A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1030 An Incoming Storm

A storm brewed in Jiangdong as Ye Fan focused on his recovery.

News of Mr Chu's death spread like wildfire throughout the province.

No one had been bothered with the news at first.

There had been no proof of Mr Chu's death. No one had been willing to believe such a baseless claim. Besides, Mufan Group was clearly prospering and its stocks reaching record highs on a regular basis. Under the management of Chen Ao and the rest, Mr Chu's businesses had seen continual expansion. His reputation had reached a peak that no one could surpass since the battle at Dongchang Lake.

Ye Fan was enjoying unsurpassed glory and honor in Jiangdong at the current moment. No one believed that he was dead.

Yet, as time passed, the news of Mr Chu's death spread with increasing fervor.

Mufan Group, which had been prospering a while ago, began to face numerous setbacks.

Its businesses in every sector, including banking, construction, logistics and retail, were affected at the same time.

Some companies faced unexpected termination of agreements from their corporate partners. Some received fines and penalties from government agencies. Some even suffered property damages by and harassment from local gangsters.

Their headquarters in Yunzhou was forced to scale back its original operations.

They recalled the executives of their subsidiaries in Fenghai, Haozhou, Jianghai and other major cities and let go of many of their workers.

Some of the more astute residents in Jiangdong realized that Mufan Shopping Center, which was situated in the city hub, had been sold to someone else and its signboard was also replaced. Everything seemed to be pointing towards one natural conclusion.

Something huge must have happened to Mufan Group in the course of the past few months.

There was no other explanation for its sudden and inexplicable scaling down of its existing operations and businesses.

Many had been convinced that with the boost that Mr Chu's reputation brought it, Mufan Group would expand rapidly throughout the region and establish itself as the domineering commercial power in Jiangdong.

No one could have expected the tides to turn so quickly against Mufan Group.

Many of these incidents had been taking place quietly behind the scenes. Mufan Group had tried to keep everything under wraps and tried not to cause any commotion in Jiangdong. Regardless, those who were astute or smart enough could tell that the seemingly calm veneer hid a presence that was stirring the waters and trying to brew up a storm in Jiangdong.

It was then that Fenghua Group appeared out of nowhere and turned up in Jiangdong.

The organization appeared to be built in a night. Upon its appearance, it announced to the rest of the world that it was going to acquire Mufan Group.

"Mufan Group's influence and power depend solely on the all-powerful Mr Chu. He is the sole reason that Mufan Group continues to have such a huge and powerful presence in Jiangdong. Unfortunately, Mr Chu died in an accident more than a month ago. Without him, Mufan Group is worthless. Fenghua Group, a company that I, Lu Ming-Feng and my partner, Xur Shao-Hua co-founded, will begin to acquire all assets under Mufan Group from tomorrow. We will show you that the era of Mufan Group has come to an end. The only voice that is going to be heard in Jiangdong will be our voice, the voice of Fenghua Group."

It was the evening of the sixth of June when the chairperson of Fenghua Group, Lu Ming-Feng, made that statement at the Jianghai business forum.

His words sent the whole of Jiangdong into an uproar.

Commotion stirred in the business, political and martial arts realms.

"What? Mr Chu's dead? You mean the rumors were true? But...how could that be possible?"

When Old Master Xia found out about the announcement that Fenghua Group had made, his face paled instantly. Shock and alarm surged within him.

Since the Feast of the Sea and Sky, the old master had planned on exploiting his granddaughter Xia Xue's friendship with Ye Fan to better his own relationship with Ye Fan.

In the meantime, he had been investing heavily in Mufan Group.

The Xia family had invested a lot of capital in many of the businesses that Mufan Group owned.

In fact, they had given Ye Fan a precious gemstone that had been worth billions of dollars as a present.

He had spent so much money and resources to gain Ye Fan's favor and build a strong partnership with Mufan Group.

He had done everything so that when Mufan Group gained control over Jiangdong, the Xia family could have a piece of the pie.

But now, Ye Fan was dead and the massive Mufan Group was going to be acquired by someone else. The news was a devastating blow to the Xia family.

If what Lu Ming-Feng had said was indeed true, everything that the Xia family had done would have been for nothing.

"Grandfather, it can't be true. Mr Chu is a powerful man. He couldn't have died that easily," said Xia Xue. Fear had turned her lovely face pale.

The old man simply shook his head.

"That's what I thought initially, but I'm afraid Mr Chu is truly gone."

The old master's face was solemn and the words he uttered filled with worry and fear.

The news about Ye Fan's death had been spreading across the city for some time now.

But there had been no evidence to prove that Ye Fan had died in an accident and so few had believed it.

But Lu Ming-Feng had openly announced the news of Ye Fan's demise.

"He wouldn't have made such a public announcement if he wasn't 100% sure that Mr Chu's really dead. He also wouldn't have announced his plans to acquire Mufan Group. Such a declaration is the equivalent of issuing a challenge to Mr Chu and declaring his intent to take Mr Chu's place in Jiangdong. He's telling us that he's going to challenge the powers that have gained control over Jiangdong after the Feast of the Sea and Sky," said the old man slowly. The other members of the Xia family shook fearfully when they heard his words. They could feel their blood run cold.

Terror coursed through Xia Xue.

"Is Jiangdong going to undergo an upheaval?"

Similar conversations were taking place all over Jiangdong that night.

"Dad, is it true? Is Brother Fan really dead? How could that be possible?"

When Shen Fei heard the news, he pulled his pants up and left a freshly showered young woman in the hotel room as he hurried back to his family to seek answers from Shen Jiu-Yi.

Shen Jiu-Yi didn't look happy at all. He didn't give Shen Fei the answer he wanted immediately. Instead, he slipped into his shoes and instructed his men to drive them to the Li family's villa.

"Follow me if you want answers." The look on Shen Jiu-Yi's face was solemn. He dragged his son along with him as he went in search of Li Er.

The repercussions of Ye Fan's death were vast. His family wasn't the only ones who were going to be affected. The other family clans and organizations who had pledged their allegiance to Ye Fan would be similarly affected.

This was going to be a sleepless night for the powerful families in Jiangdong.

The phones of Li Er, Chen Ao and Lei San rang nonstop that night. The flow of visitors who came knocking at their doors never ceased.

They were the men whom Ye Fan trusted the most.

They would know if something terrible had

truly happened to Ye Fan.