The Ultimate Devil's Magnificent CEO

"Y-You... What's wrong? What's happening? Why are you suddenly spitting up blood?" the woman asked, panicking.

"It's nothing. The doctor said it's terminal lung cancer. I don't have many days left. A friend brought me here this time, sort of to look back on the past. After this, I can go back and peacefully wait for death."

Zhou Fan forced a bitter smile onto his lips, as if it took all his strength. He raised a hand to gently stroke the woman's long hair, his voice suddenly turning world-weary. "But seeing that you're living a normal life, I'm truly relieved. Promise me you'll live on and be strong. Forget me... forget this fleeting passerby in your life!"

As he finished speaking, Zhou Fan seemed to exhaust his last ounce of strength. The hand stroking her hair fell limp, his head slumped forward, and he slowly closed his eyes.

In that instant, it wasn't just the woman—Chu Qianqian and Fan were stunned too.

"Oh no, Mr. Zhou passed out! We have to get him home, now!" Zhang Lei shouted, immediately heaving Zhou Fan onto his back. As he ran, he yelled over his shoulder, "Miss, just forget our Mr. Zhou! Live a good life! I have to rush him to a helicopter, get back to the provincial capital, and then take him abroad for treatment!"

Fan and Chu Qianqian instinctively ran after them, leaving only the woman standing there in a daze, tears once again filling her eyes.

'Who would have thought... After a year apart, after searching for a year, that our reunion would be our last farewell!'

After running a good distance, seeing that no one was behind them but Fan and Chu Qianqian, Zhang Lei set Zhou Fan down on a bench and gasped for air. "Mr. Zhou, we're in the clear!"

"Mr. Zhou, you're incredible! I'm truly impressed!" Seeing Zhou Fan open his eyes to look back, Zhang Lei was full of admiration.

"It was nothing, just a little trick," Zhou Fan said with a wave of his hand, pulling out a cigarette and offering it to him.

"Wait, you... you're okay?" Fan was the first to catch up. He stared at Zhou Fan smoking with Zhang Lei, his face a picture of confusion as he asked the question.

"Of course I'm fine. What could be wrong with me?" Zhou Fan frowned. 'What's with this guy? Is he nuts or something, trying to jinx me?'

"But didn't you just spit up blood? And what was that about terminal cancer!" Fan said, pointing back in the direction they had come from, still completely bewildered.

"You scumbag, you were faking it?" Chu Qianqian, who was already a bit weak, had only just managed to catch up. She pressed a hand on Zhou Fan's shoulder, panting for breath.

"Of course I was faking it! What else was I supposed to do? Divorce my wife and marry some woman I barely know? Are you kidding me?" Zhou Fan rolled his eyes, exasperated. 'What's with their way of thinking? Zhang Lei is the smart one; I just gave him a look and he immediately understood.'

"But... you spent three thousand yuan on a hotel, a movie, dinner, and even flowers. So in the end... you didn't pay for any of it? You made her pay?" Fan couldn't wrap his head around it, finally guessing that Zhou Fan had stiffed her with the bill.

"How is that possible? You think I'm hurting for that little bit of cash? Of course I paid for everything! I remember that night cost me almost five thousand. Dinner alone was over a thousand!" Zhou Fan scoffed. 'This Fan is just insulting my integrity!'

"No, then what did you get out of it?" Fan was baffled, and Chu Qianqian looked just as confused. From their perspective, people had to have something to gain from their actions, right?

Especially a guy like Zhou Fan, who was the type who never did anything unless there was something in it for him.

"You two don't get it. In this life, you don't have to do everything for personal gain. It's all just smoke in the wind," Zhou Fan sighed with an air of profound mystery. He clapped Fan on the shoulder. "Let's circle around from the back. We'll sneak into the complex and wait for the right time to move."

With that, Zhou Fan paid no mind to the other three, who were still standing there stunned, and headed into a nearby alley on his own.

"You seem to be able to follow his train of thought. Explain it," Fan said, turning to look at Zhang Lei.

"Maybe Mr. Zhou is doing something very meaningful," Zhang Lei said, though he didn't sound entirely sure himself. He then started walking after Zhou Fan.

"What's so meaningful about it?" Chu Qianqian asked as she hurried to catch up, still completely lost. Fan nodded in agreement.

"Persuading the virtuous to fall, and the fallen to reform."

Zhang Lei said thoughtfully. He ignored the dumbfounded pair and joined Zhou Fan to discuss how they would make their move.

Although Fan and Chu Qianqian didn't understand the meaning behind it, they committed the phrase to memory.

Persuading the virtuous to fall, and the fallen to reform.

A short while later, the four of them arrived at Chu Yifeng's residential complex. They hid by a corner of a wall, observing the layout of the area.

"Zhang Lei, based on your experience, do you see anything out of place?" Zhou Fan walked a few steps forward into a gazebo and turned to look at him.

He greatly admired Zhang Lei's professional skills and wanted to test him.

"To answer your question, Mr. Zhou, if I'm not mistaken, our position was exposed a long time ago. They probably knew everything before we even reached Black Water City." Zhang Lei, guessing that Zhou Fan was testing him, gave a slight smile. "So, Chu Yifeng is living in this complex for one reason: to lure us here."