My girlfriend is from the future!

Cao Aiqing is gone.

They left decisively and without a trace of regret.

The moment she smashed the glass as a signal and uttered "Nice fold," Yu Naoqiu realized that his so-called "advantage" and "victory" had become utterly meaningless.

Sure enough, the joy of the victor needs the pain of the loser to make it seem more exciting. However, since the objective facts remain unchanged, everything now, including this mess, is within Yu Naoqiu's acceptable range.

"Ugh--"

Yu Naoqiu heard He Panshan sigh.

The old man picked up his chopsticks again, waved them around the still steaming food on the table, and asked, "Are you guys still going to eat?"

"Eat...eat!"

He Tianran, sitting opposite him, seemed to wake up from a dream. After muttering a couple of words, he picked up his chopsticks, held his bowl, and began to devour the food.

Yu Naoqiu found it amusing, but he also understood. After all, Cao Aiqing was gone, but He Tianran's situation was still uncertain.

"Uncle, have a piece of meat."

The girl sensibly picked up a dish and put it into He Panshan's bowl, then gracefully joined in tasting the dishes on the table.

"Xiao Yu, I recently had a physical exam, and the doctor said my blood pressure is a bit high, so he has stipulated that I can only eat 500 grams of meat per week."

He Panshan stirred the piece of Dongpo pork that Yu Naoqiu had picked up in his bowl. Just as the girl was a little at a loss, the old man smiled and said:
"However, since you picked it up, I'll have to shovel in a few more mouthfuls of rice."

"Uncle He, you really are... I'll definitely be more careful next time."

Immediately, the two men beamed with joy, and the atmosphere at the dinner table became lively again, as if the scene of Cao Aiqing smashing her glass and leaving had not affected their mood at all.

"Don't take Aunt Bai's attitude too seriously just now. After all, Xiaobai knew her when Ai Qing went to study in England. After spending several years together, their relationship is naturally different. Wait until she calms down before you go and visit her again."

While eating, He Panshan gave instructions, and Yu Naoqiu's eyes lit up, which was undoubtedly a form of approval.

"Yes, I know, Uncle He."

She obediently agreed, a rare hint of shyness appearing on her face. She subconsciously glanced at He Tianran, who was engrossed in his meal, but before she could observe further, she heard He Panshan say:

"Uncle isn't that rigid. I was one of the first to embrace the free love that you young people are advocating now. But Xiao Yu, there are some things I need to make clear to you..."

"Yes, Uncle He, please go ahead."

He Panshan put down his chopsticks and bowl, and after swallowing all the food in his mouth, he said:
"Xiao Yu, I don't have any idea about matching social status. I respect all the choices you young people make. Since Xiao Cao wants to leave and Tian Ran didn't try to stop him, that's their freedom. It would be the same if you were in their shoes. Xiao Yu, Tian Ran is in the prime of his career and he's also quite playful. I support whatever relationship you have now and whatever path you take in the future. But if the outcome isn't what you envisioned, I hope you can both be dignified and not ruin the friendship that the Yu and He families have built up over the years."

"I understand, don't worry, Uncle He, Tianran and I both know what's going on."

Yu Naoqiu was very insightful. Although his family background was certainly not comparable to that of the He family, it was just an added benefit to someone like He Panshan. It was like adding wings to a tiger, which was wonderful, but a tiger without wings was still a tiger.

The old man and the young man at the dinner table, who had already expressed their opinions, both looked at He Tianran. He Panshan tapped the table with his finger and raised his voice:

"I'm asking you a question, kid, did you hear me?"

"Cough cough..."

He Tianran coughed lightly twice, put down his chopsticks, picked up the glass of red wine that Cao Aiqing had offered him but he hadn't drunk, and took a deep breath.

"I heard you, Dad. By the way, how did you find out about the 80 million?"

He Panshan laughed and turned to Yu Naoqiu, saying:
"See? I told you he's in the prime of his career and doesn't care about you; he cares about money first."

Yu Naoqiu blended in perfectly in this situation, behaving very tactfully. Her face showed not a trace of disappointment at He Tianran's neglect; she even added a rather amusing comment:
"Uncle, I'd also like to know..."

"Oh dear, you two young people."

He Panshan shook his head helplessly, made an "eight" gesture, and asked Yu Naoqiu:
"Xiao Yu, your father was quite extravagant when he was young. He must have been even more generous to you, his precious daughter. Did he ever spend 80 million on you in one go?"

Yu Naoqiu was taken aback and shook his head.

"of course not."

He Panshan then turned the "eight" in his hand into a "one".

"What about the ten million?"

The girl thought about it carefully, shook her head again, and added:

“My dad always... lets me use his card directly. Although there's no limit, it's still... ten million. Normally, I wouldn't know where to spend that much money.”

He Panshan then pointed the "one" in his hand at He Tianran and joked:
"Hey, if you ever want to spend this much money in the future, go find that kid. He just spent ten million."

"Dad, why are you dragging me into this again? Didn't I just explain?"

Faced with his son's impatience, He Panshan raised all five fingers and shook them:
"Hmm, let me ask you, what kind of accounting was used for that ten million you offered? Your own accounting?"

"I don't have that much cash on me, of course I used the company's money..."

At this point, He Tianran suddenly realized that He Panshan was also a shareholder in his company, and a major shareholder at that. He could check the company's accounts, if he didn't want to.

The 20 million yuan that He Yuanchong had transferred earlier was made through a business-to-business account under the name of his luxury car club, and He Panshan had shares in both transactions.

However, He Panshan usually wouldn't pay attention to these things at all. He only needed to report to him every quarter and wait for the dividends at the end of the year. Who would have thought he would have such free time...

"Understood? Okay, let me ask you, how are your assets currently allocated?"

He Panshan's sudden question left He Tianran completely bewildered. After the "writer" awoke, he had investigated the original He Tianran's accounts, and based on his memory, he said:

"Five parts are in equity and bond funds, three parts are in private equity, one part is in my mother's gallery in the UK, half part is in trusts and insurance, and the remaining half is liquid cash."

The author could only give a rough idea of ​​the original owner He Tianran's assets. In fact, he only had a little over three million in cash in the bank. But with all these investments, the author didn't really know the exact amount, because the number was changing every second. However, the investments that the original owner had made were enough to cover all his daily expenses and even more. It was as if he was making money while he was sleeping.

He Panshan nodded, then asked noncommittally:

"Hmph, son, you yourself know that eight cents of your money isn't lying in the bank. So, this 80 million is something that one person dares to ask for and the other dares to give. Come on, you studied finance in college, let me test you again. If Yuan Chong really gives you this money in private, do you know what will happen?"

The "writer" was dumbfounded. After all, he didn't have the financial knowledge that the original He Tianran possessed. He was able to handle He Tianran's current job only because of his familiarity with the film and television industry. Although he still had the perspective of someone born into a wealthy family, just as Yu Naoqiu said, people like them spend their parents' money when they are young and their company's money when they grow up. They only use their own accounts within an acceptable range, and this account is at most a million. Any more than that is not worthwhile.

"He... offered it to me privately... I definitely can't accept it..."

He Panshan noticed the ambiguity in He Tianran's words. The statement was true, but the answer wasn't clear enough. He knew his son was showing weakness, but he didn't expose him. Instead, following He Tianran's seemingly reasonable evasiveness, he asked Yu Naoqiu, who was standing nearby:
"Xiao Yu, Tianran is right, but do you know why it's not possible?"

He Panshan asked urgently, and Yu Naoqiu didn't see anything wrong with He Tianran's answer. He simply shook his head and gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Uncle He, I don't know either. If it's just a personal account, I've never transferred out this much money before..."

He Panshan asked patiently, "You have a private bank, right?"

"Have!"

Private banks typically cater to high-net-worth individuals like them. Simply put, it's when someone has too much money to manage, so they hire a group of people to help manage it. For someone of He Panshan's stature, there's even a family office called "Baishan Capital" that manages his personal assets.

“Okay, let’s not talk about 80 million, let’s just say 10 million. If Yuan Chong transfers the money privately, person to person, not to mention that your bank team’s lawyers and tax officials will question the purpose of this money, the moment you press the transfer button, the bank will freeze your account, and then the relevant departments will immediately call you, suspecting you of money laundering, until they notify me…”

He Panshan turned his head to face his son:
"What will you say then? Is this hush money from your brother to keep quiet for the female artist under your management? Or do you think your brother isn't that stupid and will just give you gold or transfer some currency directly?"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and finally even slammed his hand on the table with a loud "bang!" Yu Naoqiu, who was standing next to him, shrugged his shoulders, and the bowls and chopsticks on the table jumped as well.

"Don't forget who you are, He Tianran! If anything happens to you, it will implicate this 'family'!"

The writer's mind raced...

Yes, no wonder Tao Wei practically emptied her pockets at the Chenchen Club to beg He Yuanchong for forgiveness; it turns out this woman already knew she wouldn't be able to give him that money...

All she wanted was to buy He Yuanchong some time, offer him a reasonable amount of compensation at the right time, and then have him appear before He Panshan in a proper "image" to confess and receive leniency!

"I've been tricked—?!"

He Tianran murmured to himself, a mix of emotions welling up inside him...

So, who is really in charge of this show today?
He immediately looked at Yu Naoqiu; this was the first time he had looked at this woman directly today.

However, what he saw in the other person's eyes was also a kind of confusion...

Could it be that...

Tao Wei?

In an instant, He Tianran thought of many things, just like he had been thinking in the car on the way here. He put himself in He Yuanchong's shoes, and even subjectively combined He Yuanchong with Yu Naoqiu to speculate, but he overlooked the fact that this younger brother was his biological mother, his stepmother...

The woman who knew He Yuanchong's background and had shared a bed with He Panshan for over ten years.

Perhaps she knew from the beginning that her son had no chance against He Tianran in terms of background or ability. Or perhaps she never even had any intention of competing for anything. In this mother's eyes, Yu Naoqiu being with He Yuanchong was a variable, a threat. That's why she left with He Yuanchong so innocently, without any dissatisfaction with Yu Naoqiu siding with He Tianran.

Did she solve a problem for her son, only to throw a bomb at herself in the process?

"Whoo~"

Having said all this, He Panshan seemed to have finally vented his emotions. He exhaled a breath of stale air and said to Yu Naoqiu, who was still lost in thought beside him:
"Xiao Yu, I have something I want to say to my son alone. Could you please excuse me for a moment?"

The girl snapped out of her daze, stood up, and said goodbye:

"Uncle He, you should have a good chat with Brother Tianran. I'll be going now..."

He Panshan nodded, and Yu Naoqiu paused for a moment when she walked to He Tianran's side:
"Brother Tianran... shall we see each other again?"

He Tianran looked up at her, his voice hoarse:

“…See you later.”

Having received a satisfactory answer, Yu Naoqiu smiled slightly, took a step, and her high heels seemed to deliberately click on the broken glass that Cao Aiqing had just smashed on the ground, making a "crackling" sound as she walked away and closed the door.

Inside the house, only the father and son remained.

The lingering fragrance, though faint, had long since burned out.

He Panshan stood up, walked to the tea table, picked up his cigarette case, lit a cigarette, then returned to his seat at the dining table, picked up his glass of red wine, and ignored the still silent He Tianran. But with the cigarette dangling from his lips, he uttered a line that sounded like something out of a stage play:
"After the knight waited for the princess for ninety-nine days, demonstrating his noble character, does that mean it's all over...?"

The father finally walked to his son's side, patted him on the shoulder, and the son's gaze finally followed his father, settling on the glass door connecting the courtyard and the side hall.

He Panshan flung open the door, and the winter night wind from the mountains poured in, sending a shiver down one's spine and clearing one's mind.

The old man gazed at the night sky, took the cigarette from his mouth, exhaled a puff of smoke, and spoke slowly:

"What I told you to remember, son, is that waiting is not an outcome; on the contrary, waiting signifies a beginning..."

He walked alone into the courtyard, leaving behind a low, somber sentence:
"Bring the wine, let's talk outside." (End of Chapter)