Chapter 137: Armchair Strategist
"Zhou Fan, I bought a plane ticket for tomorrow night!" As evening fell, Zhou Fan and Chu Qianqian were standing on a rooftop, gazing at the distant cityscape. Chu Qianqian suddenly turned, hugged Zhou Fan, and said gently.
"So soon?"
"Mm, I don't want to put it off anymore."
"Where are you going?"
"First, back to Nanjiang City to deliver Chu Yifeng's head. Then I'll travel around the country for a bit and see the sights."
The two fell silent, holding each other in the sea breeze. Chu Qianqian gently rose onto her tiptoes, and they kissed.
For a day and a night, Zhou Fan and Chu Qianqian didn't take a single step out of the room. It wasn't until the evening of the next day that the door opened, and they walked out.
Feng Shen, playing the part of their chauffeur, personally drove Zhou Fan and Chu Qianqian to the airport. Once they arrived, he watched the two say their reluctant goodbyes. He pursed his lips in annoyance before saying respectfully, "Sister-in-law, I've already arranged for the head to be sent to Nanjiang City. They'll contact you themselves when you arrive tomorrow morning."
"Xiaofan, do you remember those lyrics?" Chu Qianqian looked up, forcing a smile.
"I do," Zhou Fan nodded.
"What are they?" Chu Qianqian asked, seeming not to believe him, or perhaps just wanting to hear him say it once.
"I want to run away with you, and be the happiest person alive." Zhou Fan smiled, pulled Chu Qianqian into another tight hug, and kissed her, ignoring the stares of passersby.
"Goodbye!"
After a long moment, their lips parted. Chu Qianqian straightened up and smoothed out Zhou Fan's clothes, like a wife seeing her husband off to work. Then, with a smile and a wave, she walked away without looking back.
Chu Qianqian was waiting.
Zhou Fan knew she was waiting, but he couldn't do what she wanted.
Finally, after Chu Qianqian swiped her ID and went through the gate, she still hadn't heard the words she was waiting for. Tears streamed down her face, unstoppable, like a bursting dam. But she stubbornly refused to wipe them away or turn back for one last look at Zhou Fan, and walked away decisively.
"You know, I feel like all it would've taken was a single word from you, and she would've stayed," Feng Shen said in a low voice as they walked out of the airport, looking at the somewhat dejected Zhou Fan beside him.
"What the hell do you know? You've never even been in a relationship, and you're trying to give me love advice? Are you some kind of armchair strategist? Just drive. Let's see where those guys following us are hiding."
Zhou Fan shot Feng Shen a disgusted look and threw a kick at him, but Feng Shen dodged it.
Of course, Zhou Fan understood what Feng Shen was saying.
But he couldn't do that. His life was too dangerous at the moment. There were people sent by Ye Fei and Zhao Ya, as well as men from Elder Witch, and all of them wanted him dead. Furthermore, it wouldn't be long before his old enemies discovered he was still alive. Without the Netherworld King's Hall as his trump card, more and more assassins would appear.
To their surprise, the drive back to Bin City was uneventful. It was as if the followers they had sensed earlier were just a figment of their imagination.
"What are you thinking of doing next?" Feng Shen asked, looking at Zhou Fan questioningly.
"You just stay put. I'm taking a trip to Jiang Province, and then I have to head back to Nanjiang City to be with my wife." Zhou Fan didn't want Feng Shen getting involved in his business. The guy's life had finally calmed down, and there was no need to drag him into all this.
"Zhou Fan, goddammit, can you stop being like this? Do you have to carry every burden yourself? Do you even consider me your brother?" Feng Shen flew into a rage and threw a punch at Zhou Fan, but Zhou Fan dodged it.
"You're such a moron. If I didn't consider you my brother, would I have let them send me here? Things just aren't that serious yet. Don't worry. When the time comes that I need you, I promise I'll call."
Zhou Fan rolled his eyes at Feng Shen. 'No wonder Lao San can't stand you,' he thought. 'With a brain like that, it'd be a miracle if anyone could.' Then, to the sound of Feng Shen's cursing, he drove off in one of his G-Wagens.
Li Village, despite its name, wasn't a small village but actually a county-level city located between Jiang Province and Bin City. The reason Zhou Fan was driving toward Jiang Province was that he needed to make a stop in Li Village first.
The whole way there, Zhou Fan kept an eye on the cars in front of and behind him, but he didn't spot any suspicious vehicles. This made him frown.
'This isn't right. According to both Feng Shen's investigation and the phone call from Zhang Lei, Extreme Shadow and his men should have already arrived in Bin City. How could they have just vanished?'
The rest of the journey was uneventful. After arriving in Li Village, Zhou Fan took out his phone, made a call, and then waited at the agreed-upon location.
Before long, a tall, slender woman in a baseball cap, a face mask, and casual clothes, her hair tied in a high ponytail, walked up to Zhou Fan's car and knocked on the window.
"Dark Night No. 9. The boss sent me to protect you," the woman said flatly after getting into the car. Her voice was cold, completely devoid of emotion.