Two minutes later, Xia Ruoshui arrived in a hurry.
"Huh? President Chen, you're here too?"
She was slightly surprised to see Chen Fan and greeted him politely.
"Mengmeng, what's wrong?"
Xia Ruoshui asked with concern.
With their parents away from Jiangzhou, she was responsible for taking care of her younger sister. Moments ago, she'd received a message from Mengmeng saying she wasn't feeling well and asking her to come to Yongjia Shopping Center immediately.
So, she had rushed over, putting aside her work.
"I'm fine, sis."
"Ah! I just remembered—I haven't finished my homework yet. Such a shame."
"How about this: you and Senior Chen hang out together. I'm heading off now!"
Before anyone could respond, Xia Mengmeng slipped away quickly.
She had deliberately arranged to invite both her sister and Chen Fan today, with the intention of giving them some alone time.
In her heart, Xia Mengmeng genuinely thought her sister and Senior Chen were a perfect match—it would be a waste if they didn't end up together.
So today, she took on the role of the "matchmaker."
Her plan was simple: have them eat together, watch a movie, do a little shopping. That kind of atmosphere was sure to spark something between them.
Sigh, she thought, I'm working so hard for my sister's happiness. I really am the best sibling ever...
Watching her sister disappear so suddenly, both Chen Fan and Xia Ruoshui were caught off guard.
For a moment, the two stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do next.
"President Chen, are you in need of any clothes? Since we're already here, I was planning to buy a few things myself."
Xia Ruoshui asked after a brief pause.
Just then, the system's voice chimed in:
[Ding!][New Mission: Go shopping with Xia Ruoshui][Reward: One 100x Cashback Card (Max Limit: ¥500 Million)][Reward: 51 XP]
Another mission!And the reward this time was a 100x cashback card.
Not bad at all.
It meant if he spent just 5 million yuan, he'd get back 500 million—a free profit of 495 million!
That level of cashback was downright terrifying.
This reward… was fantastic!
Especially considering he'd just spent over 300 million to acquire 3% of Tengfei Group.
Now, with this mission, he could instantly recover nearly 500 million in liquid funds.
And with that nearly half a billion, he was even closer to the 10 billion net worth goal.
"Sure. Let's go have a look together,"
Chen Fan nodded.
His main reason for coming today was to quietly inspect how Yongjia Shopping Center was operating behind the scenes.
It didn't matter under what pretense he was here. Of course, if he found any clothes he liked, he might pick some up as well.
Not to mention—there was now a system mission involved.
The two of them entered Yongjia Shopping Center and browsed through several stores. Eventually, they stopped at a large luxury boutique.
Xia Ruoshui really liked several items in the store.
"President Chen, how about this jacket? I think it suits you perfectly…"
While picking out clothes for herself, she'd also kept an eye on the men's section. Upon spotting a sleek black jacket, she couldn't help but suggest it.
She picked it up and handed it to Chen Fan to try on.
Chen Fan had just taken the jacket when, suddenly, a spoiled young man strutted in with his girlfriend.
"Clear out all the other customers. My girlfriend is going to shop now."
The young man, dressed in extravagant designer brands, gave the order arrogantly the moment he walked in.
The staff looked distressed but turned toward their store manager. The manager sighed and nodded helplessly.
Soon, the employees began approaching customers, asking them politely to leave.
One of them came over to Chen Fan and Xia Ruoshui.
"Excuse me, could I trouble you to step out for a while..."
Chen Fan frowned in displeasure.
"Is this guy some kind of VIP? Since when does he have the right to kick everyone else out?"
He was just about to try the jacket. This was ruining the mood.
"He's not a VIP… that's Xu Zhouqun, the son of Xu Li, our mall's deputy general manager."
"In this mall, he's like a little tyrant. No store dares to cross him."
The staff member replied helplessly.
"A while ago, a famous restaurant offended Xu Zhouqun. Within a few days, it was forced to shut down. Word is—it was all his doing..."
She added in a whisper.
Hearing this, Chen Fan's brows furrowed.
So this little shopping trip was turning out to be very revealing.
A mere deputy general manager's son dares to act so lawlessly in his mall?
Even as the actual boss, Chen Fan didn't throw his weight around like this.
No wonder the mall's business had been declining in recent years. The internal management was clearly a mess.
Before, he hadn't cared—he had no ties to Yongjia Shopping Center.
But now?
As the owner, Chen Fan could not turn a blind eye!
If things continued this way, his mall would be bankrupt before long.
"Who gave you the right to clear out an entire store just to serve you and your girlfriend?"
Chen Fan asked coldly, no longer willing to tolerate it.
"Huh?"
"Someone dares talk back?"
Xu Zhouqun sneered.
"Who gave me the right? My dad did. Not good enough for you?"
"My dad's the Deputy General Manager of Yongjia Mall. I do what I want!"
He was downright smug.
"Ha! Trying to go against my boyfriend? You've gotta be insane."
His girlfriend chimed in, equally cocky.
"Oh? Your boyfriend's territory, is it?"
"Since your dad is the mall's deputy GM, then let me inform you—as of right now, he's fired."
Chen Fan spoke coldly, his voice full of authority.
From the employee's tone, it was clear this wasn't Xu Zhouqun's first offense.
And his father, Xu Li, must have known—but chose to ignore it.
Since that's the case, there was no reason to keep a useless executive like him around.
"Fired? My dad? Who do you think you are?!"
Xu Zhouqun laughed like he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Who am I?"
"I'm Chen Fan, the new owner of Yongjia Shopping Center."
Chen Fan answered calmly.
The room fell silent.
Dead silent.
The new owner of Yongjia Mall?!
He… he's the boss?!
Everyone turned to stare at Chen Fan, shocked.
Even Xu Zhouqun froze.
He vaguely remembered his father mentioning a change in ownership yesterday—but he couldn't recall the new boss's name.
No way… it couldn't be this guy, could it?
"Tch, trying to scare me? Do I look that gullible?"
"I'll call my dad right now and expose your lie!"
Xu Zhouqun refused to believe that this younger man could actually be the real boss of Yongjia Shopping Center. He whipped out his phone and called his father.
"Son, what's wrong?"
Came Xu Li's relaxed voice. At that moment, he was enjoying tea and music in his office.
"Dad, I'm at the mall, and some punk's pretending to be the new owner! Quick—send someone to deal with him!"
Xu Zhouqun snitched.
"What? Pretending to be our mall's new owner? He must have a death wish!"
Xu Li sneered.
"Alright, I'll send someone over right away to arrest him!"
Xu Li didn't take the matter seriously at all.
But just as he was about to call security, he casually asked:
"By the way, what's the name of this so-called fake boss?"
"Chen Fan. The guy's name is Chen Fan."
Xu Zhouqun replied.
"What?!"
CRASH!Xu Li's teacup slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.
"What did you just say? What's his name again?!"