Chapter 123: Too Much of a Loss
Black Water Square!
Zhou Fan held Chu Qianqian's hand as they found a nearby breakfast shop. They ate while waiting for Fan and Zhang Lei.
"Xiaofan?"
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Nothing. I was just testing to see if you'd be comfortable with me calling you that from now on."
"So? How does it feel? Getting used to it?"
Chu Qianqian didn't answer. She just gave a charming smile, peeled a tea egg, and placed it in Zhou Fan's congee.
"Let's find a place to stay after we finish eating. Fan and Zhang Lei just messaged me. They said they won't arrive until this afternoon," Zhou Fan said quietly to Chu Qianqian, looking at his phone.
"Okay, I'll listen to you," Chu Qianqian nodded, her demeanor exceptionally gentle.
"You being this gentle is making me nervous," Zhou Fan said with a wicked grin, his fingers gently lifting Chu Qianqian's chin.
The two of them casually found a small inn. The owner, a local, assumed they were a young couple on vacation, so without asking any questions, he only gave them one room.
"Maybe... maybe we should go out for a walk?" Seeing the single bed in the small room, Chu Qianqian looked very flustered. She stood by the door, her hands clutching tightly at her clothes.
"Nope. I need to catch up on sleep," Zhou Fan refused flatly. Without a care for what Chu Qianqian thought, he stripped off his clothes and went to take a shower, not even trying to be discreet. This left Chu Qianqian standing there, not knowing whether to advance or retreat.
In the end, Chu Qianqian closed the door and burst into the bathroom.
"Hey, I'm taking a shower! What are you doing in here?" Zhou Fan never expected Chu Qianqian to be so bold; he was so startled he almost jumped into the toilet.
"To shower, of course. What else, to have dinner?" Chu Qianqian did her best to avoid looking at Zhou Fan as she snatched the shower head.
Zhou Fan didn't dare to stay any longer and hastily ran out, which made Chu Qianqian laugh charmingly. The tense and fearful mood she had felt before eased considerably.
Zhou Fan truly didn't have any other intentions; he was just exhausted. He wanted to use the time while waiting for Fan and Zhang Lei to get some proper rest. In the last few days, he had first battled Chu Yifeng's Green Puppet. He was severely injured but hadn't rested properly before rushing here.
As Zhou Fan was sleeping drowsily, he felt someone else get into bed beside him. She smelled very nice—a delicate fragrance distinct from shower gel. Without thinking much of it, he pulled the person into his arms.
An unknown amount of time passed before Zhou Fan was woken up by his phone. Eyes still closed, he picked it up and answered. It was Fan. He and Zhang Lei had arrived and were at Black Water Square.
"Whose call was that? Have they arrived?" Just as Zhou Fan hung up, a familiar voice sounded beside his ear, a voice so startling it nearly made his brain short-circuit. All sleepiness vanished in an instant.
"What's wrong? Still half-asleep?" Seeing Zhou Fan's expression as if he'd seen a ghost, Chu Qianqian was confused. 'Even though I'm not wearing any makeup, I'm still pretty confident in my bare face!'
"Do you really not regret this?" Zhou Fan lifted the blanket and glanced down. He knew that even if nothing had happened, there was no way to pretend that nothing had happened.
"I don't. Once I've made a decision, I don't regret it. Besides, it's not like we did anything," Chu Qianqian said, shaking her head. That was what she truly thought.
Although she was already thirty-three, she had never once been in a relationship. There was no special reason, other than what she had experienced as a child. Her parents had both died, and while Chu Tianxiang treated her like his own daughter, it was never truly her own home. Because of that, she never wanted to fall in love, as she didn't want to drag anyone else into her troubles.
She knew that in a great clan like the Chu Family, most boyfriends she might find wouldn't genuinely like her. They would be after the Chu Family's fortune, and that would make them a thorn in the side of people like Chu Peiyang and Chu Peiyu.
So, now that she had chosen Zhou Fan, she wouldn't regret it, even if he was Chu Yan's husband and even if there would be no happy ending for them.
She would just consider this the one time in her life she allowed herself to be reckless.
Zhou Fan felt like crying. First Gu Feifei, and now Chu Qianqian. What had he ever done to deserve this?
However, both of them, whether in terms of figure or looks, were absolutely flawless. But Zhou Fan couldn't accept it—he hadn't had any real relations with either of these women!
'To be saddled with the emotional debt for two women like this... isn't that a bit of a raw deal?'
"Alright, if you don't regret it, then let's do something to make it worth regretting!" Zhou Fan flipped over and pinned Chu Qianqian beneath him.
But a second later, Chu Qianqian kicked him off the bed. "Fan and Zhang Lei are here. You've lost your chance. Killing Chu Yifeng is the real priority!"
Then, as Zhou Fan watched with an expression that made him look like he wanted to cry but had no tears, Chu Qianqian ducked completely under the covers and got dressed.
"Hurry up and get dressed. I have something to give you. It's an heirloom from my side of the family; not even Chu Tianxiang knows about it!" Seeing Zhou Fan still sitting there in a daze, Chu Qianqian grabbed his ear and pulled him up.