Under Chen Fan's assurances and Da Xiong's repeated explanations, Qin Shuran finally believed that Chen Fan had not done anything to betray her. After all, she knew that Chen Fan had gone to the capital to save his mother and would not seek out other women at such a time.
The reason she was so angry was that Chen Fan had been gone for so long before returning.
Da Xiong took the car keys himself, acting as the driver, while Chen Fan and Qin Shuran sat in the back.
"Has your mother woken up?" Qin Shuran couldn't help but ask.
Chen Fan's eyes dimmed slightly, and he shook his head. "I need to find someone. Only by finding her can I have a chance to save my mother."
"Who? Is her medical skill better than yours?" Qin Shuran was somewhat surprised.
Chen Fan explained, "It's more like she has a medicinal herb that can save my mother."
"So that's how it is. Don't worry, heaven will surely reunite you and your mother. When that time comes, she can witness our wedding," Qin Shuran said, holding Chen Fan's hand to comfort him.
"Are you agreeing to marry me then?" Chen Fan's mood improved a little, and he looked at Qin Shuran.
"Who agreed? You haven't proposed to me yet," Qin Shuran's face flushed, and she turned her head away shyly.
Then, as if remembering something, she looked at Da Xiong and said, "Da Xiong, remember to call Cui Jie back. She's been trying to contact you these past few days but couldn't reach you. She's been coming to the hospital every few days asking if I know your whereabouts."
Da Xiong, who was driving, stiffened slightly but didn't reply, continuing to drive.
Just then, Chen Fan's phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at it; it was an unknown number, but Chen Fan still answered it.
"Hello, Mr. Chen," a polite male voice came from the other end of the line.
"Who is this?" Chen Fan asked.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Ma Peng."
Chen Fan was surprised upon hearing this and frowned slightly. "Ma Peng? May I ask what Mr. Ma is looking for me for?"
"I heard that Mr. Chen has returned to Jiangcheng, so I specifically rushed to Jiangcheng to welcome you and present you with a meeting gift. I hope Mr. Chen will give me some face," Ma Peng stated the purpose of his call.
"Mr. Ma, we don't seem to be very familiar with each other, do we?" Chen Fan retorted.
"Heh, don't friends always become familiar from not knowing each other? Who was friends from birth? Mr. Chen, I'll be waiting for you at Yue Wang Lou. We'll meet there," Ma Peng said.
Before Chen Fan could reply, Ma Peng had already hung up the phone.
"Brother Fan, was that Ma Peng who called you?" Da Xiong asked in surprise when he saw Chen Fan hang up.
Chen Fan nodded. "He invited me to Yue Wang Lou."
"How did he know we returned to Jiangcheng?" Da Xiong wondered.
Chen Fan smiled calmly. Given Ma Peng's status, it was not surprising that he could find this out.
"Brother Fan, are we going?"
"Yes, I'd like to meet this Ma Peng," Chen Fan replied.
"You're going out again?" Qin Shuran held Chen Fan's hand, appearing displeased.
"We'll go out for a good meal tonight," Chen Fan comforted her.
Qin Shuran was not unreasonable. Knowing that Chen Fan had important matters to attend to, she reluctantly nodded.
Chen Fan first sent Qin Shuran back to the psychiatric hospital, and then went to Yue Wang Lou in Jiangcheng with Da Xiong.
Yue Wang Lou, located on Yue Wang Mountain by the Jiang River in Jiangcheng, was an ancient four-story building. Because it offered a panoramic view of Jiangcheng, it was called Yue Wang Lou.
At this moment, on the top floor of Yue Wang Lou, there was a luxurious private room.
This place had already been bought by a wealthy businessman and turned into a private dining club.
A man sat at the head of the table, gazing at the scenery outside the window, appearing quite at ease.
However, at this moment, the room door was opened, and a middle-aged man said respectfully, "Sir, they have arrived."
"Please let them in."
The middle-aged man nodded, turned, and left the private room.
Soon, the door to the private room opened again, and two figures followed the middle-aged man into the luxurious room. These two were Chen Fan and Da Xiong.
"We are hosting a welcoming banquet for Mr. Chen here. Are you satisfied, Mr. Chen?" the man sitting at the head of the table inquired.
"Mr. Ma is too kind. Coming to Jiangcheng, I should be the one hosting," Chen Fan said without reservation, sitting directly opposite the man.
Da Xiong sat beside Chen Fan, warily watching the bodyguards behind Ma Peng.
Upon hearing this, Ma Peng's expression changed slightly. Chen Fan's words clearly indicated that he did not take the leader of the underworld in Huazhong Province seriously. However, Ma Peng quickly concealed the displeasure in his eyes and said, "Heh, Mr. Chen is indeed as famous as they say. No wonder you have the boss's favor."
"Mr. Ma, what do you want to say? I believe you didn't travel from Mingzhou to Jiangcheng just to treat me to a meal, did you?" Chen Fan got straight to the point, not wanting to engage in small talk.
Ma Peng smiled calmly. "Mr. Chen, don't be in a hurry. Before we discuss business, I have a gift for Mr. Chen."
"What gift?" Chen Fan looked at Ma Peng playfully.
Ma Peng didn't speak but clapped his hands twice. "Pa pa."
The door opened, and a man carrying a wooden box walked into the private room, respectfully placing the box in front of Chen Fan.
A bloody scent immediately made Chen Fan and Da Xiong frown slightly.
"Open it for Mr. Chen," Ma Peng instructed.
The man nodded and opened the wooden box in front of him.
The moment Chen Fan and Da Xiong saw what was inside, their expressions changed. For in this wooden box lay a pair of hands!
"Mr. Ma, what do you mean by this?" a cold glint flashed in Chen Fan's eyes.
"Heh, Mr. Chen, do you know whose hands these are?"
Chen Fan did not respond.
"These are Cheng Hua's hands," Ma Peng answered his own question.
Hearing Ma Peng's answer, Chen Fan's expression became even more solemn.
"Mr. Chen, do you remember the assassination attempt you encountered in Kyoto a few days ago? Cheng Hua was one of the assassins you hired."
At this point, Ma Peng sighed. "Alas, it's all my fault for not teaching him properly. I never expected him to do something like this! As soon as I found out, I immediately ordered someone to chop off his hands as a punishment. After all, he was a trusted subordinate who had been with me for ten years. I absolutely could not take his life. Here, I also ask Mr. Chen to give me face and let him go. These hands are a token of my apology."
Ma Peng said it lightly, but Chen Fan's heart was in turmoil.
Chen Fan never expected that Ma Peng would cut off the hands of a trusted subordinate who had been with him for ten years without hesitation.
"Hurry up and get in here!" Ma Peng's voice rang out again.
At this moment, a middle-aged man with a pale face walked in from outside the door, his wrists wrapped in bandages. Clearly, the hands in the wooden box were his.