Chapter Sixty-Eight: Bewildered

"You actually dare to ask what it has to do with you? Zhao Fan, how blind I must have been to fancy someone as useless as you! You can't even admit to what you've done, you—"

Without a word, Zhao Fan flicked away the hand that was thrust before him.

"I, Zhao Fan, have not sunk so low as to be unable to own up to my actions. You accuse me without any evidence, as if you truly believe I wouldn't lay a hand on a woman?"

Wang Ying's expression shifted; her previously lofty demeanor vanished, and she took two steps back, watching Zhao Fan warily.

"What, you think you might hit me? Let me tell you, Zhao Fan, if you’re a man, then—you, then—"

Her words faltered, stammering, the fear plain to see.

Zhao Fan sneered. In his previous life, Wang Ying had always been arrogant before him; no matter how he tried to accommodate or coax her, she never looked at him kindly. He had not expected, upon living anew, that Wang Ying would actually show fear before him—the woman he could never placate, even after discarding his dignity, now trembled under his assertiveness.

Ha!

This scene made Zhao Fan’s past self seem all the more foolish.

"Wang Ying, there’s an old saying: If you don’t want people to know, don’t do it. If you dare to act, have the courage to be discovered. Don’t come running to me every time something happens. From the moment you became pregnant, there’s no longer any future between us."

Zhao Fan glanced at Wang Ying’s belly, where his daughter from his past life resided. Had he not considered the child, he would never have let Wang Ying off so easily.

"Take care of your child—she’s your lifeline now."

Wang Ying swallowed hard; though fear surged in her heart, prompting her to flee, she dared not utter a single word in response. She turned and ran.

Zhao Fan closed his eyes, concealing the emotions flickering within them.

"Well, it seems your daily life isn’t going too well."

Zhao Fan’s eyes snapped open. "Get out!"

"Zhao Fan, you—"

Bang!

The door slammed shut, grazing Fang Tiancheng’s nose and startling him so much he quickly retreated.

Zhao Fan ignored the commotion outside the door, focusing instead on why Fang Tiancheng was pestering him—the antique smuggling case.

To resolve the matter, he needed to address the key issue. Fang Tiancheng was here for the antique smuggling case, so that must be tackled first.

Yet no matter how Zhao Fan racked his memory, he could recall no reports from his previous life related to this case.

Antique smuggling, once discovered, is never a minor affair; logically, there should have been relevant news. But no matter how he tried, nothing came to mind.

Did I miss a report?

After much deliberation, Zhao Fan remained at a loss and decided to set the matter aside for now.

That evening, Zhao Fan invited Xu An out for dinner, discussing the contract as they ate together.

Upon learning Zhao Fan had recruited a returning talent, Xu An was astonished and even more impressed.

For him, finding people was difficult, let alone recruiting them.

"Boss Zhao, once the company is fully staffed, I’ll have to start calling you President Zhao."

"Manager Xu, you flatter me; it’s all relative."

After exchanging titles, Zhao Fan and Xu An shared a look and laughed, then further refined the contract together.

The next day, Zhao Fan called Han Chen, informing him the contract was ready and asking if he had time to sign.

On the other end, Han Chen immediately said he was available.

"Let’s not waste time, let’s go straight to the company."

"Agreed."

Zhao Fan gave Han Chen the company address, then called Xu An.

An hour later, the three met at the company entrance.

Zhao Fan introduced them: "This is Xu An, and this is Han Chen."

"Hello."

Xu An already knew about Han Chen from Zhao Fan’s earlier introduction, so he quickly reached out to shake hands.

"Hello, I’m Xu An, mainly in charge of personnel recruitment here."

"Han Chen, nice to meet you, Manager Xu. I handle project development."

After exchanging a few words, both found the other agreeable and followed Zhao Fan into the company.

It was only then that Han Chen realized Feiteng Company was little more than a shell, with only the three of them as staff.

Standing in the spacious office area, Han Chen was stunned for a while before finally regaining his composure.

"Mr. Zhao, I don’t mean to dampen spirits, but—"

"Rest assured, what I need are skilled developers like you. With you here, the company’s framework will be complete. Staffing won’t be an issue; it will be resolved soon."

Han Chen thought this over and found it reasonable, settling his worries.

"Have you posted recruitment ads?" He walked a few steps and turned to ask Xu An.

"They’ve been posted. I’ve been busy with this the past couple of days. If all goes well, I should be getting responses soon."

Almost as if to prove Xu An’s words, his phone rang just as he finished speaking.

Xu An glanced at it—a strange number.

"I’ll take this call over there."

"Go ahead."

Xu An stepped away, and Han Chen shifted his attention to Zhao Fan.

"Mr. Zhao."

"Go on."

"May I ask about the company’s salary standards?"

"Of course." Zhao Fan pulled out a flyer from the side. "The specific salary standards are listed here; take a look."

As Han Chen examined the flyer, Zhao Fan spoke again: "If you have someone to recommend, bring them directly—no interview required, just hire them."

Han Chen’s hand trembled. "Mr. Zhao, that’s a bit too much."

"Too much? It’s fine. As long as they’re talented, do as you see fit. Here, genuine ability will never be undervalued."

Zhao Fan turned away, thinking that since his company aimed to build its foundation on the internet, why not use trustworthy people?

Still, he couldn’t let Han Chen know this just yet—it was better to keep it under wraps.

Soon, Xu An returned with a bright smile. "We have interviewees—eight in total, fresh out of university for internships."

Han Chen asked, "Which department?"

"Computer Science."

"Which university?"

"Capital University."

Before Han Chen could react, Zhao Fan was startled. "Which university did you say?"

"Capital University’s Computer Science Department, boss—not bad, right?"

Zhao Fan’s lips twitched; it was far beyond "not bad," it was excellent.

He had wanted to apply to Capital University himself. Who would have thought, before he even turned around, its students were coming to him, hoping to work under his hand.

"I’ll handle interviewing these candidates. Though they’re interns, if the benefits are good, keeping them shouldn’t be a problem."

Han Chen volunteered to manage the interviews, and Zhao Fan could guess his reasoning, so he agreed without hesitation.

"As long as they’re truly skilled, you set their salaries."

"Alright."

With that settled, Zhao Fan took Han Chen on a tour of the company before they signed the contract in the office.

Thus, Feiteng Company’s leadership team was officially established.

The next day, Zhao Fan arrived at the company and watched as Han Chen and Xu An interviewed candidates.

As soon as the eight students from Capital University appeared, Zhao Fan knew they were outstanding.