Ning Yan didn't hesitate: "Okay! I'll call you in ten minutes, and I'll wait for you downstairs at the company!"
I sighed and walked towards Fang Nan's office.
This is the only way I can do it. I instinctively don't dare to get too close to Fang Nan. I feel that the closer I get to her, the deeper I'll fall... Although this method isn't exactly honorable, I'll just have to take it one step at a time.
When we arrived at Fang Nan's door, Qian Pan only glanced at me before quickly tidying something up in her hands: "Go in. Miss Fang is waiting for you."
I nodded with a wry smile.
I noticed something strange in Qian Pan's eyes; there was a hint of a half-smile in them. I didn't dare to think too much about it. I pushed the door open and went inside.
In the room, Fang Nan was sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of coffee in her hand, staring blankly out the window. When she saw me come in, her eyes suddenly lit up. She put down what she was holding and walked towards me. Suddenly, she reached out and hugged me, wrapping her arms around my waist and pressing her head against my chest.
As her fragrant body came into my arms, I instinctively hugged her back, but then my movements froze. Fang Nan immediately sensed my change and sighed softly, "You...you're still somewhat resistant to me, aren't you?"
"No," I said softly, "I'm just a little confused, my mind is in turmoil."
Fang Nan murmured, "This morning... I lied to you."
"What?"
"I didn't sleep well last night either." Fang Nan buried her head in my shoulder. "I tossed and turned... Am I being pathetic? I knew you had a girlfriend, and I knew you were ten years younger than me..."
I sighed inwardly, but dared not show it on my face, and said softly, "No, you're overthinking it. If anyone should feel guilty, it should be me."
"Chen Yang." Fang Nan raised her head: "I don't want to make things difficult for you. I don't ask for much. I just want you to stay by my side and let me see you often."
Before I could finish speaking, her eyes welled up with tears, filled with deep affection, her cheeks flushed with shyness, and then she slowly closed her eyes...
I knew that in this situation, I should lean in and kiss her. But I didn't move; my mind kept wavering…
A kiss? Then I'd taken another step further; Yan Di's image kept flashing through my mind...
"No kiss? Fang Nan will probably be heartbroken..."
Looking out the window... this must be a high-rise, right? I might as well just jump...
Luckily, the phone call saved my life at that moment!
The phone rang crisply; it was Fang Nan's phone on her desk. She opened her eyes, unaware of my hesitation, her face filled with embarrassment. She quickly left my embrace, went over to pick up the phone, whispered a few words, and then her expression gradually became serious.
"I understand." After saying the last sentence, Fang Nan put down the phone, turned to look at me, and said, "Chen Yang, come out with me for a bit."
"Now?"
"Hmm, do you remember Minister Kim? Do you remember the agreement you made with him? Business in South Korea isn't going well this time, and I need to talk to him again. He specifically asked me to take you with me."
I did not refuse the company's business.
Fang Nan tidied herself up. Apart from a slight blush on her face, she looked fine. However, when she went out, Qian Pan looked at the blush on Fang Nan's face with a strange and puzzled expression.
After we got off the elevator and went to the parking lot, Fang Nan was walking behind me. But as I was getting my car and about to open the door for her, she suddenly hugged me from behind. She hugged me very tightly, as if she had used all her strength.
"Am I being silly?" Fang Nan murmured behind me, "I feel like I'm going crazy! I feel like a little girl, I can't help it... I really can't help it, I always want to hold you tight, to be with you every minute..."
I was touched. I turned around, gave her a gentle hug, and whispered, "Okay, you're not stupid."
"Then can you hug me a little longer?" Fang Nan seemed to have suddenly transformed into a young girl falling in love for the first time, her eyes even carrying a hint of naivety as she gently bit her lip.
To be honest, I really softened.
The parking lot was quiet. I sighed, tightened my grip on her arms a little, hesitated for a moment, then lowered my head and kissed her cherry lips. Her lips were soft and fragrant, like flower petals. I almost lost control and became completely absorbed in the moment, using almost all my willpower to release her: "Get in the car."
Fang Nan smiled sweetly and sat down.
I turned around and walked to the other side of the car...
Suddenly, I froze!
Not far away, about twenty steps from me in the parking lot, behind a pillar, Ning Yan stood there in surprise, her car beside her. Ning Yan stared wide-eyed, covering her mouth with her hand, seemingly trying to hold back a gasp.
Part 1: A Man in the Martial World, Helpless in His Own Way - Chapter 91: An Encounter?
I froze, and only after Fang Nan urged me did I blankly open the door, get in the car, and sit down.
"We need to hurry." Fang Nan hadn't noticed Ning Yan, and when I looked back at Fang, Ning Yan had already disappeared somewhere.
I started the car, drove out of the parking lot, and then reluctantly...
I told Ningyan to wait for me downstairs! I told her to call me later and bring me out!
"Exposed! It's exposed now!" I kept repeating these words in my mind.
"What's wrong? You don't look well."
I shook my head and mumbled "It's nothing," but I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Ning Yan saw Fang Nan and me being intimate! If this gets out... I'm doomed! At least the whole company will know! And then in everyone's eyes, Fang Nan and I will be a couple... Well, maybe I'll even be seen as a gigolo who's after Fang Nan's wealth... Damn it. But I don't really care about that.
What I care about is my relationship with Fang Nan; I don't want it exposed! I don't want everyone to know! Because I don't know how to handle it yet, or rather, I haven't come up with a clever solution. If it gets out now, it'll be like having mud in your pants—even if it's not poop, it'll still look like poop!
I was driving absentmindedly and didn't even hear Fang Nan call me twice. It wasn't until the third time that I snapped out of it: "Huh? What did you say?"
"You took the wrong turn; you should have turned."
"Hmm... Ah?" I composed myself. "Right, where are we going?" I seemed really flustered. It took me several minutes of driving before I remembered to ask this question.
Fang Nan frowned slightly: "Chen Yang, are you really alright?"
"It's okay." I decided not to tell her: "Where are we staying?"
"Outside the city... um, that private club district in the eastern suburbs? You know it, right?"
I was a little surprised and couldn't help but turn my head to look at her: "The private club district in the eastern suburbs?"
That must be the casino!
"Minister Jin is staying there this time. He specifically asked me to bring you there during the phone call just now. Chen Yang... um, can I ask you for a favor?"
My mind was a bit confused, and I blurted out, "What?"
"That Minister Kim. He seems to have a high opinion of you. This business deal with South Korea is very important to our company. Many people in the company have put in a lot of effort for this line. Now the key lies with their South Korean company. Minister Kim's words carry a lot of weight in their company... Now he seems to like you a lot, so..."
"I understand." I nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, I'm a member of the company now, and I'll deal with him properly. I know what I'm doing."
That's what I said. But I still had a hint of worry in my eyes.
Going to a casino... is it really okay? Putting everything else aside, Cangyu and Huan have already told me to stay away from that circle... Now, going to a casino just feels a little strange.
And... sigh, Ning Yan. She won't say anything, will she?
I turned around at the next intersection and headed towards the eastern suburbs. I spotted a convenience store on the side of the road, drove over, stopped, thought for a moment, and whispered, "Fang Nan, could you go in and buy me a pack of cigarettes?"
Fang Tong paused for a moment, then smiled gently. Far from being displeased by my order, he seemed quite pleased, happily opening the door and getting out of the car.
I sighed and quickly took out my phone to call Ning Yan.
The phone rang a few times. The other end hung up without answering. My heart sank. I called again, but Ning Yan still hung up without answering. However, she then sent a text message:
"?"
There's nothing else, just this one question mark.
I thought about it for a moment and sent a text message: "Could you please not tell anyone?"
Ning Yan then replied: "Okay. But let's talk when you get back."
I sent an "OK" and Fang Nan returned just then. I put my phone away. Then I took the cigarettes Fang Nan offered me, glanced at them, and saw it was a pack of premium Su cigarettes, the kind that costs eighty yuan a pack.
Fang Nan's eyes still held a hint of unease: "This is the best we have in the shop, is it okay for you?"
I was both amused and exasperated... It seemed that Fang Nan had truly become like a young girl who had just fallen in love, with no thought whatsoever about pleasing her lover.
"These cigarettes are expensive. I'm usually lucky if I can get a pack of 'Nanjing' that costs twenty yuan a pack," I said with a smile.
Fang Nan immediately looked very nervous: "Oh? You like to smoke 'Nanjing' cigarettes? I'll go get them for you right away."
"No need." I pressed her down while starting the car. "This cigarette is good. Thank you."
I felt a little better, at least I was certain Ning Yan wouldn't tell anyone what she saw. I believed that Ning Yan would keep her promise to me.
Now that the secret was kept, I left and focused my attention on the purpose of my trip.
"Minister Kim wants to see me. Does he want to play another game of cards with me?"
"I don't know." Fang Nan shook her head. "But... well, it doesn't matter if I tell you. Anyway, there's a private hotel in that club that's not open to the public. There's an underground casino inside. Chen Yang, don't talk about this outside, okay?"
"I know……"
Fang Nan glanced at me: "No...you already knew! Right! You know Cang Yu, and Cang Yu works at the club, so you already knew there was a casino there!"
I didn't say anything. Fang Nan was telling the truth, and I didn't want to lie to her, so I remained silent. This silence, neither confirming nor denying, was tantamount to not taking a stance.
Fang Nan hesitated for a moment: "Chen Yang, I've always had a question in my mind: how exactly did you get to know Cang Yu and the others? Are you very familiar with her? You told me before that you'd only met her twice... So do you know what Cang Yu does at the club?"
"I... I've only met Cang Yu twice." I thought for a moment and said cautiously, "I'm really not very familiar with her. It's just that my boss knew Cang Yu at my previous workplace, so I got to know him. Then I lost my job, and Cang Yu met me by chance. Knowing that I was unemployed at the time, she introduced me to you... It was purely a coincidence."
I felt a little uneasy saying those words, but then I reassured myself that what I said wasn't a lie. I just omitted many details.
Fang Nan was a very smart woman after all. She noticed the ambiguity in my tone and glanced at me, but she didn't press me for details.
I drove out of the city and headed towards the eastern suburbs, then onto the highway leading to the clubhouse.
Although this is only my second time here, my experience here more than a month ago left a very deep impression on me!
To the left is a private upscale villa residential area, and to the right, following the road, you will reach the clubhouse area.
The scenery here looks much better during the day than it did last time I visited at night.
The nearby Purple Mountain was a deep blue-green. The weather was lovely, and the car slowly drove into the clubhouse area. The security guard at the entrance let Fang Nan through after seeing her membership card.
So Fang Nan is also a member here. But considering Fang Nan's mysterious background, I'm not surprised.
I walked through the clubhouse area during the day. The layout here was undoubtedly clearer.
Ahead was a completely European-style sculpted fountain, surrounded by four or five forked paths with signs indicating routes to the racetrack, golf course, and so on...
And that private hotel that left a deep impression on me is right ahead!
That night, Huan-ge led me into another world, far removed from my social class, and today, I've come here again... Of course. I must remind myself that this place no longer belongs to Huan-ge, so I need to be extra careful.
"This is it. Drive in." Fang Nan pointed to the hotel's underground parking garage. At the entrance, he showed a white parking card, and the security guard in black immediately stepped back to the side of the road and bowed to let him through.
After settling into one of the accommodations, Fang Nan casually gave out a parking space number.