Chapter 41: Until Death in Battle
Can I go with you?
The girl's voice was light and ethereal. She looked at Zhou Fan timidly, her face full of anticipation, terrified he would refuse. Her nervous hands wouldn't stop wringing the jacket she was holding.
Looking at his jacket, which was being twisted into a wrinkled mess, Zhou Fan's heart ached a little.
"Can I?"
Seeing Zhou Fan just frowning without a word, the girl asked again in a tiny voice.
"Alright, tell me why you want to follow me." Zhou Fan wasn't in a hurry. He pointed to a nearby sofa, gesturing for her to sit down and talk. His earlier suggestion that she kill Liu Chuang was, in fact, a form of emotional release and guidance for her. Otherwise, she might develop psychological problems later on, forever tormented by this traumatic memory.
By letting her deal with her enemy herself—with Zhou Fan taking responsibility for the consequences—the girl could start a completely new life.
"I want to be like you and help people who are in need!"
"Like me? Do you even know what kind of person I am? I'm worse than him. The number of people who have died by my hands is countless. The only difference is that I have a bottom line," Zhou Fan said with a bitter smile. "Don't overthink it. I'll take you home. Live a good life from now on, and just treat this whole experience as a nightmare."
"I don't have a home. My parents died a long time ago, so I lived with my grandpa. After he passed away, Liu Chuang came to find me. He's my distant great-uncle. He brought me to Nanjiang City, saying he would help me transfer to a university here," the girl said in a low voice, her head bowed. "I thought I had met a good person, but it turned out he was a scumbag. He wanted the deed to my grandpa's house, and when I wouldn't give it to him, he decided to torture me."
"Please, I'm begging you, let me follow you! He kept me locked up here for a week, but for some reason, he hasn't... done anything to me yet!" The girl suddenly dropped to her knees, hugging Zhou Fan's legs as tears streamed down her face.
"You can go back to school. I'll cover the costs." Zhou Fan helped the girl up. Although he sympathized with her plight, he thought, 'What could she possibly do if she followed me?'
"No, seriously, why are you so insistent on following me? I have a wife! I can't just bring you home!" Seeing the girl remain silent, Zhou Fan asked, exasperated by the whole situation.
"Because you saved me. And I don't want to go to school anymore. I wasn't happy at my university anyway."
"What's your name?"
"Xu Ruonan. My grandpa used to call me Xiaonan or Nannan."
"I'm Zhou Fan. If you want, you can just call me Brother Fan from now on. You can stay and follow me, but let's get a few things straight first," Zhou Fan agreed, seeing no other choice. "My wife is a huge green-eyed monster. Even though you're only about twenty, she'll still get jealous. So, I can't take you home, and I'll only ever see you as a little sister. You need to understand that."
Seeing Xu Ruonan nod, Zhou Fan continued, "It's fine if you don't want to go to school. I'll find someone to arrange a place for you to live first, and then I'll find you a job. You need to live a good life, understand?"
"I want to learn your incredible skills. I know you're not an ordinary person!" Xu Ruonan shook her head, her gaze firm as she looked at Zhou Fan.
"Learn from me? It's very difficult. And once you commit, I won't be this nice to you anymore." Zhou Fan gripped her chin with one hand, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I'm not afraid of hardship. I just want to become strong so that one day I can help you!" Xu Ruonan nodded emphatically, staring straight at Zhou Fan without blinking.
"Then call me 'Master' and let me hear it."
Zhou Fan sat up straight. 'This is the first time I've ever taken on a disciple!'
"Master, please accept this bow from Nannan!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Xu Ruonan called out in a clear voice and kowtowed, her forehead touching the ground.
Just then, Fan arrived with Xiaojiu. When he saw this scene, a bad feeling inexplicably welled up inside him.
"Thanks for the trouble. I'm heading out now."
Zhou Fan said politely to Fan before leaving with Xu Ruonan.
"Can you try to be a little more low-key in the future? And even if you're going to stir up trouble, can you please not call me?" Fan complained, wanting to cry but having no tears. It was as if he and Wolf Fang existed solely to serve Zhou Fan.
"Wasn't I just trying to help you meet your KPIs? Besides, the guy really was a scumbag!" Zhou Fan was also a little embarrassed. He tossed out the sentence and made a quick escape.
"Boss, didn't you say he wanted to live a quiet life? Why is he taking on a disciple now?" Once Zhou Fan and the girl were far enough away, Xiaojiu finally looked at Fan and voiced his confusion.
"That's what I'm worried about. Over the years, he's personally trained plenty of experts, but I've never once heard of him officially taking a disciple!" Fan's expression was grave. He couldn't shake the feeling that Zhou Fan calling him over today, only for him to coincidentally witness this disciple ceremony, reeked of some kind of conspiracy.
"If... if one day he does something that crosses Wolf Fang's bottom line, what do we do?" Xiaojiu asked, his face grim.
"If that day ever comes, I will defend Wolf Fang's principles and dignity with my own blood," Fan said, raising his head. His gaze was firm and unquestionable. "To the last breath."