Chen Yan carefully recalled the past.

He remembered that among the fixed assets provided by the system, there were multiple times when it was related to Fenghua Building.

So, when Chen Yan met Dong Hongtu, he asked him about the person he was in contact with.

At that time, Dong Hongtu simply said that the contact was a Mrs. Su.

Chen Yan was certain that there wasn't a Mrs. Su around him, so this person might have something to do with the system.

However, the system was ultimately Chen Yan's biggest secret, so he didn't dare to keep asking at that time.

He originally planned to catch up with Dong Hongtu later.

Who would have known that a lot of things happened with Fenghua Group afterwards, keeping Dong Hongtu too busy. And with Chen Yan becoming more and more busy himself, the matter was delayed for a while.

Thinking of this, Chen Yan naturally asked Young Master Dong, "By the way, Young Master Dong...."

Before Chen Yan could finish, Young Master Dong hurriedly replied with a slightly embarrassed smile, "Brother Chen, please don't call me that anymore, I truly feel ashamed."

"My name is Dong Peng. You can call me Xiao Dong or Xiao Peng."

Although with Chen Yan's status now, it wouldn't be too much to call Young Master Dong as Xiao Dong or Xiao Peng, but Chen Yan, who now, after all, needed a favor, wouldn't be so discourteous.

So Chen Yan laughed and said, "Then I'll call you Xiao Dong, if you don't mind."

"After all, you have your own business now."

Hearing Chen Yan's praise, Young Master Dong immediately nodded happily, "Sure, Brother Chen, whatever you call me is fine."

After settling on the formality, Chen Yan continued, "Xiao Dong, may I ask what Mr. Dong has been busy with lately?"

"I plan to visit him after I return from Ao City."

Upon hearing Chen Yan's words, Young Master Dong quickly said, "My dad, after getting through the crisis back then, started trying to transform the group."

"He felt that the real estate industry isn't looking good, so he plans to pull out."

"So, for the past two years, he's been selling off heavy asset projects and retaining light assets, planning to start afresh."

Saying this, he thought for a moment and added, "Recently, for the past half year, he's probably been in Tiandu discussing some collaborations."

"Over the New Year, he and my mom came to Ao City once. But I was too busy to spend much time with them."

"After sending my mom back to Qin Island, he probably headed to Tiandu again."

Hearing Young Master Dong's words, Chen Yan nodded silently, then quietly made a plan in his heart to visit Tiandu and have a talk with Dong Hongtu.

After catching up on family matters, Chen Yan gradually began to steer the conversation towards business.

He casually chatted with Young Master Dong about his ventures in Ao City.

Contrary to what Chen Yan expected, Young Master Dong was actually involved in legal lending in Ao City.

Thanks to the unique environment of Ao City, the loan business here doesn't worry about finding clients, so they don't need to set traps, lead someone to ruin, and then default on debts deliberately.

Of course, since it's so lucrative in Ao City, the difficult part was the barrier to entry. Not only did you need a license from the relevant authorities, but Gambling City also had to approve your operation.

Luckily for Young Master Dong, one of his close friends had secured the relationships in Ao City, obtaining such a license and casually brought him along, leading to his current development.

Of course, while this business can make good money, it never made them rich.

At most, it provided a stable base.

Thus, Young Master Dong and his friend have always been thinking about moving into other industries.

This was also why Young Master Dong was so overjoyed when he received a WeChat message from Chen Yan.

After all, on the Qindong Peninsula, who didn't know of Chen Yan's insight and Golden Touch, with the ability to turn anything it touched into a lucrative venture.

The car sped along, and soon enough, they arrived at Young Master Dong's company.

Chen Yan got out, had lunch with Young Master Dong, and chatted about life these past two years. In the afternoon, with Young Master Dong's company, he visited their affiliated Gambling City for a couple of rounds.

It wasn't really playing. It was just a visit to see a scene rare in the Mainland.

Initially, Young Master Dong even proactively offered Chen Yan some chips, saying it was his treat.

Of course, to prevent Chen Yan from thinking he was being set up, he also specifically explained the harmful effects of gambling, reminding Chen Yan not to get carried away and just play a couple of rounds casually.

Watching his careful explanation, Chen Yan felt like he was seeing the "Smoking is harmful to health" warning on a pack of cigarettes...

But, he just took his goodwill to heart.

It's not that Chen Yan wasn't interested, but rather he found... the stakes too small, uninteresting.

He was used to dealing with operations involving billions, even hundreds of billions of capital, betting against various financial institutions and the tides of the era. These minor gambles were too trivial for him.

So, after touring around and experiencing the ambiance of Ao City, Chen Yan returned to his hotel and dealt with official business.

The next day, Chen Yan continued his strolls, with Young Master Dong accompanying him.

The third day was the same...

By the fourth and fifth day, Chen Yan still maintained this rhythm, spending his days wandering around the sights near Macau or checking out the hubbub in the Gambling City. It really seemed like he was purely there for a vacation in Ao City.

What was surprising, though, was Young Master Dong.

Even though Chen Yan was as aimless and purposeless these days, Young Master Dong still followed persistently without complaints.

This made Chen Yan look at him in a new light.

It was a significant improvement over his past self.

And Chen Yan could not help but reflect: Indeed, after becoming wealthy, everyone around you tends to harbor good intentions...

However, Chen Yan was someone who remembered kindness, so he decided, once back, if there was any suitable deal, he would bring along Young Master Dong or Dong Hongtu...

So, Chen Yan continued his leisurely visit through half of the month.

Initially, he didn't know what he expected from this visit, but whenever he thought about giving up, there was always a vague feeling in his heart telling him to persist...

Moreover, as time drew closer, Chen Yan felt like the thing he had been waiting for was about to arrive...

On the twenty-second day of the first lunar month.

That day, Chen Yan went on his usual stroll, accompanied by a bodyguard and an assistant, with Young Master Dong going to the Gambling City.

Young Master Dong was curious about what Chen Yan was doing, but the now more mature Young Master Dong was no longer asking about everything as he did before.

He just followed Chen Yan patiently, learning and observing.

Today, Chen Yan finally felt a bit more adventurous, taking one million in chips and playing the Martingale, a guaranteed winning method, over twenty rounds of "Fast Three"... and of course, he won.

After all, starting with a bet of 100 yuan, the Martingale had a certain success rate in a relatively unlimited funding situation.

However, it was a meager win. After betting over a hundred thousand back and forth, he only gained eight or nine hundred yuan.

Such an amount could not stir any excitement in Chen Yan's heart, so he unenthusiastically exchanged the chips back for cash, ready to leave.

Just when he thought today would end up like always, without any accomplishments.

Suddenly, as he and Young Master Dong were about to leave the VIP hall, a commotion erupted within.

Chen Yan and Young Master Dong curiously looked over, only to see a man with disheveled hair and crimson eyes rushing downstairs.

He was shouting as he ran, "They're all cheaters! They've conspired to cheat me!"

The sudden change caused a buzz in the VIP hall for a moment.

Chen Yan's gaze lingered on the man for a moment, and then he couldn't help smiling.

Because he found that what he had been waiting for seemed to have finally come.

Because the man turned out to be Zhang Yonghao, whom Chen Yan had been waiting for so many days.

Perhaps a person's identity and status really do create a distinct aura about them.

The former Zhang Yonghao appeared composed and stately, with the luster of an adventurer, giving one the impression he was someone who could do great things and dared to take risks.

However, the Zhang Yonghao that Chen Yan saw now was different.

It was like he had become another person, with a furtive glance in his eyes, disheveled appearance, and an unhidden look of collapse and frenzy on his face.

Even without any expertise in physiognomy, Chen Yan felt that he looked like a portrait of failure.

After observing him, Chen Yan did not make any impulsive moves.

He patted Young Master Dong and said, "Your Gambling City seems to have run into some trouble? You should handle it. We'll look around on our own."

Being able to enter the second floor of the VIP hall, everyone must be wealthy or noble. The qualification to enter requires at least several billion. Everyone is a major client of the Gambling City and also major clients for companies like Young Master Dong's lending business.

So, although Young Master Dong wasn't part of Gambling City, seeing Chen Yan say so, he nodded in agreement and went over.

Chen Yan took another deep look at Zhang Yonghao, then left the Gambling City with his group to watch various performances...

...

In the evening, Chen Yan did not summon him, but Young Master Dong took the initiative to visit Chen Yan's presidential suite.

He knocked on Chen Yan's door, greeted the bodyguards on either side of the door and Chen Yan's assistant, and then Young Master Dong entered Chen Yan's study.

Chen Yan was looking through the game data of "Battle of the Wastelands" in the study.

Seeing Young Master Dong enter, Chen Yan gestured toward the sofa across from him and ordered, "Sit."

Young Master Dong quickly complied and sat down on the sofa.

Two minutes later, Chen Yan finished reading the data, put down the stylus, closed the pad, looked up at Young Master Dong, and asked, "Xiao Dong, what brings you here late at night?"

Looking at Chen Yan dressed in casual clothes, sitting behind the desk, Young Master Dong grinned and said, "Brother Chen. I'm here to share some news that you'll be pleased to hear!"

Chen Yan stood up with a smile, replying, "Oh? What is it?"

As he spoke, he went to the water dispenser, poured a cup of hot water for Young Master Dong, and placed it in front of him, signaling him to take his time.

With Chen Yan's encouragement, Young Master Dong happily said, "Let me tell you, you'll never guess who we ran into today at noon."

"The person we encountered at noon?" Chen Yan feigned ignorance, "Who?"

Young Master Dong said, "The one who caused a commotion in the VIP hall, shouting about cheaters."

Chen Yan pretended to be enlightened, "Oh, him."

He looked at Young Master Dong, inquiring, "Who is he?"

Young Master Dong took a sip of water, revealing mysteriously, "I'll tell you. He is the one who has been troubling you lately."

Although he already knew all this, Chen Yan had to keep guessing along with Young Master Dong, "Are you talking about... Zhang Yonghao?"

Young Master Dong clapped his hands with a laugh and said, "Right, it's him."

Satisfied with having piqued Chen Yan's curiosity, he no longer played coy and volunteered, "Brother Chen. I'll tell you. He's hit rock bottom. I haven't seen anyone this unlucky in a long while."

Curious, Chen Yan asked, "What exactly happened?"

Young Master Dong drained his cup of water and began to elaborate to Chen Yan about the recent events that befell Zhang Yonghao.

It turned out that ever since Chen Yan ousted Zhang Yonghao from Headline Technology, Zhang Yonghao had been in low spirits.

Initially, he was thinking of resisting Chen Yan, reclaiming the company for himself.

But as Chen Yan gradually took control of Headline Technology, that hope faded.

Then he thought about using other connections and filing a lawsuit to get back Headline Technology.

Before he could act, Chen Yan took down his backer Xu Zhaorong in one fell swoop.

That depressed him even more.

With the psychological gap and the depression, coupled with the ten-plus billion Chen Yan had given him when buying his shares, he started to let loose.

He indulged in debauchery – an understatement to describe his behavior.

It was at this time that his former colleague, Vice President Wang, who was also ousted, came to him, suggesting they go to Macau to relax, gamble a bit, and unwind.

Initially, Zhang Yonghao didn't want to go.

However, he couldn't withstand his old subordinate's relentless persuasion. So, he went to Macau.

Then, the glamorous world of Macau successfully lured him in, making him grow fond of this city so different from the Mainland.

Yet... "gambling" is addictive.

In the beginning, Zhang Yonghao played with small stakes – tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands.

Later, he became less satisfied and gambled in millions, tens of millions.

Over time, invited by some VIPs, he made it to the VIP room and even the second floor, playing with the wealthy.

Perhaps due to really good luck during this period, he had his wins and losses. All in all, he made a few billion.

So, during the New Year, he brought all his wealth back to Macau to continue playing.

But this time, his luck was not on his side.

Losing became the theme.

In just a short half a month, he gambled away his entire fortune of ten-plus billion...

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