All afternoon, Li Fan openly carried two property certificates as he went in and out of various banks. Anyone could see that he was preparing to use his property for a mortgage loan.

In reality, Li Fan didn't conduct any business inside the banks.

The bank's mortgage loan approval process was too slow, and he didn't have the time to wait.

He was just putting on a show, waiting for the fish to take the bait. But as the bank's closing time approached, no one showed up.

Logically, Xie Debiao's men should be watching those who come to the bank for loans, then introduce them to their high-interest loan services.

Where were they now? Where did they go!?

Li Fan checked the time; the bank was about to close.

It seemed he would have to take the initiative, but that would mean losing the upper hand.

Just as he stepped out of the bank with the property certificates, a scrawny young man with a sharp face, yellow hair, tight pants, and bean shoes approached him with a sly grin and asked:

"Isn't this Little Li? What are you doing, getting a loan?"

Li Fan looked at the spirited young man, his expression unchanged, but inside he was overjoyed.

He knew this guy, Zhou Qiang, Xie Debiao's nephew. Clearly, his afternoon performance had finally caught a fish.

Li Fan gave Zhou Qiang a distrustful look and said:

"Yeah, I'm about to graduate and plan to start a media base with some classmates. I need a lot of money."

Zhou Qiang smiled and put an arm around Li Fan's shoulder, asking:

"Not going well?"

"Yeah, the amount I need is too large, and the approval takes too long. I won't talk about it. I'm going to find a classmate who might have a way."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Zhou Qiang, seeing the property certificates in Li Fan's hand, hurriedly caught up.

Zhou Qiang had already informed his uncle about Li Fan's bank loan attempts. His uncle had given him the task of bringing Li Fan to their company for a loan.

How could he let him go so easily? He followed Li Fan, eagerly introducing:

"Little Li, why go far when my uncle has a loan company? As long as the collateral is substantial, you can borrow as much as you want!"

Hearing this, Li Fan stopped, turned slowly, and still in a distrustful tone, asked:

"Really? I need quite a bit."

"Don't worry, my uncle's company in Chang'an Prefecture is the fastest and most generous lender, second only to the four major banks..."

Li Fan interrupted, thinking to himself:

"I need 100 million, can you provide that?"

"Gah... cough, cough!"

Zhou Qiang was eloquently introducing when he almost choked on his own saliva at the number.

"How, how much? 100 million?!"

Li Fan feigned displeasure, frowning and saying:

"What's wrong? Can't handle it? I knew it, small companies can't handle large loans. I'm leaving."

With that, Li Fan hailed a taxi and went home without looking back.

Zhou Qiang watched the taxi disappear and quickly took out his phone to make a call. Soon, a voice came from the other end:

"Qiangzi, is it done?"

"Uncle, things are a bit unexpected!"

"What happened?"

"Uncle, Li Fan wants to borrow a lot, and I didn't dare agree."

"How much can a college student borrow?! I was worried he'd borrow too little. The more he borrows, the more I can control him. Don't worry, agree to whatever he asks."

Zhou Qiang hesitated, struggling to say:

"100 million!"

"Geez, it's just 100 million, agree... how much?!! 100 million, is he crazy? Are you sure you heard right?"

"He said it himself, and he thinks we can't handle it, so he left."

On the other end, Xie Debiao was silent for a long time before saying:

"Alright, leave it to me. I'll talk to him personally."

With that, Xie Debiao hung up, sitting on the sofa with a pretty female college student in his arms, muttering:

"What is this orphan up to? 100 million, does he even understand what that means? Looks like I'll have to handle this myself."

He looked at the girl in his arms, who seemed as timid as a quail, and said:

"Girl, you've done well. I'll give you another month."

"T-thank you, Brother Biao... I'll pay you back as soon as possible," the girl slurred, her voice thick and trembling.

"Alright, if you can't pay it back in a month, I'll arrange for you to work at my nightclub."

"Hiss, you need to practice more; your teeth hurt me."

Meanwhile, Li Fan returned home and took out a dozen A4 sheets and drawing tools.

He needed to draft the design for the underground fortress, based on his memory and some ideas, to create a rough sketch and then consult professionals tomorrow.

The underground fortress would have four underground levels, two above ground, with a four-meter-high fully defensive watchtower, leaving only two 270-degree shooting ports at the front and back.

Each underground level would cover 500 square meters, with a total height of 30 meters, and a single level height of 7.2 meters. The reasons for such a design were:

First, to facilitate the storage of living supplies, with each level having a storage capacity of 3,500 cubic meters.

Second, the deeper the underground fortress, the better the heat resistance.

And most importantly, when his parents had the villa designed, the designer and geologist had suggested not to dig too deep for the foundation, as there might be an underground water vein, and it was best not to exceed 30 meters.

Li Fan planned to tap into the underground water vein and install a drainage system on the lowest level. Although it would cost more, it would solve the crucial issue of water supply.

Before he knew it, it was past 7 PM. After several checks, he added all the necessary facilities and a list of supplies to purchase from several suppliers tomorrow.

Now, he just had to wait for Xie Debiao to come knocking.

Sure enough, Li Fan wasn't disappointed. Just as he finished organizing the sketches and list, there was a knock at the door.

Opening the door, he saw Xie Debiao with Zhou Qiang and a woman holding his arm, who looked familiar.

The woman also seemed slightly surprised to see Li Fan but didn't speak, quickly averting her gaze to minimize her presence.

Li Fan didn't pay much attention to the woman; with someone like Xie Debiao, it wasn't surprising to see any kind of woman around him.

Looking at Xie Debiao, Li Fan asked knowingly:

"Uncle Xie, is there something you need from me?"

Xie Debiao smiled warmly, like an elder, and said:

"Little Li, aren't you going to invite your uncle in? We've been neighbors for years."

Li Fan stepped aside, smiling as he invited them into the living room, asking:

"Uncle Xie, you're a busy man. What brings you to me?"

"I heard from Zhou Qiang that you're having some trouble lately?"

Li Fan waved it off, saying:

"It's nothing serious. I'm about to graduate, and I'm planning to start an online media company with some classmates and build a media base. The investment might be a bit large, so I'm looking to get a loan. I was just on the phone with a classmate, and he's introducing me to two investors tomorrow, so it shouldn't be a big deal."

Hearing this, Xie Debiao was anxious but remained calm, saying:

"You silly kid, when your parents were alive, we were quite close, even did business together. Why didn't you come to me for help? Are you treating me like an outsider?"

"Uncle Xie, you misunderstood. It's just that the funding gap is too large this time, and the investment risk is high. I was afraid I couldn't repay you and cause you a loss!"

Hearing this, Xie Debiao's face turned serious, and he said:

"What are you saying? Don't go to others; I'll handle it for you. If you go to someone else and can't repay, do you know if they're trustworthy or not? You're a college student with no family; what if someone harms you?"

Li Fan immediately appeared a bit scared, sensing the threat in Xie Debiao's words, and said with difficulty:

"But I've already agreed to meet them tomorrow at noon. Wouldn't it be bad to cancel?"

"No problem, we'll settle it tonight. In Chang'an North City, mentioning my name works wonders."

Li Fan pretended to be in a difficult position but had no choice, saying:

"But I need 100 million!"

Hearing the number again, Xie Debiao hesitated. It wasn't that he couldn't gather the money; with some effort, he could.

But Li Fan's two properties, a 1,000-square-meter supermarket, estimated at around 80,000 per square meter in this prime location, should be worth about 80 million.

And the other property, priced at 30,000 per square meter, with two levels totaling 320 square meters, should be worth about 10 million.

In total, the market value was 90 million, which was less than the loan amount. Although these properties had great potential for appreciation, especially the commercial property.

But he wouldn't do a losing deal. After calculating, he said:

"Little Li, you're planning to use these two properties as collateral, right?"

Li Fan nodded.

"Sigh, you're still young and inexperienced with loans. These two properties can't secure that much money. Credit companies won't give it, and neither will banks. I'll lend you 80 million, which is the maximum. No other place will offer more than I do."

Hearing this, Li Fan was overjoyed inside. He knew 100 million was impossible. Even banks would only lend up to 70% of the property's value.

The reason for mentioning 100 million was to raise Xie Debiao's expectations. He expected 60 million, but it was 20 million more than he anticipated.

Despite his happiness, he put on a troubled face and uncertainly asked:

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

"Uncle Xie, are you sure I can't get 100 million?"

Xie Debiao replied firmly:

"Absolutely not, you must have asked the bank too."

Li Fan hesitated for a long time before sighing and saying:

"Alright, but can the money be transferred tonight? Otherwise, I can't explain it to my classmates tomorrow."

Xie Debiao signaled Zhou Qiang, who took out two pre-printed contracts and placed them in front of Li Fan.

"Don't worry, sign the contract, and the money will be transferred in no time."

Li Fan didn't hesitate, signing his name. The loan term was three months, with a 10 million interest. Without delay, Xie Debiao transferred 80 million, and Li Fan reluctantly handed over the property certificates.

With the property certificates in hand, a grin spread across Xie Debiao's face as he said:

"Little Li, I'm looking out for you. I won't deduct the 10 million interest. In three months, if you can't repay 90 million, I'll take these two properties as collateral."

Li Fan looked at the property certificates in Xie Debiao's hand, nodded reluctantly, and said nothing.

As they left, the woman beside Xie Debiao gave Li Fan a meaningful look before following them out.

Once the door closed, Li Fan's reluctant expression vanished, replaced by a mocking smile.

Three months? Let's see if you can survive three months first.

Back home, Xie Debiao pondered, feeling something was off about the whole situation, but he couldn't pinpoint what.

Zhou Qiang noticed his uncle's troubled expression and asked:

"Uncle, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, there's something strange about that kid. He gives off an indescribable feeling. In the past, he was polite but had a look of awe in his eyes when he saw me.

But when I spoke to him just now, although he was polite, I felt uncomfortable, like I was being looked down upon."

"Uncle, maybe you're overthinking. You scared him a little, and he backed down. He borrowed as much as you said. He's still afraid of you."

Shaking his head, Xie Debiao, experienced in the underworld, could sense subtle changes in expressions. He instructed:

"For now, stop watching the banks. Find someone to keep an eye on him, see what he's up to, and report to me."

"Got it, Uncle!"

With that, Zhou Qiang occasionally glanced lecherously at the female college student beside Xie Debiao. Laughing, Xie Debiao pushed the girl towards Zhou Qiang, saying:

"Go have fun. I'll extend her deadline by a month."

Zhou Qiang happily embraced the girl, who struggled briefly but quieted down upon seeing Xie Debiao's smiling face, obediently following Zhou Qiang out.

---

Proofreader: Peter Pan