl wanted him to come downstairs for some reason. He smiled and nodded, then asked Tang Wan if she wanted any drinks while he was going downstairs to get them. Before he could finish speaking, Tu Kun had already come over with a teapot.

"Tang sister, have some tea to warm your stomach. Tang sister, you're so beautiful, much more beautiful than in photos. Your skin is so good."

"I know."

Tang Wan's arrogant and unhumble personality was really something one couldn't help but notice. Jiang Fan rubbed his head and went downstairs. Outside the unit door, Jiang Fan saw Guan Dagou, dressed in a bright red suit and a floral shirt, looking quite flamboyant. This guy was carrying quite a few things and was pacing around. When he turned around and saw Jiang Fan, he ran over with his things, stood in front of him, and grinned.

"Uncle Jiang!"

"Get lost. I don't have an nephew like you."

Jiang Fan stepped back, startled. Guan Dagou chuckled and put the things he was carrying on the ground, smiling.

"It's just that the young mistress asked me to call you that. A dog like me has to listen to its master. In my life, I've never been impressed by those with sharp tongues or money and power. I only respect those with strong fists. If I lose in a one-on-one fight, it's because I'm not as skilled as the other person. There's no hatred or grudges. It was only when I returned to the company that I realized the young mistress Tang is your wife. It was my fault, brother. If you want to kill me or punish me, do as you wish."

Jiang Fan frowned. Guan Junbiao's sudden change of attitude made him feel a bit uneasy. He frowned, took the things from his hand, and shook his head lightly.

"It's not necessary. You insulted someone, and I hit you. We're both men, so let's not be sentimental. You said it's over, so it's over."

"That's great! But brother, don't blame me for asking you this. Do you know this person named Lin Xuan?"

Jiang Fan's heart skipped a beat. He already knew what Guan Dagou did. Now that he mentioned Lin Xuan, Jiang Fan felt a slight unease in his heart. He tried to suppress his curiosity and nodded slightly.

"Yes."

Guan Junbiao took out a cigarette and was about to light it, but then put it back. When he looked up again, his eyes were cold, and he said in a deep voice,

"His men contacted me, offering four hundred thousand for Jiang Fan's two legs. This Jiang Fan is you, right, brother?"