Chapter 38: Liu Chuang
"Brother Fan, you're finally here! Quick, give me the breakfast, I'm starving!"
Gu Feifei snatched the breakfast, and the other girls promptly did the same.
Everything seemed the same as always, but after snatching the breakfast, the group of girls went back to their seats in silence—including Gu Feifei, who usually loved to chatter nonstop with him.
"What's the matter?" Zhou Fan walked over to Gu Feifei's side and sat right on her desk, rapping her unceremoniously on the forehead.
"You don't know?" Gu Feifei rubbed her forehead and tried to shove him off. When she found she couldn't move him, she looked up and glared at him in frustration.
"Should I know? Cut the crap and spit it out. Otherwise, I'll tell everyone you came to work commando again!" Zhou Fan threatened high-handedly. At the same time, whether intentionally or not, his palm brushed against Gu Feifei, making her nearly yelp.
"Asshole! Durian! All you know how to do is bully me! It's Sister Chen. She looked terrible when she came in this morning. We said hi to her, but she didn't say a word and just shut herself in her office. We're all afraid she's going to blow up!"
Gu Feifei explained in a hushed voice, still muttering curses at Zhou Fan. Her eyes kept darting toward Chen Yi's office, terrified the door would fly open and she'd be caught slacking.
"That's all? Leave it to me," Zhou Fan said casually. He suddenly leaned down and whispered in Gu Feifei's ear, "You should be more careful in the future. From where I sit, I can see *everything*."
Gu Feifei stared at Zhou Fan's departing back for a second, stunned. Then, she quickly looked down. Her face instantly flushed crimson as if she were drunk. She grabbed her bag and bolted for the restroom.
"Sister Chen, this flower is for you!"
In his hand, Zhou Fan held a single rose he had just swiped from one of the other girls' desks. He presented it to Chen Yi with the air of a perfect gentleman.
"You're so frugal, buying just one!" Chen Yi took the flower and sniffed it lightly.
"No, I'm even more thrifty than you think. I pinched this one on my way in."
Zhou Fan shook his head and sat down opposite Chen Yi. "Feifei said you were in a bad mood today?"
"You really take the cake for being shameless!" Chen Yi was momentarily stunned, not expecting Zhou Fan to be so brazen as to give her a flower he'd pinched from someone else. She then gave a bitter smile. "It's nothing, really. You know I have an ex-boyfriend? We broke up a year ago, but he suddenly showed up last night wanting to get back together. When I said no, he started threatening me with old photos from our relationship."
Chen Yi sank back helplessly in her chair. "I'm agonizing over what to do. It's not that I care if the photos get out, personally. But I'm terrified my parents might see them."
'What a piece of trash.' Zhou Fan hadn't expected something like this. 'Normally, it'd be none of my business... but seeing as I've slept with Chen Yi a few times, I should probably lend a hand.'
"Sister Chen, if I solve this problem for you, how do you plan to reward me?"
"You naughty boy... how do you want me to reward you?" Chen Yi's voice turned velvety. Her hand snaked out to grab his shirt, pulling him slowly closer. Her breath was sweet as she whispered.
"How about we reenact all those poses from the photos?" Zhou Fan was never one to be on the losing end. A wicked smirk played on his lips.
"Oh, but those are very vanilla, you know. You have way more moves than he ever did."
"No problem. I'll see if there are any moves I haven't learned yet."
"Alright then. Lock the door. Let's go to the lounge in the back."
As lunchtime approached, Zhou Fan emerged from Chen Yi's office looking completely satisfied. He spared a glance for the rows of girls absorbed in their work, then left with a confident swagger.
Meanwhile, inside her office, Chen Yi was curled up on the sofa, sleeping soundly. She lay there, spent but blissful, a contented smile gracing her lips.
"Brother Zhang, have you eaten yet? You haven't? Perfect, my treat!" Zhou Fan pulled out his phone, called Zhang Long, and arranged to meet at a restaurant downstairs from Zhang Long's building.
"Younger Brother Zhou, to what do I owe the pleasure of you treating me to a meal? Shouldn't you be with the missus right about now?" Zhang Long rose to his feet as Zhou Fan arrived, greeting him with a jest.
"Ah, you can't spoil a woman," Zhou Fan began, pontificating smoothly. "If you're always doting on her, she'll start to think she's more important than she is. Besides, I'm actually here to ask you for a favor, brother."
"Liu Chuang? Assistant to the General Manager of the Chen Conglomerate? What about him? Did he cross you, Younger Brother Zhou?" Zhang Long asked, looking up in confusion after reading the information on the phone Zhou Fan handed him.
"Not me, personally," Zhou Fan said, shaking his head. "But a friend of mine used to date him. They broke up, and now that bastard is using old photos from their relationship to blackmail her into getting back together." Then, afraid Zhang Long might assume he was talking about Chu Yan, he briefly explained that the friend in question was Chen Yi.
"Don't you worry about a thing. This is small potatoes. But even if it were a huge deal, the fact that you came to me, Younger Brother Zhou, shows me great respect. It gives me, Zhang Long, a lot of face. Let me make a call and ask around."
Zhang Long gave Zhou Fan a thumbs-up. 'This kid is something else,' he thought, 'daring to have a little something on the side with a wife at home.' He then slapped his chest, offering his assurance.