Chapter 49: Go Ahead and Finish Me Off Now

As soon as Lin Yan finished speaking, Lin Fan nearly spat out a mouthful of water. “What on earth are you talking about! I’m going to bed,” he said, shooting Lin Yan a glare before getting up to leave.

“Oh, right—your uncle called. He said he’s coming to T City and hopes to see you,” Lin Yan hurriedly added, as if suddenly recalling something important, just as Lin Fan was about to walk away.

Lin Fan’s brow furrowed slightly. “Did you tell him I’m back?”

“No, he just called and said he wanted to come. What’s wrong?” Lin Yan asked in surprise, noticing Lin Fan’s unusual reaction. After all, she knew nothing about how Lin Fan had been abandoned by the state years ago during a mission.

“It’s nothing. Just tell him I won’t see him.” With that, Lin Fan turned and went back to his bedroom.

Lin Fan knew perfectly well that his uncle might be able to tell him something about his parents. But what the state had done to him was not something he could easily forget. Now, he was the renowned leader of the Dragon Soul Mercenaries; it was impossible for him to be at anyone’s beck and call, as he once was, obeying orders from the state or any individual without question. Lin Fan was no longer the man he used to be.

Lying in bed, Lin Fan hadn’t expected that the higher-ups would learn of his return so quickly. Of course, his reason for coming back to Huaxia went far beyond avenging his parents. The Dragon Soul’s influence had never expanded into Huaxia. Partly, this was because Lin Fan had once been a soldier and still felt a flicker of patriotism; but there were other reasons as well.

Huaxia was different from any other country in the world—they never acknowledged the existence of mercenaries. Though mercenaries weren’t exactly criminal organizations, their work was still about selling their lives for money. In the eyes of Huaxia’s government, there could be no such groups within their jurisdiction.

Nevertheless, even though the government refused to legally recognize mercenaries, they had cooperated with Dragon Soul on numerous occasions. Lin Fan, however, always sent Tan Zhiyong to handle those dealings; he himself never met with their representatives. This was his way of signaling to the government that he hadn’t forgotten what they had done to him.

Lin Fan was not a man content with mediocrity. In his mind, a man should possess desire and the will to conquer. Though he had only been back in Huaxia for a few days, he had already realized that not everything here was set in stone—it all depended on how you got things done.

Drawing a deep breath, Lin Fan took out his phone and made a call. “Come to T City, Huaxia.” With those words, he hung up and drifted off to sleep.

Upstairs, Tang Rui’s mind was filled with what had just happened since Lin Fan left. She lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, her thoughts occupied by Lin Fan’s figure and the “explosive” scene she’d witnessed on her computer screen that afternoon. Inwardly, Tang Rui questioned herself, “What’s happening to me? Why am I suddenly so interested in a man’s body?”

Tang Rui’s thoughts were only natural. If a woman isn’t interested in men—especially in their bodies—then perhaps she really should see a doctor.

……

The next morning, while Lin Fan was still asleep, his phone rang.

“Sis, do you know what time it is?” Lin Fan muttered groggily into the phone.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what you’re supposed to do today,” Zhao Ying’s voice came through the line.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, a mischievous grin on his lips, Lin Fan replied, “What’s going on? It’s only been a day—are you already craving it? Just say the word. I’m an endless well, you know.”

“Shut up and get serious! Didn’t you say you were going to Zhen Tian Group’s auction today?” Zhao Ying scolded.

“That’s in the evening. Look at the time—it’s still early,” Lin Fan glanced at his watch.

“So are you coming out or not?” Zhao Ying’s tone was laced with threat, and Lin Fan could easily pick up on it.

He chuckled, “I’m coming, I’m coming. Wait for me, darling, I’ll be right there.”

Hearing him call her that, Zhao Ying felt secretly delighted. It was the first time since she’d met Lin Fan that he’d addressed her that way. If, in the past, their relationship had merely been a façade, Zhao Ying now knew that she truly belonged to Lin Fan.

After a cold shower, Lin Fan changed into a more relaxed set of casual clothes and headed out.

Watching car after car drive past him, Lin Fan couldn’t understand why Zhao Ying had insisted again and again that he not drive, making him wait here so early in the morning.

Just as Lin Fan was looking around, a black Lamborghini Bat swooped to a stop in front of him.

He was momentarily stunned. “Is this car here to pick me up? That can’t be—it’s not the car Zhao Ying usually drives.”

“What are you standing there for, lost in thought? Hurry up and get in!” Zhao Ying shouted, lowering the window.

Lin Fan didn’t care where Zhao Ying had gotten the car from. Without another word, he opened the door and plopped down in the passenger seat.

Looks like this guy’s luck with women is really something, the early-morning exercisers nearby thought as they watched Lin Fan get in the car. So he’d been waiting here all this time just for this rich lady—no wonder.

“You’re not taking me to a hotel this early in the morning, are you?” Lin Fan stretched lazily after getting in. “If that’s the case, there’s no need. How about a little fun in the car instead?”

Zhao Ying shot him a glare. “You’re not seriously planning to go dressed like that, are you?”

“It’s not a blind date—why get so dressed up?” Lin Fan reclined his seat and lay back, his eyes narrowing as he leered at Zhao Ying’s impressive curves and the strip of fair skin between her batwing top and short skirt.

Sizing him up from head to toe, Zhao Ying replied, “There’s a cocktail party before tonight’s auction—everyone there will be from high society. Do you really think your sweat-stained clothes are fit for such an occasion? You may not care about appearances, but I do.”

“What sweat? I just showered this morning,” Lin Fan protested, sniffing his shirt. “Besides, even if there is a smell, it’s just the scent of a man. Don’t tell me you haven’t smelled it before.”

Still, glancing down at himself, Lin Fan had to admit that his outfit wasn’t quite right for such an event.

“I don’t have a cent to my name. I’m practically begging to be kept. Whoever wants me, I’ll warm their bed,” Lin Fan joked, leaning against Zhao Ying’s fragrant shoulder.

“If you dare mess around with other women, I’ll make sure you regret it!” Zhao Ying shot him a fierce look, huffing loudly.

“Ouch, I’m scared, so scared!” Lin Fan exclaimed dramatically, covering his crotch with his hands. Then, with a sly grin, he grabbed Zhao Ying’s soft, white hand on the steering wheel. “Why not do it now, then?”

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