This First Royal Bank MasterCard Black Card from the Oil Nation was adorned with gold trim around the edges. In the very center of the card was a natural diamond.
Just the gold detailing and the diamond alone were worth a considerable amount.
But compared to the weight and prestige this card represented, such gold and diamonds were utterly insignificant.
Chen Fan was thoroughly pleased with the system's reward today.
While Chen Fan was still admiring the black card, across town at Tengfei Group, something else was unfolding.
Feng Yanli, the second-largest shareholder of Tengfei Group, had come to visit the company's largest shareholder—and de facto controller—Jiang Hao.
"What brings you here so suddenly, Mr. Feng?"Jiang Hao greeted him with polite distance.
As the top two shareholders of the company, the two had long been at odds—especially since Feng had been secretly acquiring shares from minor shareholders, obviously eyeing Jiang Hao's top position.
"President Jiang, I'm here to propose a partnership. I want to work with you to remove our third-largest shareholder, Chen Fan, from all positions in the company—and kick him out entirely!"
Feng's tone was thick with resentment toward Chen Fan.
Earlier, President Kong of Baisheng Group had personally instructed him to ensure that Tengfei Group did not cooperate with the Xia Corporation under any circumstances.
But Chen Fan had interfered—convincing the Xia Corporation to sign a long-term partnership with Tengfei.
This enraged President Kong, who gave Feng an earful. Then, he ordered Feng to teach Chen Fan a lesson.
Thus, Feng Yanli had no choice but to lower his pride and seek out his rival, Jiang Hao, to form a temporary alliance.
If the top two shareholders joined forces and pulled in a few minor shareholders, ousting Chen Fan would be easy.
"Remove Chen Fan from the company?"
Jiang Hao was visibly surprised by the proposition.
"If you agree to work with me, Jiang, I'll follow your lead in all company affairs moving forward. I'll owe you a huge favor."
Feng lowered himself, attempting to win Jiang Hao over.
Eventually, after listening to Feng's persuasive promises, Jiang Hao agreed—on the surface.
"We'll hold a board meeting tomorrow to deal with this matter," Jiang Hao replied calmly.
"Thank you, President Jiang!"
Feng left beaming.
If they succeeded in kicking Chen Fan out, he could win back President Kong's favor—and maybe even his full backing.
With Kong's support, replacing Jiang Hao would be a walk in the park.
In truth, he was only using Jiang Hao as a pawn.
"Tomorrow, Chen Fan's going down!Offending me—and Baisheng Group? He's asking for it!"
Feng left with satisfaction.
Back in the office, Jiang Hao's expression turned cold.
The truth was, he'd long dreamed of removing Feng Yanli from the company.
Unfortunately, their shareholdings were too close, so he never had the upper hand.
His earlier agreement with Feng was purely superficial.
Now, Jiang Hao was thinking:
"If Feng wants to target Chen Fan… can I do the opposite?""What if I join forces with Chen Fan—and take Feng out instead?"
It wasn't impossible.
But first, Chen Fan would need to prove he had the strength and decisiveness to be a worthy partner.
So, Jiang Hao decided he needed to meet Chen Fan personally.
He picked up the phone and called his trusted aide—Tengfei Group's current CEO, Zheng Xingde—and instructed him to arrange a dinner with Chen Fan that night to discuss an important matter.
Ten minutes later, Chen Fan received the call.
"Dinner tonight?"Chen Fan was a little surprised.
The more industries and assets he owned, the busier he became.
That afternoon, Wei Jingxiong, one of Jiangzhou's most powerful figures, had invited him for tea. Now in the evening, Tengfei's top shareholder wanted dinner.
"Alright, I'll come. See you tonight."
Chen Fan accepted the invitation.
As the third-largest shareholder, he had every reason to attend—especially for something important.
As for Wei Jingxiong's tea invitation…
Chen Fan was considering it, weighing the risks and benefits.
Just then, the system notification sounded:
[Ding!][New Temporary Mission: Accept Wei Jingxiong's invitation and visit his estate for tea][Reward: 8% of Tengfei Group shares][Reward: 51 EXP points]
"Oh?"Chen Fan's eyes lit up.
The system never failed to tempt him.
Now he had no reason to refuse the invitation.
Besides, with his newly acquired Top-tier Combat Mastery, he had nothing to fear.
If he completed this task, he would hold 20% of Tengfei Group's shares.Feng Yanli currently held just over 20.3%.He'd be only 0.4% away from overtaking him!
Not to mention—acquiring this 8% would push his net worth beyond 7 billion yuan.
Elsewhere, at a café in Jiangzhou, Chen Yicui was fuming.
Her previous scheme against Chen Fan had failed miserably, and her mood was at rock bottom.
"To think I lost… to a nobody like Chen Fan. How shameful."
Seeing her frustration, her best friend tried to console her.
"Yicui, don't be so down. I'm visiting a powerful figure in Jiangzhou this afternoon. Come with me—I'll introduce you."
Just then, Zhu Hongyi—her suitor and a core descendant of the powerful Zhu family—spoke up.
"If this big shot takes a liking to you, maybe he'll help you deal with that punk Chen Fan."
"Oh?"Yicui's eyes brightened instantly.
"Who is this person you're meeting?" she asked eagerly.
"Wei Jingxiong. The great Wei."Zhu Hongyi said reverently.
Wei Jingxiong, a self-made kingpin from the streets, was a legend admired by countless youths.
"What?! Wei Jingxiong?!"
Chen Yicui was overjoyed.
She had long heard of Wei's fearsome reputation.
If she could win his favor, forget dealing with Chen Fan—even her status within the Chen family would rise dramatically.
"But Hongyi, you're the one being invited. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to tag along?"
Though she was eager, Yicui feigned reluctance with a gentle and considerate tone.
"It's fine," Hongyi replied quickly, already smitten.
While it wasn't ideal to bring someone unannounced, Yicui's delicate expression made him forget all concerns.
"Thank you so much, Hongyi," she said, gripping his hand.
"This will be my first time meeting someone as legendary as Wei Jingxiong. You have to support me, okay?"
With her soft hand in his, Hongyi's heart raced wildly.
"Of course! That's nothing! I'll help you—definitely!"
Time flew.
That afternoon, Chen Fan drove his custom Rolls-Royce Phantom straight to Wei Jingxiong's estate.
On the other side of town, Chen Yicui and Zhu Hongyi also set out.