Chapter Sixty-Six: An Invitation from the Upper Echelons

After Yang Chenjun was defeated by Liu Fan in a single move, it wasn’t long before he was taken away by ambulance. Since he too was a member of the Dragon Division, Wang Zhenguo followed the ambulance to the hospital to keep him company, leaving only Long Yanyu and Liu Fan at the scene.

The atmosphere felt awkward, given the unpleasantness earlier. Yet Long Yanyu was here on assignment, so she took the initiative. “Where should we go now? Perhaps… we could find a quiet place to sit and talk.”

Liu Fan nodded. “I have no objection.” He agreed; it felt odd for the two of them to be just standing out on the street.

“Let’s go, then. Get in my car.” Long Yanyu strode ahead toward a black Audi parked nearby, and Liu Fan followed at a leisurely pace.

Once inside the car, Long Yanyu spoke with some embarrassment. “Liu Fan, I’m not very familiar with Shanghai. I don’t know where to go. Do you know anywhere nice? Somewhere quiet?”

Liu Fan was taken aback at her question, unsure quite what to say. He simply stared at her speechlessly—she was the one who suggested they go somewhere, yet didn’t know where to go. “Don’t look at me like that! It’s only my second time in Shanghai. Not knowing the way is perfectly normal!” Long Yanyu pouted, clearly uncomfortable under his gaze.

“Alright, you win. Let’s go to the Fenghai Grand Hotel just up ahead,” Liu Fan said, rubbing his forehead with a bitter smile. Truth be told, he’d only been in Shanghai a little over two weeks himself and didn’t know many places either. He’d visited the Fenghai Grand Hotel twice, so he wasn’t keen on going anywhere else—it was close enough, anyway.

Ten minutes later, guided by Liu Fan, Long Yanyu drove to the Fenghai Grand Hotel. Together, they got out and entered.

Inside, the lobby was deserted, with only a handful of guests. Tables and chairs lay overturned, decorations on the walls askew and battered—clearly, some incident or conflict had occurred earlier.

The sight made Liu Fan frown deeply. He pressed onward, and soon found Zhu Guangming at a corner, clutching his face and directing staff as they cleaned up the mess. Since Zhu Guangming had helped Liu Fan before, Liu Fan approached curiously. “Manager Zhu, what happened here? Did someone cause trouble?”

“Oh, ah, it’s you, Mr. Liu! Sorry, I didn’t notice you just now. Please don’t mind me. This is nothing, just a small matter. But are you here to dine, or…?” Zhu Guangming, hearing someone call him, turned to see Liu Fan and hurried over, hand still pressed to his face, trying to hide his pain but speaking courteously. He’d seen Liu Fan beat up Zhao Qijin—fierce, indeed—and after Liu Fan had struck a foreign guest yet still stood tall, Zhu Guangming knew Liu Fan was someone with deep connections, not someone a small-time manager could afford to offend.

It was clear Zhu Guangming didn’t want to elaborate, and Liu Fan didn’t press further. “Manager Zhu, do you have any private rooms available? Give me a quiet one.”

Zhu Guangming glanced at Long Yanyu behind Liu Fan, his eyes lighting up for a moment, but remembering Liu Fan’s formidable prowess, he quickly withdrew his gaze and replied with a wry smile, “We do have private rooms, but with the lobby in such disarray, I’m not sure we’re fit to receive guests. Perhaps you’d prefer somewhere else?”

“Just arrange a decent room and a few signature dishes. The rest doesn’t concern you. Understood?” Liu Fan could guess what Zhu Guangming was worried about—the ruined lobby would drive away most customers, let alone have them stay for a meal. But that was nothing to Liu Fan.

“Well… alright then. Please, follow me upstairs.” Zhu Guangming hesitated, but business is business; he couldn’t turn away clients. Resigned, he led them upstairs to a private room.

Once seated, they ordered a few signature dishes, and Zhu Guangming excused himself to continue his work.

Before long, the dishes arrived. Clearly, the hotel’s efficiency was high, something both Liu Fan and Long Yanyu noted. What they didn’t realize was that, with so few guests due to the earlier trouble, the chefs in the kitchen had nothing to do, so their orders were prepared quickly.

As the food arrived, conversation ceased, and the awkward silence returned. Liu Fan, however, tucked in heartily, eating with relish as if he were possessed by the spirit of a famished ghost, quickly demolishing a plate of braised meat.

Long Yanyu, on the other hand, absent-mindedly chewed her food, finding it tasteless, as if chewing wax. Anxious, she didn’t know how to begin, though in her mind she silently berated Liu Fan several times: Hmph! Shameless rogue, filthy scoundrel, what a starving ghost—doesn’t the lady sitting here have more allure than these dishes? Infuriating!

Soon Liu Fan was nearly done eating. Looking up, he saw Long Yanyu biting down angrily on a beef meatball with her chopsticks as if she bore a grudge against it. Her hand shook, seeming intent on crushing it.

But where there is oppression, there is resistance. The meatball was no exception. Perhaps she squeezed it too tightly, for suddenly the broth within shot out, splattering directly onto her face. She cried out in surprise and leapt up. When she came to her senses, she found Liu Fan watching her with amusement, as if enjoying the spectacle, so she made a fierce face at him.

Liu Fan found her expression rather cute, so he picked up a napkin and handed it over with a playful smile. “Here, wipe your face. Was that meatball your enemy? Why did you hate it so much?”

“Hmph, mind your own business!” Long Yanyu retorted petulantly, snatching the napkin. Not only had she failed to accomplish her mission today, she’d ended up embarrassing herself, which left her annoyed. This damned scoundrel was her nemesis—nothing ever went smoothly when he was around.

Liu Fan didn’t mind her little tantrum; he had no intention of wasting time. “Alright, Miss Long. The meal’s nearly over. Why don’t you tell me what brought you here today? Don’t tell me this was just to thank me for saving your life and treat me to dinner.”

Relieved at his directness, Long Yanyu dropped the act and adopted a cold, serious demeanor. “If that’s the case, I won’t waste words. I am here as a representative of the Dragon Division to formally issue a recruitment order to you. What are your thoughts?”

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