Chapter 24: Stand Aside, I’m About to Show Off!

I was not joking when I said I had two billion.

I remember when I first started in the entry-level underground fighting circuit, my appearance fee was around 100,000 RMB, with a 100,000 RMB bonus if I won. For the middle-tier fights, the fee and bonus combined reached one million RMB. Later, in the high-level fights, the total went up to five million RMB, and by the time I reached the top-tier fights, it was still around five million—only by then, it was in US dollars, not RMB.

The real windfall came during my final five title defense matches. Each appearance fee was 10 million USD, with another 10 million USD bonus for a win. That meant I netted 20 million USD per title defense, totaling 100 million USD for the five matches.

Adding up all the money I made over the years, it should exceed one billion RMB; I can't even calculate the exact figure anymore. Every cent of that was earned at the risk of my life. Qin Wei had even more than me, so together, we surely hold over two billion.

However, if I gave it all to Ling Xuan, I wouldn't have much left, instantly turning from a multi-billionaire back into just an ordinary wealthy person. Of course, I have long since grown indifferent to money. It wouldn't matter if I gave it all to her; it’s not like it’s hard for me to make more.

Ling Xuan clearly didn't believe I had that much money. She glared at me and snapped, "Would it kill you not to brag?"

Without another word, she turned her back on me and headed upstairs. I was about to call her back, but then I remembered that Qin Wei's money wasn't technically mine. Though he is no longer with us, and Qin Ruhua would never believe it, if I take it, it becomes mine—but is it wrong to misappropriate it like that?

Hmm, I should ask Qin Ruhua.

I dialed her number.
"Ruhua, what are you doing?"
"I'm watching TV!"
"Let me ask you a question: if you had one billion, would you be willing to lend it to me?"

Qin Ruhua burst into laughter. "If I had one billion, I wouldn't lend it to you—I'd just give it to you! It's a pity I could never have that much. Brother Fan, are you dreaming? Why are you asking me this?"

I laughed. "Never mind that, just tell me if you'd lend it."
"Fine! I'll give it all to you, hee hee."
"Then I can rest easy, hehe."

I hung up, unable to hold back a chuckle. I really am too clever. As for the debt, if I can't pay it back, I'll just pay it off with my life. A debt of money, repaid with the body!

I got up and went to the second floor, knocking on Ling Xuan's door.
"What?" Ling Xuan seemed to have guessed it was me.
"Open the door."
"What do you want?" Her voice carried a hint of wariness.
"My lady, we're already living under the same roof. What are you guarding against? If I wanted to do anything, I would have done it already!"

The room went silent. After a pause, Ling Xuan opened the door with a blank expression. I walked straight in. She tried to block me, but she obviously couldn't.

As soon as I entered, I caught a faint, pleasant scent. The room was immaculate, decorated in white and blue-gray tones, giving it an elegant, high-end feel. It was at least half again as large as my own room. A two-meter bed sat to the side, covered in a clean, soft, light-red quilt that made me want to jump right on it.

"My lady, your room looks so comfortable; it must be even better to sleep in. Sigh!" I let out a slightly regretful sigh. If only I could sleep here.

Ling Xuan caught my drift and said coldly, "What do you want?"

I went straight to the desk by the window and sat down. The laptop on the desk was already on; she must have been working.
"I came to give you some money..."
"Don't touch my computer." She came over to grab the mouse.

I deliberately didn't let go, so her hand pressed against mine.
"Let go! You pervert." She pried my hand off, grabbed the wireless mouse, and closed all the open windows.

As the screen flickered, I caught a glimpse of a picture of a beautiful woman—it looked like Ling Xuan.
"Wait, I think I saw your photo. Let me see!"
"Get lost!" Ling Xuan was furious. She grabbed the laptop and yanked the power cord out from under the desk.

I held up my hands. "Fine! You close it slowly, I won't look."

It seems Ling Xuan isn't entirely a workaholic. Deep down, she still has a girlish heart, taking beautiful photos to admire herself.

After shutting it down, she put the laptop back and said coldly, "I don't need your money. Even if you've saved hundreds of thousands or a few million over the years, it's useless for my company."

"My lady, do you really have so little faith in me? Do I look like the kind of person who only has a few hundred thousand?" I said, opening the browser to log in to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. I have many accounts at all the major banks, but I figured the one with the most money was there, so I opened that one first.

I'd heard you could manage bank accounts on your phone, but I hadn't tried it yet.

Ling Xuan stayed silent, clearly thinking that I looked exactly like that—or perhaps even worse. After all, being able to save hundreds of thousands at my age would already mark someone as a minor elite. I had opened all my accounts under my new identity, Chu Fan.

Once logged in, the account balance appeared on the screen.
"Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands..." I honestly didn't know how much it was, so I had to count the digits.

"Fine, I believe you," Ling Xuan said, clearly uninterested in looking at my account. "Get up, don't hog my computer. I have work to do."

I grabbed her small, delicate hand and pulled her gently. "Take a look. Is this over 500 million?"

"What are you doing!" She shook off my hand, leaned over to glance at the screen, and suddenly stiffened, staring blankly at the display.

"Is... is this really over 500 million?" She looked at the screen, her lips moving as she counted it again, unable to believe it.

"Hehe, little lady, believe me now?" I felt quite amused, and emboldened by the massive wealth, I reached out and pinched her cheek.

It was warm, soft, and smooth as silk. Her skin was incredibly fine, unlike mine, where you could feel the slight roughness.

Ling Xuan ignored my gesture and turned to look at me, shocked. "Is this really yours?"
"I have more!"

Move aside, it's time for me to show off!

I was as excited as a child showing off his grades to his parents. I proceeded to open a dozen other bank accounts; the smallest had tens of millions, and many others broke the hundred-million mark. Ling Xuan remained hunched over, staring fixedly at the screen. I could hear her breathing quicken.

"Adding these all up, it should be over two billion, right?" I leaned back in the chair, easily catching the faint fragrance she emitted.

Hearing this, Ling Xuan snapped out of her trance. She stood up straight and stared at me, asking with a hint of suspicion, "Where did you get this money?"
"Don't worry about where it came from. It's all legal now."

Ling Xuan looked me over again, speechless for a long time. Finally, she stared at me and asked, "With all this money, why are you working as a security guard?"
"I came back specifically to protect you," I said with a grin.

Ling Xuan paused, lowered her head slightly, and bit her lip.

"Alright, you believe me now, right? You can have all of this!" My heart was racing, and I couldn't help but reach for her hand again.

Ling Xuan stiffened, gently pulled her hand away, and turned her back to me without saying a word. I figured she must be deeply moved, so I stood up, walked behind her, and patted her shoulder, saying nonchalantly, "Though, try to leave me a few million or tens of millions. I still need to use it to show off!"

Ling Xuan shrugged her shoulder and turned her back to me again, hiding her face. Could she be crying from being moved?

I leaned over to get a better look, but she turned again to block me. I didn't push it and laughed, "Alright, I'll give you the cards and passwords later. Remember to leave me a little."

Ling Xuan kept her head down and whispered, "I'll give you 20% of the company's shares. That's the most I can give." Her voice trembled slightly, but it sounded stable overall.

"Shares? It doesn't matter. Give them if you want, it's fine if you don't." If I'm going to brag, I might as well go all the way; I really am indifferent to the money.

Ling Xuan took a light breath and whispered, "Thank you, Chu Bufan."
"Haha, we're in this together! Besides, I'm your man—I have been for eight years. Why dwell on such things?"