Chapter 233 - 233 229 Dodging a Disaster

Words : 1354 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

233: Chapter 229: Dodging a Disaster 233: Chapter 229: Dodging a Disaster Ye Fan was sweating bullets from a question Zhao Lina asked. Luckily, since Zhao Lina was driving and only glanced at him briefly without observing his expression closely, she had not become immediately suspicious. Suppressing his wildly pounding heart, Ye Fan took a deep breath stealthily and said with a neutral tone, “It might be because I recently attended a charity auction hosted by Yun Qi, and at the party afterward, I had a bit of a conflict with Xiao Yichen, causing him some embarrassment. I didn’t expect him to be so petty, to actually seek revenge through hoodlums afterward.” “It’s no big deal; don’t worry about it,” Ye Fan quickly added. Zhao Lina smiled and said, “Your bar brawl with those hoodlums could definitely be treated as a severe group fight. Plus, how could I not get involved when it comes to your problems?” “Please, it’s not like I wanted to fight them, you know? I was an innocent victim,” Ye Fan shifted the focus. “Lol, it’s essentially the same. You didn’t lose out; they were the ones who suffered,” Zhao Lina said. “However, the Xiao family does hold some sway in Hua Hai, and without extra leverage, just him directing hoodlums to harass you won’t be enough to get him jailed. But don’t worry, I’ll warn him myself, and he’ll have to do nothing but avoid further harming you and respectfully apologize to you.” Ye Fan felt like crying inside: Lady, can you please not care so much about me? Didn’t you say I need to mature for another ten or eight years before you might consider me? If you personally warn Xiao Yichen, he’s no fool—he will definitely guess there’s something ambiguous between you and me, and he’ll surely tell you about my relationship with Li Zhaojun. Ye Fan struggled to calm himself down, his mind whirling as he thought of how to defuse this crisis without letting Zhao Lina intervene between him and Xiao Yichen. Soon, an idea struck him. “Heh, thank you,” Ye Fan said with a serene smile, calming down. “Not at all. Helping out my fervent admirer is the least I can do,” Zhao Lina laughed. Sweat, tons of sweat, when did I become your fervent admirer? While Ye Fan was feeling depressed, he immediately heard Zhao Lina emphasize with a proud tone, “But don’t think that just because I help you once, I’m accepting your pursuit. For me to fancy someone, you’d need to mature for another ten or eight years!” “Yes, yes, in front of you, I am truly humble,” Ye Fan responded in line with Zhao Lina’s tone. Zhao Lina hummed proudly, pleased with herself. At that moment, Ye Fan said, “However, as a man being protected by a woman, it greatly undermines my dignity. I’m not necessarily afraid of Xiao Yichen, am I?” “Uh?” Zhao Lina was surprised by Ye Fan’s rejection of her kindness, but she immediately realized Ye Fan’s complex identity and that he indeed wasn’t afraid of Xiao Yichen. “You’re kind, and I appreciate that,” Ye Fan continued. “But I can handle Xiao Yichen myself.” Zhao Lina thought for a moment; sometimes men really do care about their pride, so she nodded and said, “Alright. Let me know if you need help with anything.” “Heh, will do,” Ye Fan laughed. When they reached the Blue Dream Bar and retrieved the car, Ye Fan asked Zhao Lina, who was following him out, “Hungry? Let’s have some late-night snacks. My treat.” If he didn’t invite Zhao Lina for a late-night snack now, Ye Fan worried she might go home and curse him with voodoo dolls in her room. Zhao Lina feigned reluctance for a moment before saying, “Well, I guess I’ll give you a chance.” “Heh, I’m so touched,” Ye Fan said with an obviously forced smile. Zhao Lina clearly heard the insincerity in Ye Fan’s laugh, but she didn’t mind as long as Ye Fan was the one inviting her for the late-night snack. They got in the car and drove to a four-star hotel to have a late-night snack. … The next morning at 9:30, the stock market opened, and Emali Group’s stock price plummeted. It turned out that the previous night, Tong Yi Group had hastily called the media to announce Tong Yi Group’s biomedical strategy, revealing that they had purchased the “Ji Lung Cleanse Pill” patent from Hua Hai University Biomedical Research Institute. Although many people were unaware of the intricacies of the “Ji Lung Cleanse Pill” patent, Tong Yi Group had already bribed a financial journalist with significant influence to deliberately highlight in the report the importance of the “Ji Lung Cleanse Pill” to Emali Group. After the article on Tong Yi Group’s biomedical strategy news was published online by the financial media, Tong Yi Group instructed another financial journalist to derive from that article and write a separate commentary outlining the consequences for Emali Group of losing the “Ji Lung Cleanse Pill” patent. The unfavorable news for Emali Group spread quickly as if it had wings. Thus, the next morning as the market opened, retail investors holding Emali Group’s stock started to sell off, causing a significant drop in Emali Group’s stock price. At ten o’clock, Xiao Yichen hypocritically called Li Zhaojun to apologize, comforted her, and finally urged her to withdraw the lawsuit against Haihua University Biomedical Research Institute and offered to help facilitate a cooperative arrangement with Tong Yi Group. Li Zhaojun sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she let Xiao Yichen help communicate the cooperative intentions, yet she firmly refused to withdraw the lawsuit. At the end of the call, Xiao Yichen said, “Some things can’t be clearly discussed over the phone. How about we have lunch together at noon and talk it over in person?” “Sorry, but my corporation is in chaos and very busy. I can’t make time to go out for lunch these days. How about you come to my office to talk instead?” Li Zhaojun replied. Xiao Yichen thought to himself, “At the beginning, you weren’t desperate enough to seek impractical solutions. If I go to your corporation to talk, how long can we really discuss things? It’d seem like I’m begging you. Just wait a few more days until you’re completely panicked, then you won’t refuse to come out for a meal!” With this in mind, he responded, “Okay, but since you are too busy right now, I will try my best in these few days to persuade my father to agree to cooperate with your group under the most favorable conditions.” “Thank you,” Li Zhaojun said coldly. Xiao Yichen smiled and said, “Zhao Jun, you don’t need to be formal with me. I’m willing to do everything for you.” “Please call me by my full name,” Li Zhaojun said. Xiao Yichen almost snorted in frustration. You’re begging me, and after all the mushy stuff I’ve said, you’re still acting all high and mighty! Nevertheless, he had to swallow his anger and forced a laugh, “Haha, sorry, I got a bit carried away and forgot just now.” After hanging up the phone, Li Zhaojun refreshed a well-known financial website on her computer and finally saw the financial interview analysis report she had been waiting for. The interview analysis report was about Emali Group. The article interviewed her, Li Zhaojun, about the “Ji Lung Cleanse Pill” patent being taken by Tong Yi Group, and how it played down the patent’s impact on the future path of Emali Group. Of course, the article wasn’t conducted after the news that Tong Yi Group had the “Ji Lung Cleanse Pill” patent was released today—it had been completed last Sunday, but it was shown as if it were conducted today. Once the article was published, it was quickly disseminated, and as a result, the decline in Emali Group’s stock price slowed down.

Chapter 233 - 233 229 Dodging a Disaster

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