“Let him in,” Chen Fan instructed.
The office door was then pushed open, and Bai Chengnan walked in with a grim expression.
“President Bai, quickly, please sit,” Liang Chao gestured for Bai Chengnan to sit on the sofa and personally poured him a cup of tea.
Seeing Bai Chengnan seated, Liang Chao turned to the man at the door, “What are you still standing there for? Don’t you know President Bai is the god of wealth for our port? Hurry up and load President Bai’s cargo onto the ship.”
The man outside was taken aback, “Brother Chao, President Bai came alone. I didn’t see any cargo.”
“No cargo?” Liang Chao looked at the displeased Bai Chengnan with confusion.
Chen Fan frowned slightly, “President Bai, didn’t you say you needed to leave port urgently this morning? I specifically arranged a cargo ship, and it’s waiting at the port.”
Bai Chengnan glanced at the door but said nothing.
Chen Fan instantly understood Bai Chengnan’s meaning. He waved his hand, signaling the man to close the door and leave.
Seeing the man depart, Bai Chengnan finally spoke, “There was a problem with the cargo, and it cannot leave port for now.”
Chen Fan and the other two exchanged glances, asking Bai Chengnan in surprise, “There was a problem?”
Bai Chengnan didn’t seem inclined to explain. Instead, he looked at Chen Fan and said, “Mr. Chen, since the cargo cannot leave port, as per our boss’s instructions, I am here to retrieve that check.”
Liang Chao’s expression turned displeased upon hearing this, “President Bai, our port’s cargo ship has been waiting for two hours because of you, and a group of brothers are waiting to unload. Now that you have a problem, are we supposed to bear these losses ourselves?”
Da Xiong also said coldly, “President Bai, this isn’t the only cooperation we’ve had. Next time you deliver goods, we won’t charge you. What kind of logic is it to ask for money back after it’s been given?”
A slight curve formed on Chen Fan’s lips as he calmly looked at the even more displeased Bai Chengnan.
“Mr. Chen, please don’t make things difficult for me. I’m just doing my job. I didn’t expect these things to happen,” Bai Chengnan said with a troubled expression.
Chen Fan finally spoke, “I can give you the check.”
Bai Chengnan’s face lit up immediately.
Being able to get the check back would at least mitigate some of the losses for Huangfu Lin.
“However,” Chen Fan looked at Bai Chengnan again.
“However, what?” Bai Chengnan asked, confused.
“Go back and tell Huangfu Lin that from today onwards, our port will no longer cooperate with the Huangfu family. You should find other routes for your cargo.”
“This!” Bai Chengnan’s eyes widened.
If they could use other ports, why would they waste money on Chen Fan?
Chen Fan took out the check and placed it on the table. “This is the check you gave me today. Take it back. Liang Chao, see our guest out.”
Liang Chao, with a cold face, walked to Bai Chengnan’s side, “President Bai, please.”
“Bang!”
Bai Chengnan slammed the table abruptly and stood up, glaring at Chen Fan in anger.
Seeing this, Liang Chao smiled and said, “President Bai, this is not the capital. Do you know the consequences of slamming the table in front of Brother Fan?”
Bai Chengnan ignored Liang Chao and stared at Chen Fan furiously, “Mr. Chen, aren’t you going a bit too far?”
“You want us to bear the losses ourselves. Are you not going too far by doing this?” Chen Fan retorted.
“Losses? Isn’t it just a ship waiting an extra two hours, and the wages for a few workers? Do you charge ten billion for labor here?!” Bai Chengnan questioned.
“Yes, it’s ten billion,” Chen Fan nodded in response.
“You!” Bai Chengnan was so angry he almost couldn’t breathe.
“Fine, Chen Fan, you’re ruthless! Consider this money for your losses,” Bai Chengnan knew he couldn’t get the money back today, so he had to concede.
Most importantly, it wasn’t the time to fall out with Chen Fan. If they wanted to retrieve the cultural relics, they still needed Chen Fan’s port for transportation.
The enraged Bai Chengnan turned and left the office directly.
“Brother Fan, what’s he being so arrogant about? A lackey dares to be impudent in front of you. With just one word from you, I guarantee he won’t see tomorrow’s sun,” Liang Chao said to Chen Fan after Bai Chengnan left.
“No need. He’s still useful,” Chen Fan had no intention of making a move on Bai Chengnan.
“Brother Fan, what about those cultural relics?” Da Xiong asked.
“Put them in the warehouse for now. After some time, we’ll set up a private museum and display all the relics there.”
“Won’t everyone know we did it then?”
“How long do you think this can be kept secret?” Chen Fan countered.
Da Xiong suddenly realized, “That’s true. With the Huangfu family’s capabilities, they wouldn’t be unable to find any clues. It’s only a matter of time.”
Liang Chao seemed a bit worried, “Brother Fan, the Huangfu family definitely won’t let this go. Even if they can’t find the relics, they’ll start searching and digging again, and cultural relics will still flow overseas.”
Chen Fan looked at Liang Chao with surprise, “I didn’t expect you to have such patriotic sentiments.”
Liang Chao blushed and patted his chest, “We’re from Jinghua, after all. Patriotism is a must.”
“Not bad, commendable!” Chen Fan teased with a smile.
He then said, “Send people to keep an eye on those tomb robbers. Jiangcheng has many ancient tombs. As long as we control them, we don’t have to worry about the Huangfu family making a comeback.”
“Understood! I’ll go arrange it now.”
With that, Liang Chao opened the office door and walked out.
Seeing Liang Chao leave, Chen Fan looked at Da Xiong, “How is Sister Cui doing?”
“She’s doing well. She’s scheduled to be discharged from the hospital today.”
Chen Fan smiled helplessly, “I was asking about your progress with Sister Cui.”
Da Xiong awkwardly scratched his head, “It’s going well too. After she’s discharged, I plan to have her and her daughter move in with me. This way, they’ll have ample protection, and we can see each other more often.”
“Good. Sister Cui is a good woman. Treat her well.”
“Yes,” Da Xiong nodded.
However, he still seemed to have something to say.
Chen Fan asked, “What is it? Speak your mind, don’t be polite with me.”
Da Xiong then said, “This morning, Cui Jie texted me saying some of her relatives are coming to Jiangcheng, and she wants me to accompany her to meet them.”
“That’s a good thing. It’s a chance to meet Sister Cui’s family.”
Da Xiong, however, looked worried, “I’m afraid her family won’t approve or object if they see me like this.”
“Be confident. What are you afraid of? You’re both adults. Your lives don’t need anyone else’s commentary,” Chen Fan patted Da Xiong’s shoulder to comfort him.
“But I still lack confidence. Brother Fan, how about you go for me today?” Da Xiong remained unconfident.
Chen Fan, who had just taken a sip of water, almost spat it out.
Seeing Chen Fan’s reaction, Da Xiong awkwardly scratched his head. The current Da Xiong had long lost the imposing demeanor of the underground kingpin of South China.
Da Xiong quickly added, “Brother Fan, how about you accompany me? You have more experience dealing with in-laws.”
Chen Fan frowned slightly, unsure if Da Xiong was insulting him or praising him.