Chapter 187: Having No Choice
"To give up on the beauty in your room and hide out here to feel the breeze on such a lovely night... you have such refined taste!" A cool, clear voice spoke as Bai Zhi slowly walked over from the stairwell to stand at Zhou Fan's side.
The night breeze stirred Bai Zhi's hair, and a single strand brushed against Zhou Fan's cheek. It was as if the dark night itself had become just a little different.
"Honestly, our connection isn't deep enough for you to go this far." After a long silence, Zhou Fan finally spoke, his voice soft, as if not wanting to disturb the gentle night breeze.
"It may not seem worth it to you, but to me, it is." Bai Zhi smiled faintly, tucking a wind-tousled strand of hair behind her ear. "That year, I was on a mission with the organization. If you hadn't saved me, my arrogant self—thinking I was hot stuff after learning just a few tricks—would have died that dusk. I just never expected the person I came here to protect this time would be you."
"Lorne likely sent you this time so you could repay your debt to me. What he probably didn't expect was that after Ye Fei learned Dark Night had interfered in the matter between us, he would go to Lorne and pay a fortune to hire his assassins to kill me." Zhou Fan didn't refute her point. As Bai Zhi said, the same event can mean different things to different people.
"No, Ye Fei had already contacted Lorne. At least, before Lorne sent me here. Because as I was leaving, Lorne told me something." Bai Zhi shook her head and suddenly turned to look at Zhou Fan. "He said, 'If you have a choice, you must follow your heart, because everyone has too many things that are beyond their control.'"
'Follow your heart!'
'Beyond their control?'
After saying her piece, Bai Zhi turned to leave. "Remember what you promised me. We need to sign a new contract. We'll set the term at ten years for now. As for compensation, I trust you won't treat me poorly!"
Zhou Fan turned and saw Bai Zhi raise her hand high in a wave, as if saying goodbye.
Zhou Fan shook his head, his thoughts lingering on what Lorne had told Bai Zhi. 'Is there some other hidden story here?'
'What in this world could possibly be beyond the control of a man like Lorne, forcing his hand?'
"I agree to your proposal. Once my injuries heal in a couple of days, I'll head abroad immediately. I'm here now for my men and my mission." Not long after Bai Zhi left, He Yi approached. His back was ramrod-straight, his expression wooden.
"Are you sure? It just occurred to me, with your He Family's status in the Capital City, I doubt even Vermilion Bird and his people would dare to go too far. You could always choose to return to your family." Zhou Fan didn't turn around, speaking lightly as he rested his hands on the railing.
"I've considered what you said. It's certainly a viable option." He Yi said with a faint chuckle. "Unfortunately, I'm the type who's always preferred to rely on himself rather than his family. And I have no desire to be stuck under the family's thumb for my entire life."
"The mission is on this slip of paper. As for your men, go straight to France. Once you get there, find the person named on this note. He'll give you your team. I guarantee every single one of them will be more capable than the subordinates you had at Tiger Teeth."
Zhou Fan didn't press the issue further. He casually pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to He Yi.
"You were really sure I'd agree, weren't you? So why the half-hearted attempt to talk me out of it just now?" He Yi glanced at the note. There wasn't much written on it, just two short lines. He then put it in his pocket.
"It was just a token gesture, wasn't it? That way, if you regret this later, I can say I tried to warn you, but you wouldn't listen!" Zhou Fan said with a smirk. His words were enough to make even the poker-faced He Yi give him a massive eye-roll.
After He Yi went downstairs, Zhou Fan remained where he was. He knew there was still one more person who would come looking for him.
Sure enough, about five minutes later, another figure ambled up the stairs, two bottles of red wine in hand.
"Dude, you're so damn busy. I've been waiting for a fucking half hour! One person after another comes looking for you. People who know you think you're a stand-up guy, but anyone else would think you're running some shady-ass business up here!" The moment Ying Yi's figure appeared at the top of the stairs, his disgruntled complaints rang out.
"You're the one who was slow, who's there to blame but yourself? Couldn't you have just come up first?" Zhou Fan shot Ying Yi a disdainful look, taking one of the bottles from him. He clinked it against Ying Yi's and tilted his head back for a long swig.
"Do you think it's possible? That one day I'll be able to kill those old bastards with my own hands and avenge my master?" Ying Yi mimicked Zhou Fan, leaning his hands on the railing. After taking a swig of wine, he asked, a distant look in his eyes.
"Do you know what a dream is?" Zhou Fan didn't answer directly, asking a question in return.