Yan Beichen left without saying a word.
Two days later, he returned, accompanied by the owner of the cake shop.
"From now on, this shop belongs to President Yan. Everyone, greet him properly!"
The staff were stunned—was he really this loaded?
Yan Beichen spoke calmly, "Starting today, Xiao Ruoruo is fired."
Xan Ruoruo froze for a moment, then took off her uniform and walked out.
"Where are you going?" Yan Beichen asked.
"None of your business! Do you think money is everything? I can support myself!" Xiao Ruoruo ran off again.
In the vice president's office, Yan Nanzhe stared dumbfounded at the stack of contracts handed to him by his newly hired secretary. "What?"
The secretary replied cautiously, "President Yan bought a cake shop, then a milk tea shop, a clothing store, a flower shop... All paid through the company's accounts."
Fang Zhiyi hadn’t expected such absurdity. "Isn’t the finance department losing their minds?"
The secretary nodded. "The finance manager is cursing up a storm in his office." As she pushed the door open, the sound of hysterical yelling echoed from outside.
Yan Nanzhe wanted to say something, but after catching Fang Zhiyi’s look, he simply nodded. "Alright, got it."
Eventually, Xiao Ruoruo returned, walking hand-in-hand with Yan Beichen into the office. Someone immediately came to report.
Yan Nanzhe eagerly grabbed a tablet to check the surveillance feed. Seeing the two cuddled up sweetly, his face twisted in disgust and confusion. "Bro Fang, I used to think my older brother was impressive. Now I realize I never really knew him."
Fang Zhiyi thought to himself, No kidding! He only seemed impressive because the old man was always cleaning up his messes!
The board of directors had raised objections over the reckless shop purchases, but the old man had forcefully silenced them.
Fang Zhiyi was too curious not to ask his system, "Did Yan Beichen save the old man’s life or something? Why is he still covering for him?"
The system hesitated for a long time, so Fang Zhiyi cut straight to the point. "I’ve got enough points saved up. Worst case, I’ll just coast, and your little brain will stay stunted forever." (The system grew stronger only by completing tasks assigned by Fang Zhiyi.)
"Fine, I’ll tell you secretly," the system whispered mysteriously. "Yan Beichen is actually the son of the old man and his first love. Yan Nanzhe is the child from the later marriage. Since Yan Nanzhe’s mother died young, no one ever brought it up."
"Holy shit! How could you keep such crucial info from me?" Fang Zhiyi was furious.
The system sounded defensive. "Well, it wasn’t relevant to your tasks. Why dig into it?"
"I don’t care. From now on, if you want me to complete missions, you’d better give me all the details. Fair enough?"
The system finally relented.
"Also, Yan Beichen knows the truth," the system added as a bonus.
"No wonder."
News of President Yan’s engagement spread throughout the company. Everyone received an invitation—Yan Beichen wasn’t stingy about it. Most importantly, he wanted the entire company to know Xiao Ruoruo was his fiancée!
Staring at the invitation on his desk, Yan Nanzhe grumbled again. "He still has the nerve to get engaged? I’m drowning in work! I’m not going!"
Fang Zhiyi smirked. "You should go. There’ll be drama."
"Nah. Just seeing Xiao Ruoruo annoys me. She’s a complete idiot."
"But Chen Wanting will probably be there."
"Bro Fang, what should I wear to look good?"
Watching Yan Nanzhe’s sudden change in attitude, Fang Zhiyi scoffed. "You’d look best naked!"
The engagement banquet was held at the city’s grandest venue, the Four Seas Restaurant. Yan Nanzhe, dressed to impress, stood at the entrance waiting for Chen Wanting, while Fang Zhiyi sat nearby, anticipating the show.
Many guests arrived, including the old man, who had been living it up abroad. He didn’t seem thrilled about his son marrying a girl from an ordinary family, but he didn’t interfere.
Yan Nanzhe shamelessly seated himself beside Chen Wanting, cracking jokes that kept her laughing. For the first time, she gave the younger Yan heir a proper look, her earlier gloom over Yan Beichen’s engagement fading.
But halfway through the ceremony, a woman carrying a child walked in.
"Yan Beichen."
The hall fell silent.
Onstage, Yan Beichen’s expression twisted in shock.
Tears glistened in Xie Yutang’s eyes as she gently smoothed her child’s hair. "Niantang, this is your father." The baby, too young to speak, seemed to understand, reaching out toward Yan Beichen for a hug.
A collective gasp swept through the room. Even Yan Nanzhe, who had been laser-focused on Chen Wanting, was stunned.
Fang Zhiyi, having struck a deal with his system, studied the child—the same one who, in the future, would use his genius hacking skills to bring Yan Nanzhe down.
Xie Yutang, maintaining her composure, smiled tearfully at the baby. "Alright, you’ve seen him. Let’s go." With that, she turned to leave.
After a heavy silence, a figure leaped off the stage and sprinted toward the exit, leaving Xiao Ruoruo sobbing on the floor.
Fang Zhiyi tossed aside the melon seeds he’d been snacking on. Glancing at Yan Nanzhe, who had already refocused on Chen Wanting, he slipped away quietly. Today was Yan Nanzhe’s chance to shine—Fang Zhiyi still had work to handle.
Later, back in the office, Fang Zhiyi was surprised to see Yan Nanzhe walk in. "What’s up? No date?"
"Date my ass. Big bro ran off, the old man’s furious, and I got chewed out for no reason. I didn’t even get to see Chen Wanting off."
"Hey, Bro Fang," Yan Nanzhe grumbled, "do you think I was adopted? It’s not like I ran away, yet he still blamed me."
Fang Zhiyi’s pen paused. "You weren’t adopted. The old man is definitely your father."
Yan Nanzhe gave him a strange look. "Bro Fang, do you know something?"
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "No."
"Come on, we’re bros! Don’t hold out on me!"
Fang Zhiyi feigned hesitation, though inwardly delighted—this was the perfect opportunity. He’d been worried Yan Nanzhe might hesitate, but now...
"Back when I worked for your brother, I overheard him say a few things while drunk," Fang Zhiyi said carefully. "Take it with a grain of salt, alright?"
Yan Nanzhe’s face turned serious. "Tell me."
Fang Zhiyi revealed the truth about their different mothers—with some embellishments, of course.
Yan Nanzhe sat in silence for a long moment before collapsing onto the couch. "That explains everything. No matter what crap my brother pulls, he gets praised. Meanwhile, nothing I do is ever right."
Seeing the resolve in his eyes, Fang Zhiyi knew the timing was perfect.
"So, about that plan..."
"Do it, Bro Fang. I trust you’ve got everything prepared, right?" Yan Nanzhe grinned, back to his usual playful self.