349: Chapter 345: The Tea is Bitter 349: Chapter 345: The Tea is Bitter Even knowing Zhao Lina’s “unspeakable” intentions, Ye Fan still agreed.
He spent half a day shopping with Zhao Lina, and around 6:30 p.m., he drove back to the ground floor of Zhao Lina’s house.
Before going upstairs, Zhao Lina seriously warned, “Ye Fan, once you enter my house, no matter what my dad challenges you to, you must lose!”
“Hehe, got it!” Ye Fan responded with a light smile.
However, after entering Zhao Lina’s house, Zhao Lina realized her words were completely unnecessary, as her dad, Zhao Guodong, was just sitting at the living room coffee table, chatting and tasting tea with Ye Fan.
It turned out that Zhao Guodong’s hobbies were Go and calligraphy, both of which Ye Fan easily defeated him at, leaving him unable to find any cultural skills to best Ye Fan, so he simply gave up competing.
After dinner, around 8:30 p.m., chatting with Zhao Guodong and Yang Zhizhuo, and under Zhao Lina’s repeated suggestive looks, Ye Fan had to stand up and say goodbye.
Zhao Guodong and Yang Zhizhuo also realized that their daughter wanted to go out and have fun with Ye Fan, so they did not hold them back.
Walking down to the car, Ye Fan started heading towards his car but was stopped by Zhao Lina, who insisted they drive the same car to save fuel.
Ye Fan smiled indifferently.
After all, he had to drop Zhao Lina back at her place later anyway.
Ye Fan ended up driving Zhao Lina’s Volkswagen sedan.
After starting the car, Zhao Lina began playing music.
However, as the music’s intro played, Ye Fan felt it was very familiar.
After hearing seven or eight notes, my goodness, wasn’t this the song “Only Love” that he sang as Prisoner No.
“Who stands on the peak with a sword, merging with the universe?
Who holds a beauty, slumbering together through sunsets for ten thousand years?
As the song played, Zhao Lina suddenly laughed and said, “Ye Fan, doesn’t this voice sound a bit similar to yours?”
Ye Fan showed a strange expression on his face and vaguely responded, “Hmm, it does sound a bit similar.”
“Hehe, do you know this song?
It was sung by an incredibly mysterious person at Shen Yan’s concert some time ago.
That mysterious person is called Prisoner No.
2, wearing a cool mask.
Apart from Shen Yan, nobody knows his identity or what he looks like,” Zhao Lina chattered excitedly—”Speaking of which, I’m kind of half a fan of his.
If he sings a few more songs as good as ‘Only Love,’ I might just become his fan.”
Listening to Zhao Lina, Ye Fan felt an odd sensation inside; this half-real, half-fake girlfriend of his had inadvertently become his fan.
“Ye Fan, do you think Prisoner No.
2 will sing new songs in the future?” Zhao Lina asked, “I saw some experts online analyzing that Prisoner No.
2 might not show up again.
For some reason, Ye Fan suddenly felt the urge to sing a new song as Prisoner No.
“Maybe he will sing another song,” Ye Fan said spontaneously.
How do you know?” Zhao Lina immediately asked excitedly.
Ye Fan made up an answer, “Isn’t he called Prisoner No.
The name has a ‘two’ in it — maybe he really will sing another one.”
Zhao Lina’s eyes lit up, and she smiled, “That makes sense.
He named himself Prisoner No.
2; there must be a meaning behind it!
Maybe he will sing another song like you guessed.”
The next day, Monday morning, Ye Fan made a brief appearance at Emali Corporation and then drove off at 9:30 to head for Huayang Martial Arts Gym.
The remodeling of Huayang Martial Arts Gym had finally been completed, and the corresponding equipment had also been set up.
Upon entering the gym, Ye Fan found not only Lu Xiaoman and Shi Sheng there but also Lu Chengqiang.
Upon seeing Ye Fan, Lu Chengqiang excitedly rushed up to him, exclaiming, “Brother Ye, did you forget about me?
How long has it been since you last visited me at Heroic Bar?”
“Look at you, all rosy-cheeked and living it up; you hardly need me to visit,” Ye Fan responded with a smile as he regarded Lu Chengqiang.
Lu Chengqiang immediately grinned proudly and said, “Haha, you hit the nail on the head.
Ever since the bar officially began operations, I’ve almost been corrupted by this capitalist decadence.”
Then, he proudly added, “Brother Ye, don’t worry about me ruining the bar.
Judging by its current performance, I’m making quite a bit this month.”
“Mm,” Ye Fan responded with a faint smile.
Originally, the Heroic Bar was a cash cow anyway.
If it hadn’t been for the Qingmu Gang being suppressed by the Qinglang Gang, the bar wouldn’t have been sold, much less at a bargain to Lu Chengqiang.
As Lu Xiaoman led Ye Fan and the others around on a tour of the gym’s new look, she said to Ye Fan, “The pricing and membership system for the gym are almost finalized; I’ll show you later to see if they’re suitable.
The logistics and medical staff have basically been recruited.
It’s just the coach recruitment that’s a bit tricky.”
“In terms of coaches, on one hand, we are hiring experienced coaches from the society, and on the other hand, training our own,” Ye Fan said.
“Focusing mainly on our own training makes the coaches more loyal and better able to form the characteristics of our gym.
Er, I’d rather have fewer trainees in the early stages.”
He paused, then added, “For the first year, we should be prepared to operate at a loss.”
“Yes, I understand,” Lu Xiaoman said.
As for the martial arts styles taught at the gym, Ye Fan had already discussed with Shi Sheng about adopting practical combat styles, primarily military striking techniques, complemented by traditional Chinese martial arts.
Common styles like Taekwondo, Karate, and Western Boxing were out of consideration.
At a little past five in the afternoon, Ye Fan received a call from Li Zhaojun, asking him to visit her office.
Knocking and entering Li Zhaojun’s office, Ye Fan saw her sitting at the coffee table, intently preparing tea.
Without waiting for Li Zhaojun to invite him, Ye Fan walked over and settled himself on another sofa.
As Ye Fan sat down, Li Zhaojun had already brewed the tea, using wooden tongs to place a sanitized and washed small teacup in front of him, then elegantly poured him a cup.
“Try it and see how it tastes,” Li Zhaojun said, looking up at him.
Although her stunning face bore no smile, Ye Fan could see that Li Zhaojun’s attitude towards him was markedly different from before.
However, he quickly realized that it was probably because of his rescue of Old Master Li last Friday night, causing Li Zhaojun to finally feel grateful, no longer looking at him with critical eyes.
Taking the cup that Li Zhaojun, who had been his wife for four months, personlly prepared for him—the first cup she had made for him—Ye Fan felt a complex mix of emotions.
This cup of tea had come a bit late.
These days, his thoughts were no longer on Li Zhaojun.
Instead, he was focused on Lu Xiaoman and Zhao Lina, pondering whether he should be with Lu Xiaoman or Zhao Lina after the divorce.
Tasting the tea, Ye Fan found it bitter and not at all pleasant.
“How is it?” Li Zhaojun asked again.
“Alright,” replied Ye Fan calmly.