Chapter Twenty-Seven: One Billion

“Ding! Your account ending in XXXX has received a transfer of 1,000,000,000!”

“What?!”

Yang Xiaofan was completely dumbfounded.

One billion!

Was this some kind of joke?

Mu Shuyu had actually sent him a whole billion!

Did that mean his net worth had now reached a billion?

If it weren’t for all the people still in the classroom, he might have shouted out in excitement right then and there.

“Xiaofan, what’s wrong?” Qin Nuanyu noticed something odd about him and couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“It’s… it’s nothing. I need to step out and make a call.”

Yang Xiaofan had to confirm whether Mu Shuyu had sent the money by mistake, or things would get awkward.

He hurried out of the classroom and immediately dialed a number.

“Hello! Sister Shuyu, did you just transfer a billion to me?”

“That’s right. We discussed it and decided that’s the amount we should give you.”

“That’s way too much, isn’t it? That’s more than double the three or four hundred million we talked about before.”

“It’s not too much at all. I’ve said before, your paintings are of such an extraordinary standard that even more than a billion would be easily justified. Giving you just a billion is actually a bargain for us. Don’t worry, just accept it.”

“Then thank you so much, Sister Shuyu. I’ll definitely find time these days to treat you to a meal.”

“No need to be so polite. By the way, I’ve already taken care of the auction house you wanted to set up. Mr. Liu, who’s in real estate, has a commercial office building and is willing to rent it to you at a low price. You should send someone over as soon as you can to take over.”

“Alright, I’ll have someone go over right away.”

After hanging up, Yang Xiaofan punched the wall with excitement.

“This is just incredible!”

A whole billion!

A full billion!

If he lived frugally, he could never spend it all in his lifetime.

But even if he was a little extravagant, it seemed he still wouldn’t be able to spend it all.

Returning to the classroom, Yang Xiaofan spoke briefly with Qin Nuanyu, then went back to the dorm to find Gu Hao.

To his surprise, Gu Hao was no longer his usual careless self, but was seriously studying his major—Finance and Economics.

“Well, look at that, the sun must be rising in the west today.”

Gu Hao raised his head and glanced at Yang Xiaofan.

“What else can I do? I’m not a freak like you when it comes to painting. If I don’t study hard, I won’t even be able to feed myself after graduation.”

“Good! That’s the spirit.”

Yang Xiaofan nodded in approval.

“So, President Gu, I was wondering if you’d be interested in going into business with me?”

Gu Hao looked up at him in confusion.

“What kind of business do you want me for?”

“I’m planning to open an auction house to sell paintings. Now I need someone to manage it.”

“But don’t you already have buyers for your paintings? Why bother with an auction house?”

“It’s not the same.”

Yang Xiaofan shook his head.

“My paintings are valuable, but rarity increases worth. If I sell too many, their value drops. So, I’d rather hold auctions, sell fewer pieces, drive up the price, and still make money. What do you think? Are you interested? I’ll pay you by commission—the higher you sell for, the bigger your cut.”

“Of course I’m interested.” Gu Hao was overjoyed. He knew better than anyone how valuable Yang Xiaofan’s words were.

Otherwise, why would Yang Xiaofan give him the M5 just like that, and then turn around and buy a Ferrari?

Earning commissions here would fill his pockets to the brim.

Such a great opportunity—anyone would be desperate for it, but Yang Xiaofan had chosen him.

Gu Hao took a deep breath, his eyes turning red as he spoke again, “Xiaofan, thank you.”

Yang Xiaofan patted him on the shoulder and smiled.

“No need to be so formal.”

Some things simply can’t be bought with money.

Back when both of them were broke, if Yang Xiaofan had fallen ill, besides his parents, the only one willing to run around to help him raise money would have been Fatty.

So now that he was wealthy, he didn’t hesitate to share a bit of his fortune with his loyal friend.

“This afternoon, you’ll need to take some time off and go to Mu Group to coordinate things. They’ll walk you through the process.”

“Got it.”

“Oh, and one more thing—take my car. I’ll need the M5 tonight.”

He needed to treat Qin Nuanyu’s roommates to dinner that evening, and a Ferrari would be too flashy. It’s not like he could have them sit on the hood.

“No problem.”

The two swapped cars and, after parting ways, Yang Xiaofan returned to the classroom to pick up Qin Nuanyu for lunch.

After an affectionate, lingering meal, they went back to afternoon classes.

Finally, after school, Yang Xiaofan and Qin Nuanyu went to the neighboring department to pick up her close friends.

“Wow! So he’s the rich guy with a BMW—no wonder our Nuanyu is so taken with him.”

As soon as they met, the girls’ eyes sparkled with excitement.

Qin Nuanyu rolled her eyes at them and began introducing everyone.

“This is my boyfriend, Yang Xiaofan. Xiaofan, these are my roommates: Yun Yiyi, Fang Nan, and Chen Wanyi.”

“Hello.” Yang Xiaofan nodded in greeting.

The girls squinted their eyes and smiled. “Handsome guy, you’ve stolen the pride of our dorm. Tonight, you’ll have to make it up to us.”

“No worries—the bank card is ready. I’ll just lie back and let you have your way.”

Qin Nuanyu quickly interjected, “You all better not go too far.”

The three girls instantly put on pitiful faces.

“Nuanyu, you’ve changed.”

“You used to always put us first when something good happened, but now with a boyfriend, you say things like this to us.”

“We’re heartbroken. Only an expensive treat can cheer us up.”

Qin Nuanyu blushed and glared at them in mock anger, but the girls ignored her.

Yang Xiaofan smoothed things over. “It’s getting late. We should get going, or traffic downtown will be a mess.”

“Right, let’s go!” the girls chimed in enthusiastically, and Qin Nuanyu could only sigh helplessly and agree.

In the car, Yun Yiyi patted the seat, curiosity in her voice. “Yang, this 5 Series seems a bit different. I’ve been in other 5 Series before, but their interiors weren’t this nice, and the design wasn’t so aggressive. Is yours a high-end model?”

“No, it’s an M5, the top-tier version straight from the factory.”

“M5?”

The three girls immediately pulled out their phones to look it up.

When they saw the price, they couldn’t help but shriek.

“One point five eight million, and that’s just the base price! Goodness, with taxes and fees, it must be close to two million!”

“That’s right.”

“With that kind of money, why not just buy a sports car? This is way too low-key!”

“I already bought a sports car. This car is for my buddy. Since there are more of us today, I brought this one out.”