699: Chapter 688: Can You Stay Tonight?
699: Chapter 688: Can You Stay Tonight?
After enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner in the restaurant, Ning Fan and Huo Qiuran chatted happily and lingered there for about half an hour before leaving the restaurant under everyone’s watchful eyes.
After dropping Huo Qiuran off at home, Ning Fan didn’t leave, as she asked him to stay.
Hugging Ning Fan from behind, Huo Qiuran’s cheeks were flushed.
She had had quite a bit to drink tonight, and her eyes already held a hint of drunken haze.
“Can you stay tonight?”
“Of course.”
Ning Fan did not refuse.
How could he possibly leave Huo Qiuran at this moment?
After all, he wasn’t some cold-hearted, unsympathetic person.
The clock was now pointing at ten, and it was getting late.
“I heard that Zhanyun, that kid, ran over to your place.
Did he cause you any trouble?”
Snuggled up on the living room sofa in Ning Fan’s arms, Huo Qiuran suddenly brought up Huo Zhanyuan, looking a bit embarrassed.
Huo Qiuran had heard about Huo Zhanyuan running to Xu Corporation some time ago but felt it wasn’t her place to intervene; moreover, she knew exactly why her brother had gone there.
A few days ago, when Ning Fan left Zhonghai, Huo Zhanyuan even came by to inquire about Ning Fan’s whereabouts, but Huo Qiuran shooed him away.
Knowing that Huo Zhanyuan was relentlessly pursuing Ning Fan due to the Huo Family’s orders, Huo Qiuran felt a headache coming on.
Completely burning bridges was difficult—blood was thicker than water, and no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she couldn’t escape the fact that Huo Zhanyuan was her brother.
Huo Qiuran worried whether Ning Fan might be troubled by Huo Zhanyuan’s persistence.
“How about I send him back to Jiangcheng?”
Ning Fan shook his head upon hearing this, “No need.”
Let Huo Zhanyuan do as he wishes.
To say he was a trouble would be an overstatement; he hadn’t really caused any specific problems, just been a bit annoying like a fly.
But Huo Zhanyuan had learnt to be cautious and not to touch Ning Fan’s bottom line.
So, for now, Ning Fan felt it was better to just leave him alone.
Who knew how long that kid could keep it up?
Maybe till tomorrow or the day after, or he might last a month?
But Huo Zhanyuan hadn’t reached an irredeemable point yet; hiding away for a day after being talked down by Ning Fan proved that he still had a sense of shame and guilt towards Huo Qiuran.
“Now that the Shangguan Family has fallen, the Huo Family is anxious to find a new backer, let him be for now, Zhanyuan hasn’t really done anything excessive.
Plus, don’t you think it’s amusing that the proud young master of the Huo Family condescends to work as a humble security guard?”
“But…”
“It’s okay, your brother isn’t likely to stir up any real trouble.
Instead, it’s your father—has he been bothering you recently?”
Ning Fan interrupted Huo Qiuran, also inquiring whether Huo Yuanshan had recently been harassing her.
For now it was just Huo Zhanyuan, and Ning Fan felt there wasn’t a need for any excessive action.
Moreover, the kid was merely annoying in front of him and hadn’t really done anything beyond that.
For Huo Qiuran’s sake, Ning Fan could still tolerate him.
Whenever Huo Yuanshan was mentioned, Huo Qiuran’s expression would darken.
Huo Yuanshan had not lost contact with her, and her mother also frequently reached out.
She clearly understood their intentions, so she didn’t show them any goodwill.
Yet even so, the people of the Huo Family still tirelessly tried to reconnect with Huo Qiuran, hoping to win her back.
It was because of their shamelessness that Huo Qiuran felt even more disappointed and also experienced a sense of helplessness.
Huo Qiuran didn’t want to get involved with the Huo Family anymore, which was true, but there were always times when her heart softened.
For now, however, the Huo Family couldn’t persuade her unless Ning Fan spoke up.
Therefore, there was a bit of a stalemate; on one side, Ning Fan needed Huo Qiuran to speak up, and on the other, Huo Qiuran needed Ning Fan to speak up.
Either side’s situation was quite troublesome and foolproof.
Huo Zhanyuan was still targeting Ning Fan, and it seemed he was planning for a prolonged battle, while Huo Yuanshan and his wife tried to settle things with Huo Qiuran, appearing to be engaging in a two-pronged strategy.
“However, I heard them say that behind the Shangguan Family, there’s a Yunteng Family, and this Yunteng Family is somewhat sinister!”
Thinking of Huo Yuanshan’s earlier warning, Huo Qiuran immediately mentioned this.
The Yunteng Family was the support behind the Shangguan Family.
Huo Yuanshan had specifically researched this and, thinking that this piece of information might be highly regarded by Ning Fan, he shared it in an attempt to please Ning Fan.
Also, the frequency of Huo Yuanshan’s calls had been increasing because the Shangguan Family, with the covert support of the Yunteng Family, was gradually overcoming their troubles, and the underground chaos in Jiangcheng seemed to be settling down as well.
But this development was not what the Huo Family wanted to see.
Having already offended the Shangguan Family, the Huo Family naturally did not wish for their success, because if that happened, the Huo Family would be the ones to suffer.
Although the Shangguan Family had been severely weakened this time, if they received help from the Yunteng Family, recovering up to eighty percent of their original strength was still manageable.
Then, they would retain their dominant position in Jiangcheng, and dealing with the Huo Family would be easy.
Therefore, bringing Ning Fan over to their side had become a high priority for the Huo Family.
“The Yunteng Family?”
“Yes, one of the four major families of Zang City, the Yunteng Family!”
“Hmm, I think I’ve heard of them before…”
The Yunteng Family of Zang City, huh?
It seems I’ve heard of them somewhere before, and it wasn’t a good review.
“I heard that this family has always been researching Evil Gu.”
Evil Gu, a term that immediately evokes a bad impression.
Ning Fan knew quite a bit about Gu Insects; when he first met Xu Ruolan, she had been tangled with Evil Gu and nearly lost her life because of it, marking the very beginning of their encounter.
However, at this moment, by Huo Qiuran’s side, thinking about Xu Ruolan felt somewhat inappropriate.
The key issue was the Yunteng Family; probably after settling the Jiangcheng matter, they would come seeking retribution from him.
It was this Yunteng Family of Zang City; Ning Fan was quite curious if they would also come forward.
“Meet the enemy with resistance, counter the flood with earth.
I know the Shangguan Family won’t give up easily.
It’s just unknown whether the Yunteng Family will also step forward.
Just leave this matter to me, you don’t need to worry so much.”
Although he said this, Huo Qiuran still felt somewhat worried.
Ning Fan noticed the concerns in Huo Qiuran’s eyes, and at that moment, he too was deep in thought.