Jia Ling'er had only taken a few steps when her gaze inadvertently fell upon a private dining room not far away. She saw Li Fan standing there, talking with a middle-aged man who had just stepped out of the room.
The moment the middle-aged man caught sight of Li Fan, he immediately bowed and ushered him into the room with an attitude bordering on flattery.
As the man turned around, Jia Ling'er caught a glimpse of his back. Her gaze instantly froze, and a turbulent storm surged in her heart! That was none other than Luo Shiyu, the notoriously wealthy tycoon of Haihe!
She remembered that when Su Yuwei had previously mentioned how Su Zhenting had gone to great lengths to win over Luo Shiyu, she had been somewhat moved, but it was nothing compared to the violent impact she felt at this moment.
Luo Shiyu, this towering giant of the business world who wielded immense power in Haihe, was displaying an unprecedented level of respect toward Li Fan right now, as if Li Fan were the one pulling all the strings. This stark contrast made Jia Ling'er mutter to herself:
"Li Fan, who on earth are you?"
She initially wanted to go over and say hello, but reason told her the occasion was inappropriate. Thus, she chose to stay silent and stood quietly in place.
"Didn't you just say you were going to look for an acquaintance? Where is he?"
At that moment, a slightly impatient voice sounded from beside her. It was the man who had been accompanying Jia Ling'er earlier, and he was looking at her suspiciously.
"Oh, I saw wrong. Not an acquaintance."
Jia Ling'er answered casually, her eyes never leaving the direction where Luo Shiyu had disappeared.
The man clearly didn't notice these details and simply tossed out a cold remark:
"Jia Ling'er, I have matters to attend to. Stop making pointless struggles; some things are simply beyond your power to change." With that, he strode away.
Jia Ling'er watched his receding figure, sighed softly, and turned to leave, her curiosity about Li Fan's identity growing even stronger.
Inside the private room, Luo Shiyu was pouring tea for Li Fan with a beaming smile, exhibiting a degree of humility that would have shocked anyone present.
"Mr. Li, this tea was specially prepared for you. Please taste it and see if it suits your palate."
Li Fan gently picked up the teacup, took a light sip, and then smiled:
"Mm, the aroma is refreshing and the aftertaste lingers. It is indeed fine tea."
Seeing this, Luo Shiyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Li Fan's satisfaction was of the utmost importance to him.
"Mr. Li, regarding what happened this morning, I have already dealt with it severely. That good-for-nothing son of mine, Luo Cong, actually pulled off such an outrageous stunt. I've already ordered someone to break both his legs so he can reflect properly."
At this point, a trace of heartache couldn't help but show on Luo Shiyu's face.
"Sigh, if he weren't my only son, I really wish I could..."
"Let this matter rest here; no need to bring it up again."
Li Fan gently waved his hand, his tone carrying a trace of unquestionable decisiveness.
Hearing this, the taut string in Luo Shiyu's heart finally relaxed, and he secretly breathed another sigh of relief. Shifting to another matter, his gaze turned solemn.
"Come to think of it, a few days ago while dining with a friend in the investment sector, he casually revealed that someone has recently been secretly acquiring Chaofan Group shares across major financial institutions, and the movements are quite covert."
Luo Shiyu lowered his voice, his tone revealing a hint of caution.
Ordinarily, such business secrets had no direct connection to him, but now, because of Li Fan's identity, he couldn't help but associate it with more.
"Oh? Such a thing is happening?"
Li Fan raised an eyebrow, showing a bit of surprise.
He knew very well that Chaofan Group's ownership structure was complex. Although Su Yuwei and Su Zhenting were the largest shareholders, their shareholding ratio had not reached an absolute controlling stake, which left an opening for outsiders.
"At present, the share distribution of Chaofan Group looks roughly like this: Su Yuwei and Su Zhenting jointly hold a little over thirty percent, investment institutions hold thirty percent, several major shareholders hold a little over ten percent, and the remaining nearly twenty percent are scattered across the secondary market."
Li Fan analyzed slowly, having a complete mastery of Chaofan Group's situation.
"Mr. Luo, in my view, the person behind this is likely aiming to target Chaofan, and might even intend to seize control."
Luo Shiyu took a sip of tea and continued:
"Moreover, Chaofan Group's shareholders' meeting is about to be held. I suspect that the person behind the scenes might make a move during the meeting to catch Su Zhenting and his daughter off guard."
Li Fan nodded in agreement, pondering silently to himself.
The methods of the person behind this were indeed brilliant, and the confidentiality had been kept airtight, leaving Su Yuwei and Su Zhenting completely in the dark until now.
Had it not been for today's chance encounter involving Luo Cong, which led to these words from Luo Shiyu, they probably really would have been caught completely unprepared.
"Perhaps this is the arrangement of fate."
Li Fan gave a light chuckle, having already formulated a plan in his mind.
"By the way, how much do you know about Chaofan Group's main investment institutions?"
Li Fan asked very casually.
As if he had been prepared all along, Luo Shiyu pulled a carefully organized slip of paper from his inner suit pocket, handed it to Li Fan, and smiled:
"Mr. Li, I have already sorted them out for you. It's mainly these five investment institutions, and their influence in the industry cannot be underestimated."
Li Fan took the slip of paper, tucked it gently into his pocket, and a playful smile curved the corner of his mouth:
"I'll remember this favor."
"Mr. Li flatters me. It's merely a small effort, and it is my honor to be able to help you."
Luo Shiyu hurriedly responded with modesty, a sense of awe toward Li Fan's identity deepening in his heart.
The two chatted pleasantly and subsequently walked out of the private room side by side.
Outside the door, the gazes of two guards drifted back and forth between them, especially the younger guard, whose eyes were filled with disbelief and panic. He muttered to himself:
"This... this big shot, why does he look so down-to-earth? Riding a little e-bike that looks like it's about to fall apart—isn't that a bit too low-profile?"
Li Fan didn't seem to notice these subtle exchanges of glances; his mind had long since drifted elsewhere. Meanwhile, Luo Shiyu suggested from the side:
"Mr. Li, do you need me to arrange a driver to take you?"
Li Fan smiled, shook his head, and pointed at the slightly battered yet full-of-life little e-bike not far away:
"No need, my ride is right there."
With that, he hopped lightly onto the e-bike and vanished around the street corner in the blink of an eye.
Luo Shiyu watched Li Fan's retreating figure, couldn't help shaking his head with a wry smile, and thought:
"This heavenly figure's style of doing things is truly inscrutable. It seems that true powerhouses often remain unaffected by external gains or losses, acting in a low-profile yet unfathomable manner."
The sun was setting as Li Fan was about to step through the gates of Chaofan Group. Su Yuwei called him, asking him to wait at the usual spot.
To her, such an arrangement seemed somewhat redundant. She was well aware of the threat posed by corporate espionage, but her concerns for personal safety were minimal; after all, in this era of the rule of law, the boundary between the two was distinct.
However, Su Zhenting's persistence forced her to compromise. Her father's worries became her reason to yield, so she had no choice but to commute with that headache-inducing Li Fan.
Li Fan appeared punctually and unceremoniously boarded Su Yuwei's car. Along the way, he tried to strike up some topics to break the silence, but Su Yuwei acted like an iceberg, turning a deaf ear to his words.
Li Fan, however, didn't mind at all. His skin was thick enough to withstand any cold reception, and he cheerfully chatted away regardless:
"President Su, you're so successful, how come you haven't hired a housekeeper at home? Someone to manage the chores for you and occasionally whip up a gourmet meal—how nice would that be?"
Su Yuwei replied indifferently:
"I spend most of my time at the company or dining out. I only use the place for occasional rests, and I have a regular cleaning service, so a live-in housekeeper isn't necessary."
Hearing this, Li Fan chuckled inwardly. This career woman was truly a master of living economically, though he couldn't help throwing a silent jab at himself, thinking that capitalists certainly knew how to calculate every penny.
In truth, Su Yuwei wasn't being stingy; she simply enjoyed the peace of solitude and disliked outsiders disturbing her private space.
This was also one of the reasons why she had strongly opposed Li Fan moving into her home in the first place.
As for another deeper reason, it was her intuition telling her that Li Fan was no ordinary person, and that inexplicable aversion was something she found hard to shake off.