Chapter 224: Fight If You Want To
"Stop trying to be funny, I laugh easily!" Chen Yao chided Zhou Fan. Her hand, like a little crayfish pincer, latched onto his arm and gave the flesh a hard twist.
'This is so unfair!'
'I was just talking normally, how did that make you laugh?'
'You laugh easily, so how is that my fault?'
"Heh. Mr. Zhou, you must be joking. How did those three die? Are you saying you don't know?" Li Mei said, gritting her teeth and struggling to control her rage. 'Now is not the time to move against Zhou Fan!'
"Of course I don't know. If I had to pay attention to every Tom, Dick, and Harry, I'd be worked to death, wouldn't I?" Zhou Fan rolled his eyes. "But how they died doesn't matter. They're dead now, so according to our bet, their shares are mine. I'm sure Chairman Li isn't the type of person to be a sore loser!"
"That's not really my call to make. However, I do have a suggestion, if Mr. Zhou is willing to hear it?" A treacherous glint flashed in Li Mei's eyes; she had been waiting for Zhou Fan to ask about the shares of those three.
"Oh? Let's hear it, then," Zhou Fan said, the corner of his mouth pulling into a playful smirk.
"I've long heard that Mr. Zhou is surrounded by many gifted individuals. Why don't we each choose three people, including you and me, and have a little competition? For every match you win, you'll get one person's shares. What do you say?" Li Mei said confidently. 'Since Elder Witch told me not to make a move on Zhou Fan for now, a competition should be fine, right?'
'That way, if my hand were to 'slip' and I 'accidentally' killed Zhou Fan during the match, no one could blame me for it!'
Li Mei even worried Zhou Fan might refuse, so she added with a smile, "Mr. Zhou… surely you're not scared, are you?"
A provocation!
A brazen provocation!
It was such a crude attempt at goading him; everyone in the conference room could see right through it.
But Zhou Fan just smiled faintly and said calmly, "That's a fine idea. We'll sign the contract, and then we can have our little competition. As it happens, I have three people on my side, including myself, and we all know a few clumsy moves."
After that, no one spoke. Once Chen Yao had checked the contract and confirmed there were no issues, Zhou Fan and Li Mei signed it in succession.
"This way, Mr. Zhou." Li Mei rose slowly and gestured for Zhou Fan to proceed. "As it happens, there's a basement right here in the Chen Group building with a space suitable for our competition."
"Alright. Lead the way." Of course, Zhou Fan wasn't going to refuse. He led Chen Yao and his other companions to follow behind Li Mei's group, heading toward a different elevator.
"Come on, let's go watch," Chen Feng said to Ah Lian when he saw what was happening. He stood up to follow, but Ah Lian stopped him.
"Young Master, maybe we… shouldn't go? Their match will be dangerous. What if you get hit by a stray blow!"
Chen Feng waved his hand dismissively and pulled Ah Lian along by the hand. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "What is there to be afraid of? I've got you here, don't I?"
"Yes, of course. If the Young Master wishes to watch, then Ah Lian will watch with you!" Hearing Chen Feng's words, Ah Lian nodded vigorously. She hurried to follow him, and they caught the elevator just in time, stepping inside with the others.
"We're going down there for a competition. What are you following us for?" Chen Yao snapped when she saw Chen Feng step inside. She recalled what Zhou Fan had told her before they arrived—that Li Mei would never let them leave so easily. 'This basement competition won't be simple,' she thought. She was worried Chen Feng would be in danger if he came along, but she couldn't say that out loud. All she could do was shoot him a disdainful glare.
"Chen Yao, watch your tone. No matter what, I'm still your older brother. Is that any way to speak to me? Besides, this is *my* company. *I'm* the chairman. Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?" Chen Feng retorted, frowning and glaring at her without a shred of courtesy. "And you! Even if Mr. Zhou wins these shares and his stake becomes larger than mine, making him the new chairman, they still won't be *your* shares. What does any of this have to do with you? Why don't you get the hell out of my Chen Group?"
Listening to Chen Feng, Chen Yao was shaking with anger. 'That bastard of a brother!' If she hadn't learned from Zhou Fan beforehand that they had a plan, she would have slapped him across the face and taught him what a world of pain felt like.
'Couldn't you be a little more subtle? Did you have to be so nasty about it?'
"Why are you holding back? If you want to hit him, go ahead. I've got your back," Zhou Fan whispered, lightly bumping Chen Yao's shoulder. But in an elevator this small, what good was whispering?
"With me here, no one lays a finger on the Young Master!" Ah Lian immediately stepped in front of Chen Feng, staring down Zhou Fan and Chen Yao with a composed and determined look.
"Hmph. Hit him? I wouldn't want to dirty my hands! Sooner or later, I'll kick all of you out!" Chen Yao snorted, then turned and buried her face in Zhou Fan's chest, ignoring the others. She quietly tilted her head up, however, and mouthed three silent words to Zhou Fan: *I am sorry.*
Chen Yao knew she shouldn't have hesitated just now. Her hesitation might have tipped them off, jeopardizing Zhou Fan and Chen Feng's plan.
DING!
The elevator arrived at the basement level. As the doors slid open, everyone's pupils contracted at the sight before them.