None of them gained an audience to Ye Fan in the end.
These people were going to spend the New Year in utter fear without a doubt.
After all, Ye Fan's attitude was evident.
He clearly hadn't forgiven them.
Ye Fan didn't see any of them. Only Li Er walked out to talk to them.
"Mr Chu is bitterly disappointed by the incident. If Mr Chu didn't do his utmost to turn the tables at Mount Tai Hall back in the day, how many of you could have walked out alive? Yet you were ungrateful and were too cheap even to give him a few tons of jade. Also, you allied yourselves with the Meng family to oppose him. I tell you, if I didn't stop him, all of you would be dead ducks just like the Meng family!"
It was deathly silent.
Li Er's words left all the heads of those rich and powerful families sad and hopeless.
"But don't lose hope. Although Mr Chu didn't forgive you, he didn't blame you either, so there is still a chance for you to turn the tables. There's still a chance of getting into Mr Chu's good books by gathering jade for him, so you have to seize the chance!"
Li Er and Ye Fan played good cop and bad cop. Through their efforts, many more families pledged to do their best to gather jade for Ye Fan.
"Haha! Mr Chu's strategy of treating the problem at its root and giving indirect warnings is brilliant! All the people in Jiangdong will stand united now after all these moves you made! From now on, there will be only one voice in the vast Jiangdong. Mr Chu's will be the only voice."
All those families left, and only Ye Fan and Li Er were left in the villa. They raised their glasses and drank.
Li Er thought it was going to be a tough and long-drawn battle with the Meng family.
They unexpectedly toppled the Meng family in just two days.
But that wasn't the only thing about Mr Chu that impressed Li Er.
By launching an attack on the Meng family, powers that were normally remained hidden started to surface.
Those who had stayed inscrutable became unambiguous.
Everyone's authenticity and hypocrisy became as clear as day!
"Don't be too eager to celebrate just yet. It isn't over yet. Those people who opposed me were punished, but we can't disappoint those who followed me either. Give the Meng family's businesses to the Xia and the Ma families for their contributions and let them manage them."
The Meng family had hundreds of billions in assets. More importantly, their businesses could generate a decent profit each year for the Xia and the Ma families.
"Yes, Mr Chu. Are you really not going to give a cut to the Wang family from Haozhou to assure Wang Jie-Xi?"
The Wang family didn't manage to get a cut when they split up Zhao Wu-Ji's businesses previously.
If they didn't give the Wang family a cut now that they put down the Meng family, Li Er was worried Wang Jie-Xi would get unhappy.
After all, the Wang family from Haozhou was more influential than Li Er.
"Assure him?" laughed Ye Fan instead. "When I launched an attack on the Meng family and rallied the various Jiangdong powers to isolate them, he was the only one who stayed neutral. He was pretty good at staying unbiased, and I don't blame him for playing safe, but he has no right to share in the fruits of our victory since he chose to stay neutral. However, you can send him some gifts. Li Er, get someone to send him a book on my behalf."
"What book?" asked Li Er curiously.
Ye Fan smiled gently and continued, "Send him..."
Li Er left after Ye Fan gave the order.
Mount Yunding Villa bustled with activity for days but had now finally regained peace.
An inexplicable emptiness flooded Ye Fan's heart like a surging tide.
He rose and stood loftily on Mount Yunding villa and looked down into the distance.
All the lights in the city had lit up, and the sky was filled with stars.
Despite the wonderful scenery at his feet, Ye Fan had no one to share it with.
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