Yang Fan's heart was filled with lingering fear, and he quickly woke the two women from their comatose state.
After they regained consciousness, Yang Fan noticed that Yan Rubing's gaze towards him seemed even colder than before.
However, Yang Fan didn't find it particularly odd. Yan Rubing was naturally a frigid person, and given the circumstances, it was indeed his dereliction of duty. It was only natural for her to be colder towards him.
"We need to leave here quickly, otherwise, when Zhao Yunhai arrives, we'll be in trouble."
Yang Fan hurriedly led the two women away from the Lazy Fish Grand Hotel. It was only after they were in the car that Yang Fan finally relaxed.
"To save you this time, I almost became a wanted criminal," Yang Fan said helplessly.
"Don't worry, I'll have my father handle this matter."
Yan Rubing curled into a ball, her eyes closed, her mind filled with the previous scene.
"Master Yang, you should focus on driving. We just want to get home quickly now."
Seeing Yan Rubing's poor state, Mu Xiaoyu didn't want Yang Fan to notice anything amiss and quickly changed the subject.
"No problem."
Yang Fan naturally understood that they were trying to change the topic, but he could understand their distress after what they had been through.
They drove in silence, and Yang Fan took the two women to the Yan family villa. Yan Rubing's father was not in Yanjing; she was studying there.
The Yan family villa was the property of Yan Rubing's uncle, Yan Ling. Upon returning to the villa, Yan Rubing took Mu Xiaoyu to her room and they remained there.
Yang Fan stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up. Seeing no activity from above, he sighed with self-reproach and returned to his room.
He bore the greatest responsibility for this incident. If it hadn't been for his affairs, Yan Rubing and the other woman wouldn't have experienced such a thing.
Zhao Yunhai, don't let me catch you. I will definitely make you regret what you did today.
Yang Fan punched his bed, filled with annoyance.
However, one of the three tasks was complete, and with two more, he would be able to find a way to cure his master.
Once he found the method, Yang Fan was confident that there was nothing in the world he couldn't accomplish.
Suddenly, Yang Fan sat up abruptly. He thought of the black package and his gaze turned towards the black package on the bedside table. What could be inside?
However, fearing that Zhao Yunhai might go back on his word if the package was damaged, Yang Fan suppressed his curiosity and hid the black package under the bed.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Meanwhile, in Yan Rubing's room, she was showering, tears streaming down her face as she sat curled in the corner, her silent sobs heartbreaking.
Earlier, when she first woke up in the hotel and discovered her violation, she felt as if her soul had been taken, her eyes hollow.
But when the two waitresses threatened her, saying they would expose her violation if she didn't cooperate, she could only comply with their demands to clean herself up, with Mu Xiaoyu comforting her amidst her distress.
Finally, both women were drugged and lost consciousness until Yang Fan arrived to rescue them.
She had been violated by Zhao Yunhai, by that man. Every time she closed her eyes, the scene replayed.
...
The next day.
Zhao Yunhai slept soundly until ten in the morning.
He picked up his phone to check the time and saw many messages in the group chat. He opened it and found that the three men from last night had been bragging about their exploits.
A "man's competition" with over 99 unread messages.
Zhao Yunhai opened the chat and immediately closed it. He just needed to mark it as read. He had a compulsion; seeing a red notification made him unable to resist clicking it, or he would feel extremely uncomfortable.
After washing up, Zhao Yunhai went downstairs and sat on the sofa. Qin Siwan saw her beloved son get up and quickly gestured to Yang Hui to act.
Yang Hui, understanding the signal, headed to the kitchen. This morning, Aunt Qin had listed all the dishes Zhao Yunhai loved in great detail.
Qin Siwan wasn't looking for a housekeeper as a daughter-in-law. She was doing this merely to foster affection between Yang Hui and her precious son.
Zhao Yunhai was unaware of his mother's helpful intervention. He was currently looking at some news about Tiangong on his laptop.
In Haicheng, there was still a living protagonist, Zhang Yunyi. Zhao Yunhai's level of attention towards Zhang Yunyi was far less than his attention towards Yang Fan.
However, Zhang Yunyi was still a protagonist, and he couldn't be left out in the open for too long.
The knife Zhao Yunhai had placed at Zhang Yunyi's throat was already being sharpened, and he would decide when to strike once it was sufficiently honed.
The reason Zhao Yunhai hadn't refused his mother's forceful request to return to Yanjing was because he also needed an opportunity to reconnect with his family. His mother's call had provided him with this chance, so he came.
After all, letting a protagonist like Zhang Yunyi linger was akin to fattening a pig.
Currently, Zhang Yunyi's mindset was still that of an ordinary person, making him easy to deal with.
Zhang Yunyi's greatest weakness was his black card. Once the black card was stolen, no matter how capable Zhang Yunyi was, he would have to bow to Zhao Yunhai, the capitalist.
Meanwhile, Tiangong, with its ample funding, had filled most of its essential positions and was ready to officially launch, starting with the lifestyle sector.
The next step for Tiangong would be acquisitions, spending money to buy various mid-tier manufacturers.
These manufacturers weren't necessarily of poor quality or taste, but rather, people habitually bought familiar brands and were reluctant to try unfamiliar ones.
Therefore, the areas of food, clothing, housing, and transportation were the easiest to enter but the hardest to break through.
However, Zhao Yunhai had money. He would blast advertisements, relentlessly spending money until people thought of Tiangong when they considered daily necessities. This was what he called the "deep memory advertising method."
After Zhao Yunhai briefly explained Tiangong's future direction to Yu Manlou, Yang Hui served the beautifully presented lunch, filled with enticing aromas and colors, and called out expectantly.
"Yunhai, Aunt Qin taught me these skills. Come and try them."
Zhao Yunhai closed his laptop and looked at his mother, who was clearly pleased with Yang Hui.
"Why are you so free today? Aren't you playing mahjong?"
"Don't you dislike me playing mahjong? Every time you see me playing, you inexplicably get angry and run away from home for days." Qin Siwan said, rolling her eyes.
Zhao Yunhai pulled his mother up and gently massaged her shoulders, coaxing her.
"Alright, I'm not the same person I used to be. Let's eat first. After eating, invite your friends over to play mahjong, so you don't just revolve around me at home."
While he knew his mother cared about him, he felt too useless if he still needed his mother's help in matters between men and women.
"You're my only son. Is it too much to ask for me to care about you when you're home?"
Qin Siwan sat down at the dining table, complaining to her precious son.
However, her son no longer objected to her playing mahjong, which made Qin Siwan feel a pang of emotion.
Her son had truly grown up, his thoughts becoming more mature. He was no longer the willful child he used to be.
"The taste is not bad, almost the same as what I usually eat."
Under Yang Hui's expectant gaze, Zhao Yunhai finally offered a word of praise.
Although there was still a slight difference in taste compared to his usual meals, and the seasoning and cooking techniques needed improvement, the exquisite presentation of the dishes showed how much effort Yang Hui had put in.
...
Three days later, Yang Fan received Zhao Yunhai's second request.
After reading the contents of the request, Yang Fan bid Yan Rubing farewell and set off alone for Haizhou --- Haicheng.