"Thank you for the reminder, elderly Mr. Li."

Seeing Mr. Li warning him now was enough to prove that his hostility towards Xu Fan had dissipated, so Xu Fan sincerely expressed his gratitude.

Indeed, just as he said, the Ke Family's fall wouldn't stabilize Shanghai's situation; on the contrary, it would become even more chaotic.

Not to mention the challenge of rallying the fleeing rabble of the fallen Ke Family in one fell swoop, just standing firm in this muddled situation was already a big problem.

Having taken the first step down this path, there was no turning back. Before he dealt with the Ke Family, Xu Fan had prepared himself for this.

No matter how hard and full of obstacles the road ahead was, he would press forward with courage.

"Heh, this old man certainly doesn't have the energy to warn you."

At that moment, Mr. Li looked at the stunning array of flowers before him and said, "If you truly are a dragon, Shanghai is yours to roam freely."

"But if you're nothing more than a worm, not even the help of a Daluo Golden Immortal could make a fraction of a difference."

"This I naturally understand."

Xu Fan smiled slightly and nodded, choosing not to argue with old Mr. Li.

In his view, there was no need for verbal disputes; one day, when he stood at the pinnacle of Shanghai, whether he was a dragon or a worm would be known to all.

"Mr. Li, if there is nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

Having glanced at Mr. Li, Xu Fan was ready to say goodbye.

"Hold on a second."

But before he could turn to leave, Mr. Li abruptly called out to stop him.

"Boy, have you really not given any thought to what I said before?"

Old Mr. Li was staring into his eyes, seemingly expectant.

He was obviously referring to the marriage of his granddaughter.

Xu Fan understood the benefits that marrying Li Qinghe could bring him.

However, he wasn't the kind of man who sought to rise through a woman.

Xu Fan smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Li, matters of the heart should be left to fate."

"Of course, if you put in more effort, who knows, I might actually take interest."

"You cheeky lad…"

Xu Fan's response made old Mr. Li laugh and curse him in good humor.

To marry into the Li Family, a sought-after son-in-law of nobility—yet now he's being asked for his hand in marriage and not only does he not eagerly agree, but he also suggests that Mr. Li try harder?

This kid, truly confident indeed...

"In a while, someone in Shanghai will have a birthday, if you're interested, you might want to take a look."

Suddenly, Mr. Li threw out that sentence unexpectedly, making Xu Fan raise an eyebrow.

That statement was clearly not made casually; perhaps the person he was talking about had a significant link to the consolidation of the fallen Ke Family's forces.

After pondering the words for a moment, Xu Fan cast a glance towards Mr. Li.

Having said his piece, the old man walked towards the flowerbeds, as if that last remark had nothing to do with him at all.

"Heh, another old man who's tough on the outside but soft on the inside."

Being able to point this out was already a great help to himself, and Xu Fan was not willing to bother anymore, he glanced at Old Man Li and then turned to leave.

The next day, Xu Fan found Han Dongxu to ask about this matter.

Over the years, the Ke Family had relied on the efforts of Ana Dan to cement their influence deeply in Shanghai.

It wasn't just the underworld forces; the Ke Family had dipped into every lucrative industry in Shanghai.

It was because of this capacity to embrace all rivers that the Ke Family came to prominence.

Now, using the Qing Gang as a springboard, Xu Fan believed that all the minor and major underground forces in Shanghai would soon be under his control.

Old Man Li also likely guessed this point, and what he reminded Xu Fan of were probably those overt resources.

Upon hearing Xu Fan's question, Han Dongxu furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

After carefully considering all the figures in Shanghai, in an instant, he hadn't realized who was about to celebrate a birthday.

"I remember now!"

It was a while before he suddenly came to his senses.

Looking at Xu Fan with a grin, Han Dongxu chuckled, "Master, the old Li Family head you referred to, must be talking about Professor Sun."

"Professor Sun?"

Xu Fan frowned, could a mere professor really wield that much energy?

At that moment, Han Dongxu said, "Master, this Professor Sun, his research is about new energy development, surely you have heard of it?"

Xu Fan nodded, the so-called new energy referred to unconventional sources like wind, ocean, nuclear, and other types of alternative energies, which held vast advantages over traditional energy.

Affordable prices, high energy utilization rates, and so on...

Now that conventional energy is gradually beginning to deplete, almost the entire world is researching new energy, attempting to find the highest cost-effective new energy source.

If what Professor Sun had developed pertained to new energy, then indeed, it would be highly profitable.

Han Dongxu went on to say, "Recently, Professor Sun developed a new type of ocean energy which has caused quite a stir around the world."

"Since new energy is a nascent industry, the state doesn't wish to get too involved but instead encourages major corporations to partake in its development. Now Professor Sun is looking for partners to bring his novel ocean energy formula into operational use."

As he spoke, Han Dongxu paused and then smiled, "Boss, in fact, we don't need to understand too much about this, we just need to know one thing, whoever Professor Sun favors will make a fortune. No, no, not just money at stake here."

Looking seriously at Xu Fan, Han Dongxu said, "Boss, let me put it this way, if we manage to secure this contract, what we get won't just be a tremendous benefit that simple."

"New energy is a new industry, and although the state doesn't want to invest too much, it encourages participation. If you get this contract, you will certainly receive the officials' commendation. Once you have the official backing, we can be considered to have a strong supporter in Shanghai."

Xu Fan nodded, he couldn't deny that what Han Dongxu said was very tempting, but there were still some things Xu Fan didn't quite understand.

If Old Man Li had brought this person up, then he should have a significant connection with the Ke Family.

Looking at Han Dongxu, Xu Fan asked, "Han Dongxu, does Professor Sun have any connection with the Ke Family?"

When Xu Fan asked this, Han Dongxu couldn't help but give a wry smile.

"Boss, Professor Sun is actually the biggest piece of the leftover pie after the Ke Family's downfall, but, I'm afraid we are not qualified to get a piece of it."

As they had always been close to the Ke Family, Han Dongxu had heard of Professor Sun.

He looked at Xu Fan and explained, "New energy development requires a huge investment of capital for a chance of success, and over the years, the Ke Family has already invested several billion to assist Professor Sun's research."

"Moreover, they made sure that Professor Sun's life was well taken care of, providing for all his needs. For Professor Sun, the Ke Family is both a godsend and a rebirth of his parents."

"Do you think, even now that Ke Bancheng has run away, that Professor Sun would be willing to cooperate with us?"

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