Chapter 235: Aren't You Going to Comfort Her?
"You lost their trail? Looks like our opponents are no pushovers. Especially that Ah Lian. I never expected her to be hiding this much strength!" Zhou Fan's brow furrowed. Based on his previous intel, Ah Lian only knew some basic martial arts, her deadliest skill being gu-poison. He never imagined she could go head-to-head with Fan and hold her own!
'It seems the strength she showed the few times I tested her before was just her playing along!'
"Actually, we didn't exactly lose their trail. Lao San—Qian Hui—and I were spotted by an old man with them. I figured since we'd been discovered, we might as well just attack and detain them. But it turned out the two of us were no match for him. He threw just two palm strikes and forced us brothers back!" Qian Rong gave an embarrassed smile. To him, something like this was honestly pretty humiliating.
"Two palm strikes? This isn't your fault. You just ran into a master!" Zhou Fan paused for a moment. 'It seems Ah Lian planned all of this in advance.' "Tell the brothers to keep investigating. Since they were in a hurry to leave, no matter how thorough their plan was, they're bound to have left some clues behind!"
After hearing Zhou Fan's command, Qian Rong nodded, got up, and left.
"As for you, hurry things up. See if there are any other brothers willing to join us. Test them. As long as they weren't sent by Vermilion Bird and his people, they can stay. Send the rest here directly to Qian Rong for training. This can't be delayed!"
Zhou Fan then turned to Fan.
"You're leaving?" Fan hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously.
"Yeah, it's about time I went back to find Ye Fei and Zhao Ya. I bet they've missed me," Zhou Fan said with a slight smile, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. 'My strength has grown immensely, and my people are gradually returning to my side. It's time to strike back!'
"Wait, you mean you're leaving me here? Have a heart! You won't be in Nanjiang City! What if Vermilion Bird shows up with his people? I can't stop them!" Fan hurriedly grabbed Zhou Fan's arm, looking on the verge of tears.
"Don't worry. If everything goes smoothly, I'll be back in a week at most. And from the moment Vermilion Bird gets the news, prepares everything, and rushes over, it'll take at least two days. Don't tell me you can't even hold out for three days?" Zhou Fan said with a teasing smile, looking at Fan.
"Wait a minute. You guys help me with the math here. Did he get it wrong, or did I? He said it'll take him a week to get back, and it'll take Vermilion Bird two days to get here. Shouldn't that be five days?" Fan turned hurriedly to Chen Yao and Bai Zhi, frowning as he spoke.
"Because there will be backup for the last two days. You only need to hold out for three. With this building at your disposal, I'm confident you can do it!" Zhou Fan smiled confidently, then ignored Fan and turned to Chen Yao. "Little Yaoyao, I know you're very worried about your brother right now. But since Ah Lian went to so much trouble to take him, she definitely won't let him come to any harm in the short term."
"So, what you need to do now is set aside your sadness and worry. Use your brother's funds to turn Divan Mansion into an impenetrable fortress as quickly as possible. Understand?"
Chen Yao understood what Zhou Fan was saying. After a brief hesitation, she nodded, then asked, "But what about the Chen Group? Their people are all gone now. If no one steps up to manage things, I'm afraid it will descend into chaos!"
"That is a problem." Zhou Fan rubbed his forehead. "How about this: for now, send a reliable person over there to hold down the fort. It won't be for long—a month at most. Once I'm done with what I need to do, I'll find a professional manager for you."
"Alright, you two get to it. I have something else to do." After arranging everything, Zhou Fan called over to Bai Zhi, then turned and walked out of Divan Mansion.
Bai Zhi didn't ask where Zhou Fan was going. 'After all, she wasn't the one driving this time!'
"About Chen Yao... are you really just leaving like that? Aren't you going to comfort her? This must have been a huge blow for her, right?" Bai Zhi asked with a hint of confusion, watching Zhou Fan's focused expression as he drove.
"She doesn't need comforting. It's time she learned to stand on her own two feet. I can't do everything for her. Besides, she should know that her best bet for getting Chen Feng back safely is to keep herself busy and do what needs to be done." Zhou Fan shook his head. 'It's not that I don't want to comfort her. But right now, everything is happening at once. My fear is that the more I comfort her, the longer it will take her to pull herself together. It's better to let her grow through this on her own.'
Zhou Fan parked the car at the Manyun Hotel.