Chapter 189: Do You Keep Your Word?
After returning to Nanjiang City, the three of them first went to Divan. After this period of development, Divan had now reached a considerable size. It employed over eighty regular bodyguards, and under Qian Rong and his brothers, the number of secretly trained members was approaching thirty, with nearly twenty of them ready for immediate combat!
After using acupuncture to remove the Gu poison for Fan and getting Bai Zhi settled, Zhou Fan went to Chen Yao's office.
"Little Yaoyao, long time no see. Did you miss me?" Zhou Fan pushed the door right open. He saw Chen Yao frowning as she reviewed some documents and asked cheekily.
"Get lost. What are you doing here again?" Chen Yao was already feeling irritable. Hearing Zhou Fan's voice, her delicate brows furrowed. She looked up and snapped at him.
"Whoa, who would be so bold as to make our Little Yaoyao this angry? Tell me who it is, and I'll help you take them out!" Instead of leaving, Zhou Fan closed the door and sat down across from Chen Yao.
"It's about Chen Feng. Didn't that Ah Lian promise to wire us the remaining payment—twice the amount of the deposit—within a week? It's been much longer than that, and there's been no word. When I call to ask, they just say they don't have the money!" Chen Yao couldn't even be bothered to correct Zhou Fan's nicknames for her anymore. "We may have gotten over twenty billion before, but our recent spending has been enormous. Twenty percent of it is already gone. On top of that, I want to completely renovate this entire building. If we're going to do this, we should be the best!"
Zhou Fan's brow furrowed slightly. 'They still haven't paid after all this time?'
"That's my fault. I've been busy and forgot to ask you about it. Don't worry about it for now. I'll head over this afternoon and see what's going on."
Zhou Fan took the contract and glanced at it, then got up to leave.
"Wait!"
Just as Zhou Fan got to his feet, Chen Yao called out to him.
"What is it?" Zhou Fan asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression. When he saw her suddenly acting shy, he had a good idea of what was on her mind, but he pretended to be clueless. He slowly stepped closer, gently lifting her chin with his index finger. His tone was flirtatious, and a mischievous smile played on his lips.
"Don't tell me our Little Yaoyao actually missed me? How about this: give me a kiss, and I'll stay the night."
"In your dreams!" Chen Yao, blushing angrily, swatted his hand away. She pouted and said, "When you go to the Chen Group this afternoon, can you take me with you? I'm a little worried about Chen Feng."
"Hmm, that's a bit difficult... unless you give me a kiss!" Zhou Fan strode forward, wrapping an arm around her slim waist and catching her wrist with his other hand, maintaining his roguish demeanor.
"You... You promise you'll keep your word?" Chen Yao struggled for a moment, but it was no use. She could only shoot him a resentful glare.
"Of course. The only reason I, Zhou Fan, have survived this long in the underworld is my integrity!" he spouted without batting an eye. If any of his enemies had heard that, even the most composed among them would have leaped up to point a finger in his face and curse his shamelessness.
The next second, as if mustering all her courage, Chen Yao stood on her tiptoes and closed her eyes, looking as if she were his for the taking.
Seeing her charming expression and trembling eyelashes, Zhou Fan just smiled. He curled his finger, gently tapped her on the nose, and turned to leave.
"I'll call you this afternoon before I go!"
With that, Zhou Fan opened the door and left the office.
She stood there, stunned, for a long moment. Only when Zhou Fan's footsteps had faded down the hall did she finally snap out of it. She stomped her foot, flustered and indignant. "Jerk! He was teasing me again!"
Zhou Fan checked the time. Knowing Chu Yan was likely at her office, he didn't go home, driving straight to Fenghua International instead.
Zhou Fan quietly pushed open the door to Chu Yan's office. He saw her with her head down, focused on a document. A young woman, likely her new secretary, stood beside her.
The young secretary saw Zhou Fan and was about to speak, but he put a finger to his lips, signaling for her to stay quiet. He then took the file from her hands and stood where she had been.
"Xiaoliu, the next file? Are you daydreaming again?" Having finished with the document in her hands, Chu Yan noticed her secretary hadn't handed her the next one. She questioned her with natural authority as she looked up, only to be met with the sight of a massive bouquet of fiery red roses.
"Honey, you need to balance work and rest," Zhou Fan said with a wide smile, setting the roses aside. He looked at Chu Yan, who was pouting and staring at him with a wounded expression, and gently chided her.
"Hmph, why were you gone for so long? Don't you know how much I missed you? I was worried you were busy, so I didn't dare call you!" Chu Yan threw herself into his arms, her small fists lightly pounding on his chest as tears welled up in her beautiful eyes.
"Alright, alright, it's my fault. I won't be away for so long again. Come on, don't cry. Your secretary is still watching, you know." Zhou Fan gently patted her back, holding her close and soothing her with a soft voice.