Although the Madu Ma family was one of the Seven Noble Families, it was difficult for them to raise 5 billion yuan in just 48 hours.
But what did that have to do with Li Qianfan?
He just needed to wait patiently for 48 hours. If the 5 billion yuan didn't arrive by then, he would unleash hell upon the Ma family!
Besides, in any era, there are always more solutions than difficulties.
If the Ma family didn't have so much cash, wouldn't they sell off high-quality assets?
An asset worth a hundred million yuan, sold for fifty million, would surely have buyers scrambling to get it.
Such a simple fundraising method, Li Qianfan naturally didn't need to explain to the Ma family. He believed they could figure it out themselves.
For now, he needed to head back to the hotel.
Seeing that the two women were not quite in their right minds, Li Qianfan unhesitatingly took the wheel.
Despite being severely shaken, Yao Yao scrambled into the passenger seat first, her eyes gazing dazed at Li Qianfan, giggling foolishly.
It was quite clear.
Yao Yao's happiness was built upon the Ma family's misery.
She had no pity whatsoever!
Su Nanyin, on the other hand, gradually calmed down, secretly lamenting how heartless the brat truly was.
The moment Ma Qiang leered at Yao Yao's beauty and Wei Shifang twisted the truth, Li Qianfan had already decreed the Ma family's complete and utter downfall.
Only with the Ma family's collapse could Dark Blade seize the opportunity to establish itself in Modu.
Li Qianfan hoped the Ma family wouldn't disappoint him as the night deepened (by continuing down the path of self-destruction. If the Ma family had immediately backed down and come to apologize with smiles, Li Qianfan would have had no excuse to destroy them.)
The ironclad facts proved that the Ma family did not disappoint Li Qianfan.
The Ma family paying Li Qianfan 5 billion yuan in compensation for emotional distress was secondary.
The key was that Li Qianfan, by killing someone on the spot, had caused the other six noble families to kick them while they were down, leading to the Ma family's tragic potential collapse.
When the Ma family was abandoned by the other six noble families, and even about to be carved up, they would surely hate them fiercely.
This would then compel the Ma family to give their good assets to Li Qianfan rather than let the other six families profit.
The Ma family might even fiercely assist Su Nanyin in establishing herself in Modu as revenge against the noble families that abandoned them, in exchange for Li Qianfan's protection to barely survive.
However.
No one could predict how the Ma family would actually proceed.
Li Qianfan needed to closely monitor the Ma family's movements within these 48 hours before making further plans.
If the Ma family leaned towards him, that would be ideal.
If the Ma family truly put aside their grudges and tried to appease the other six noble families, it would prove the Ma family was indeed dangerous.
Buzz buzz buzz.
The vibration of his phone interrupted Li Qianfan's internal analysis.
Before Li Qianfan could react, Yao Yao quickly grabbed his phone for him. Without even checking the caller ID, she answered and switched to speakerphone.
Why was she being so attentive?
Of course, she wanted to take the opportunity to hear who was calling Li Qianfan and what they were saying.
Su Ziyu's voice came through: "Qianfan, have you finished dealing with things at the Ma family?"
Upon hearing Su Ziyu's voice, both Yao Yao in the passenger seat and Su Nanyin in the back seat instantly sobered up.
Who would have thought—
Su Ziyu's voice had such a sobering effect?
It was incredibly simple for Ziyu to know Li Qianfan was settling accounts with the Ma family.
Videos of Li Qianfan publicly ascending the stage and angrily denouncing the Ma family were already going viral online.
Moreover, hadn't Li Qianfan transferred a hundred million yuan in "pocket money" to her that afternoon?
"It's done. Heading back to the hotel now."
Li Qianfan's tone was cheerful: "Wife, I got 5 billion from them this time. I'll split at least some with you later."
Before he could finish stating the amount, Su Ziyu interrupted: "Qianfan, please don't send me any more money."
Huh?
Li Qianfan blinked in surprise: "Why? Although you're not short of money, isn't the money I earn meant for you to spend?"
Upon hearing him say that—
The two beauties, one in the passenger seat and the other in the back, instinctively pouted.
The air was thick with a sour scent.
"Qianfan, I really appreciate you thinking of me like that. But I truly don't need money in Longxu right now."
Su Ziyu's voice was gentle and sincere: "The money you earn now, besides expanding your ventures, should primarily be spent on those who follow you and help you conquer the world. I know Du Junlin and Su Nanyin, Gao Lingwang and Chen Dong are all helping you in Modu. And Su Zui who holds down the fort in Sijiu, and Shen Yun. Chu Yazhi and the others who are guarding your back. Without their help and support, you can't stand alone. Therefore, don't give the money you earn to me. Think more of Du Junlin and the others, and try to secure more benefits for them."
Yao Yao paused, then quietly lowered her head.
She felt her own magnanimity paled in comparison to Su Ziyu's.
Su Ziyu's level of thinking was far beyond hers!
"Her broad vision and long-term perspective, perhaps, this is the fundamental reason Su Ziyu was able to take charge of Longxu?"
Yao Yao finally understood this point.
And she asked herself if she could ever achieve that.
Sigh.
This sigh from the depths of her heart came from Su Nanyin.
She turned her head to look at the scenery outside the car window, remaining motionless for a long time.
The person who remained motionless for a long time—
Was Ma Benyong, who had just been severely berated by the young lady!
"Idiot!"
"For the sake of just Ma Qiang, you've lost a full 5 billion!"
"And you allowed that scoundrel to exploit the situation and sow discord between the Ma family and the other noble families."
"This has ruined the decades of covert support that allowed the Ma family to rise to become one of Modu's four prominent families!"
"Even if we raised a herd of pigs here, they would have done a better job than you."
"Remember!"
"At all costs, continue to foster relationships with the other six noble families."
"First, stabilize the current situation, and after cooperating with Ye Qingfan to deal with Su Nanyin. Then, we will provide the Ma family with maximum support to slowly climb back up."
"If you fail to do so, then prepare for the entire Ma family, young and old, to go to jail and face execution."
"A bunch of fools—"
The young lady's near-hysterical scolding still echoed in Ma Benyong's ears as the sun began to set.
Over these past few hours, Ma Benyong's expression had continuously shifted.
At times he gritted his teeth, at times his face contorted in ferocity, at times he sneered.
Ultimately, it devolved into dejection.
He had considered resisting.
But the thought of the tragic consequences of resistance made Ma Benyong's heart tremble.
He dared not and could not resist.
If he dared—
The entire core of the Ma family might perish one night!
"I knew they were devils from the start, why did I ever make a deal with them?"
"Although without their covert support, my Ma family might never have become one of the Seven Noble Families."
"But at least we could have been a wealthy family that slept soundly at night."
"We wouldn't have had to offer our granddaughter when the devil's people arrived."
"Can we go back thirty years?"
"Ma Benyong, Ma Benyong. In truth, the moment you made that decision thirty years ago, you became a sinner of the Ma family."
"And you dragged the Ma family, which could have become a great wealthy household through generations of honest business, into a bottomless abyss."
"We can't go back."
"We can never go back."
As Ma Benyong muttered to himself, a knock sounded on his study door.
He raised his hand to wipe away the tears of regret that had somehow flowed down his cheeks, quickly adjusted his mindset, and said in a deep voice, "Come in."
The door was gently pushed open.
Before the person entered, a milky fragrance wafted in.
Upon smelling this scent, Ma Benyong's heart clenched violently.
Without looking, he knew who had arrived.
It was his most beloved eldest granddaughter, Ma Rongna, who was happily married.
Ma Rongna was already one of Modu's renowned beauties, and especially after giving birth to a son at the end of last year, her skin and complexion were even better.
She had lost the immaturity of a young girl and gained the unique charm of a married woman.
"Grandpa."
Dressed in a black long-sleeved qipao and a pink cotton vest, Ma Rongna slowly walked to the desk and sat down. Ma Benyong could clearly see her eyes were red.
Ma Rongna had a gentle and soft nature, was very emotional since childhood, and was sensible.
She never acted arrogantly in Modu just because she was the eldest granddaughter of the Ma family; instead, she often volunteered at nursing homes and orphanages.
Let alone in the Ma family, even in any family in Modu, she was a good child.
Yet, such a woman, who had never done anything wrong and only wished to be a good wife and mother after marriage, was being forced to divorce her husband, abandon her two-month-old son, and, as per Ma Benyong's orders, become a plaything for a stranger!
"Divorced?"
Ma Benyong dared not meet his granddaughter's gaze, forcing a smile.
As Ma Rongna nodded, tears began to flow again: "Originally, the Zhou family absolutely refused to divorce. But shortly after Li Qianfan arrived at the Ma family this afternoon, the Zhou family agreed to the divorce. The child, the child was also given to the Zhou family."
Ma Benyong asked, "Do you hate Grandpa?"
Ma Rongna showed no reaction.
She was a good woman and didn't want to lie.
Ma Benyong's voice was hoarse: "The Ma family needs you."
Ma Rongna then softly said, "I know."
Ma Benyong closed his eyes and softly said, "You should go to the residence on Jinling Road first. Wait there. That person might come to find you there soon."
"Okay."
Ma Rongna hummed, slowly stood up, and walked out of the study with unsteady steps.
She felt like a walking corpse.
Without her husband, without her baby, what was the point of her living?
Especially when she thought of her baby's heartbreaking cries as he was taken from her arms; when she thought of her husband kneeling and kowtowing to Old Master Zhou because he resolutely refused to divorce, to the point of knocking himself unconscious, Ma Rongna's heart was as if stabbed by a knife.
"Perhaps jumping down is my best destination."
Like a sleepwalker, Ma Rongna found herself on a bridge, looking at the hazy water below, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Xinkang, baby, see you in the next life!"
Ma Rongna suddenly craved death intensely, looked up at the equally hazy night sky, and softly spoke, placing her hands on the railing.
Buzz—
Suddenly, a low rumbling sound came from behind her.
Ma Rongna did not look back, only lifted her right foot, preparing to climb over the railing.
Screech—
With a piercing screech of brakes, Ma Rongna heard a girl's voice calling from behind: "Hey, are you trying to jump into the river? Can you wait a moment? Wait until I open my camera and get ready to film, then you can jump!"