"You're telling me you gave my phone number to Mihiko and Hathaway?" Chen Fan asked, frowning.
"Iā¦ I'm so sorry!" Han Shuying's voice came from the phone, tinged with anxiety. "They haven't left, they've been waiting outside my company every day. If I didn't give them your contact information, they wouldn't leave."
Chen Fan was speechless. "Alright, I'll handle it."
After hanging up, Chen Fan knew he couldn't really blame Han Shuying. One was the little princess of Sakura Country, and the other was the heir to the Rothschild family. Their influence was too great, even involving foreign affairs departments. It was understandable that Han Shuying couldn't resist.
However, now it was his turn to have a headache. As expected, he received a call a few minutes later.
"My dear Long, guess who it is?" A familiar voice spoke in fluent Xia Kingdom language.
"Hathaway, you should go home," Chen Fan said.
"No, my dear Long, I won't leave without seeing you, absolutely not."
"You are the heir to the Rothschild family, you can't be so willful," Chen Fan said, frowning.
"For you, I am willful. I'm willing to do anything. Family, business, nothing is as important as you. I can abandon it all, as long as you are willing to marry me."
"Alright, you and Mihiko set a place, let's meet," Chen Fan said, avoiding Hathaway's declaration. He hung up without waiting for a response.
Half an hour later, he received another call, this time from Mihiko. It was also a string of cooing and complaining. Finally, they agreed to meet at Liuwei Ju. It was a high-end Chinese restaurant by West Lake, not as ostentatious as the Grand Sea Hotel, but with more authentic flavors and charm. Choosing this place showed that these two women had done their research, wanting to experience true Chinese cuisine and culture.
After confirming the time, Chen Fan hung up. Otherwise, Mihiko would have continued her lament for the entire day.
The next morning, when Chen Fan woke up, Su Yingxue and Li Xiuying had already prepared breakfast.
"Brother Chen, I'm going out to look for a job today," Su Yingxue told Chen Fan.
"Great!" Chen Fan nodded with a smile. "I'll take you."
"No need to trouble Brother Chen, I can go by myself," Su Yingxue quickly refused. "It's always troubling Brother Chen, it's not good, and I'm afraid of the pressure."
"What pressure could there be? You'll be visiting more than one place when you're looking for a job." Chen Fan ate the preserved egg and lean meat congee cooked by Su Yingxia, enjoying the homely taste.
Su Yingxue still shook her head and refused.
"Brother, I'll drive Sister Xue!" Wang Dongdong said obsequiously, patting his chest. "And my sister is fine, she can accompany us too!"
Wang Tingting's eyes darted around. With the intention of minimizing contact between Su Yingxue and Chen Fan, she said, "Okay, then we'll accompany Yingxue. Chen Fan, you stay home and keep Aunt company."
"I have some things to do," Chen Fan glanced at Wang Tingting and said, "Then it's settled. You take Yingxue, and also take Aunt out for a stroll, buy some clothes and other necessities." As for himself, he was fine riding his electric bike.
As noon approached, Chen Fan rode his electric bike towards Liuwei Ju. He parked the bike outside the restaurant. Before he could dismount, a BMW drove up and parked in the adjacent spot.
"Oh, isn't this Chen Fan?" The passenger door opened, and a woman dressed in gaudy clothes jumped out. She glanced at Chen Fan and the electric bike behind him, then called out condescendingly.
Chen Fan glanced at her, his eyebrows slightly raised, and then looked at the driver's seat. A middle-aged, pot-bellied man in a suit and a thick gold chain sat there, exuding an air of a nouveau riche. It was the boss of the sub-contracting point where he used to deliver food, named Song Changsheng. As for the woman, she was the dispatcher, Fang Xiaohong. Chen Fan had a decent relationship with her at first. When Fang Xiaohong had issues, she often sought Chen Fan's help, and he never refused. However, later, when Fang Xiaohong got involved with the boss Song Changsheng, she started to ignore Chen Fan and even made things difficult for him.
Chen Fan nodded at Fang Xiaohong and walked towards the restaurant.
"Hey, Chen Fan, what's your deal? Seeing an old acquaintance and not saying hello, so rude?" Fang Xiaohong said sarcastically.
Chen Fan frowned, too lazy to pay attention to her.
"Oh ho, Chen Fan, not much skill, but quite the temper," Song Changsheng said with a laugh, lighting a cigarette. "See this car? A BMW X3, I just got it. Speaking of which, it's all thanks to you. If it weren't for you, Young Master Jiang wouldn't have paid such a good price for my company and let me make a fortune."
Chen Fan's phone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw a message from Hathaway, telling him they were arriving soon and to wait. Since Mihiko and Hathaway hadn't arrived yet, Chen Fan decided not to go in. He waited outside for them.
"Congratulations, Boss Song," Chen Fan said indifferently.
"Hahaha!" Song Changsheng laughed proudly.
"Darling!" Fang Xiaohong said coquettishly, linking her arm through Song Changsheng's. "You have no idea how annoying this Chen Fan is. He used to have a crush on me, but he had no self-awareness, a toad wanting to eat swan meat."
Chen Fan looked at Fang Xiaohong, a hint of disgust in his eyes. When Fang Xiaohong had first started, she knew little about the job and often asked him for help. Her words were always sweet, and she liked to use her looks to achieve her goals. Chen Fan was not swayed by her charm, but they were colleagues, and he helped when he could. He never expected that, in Fang Xiaohong's words, these acts would be twisted into him having improper intentions towards her.
Chen Fan observed Fang Xiaohong, noticing that her face looked more refined than before, as if she had undergone cosmetic surgery. Upon closer inspection, many parts had been altered ā her pointed chin, high nose bridge, and even her chest.
"Darling, look at the way this trash is looking at me, it's so annoying," Fang Xiaohong said coquettishly to Song Changsheng, feeling uncomfortable as if her dark thoughts were exposed by Chen Fan's playful gaze. With Song Changsheng backing her, she fearlessly scolded, "Chen Fan, where are you looking? Go take a pee and look at yourself. With your poor and useless appearance, you think you're worthy of having improper thoughts about me?" She puffed out her chest and sneered. "My good figure is something your dog eyes can look at? Aren't you afraid of blinding your dog eyes?"
Chen Fan's expression remained unchanged. "Fang Xiaohong, you're overthinking it!"
Fang Xiaohong sneered, "You dare say you don't have any ideas about me? Humph, you, a broke loser who can't even keep his own wife, should just go back and eat your instant noodles. This restaurant is not a place for you."
"I said you're overthinking it!" Chen Fan continued, "What I mean is, with your whole body having undergone surgery, and even the fake parts being so crudely made, I wouldn't be interested in looking at you even if you were naked! It's too glaring, it would poison your eyes!"
It was peak dining time, and people were coming and going at the restaurant entrance. Some passersby overheard Chen Fan's words. They cast appraising glances at Fang Xiaohong, with knowing smiles. Some even burst into laughter, amused.
"You..." Fang Xiaohong, having been hit where it hurt, shrieked, "Chen Fan, how dare you talk nonsense, you... you scoundrel, I'll make you pay!" She then clung to Song Changsheng pitifully, tears welling up in her eyes, and said, "Darling, this worthless person is bullying me!"
Song Changsheng, who was well aware of Fang Xiaohong's plastic surgery, also lost face. He snorted, "Chen Fan, you have no manners towards a beautiful woman, no wonder your wife left you for Young Master Jiang. You, apologize to Xiaohong right now!" Song Changsheng said aggressively.
Chen Fan ignored him. If he wasn't waiting for someone, why would he waste his breath? He glanced into the distance. He didn't see Mihiko and Hathaway, but he did see a familiar middle-aged woman walking over, and Chen Fan's eyes gleamed with amusement.