This time, the Fang Guild even dared to scheme against the Phantom Guild. Both Ning Fan and Apollo took this matter to heart.
Moreover, it would be unlike Ning Fan, who was directly sought out by them, not to retaliate.
"If one Yun Ci Guild isn't enough, then let the Fang Guild keep them company!"
Ning Fan had already made plans, he intended to utterly crush the Fang Guild and erase its name.
At this moment, Ning Fan's aura was fierce, faintly embodying the style of Asura from years past. Apollo was completely captivated, with admiration beginning to twinkle in his eyes.
It was precisely because of this intense gaze that Ning Fan suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Apollo, snap out of it!"
Apollo retorted, her demeanor seductive, her looks full of charm. Her voice went straight to the heart, and even Ning Fan couldn't help but silently curse her as a little fairy in his mind.
"Let's talk business, talk business!" Ning Fan cleared the awkwardness from his face, "You need to find Apollo quickly. Reliable information says Apollo is in Europe, but I need a precise location."
Lostan had, back then, told Ning Fan for the sake of saving his own life that Apollo was in Europe, but the exact location still required further investigation.
"Received..." In the screen, Apollo replied lazily, lounging on the bed like a water snake, her tempting figure fully displayed before Ning Fan's eyes.
Apollo was intentionally seducing him, something to which Ning Fan had long since become accustomed. He immediately cut off the dark web, indifferent to however Apollo, far away at the Phantom Guild, might react.
The bright moon dominated the sky, the daytime clouds had dispersed, and by evening, the expected rain had still not arrived.
In the courtyard, Xu Ruolan, her face flushed, was leaning on a table in the gazebo. Her slender fingers were pinching a stemmed glass filled with bright red wine, the elliptical surface of the glass reflecting Xu Ruolan's stunningly beautiful face.
A figure quietly appeared outside the gazebo. Ning Fan, seeing Xu Ruolan's state, could not help but shake his head. He sat down across from her, feigning ease, and joked, "Drinking alone isn't much fun."
As he spoke, Ning Fan took a stemmed glass from a nearby trolley and poured himself a drink.
He took a gentle sip of the red wine, which normally tasted sweet, but now in Ning Fan's mouth, it felt distinctly bitter, perhaps influenced by Xu Ruolan's current mood.
Because of Nangong Fu's death, Xu Ruolan's face wore a hint of gloom, burdening her with guilt.
Nangong Fu's return, ultimately, was for her, and since Nangong Fu had died in Zhonghai, Xu Ruolan blamed herself for the cause. Her current mood was undoubtedly heavy.
"Ning Fan, do you think I'm a disaster?"
Xu Ruolan spoke softly, her expression very solemn.
As Xu Ruolan continued to blame herself for Nangong Fu's death, Ning Fan immediately shook his head in denial, "How could that be!"
This incident had nothing to do with Xu Ruolan at all. Nangong Fu was killed because the Fang Guild was going after Ning Fan.
But while that was true, the Fang Guild had also considered kidnapping Xu Ruolan to force out the formula for the Genetic Potion from her.
So saying the incident was unrelated to Xu Ruolan wasn't entirely true, but in Ning Fan's view, the main reason was still because of him.
"They were mainly targeting me, don't blame yourself; this has little to do with you."
Thinking of Nangong Fu's innocent victimization this time, although Ning Fan didn't like the guy, he still felt somewhat guilty.
Honestly, Nangong Fu was quite unlucky. Originally, he knew nothing and had come back from afar just to see Xu Ruolan, even abandoning his business overseas. He had already planned to settle down and not leave again this time.
But fate played a huge joke on him. Not only was Xu Ruolan already committed to someone else, but, aside from this shock, he also encountered a fatal disaster.
The heartless members of the Fang Guild, in their quest to deal with Ning Fan, did not care whether Nangong Fu was innocent.
"Hehe…" Xu Ruolan suddenly laughed, but her smile was so heart-wrenching.
She walked over to Ning Fan with a glass of wine, her beautiful eyes veiled with a layer of mist. She was already drunk.
Suddenly, Xu Ruolan threw herself into Ning Fan's arms, and even rubbed against him in his embrace like she was acting spoiled.
The usually icy CEO Xu Ruolan now seemed just like a little girl.
"Do you know, when I initially took on the role of CEO at the company, my family was all opposed to it…"
Xu Ruolan lifted her head, and her facial expression darkened once again.
"I always told myself not to care about what they said, that as long as I achieved results, they would shut up, but it was really hard. At the beginning, it felt like I was going crazy, as if everyone was gossiping about something…"
Xu Ruolan's road to being CEO was not smooth sailing, and it was fraught with difficulties, including objections from other family members and the skepticism of the company's directors and others.
Although it was hard, she had still managed to get through it.
"But my good luck doesn't seem to come, while the bad luck around me never leaves. Everyone around me has died because of me. If it weren't for me, the Xu family wouldn't have suffered so much, my second uncle wouldn't hold a grudge, and my cousin wouldn't have encountered this if he hadn't come back because of me!"
Because of these experiences, Xu Ruolan had begun to consider herself a magnet for calamity, with all misfortune happening around her.
"Uncle Nangong didn't say it, but I can tell, he hates me. That look in his eyes, he definitely thinks I took his son's life. If it weren't for me, my cousin wouldn't have died!"
"Enough, stop talking."
Ning Fan gently soothed Xu Ruolan's back, hoping she could calm down.
But Xu Ruolan became more and more agitated, and now she couldn't stop at all.
"Because of me, it is one thing for the Xu family to suffer so much, but if this time the relationship between the Nangong family and our family becomes bad, tell me, am I not a criminal?"
"I said enough, don't talk anymore!"
Ning Fan yelled, effectively silencing Xu Ruolan's voice.
A crystal-clear teardrop fell along Xu Ruolan's cheek onto the shirt on Ning Fan's chest, as Xu Ruolan cried silently.
"Ning Fan, will you also disappear?"
"I won't unless you send me away. Otherwise, I will stick with you for a lifetime!"
"But I'm really scared!"
"Don't be scared, I'm always here!"