Rebirth and Conquest

Opening a shop and doing business is not an easy task. The initial site selection, decoration, and handling of various permits and licenses are all complicated and tiring.

Yan Minghui's idea was to open a shop in the city center, where the location was good and there was a lot of foot traffic. He had already chosen the location and was just waiting to take it over so he could open for business. However, when he went to discuss it with Chen Yan, he did not expect to be opposed by Chen Yan.

Chen Yan wanted to buy land on the outskirts of the city center, near the suburbs. Two million seemed like a lot of money, but it was nothing in the city center where land prices were high. Besides, the competition there was fierce. Rather than buying a small shop there, it would be better to buy a larger place.

Yan Minghui got anxious when he heard this and yelled at Chen Yan, "Isn't the point of opening a hotel to find a place with lots of people? You found a godforsaken place, who would be so bored as to come here!" Although his words were a bit exaggerated, they weren't entirely unreasonable. However, given Chen Yan's stubborn nature, Yan Minghui's words didn't have much effect on him.

In the end, Chen Yan's decision was naturally upheld. Yan Minghui was so angry that he could only say, "Don't blame me if you lose money," before storming off. However, despite his words, he still did his best in his work.

Regardless, the hotel opened, though it was a large place with relatively low customer traffic, and business was quite slow in the early stages.

However, this situation soon changed. With sufficient surplus funds, the hotel was renovated and equipped to a high standard, and the number of guests gradually increased. Moreover, with the rapid development of urbanization, the area that was previously on the outskirts of the city was soon incorporated into the city, and the economy prospered rapidly. As a result, Chen Yan and his group benefited greatly.

A year later, Yan Minghui, who had made a fortune, was eager to expand again and was ready to make a big splash. When he discussed this with Chen Yan, Chen Yan naturally did not object. This time, Yan Minghui was much more humble and asked Chen Yan for his opinion, asking him to choose a location to open a branch.

Chen Yan didn't answer that question immediately, but instead brought up another topic: "Minghui, let's register a company."

Upon hearing this, Yan Minghui immediately clapped his hands in agreement: "I've been thinking about this for a while now. Our business has grown so much, it's time to start a company and become the boss, hahaha------."

Registering a company is not as simple as opening a shop; there are more requirements and procedures involved, not to mention the location of the new store. Yan Minghui and Chen Yan have racked their brains over this. Registering the company is secondary; the key is the location of the new store. Chen Yan has his eye on several plots of land and wants to buy them. Chen Yan knows that those places, which are currently in ruins, will soon become prime real estate. He must seize this opportunity as soon as possible, otherwise someone else may beat him to it. However, land is not something that can be bought just like that; sometimes, even having money is useless.

Yan Minghui and Fang Wei came to Chen Yan's apartment. The three of them sat around the table, eating and discussing business matters. Since they separated, they had rarely had the opportunity to get together for a meal and drinks like this.

“Actually, I have an idea.” Yan Minghui suddenly spoke up at the dinner table. “Ayan, is there a guy named Sun Xiuqi in your class? I heard that his father works in the department that manages land. If we can get in touch with him, maybe we can help him out.”

"Sun Xiuqi?" Chen Yan was a little surprised. Chen Yan knew Sun Xiuqi. He was their class's academic representative and a top student. If Chen Yan's bookishness was an act, then Sun Xiuqi was a complete bookworm. He did nothing but read and study.

“Yes,” Yan Minghui nodded. “It’s just that he’s not one of us, and we don’t usually interact much. If we suddenly go to him, he probably won’t pay any attention to us.”

Chen Yan remained silent for a while, then suddenly looked at Yan Minghui, her bright eyes shooting out from behind her bangs, and said with a smile, "As long as you have enough sincerity, why would he ignore you?"

"Sincerity?" Yan Minghui was a little confused. "What kind of sincerity?"

Chen Yan smiled and said, "Minghui, why don't you do what you used to do again?"

"My old profession? What old profession do I have?"

"They're collecting 'protection money,' aren't they?"

"Well, hehe, Brother Yan, don't joke around. I've been a reformed man for so long, how do you still remember this?" Yan Minghui chuckled awkwardly upon hearing this, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“I’m not kidding,” Chen Yan said, her smile fading. “I’m serious, Minghui. Go find a few people to intercept him and teach him a lesson. Remember, it’s okay to go a little rough, just make sure he can’t go home.”

"Ah!" Yan Minghui was startled. Looking at Chen Yan's slightly upturned lips, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. This kid is really ruthless. However, as the saying goes, "No poison, no man." So he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

A few days later, Sun Xiuqi was kidnapped on his way home from school. Sun Xiuqi was a typical honest and well-behaved child. When he saw those thugs, he was immediately frightened. He thought that if he did not resist and handed over his valuables, he could avoid being hurt. However, he did not expect that those people would not only take his money, but also punch and kick him.

Sun Xiuqi was beaten to the ground, unable to get up due to the pain. Just as he was wondering what to do, he heard someone next to him ask, "Are you alright?"

Sun Xiuqi looked up and saw Chen Yan standing next to him. To be honest, although the two were in the same class, they had never spoken. Chen Yan had always deliberately tried to make his presence known, while Sun Xiuqi was oblivious to everything else and focused solely on his studies.

"No, it's okay."

Seeing himself in such a disheveled state with his classmates was not something to be proud of. Sun Xiuqi tried to cover it up by saying something and tried to get up from the ground, but as soon as he moved, he was in so much pain that he almost fell down again.

Chen Yan quickly helped Sun Xiuqi up. Seeing the pain on Sun Xiuqi's face, Chen Yan couldn't help but curse inwardly. He thought, "They hit him so hard! What if they hurt him badly? It would be troublesome if something happened." Although he was thinking this, he still maintained a calm expression and said, "Were you beaten up? Do you need to go to the hospital? Should I help you to get checked out?"

"No, no, it's alright, I'm fine, I don't need to go to the hospital." Sun Xiuqi quickly waved his hand to refuse.

“You don’t look like you’re alright. Since you don’t want to go to the hospital, how about this? My house is closer, let me help you to my place for a bit, okay?” Chen Yan offered her “kind” suggestion.

"This, this is not good."

"We're all classmates, so what? If you think you can go home now, then pretend I didn't say anything," Chen Yan said nonchalantly.

Sun Xiuqi couldn't go home, of course. Looking at his classmate who had helped him so "kindly," he could only gratefully say "Thank you" before being taken away by Chen Yan.

The two arrived at Chen Yan's apartment. After Chen Yan put Sun Xiuqi on the bed in her bedroom, she went to find medicine for him. Sun Xiuqi, who was lying on the bed, had a cold sweat on his forehead. However, Chen Yan quickly came over with a first-aid kit. After sitting down by the bed, he said to Sun Xiuqi, "Take off your clothes first. Let me see where you are injured and put some medicine on you."

Sun Xiuqi was a little embarrassed, but he still took off his shirt. Chen Yan saw patches of bruises on his chest that spread down to his lower abdomen, and then down to a large bluish area that went all the way into his pants. Chen Yan couldn't see it, but she could guess that the people Yan Minghui had hired must have kicked Sun Xiuqi 'there'. No wonder he didn't want to go to the hospital; it turned out he was injured there.

Chen Yan took the ointment and began to apply it to Sun Xiuqi. Sun Xiuqi remained silent, but he would occasionally gasp in pain. Chen Yan's fingers, covered in the ointment, felt cool and refreshing as they pressed against his skin. After the initial pain subsided, he felt much better.

Sun Xiuqi was very embarrassed. He lay on the bed, not daring to look at Chen Yan, and turned his face away to look elsewhere.

After applying the medicine to Sun Xiuqi's chest and lower abdomen, Chen Yan was at a loss. His lower body injury was covered by his pants, so she couldn't apply the medicine there. Therefore, Chen Yan could only say, "Take off your pants, and I'll check if there are any other injuries."

Sun Xiuqi was startled and quickly turned his face away, stammering, "No, no need, this is fine."

Chen Yan looked up at Sun Xiuqi: "We're all boys, what's there to be afraid of?" He paused, then smiled and said in a somewhat ambiguous tone, "You must have hurt 'there'. Let me put some medicine on you, otherwise you'll regret it later if it causes any problems."

Sun Xiuqi blushed instantly. Although he didn't want to take off his pants in front of outsiders, Chen Yan's words made him afraid. He hesitated for a moment before finally taking off his pants, leaving him only in his underwear.

Sun Xiuqi, lying on the bed, was stiff and dared not move. He didn't even dare to open his eyes, let alone look at Chen Yan.

"What an innocent little white lotus," Chen Yan thought to herself, then looked at Sun Xiuqi's lower body and applied ointment to it. When Chen Yan's fingers touched Sun Xiuqi's skin, Sun Xiuqi's thighs began to tremble with nervousness. After Chen Yan finally finished applying the ointment all over his body, Sun Xiuqi didn't know whether it was from pain or nervousness, as he was covered in sweat.

"Alright, you can rest for the night. You should be fine tomorrow." Chen Yan stood up and looked at Sun Xiuqi, who was stiff and almost like a corpse. "Don't leave tonight. Call home and stay here for the night. Go back tomorrow."

Sun Xiuqi, who had been turning his head, turned his face and saw Chen Yan almost right in front of him, and then he was stunned.

At this moment, Chen Yan had taken off his glasses, and he was smiling as he looked at Sun Xiuqi up close. Someone once told Chen Yan that apart from his face, he had no other likable features. The most outstanding feature of his face was his eyes. Chen Yan's eyes were very beautiful, especially when he smiled. They were bright like gems that had gathered light, and when he looked directly at someone, they seemed to have a magical power to attract people.

Sun Xiuqi was stunned for a moment before he seemed to remember something and said, "Thank you."

...