Chapter 23: Damn, what is Chen Fan’s bank balance?!

"Mr. Chen, we were wrong."

"Mr. Chen, let's be honest, it was Luo Zhixin, the boss of Zuixian Tower, who paid us to come to your place and cause trouble."

"Yes, Mr. Chen, we're just doing it for money. You wouldn't want to bother with lowlifes like us."

...

The two middle-aged men, terrified, quickly spilled the truth to Chen Fan.

Zuixian Tower was the second-best restaurant in Jiangzhou, just behind Wangjiang Pavilion. Luo Zhixin, the owner of Zuixian Tower, saw that Wangjiang Pavilion had a new owner and thought it would be the perfect time to stir up trouble. His plan was to ruin Wangjiang Pavilion's reputation and, if possible, buy it at a low price after the damage was done.

"So, it was Luo Zhixin who sent you?" Chen Fan asked, not surprised at all.

Good, you've crossed the wrong guy, he thought with a cold sneer.

"Manager Zhao, send them to the police," Chen Fan ordered.

"No, Mr. Chen! We were wrong!" the two men begged.

Despite their pleading, they were quickly escorted out by Wangjiang Pavilion's security.

Chen Fan then opened the invitation from Jiangzhou's heavyweight, Wei Jingxiong. It was indeed handwritten and quite formal, inviting him for tea the following day.

"Tomorrow, huh?" Chen Fan murmured, deciding he would check it out since it was the weekend.

Just then, the system's voice chimed in:

[Ding]

[Mission complete: Go to Wangjiang Pavilion and see what those two middle-aged men were up to]

[Reward received: A custom-made Rolls-Royce Phantom]

[Experience points gained: 47]

With the mission accomplished, Chen Fan received the promised Rolls-Royce and 47 experience points.

He checked his total:

[Current system level: Level 1 (195/1500)]

"Only 1,305 more points to upgrade—this is good progress," Chen Fan thought, satisfied. It had only been a few days since he activated the system's upgrade mode, and he had already collected close to 200 experience points.

At this rate, even a conservative estimate put his upgrade to Level 2 within a month. Once that happened, the system's daily rewards would increase significantly, bringing him closer to his goal of crushing the Xu family beneath his feet.

"Zuixian Tower, Luo Zhixin…" Chen Fan muttered to himself. He had many things to deal with now, but once his current matters were settled, Luo Zhixin would certainly pay for his actions. If Luo Zhixin wanted to buy Wangjiang Pavilion, Chen Fan would make sure he bought Zuixian Tower first, turning the tables on him!

After leaving instructions with Manager Zhao, Chen Fan left Wangjiang Pavilion and headed to Yongjia Shopping Center. He still had a little time before his 4:30 p.m. meeting with the mall's former owner.

He figured he could use this time to shop for new clothes, as he had left the Chen family with only a few belongings.

Chen Fan walked into the nearest luxury clothing store and quickly picked out several items. Just as he was about to pay, a familiar, mocking voice rang out.

"Hey, isn't that Chen Fan? You dared to enter a luxury store like this after being kicked out of the Chen family?"

"Do you even have the money for this?"

Chen Fan turned to see Zhu Pengyu, a member of the Zhu family, another wealthy family in Jiangzhou. The two had never gotten along.

Chen Fan wasn't one to back down. "You're still part of the Zhu family, but aren't you practically an outcast?"

Zhu Pengyu's face darkened. He was an illegitimate son, and his status in the Zhu family was hardly better than what Chen Fan's had been in the Chen family.

Ignoring him, Chen Fan headed to the counter to pay for the clothes.

"Hmph, the items here easily cost tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands. You've picked so much—can you even afford it?" Zhu Pengyu sneered, eager to see Chen Fan humiliated.

After a few moments, the staff finished totaling the bill.

"Sir, your items come to 1,276,000 yuan. How would you like to pay?" the staff asked.

Over a million yuan?! Zhu Pengyu was stunned.

Even he couldn't afford such a bill, and he doubted that Chen Fan, who had been cut off from the Chen family, could either. He was ready to relish in Chen Fan's embarrassment.

"Just scan this," Chen Fan said casually, holding out his phone for the payment.

The staff scanned it, and within seconds, a message popped up on Chen Fan's phone:

"Your card ending in 5169 was charged 1,276,000 yuan. Remaining balance: 988,100,010.23 yuan."

Next to him, Zhu Pengyu caught a glimpse of the text message, and his heart stopped. He stood frozen, staring at the numbers.

Chen Fan had more than 900 million yuan in his account?!

Zhu Pengyu felt like he had been struck by lightning. Forget 900 million—even 90 million would be an inconceivable fortune for him. As a member of the Zhu family, he barely had a few hundred thousand in his account, not even a fraction of what Chen Fan had.

How did Chen Fan end up with so much money? It was unfathomable.

While Zhu Pengyu stood there, dumbstruck, Chen Fan left the store with his bags, as if the over-one-million-yuan bill had been nothing.

After placing his purchases in his car, Chen Fan checked the time. It was almost 4:30, so he headed to the top floor of Yongjia Shopping Center.

A few minutes later, he arrived at the office where the former owner was already waiting. After a brief introduction and some small talk, they signed the contract.

From that moment on, Yongjia Shopping Center, one of the top malls in Jiangzhou, officially belonged to Chen Fan!

Once the deal was finalized, the former owner left, and Chen Fan sat in his luxurious new office, taking it all in. As he relaxed, an important thought suddenly struck him—something that required immediate attention!