Chapter 938: Chapter 938

Seeing Ding Fan and Smith shake hands, everyone around them looked at Ding Fan with envy.

Who is Smith? He's a ruthless figure from the Middle East. Forget Turkhan Country's Zhonghua Chamber of Commerce, even the chiefs of small Middle Eastern nations would go out of their way to court Smith's favor.

Ask yourself: would someone of Smith's caliber willingly shake hands with just anyone?

At this moment, Mao Duo stared at Ding Fan in disbelief. He couldn't comprehend how a man like Ding Fan, who looked like a penniless nobody, could possibly know such a powerful figure.

Meanwhile, Quting was completely dumbfounded.

Quting initially wanted to crush Ding Fan. In her eyes, Ding Fan was nothing but an ant—someone she could stomp out at will. But seeing him and Smith shake hands, she realized her mistake. The man she sought to trample was actually an elephant she had no business provoking.

Uncle Qu Guangan's expression was equally grave...

While everyone envied Ding Fan for receiving such treatment from Smith, Ding Fan appeared utterly indifferent.

"Mr. Ding, have you been treated unfairly here?" Smith asked, his powerful gaze immediately landing on Quting.

Quting trembled uncontrollably.

Rumor had it that Smith had his own private army. Offending him wasn't a matter of just oneself—it could spell doom for even the entire Zhonghua Chamber of Commerce.

"Mr. Smith, I believe there's been some kind of misunderstanding," Qu Guangan quickly stepped forward to say.

Smith's face darkened. "If anyone has upset Mr. Ding, I wouldn't hesitate to kill their entire family."

The crowd collectively gasped upon hearing Smith's words.

Smith was indeed a man of decisive action. If he truly intended to act, no one could stop him.

"Quting, did you upset Mr. Ding earlier? Hurry up and apologize to him!" Qu Guangan realized the severity of the situation.

If Ding Fan said that Quting offended him, Smith would undoubtedly kill her. At that point, even as the greatest merchant in Turkhan Country, Qu Guangan wouldn't be able to save his daughter from Smith.

Qu Guangan had realized the gravity of the matter, and so did Quting. She hurried over and bowed respectfully to Ding Fan.

"Mr. Ding, it was all my fault earlier. Please forgive me for my mistakes."

Gone was Quting's previous arrogance; now, she seemed as timid as a scared maid.

Ding Fan remained silent.

Earlier, Quting had openly insulted Shu Xin and Shu Ying, entirely abusing her status. She belittled them as "country bumpkins" with an air of supposed superiority.

Seeing Ding Fan's silence, Quting grew genuinely nervous. Her family might be powerful, but if Smith wanted her dead, there was no way her father could protect her.

"Mr… Mr. Ding, I was wrong before. Please forgive me," Quting pleaded with tears streaming down her face.

Ding Fan frowned slightly.

If Quting had continued to bully him, Ding Fan might have taught her a hard lesson. But seeing her now, he felt it inappropriate to push further.

"The people you really need to apologize to are Shu Xin and Shu Ying," Ding Fan said in a calm tone.

Hearing Ding Fan's response, Quting quickly walked over and bowed deeply. "Shu Xin, Shu Ying, it was all my fault earlier. I beg you… forgive me…"

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke.

Quting wasn't truly remorseful—she was terrified.

She continued, "I've never truly cared for Mao Duo. From now on, I'll stay far away from him and never meet him again…"

"Quting…" Mao Duo stepped forward nervously. "Quting, that's not what you said earlier. You said the two of us were going to get married…"

Quting turned and glared coldly at Mao Duo. "You think you're good enough for me? Stop dreaming about swans when you're just a toad."

Mao Duo was stunned silent.

Mao Duo genuinely wanted to marry Quting. If he could marry into Turkhan Country's largest merchant family, his Mao Family would truly rise to prominence.

This was why Mao Duo actively courted Quting.

"Quting, I truly care about you…" Mao Duo tried to say more.

But Quting no longer wanted to hear his nonsense. She grabbed a nearby wine glass and splashed its contents onto Mao Duo's face.

Mao Duo stood there, humiliated and awkward. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕·𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎·𝚗𝚎𝚝

Looking at him, the surrounding crowd began to whisper and point. After all, the Mao Family had some prestige in Turkhan Country. Being publicly shamed was an utter disgrace.

Shu Xin looked at the humiliated Mao Duo, and for a moment, it was as if she saw herself. At that moment, a knot in her heart slowly began to unravel.

Life is short. She wouldn't waste her time holding onto resentment for a scumbag.

"It's fine. You're no longer needed here," Shu Xin said to Quting, who was apologizing.

Ding Fan glanced at Shu Xin carefully. Her tone was calm and devoid of emotional fluctuation, signaling she had finally moved past the shadows of her past.

"Thank you… thank you…" Quting sobbed, then turned to Ding Fan. "Mr. Ding, I…"

Before Quting could finish speaking, Ding Fan waved his hand dismissively. "Shu Xin already said you're no longer needed here."

"Thank you… thank you, Mr. Ding."

Quting's tears fell again. She could feel that she had narrowly escaped death.

Ding Fan approached Mao Duo.

Mao Duo was still stunned by Quting's earlier actions, which amplified his humiliation and made him lose face completely. He only came back to his senses when Ding Fan stood before him.

Mao Duo wasn't stupid. He knew that Ding Fan had become someone he couldn't possibly afford to provoke.

"You've hurt Shu Xin, so you must face the consequences. From now on, leave all your family's assets to Shu Xin as compensation. Every member of the Mao Family is to leave Turkhan Country and never return," Ding Fan said flatly.

"What…" Mao Duo's mouth gaped. "Our family's entire assets…"

At this moment, Qu Guangan interjected. "Mr. Ding, let our Qu Family handle this matter. I promise to ensure all of Mao Family's assets are transferred to Shu Xin."

"Uncle Qu, you…" Mao Duo looked at Qu Guangan.

"Some mistakes cannot be made. Otherwise, you'll die a terrible death," Qu Guangan replied without sparing Mao Duo another glance.

"If you don't do as Mr. Ding asked, I wouldn't hesitate to have your entire family wiped out," Smith said coldly.

"It's not necessary…" Shu Xin suddenly stepped forward.

Everyone turned their attention to Shu Xin, including the confused Mao Duo.

Shu Xin replied calmly, "I don't care about his family's assets. As long as he doesn't disturb my life anymore, that's all I need."

Ding Fan glanced at Shu Xin twice. She had truly moved past the shadows of her past.

"Thank her now!" Qu Guangan scolded Mao Duo forcefully.

Mao Duo hesitated for a moment before bowing deeply to Shu Xin. "Thank you… thank you…"

Mao Duo understood that if Shu Xin hadn't spoken up, his family's assets would have been gone for good.

Shu Xin didn't even glance at Mao Duo once.

"Leave. Mao Family members are no longer welcome here," Hua Yongshui declared firmly.

With the president of the Zhonghua Chamber of Commerce speaking, there was no reason for Mao Duo to stay. He promptly turned and left without another word.

"Mr. Ding, Mr. Smith, this place is too noisy. Let's find somewhere quieter to sit," Hua Yongshui approached, suggesting.

Smith glanced at Ding Fan. "Mr. Ding, what do you think?"

Ding Fan thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright."

Hua Yongshui, seeing Ding Fan agree, immediately arranged a private room upstairs.

Ding Fan didn't plan to bring Shu Ying and Shu Xin along. He instructed them to stay put and let him know if anything came up.

Shu Ying and Shu Xin naturally understood that Ding Fan was now surrounded by prominent figures, so they nodded cooperatively.

"Brother Ding, go ahead. We'll take care of ourselves," Shu Xin reassured him.

Ding Fan nodded and accompanied Smith, Hua Yongshui, and Qu Guangan upstairs to the private room.

Watching Ding Fan leave, Shu Ying finally understood why her parents had encouraged her to be with Ding Fan. They truly loved her and had seen through Ding Fan's extraordinary nature long ago.

Powerful yet humble, talented yet restrained… Ding Fan was leagues above Mao Duo.

Shu Xin chuckled bitterly. How foolish she had been to think Ding Fan wasn't good enough for her. Now she realized the truth: it was she who wasn't worthy of him.

Ding Fan followed the group into the private room upstairs.

Once seated, the group exchanged pleasantries.

"Mr. Ding, what kind of business are you involved in?" Qu Guangan probed curiously.

"Yongfan Island," Ding Fan replied directly.

He had no intention of hiding it. Besides, even if he didn't mention it, Smith already knew. Although Smith hadn't asked during their previous dealings, given his intelligence network, uncovering Ding Fan's background would be an easy task.

The mention of these three words shocked everyone present.

Recently, Yongfan Island had been all over the international news—first due to its internal warfare, then because Vietnam's navy attempted an attack.

The crowd hadn't expected this young man to be associated with Yongfan Island.

"Yongfan Island is thriving now. Which part are you responsible for, Mr. Ding?" Qu Guangan asked with a smile.

"I'm the Island Master," Ding Fan replied.

The Island Master of Yongfan Island...

Everyone present was stunned once again. This young man was none other than the legendary leader of Yongfan Island.

"Remarkably accomplished at such a young age…" Qu Guangan exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up.

"Mr. Ding, the items you ordered have already been delivered to your location. By now, I'm sure your troops have started their helicopter training," Smith said...