Chapter 42: A Comfortable Life
"I'll take you to meet a few people first," Zhou Fan said. "You'll train with them for a while, and once you have a solid foundation, I'll teach you myself!" After leaving with Xu Ruonan, he hailed a cab and went straight to where Qian Rong and the other two were staying.
"This is my apprentice. Train her." Zhou Fan didn't even get out of the car. He spoke to Qian Rong and the other two who had come to meet him, then simply left Xu Ruonan there and departed.
The three of them stared at Xu Ruonan, completely bewildered.
'What was that about?'
'An apprentice?'
'Since when did the Boss have an apprentice?'
They knew for a fact that back in the day, there was an exceptionally talented guy among their ranks who wanted to become Zhou Fan's disciple, but Zhou Fan had rejected him outright.
That person was Viper, the captain of the Assassination Squad, who later followed Ye Fei, betrayed Zhou Fan, and took part in the attempt on his life.
However, the three of them were smart. They didn't ask too many questions and simply led Xu Ruonan away.
When he got back to the office, it was already afternoon. He glanced at the women still working hard and nodded in satisfaction. 'This is my wife's company. Since they work for Chu Yan, it's the same as them working for me.' He then quietly slipped into Chen Yi's office.
Chen Yi was hunched over her desk, concentrating on a report and frowning from time to time. Zhou Fan tiptoed up behind her like a thief.
He suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms around the unsuspecting Chen Yi.
"Ah! You trying to get yourself killed? You scared me to death!"
Startled by the surprise attack, Chen Yi cried out. When she turned and saw it was Zhou Fan, she couldn't help but curse him out of a mix of anger and embarrassment, but she didn't stop his roaming hands.
"Sister Chen, we've still got an hour before quitting time. What do you say we...?"
"Aren't you tired today? No way!"
"Are you sure? I was planning on giving you something good later."
"What kind of something good?"
Zhou Fan smiled faintly and placed three USB drives on the desk in front of Chen Yi.
Chen Yi froze for a moment, then immediately understood what they were. She hurriedly plugged one into her computer to check its contents, completely ignoring Zhou Fan standing right beside her.
"Oh, thank you, Zhou Fan!"
A moment later, Chen Yi shot to her feet and threw herself into Zhou Fan's arms. Her face was tear-streaked, and her crying soaked the front of his shirt.
"Don't just thank me with words. Show me some real gratitude." As he spoke, Zhou Fan placed a hand on the back of Chen Yi's head and applied gentle pressure.
"I can never say no to you," Chen Yi said, giving him a flirtatious eye roll before complying with his silent request.
「Half an hour later.」
"Pah, pah, pah! Why didn't you warn me?"
"You can't blame me for that. By the time I thought to say something, it was already too late!"
"Hmph. All you do is bully me. You're impossible!"
Chen Yi, blushing with annoyance, threw a crumpled wad of tissues at Zhou Fan. When she saw him stagger slightly, she couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.
'What a little minx.'
'An absolute minx.'
Zhou Fan felt like he couldn't take any more. After returning to the sales department, he was still reflecting on it. 'Looks like I'll have to hold back on this sort of thing until my powers have fully recovered.'
The next few days were rather uneventful. Zhou Fan continued his routine of going to the office with Chu Yan, where he'd joke around with the women in the sales department. He didn't dare to mess with Chen Yi anymore, however, which only prompted her to tease him every time she saw him.
"Honey, today should be okay, right?" Nearing the end of the workday, Zhou Fan went to Chu Yan's office with a sycophantic grin.
"What should be okay?" Chu Yan had been busy with the new store location for days. Even though the Yunlong Group had agreed to the plan, the specific spot still needed careful negotiation. After all, a prime location in a mall could make a huge difference in revenue. Hearing Zhou Fan's sudden question, she didn't immediately understand what he meant.
"Letting our grandpa hold his grandchild, of course! I've been counting the days. Your 'visitor' should be gone by now!"
Zhou Fan, thinking Chu Yan was trying to back out of their deal, quickly started counting on his fingers.
Pfft!
Seeing how anxious Zhou Fan was, Chu Yan covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. Now that she was in love with him, she had no intention of refusing, even though she was incredibly nervous herself.
"So... shall we go home now?" Chu Yan asked, her beautiful eyes sparkling.
"Let's go! We'll head home, but first, we'll buy groceries. Your husband is going to show off his skills for you tonight!"
Zhou Fan was so happy he nearly jumped for joy. He grabbed Chu Yan's hand, and the two of them scurried to the car like a pair of thieves, dodging employees along the way.
"Honey, I want beef!"
"Do you know how to make prawns? What about fish? Or a nice soup?"
By the time they got home, Zhou Fan was hauling four or five bags out of the trunk, all filled with ingredients for that evening's meal.
"Honey, you just sit back and relax. I'm going to show you what a perfect husband looks like!"
Zhou Fan kissed Chu Yan on the forehead, then dove into the kitchen, where a flurry of CLANGING and BANGING soon began.
For a change, Chu Yan hadn't brought her laptop home. She sat comfortably on the sofa, a rare moment of leisure, half-watching the TV and half-watching Zhou Fan's busy figure in the kitchen. Whenever their eyes met, she would generously blow him a kiss.
Suddenly, Chu Yan felt that this life was so wonderful. The person she loved most was right beside her, she was doing work she enjoyed, and while her business wasn't huge, it was more than enough to support them for the rest of their lives. 'And if we had a child...'