Money Over Love [Final]

Chapter 291

The night was deep.

Inside and outside the Xia Family Mansion in the Southern City was brightly lit and decorated.

"Hurry, light the firecrackers and fireworks, the hero is back!"

With a screech, a dark green military vehicle stopped outside the mansion gate.

Suddenly, someone shouted out.

All the piled-up firecrackers and fireworks around were immediately set off!

The crackling sound shattered the stillness of the night.

Many nearby neighbors rushed out to watch, making it as lively as New Year.

"Why make it so lively, it’s quite embarrassing..."

Lin Fan got out of the car, his eyes widening in surprise.

He saw Mr. Xia Sr. smiling, leading almost everyone from the mansion to greet him.

He let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.

"My family just produced a national hero, and I can’t be high-profile about it? If anyone’s not convinced, go earn something to boost your own reputation!"

Mr. Xia Sr. said with his hands on his hips, his voice booming with pride.

Clearly, he said this deliberately toward the Chu family across the street.

"Having such capable and accomplished people under Mr. Xia Sr., even us old neighbors share the honor, ha ha."

"Yes, yes, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen such excitement around here!"

"Old Xia, you can’t just end the celebration tonight; your family has to host a few tables to celebrate!"

Old neighbors constantly gathered around, mostly elderly men and women.

They looked simply dressed, but security guards were discreetly protecting them.

"Lin Fan, my son Chu Guoxiong sees you as a big brother, so naturally, our Chu family must show our respects."

A tall, thin elderly man with hands behind his back approached Lin Fan, smiling kindly.

It was none other than the current head of the Chu family, Mr. Chu Sr.!

"Grandpa, you should have seen it today; my brother was so impressive at school. Several girls were flocking around him, even the beautiful teacher from the sports department, Yang Xiuxiu, was kneeling, crying and begging for his forgiveness!"

"Later, a beautiful woman from Sakura Country, who seemed to be the president of the Iguchi Pharmaceutical Group, suddenly stopped our car on the street, questioning why my brother abandoned her back then!"

Fatty Chu, upon hearing the commotion, spoke loudly as if wishing the whole neighborhood could hear.

"Uh..."

As soon as he spoke, Xia Bingbing and others’ smiles froze, casting resentful glances at Lin Fan.

The elderly men and women around merely shook their heads with a smile.

It was expected that a young man with such exceptional talent would attract many admirers.

But someone as bold as Lin Fan was indeed rare...

Initially, many intended to matchmake him with eligible girls from their families, but they temporarily gave up on the idea now.

"...Fatty, having a brother like you truly is my blessing."

Under the unusual gaze of those around him,

Lin Fan shuddered, his face turning green, and heavily patted Fatty Chu’s shoulder.

"Hmph, you keep causing chaos at our school, now those girls are all stirred up, constantly talking about you..."

Fatty Chu gritted his teeth, rubbing his shoulder that was half-numb from the heavy pat, mumbling with dissatisfaction.

"Bring over the catering van, set up a feast in the Xia Family Mansion!"

Seeing this, Mr. Chu Sr.’s smile widened, waving his hand.

Previously, the Chu family deliberately kept their distance from Lin Fan, maintaining a neutral stance.

They even forbade Fatty Chu from getting too close to him.

Now, with the situation settled, and Lin Fan returning triumphantly,

if they couldn’t lower their stance to establish good relations, it would be a continual mistake!

Thus, the Chu family had already booked a seafood restaurant and had the catering van on standby nearby.

Just waiting for Lin Fan to return, ready to personally welcome him!

"Old Chu, do you think my Xia family can’t afford a decent banquet?"

Seeing Mr. Chu Sr. full of cunning, deliberately trying to win over Lin Fan,

Mr. Xia Sr. exchanged glances with Tie Hao, immediately stepping forward with a gentle smile and asking.

"Stealing my Xia family’s spotlight like that isn’t good!"

"Brother Xia, you jest, it was our mistake earlier, we didn’t understand the situation, consider it an apology."

Mr. Chu Sr. remained unfazed, speaking softly, intentionally glancing towards Xia Bingbing.

"Now everyone knows Lin Fan is already your Xia family’s acknowledged grandson-in-law... Let me congratulate you in advance."

"Hmph, acknowledging your mistake is good, but don’t think about targeting Lin Fan."

Mr. Xia Sr. nodded with satisfaction, smiling so broadly his face was crooked.

He quickly, along with the family members, invited the surrounding neighbors in to take their seats.

"Report! This is the national hero plaque for Hero Lin, may I ask where should it be hung?"

Just then,

there was also the sound of firecrackers from the street,

along with the accompaniment of drums and suona music.

Several well-dressed city leaders, along with a warrior carrying a large plaque, approached with wide smiles.

Seeing that the place was full of high-ranking elders,

those city leaders humbly lowered themselves, greeting and socializing politely.

"Carry it inside and hang it right above the main hall in my Xia family!"

Mr. Xia Sr. straightened his back, his face beaming with joy, smiling from ear to ear.

One must admit, the Xia family scored an immense fortune without much effort.

Such an outstanding young man, and the Ying family was blind enough to discard him?

They indeed deserved their step-by-step decline into downfall!

"This is truly sheer luck; just as the Xia family’s prestige seemed to be waning in the Imperial Capital, who knew it would be solidly supported again by Lin Fan."

"No one can envy it, after all, old Xia worked hard and stubbornly protected Lin Fan."

Chapter 292

"The funniest part has to be the Ying family, right? I heard bad news in the afternoon, the old lady in their family committed suicide out of guilt..."

Some middle-aged men and women who weren’t qualified to enter the courtyard and take seats were full of envy, standing not far away and gossiping.

Some were praising, while others were full of emotions.

Some even scoffed, looking distantly towards the North City where the Ying family is located.

Compared to the lively and bustling Xia Family Mansion, that side must be under dark clouds, full of wailings.

"What, you’re preparing to depart tonight?"

The banquet went on uproariously until the early hours of the morning.

Lin Fan wasn’t particularly drunk, waiting until the crowd dispersed after offering their congratulations.

Only then did he briefly relay the newly received national top-secret mission to Mr. Xia Sr.

The old man widened his eyes in astonishment, and after a moment he nodded heavily.

"Alright, you go ahead without worries; I’ll keep an eye on the family here so no big problems will arise... As for the Hai City Yuan Family, I’ll watch over that too, so you have no worries at the back of your mind."

"Thank you, Mr. Xia Sr., for all the troubles these three days."

Lin Fan felt warmth in his heart, bowed, and thanked him respectfully.

"In a family, there’s no need for two voices. I know it’s a tough choice for you, but you now have the honorary prince title of Sha Country. According to their laws, you can have multiple wives... When you return successfully, deal with the matter of Bingbing."

Mr. Xia Sr. smiled meaningfully, intentionally not continuing.

"...I’ll go pack my things; it’s getting late. You should rest early, Mr. Xia Sr."

Lin Fan’s body trembled slightly, not knowing how to respond.

So he pretended not to hear and strode back to his room hurriedly.

The reason he didn’t tell Xia Bingbing and the others was the fear that they would get entangled and secretly follow.

It’s also fine, then leave quietly without saying goodbye to anyone.

"Chief Lin, I was ordered to take you to the international airport."

Packing up a few things, Lin Fan left through the back door of the mansion as the night deepened.

A young man in plain clothes had been waiting there for a long time, and he greeted him solemnly the moment he appeared.

"Alright."

Lin Fan nodded, took a deep look at the gradually quieting Xia Family Mansion.

Steeling himself, he got in the car and left quietly.

Meanwhile.

A secret review office in the Imperial Capital.

"Being locked up for two days and nights, it must not have been pleasant?"

Nie Yunxiao, dressed in military uniform, got out of the car and handed a cigarette to the scruffy Ying Wenyuan outside the hotel gate.

After being isolated and interrogated for two days, the latter appeared significantly more despondent, as if his spirit was drained.

"It was alright, I trust the organization will clear my name."

Ying Wenyuan accepted the cigarette, lit it, narrowing his eyes as he took a deep drag.

At that moment, he noticed fireworks lighting up the Southern City, as if celebrating something lively.

"Your son Ying Bufan, oh, he has a new identity now, he’ll be called Lin Fan from now on... Today, he received the National Special Merit Medal and the honorary prince title of Sha Country."

Nie Yunxiao commented with emotion, explaining calmly.

"The Xia family must be celebrating for him."

"Lin Fan? I no longer have this son; all his glory is unrelated to me."

Ying Wenyuan smoked, shaking his head somberly.

"You’re wrong, if not for Lin Fan, the cooperation between Sha Country and Xia Country might not have succeeded at all."

Nie Yunxiao glanced at the indifferent Ying Wenyuan and continued to explain.

"Actually, Yuan Ruohai and Stubborn Su Gang, among others, are Lin Fan’s subordinates. He was the one who sent people to safely escort Prince of Sha Country Bulger back, and suppress the internal chaos."

"And the old king, was secretly taken to Haicheng by Nie Feng at the prince’s request, and was saved by Lin Fan... So, do you understand now?"

"Your wife Shen Yueli sent people to eradicate the Hai City Yuan family, even wanting to kill Lin Fan, how much harm does this bring to national interests?"

With those words, the scene turned deadly silent.

Ying Wenyuan was rigid all over, his face turning pale step by step.

The ash of his cigarette burned a long tail before being blown away by the night wind.

"Of course, the state hasn’t mistreated Lin Fan, not only was a piece of land allocated for his mother Lin Suxin at the Imperial Mausoleum to be buried beside Lin Fan’s cenotaph, but he was also given a brand-new public identity."

"Additionally, there’s bad news, you need to prepare yourself."

As he spoke, Nie Yunxiao’s face revealed reluctance, and his voice lowered a few notches.

"This afternoon, your mother committed suicide by hitting her head. The statement from the Ying family is that it was a suicide out of guilt, with a blood handprint on the confession."

"But, the autopsy revealed that the old lady suffered abuse shortly before her death, her mouth and teeth were seriously injured..."

Thump!

Before Nie Yunxiao could finish.

Ying Wenyuan was trembling all over, unable to bear the blow any longer.

He knelt straight down on the ground, pounding the earth with his hands, his eyes reddening as he let out a heart-wrenching but forcibly suppressed howl.

It was apparent that his mother was forced to take the blame.

Even the so-called guilt-driven suicide was under duress!

How ridiculous, how absurd.

How could it all be so similar to when Lin Suxin was forced to death seven years ago?

"Mom, I’m sorry, I failed you, I didn’t protect you... ah, ah!!"

Ying Wenyuan cried, tears streaming down, like a wounded, mad beast, roaring incessantly.

"Wenyuan, everyone knows the truth about that confession document... You must realize, you were released early because of Lin Fan’s connections at the top level."

Nie Yunxiao sighed, pulling Ying Wenyuan to his feet.

"... Doesn’t my mother’s death hold any value in the eyes of the higher-ups?"

Ying Wenyuan, eyes blazing, roared in anger.

"It does, but not much... Wenyuan, as a senior, I have to say, you were too blinded, how could you treat your eldest son like that?"

Nie Yunxiao’s face turned stern, switching to a tone of heartfelt advice.

"Seeing Lin Fan’s recent performance, I can only say, a son should be like Lin Fan! Yet the Ying family failed to cherish him, pushing him to the Xia family, allowing them to gain such a huge advantage without effort."

"Enough, I know you don’t like hearing this. I’ll have someone take you home so you can mourn for your mother."

He shook his head, refraining from further persuasion, indicating for the waiting guard to open the car door.

"No, I want to go to the Imperial Mausoleum and see Lin Suxin’s grave first."

Unexpectedly, Ying Wenyuan shook his head, wiped his tears, and looked blankly towards the direction of the Imperial Mausoleum in the night.

"Alright, but don’t do anything crazy, Lin Suxin has been buried with the specifications of a state funeral."

Nie Yunxiao hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Immediately, an inconspicuous black van carried the numb-faced Ying Wenyuan out of the city to the foot of Emperor’s Mausoleum Mountain.

The car stopped, leaving him to ascend the mountain alone.

The moonlight was cold, the mountain was silent.

Ying Wenyuan stared at Lin Suxin’s tombstone, suddenly collapsing in front of it, sobbing bitterly.

Wrong, everything was wrong.

If only he hadn’t driven away the mother and son back then, and hadn’t pushed his ex-wife to her death later.

Would everything now not have happened?

"Suxin, I’m sorry, I’m a worthless failure, I’m just a worthless puppet..."

Ying Wenyuan knelt in front of the tombstone, slapping his face madly.

The sounds of remorse and agonizing cries echoed in the courtyard at night.

(End of Volume Two "I’m Not a Deserter", look forward to Volume Three "March with Madness")

Chapter 293

Two days later, an unknown foreign southeastern port.

"Lin Fan? Hello, I am Yorkshire."

Under the bright sun, Lin Fan disembarked from the travel ship, carrying his suitcase amidst the crowd of travelers.

He squinted to carefully observe the exotic surroundings.

Suddenly, he saw a man from Xia Country in a plaid shirt and beach shorts, smiling and walking over.

Their eyes met, and the man gestured toward the ferry vehicle under the coconut trees by the roadside not far away.

"Your companion already arrived ahead of time and is settled in a nearby hotel."

Yorkshire spoke as he walked, his smile unchanged, much like the local hotel attendants soliciting guests.

"It doesn’t seem too peaceful here."

Lin Fan cast a deep glance at the other person.

Although he looked ordinary, there was a subtle presence of Qi Force emanating from him.

He should be a deeply hidden martial arts expert.

And "Yorkshire" is the name of a breed of pet dog... so, is it simply a code name?

"Hey, you’re right, this place is not like home, don’t wander outside idly, especially avoid casinos and nightclubs."

Yorkshire playfully glanced at Lin Fan’s lower half.

"Of course, if you really can’t hold back, remember to use protection... the women here with AIDS won’t be honest with you."

"As for weapons, I can provide some light ones for you two if needed, to the best of my ability."

"I don’t need any weapons, tell me more about how to blend into the supply ship."

Lin Fan got into the car and calmly shook his head.

"It’s simple, when the time comes, I’ll use special channels to swap your identities with debt-ridden gamblers and send you along with the supplies into the Prison Island to serve as cleaning slaves."

Yorkshire seemed slightly surprised but didn’t ask further, nodding his head.

Being secretly sent from home to infiltrate the Domatra Prison Island, tightly controlled by the Holy Poison Sect.

You must have some skills to accomplish this.

Even if this young man seems ordinary, Yorkshire still held no contempt.

"Subordinate Shi Potian, paying respects to Young Master!"

After a while, the ferry vehicle left the shore, entering an inconspicuous resort hotel.

Following Yorkshire’s lead, Lin Fan arrived at a room on the third floor.

He met his Right Protector Shi Potian from the Human Tower again.

"Alright, rise. It was tough for you to come all the way from Sha Country this time."

Lin Fan helped Shi Potian up, who was kneeling on one knee, smiling and nodding.

This guy still wore the attire of a real estate agent.

He was dressed in a suit and tie with a meticulously combed wig.

Compared to their brief meeting in Haicheng last time, he seemed a bit plump.

Looks like the food in Sha Country is quite good...

"It’s my honor to serve the Young Master, it’s not hard at all!"

Shi Potian scratched his head, smiling with surprise.

He didn’t expect to suddenly be summoned by Lin Fan to partake in a big mission.

Perhaps, he left too deep an impression on him last time?

Instantly, Shi Potian straightened his posture, standing beside Lin Fan like a loyal follower.

"Is he not part of our system?"

Seeing this, Yorkshire was a bit bewildered, scrutinely examining Lin Fan and Shi Potian again.

He initially thought both of them were from the safety department of Xia Country.

As he has been stationed abroad for fieldwork for many years, he wasn’t too familiar with them.

But hearing the term "Young Master," it was clearly related to gang dynamics within Jianghu!

Yorkshire thought more about it, feeling something was off, his gaze turned peculiar.

"Whether a member of the system or not doesn’t have much impact on this mission, my subordinates, I trust them."

Lin Fan didn’t explain much, instead taking out the special satellite phone given by Nie Feng earlier.

"If you have any doubts, you can immediately contact the homeland’s higher-ups."

"...No need, the orders I received are to fully cooperate with your actions unconditionally."

Yorkshire hesitated a bit, then shook his head, temporarily suppressing his suspicions.

The three discussed briefly in the room.

After giving two reminders, Yorkshire left to secretly prepare.

In the following days, Lin Fan and Shi Potian stayed at the resort hotel, enduring a long boredom.

He inquired a lot about the situation over in Sha Country.

However, Shi Potian was busy enjoying food and drinks, not paying much attention.

After all, Master Feng was taking the lead.

He comfortably enjoyed high-standard treatment, but he recounted Sha Country’s capital delicacies extensively.

"Have any of the other brothers within the tower experienced the effects of Serenity Powder?"

```

It was another boring afternoon of waiting.

Lin Fan and Shi Potian lay on the beach chairs by the pool, chatting idly.

He touched the Vermilion Bird Ring between his fingers and suddenly asked.

"Well, there are. Fortunately, the Holy Poison Sect provided a lot of suppressive drugs before, so we can hold on for now."

Shi Potian looked simple-minded, but his eyes were darting everywhere.

"Young Master, I think you should keep an eye on Master Feng. He’s been doing exceptionally well in the Sha Country, and there’s no guarantee he won’t develop some unusual thoughts."

"I’m aware of that. Unless he doesn’t want next year’s Serenity Powder... Do you know about the time when the Hai City Yuan Family was chosen as the Sect Manager of the Human Tower?"

Lin Fan’s eyes flickered, and he changed the topic.

He had always been very puzzled.

If his mother was truly sent, as Ying Wenyuan claimed, to assassinate someone back then.

And who could command her while holding the Vermilion Bird Ring?

None other than the Master of Heaven and Earth Second Building, who holds a higher status than the Human Tower Master!

But when his mother took him and fled to Haicheng seven years ago, did she really not know the true background of the Yuan family?

If she had revealed her identity earlier, they wouldn’t have had to live such a miserable life, enduring the disdain of the Su Family...

Thoughts swirled and tangled in Lin Fan’s mind, and he silently shook his head, frowning.

"This... although I’ve been in the sect for a long time, these matters are probably from many years ago, and I’m not aware of them."

Shi Potian hesitated and shook his head.

"I think I heard Master Feng mention it a few times. Our Human Tower’s businesses are not just in Hai City Yuan Family. If we could visit the ruins of the Human Tower’s previous headquarters, find whatever records were left, we might be able to fully understand."

"...Forget it, let’s talk about it later. The urgent task is to sneak onto the Prison Island and rescue Adele and my mentor."

Lin Fan felt a hint of disappointment and decided not to say more, instead closing his eyes to rest.

By evening, as the sky gradually darkened, Yorkshire, who had been missing for several days, reappeared.

"The boat is here, put on these clothes and follow me."

He brought two sets of clearly specially-made simple outfits and tossed them to Lin Fan and Shi Potian, looking very serious.

"There was an unexpected incident; news came from the island that a big shot is visiting, and the surveillance there has become much more cautious. You must be very careful."

"If you can’t rescue them, don’t expose your identity... Several foreign special department personnel also blended in before but ended up losing their lives instead of saving anyone."

"So, there are other important figures from different countries detained inside?"

Lin Fan’s heart stirred as he nimbly changed clothes, asking thoughtfully.

"Those have nothing to do with our mission. To avoid extra trouble, don’t meddle."

Yorkshire’s face changed slightly, and his voice turned lower.

"Each takes care of their own business. The Holy Poison Sect’s real intent on Prison Island isn’t just detaining those high-ranking officials; they might be conducting some secret research."

"If you carelessly expose your identity and end up as guinea pigs, I won’t be able to get you out."

"Got it, I understand what to do."

Lin Fan nodded, hiding a box of silver needles in his clothes, exchanged a glance with Shi Potian.

The three of them immediately left the resort hotel under the cover of night, heading to the bustling harbor under the cloak of night.

The people coming and going were in a hurry, some were travelers, others were crew members just returning from a voyage.

No one paid much attention to Lin Fan and the other two.

After a moment, a dim spotlight appeared from afar on the dark sea surface, sweeping towards them.

"Good luck to you both, and return triumphant. I’ll wait for you at the hotel for half a month."

Seeing this, Yorkshire withdrew his gaze from the sea and said solemnly.

"If there’s still no word from you after half a month, I’ll submit a mission failure report back home."

"Thank you, see you in half a month then."

Lin Fan’s heart tightened, knowing the consequences once declared a mission failure.

That would be having no support, leaving both of them on Prison Island to fend for themselves!

"Boss, it’s these two, they owe our company a huge gambling debt, and they can only pay with their lives, are you satisfied with how it is now?"

With a bang, the small cargo ship gradually approached, stopping before the deck.

Yorkshire immediately changed his demeanor, grinning as he spoke the local dialect to the hook-nosed man on the deck.

"If they don’t listen, they should know what the consequences are."

The hook-nosed man looked Lin Fan and Shi Potian up and down, reluctantly nodded, pulled out a roll of cash, and tossed it to Yorkshire.

Then, picking up a walkie-talkie, he spoke in a gloomy tone for a few moments before waving Lin Fan and Shi Potian over.

"Once you’re there, work hard. Don’t you dare think about escaping, or your families will suffer too!"

Yorkshire’s expression turned stern, and he kicked Lin Fan and Shi Potian onto the deck, cursing and threatening them.

"We won’t, we won’t, we’ll behave ourselves and won’t cause any more trouble for the company."

Lin Fan put on a fearful appearance, standing alongside Shi Potian behind the hook-nosed man.

The wailing ship’s whistle sounded again.

The cargo ship swayed and set sail once more, heading towards the distant sea.

Watching Yorkshire’s silhouette on the shore grow fainter under the night lights.

Lin Fan couldn’t help but take a deep breath, exchanging a glance with Shi Potian.

The journey ahead would have the two of them all on their own, relying solely on themselves for everything.