Chapter Ninety-One: Someone Stirred Up Trouble

Hong Mingda’s engagement banquet had just ended when Zhao Fan was about to leave, only to be caught from behind by Hong Mingda, who draped an arm over his shoulder.

“Come have a talk with me?”

Zhao Fan glanced at him and, seeing nothing else pressing, agreed.

After the guests had been seen out, Zhao Fan and Hong Mingda went to a small side sitting room.

Hong Mingda poured himself a glass of red wine and held it loosely in one hand.

“You think I’m some shameless old goat, getting engaged to a girl of twenty-two?”

Zhao Fan smiled. “It’s a private matter.”

What was wrong with him? Was he and Hong Mingda supposed to be close?

“You young people are probably thinking you don’t know me that well. That’s fine. If you don’t know me, I’ll just know you.”

Hong Mingda was famous for his easy sociability; if he wanted to, he could strike up a connection with anyone.

“What you did tonight was a mistake.”

“This is between me, the Bai family, and the Yang family.”

“Tsk. That’s why they say the newborn calf fears no tiger. Let me ask you: what do you think of my standing in Yang City?”

Zhao Fan: “...”

Confirmed. Hong Mingda really was touched in the head.

“Hah, you’re cursing me in your heart.”

Zhao Fan’s expression remained calm. “No.”

He was very sharp.

“All right, all right. I’ve lived for more than fifty years, and I know young people like you better than you know yourselves. My reputation in Yang City is indeed not very good. No mystery there—I like to have fun. Over time, some people naturally come to dislike me. That includes Bai Yongyuan and Yang Tiancheng.”

Zhao Fan thought, rather self-aware.

“But do you know why Bai Yongyuan and Yang Tiancheng, even though they dislike me, still have to come to me?”

Zhao Fan fell silent. On that point, he truly did not understand.

“Because I’ve got someone backing me.”

Hong Mingda looked pleased with himself.

Zhao Fan’s mouth twitched slightly. “Someone... backing you?”

Since he was already sitting here, Zhao Fan had been willing to indulge a little conversation with Hong Mingda, but that did not mean he would tolerate this absurd, time-wasting drivel.

“Mr. Hong, it’s late. I won’t waste any more of your time here. See you.”

“Hey, hey, hey, you young fellow have no patience at all? Come back and sit down. I’ll tell you slowly.”

“No need, Mr. Hong. There’s something urgent at home.”

Hong Mingda sighed. “Young man, do you even know what you’ll miss if you leave like this?”

In any case, it certainly wouldn’t be a waste of time.

Coughing twice, Zhao Fan said, “Something urgent at home.”

He must have been out of his mind to agree to talk with Hong Mingda.

After several refusals, Zhao Fan finally succeeded in leaving.

The next day, Zhao Fan stayed home to review his textbooks.

He had been so busy lately that he had let his studies slide, and now he needed to pull the books back out and relearn them.

At one point, Zhao’s mother opened the door once. Seeing Zhao Fan’s full attention on his books, she immediately withdrew and closed the door with the lightest of sounds.

Meanwhile, Feiteng Search and Feiteng Online Shopping were becoming more and more popular.

Along with that rose Zhao Fan’s own reputation.

Many households in Yang City had taken notice of this rising new power. In any industry where money could be made, once one person showed progress, a crowd would quickly follow.

It was true for supermarkets; it was true for the internet industry as well.

By the time Zhao Fan resurfaced from his studies, more than a dozen internet companies had already sprung up in Yang City. They did nothing else except imitate what Feiteng had brought out.

Perhaps because development here was moving too fast, a university in the capital had actually gotten in touch, hoping that the local companies would go to the capital after the New Year to recruit students.

Among them, Feiteng, as the first company in Yang City to produce real results, received the most calls.

“Mr. Zhao, the capital university called and asked whether we want to recruit people there next year!”

When the call came, Zhao Fan was eating lunch. The night before last, he had spent an entire sheet of exam problems in a haze of exhaustion, and when Han Chen’s call suddenly came through, he was a little slow to react to what he was hearing.

“What did you say?”

Han Chen repeated patiently, “I said the capital university contacted us and wants us to recruit people there next year!”

His foggy mind cleared at once. Zhao Fan tightened his grip on the phone. “Is this real?”

“Of course it’s real. But, Mr. Zhao, I think we may not be short of people for the time being. Didn’t I tell you a few days ago that some of my former classmates want to come?”

Zhao Fan rubbed his brow. “Has that been settled?”

“It’s been settled. I offered an eight-thousand salary, and several of them are willing to come.”

Several of them?

“How many in total?”

“Eight.”

Including Han Chen, there were only nine people in the company. Even with eight more, that would still be only seventeen.

Thinking of what he wanted to build, Zhao Fan said, “That’s not enough. Han Chen, I need many departments, and what we need to do is not just a few things. Do you understand?”

There were far too many things that could be explored in the internet industry. How could a dozen-odd people be enough?

Youth, experience, real skill—Zhao Fan wanted all of them.

“Keep recruiting. As for the company’s development, I’ll make time later to hold a meeting and lay out the specifics.”

“Okay.”

Since Zhao Fan had a plan, Han Chen naturally said nothing more. After hanging up, he immediately called the capital university back.

Zhao Fan put away his phone, and when he looked up, he found Zhao’s mother watching him. He could not help but smile.

“Mom, why are you staring at me?”

“Mom is seeing just how impressive my son is.”

Zhao Fan laughed at that and deliberately asked, “How impressive am I?”

“Very impressive.” Zhao’s mother gave him a thumbs-up. “My son has really made something of himself.”

A smile appeared on Zhao Fan’s face, and he was just about to speak when his phone rang again. Looking down, he saw that it was Zhao Haitian calling.

Zhao’s mother also saw the caller ID and said in surprise, “Didn’t he take Yuner out to have fun? Why is he calling you?”

“Maybe he needs to ask me something.”

Zhao Fan answered casually and picked up.

“Brother, hurry over. Someone’s causing trouble at Feiteng Supermarket. I’m at the second one.”

What?

Zhao Fan shot to his feet. He no longer cared about eating and ran straight outside.

“Mom, I’m going to the supermarket to take a look.”

Zhao’s mother stood as well. “I’ll go with you.”

Ever since she and Zhao’s father began managing the supermarket together, Zhao’s mother had changed entirely, and that confidence was unmistakable.

Zhao Fan drove, picked up Zhao’s mother, and headed straight for the second Feiteng Supermarket.

As soon as he got out of the car, he saw a crowd gathered at the entrance. No one knew what they were looking at, all pointing and whispering, while from the center of the ringed crowd came cries of alarm from time to time.

Zhao Fan exchanged a glance with Zhao’s mother. “Mom, wait here. I’ll go take a look.”

“All right.”

Zhao’s mother stayed where she was, and Zhao Fan pushed into the crowd.

“Please let me through. I’m the owner of Feiteng. Please make way.”

The packed crowd parted, allowing Zhao Fan to reach the center.

There he saw a woman kneeling on the ground, and beside her lay a little girl with her eyes shut tight and her face deathly pale. At a glance, it was obvious she was in bad shape.

The woman was crying nonstop, while accusing the supermarket’s goods of being poisoned.

“My little Nannan only ate an apple bought from your supermarket, sob sob sob...”